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Old 04-11-2018, 12:31 AM   #1
Junior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Axis 24.1
State: California
Posts: 12
THOR #11146
half way through solar install on 2018 Thor Axis/Vegas 24.1

I took out 2 drawers under the back bed. The picture shows 2 of 3 my lithium Battle Born 100Ah batteries. Temporarily, I have a house battery hooked up with the stock RV wires & breaker. I have to move the transfer switch (black box behind the battery monitor in the pix) up a bit to make room for the third battery. The battery box was removed under the steps, since it hangs too low for my baja offroad adventures, & the solar components are in the back. It was easy to pull the house battery wires (+ & -) from under the steps & route them to the back from the RV breaker box – perfectly sized both ways! I will mount a distribution block & run a thick wire back to the batteries for the three remaining wires under the step: the generator, engine battery (I think), and front dash. The MPPT 30A controller will mount on top of the batteries once I replace the drawer fronts. 3 monitors (battery, solar controller, inverter) will go on the back bedroom wall, mounted from inside the closet. To keep the batteries warm during my ski adventures, a heater hose will be directed to the water tank/battery area, & the wooden box under the bed will be insulated with Polyiso. The back wall will contain the remaining components: battery & solar switches, shunt, fuses, etc. The Multiplus 2000w inverter fits perfectly in the back storage space, as with everything else. Victron components are easy to connect, with the generator & shore power going from the transfer switch through the inverter, then back to the RV breaker box. The RV converter will be removed, so as not to confuse the Multiplus charger. The prewired solar (white & orange wires) are too small for my 4 HQST 100w mono panels, so I will run thicker wire down the same route, but go to the back solar controller, which is a much shorter run. Almost everything ordered through Amazon.
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Old 04-11-2018, 01:57 PM   #2
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Axis 24.1
State: Florida
Posts: 613
THOR #4366
This looks like it may be a good solution to the current battery location.
For us it may require a little bit of wire since the CC is located where the outside TV was.
Down side may be batteries behind rear axle but up side is weight more centered.
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2016 Axis 24.1 E-450 6 spd tranny
300 watts portable solar.
200 watts solar on the roof.
Wrangler JK dinghy
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Old 04-11-2018, 04:46 PM   #3
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Axis 25.4
State: California
Posts: 784
THOR #6582
Wow! I'm looking forward to see your progress. Please keep us informed.
- By removing the converter do you not lose engine alternator charging the coach batteries? Isn't it possible to have both solar and alternator power?
- How much weight have you added? How are you securing the batteries, inverter, etc?
- You mentioned polyiso for cold weather protection but are you adding any venting for the heat generated under the bed? Somewhere on a forum, long lost from memory, the builder added a gated vent to underneath the rig.

So many more questions come to mind but will wait. Lastly, there was a recent thread for adding a 4"-6" lift, with new wheels and tires, for additional clearance - http://www.thorforums.com/forums/f27...res-11440.html
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Old 04-11-2018, 05:07 PM   #4
Junior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Axis 24.1
State: California
Posts: 12
THOR #11146
it will be two weeks before I work on this again. My thinking is to leave the converter in, but unhook it for now. Worse case is to forget to turn off the Multiplus charger & have the converter charge via the alternator, as this will confuse both chargers into thinking that the batteries are full when they are not, as under charge, more voltage reads on the batteries. Worst yet is somehow the sensitive & expensive lithiums get over charged if the built-in BMS ever fails. Without the converter, I can still charge via solar, shore power, or genny. That should be enough for my type of camping. I hear the stock converters are not very good to start with, but I havent tested it yet.
As I go offroad with this rig, everything will be secured. The batteries use the same stock straps from under the steps. I have decided to install the inverter horizontally for heat reasons. it will be installed where there is at least an inch of space on all sides. I will take the stock fan from the converter and put a heat sensitive relay on it to vent out heat under the inverter to the outside. I lost a lot of weight in the rig when I got rid of the lead acid batteries and heavy battery box under the steps - I had to plasma cut that thing out. With solar panels & a lot more amp hours from the lighter lithium batteries, it is probably the same weight, but much better centered in the rig.
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Old 04-12-2018, 11:59 AM   #5
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Axis 24.1
State: Florida
Posts: 613
THOR #4366
On ours the two roof panels are on all the time. The alternator charges the batteries at about 14 volts and once they reach about 90% the solar then takes control.
The WFCO convertor only charges when connected to shore power or jinney and rarely above 13.6 volts in our case. Again the solar quickly takes over.
Our CC has remote voltage sense of the batteries to determine their state.
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2016 Axis 24.1 E-450 6 spd tranny
300 watts portable solar.
200 watts solar on the roof.
Wrangler JK dinghy
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