I replaced the 30 Watt converter/charger and group 29 battery and box that originally came with my Palomino Maverick slide-in. The original equipment was upgraded to a 440 AH bank of 6V golf cart batteries and a 2000 Watt Inverter/100 Amp charger. As part of the install I replaced the rinky dink 110V breaker box. The batteries are Concord Lifeline AGM types and the inverter/charger is a Heart Interface Freedom 2000. I also installed a Heart Interface Link 1000 battery monitor/inverter controller.
I chose the more expensive AGMs for several reasons. Since they would not be in a totally separate outside compartment, I wanted sealed batteries that do not outgas hydrogen nor leak acid. Secondly, since the the AGMs do not leak, there is no need for a bulky sealed battery box, which I had no room for, as you will see in the pix below. As further justification, AGMs typically last 2x as long as flooded lead acid units. I figure I paid a premium of $100 - $200 more for the AGM bank than the 2 flooded lead acid banks I would need for the same lifespan. Also, there is no way I could have physically installed a 440 AH flooded lead bank and vented box in the space I have available.
The camper has a pretty good sized area under the step up to the bedroom. It holds a 16 gallon fresh water tank and water pump. Before the installation of the 440 AH battery bank, it also held a group 29 battery and vented box as well as the converter which was mounted in the wall between the step/seat area and the inside of the camper.
I removed the original battery and box as well as the converter. The converter contained the 12V fuse panel and the 110V breaker box. I gutted the converter and kept only the 12V fise panel and the faceplate to cover the hole. I needed to do this because I had no room for the converter itself. The front panel is vented so it makes a nice air intake for venting heat from the batteries.
Next, I plugged the hole in the floor which was for the old vented battery box air intake. I left the vent tube and grille to the outside front on the camper to vent heat out of the compartment. Then I put in the battery base I made out of 1/2" plywood and oak. My floor is foam core laminate and I wanted a good sturdy base to hold the 270 lbs of batteries. The oak strips are sized as spacers to keep the battery sides from touching each other and the walls of the compartment. I also inserted 4 1/4" carriage bolts from the under side of the plywood to use as battery hold downs. I also cut 4 double layer rubber pads to put under the batteries to absorb road shock and help keep the batteries from sliding as well. The material I used was tool box liner.
The top of the battery tie downs are oak 1x2 cut to fit snugly over the battery tops and between battery pairs, again to keep them from banging into each other. Since I couldn't find long enough carriage bolts, I made extenders out of 1/4" threaded rod and threaded rod couplers.
The batteries are cannected as 2 parallel pairs of series connected batteries. Each battery is 220 AH, 6Volts. A pair in series gives you a 220 AH 12 Volt bank. The 2 banks in parallel gives you a 440 AH 12 Volt bank.
All battery power is carried by 2/0 welding cable. Welding cable is MUCH more bendable than battery cable. There is 300 Amp slow blow fuse between the bank and the inverter. I also installed a dual bank marine battery bank switch rated at 300 Amps. The switch has positions for bank 1, bank 2, both or off. I really only wanted just off and on, but I got a deal on the switch on ebay. I usually have it in the both position and have found no reason to run off just one bank or the other.
The inverter just fits in the cabinet under the kitchen sink and is mounted within about a foot or so (wire length wise) from the battery bank.
I bought a GE 220V breaker box and modified it to provided split dual 110V circuits. I did this by adding a second neutral and ground bar. The box accepts 4 full width breakers or 8 1/2 width breakers. I used the half widths. One of the 110V legs distributes the 110V shore power. The other distributes the inverter 110V output. The inverter has an automatic transfer switch that automaticaly switches the outlets it feeds to shore power when it is there. The breaker box mounts under the kitchen cabinet under the cooktop. On the shore power side, I have separate breakers for the inverter, air conditioner, and water heater. On the inverter side of the box I have a breaker for the microwave and one for all other 110V outlets. I have 1 shore power and 2 inverter breakers left as spares.
.If you have any questions, please email me by clicking here --> jj
I have more picture of the installation to post, but just ran out of time to put them on the web page.
