Thor Forums

[The_Breeze]

...but would not personally spend the money it takes to upgrade to lithium if I was left with such slow charging rate. To some degree it defeats the purpose. If I was going to upgrade, I’d upgrade all the way including wiring as needed. If not practical to rewire, I’d enjoy system as is.

Many who upgrade to lithium batteries do it so they can power high-capacity inverters which require large low voltage (12-V) conductors. If you’re thinking of going this route, you can buy an Inverter/Charger with a high capacity converter built in, and they will also have the transfer switch built in. People who do this often install Inverter/Charger near batteries to keep cables short, and then turn off the motorhome’s converter by opening its breaker at panel. That way you can keep it as a back-up in case Inverter/Charger goes out.

One last thought to consider. Even the 80 Amp converter uses up to 1,300 watts. If you upgrade to that level, or even higher, you’ll be using as much power as an air conditioner, or maybe more. If you have a 30-Amp motorhome, you may want to do an electrical energy estimate to make certain you can run essentials at same time. With a 50-Amp motorhome, supplying enough power to converter should not be a problem

Thanks much for all the info Chance. You brought up some good points I hadn’t seen before.

I would definitely upgrade between the converter and batteries and I have seen the cable length considerations. I was mainly concerned with the wiring behind the walls and ceiling running to lights, outlets, etc, though I don’t know why.

I'd planned on starting with the batteries to gain the advantage those alone might provide (discharge and cycles) and work my way back to solar. Next item would be a pure sine inverter/converter combo @ 1300 or 1500 watts. I think 2000w is a bit overkill in a 30 amp coach. I don’t have the battery storage capacity to produce that output. Nor pulling that much through the system in a 30amp coach? If I ran the air, I’d be plugged in or running the generator.

I was worried about tearing into walls and/or ceilings. It's a 2017 so I don't want to start hacking it up just yet. From what you say, it sounds like if I try to run too much stuff and draw too much juice, she'll run hot and throw breakers, leading to more serious damage.

I'm glad you chimed in. Thanks again and Happy 4th.