NIRVC-Atlanta | Motorhome Upgrade | Lithionics 960 Ah Lithium | Victron Controls | Part 3/4 | EP300
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- čas přidán 24. 02. 2024
- Decided to have NIRVC-Atlanta remodel our battery bay so we could install 960 Ah of Lithionics Lithium Batteries and Victron Controls to provide more usable power for our 2014 Newmar Dutch Star Model 4369 Motorhome.
NIRVC provided an "installation discount" to Sue & Mark. We used our Motorhome as the platform for a "pilot learning program". Additionally, it afforded us the opportunity to capture the process on film and produce this Lithium Battery Install Series for everyone to follow!
I wasn't going to make the same mistake again and install AGM Batteries!
Our 880 Ah of AGM were like having a bank of 440Ah lithium. We decided to step into a battery setup that is more suitable for RV Travel, and leave battery anxiety and low capacity behind! Our new system will feel like twice the batteries that we had!
This series has just been CHANGED from a (3) part to a (4) part one!
Part 1: Shows what our current battery and inverter setup is.
Part 2: Shows what was all involved removing the old Lifeline AGM batteries, battery slide out tray and remodeling the battery compartment so it is weather proof and temperature controlled.
Part 3: (This Video) Here we show the installation of all the batteries and Victron Control equipment.
Part 4: This video will dive into how we ultimately selected the Lithionics Battery Brand, Victron Control equipment and National Indoor RV Centers to do the installation.
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Mark you said it correctly the Space Shuttle has less wiring. Part 3 was well documented as you explained step by step installation of the system. Even detailing changes along the process. You and the partnership with NIRVC have done so much of the homework, research and design criteria Coach owners can feel comfortable that if they want to do an upgrade like this it can be installed with a great outcome. I had the opportunity to see your competed system in Tampa, I must say it looked like a system that came from the factory. I am looking forward to the close out video for the system install. I also only can imagine the ups and downs during the time the system was being installed and we all thanks you for enduring the mental stress of the process….But you survived and now have the Lithium system you wanted. Now hit that road enjoying each mile and keep us all updated how the new system is working. Thank you both for time shared and conversations enjoyed.. safe travels my friends..
Thanks for the kind comment Kirk. Sue & I are looking forward to attending the NIRVC Music City Motorhome Expo VIP Experience on June 4th 2024 this year! It is an all-inclusive buying showcase for RVers across America and is billed as the Ultimate VIP Event for RV Enthusiasts and buyers. We will be there with our friends "RV America Y'all" @rvamericayall Tom & Stacie to talk about all things Lithium!! musiccitymotorhomeexpo.com/
This series and the information provided, in a real world application with true professionals providing the installation will be so helpful for anyone wanting to upgrade or retrofit a older MH. Mark, hats off to you and NIRVC for first knowing the importance of video documentation of the installation, and secondly, the folks at NIRVC for allowing the video process to take place as the work is being done. That really makes a statement about NIRVC transparency in their craftsmanship skills. I can’t express enough how impressed I am in today’s marketplace. 🏆🥇⚡️
You absolutely,..... once again,.......hit the nail on the head. NIRVC totally welcomes Sue & I to pull "The Wizard's Curtain" aside for folks to see behind the scenes! This eliminates channels like us from just telling you how things went. We are able to show you,.....and let you decide what you think about their operation.
Wow! I actually LOVED my Ford Escape, but then again,.......it was a 2002! It is actually one I would seriously consider if I was RVing with a Bay Star or Bay Star Sport to keep the weight down! Great to hear from you Jim!
All I can say is OMG ! Patience is a Virtue
Working in engineering my whole life, patience was a skill we all had to work on!
Wow, Mark, the video lived up to all the hype. I certainly had not thought about all the complexities of integrating a new system into the alternator, generator, solar and other systems. What a great education! Myles is certainly ready for another ten years!
Thanks Rob. It has been an adventure in electronics for sure! Thanks for checking in,....
The total cost is a lot of damage to one's wallet is high but worth every penny. I love how you've been upfront about the costs, while other RV channels will make it as if it's showing your behind in public.
I'm surely copying the brands you liked, workshops etc 'cos you're meticulous & wise about your bucks 🥰.
Thanks for the kind words. We are just reporting in to folks what our experiences, expenses and lessons learned are. We sincerly want to help folks to understand what this whole "RV Thing" entails!
Thank you Mark for sharing your research on the Lithionics Automatic Combiner Relay. I have not upgraded to lithium batteries on my coach yet because I was always concerned about the boost function on my dash. I didn't know how to deal with that and I certainly do not want to lose that function, even though I only used it a couple of times and have solar panels trickle charging the chassis battery. Many thanks to you I can now move ahead on the lithium project.
Glad it was helpful! Even though I am told it is connected and works, I have no idea how to test it!
A very informative and enlightening video. I appreciate the insight into the thought process you and NIRVC went through to get the lithium install just right. You smarter than the average bear when it comes to lithium and picnic baskets. Early in the video, I reflexively began to yell, "Don't do it!" when I saw the Ford Escape on the lift getting the tow package installed. We have had nothing but trouble with our 2020 Escape. Of course we did not have NIRVC install the tow package!
Glad it was helpful! I had a 2002 Ford Escape and loved it. I would get another if I needed a small tow car. With that fancy rig you have, you should consider towing a Honda Odyssey,.....
Holly crap $4400 per battery!
I thought I spent a lot buying 2 batterys for my truck at $130. Each.....self installed!😮
Yes,........deciding to do this upgrade took more than a coin toss to decide with!
Wow! What an incredibly complicated install that was!! Thanks for showing us all that! NNTR
TYVM
Congrats on the Lithionics install. I hope it meets your expectations. I have Li-Bim regulating the alternator charge on the house batteries. As far as I know, it does not interfere with the chassis / house battery bridging process. I may need to research the ACR and see if it's a better fit.
I just spent a week at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona dry camping in January. Real world results was the battery dropped to 65% charge in the morning. The main draw was the residential refrigerator and Dometic freezer in the storage compartment (no A/C as the weather was moderate). On a sunny day, the solar panels would charge the batteries up to 80% by 4:00 pm. I ran the generator for about 1 to 1.5 hours during the evening to cook and recharge the batteries to about 92%. Rinse and repeat everyday for a week. The Victron GX Touch 50 auto generator start was programmed to start at 3:00 pm and run for 1.5 hours. It started, ran, and stopped like clock work whether we were with the rig or not. Thanks for sharing.
It will take me a while to have such excellent "real world data" as you just reported here. We are in a fancy resort right now,...
Great video! Loved how they kept reworking orientation to get the best use of space AND proper interaction between components. Great video Mark…keep them coming, can’t wait for part 4.
Glad you liked it Debbie!
Glad you got everything up and working correctly Mark. I'm so glad you found that part online that fixed the problem you were having. Thanks for sharing your video so much.
You and me both Jeff!
Mark and Sue thank you for doing this video. I’m really glad you found the part you were looking for to fix the problem. Glad everything is working now and you did make it to the Rv Show. They did a great job of hooking it all up. Thank you again Mark and Sue! Hope you have a great weekend and great week. See you both soon!
Thanks again Sherri for watching or "technical" videos!!
@@OurJourneyInMyles
No problem! It was fun watching the whole thing come together.
Nicely done; looking forward to part four. I'll probably pass on the lithium batteries (due to cost) but would like to add PV to our rig. Those ACR's are very common in the boating world and it surprises me more people are not using them for that type of setup. I was under the impression you could not use a lithium battery bank to "boost" the starter battery. A lot of videos say not to.
We did a very expensive system here,.......it can be done for a lot less and many different ways. We just wanted to keep our "Newmar" sort of "Newmar" still. I have to be honest with you, I would spend money on Lithium before I would put on Solar. Our used rig came with solar,........if it did not have it already, I would not have added it. They are much better now installing them without drilling 300 holes in your roof like we have!
@@OurJourneyInMyles I'll have to weight it out then.
Man Mark, I thought you had kicked the bucket!
I'm getting closer everyday,.......that is why folks should always tune in while they can!
@@OurJourneyInMyles 👍
Thanks for the update. I recently did the upgrage from 2 Lithionics to 3. I like that your installer thoughtfully installed a 4 battery combiner vs 3. I also love how they mounted it. Unfortunately, my 2023 factory optioned Lithionics install still relies on SilverLeaf to control a solenoid operated battery joiner for alternator charging. I too have been debating adding the Lithionics smart battery combiner you found, but it is damned near impossible to get reliable 411 on if I need it or not. Best...
Because our rig is old (2014), we did not have a Silver Leaf System, it seemed to be our solution. If you have questions about the ACR unit, I would contact David Flather @ Pinnacle Innovations in Langley, BC, Canada Email: siteinfo@shaw.ca Office Phone: 604-510-0800 He saved the day and was super helpful to me.
Another great installment in the lithium upgrade series! As an aside, I just had an impressive interaction with Justin at NIRVC Atlanta with a minor issue for him yet quite helpful for me. Great guy. Can’t wait for video#4…
Thanks for the info! Justin was awesome to work with. HE IS HARD TO GET A HOLD OF! This is because he is always doing three things at once for 4 different people. I tell folks to be patient when trying to get a hold of him, and to usually right an email to him first to get him up to speed on your issue.
great project safe travels
Thanks Allan.
Thanks for the video.
You're welcome,.......the last one will be in 6 weeks.
Love all the details you supply here. It's proof that I shouldn't DIY this type of upgrade.. thanks OJM
I tip my hat BIG TIME to all the guys out there that do this themselves!
Mark, I know this video has taken you a few weeks to edit and get out. The time was worth the wait as your detail helped to share what we all go through during Rv service. All too often the service Center doesn’t have the part you need and you are left waiting.
This conversion much like all the Lithium conversions has a big part of trial and error during the installation, programming and testing. I look forward to hearing how your SilverLeaf worked with the conversion or, did you go with a new coach management system.
We have a 2014 Newmar Dutch Star. We DO NOT have Silverleaf. We have the old Precision Circuits System. I remember hearing Justin Townley at NIRVC saying that they have worked with Victron & the SilverLeaf successfully in the past on other jobs!
Excellent video. Can not imagine the cost of this lithium upgrade.
The video #4 has been done for a while, and will be published in about 2 weeks! Stay tuned,....
Great Video and congrats on the install. Much more complex than most would think. Wish we could have connected "live".
Thanks for checking in Ken!
Hi Mark and Sue.
Great job with the videos as always. We really enjoy watching them. I know this series must have been a lot of work.
I was wondering if you are not running AC what was your goal with this system? Are you wanting to run off grid maybe in Alaska for a certain period of time without being connected to power.
Yes,........that was the push to make us change over,........but,.......after my $10k grey/fresh tank repair we canceled our Alaska adventure to save money. The other real reason is we just got sick & tired of realistically having no usable battery life, even when they were new. Lead acid house batteries in a large rig are not up to the task. You had to be SUPER careful with everything you did when not hooked up. Now,........we can bake a meatloaf in the toaster oven for an hour and only lose 5% on the batteries,.........and 9% overnight with the residential refrigerator, parasitic draws, my back heating pad and CPAP machine on all night. As we use it more, we will report in.
Thanks for the additional details. Sorry to hear about your Alaska trip. Hopefully you will be able to do it sometime in the near future. Maybe we will cross paths someday. We also are the proud owners of a Dutch Star that we purchased from NIRVC. Everyone there has been great.
Thanks,
Joe and Melanie
Great video and very informative, lots of work to do in upgrading to lithium batteries the right way. Have you tested how long your batteries last during normal usage boondocking before you have to charge them? Safe travels.
Thank you! We are in a fancy resort till April 1st, so that will have to wait! I have unplugged all day while here, and I only use 25% in a day, but don't have enough 48 hour cycles to talk intelligently about it yet!
Am I correct, your system is not set up to run your AC's off battery power?@@OurJourneyInMyles
Loved the series and would love to have this kind of setup. However, I will disagree that lithium can't be a drop in solution. I have a 2019 Fleetwood discovery. I removed my lead acid batteries and put in 400ah of lithium. I was able to use my same Magna 2kw inverter and I did have to install the LiBIM similar to how you initially had it and a victoron battery monitor. That replicated all the same functionality I already had. In order to take it to the scale you have where you can basically live off just solar and batteries. I agree, it's much more involved. However, lithium is a great alternative various levels of use. You can start small and boondock using your generator and have better recharge rates and longer use time which I would consider the drop in solution and scale from there.
I agree that to some extent, drop in is possible. Leaving the batteries exposed to the elements limits the temp range of usage. I do like your last statement: "Use your generator for better recharge rates than a solar array and get longer, and more realistic, real world use time with Lithium"
Good thing you went with 3 batteries....Did you have to add additional Protang (sp?) units for fire suppression?
We did add a GIANT Proteng Tube (Same one as the diesel engine compartment) above the batteries to potentially buy us a little time to leave in the event of a fire.
Great videos. I put lithium and solar on our 99 country coach and it's not for the feint of heart. Not cheap either. As for the battery acr thing, do you really trust microprocessors? If that thing misjudges it could damage a lot of stuff.
I really AM nervous about it,......but I'm not smart enough to do anything about it. I had attempted to do it right with the DC to DC charger install, but trying to keep the battery boost function in place made that not possible,.........for whatever reason! I gave up.
Wow Mark, what a install! NIRVC does such a awesomel job with all their task. How are the batteries doing after having used them for a couple of weeks?
Hey Walt! We are in a fancy resort, and I did unplug for a few days a few times, and it works awesome. It is going to take us months to get some real world usage data to share with folks that is honest and useful. I'm sure by the time we get to June we will have a better idea.
Very informative video what was the final cost
Have safe travels
I will be gathering all the costs in the 4th video. I need to work with NIRVC first. Remember, this was a pilot, training project.
👍
Thanks!
We are considering NIRVC to purchase a Class B from , partly because of your videos. Various videos of yours show their clean work, their expertise (especially in Lithionics, also Truma) and that is important to us even if the closest location is 7 hours away. Do you think all the locations are as professional as the Atlanta one? Thank you so much for sharing your experiences!
We have the most experience, BY FAR with the Atlanta one. I think what is the most important is that the culture of the company nationwide is exactly the same. And that is that their mission and goal is to stand behind the work they do, before & after the sale,.....
@@OurJourneyInMyles, that is the impression I had from your vids. It will be a little while before we can pull the trigger but definitely will let them know what your videos are doing for them.
Hi Mark, are you at some point going to talk $$$$. I really like your transparency when it comes to the cost of Rving
Eventually,...........I have to work up the total costs with NIRVC. This was a pilot training project. That will hopefully be video #4.
Just plywood floor for compartment? Newmar says the have sealed R 4 value basements...
We did not encounter insulation in the battery compartment during demo.
I apologize if i missed this being covered, what was your decision to not have a second inverter to ostensibly run an AC either dry camping or while driving?
This would have required extensive additional re-wiring of our main fuse panel, adding a new sub panel and trying to make it all work with our "old school" Precision Circuits Load Shedding Management System. We are OK with using the 10,000 watt generator we already own. We NEVER use our roof A/C while traveling. The dash A/C has always done the job. (We do not have pets or other travelers with us.)
@@OurJourneyInMyles Interesting. This may be an oversimplification, but I believe my two Victron Multiplus II systems tapped into the existing OEM transfer switch and powered the entire rig through the OEM main fuse panel. Simple, easy, and no rewiring of the main fuse panel.
Did I hear you say you run 2 watchdogs (1 - pedestal, 1 - hardwired)? I do the same, can’t be too careful.
Yes,.........we have the Hughes PWD-50 at the pedestal, the cable reel, the Hughes Autoformer RV220-50-SP, the PWD-50-EPO that then feeds the Transfer Switch.
Where is Part 4?
Want to get more real time experience with the batteries before I make that episode. We have been in a resort with 50 amp for the past 3 months!
Very expensive to upgrade an older non lithium rig
You are correct James, and that is why we had to establish a line at where we were going to stop. We will be real life testing this setup in April when we start to move again.
You need an engineering degree to figure this stuff out.
My mechanical engineering degree failed me on this one! So glad I had Justin & Matt working on this. Justin was in the US Marines, and specialized in electrical power and generator switch gear. Matt has been with NIRVC almost a year, and was a Master Tech at a previous place. NIRVC knows they are lucky to have him!
when I saw how much the new batteries were I gulped too. you must of had a large bill to pay when done.
It was a lot, but I will forget about it in a few years,........