Inteli-Power Converter installation

[efawcett]

Okay, I've searched the forums for two days and I haven't found anything that answers my specific question.... So either my searching skills are bad or it's not there.

However I did find some interesting related threads, but they just confused me...

I took my 13' Scamp out this weekend and I had to use the heater for the first time. Since the heater doesn't use the shore power that was available, it ended up draining my battery quite a bit. So I've decide to install a converter. Specifically a Inteli-Power PD9245C. I've read all the threads for and against converters, but my mind is made up...

Well preparing for my purchase I located the Inteli-Power PD9245C installation manual however it was quite sparse. So if anyone out there has installed one of these from scratch, I have a couple of questions and would greatly appreciate any advice:

1. I'm going to over simplify this but here it goes.... Installation isn't as simple as just tapping into my main +/- 12V lines is it? I mean I know I will have to install an AC outlet to power the converter, but as far as connecting the 12V wires the installation manual I found looked like it was as easy as just tapping into my existing lines?

2. This converter brand has a charging wizard for the battery.... Does that require a different set of 12Vwires going to the battery? Or is everything done (powering of 12V appliances and recharging of the battery) through the one tap in?

3. Sorry for the newbie converter questions... Please don't hurt me! I know there's people out there that always take their work to the next level, but I just want the easiest, least expensive converter install I can get. So if I don't absolutely need to rewire the whole trailer and install multi gauge measuring devices and a new bank of batteries then I don't want to.

Thank you for your anticipated kindness!!!

Eric (wosto)

[Suz]

Eric, do have a fuse panel? Something that looks similar to this?

[efawcett]

Eric, do have a fuse panel?

Whoops, sorry... No I have no 12V fuse panel/buss bar....

[Suz]

Okay. I'm afraid I'm gonna have to let someone else help you, then. I installed the 9245 (or maybe the 9145) but since I had a fuse panel, mine was done differently.

Hang in there, someone will come along soon.

on edit: I was thinking that you had to have one in order to install a converter, but I may be wrong.

[Bob H]

I'm following this thread with interest since I too want to install a 12dc converter and have no fuse box, just a 110vac, 15amp breaker panel.

I hate to admit it, but I know just enough about electrical circuits to be DANGEROUS!
ConwayBob

[Joe MacDonald]

if you have a 110v breaker box, it is as simple as adding a plug in, and connecting the 12vdc.
if you want to get fancier, you can add a switch to change between battery power and converter power. this switch would also give you the ability to turn both off, eliminating drain on the battery when in the yard.

[Steve C.]

The potential problem with just tapping into your existing wiring would be possible overheating and failure of the existing wiring. This converter is capable of outputting 45 amps which may be significantly more than your wiring is rated for. The converter is short circuit protected, but under certain circumstances some wiring damage could occur before it shuts down.

Ideally, you should rewire with adequately sized wiring (8 gauge would be marginal, 6 gauge would be better- especially if the run from the converter to battery was long) and ensure each load is individually fused. I suppose you could simply install a fuse in the positive line from the converter that was equal to the rated load capacity of the existing wiring, but you may find it will blow if the battery is low and you use a large number of circuits at once while running on converter power.

A work around would be to wire the converter directly to the battery with large gauge positive and negative wires while leaving the existing wiring leads connected to the battery as they normally are. I would strongly suggest installing an appropriately rated fuse in the existing positive lead connection near the battery. Usually 10 gauge wiring is used in RV's which would indicate a 30 amp fuse, but I have no idea what you will find in your unit.

Generally;

6 gauge wire 50-60 amp capacity = maximum fuse size.

8 gauge wire 35-40

10 gauge wire 25-30

12 gauge wire 20

14 gauge wire 15

16 gauge wire 10



Don't forget to follow the manufacturer's directions regarding grounding!



The Inteli-power converters work great, especially with the charge wizard. I have used a PD9140 with external charge wizard for several years now. Very fast battery charging, and you can leave the trailer plugged in all winter with no fear of boiling the battery dry.





Steve.

[Pete Dumbleton]

I was at an RV show over the weekend and noticed that some of the mid-sized travel trailers were wired with 6 gauge stranded between the battery and converter; others were using 8 gauge.

In both Scamps, there should be a 12VDC fuse block someplace. Unless someone pulled the block out. The factory would NOT have installed wiring directly from the battery (and its 30A fusing) to all the lights and appliances.

If the new converter doesn't have integral fusing, then an outboard one should be added.

[Timmy G]

Interesting that I just posted this on another chat ... I added a converter and an inverter (sounds strange, but it serves a purpose) to my Surfside .. here is the wiring diagram. Most of the wiring is 8 and 10 Guage depending on purpose. I'm not sure how the wizard works, but teh converter should be fairly similar. ... Hope this helps.

Tim

[Pete Dumbleton]

Inverter + converter doesn't sound strange to me! If one has shore power, the converter runs the 12VDC stuf and if one does not have shore power, the inverter runs the 120VAC stuf!

It's difficult to generalize with converters because they come in many arrangements.

1. Stand-alone converter with 12VDC fuse block separate and 120VAC separate. Plugs in.

2. Shore cable directly to converter, w/ 12VDC block and 120VAC breakers integral.

3. Shore cable to 120VAC breakers, converter plugs in and has 12VDC block integral.

Also, some converters *require* a 12VDC battery as part of their wiring, while others don't. One should definitely rely on the converter manf's instructions in this regard.

[efawcett]

Thanks for everyone's suggestions!

I completed my Inteli-Power Converter installation this weekend and so far it seems to work great... I've never seen my battery-powered lights so bright or my water pump so pumpy!

Not sure if I did everything completely to spec. but I ended up adding a new 120V outlet from the breaker-box in order to power the converter and then I ran 8 gauge wire directly from the converter to the battery. I left all other wiring alone.

Like I said, seems to work great! Thaks for the help!