WFCO auto detect battery charger, does it actually work?
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- čas přidán 15. 05. 2023
- WFCO auto detect battery charger, does it actually work? Todd welcomes Derrick from WFCO to join him in putting their auto detect battery charger to the test. In this special episode, they dive into the features and performance of WFCO's auto detect converter charger.
Join them as they showcase real-time tests, demonstrating how the auto detect battery charger handles different scenarios and charging requirements. They also share insights and practical tips on how to maximize the charger's efficiency for your RV's battery setup.
The National RV Training Academy, the largest hands-on RV technical career college in the country, conducted a rigorous test to find out which treatment reigns supreme. These products both do a fantastic job, but we're here to determine which one gives you the most bang for your buck.
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#TechTipTuesday #RVtech #WFCO #batterycharger #autodetect #RVlife #RVing #camping #outdoorliving #adventure #bigbeardbatteries
I like to operate under the KISS principal. They had a great product with a switch and then they complicated it with auto detect.
Definitely agree
Agree. All that entire lesson and talk could be avoided with one switch
No switch is more complicated than having a switch? Seems the other way around …
I recently purchased a trailer with one of these AD units.
1) These are sold with a huge auto-detect sticker on the front. Nowhere is it obvious you must discharge the battery to get it to work. I’d also say that overall dealers are completely unaware of this as well.
2) Discharging batteries is a big pain and risks damage. I did discharge my two Battleborns to 11V (I wasn’t comfortable going lower). It never switched profiles. And it only charged at 8 amps so it took over 36 hours just to bring my batteries to 80%.
3) many people have reported the problem above and WFCO themselves published a video on how to “trick it” into Lithium mode. Their solution is to pull the entire power panel out and mail it back for a firmware update. Are you kidding me?
4) the rep’s comments about a switch are infuriating. The switch gives choice and confirmation of selection. The attitude seems to be customers are too dumb to have a switch. That’s says it all to me.
5) switched out my WFCO to a progressive dynamics with a switch. Charges in lithium node at a much higher amperage and I get to 100% in about 5 hours.
They can do all the PR damage control they want. This auto detect “technology” is never going in a trailer I own again.
Agree....They need to remove that sticker- That's false advertisement- Like you I'm thinking getting progressive dynamics with a switch to avoid the hassles...
Agree 100% 150%
Agree. Maybe it's time to switch to a different manufacturer.
Agree, wfco is horrible. I will never buy another rv with their chargers in it. What a bunch of idiots. Disgraceful.
Well I mean if people are too dumb to switch it and the device is too dumb to switch itself aren't we in the same boat?
People aren't worried about the 14.4 versus the 14.6 - they're worried about when the converter drops to 13.2 float voltage in LA mode. Then when they're ready to leave the campground and do an overnight boondock on the way home, they don't have the full capacity of their LI to rely upon because the charger has been sitting at 13.2. Regardless, I've had no problem with the converter staying in LI mode once it finally made the switch. Good follow up video, thanks.
this hits the nail on the head. Been boondocking the last two weeks with a generator to try and charge these batteries to full but they get stuck at 13-13.2 volts
I'm having that exact issue. Float mode at 13.2v, and when boondocking, if I try to top the battery off with the generator, I don't see any gains.
Thank you for writing this, I'm in the process of upgrading to lithium and I need to switch out my main board assembly on my WFCO converter to be compatible with lithium. I have the choice between getting a board with the auto-detect feature or one that has a lithium switch...I'm going with the lithium switch
@@tommytmtalso you can get the main board lithium only
@@walterobando1378 I didn’t know that existed, thanks!
I (like many others looking for this converter) have updated my camper to a battle born 100ah lithium battery. After talking to WFCO about updating they said that I would need the updated converter with the 1.19 version for the battery to “auto detect” the lithium battery and switch from lead acid battery mode to the lithium mode. The only supplier that I could find of the 8955-AD-MBA auto detect was Amazon. I purchased the “updated” version hoping that it was the one with the 1.19 firmware version, since Amazon support would not tell me if it was or not. (Unless I purchased it first, dumb). I received it, and sure enough it was not updated. WFCO tech support said that it needed to have a sticker on it saying 1.19, mine did not. WFCO tech said that it should still work anyway with the battleborn battery. I tried to get it to “auto detect” lithium for a week and also while on the camping trip, both with shore power (Regular 110 house outlet) and with my very capable generator. I had to run the generator for at least four hours a day while camping (since it was only charging in Lead Acid battery mode) just to keep us above water and not losing full power for our 12v fridge. On the last morning I gave up and my final attempt was to let the percent of battery go down to 4% remaining, (WFCO says down to 10% to get it to switch) kicked the generator on, let the light turn green and the red charge light startup, and then flipped the main power breaker off and back on, and the light finally turned blue. After all of that, and lots of celebrating, the lithium finally started charging at 50 amps (up until it reached 50% capacity and the charge rate dropped substantially to 13amps) Now, come to find out, the converter is still not letting the battery take the full charge and has never reached the “balancing” 14.2 v even when it’s in lithium mode.. So, even though I got it to switch to lithium mode, it’s still not doing what it’s supposed to be doing.. I followed all of the CZcams recommendations from WFCO and all of their advice exactly. I drained my battery over four different times (down to 20%, down to 10%, down to 8% and finally down to 4%), waisted a week of my life and hours of frustration on this conversion. My recommendation, if you want to convert to Lithium, give yourself plenty of time before camping and be ready for a lot of stress. The “auto detect” option from WFCO, in my opinion, is a joke. I am still waiting to hear back from WFCO and will update this post as I move forward.
I bought a Victron charger and I may replace my 8735 AD with a Progressive Dynamics 4100. Physical switch rather than WFCO's clueless sensing logic.
Any updates on your problem?
@@bjnslcme too
Is the Progessive Dynamics an easy swap from the WFCO size and wires?
Thanks for revisiting this. My unit obviously had an issue and WFCO was really helpful in getting a firmware update for my unit.
Hey Thanks so much ! I'm glad I don't have to remember to throw a switch when i change out the batteries !🤣
Excellent video, everyone in the forums only talks about the blue and green lights, it makes it sound like you have an issue with the converter, but according to what WFCO says its working as designed. Thank you for the information.
Wow I read the comments first (This was a mistake) . Then I watched the video and actually got educated properly. It is CLEAR the people with their belly aching did NOT watch this video. Thank you both. Right next to this video is two vloggers with a title "WFCO Converter charger issue" good lord. The internet is filled with so much nonsense.
I bought a wf-8735AD ..... first thing I did was read the manual. no surprises. good video! thank you
Dude this was some of the best info that has been put out lately.
Just recently installed new wfco deck mount on my trailer with new lithium batteries.
This was awesome.
I also have talked to the people at wfco. They were super helpful and informative.
Really loved this
I called WFCO five times and left a message, emailed, and even filled out the warrant return page, and I got ZERO replies. Don't know how to get the firmware upgrade that I also heard about.
@@mrgehring2
Yes to my knowledge and what I was told there is a firmware upgrade that they told me about that came out earlier this summer, about July I think.
I really did just call the number supplied by them and talked with one of the techs. He was very informative. If I have the number still I’ll post it on here for you.
This was a very informative video, I don’t know I’m sold on the auto-detect converter by WFCO but the information here as top notch. Great content
This is a great video and really has helped me understand the variables involved.
much better video than what is on WFCO site. Good job, little long, but you got your points across
This cleared up a bunch of questions!
I bought the WFCO Auto detect and it detected the Lithium mode fine but would not stay in bulk charge mode. Called WFCO discovered that in spite of the Seller's statement of having the current firmware on the charger I didn't.
After returning the unit to WFCO for a firmware update it works wonderfully. The unit chargers my lithium batteries at the proper voltage and proper amount of time at bulk rate.
I installed last week and it’s been working great. Will update I also have the latest firmware. Drained my lithium battery to around 40% and followed a different video that WFCO put out on detecting a lithium battery and it worked first time, detecting lithium. Great video
Thanks for sharing
Amazing! WFCO is awesome, especially the Tech Support line. This was an invaluable video. Thank you so much to Tech Tip Tuesday and WFCO.
Thank you for reminding folks to get answers they seak from the legitimate source... :) Now, admittedly, I watched two times because this stuff makes my brain hurt, but I followed. 😊 Todd you're spot on regarding the damn cell phones. 😅
You showed credibility and integrity by doing this 3rd video with the correct information from the manufacturer with the WFCO tech. (I had some strong comments about your previous 2 videos) I went to a WFCO seminar last year and received basically the same information. I have found my 9855 AD works exactly as described and I also have no problem with it working with my solar. Thank you for doing this video. Your FB comments are spot on.
So do you get the proper charging from Solar and then from the Controller? Or is it too low of a charge from your controller based on the Solar charging.
Great video, answering all my questions. I have solar and a disconnect between it and charge controller, so when plugged into 30 amp shore power, keep solar off.
that hose explanation makes a lot of sense, I've not heard it described that way before
Great video and very helpful. I thought I was having problems with auto detect. Called WFCO and we worked thru the problem. Their support is great. Turns out the BMS on the battery was not working properly. Replaced the battery and it's detecting and charging properly. One think that was briefly mentioned here is firmware. Verify it before you install the converter. The unit I purchased from Amazon had a sticker inside the door with the firmware version. I called WFCO support and determined a newer version was available. They generated an RMA with pre-paid shipping and I returned the unit for an update. The turn around was about a week.
Which firmware version did you have?
I really appreciate all of the information in this video, especially around the cable length. My trailer has the typical tongue mounted batteries but the controller and electrical panel is at the back of the rv, 22' away. Im looking at upgrading to lithium batteries but didn't think about moving them closer to the controller. Thanks for the info and keep it coming 👍
Glad it was helpful!
How do you know which firmware is installed on a particular converter?
Installed it on ours, pulled it out and returned it. Battery wouldn’t charge within the generator hours fully. Installed the WD-8955Lis works great.
One issue that I have with this auto detect scheme is that some BMS controllers require 14.6 volts to perform cell balancing. If you don’t hold it at 14.6 volts long enough it won’t balance the cells. That will impact performance and affect the life of the battery. If the balance gets too bad some BMS controllers will shut down the battery. A simple switch would make it easier but they must be worried about people cooking their lead acid batteries or Li ion batteries getting way out of balance and low capacity complaints. Some people just don’t like to follow instructions no matter the consequences.
Well said
Maybe some day one of the converter companies will learn the needs of Lipo4 batteries.
Thanks!
Todd thank you for giving Wfco a chance to explain how this works.
This doesn't deal with the issue of the converter reverting to lead acid mode, which mine does. I bought a 8740 AD which should have been a swap for my 8735 P. I spent several hours removing the old one and installing the new one. I could not get it to switch to lithium mode, even doing all the tricks recommended by WFCO. Support said send it to us and we will do a firmware update. I took the time to remove the unit and sent it to WFCO. Counting the ground shipping, it was gone nearly a month. I got it back, reinstalled it, and it went to lithium mode. Yippee, except that it converted back to lead acid again and does this all the time!! I would much prefer a switch and recommend that anyone looking to change converters to deal with lithium batteries steer away from the WFCO units. They aren't ready for prime time. Give me the switch all day long.
A temporary fix at best, and a pain in the butt. But even more painful, their only offered solution is for you to remove and ship back the whole unit for a firmware update! They've been aware of this auto-detect problem since early 2022, yet still selling units with the old firmware. LiFePO batteries aren't so new. The firmware should have had that covered around 2019. And why not have included old tech like a usb port for updates, if not OTA?
I discharged and charged. It went from green to blue and then switched back to green again. This has happened twice now. It detects LiFePO4 great, but it's switching back to green. and the fan runs most of the day when green.
Yes, the real issue is that they are attempting to solve a problem that mostly doesn't exist. Most chargers are located a place that is not easily
accessible, so there is no concern of playing with the switch.
Big Beard. Congrats on your new larger space efficient battery. When coming up with your Inverter in the future what will you do differently to add to the worlds leading brand? Also because there’s times we want parallel solar hookup for even intake. Are you going to design a hardware that convert from series to parallel? Of course wire gauge will play a big factor but I know you’ll figure a way to run two separate gauges when switching one to other. Please educate us on your future plans with this newly improved innovation.
Question… My rv is equiped originally with this converter and I have a Furrion solar panel and controller. The electrical box is at least 20 feet away from the batterie. Can I drop a Lithium batterie in (or two), or do I have to make some changes?
I have the 8735 ad, how can I be sure the converter is charging the house battery when plugged into shore power
Various RV forums have nothing but problems with WFCO "Auto detect." As to why they just can't give us a switch to set it to the right battery type is beyond me. If only WFCO had a competitor, not sure they would be so sloppy with development and product release if anyone else offered a similar replacement unit.
What model had the switch? I have a 2021 trailer..has the wf8955 pec.
When was the converter with the switch installed?
I have the WF-8735-AD-GE drained the new Lithium down to 10% hooked it up and it started to charge. I also have a 165W solar panel. I dropped the battery in the original battery box on the A-frame and I know it is not optimal but this is temporary. It only charged to 13.4 overnight and the LCD stayed green the whole time. I have unhooked the power and tried to force the changeover but still no luck. I was only drawing 3amps all yesterday and overnight it was still charging at the 3amps draw with the converter continuedly running. I drained it down down to 35% this morning and now it is drawing 5amps, I have the Progressive Industries RV Surge Protector with display showing the draw. I am going to call WFCO this morning to probably find out my firmware needs updating, but hoping we can get it to switch over.
So are you saying that the converter should be moved to the battery compartment right next to the lithium battery? And then it might work right?
QUESTION?? My Lifepo4 shipped was half charged. I know someone with this same auto detect system that over charged the battery and never recognized what was full. Am I supposed to discharge it down to 20% life left to being the process on the Auto Detect to pickup up the amount?
Is there another is there another power station that fits easily into the same space as the 8935 that is lithium only from a different company?
I guess it works with AGM's too which have a profile between FLA and Lithiums.
I have a question. If I have the lithium only mode, will the solar still mess with the auto sense feature?
I have a 2022 Winnebago 2100BH with the 8955-ad converter, and the camper also has a solar panel and charge controller. I’ll be using a generator during generator hours but it’s only 2 times a day for 2 hours. I just want my fridge to stay running, so I find this whole problem actually really concerning. It seems like I can’t trust things to work this way, which is odd for an “auto” system.
I saw another video where WFCO offered to make the converter lithium only for the customer.
Any insight would be appreciated.
New converter n battery lithium. Do you have to discharge the battery once before it will auto detect n work? Plus if my gas is turned off and I turn it on how does my 2 way fridge begin to work
You both said that the converter would auto-detect at the end of the charge, but the converter obviously auto-detected just a few minutes into the recharge. Frankly, I like the way it seems to work better than the way you guys said it would work. I intend to have a split Lead-Acid and Lithium LiFePO4 dual system on an A/B switch. Whichever the battery the converter finds seems that it would charge correctly. I wouldn't want to switch battery chemistries while the converter was working (I'm not that brave). This way I can expand my Lead-Acid system with Lithium, since the Lead-Acid I have works well, just not enough capacity.
So are you saying if you have solar panels and you want to fast charge your battery you should shut off the solar and just use the converter?
I could never get them to answer, after emails, five calls with messages, and filled out warranty form.
Installed the WF-8950L2-MBA in my last RV, and it worked well, but it's been discontinued. This "improved" (overly complicated) auro-detect unit is....... a PITA.
I’d rather have the switch and have full control of my system. That’s why I went with Victron products when I changed my RV over to lithium.
Aims inverter charger is good to
In my opinion another grate idea on paper I have a brand-new Cougar 25RDS with the WF-98855-AD and honestly it sucks. They should leave it up to the customer to decide what mode/type of battery we want to be in. As mentioned in your video if you have a solar system, it confuses the unit, too many variables for it to operate in the correct mode. I and a few people I know are going to remove the WFCO auto detect unit and replace it with another brand that lets us select the type of batteries we have.
The converter should have remote voltage sensing and not rely on the power cables for voltage information, then the battery can be placed in the next state if you want. Your engineers should know this? I think so.
How can I tell if My unit has the correct firmware and will work if I install a lithium battery on my unit?
Great content, very informative. I've tried emailing WFCO's tech support and after a confirmation email, I never heard back. I'm switching to Lithium this spring. I'm seldom off shore power so my batteries don't typically get much below full charge. Should I expect issues with auto detect maintaining my 2 - 100 AH batteries?
If you require 14.6 to balance through the bms than maybe not because auto detect before this newest firmware will keep in lead acid 14.4. BUT good cells stay matched for a long long time. A bms ofcourse is the limiting factor. Most BMS suck and fail. Its own circuitry will either work fine with these types of chargers or it wont. If you are like me and make your own lifepo4 batteries WITHOUT a bms than these chargers will work perfect in lead acid mode. I have 8955 ad converter and it stays in lead acid. 14.4 is best because I do not need passive balancing with good cells and its the best voltage for charging without reducing life that 14.6 does.
IF you build your own forget the bms. They suck and fail. You charge the cells individually to 3.5v then connect them in series. OR you discharge them to 2.5 then connect in series then charge to 14.4v. top vs bottom balance. Once they are balanced you do not need to balance for a long long time with GOOD CELLS. No bms means your battery will last a long long time. OTHERWISE the bms will fail much much sooner than the cells. You also get to choose the best cells you know. It is cheaper. The ONLY thing a bms is good for is low voltage disconnect. You will want to monitor battery capacity with a current meter/battery monitor. You can make your own low voltage disconnect that turns off an economized contactor/relay/solenoid.
Batteryhookup is the best source
Make your own bus bars with 1/8 inch thick by 1 inch wide pure tinned copper bar stock. Make your own enclosure and compression. It will seem much more convenient to buy a ready made lifepo4 but you then encounter problems with stuff like this, bms failing randomly, bms not letting you charge as fast or how you want, cells being low quality that require balancing but top passive balancing is useless anyways, etc etc.
I want to just put in a WFCO product in my Fleetwood Fortis 2021. I want to put in a chins 300ah or 400 ah. I’ve watched enough videos to see balancing is important to cells. I’ll have to find my WFCO converter in my class A. Reading this…. Makes me concerned that it’s a lot more work than a simple swap of lead to LI.
I have an auto detect model that doesn’t work! Been connected to Lithium for over a month. From what I understand it is a firmware issue. The thing I don’t understand is why WFCO sent the model that says it automatically detects out with a version of Firmware that doesn’t automatically detect.
Is there a recommended % of discharge to start the charge cycle at? Say you drop to a 90% SOC would that be good enough for the Converter to AD?
Several great questions that we will need to get answered.
@@NationalRVTrainingAcademy what are the answers?
I bought a 8735 AD after switching to lithium batteries. What a nightmare. I will purchase a progressive dynamics, install same. After removing WFCO destroy with sledge hammer! 1:51
The video says that the converter charges the LifePo battery at 50-55 amps. Will that be a problem for my travel trailer with a 30 amp input cord?
No. The 30amp cord is on the AC side 120volts. The 55amps rated on the converter is on the DC side 12volts.
Ok for a 30amp rv.
Which model of charger are we talking about. Do all WFCO chargers work with lithium? Just recent models?
Just the auto-detect (AD) series. WFCO also has a dedicate lithium model.
Does anybody have a good recommendation for a lithium only or one with a switch that I can change mine out for? I’m done with this idiotic mess. I need something that will fit in the same hole as the WF8735.
I had one in my 2023 Airstream 30 Foot Classic that couldn't figure out I had lithium batteries installed. I decided to go with a progressive dynamics that was setup for lithium batteries only and it works. There is no auto-detecting needed with it. Airstream went away from these after 1 year because of this. The issue is in Airstreams they are mounted too far away from the batteries is seems and this was causing them issues. Mine keep going down to below 50% of charge rate, so I got tired of that after one day I checked it and it was at 38% Charge rate.
After watching this and reading the comments; I'm not even going to install my new 8955 which is still in the unopened box! I'll buy something with a manual switch so that I'm in Li mode all the time instead of trying to "trick" the 8955....
14.4 volts is best with lead acid mode does. 14.6 is for the passive balancing which is useless with good cells. I have the 8955 and its charges 55 amps until 14.3 then tapers down until done. Once they are balanced they do not need to be balanced again for a long long time. at 14.6 volts the cells are in the life shortening zone for only as little as 400 milli amp hours (.4ah) but taking hundreds of cycles away in life. Better yet get rid of the bms and never worry about it failing randomly bricking your battery much sooner than the cells go bad.
I bought the AD 8955 and it worked well with the LA batteries we had. Charged them up to 55 AMPs. Now that i've switched over to Lithium it does not switch modes. I have tried many times. It only puts out 15 AMP at 13.5 volts. I emailed WFCO and filled out the form on their website as well as called and left my phone number and name on their voicemail but zero response. I would much rather have a dip switch, this is frustrating.
My experience as well ! No response from WFCO !
Do you have a prebuilt lifepo4 battery? I have the same 8955 ad. It stays in lead acid and does not have the new firmware. Charges at 55 amps until 14.3 volts then tapers down amps until 14.4. The unit will charge a max of 4 hours then float. Will need to turn off ac input/shore power then turn back on to start another charge cycle if need more than 220ah charge in one go. It will float at 13.6 in lead acid where in lithium it will not float. I am still figuring out what that entails in relation to the higher resting voltage of the cells I use.
How far down do you need to discharge your lifepo4 battery? Until the bms cuts off?
Discharge it until the bms cuts off. Just let it go until it doesn't go no more.
semi related question: do you guys know an American dealer than sells 30s (126v) 700A continuous bms's? the most powerful one ive found in the usa is the xiaoxiang contactor type that battery hookup sells but theyre only 21s 300A continuous 600A peak. i need a lot more than that for my motorcycle.
Run without a bms. Wire in a econimized contactor from battery hookup and find a method for low voltage disconnect which is the only thing the bms is good for. Passive top balancing is totally unnecessary. A fuse will prevent over amperage and you can then charge/discharge whatever you want. You also will not have to worry about a bms failing which it will well before the battery cells do.
So I have a question.. to make both solar and Dc converter optimal. If I used a Renogy Dc to dc with mppt control. Could I place the output of the converter into the alternator leg of the controller? This would allow both converter and solar to work in tandem.. theoretically anyhow.. brain spinning
Connect both to the battery directly. Output each to the battery terminals or if you have a contactor/relay that you use to turn off the battery connect both outputs there. How the converter and solar controller chooses to control current output will be left to them.
Lucky me my brand new 2023 forest river Flagstaff E-pro 20 BHS has one of these wonderful units so instead of making a video on how to use a switch to select either lead acid or lithium ion phosphate you try to supposedly dumb it down make it foolproof and the end result it creates even more problems and now it’s still a consumers problem I got a great idea how about you guys share this information with the RV industry that you sell these units to of how the units work so they can wire up the units appropriately or even better yet bring back simplicity and put a switch back in and create a video and how to operate a switch that Selects either lead acid or lithium ion phosphate then wire length wire size Shore power or not and solar won’t affect the unit and also put a sticker on it that says now with New Improved selector switch for dummies admitting to one’s mistakes isn’t a bad thing I can’t think of anybody that would consider that being a negative that’s how trust is built and loyal customers are created
I’ve tried this multiple times and it will not switch to lithium. I have a 230 AH Litime battery and a WF8735AD with version 1.19 firmware. Now what?
I just got that same Litime 230 battery, and couldn't get mine to switch. What was your solution?
my 1989 terry resort has stock 30 amp fuse panel i ordered the wfco 30 amp an i got the 55 amp wf-8955 model.... can i still use this on my 30 amp system?
Yes, but limited to 30 amperes
@@tedpeterson1156 hey ty very much!
@@tedpeterson1156 ok cool! i dont have anything in my camper that needs 55 amps. no batteries or anything that takes 220...... mostly just 12v dc an 9 outlets that are 120. my highest appliance is the rooftop ac which is 120 16 amp that a rarely use since i put a 5000 btu window ac in. thank you for your fast response! if you ave any tricks or tips let me know my friend!
@@VAMPIREBRIAN My rig was supplied with 8735-AD. I use a 100ah lead-acid deep cycle for lights, mostly. I have three (3) other chargers, smart, dumb, you name it, none of them will perform everything that needs doing. I knew a controller wouldn’t do everything, either. I have a generator and chargers for battery maintenance, but the 8735 WILL charge a battery fully and completely on shore power.
They ship the units with an undersized fuse or blown fuse for the battery circuit. I’m convinced. Or the RV dealer installs one, maybe.
Keep in mind there are two fuses to pay attention to with respect to the charging circuit. The first is a 40 amp polarity protection or reversed cable protection fuse. That was a good idea on their part, because of warranty returns. “No sir, that situation would not be covered under the terms..” Who wants to do that all day?
But, that isn’t the charging circuit! There is also 30 amp fuse, probably #6, they like to install a 20 amp fuse here and it will trip every time. The trick I think, is to install a fresh, fully charged battery upon installation before putting into service. What probably happens, a new battery ships with a 70% charge and sits on a shelf for 6 months. The controller will shift to float, and the battery will never reach full capacity and fail prematurely.
@@tedpeterson1156 i dont have ant batteries to charge just needed a new fuse panel
mine is a 30 amp shore hookup its a old camper 1989 terry resort
I read all the comments and it seems like the Auto detect does not work. Even after a great video, but why stress people out when it seems like you are not getting a 14.2 charge. I have a brand new auto detect one and it does not say 1.9 firmware on it. So it looks like I will be in the same boat as everyone else? I plan on doing more boon docking with my DIY Overland Camper. We will see?
There isn’t really anything wrong with these units. They do some neat things, but a lot of it isn’t documented.
Operator headspace does the rest. It was interesting, I ran a lead-acid deep cycle down to 50% charge, it won’t measure 14.x volts at the battery terminals, during charging. I never saw it anyway.
But an outboard charger indicated a 96% fully charged battery the next day. I still manage batteries with boost charges and equalization.
Disconnecting the battery or pulling fuses will probably require a period of “relearning”. This isn’t the showstopper people make it out to be. I would never want to sell a product that there is little control over the abuse it may receive or misuse or defective bstteries, etc.
T U 👏😃
If there is a distance issue between the battery and charge controller, what is involved in moving the controller to the battery, or vice versa? You touched on it in minute. But is it as simple as just moving the controller? Or is there a bunch of wiring as well?
This video is not accurate, at least not in the 8955 that came in my 2023 camper. I have this same converter/charger and I upgraded to lithium batteries and I did everything that WFCO instructed me to do to get the 8955 charger to work with my new upgraded lithium batteries and it does not charge the way they are stating in this video. I did get it to switch from a green light to blue light. However, it will only charge at a float charge and takes forever to charge my batteries. I was told by WFCO that the 8955 I have in my coach is the first generation and it will need a firmware update, which can only be done at the manufacturer. WFCO technical support said I need to submit a claim (which takes 3-4 weeks to get approved), and once approved, then I will need to send the charger/converter to WFCO to have them update the firmware so it will work properly. I asked them if they could send me a new updated one and then I will send the old one to them, which would not impact my camping season, however WFCO is not willing to do that. Very frustrated that they produced a product that does not do what they said.
I have that same converter. It stays in lead acid but still charges 55 amps until 14.3v then tapers down till 14.4v. Which is the ideal voltage for long battery life. The only thing I can imagine is the bms is fighting it. Rip out the bms, top or bottom balance yourself and then balance again in 2-3 years. Good cells do not need balancing after the one time initial balance for years. The battery I am getting this with is without a bms and using quality LEV60 cells from battery hookup
This video could be 60 seconds long if they just removed the faulty auto-detect "feature" and just gave the user a DIP switch.
JUST GO BACK TO A SWITCH.
So far, not so good for me. Ordered from Camping World, as WFCO techs told me they should have the latest firmware. Drew it down to zero, briefly started charging at 50 amps, dropped down to 1 or 2 amps, never got fully charged. And green light still on, not blue. Now they want to know my firmware version, which I just emailed. He also said it might not handle a larger (280ah) battery. Going to give them one more day, then sending it back, and will buy an external charger. Frustrating, it shouldn't be like this.
It’s a decent theory but a manual switch is a better approach. I have one of these and it won’t switch to lithium charging and it won’t fully charge my battery to full capacity. If I have to uninstall it, send it back, then reinstall it, I’ll just buy a competitor’s product with a manual setting. My $40 lithium battery charger worked great charging my battery, my WFCO will not. You can justify design all you want, it’s an over designed POS.
I found that you can fool the WFCO autodetect by 1) turn off the converter, 2) disconnecting your battery, then 3) turn the converter on, then 4) reconnect the battery. This makes it think the battery is dead, and kicks it into lithium mode. If you don't have a battery switch to disconnect, then this is too much work. Now that I have had it for a year, I found that it tends to fail when the weather is cold, say less than 50 degrees. During the summer it always charged all the way up in lithium mode.
Thanks, will try this. What is the timing between 3) and 4)? Does it flip to Li mode right away?
@@MarkWitzel just maybe 30 seconds I guess.
Having DC to DC charging installed in my TV and Airstream. I was concerned about the fact the voltage of the battery was always around 13.6 and asked my installer to check. They looked at the history (I have Victron monitoring and it maintains a history). My installer is a nationally known solar/lithium/inverter expert and was not aware of the need to deplete the battery to 10%. I know the Airstream techs at my dealer had no clue. For $200 I am installing a reputable product that should work without all this back and forth stuff.
BTW, I have never seen a voltage higher than 13.6 so I don’t understand this idea that lead acid is 14.4 and lithium is 14.6. What?
I installed a WF-8955-AD to charge my lithium batteries. The Auto Detect DOES NOT FUNCTION. The company's instructions to F'ORCE it into lithium mode does not work. It does not start in Lithium mode. Big mistake in installing this unit. Interesting the Lithium Battery manufacturers directions to install the batteries only at full 100% charge. I need the two stage charging profile for lithium vs three stage profile for LA batteries (13.2 vs 13.6). My installation is less than 4' from converter to battery.
I've tried these and it always switches back to lead. Terrible system by any engineer standard. Even with the sent jumper cable its not consistent. I agree bring a lithium switch back.
OMG! Why would a company make a device like this that won't work with so many factors out of their control? They should just put a switch back on. Anyone installing a device like this should be able to handle a switch. I've seen many reports that this automated function switches over to AGM so much people are giving these away for free! I'm getting one second hand for free. Sounds like I will have to turn off my solar controller when plugged in though to get it to work right. Again, put a switch back on these things and maybe there won't be so many complaints.
It's been three minutes...
You got 13 two min tech tips in one video :-)
3 months later it still sees it as lead acid.
Unfortunatly i have a auto detect power station and it will NOT auto switch to "blue" lithium. Yes the red bulk led comes on, but stays with green leaf acid. If you call Wfco they actually tell you to disconect power when the rec lec comes on to get it to switch. If ibpull my 30 amp fuse and reinstall it, it will then AND ONLY then give me the blue led lithuim. Once in lithium it will stay in lithium untill disconected, then i need to do the process all ovet again. My batteries are lion energy so they are good quality batterys. So auto detect....NO
Same for me. Going to buy a lithium only charger. This product is no good.
The Waco auto detector sucks!! Looking for a replacement that actually charges my lithium batteries. It seems that the wfco factory is the only one who thinks these auto converters are worth a damn.
You need your battery discharged for it to work off the bat? So I need to DAMAGE a lead cell or AGM battery for their product to work? No thanks.
No, but the controller does first need to be presented with a battery that is partially discharged, so it can determine the battery chemistry by the way it accepts current.
Umm auto detect maybe if you send it back for a firmware update. Stock unit from airstream is broken. Send to service they replaced and still broken. Why does this feature need a firmware update????? O and firmware is a send back because they need to flip some hardware switch’s. Sooooo not user friendly. Not happy with wfco. Not happy with airstream.
Sounds like my only solution being that the converter was placed so far away from the battery is to put a converter right next to the batteries.
Does WFCO have inspectors that go to different OEMs to ensure their product is installed correctly?
That WFCO auto detect charger is a giant muff cabbage salad sprinkled with dog turds paired with a slice of cake, baked with the seeds of disappointment. You either have lead acid or you don’t. A switch would’ve been perfectly acceptable. Viva Progressive dynamics!
Neither one of you guys made sense. If your going to show a how to. Explain everything. Was the lithium discharged? Why is everyone having problems? Is that fixed yet? How do we know if it works if you can’t see the lights. What was the reason for the smart inverter if it doesn’t work half the time or for most videos posted. If you screwed up admit it and give us a solution. So how far away will this thing work? Not very useful information if you don’t give distances with gauge of wire. Once that things loses the lithium identity it switches over. How stupid. Put a switch back on it LA or LI. People are not as stupid as that smart inverter is.
Big guy repeated everything the other guy said. In case we weren’t listening.
Confused the h*ll out of me. Video way to long and not staying on point.
So... wfco removed the Lithium switch, added auto detect that requires us to discharge our lithium batteries and do a full charge every time we disconnect from shorepower so it can "auto detect" a Lithium battery charge profile (oh and power off solar charge controller also when doing the first charge!!!)? WTF! Horrible engineering and company. I will never buy another RV with their products.
Don’t buy a trailer with this junk
These are now junk... IT DOESN'T WORK as advertised!
Tech Tip Tuesday, you lost all my respect on this one... time to go to another supplier... too many excuses.
Note we didn’t endorse it at all. Gave them a chance to explain.
UPDATE- WFCO got back to me the next week and we talked and emailed back and forth. They were quite good and when they verified my situation about cable gauge, how far away the converter is from batteries, etc. and the ver of converter I had they sent me out a jumper with instructions on how to install it. I don't think this will work for everyone as some of the boards are different and don't have jumpers on them. My ver was-1.19 Firmware. Its best to call them or email them, be persistent as once I got through they were very good to work with.
Okee fine. How do I discharge my lifepo4 battery safely so I can install my wf8735AD and get it to recognize my battery?