Converting 3 way fridge from 240V

[Jack Walter]

I've made really good progress over the last week - the electrical system swap is almost complete. I'm waiting on a battery isolator to arrive to keep the trailer from drawing down the tow vehicles battery if they are left attached.


New LED interior lights were installed (one faulty), the new power panel/charger is all wired up, the shore power and external solar plug are installed, the interior is all back together, I've added a 110V outlet with direct USB charging ports plus a separate 12V USB charging port and even created an onboard water supply using a military Sceptre water can and a submersible 12V pump.



Finding a battery hold down that was narrow enough for the space available (7-1/2' wide) took three tries and I had to shave a little over a 1/4" off that one to make it fit. I've got a whole box of stuff I removed from the trailer and managed to tuck everything away in some empty space at the forward edge of the closet giving me more interior storage.


The only real issue I still have is converting the fridge. I may have found a replacement 120V heating element (in England of all places). The local RV repair shop tried to help but got no support from Dometic for a 25 year old fridge. And of course its an odd size that doesn't correspond to any of the new fridges available today. Reworking the cabinet would be a real pain.

[Glenn Baglo]

You're a brave man.

[Jack Walter]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

You're a brave man.

No - I'm a retired engineer/gearhead with four tool boxes and a basement full of tools. This trailer is kids play compared to restoring old Porsches and Land Rovers.

[Glenn Baglo]

Very nice. I'd love either one, or both.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

You're a brave man.

I have to agree.. brave to let that second red wire run so far from the battery post without a fuse. Imagine what will happen if the insulation fails and the red wire (lower one in the photo) touches the battery negative post, or any other ground.

I would suggest a fuse on all wires coming off the positive post, close to the terminal. In fact ON the post is better yet and what I use. See:
https://baymarinesupply.com/blue-sea...use-block.html

[alan H]

I’m loving this thread.... big fan of the pucks..... I wish I could find one

[Defenestrator]

Might be worth considering switching to a LifePO4 battery. They're a lot easier to mount in small places and at awkward angles, and you don't have to worry about sealing them and venting them to the outside like you do with a lead-acid.

[Jack Walter]

I'm not done wiring the battery area yet, waiting for a couple of other pieces to show up. That was just a temporary setup to test all of the circuits. There is only about four feet between the battery and the main panel but everything will be cleaned up before its buttoned up. I've got an external SAE plug for my portable solar panel which will hook directly to the battery - its fused and I plan to put a main fuse in the supply line to the battery isolator which should be here om Monday. I appreciate the advice though. I may put one of the Optima yellow tops from my Defender in the trailer and buy a new battery for the Land Rover.

Today I'm figuring out how to make a mount to attach my Bus Depot awning to the trailer. I had one for my old trailer and they are great - they pack down small and withstood some very strong winds on several occasions. I'm paging through McMaster Carr on line looking for ideas. I'm looking to refine the setup I used to attach the awning to my Eriba Triton here.

[alan H]

Originally Posted by Jack Walter

I'm not done wiring the battery area yet, waiting for a couple of other pieces to show up. That was just a temporary setup to test all of the circuits. There is only about four feet between the battery and the main panel but everything will be cleaned up before its buttoned up. I've got an external SAE plug for my portable solar panel which will hook directly to the battery - its fused and I plan to put a main fuse in the supply line to the battery isolator which should be here om Monday. I appreciate the advice though. I may put one of the Optima yellow tops from my Defender in the trailer and buy a new battery for the Land Rover.

Today I'm figuring out how to make a mount to attach my Bus Depot awning to the trailer. I had one for my old trailer and they are great - they pack down small and withstood some very strong winds on several occasions. I'm paging through McMaster Carr on line looking for ideas. I'm looking to refine the setup I used to attach the awning to my Eriba Triton here.

I’ve been following this... and I’m trying to find some kind of awning for my little joe.... never heard of Bus depot... I’ll have to do more research.... do there awnings stay mounted on trailer while on the road or are they like a rope/pull mount ???

[Jack Walter]

Originally Posted by alan H

I’ve been following this... and I’m trying to find some kind of awning for my little joe.... never heard of Bus depot... I’ll have to do more research.... do there awnings stay mounted on trailer while on the road or are they like a rope/pull mount ???

They were originally marketed to the VW camper bus crowd. They have to be assembled from a bag - the bag with the poles and awning is about 24" long and seven inches in diameter for the small awning - a little longer for the 12 x 8 foot version. So they pack up small and they come with some gutter rail clips for the bus. What I do is use a couple of eye bolts to pass the horizontal pole through that forms one of the two edges of the awning. I've got some gutter rail hard points on the Eriba that I can use to mount the eye bolts. I'll post pictures once I get all of the hardware.



Its hard to explain until you see one of these in action. My sister mounted some eye bolts on a bracket attached to the back of her popup type pickup mounted Four Wheel Camper. They also have side walls available that velcro on. Its vastly superior to the Kelty Carport I used to use.



https://www.busdepot.com/awnings-tents-and-add-a-rooms

[alan H]

Thanks for the link
I’d love to see pics of yours once setup
Love the job you’re doing

[Jack Walter]

I've cleaned up the wiring in the battery box area and wired in the isolator that keeps the trailer battery from drawing down the battery in the tow vehicle. I'm still waiting on the external fuse that will be spliced into the main power feed line from the positive post. I need to fabricate the clamp brackets for the awning rail. I got a replacement for the faulty LED light and installed that. Except for the fridge it's pretty close to done.

[Alohah3]

How did the fridge conversion go? I have a similar challenge in a VW van I imported from Belgium. Also looking at rewiring. Thanks!