As soon as I started considering installing DC to Dc charging for our new TT I thought about where do I go to get straightforward information on all aspects of it. As always I turned to you first and very glad I did! As always your explanations are clear with none of the fluff others use. Thank you again Jared.
Plaudits to you! You’re one of the intelligent RVers out there. I hate the videos of others that take 10 minutes playing music and showing their Tee shirts. You get right to the point and are articulate. I’ve been RV ing for over thirty years and camping all my life. Thank you
Wow! Last year I installed the same charger except its 40 amp. Also installed it in the same place and used the camper running lights as the switch to activate the charger on our Grand design 5th wheel. After installation, I ran down the 400ah of lithium batteries to a low state of charge then connected to 2012 Ram diesel truck and used a clampon amp meter around the positive cable to the charger for testing. The meter indicated 39.97 amps. Then after a few minutes, the charge amps started dropping as the batteries charged so I knew the charge controller was managing the charge rate properly. Thanks for your well done video!
We installed this exact unit a few months ago to help feed the residential fridge while on the road. It has made a world of difference. We can now arrive at camp after a long driving day with a 100% charge on the house battery. Probably our most significant upgrade to date.
That is exactly why I am considering the same thing. I have a truck camper with a Norcold 3 way fridge but if I put it on DC then it will kill the batteries in under a day...even if I am driving. I don't want to have open propane when driving and we often do an 8 hour drive which is a lot to expect the fridge to stay cold without power from somewhere.
I used the same product for the same reasons. Works great. I mounted mine in the truck and turn it on and off with the ford outfitter switches built into the truck from the factory. The reason I installed the converter in the truck is I have two different trailers and wanted to be able to use it on either.
Great video. The other point to note is that without the DC-DC converter, to charge from the 7-way, the alternator voltage needs to be higher than the RV. If there is a diode allowing one way current, the vehicle/alternator voltage needs to be about 0.7V higher, or there will be no vehicle charging, so from my experience vehicle charging only works when RV batteries are significantly depleted (e.g. less than 50 %).
Good explanation, I juste completed my own Renogy 40 amps DC 2 DC installation, as I’am having an180 amps alternator. Quite a job to fit the 4 awg wire in a Jeep Grand Cherokee, but for the rest it is quite simple. My only mistake I bought these unexpensive breaker! bad idea, I had to replaced both of them as they were over heating and tripping for no reason other then heat. The new breaker are like yours and they do the job so far. I added a switch in order to reduce to 20amps, whenever I don’t need the full capacity. Good video as usual, thanks a lot and apologise my english writting, it is not my mother tongue. Regards,
I am kind of a DIY guy, except when it comes to electrical stuff. I don't understand electrical, never have. I would have to hire someone to install this for me, but I would love to have this on my camper. Great video.
i just put a renology 20 amp dc converter on my trailer to charge up my single lithium battery. i intercepted the 12V hot off the trailer plug along the frame and took it direct to the charger. for now i just hot wired the 12v trigger to be instant on as soon as I plug the truck in, but i like the idea of running that off the taillights. my voltage drops to about 10.9 when it pulls full current, but the other side of the charger is stepped up to a perfect 14.6 to top off the lithium.
Another very helpful video, thanks Jarrod. I couldn't help but notice that at around 2:34, it looks like you are missing a nut on the alternator mount stud. Yikes!
I installed the Renogy 50amp DC to DC with mppt. I don't have solar yet, but this will allow me go get a suitcase portable set of panels go deploy in the ground.
Perfect timing. I am in the process of installing a Battery to Battery charger on my Travel Trailer now. It is nice to see that I am hooking mine up the same as you. Thanks for another good video.
I went with the victron 30 amp unit, and as long as we are moving every couple of days our 2 lead acid batteries supply all of our needs with no other charging required. When those bite the bullet we will replace them with lithium (as much for the low maintenance as anything) but B2B charging (and a good battery monitor) makes the batteries we already have do the job with flying colors. If you dry camp as you travel every few days you need this.
Thank you Jerry for the info. While watching your video I saw your Norcold, I stopped the video--- (we park are rv at our home) I went outside turn on the inverter, switched our Norcold 1210IM from LP to electric and it worked. "shazam" it worked.... lol... I just never thought about using the inverter to power our Norcold. I was told to use LP or shore power/generator. I was going through more LP than I needed to. I have over 2000W of solar on my roof with a Magnum Energy MS3012 inverter sitting around doing nothing most of the time, until now... Thank you for your video......
My Dometic 702 pilot flame blows out when driving. I have 800 watts on the roof, 400AH of BB lithium and a Magnum 3000 Hybrid inverter. I run the fridge on inverted AV when driving down the road. As my wife says "after the original investment the solar generated power is free but propane costs money". Smart girl she is.
I sure wish we could have seen the process of running the cable “under the skin” back to your battery compartment. I want to do the same and I’m baffled by that. I saw someone who ran it on the outside and it’s not near as clean of an install….
I plan to use my 15a victron solar charge controller since I have it for use with ground based panels. I plan to use a 12v to 48v dc to dc converter to feed the 12v from the tow vehicle to the 'solar' side of the charge controller. That will limit to 15a and allow me to use a dpdt switch to select between the output of the dc to dc converter or ground based solar panels to feed the input of the mppt controller.
Thanks for the video Jarret! Getting ready to install the Renogy 60A DC/DC charger on our Renegade Verona. We installed 4 of the ReBel 100AH LiFePo4 and 820 watts of solar along with the Victron MPPT solar controller. I am tempted to just install the Victron DC/DC charger, but they only have up to a 30A. Our alternator, being a Freightliner and Cummins combo is pretty good at 180A, so I believe the 60A will be OK, but I sure like the Bluetooth connectivity of the Victron items. Only Victron thing I've not liked is their Smart Shunt as its Bluetooth is very week. I went with the new Thornwave Power mon epoxy sealed module and separate shunt as its Bluetooth will connect to my phone from over 100 feet away. I I can use this to monitor the Renogy charging, but I still like the ability to connect to the Victron DC/DC charger via Bluetooth. FYI, I've installed the RedArc BCDC, and the Renogy DC/DC/MPPT systems on other applications and really like the RedArc as well. FYI, I am not affiliated with any of the brands mentioned above, just like them.
I really appreciate the information. I know the questions I am about to ask are a little off topic but you seen to have tons of knowledge that might help me solve my situation. I live in New Orleans and the power outages that resulted from Hurricane Ida convinced me that I need to acquire a back up power system. The traditional solution - a gas generator - is almost impossible for me because I have no place at all to store it and the gas required to run it. I purchased an inverter rated for 3500 watts and am hoping to run about 2000 watts during emergency situations using my car (alternator and batter). One of the downsides of such a system is obviously how much it would tax the alternator. So, when I saw your video about the dc-dc charger it seemed like it might be part of my solution. I just don't know how to figure out what I need to create a self sustaining system that will run for a week or so as long as I can keep the car gas tank full. I would obviously like to use as little power as possible from the alternator (I believe its rated for 110 amps) to recharge the battery(s) but I need enough amps to prevent discharge. I also don't know whether adding additional batteries or how many would be useful. Any advice you could provide would be greatly appreciated
Excellent video. Since I have a 24V lithium house battery setup in my travel trailer, I use the Victron Orion 12/24-15 DC-DC charger (360 watts max) with a similar dedicated #6 AWG charging circuit from the truck. It works well and is a good supplement to solar on travel days. I like running the fridge on electric rather than propane when we travel, and I don't have to worry about running the house battery down even if its cloudy.
I enjoy your videos and all your tips and information and positive energy I’m gonna upgrade to some battle born lithium batteries I wish you had the time to do it install for me wish you the best stay safe out in the road hope to see you out there someday
Looking at 3:14, there is a graph shown for amps vs power loading for the alternator I would recommend this be revisited. The maximum horsepower draw on standard alternators is relatively small, in the order of 3 horsepower maximum. Example: 1 hp = 745.7 watts. An alternator operating at full capacity outputting 120 amps at 13.8 volts would. With battery packs getting larger with more capacity, it may be worth while to look at potentially utilizing more of the alternator ability, perhaps towards 60-70% of its rating to shorten the charging times. On a standard 100 amp alternator this would put it towards the 50 amp range for a current controller.
I have a 40amp unit to run my refer in the TT so I can shut down the propane while traveling. It works awesome. Easy to hook up. I'll never be without one again. We always have full batteries, propane and cold fridge to start camping with.
This is the most actionable video you've ever done for me, Jared. Thanks for posting and, as always, thanks for all the great info you post. Big fan of the channel and, I hope, someday we'll be in the same campground so I can pick your brain more. :-) Be well and, again, thanks for all the great content.
Ref #3 Battleborn told me there isn't enough charge coming through the wire on the seven way to worry about damaging the truck's alternator......now I'm confused.......again!
I just got done building 400ah lifepo4 battery. Total cost about $2200. New inverter charger new dc to dc charger. Battery cells from Battery hookup. Bms from eBay. Renogy solar panels from amazon. Now a norcold dc compressor fridge from amazon another $1400
Love your channel from which I learn all about RV especially on the electrical aspect. Quick question: Isolated or NON-isolated DC charger do you recommend for a towed trailer. Your link points to an isolated one. Your expertise is appreciated.
Jared - Thank you so much for all of your very informative All About RVs information. As much as I'd like to believe that I can be a DIY person, I really do not have good area or workshop to complete a project. I am looking for someone who I could hire to upgrade my class A to lithium and solar. Is there possibly a list of recommended installers that you trust. I am in the Prescott-Sedona area here in Arizona. Thanks.
I have the same unit on my small RV however I have it triggered by a small sense relay that switches on when the engine battery reaches 13.2 volts and off at 12.8 volts - it charges 300ah lifepo4 from a 120 alternator - I was tempted to get the 40a but have heard that in traffic when the engine & alternator turn slow its fan is inadequate for cooling the load - some alternators may not be able to meet the load and go into deficit - so like you I went with 20a Renogy DC to Dc - a big improvement on my previous crude split charger which seldom gave more than 6 amp
Thanks for the vid. I would have likes a little more detail on connection the alternator wire to the trailer.. routing, connector, attachment to the trailer, etc.
Great video Jared. Your videos are by far the best out there for RV info! I just recently purchased a lithium battery to replace my AGM one. I also have a Reflection 5th wheel (260RD). I guess my question is: If I don’t have a lithium DC-DC charger yet should I disconnect the wire from my 7-pin plug until I get one? My primary interest is to not damage the new battery or the truck. Less concerned about charging while driving. Thanks in advance, and all the very best to you and the family! - Maarten.
You did not address one thing. What did you do with the wire that supplies power from the tow vehicle to the battery on the RV via the 7 pin connector? One thing I have been trying to figure out is if I need to install a dc to dc charger on my fifth wheel. I have a 2017 flagstaff that only has one deep cell lead acid battery and no inverter. My truck has dual batteries and a 397 amp alternator. Am I correct to assume that I do not need one? If I decide to replace my lead acid with a single 12volt 100 amp hour battery with no inverter would I need one then? PS. Love your videos, and have used many of your suggestions...thank you!
Hi, I am just getting started and I am wondering if you disconnected the charge circuit from the 6 pin connector after installing the DC to DC? You mentioned that you originally were charging lithium's from the 6 pin without any issues, did the lithium receive a full charge from the 6 pin and was the charge profile safe for the battery, and you did mention that you didn't have anny alternator problems either. My truck has a 230 amp alternator and my RV is a truck camper with a 6 pin connecter. Thank you
I'm so happy I found this video. My Ram has dual alternators and I was wondering if there's a way to get more power to the travel trailer batteries while I'm driving. So in theory, if I run a 40a charger and let's say 4awg cables, plus add an inverter to the trailer, I should be able to run the AC fridge while I'm driving, right?
Seems pretty straight forward. I have one question/comment. I assume there is no conflict with power coming from the 7 pin connector. Is that correct? Thanks
Thanks for a great video. I have a couple of questions if you have time to answer and you are still in RU-vid land. You ran 6AWG wire in the truck, did you also use 6AWG wire in and out of the Renogy 20W DC to DC charger? Was this 100% copper wire or copper-clad aluminum or does that make a difference? Hope to hear from you soon, I have an Amazon order to make.😛
Hi Jarret, love all your DIY stuff! Quick question, I've got the same RAM 3500, how long was the 6 wire from the starter battery to the connector in the bed? Also, do you have any suggestion how to get the cabling through the skin of the GDRV 5th wheel? Did you fish? Thanks! --- Milan
Renogy only has 12v to 12v systems... I am running a 24v bank... because Victron makes a 12 to 24v. Now if i can find a 12to 36 that would be fantastic
I know this is a 2 year old video, but ... don't you have a charge controller for your batteries? What's the capacity of your alternator? Is it well above what the charge controller uses to charge the coach batteries or well under? And, don't forget about the BMS and what it's designed to do. There are far less expensive ways of charging your batteries while driving.
If connected to the trailer lights, I guess even if the engine is not running and the lights are on, you will still drain the truck battery into the dc/dc charger. I'm wondering, when you open your door to get in the truck, the light go on for 30 sec or so if you don't start the truck, that will decharge your truck battery also. Never had problem with that?
Interesting and informative video as well as the explanation. However, couldn’t get the schematic to enlarge/move to see all of it at once. Any chance you could add that to the description below? Cable size is dependent on amps and distance of the run? Thanks again
Did you try taking a screen shot of the schematic and enlarging it as a photograph? Doing this you can also print it. There are some very good voltage drop calculators on the internet. They will take into account system voltage, distance, load, type of wire, above or under ground and the results will tell you what gauge wire is recommended.
Hi Jared, thanks for the clear and instructive video. You have not, however, mention any solar panels and solar charge controllers. Most of us have also solar chargers. How does this work when there's already a solar charger and we want charging from the alternator as well?
I just installed a LiFePo4 200aH battery on my E-Pro 19FDS with a roof mount 190w solar panel. I have a 2021Jeep Gladiator and I don’t really need to charge the battery while towing. I have tested this new battery/solar system and it will stay in good shape overnight and recharge the next day to sufficiently maintain the battery. I am not a boondocker other than travel stops but use parks with at least electricity for night stops. I heard your comments that you didn’t have any protection for the alternator previously. I am assuming that was with lithium batteries? Anyway I am researching to see if the Jeep has a dedicated fuse for the charge line which I will pull just as a belt/suspenders approach. Thanks for the information.
Curious why you didn’t go with a Victron dc to dc charger since all of you other gear is Victron? I ordered a Renogy and when I saw how gigantic it was, I gave up trying to install it in my truck camper so I went shopping again and found the Victron Orion Smart TR unit. It was perfect because it’s so small. I also run my fridge on AC power via the inverter when driving and the alternator keeps up with the demand now that I have upgraded cabling and the Victron unit.
Technical question: I just installed the 20a dc/dc charger using the Anderson connector and wired the power activation using the trailer light connection as mentioned in your video. I also have previously installed the following: Victron 12v/3000 MultiPlus II, Victron Smart Shunt and Lion Energy batteries. Here’s my question, after install of the dc/dc charger, how do I determine if the charger is connected and actually charging the batteries? Will is see the charging activity on the smart shunt app? I have a steady green indicator light and the multimeter shows 14v on the input side but nothing on the output side. DIP switches are set: 1 up, 2-4 down, 5 up. Just seems really strange. Nobody addresses the issue, or I’m just totally missing it (which is entirely possible 😬🤪). Thank you. Most likely, see you next video. Jason
Hello, I want to replace the batteries of my motorhome for a 300ah lithium. I bought the victron isolated smart dc-dc 12v 30 amps. Can I connect the victron changer with the wires coming to my auxiliary batteries (by adding a 60 amp fuse protection at the input to the output) now to my new lithium without modifying the old installation...
Hey I realize this is an older videos, I just wanted to ask , Did you need to remove the 12v + from the 7 -Pin from the truck as to not add extra 12v?amp draw from the alternator ?
Thanks for the informative video on dc to dc charging. When you talk about frying the alternator (~7 min in video) when using a lithium house battery and how you avoided this for a long time by running smaller gauge wire from the alternator to the house battery to create resistance, thus saving your alternator, wouldn't the smaller wire quickly short in a situation like this?
On my radar. But before I install a dc-dc charger I want to know how many amps my alternator is providing to the house batteries...2 6V GCs. How did you make the determination that your alternator was delivering only 1 amp or so?
uhhh...this is not the only solution. There are those of us who have 2nd alternators on our prevost thats dedicated for house...in those cases dc/dc is junk. an external regulator is the solution for that application. dc to dc is for single alternator setups...very important you state that
Planning on 1400ah lithium bank. Got around 750 amps coming from my truck. Probably 600amps available aside from the truck usage when the sound system isn't being played. Wonder who makes a high output dc to dc charger..
When you did the wiring from your alternator to your truck bed, did you use both positive and negative wires? Or did you run a positive wire and tie the negative on each end to the chassis? I've heard people do both. The reason I ask is that wire isn't cheap...
@@deltabravo1257 he is probably pullinng 25-28 amps max with this 20 amp model accounting for loosses. Yes obviously it is better to run a dedicated b+ AND ground straight from the truck battery to the load. My point is, you missed the WHY part... You see here beautiful ppl reading this: when you use the chassis of your vehicle to carry high current ground (anything over 25 amps) you are now relying on the vehicles factory ground cable going from the battery to the chassis. Often these cables are undersized and really only just barely "good enough" to handle the current of the vehicle, and maybe 20-25 amps from a trailer plug. When you exceed 25 amps of current as an add on device you should always use dedicated power and ground cables directly to the battery to avoid melting the factory ground cable and possibly causing damage to the electronics on your vehicle. Futhermore, you must use the same gauge cable for the power and ground to avoid any 'bottlenecks' (you could say) in said add on wires.
So I like your videos I am wanting to do a solar/Apu system in my semi hotel load will be a fridge at 6.8 amps 12v and a oven at 12 amps the some 12v outlets also thinking running a inverter but maybe 2000 wats was think of agm battery’s because I live in a cold winter zone any thoughts or input much appreciated
Do I need a DC to DC charger if we never boondock?Am I correct in thinking our converter will charge the battery while parked so it should always be near 100%
Hey my name Santiago I have a few questions 1 which dc to dc charger do I need for let. Say 2500 truck 2 what are the abapter you are using to hook up your dc to dc charger so I'm going to need the 20 amp 30 amp 40 amp 60 amp I just need alittle help with that
Great content as always! Thank you. I am working on upgrades including Renogy DC-DC charger, and (am considering) Victron Multiplus inverter-charger. My question: can you make the Victron Multiplus system recognize and account for the charging provided by the Renogy DC-DC charger? For example, does the DC-DC charger show up as a component on the Victron GX Control Panel?
I have a 3000 watt inverter just lieing around. And I have a Victron charger in line to charge my lithium batteries if I need it. Do you know if it would be ok to run that 120 volt ac charger off my 3000 watt inverter which would be running off the 12volt line in the RV connector to charge my batteries when I’m driving?
Hi there, I am towing a 16’ trailer with my 2019 Toyota Highlander Hybrid SUV. I wanted to install a DC to DC charger but couldn’t find much info out there. I was wondering if you can give me some tips or advice on how to install DC to DC charger from a Hybrid SUV as it does not come with an alternator. Can I connect it directly to the vehicle main battery in my case? Will that be an issue? This might be be a good RU-vid content as more hybrid vehicles and EV’s are getting popular. Thank you!
Hello,, are there any dangers/adverse effects with having the DC-DC charger, the solar controller and the factory AC-DC charger all connected at the same time to the deep cycle batteries? For instance trailer getting plugged in to shore power while ignition is on or vehicle is running? Thanks, Chris
Can you provide a “build” list of all items needed? Currently have lead acid batteries in RV. Would need to change anything if we upgrade to Lithium batteries in Rv??
Hello. Thank you for this video, where did you run the D+ wire from the renology to your running lights? I couldn’t tell from the video. Was it to the 7 pin wire harness in the hitch or in the truck? That is a clean install. What wire clip did you use? Thank you so much. I have definitely subscribed!
The D+ was ran to his lights wire. It's the trigger wire if you will and when the controller sees voltage it'll turn the inverter on. I wired mine to an aux circuit that switches on when I start the truck. I used an add a circuit to my fuse panel for it.
For my setup I didn't take any chance. I have solar 400watts on top of trailer so I don't really need the charging from the 7 pin. I simply removed the fuse in the truck that controls the charging of my TT batteries. 0$ in investments and 100% sure no dead alternator. Problem solved!
Question on your install. Did you disconnect the hot wire on the 7 pin plug once this was installed? With it still connected, are you getting an additional charge? I have the 5th wheel setup.
I use a 40 amp DC charger and left my 7 way power connected. I can see the power from the 7 way on my monitor before I flip on the DC charger. However, since it's at a lower voltage than my lithium bank, it won't help charge those fully. It only helps with the load of the inverter really. So to answer your question... kind of and it depends. If you have lithium then the 7 way won't get your batteries to the high enough voltage to be fully charged. If you're running lead acids then it will help. In my experience, it helps with the DC loads from the inverter. I can see the additional help of the 7 way on the battery monitor when I plug in the 7 way. My 2017 ford actually has about 7-8 amps coming through that connection.
I as well was getting 8 A from the truck then I turn on the DC to DC charger getting a total of 28 A as I have a 20 amp DC DC charger this was a pleasant surprise as I heard there wasn’t really much amperage to talk about from your vehicle it may not top it up to 100% but everything helps
So if you run lithium and don’t use a dc to dc charger you run the risk of damaging your alternator. Is there a way to just disconnect the charging function so everything else works? If you install this dc to dc charger isn’t the original charging function still hooked up? Or am I missing something?
Wondering about the current limiting wire. Has anyone hooked this wire up? What is its purpose? Its simple to hook up but its not spoken about in the video. Pro's/Con's?
Hi Jared, I know this is a late comment, but I am just getting ready to install the victron Orion 30 Amp DC to DC charger on my 2015 silverado with a 220 Amp alterator. I would like to know about wire and fuse size. Is there a link to a wiring diagram for my set up. I will be charging 3 - 100amp lithium batteries while I drive. Thanks for all you do!!
With 2 , 200 amp alternators on my truck, can l charge a large bank of lith/ ion batteries instead of mounting solar to my R.V.? Without burning 🔥 up my alts once full charge has been obtained? Where does the load go to? And is there an auto shut off or redirect to? A sponge??? And if there is an auto shut down or redirect, is there an auto redirect after the first? So if lm driving 10 - 12 hours, there is somewhere for the charging to go after the first five hours and everything is at max charge? Or does one alt free wheel while the other keeps us running at peak efficiency? I think l just invented something? Please help? ✌🏻👍👍🇨🇦😎
You added a new 6 awg wire from truck battery to trailer battery for the dc-dc converter. Do you still have the 7 pin 12v wire going directly to the battery as well? Something like 20 amp from the dc converter and small 1 amp from the smaller 7 pin wire?
Is there a reason why I can’t run the black wire to the chassis of my truck near the bed to avoid running another wire all the way to the front of my truck?
