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connecting a renogy 3000w inverter output to the rv

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  • connecting a renogy 3000w inverter output to the rv

    Does anyone have a wiring schematic for a 2020 imagine 22 mle xls. I am trying to connect a renogy 3000w inverter/charger to the rv as well as get the shore power to the inverter. I don't know where the lines run. I am trying to do this in the most efficient way. my inverter is located in the pass through next to two 200 amp hour lifepo4 batteries. will be leaving on a three month boondocking trip out west in one week. sure would appreciate any help on this. thanks.
    Fred

  • #2
    Dogdoc -- yikes...first thought is this project is like trying to eat an elephant in one sitting with a pack of hyenas running at ya (in other words a lot to do with only a little time to do it). A few clarification questions may help focus the responses:

    1) What is the integration goal--having the Renogy's 120vAC output power the entire RV?

    2) What supplies and tools are on hand? (You're not thinking of charging those LifePO4s with the Renogy using the OEM wiring, are you?)

    3) Have you incorporated a battery monitor into your design? A critical component IMHO. (Not having one is like driving your tow vehicle without an operational fuel gauge.)

    No one, to my knowledge, has a schematic of their Grand Design. Even if they did and even marked the diagram with wire colors and location in their trailer, that information could not be used in yours without verification.

    I can only speak for myself, but the learning curve was steep when I did my project. It took weeks (months!) of research; planning; receipt of the consumables and tools; then two weeks to completely install, test, and learn how to use the system. Thus the elephant and hyena metaphor...we'll help as we can.

    Howard
    Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.

    2017 Ford F-350 DRW, '19 315RLTSPlus

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    • #3
      Paul & Deb

      Any thoughts on this project to help this owner?

      Brian
      Brian & Michelle
      2018 Reflection 29RS
      2022 Chevy 3500HD

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by Dogdoc View Post
        Does anyone have a wiring schematic for a 2020 imagine 22 mle xls. I am trying to connect a renogy 3000w inverter/charger to the rv as well as get the shore power to the inverter. I don't know where the lines run. I am trying to do this in the most efficient way. my inverter is located in the pass through next to two 200 amp hour lifepo4 batteries. will be leaving on a three month boondocking trip out west in one week. sure would appreciate any help on this. thanks.
        Fred
        There's no schematic available but I can tell you that in my 2022 22MLE I started by pulling the power center out. Then I dropped a "tape" down an existing access hole in the floor. Next, I removed most of the screws from the coroplast on the curb side of the trailer and halfway back on the street side. I was then able to reach in above the coroplast, grab the tape and fish it forward and across the trailer. On the street side I was able to grab that tape and feed it up through an existing hole behind the water convenience panel. On that note there is an access panel you can easily remove from the inside of the pass-through. I then grabbed the tape and pulled it into the pass-through. Then I attached two lines to pull all the way back to the inside of the trailer behind the power center. I pulled 2, 10-2 Romex wires. Once back inside. You disconnect the factory shore power 10-2 wire from the power center and join it to one of the new sections from the pass-through. This wire will now be connected to your inverter/charger and is your 120v input. The other section will connect to the power center inside and to the output side of your inverter/charger. Now your circuit is complete.

        It was really quite simple. In my case I should have pulled 1 10-2 and the other a 6-2 because my inverter/charger can provide additional power from the battery bank to the power center in a case where the trailer is trying to draw more power than the shore power can provide. In those cases the 10-2 wire isn't quite sufficient. I still intend to do that when I get the time. I'm not familiar with the functions of your Renogy unit so if it does have that feature, remember to pull a larger wire for the inverter/charger to power center connection.

        I hope this helps
        Paul and Deb Cervone
        2022 Imagine XLS 22MLE
        2021 Imagine XLS 17MKE - SOLD; 2015 Reflection 337RLS - SOLD
        2016 GMC Denali 3500 SRW

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        • #5
          Thank you Howson and Paula and Deb.
          At this point iI have all the "pieces" except for the bus bars and wire lugs(those are coming tomorrow). You are right though about it taking about a month of research, actually it has taken me about a month and a half to research, procure and study how this needs to be done correctly.
          I have a battery monitoring system from Thornwave Labs which cam with a high quality shunt. unfortunately for my wife (great for me) i already have all the tools, equipment need for this project. as to what my goal is, that's not a biggie, just install my solar panel ( once it gets above 50 degrees, gluing them to the roof) connect them to my mppt solar controller , connect the solar charger to the bus bar. connect the two lithium batteries in parallel, connect them to the inverter charger and then connect the inverter to the RV i left out all the circuit breakers, fuses for shortness but they will be included in the set up. the solar wiring is pre installed from the roof and then to the the old batteries but I will take advantage of the wiring from the roof down, the thing that keeps me awake at night is finding where i connect the inverter output to to run the RV and where i connect the inverter to the shore power. That's why I was hoping for a schematic. Any help with finding those wires?

          The hyena and elephant metaphor is how I have lived my life. Eating the Elephant in one sitting is easy for me but sure wish the Hyenas would leave me alone

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Dogdoc View Post
            Thank you Howson and Paula and Deb.
            At this point iI have all the "pieces" except for the bus bars and wire lugs(those are coming tomorrow). You are right though about it taking about a month of research, actually it has taken me about a month and a half to research, procure and study how this needs to be done correctly.
            I have a battery monitoring system from Thornwave Labs which cam with a high quality shunt. unfortunately for my wife (great for me) i already have all the tools, equipment need for this project. as to what my goal is, that's not a biggie, just install my solar panel ( once it gets above 50 degrees, gluing them to the roof) connect them to my mppt solar controller , connect the solar charger to the bus bar. connect the two lithium batteries in parallel, connect them to the inverter charger and then connect the inverter to the RV i left out all the circuit breakers, fuses for shortness but they will be included in the set up. the solar wiring is pre installed from the roof and then to the the old batteries but I will take advantage of the wiring from the roof down, the thing that keeps me awake at night is finding where i connect the inverter output to to run the RV and where i connect the inverter to the shore power. That's why I was hoping for a schematic. Any help with finding those wires?

            The hyena and elephant metaphor is how I have lived my life. Eating the Elephant in one sitting is easy for me but sure wish the Hyenas would leave me alone
            The 120vAC side of things is actually the easiest. The OEM-provided outside power connector's wires will route directly to the main breaker input of the circuit panel. If your intent is to have inverter power to the entire trailer, move the outside power connector wires to the inverter's 120vAC input and the inverter's 120vAC output goes to the main breaker's inputs (where the original wires were located in the main breaker panel). I write that assuming the Renogy has a passthru feature (when shore power is available power is passed through the inverter).

            The hard part is wiring the DC side of things, because a 3000W inverter can pull a lot of amps from the battery. (3000W/120v=25A, so 3000W/12vDC=250 amps of DC from the batteries. This is in 4/0 wire range and the distance from the batteries to the inverter's input must be as short as possible. If your Renogy has the ability to carry an overload for a brief period the circuit must be designed for this possibility.

            Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.

            2017 Ford F-350 DRW, '19 315RLTSPlus

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Country Campers View Post
              Paul & Deb

              Any thoughts on this project to help this owner?

              Brian
              I did this recently on my 200MK. The tricky part since I kept the WFCO converter/charger was wiring it into the shore side of the automatic transfer switch. Click image for larger version

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              - Eric P. (2021 Transcend XPLOR 200MK)

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              • #8
                Originally posted by howson View Post

                The hard part is wiring the DC side of things, because a 3000W inverter can pull a lot of amps from the battery. (3000W/120v=25A, so 3000W/12vDC=250 amps of DC from the batteries. This is in 4/0 wire range and the distance from the batteries to the inverter's input must be as short as possible. If your Renogy has the ability to carry an overload for a brief period the circuit must be designed for this possibility.
                Howard does a good job explaining the required input. Note that the inverter has an efficiency rating. You will need to divide the 250 DC amps by the efficiency to find out the true amperage needed for the 3000W AC power. The efficiency can range from the low to mid 80's and high to the mid 90's.
                Joseph
                Tow
                Vehicle: 2024 GMC K3500 Denali Ultimate Diesel
                Coach: 303RLS Delivered March 5, 2021
                South of Houston Texas

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                • #9
                  That schematic helps quite a bit, especially if i decide to put in a automatic transfer switch. wat if i just disconnect the fuse that powers the line from the converter back to the battery and then just hook my inverter to the shore power wire and not worry about the feed back loop to my batteries. will that work ( assuming all other lines are fused appropriately)?

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                  • #10
                    Dogdoc -- so the only device charging the batteries will be the solar array?

                    epearce's setup certainly is a viable option (as it allows the inverter to be powered completely off). Most inverters (not sure about the Renogy) have a "passthru" mode which is effectively a built-in transfer switch. When the inverter senses the loss of shore power it switches automatically to invert mode. Only downside is the inverter must be powered on at all times--at least that's true with the Victron Multiplus.

                    Howard
                    Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.

                    2017 Ford F-350 DRW, '19 315RLTSPlus

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      The Renogy 3000w inverter/charger does have a pass through. I was thinking that the inverter, when connected to shore power would also charge the batteries, is that not correct?

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Dogdoc View Post
                        The Renogy 3000w inverter/charger does have a pass through. I was thinking that the inverter, when connected to shore power would also charge the batteries, is that not correct?
                        Sure--if the DC wiring is installed (as mentioned previously) between the batteries and the Renogy. At least that's the way the Victron works--if there's shore power and the batteries require charging the component is in charger mode. Lose shore power and it instantly switches to inverter mode. I don't know the specific operational characteristics of the Renogy (but I'd bet it works the same way).

                        Again, at the risk of repeating myself, this assumes all the required (most use 4/0 for a 3000W unit) wiring is in place. The 4/0 run must be as short as possible between the Renogy and battery bank. Losses in a low voltage setup at the amperage levels we're discussing can be significant.
                        Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.

                        2017 Ford F-350 DRW, '19 315RLTSPlus

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Dogdoc View Post
                          That schematic helps quite a bit, especially if i decide to put in a automatic transfer switch. wat if i just disconnect the fuse that powers the line from the converter back to the battery and then just hook my inverter to the shore power wire and not worry about the feed back loop to my batteries. will that work ( assuming all other lines are fused appropriately)?
                          You can just turn that breaker off... but on the OEM 200MK, it also powers the outside outlets through a pig tail (sort of dumb, they have plenty of space to add another breaker just for that). That's a workable solution, but if you forget to turn that off, the batteries will drain very quickly
                          - Eric P. (2021 Transcend XPLOR 200MK)

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                          • #14
                            i think i will connect the shore power to the inverter and the inverter to the pdp and remove the fuse that feeds the battery charging on the pdp. I have 4 x100 watt solar panels set up in parallel that cam produce 33 amps per hour ( give or take) and 2 x200 amp hour lithium batteries. the inverter uses 1.5 amps per hour with no load on it. If my reasoning is correct ( most of the time I'm off) then one to two hours of sunlight a day should replenish the no load loss of power. Please, if I'm wrong, let me know. if there is anything else i should be thinking about with this system let me know. BTW I am bringing a generator with me this first trip just incase.

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                            • #15
                              You do not have to "pull the fuse" for the converter charger, it is actually a breaker in the panel, just trip the breaker off and it will be fine. I think you will want some way to get shore power to the rig, if the inverter does not pass thru, for this you may need a automatic transfer switch.

                              Brian
                              Brian & Michelle
                              2018 Reflection 29RS
                              2022 Chevy 3500HD

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