Inverter installation

[Chacur]

Greetings. I have a 2020 Keystone Hideout 178RB with the solarflex package. It has a single 200W panel and a Victron MPPT 75 115 controller. Currently has a single 12v deep cycle battery. I plan to change to a pair of 6V's in the near future.


I purchased a Xantrex 2000W inverter and have a couple questions regarding the installation. First, I understand that I have to cut the loop of romex behind the "Inverter Prep" access panel. The line from the RV fuse panel goes to the Inverter "AC In" connection, and the line from the outlets connects to "AC Out". In this RV all outlets are labeled "Inverter Ready". How do I determine which line is which? Do I first cut the wire, then plug in shore power to see which end is hot?


My second question concerns the DC cables. I can't see any way to get them into the pass-through (where the inverter will be mounted) without drilling holes. My plan was to connect directly from the battery to the inverter. Currently, the battery goes to a junction box under the frame, which goes to the fuse panel. But those wires are too small to power the inverter. And in any event I'd still be without a way to get them into the pass-through. So how do others do this? I guess the choices are drill a big hole in the floor or drill a big hole in the front wall?


Any other inverter installation tips are welcome also. Thanks

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by Chacur

Greetings. I have a 2020 Keystone Hideout 178RB with the solarflex package. It has a single 200W panel and a Victron MPPT 75 115 controller. Currently has a single 12v deep cycle battery. I plan to change to a pair of 6V's in the near future.


I purchased a Xantrex 2000W inverter and have a couple questions regarding the installation. First, I understand that I have to cut the loop of romex behind the "Inverter Prep" access panel. The line from the RV fuse panel goes to the Inverter "AC In" connection, and the line from the outlets connects to "AC Out". In this RV all outlets are labeled "Inverter Ready". How do I determine which line is which? Do I first cut the wire, then plug in shore power to see which end is hot?


My second question concerns the DC cables. I can't see any way to get them into the pass-through (where the inverter will be mounted) without drilling holes. My plan was to connect directly from the battery to the inverter. Currently, the battery goes to a junction box under the frame, which goes to the fuse panel. But those wires are too small to power the inverter. And in any event I'd still be without a way to get them into the pass-through. So how do others do this? I guess the choices are drill a big hole in the floor or drill a big hole in the front wall?


Any other inverter installation tips are welcome also. Thanks

first off unless your experienced with electric installation i wouldn’t try it yourself from a safety standpoint…

if you are then yes id unplug the shore power and cut the wire but not before you lay out your installation and make sure the wires will reach where you cut it.. then secure both loose ends making sure the exposed wires are not touching each other or anything else…then plug back in and check with a meter for the hot end.
i wouldn’t drill a hole in the front wall as that likely will be a source of leaks from driving rain while traveling…maybe in the floor and seal it really really good..might want to put into some flexible conduit for underbody protection.

if you go with lithium then i believe you could theoretically install the battery in the pass thru all though some people don’t like that idea because of fire concerns

i’d also install a separate battery cutoff for the inverter as i found the inverter draws battery power even when the onboard inverter switch is off and if you have an issue you can isolate the inverter out of the battery system

[chuckster57]

Welcome to the forum

There has been several threads on inverter installs recently, just use the search function with “inverter install” and you should have more than enough reading to do.

[mikec557]

Originally Posted by Chacur

Greetings. I have a 2020 Keystone Hideout 178RB with the solarflex package. It has a single 200W panel and a Victron MPPT 75 115 controller. Currently has a single 12v deep cycle battery. I plan to change to a pair of 6V's in the near future.


I purchased a Xantrex 2000W inverter and have a couple questions regarding the installation.




Any other inverter installation tips are welcome also. Thanks

I'm not saying I did it the best way, just that I did it this way... take a look at the pictures I posted on page-2 of this thread. And maybe other pictures I posted later in the thread.

I absolutely hated to cut a hole in my Styrofoam sandwich floor, but I saw no other way to bring in three 2ga wires. You'll need even bigger wires because mine was a 1000 watt inverter.

BTW, I needed 3 wires because I mounted my Victron BMV-712 Shunt inside the pass thru as well. You'll see it in the pics.

https://www.keystoneforums.com/forum...nverter&page=2

[Chacur]

Thanks for the replies.

Mike, I did read a lot of old solar/inverter threads but missed yours. It answered my question. There's no easy access to the pass-through from the battery.

"Inverter-ready" my butt.

[mikec557]

Originally Posted by Chacur

Thanks for the replies.

Mike, I did read a lot of old solar/inverter threads but missed yours. It answered my question. There's no easy access to the pass-through from the battery.

"Inverter-ready" my butt.

"Ready" seems to be a relative term. But it was better than my two prior RVs. LOL.

Something you should be aware of is that Keystone said that beginning with the 2020 models the 2in-ish sandwich floor would use some kind of a composite plastic on the top and bottom of the sandwich in lieu of 1/8 luan (wood). But their execution was a bit dodgy on that point. My 2020 had luan, so I had to be very careful about sealing the hole I drilled. Water road spray could ruin the floor. But maybe my floor was like that because it was made in 10/2019. Your sandwich floor may be wood or plastic. I guess either way, maximum effort to waterproof is called for. ;-)

Post some pictures as you go.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by Chacur

Thanks for the replies.

Mike, I did read a lot of old solar/inverter threads but missed yours. It answered my question. There's no easy access to the pass-through from the battery.

"Inverter-ready" my butt.

Inverter ready doesn't mean " plug and play". I think inverter-ready isn't exactly accurate but most advertising can be classified as "less than accurate ".

[Chacur]

The floor appears to be wood. My plan is to drill the smallest hole I can get away with. After the cables are run I'll squirt some hot glue into the hole to stabilize the cables and waterproof it. I'll probably apply some kind of armor sheathing to the exposed part of the cables.

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by Chacur

The floor appears to be wood. My plan is to drill the smallest hole I can get away with. After the cables are run I'll squirt some hot glue into the hole to stabilize the cables and waterproof it. I'll probably apply some kind of armor sheathing to the exposed part of the cables.

you could probably split the flexible conduit and fit it over the wires …why not pour some fiberglass resin around the hole you make then use some marine 5200 sealant ..it works for boats

[mikec557]

Originally Posted by Chacur

The floor appears to be wood. My plan is to drill the smallest hole I can get away with. After the cables are run I'll squirt some hot glue into the hole to stabilize the cables and waterproof it. I'll probably apply some kind of armor sheathing to the exposed part of the cables.

Out of curiosity, what gauge wire are you going to use from the battery to the inverter? I'm guessing two-ought (00), which is pretty big cable (though probably the right size for a 2000 watt inverter). And if you're going to use a battery monitor with a shunt, where will you put the shunt? If it's in the pass thru then you're going to have to run 3 pieces of 00 cable. That, with some protective sheathing, will require a sizable hole.

I used a long 1/8 drill bit to "locate" the hole and then drilled half way through from the top and bottom of the floor using the 1/8 hole to stay aligned. I was afraid of blowing out the opposite side if I were to drill from one side only.

Where the cables entered the pass thru from under the trailer, I used a gray double gang electrical box and lid. (had to drill same large size hole thru each.) When the job was done I filled the box with expanding closed cell foam. My hope was that road spray would hit the gray box and foam and never make it to the Darco.

Just one way to approach the project.

[Chacur]

Originally Posted by mikec557

Out of curiosity, what gauge wire are you going to use from the battery to the inverter? I'm guessing two-ought (00), which is pretty big cable (though probably the right size for a 2000 watt inverter). And if you're going to use a battery monitor with a shunt, where will you put the shunt? If it's in the pass thru then you're going to have to run 3 pieces of 00 cable. That, with some protective sheathing, will require a sizable hole.

I used a long 1/8 drill bit to "locate" the hole and then drilled half way through from the top and bottom of the floor using the 1/8 hole to stay aligned. I was afraid of blowing out the opposite side if I were to drill from one side only.

Where the cables entered the pass thru from under the trailer, I used a gray double gang electrical box and lid. (had to drill same large size hole thru each.) When the job was done I filled the box with expanding closed cell foam. My hope was that road spray would hit the gray box and foam and never make it to the Darco.

Just one way to approach the project.

Thanks for the suggestions.

The installation manual calls for a 2/0 AWG stranded copper cable for the Pos and Neg, and an 8 AWG stranded wire for the chassis ground. It says to use a disconnect with a max 250a fuse on the Pos cable. The RV already has a battery monitor, and we also have an app that links to the solar controller. So I hadn't planned on installing another monitor.

Although practically 100% of our camping is off-grid, our A/C electrical requirements are pretty mild (charging a computer, running a coffee pot, etc). In hindsight I probably would have been fine with the 1000W inverter. But I wanted the extra capacity for future upgrade flexibility.

[Chacur]

Originally Posted by jasin1

you could probably split the flexible conduit and fit it over the wires …why not pour some fiberglass resin around the hole you make then use some marine 5200 sealant ..it works for boats

Yep, I have some plastic automotive conduit which is pre-split and just wraps around the wires. Just wrap it in electrical tape an you're all set The fiberglass resin is an idea I'll consider. I was attracted to the hot glue idea because it's easy to apply, gets in more of the nooks and crannies, and stays a little more flexible than fiberglass. Kind of like a form-a-grommet.

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by Chacur

Yep, I have some plastic automotive conduit which is pre-split and just wraps around the wires. Just wrap it in electrical tape an you're all set The fiberglass resin is an idea I'll consider. I was attracted to the hot glue idea because it's easy to apply, gets in more of the nooks and crannies, and stays a little more flexible than fiberglass. Kind of like a form-a-grommet.

yeah the resin was just to coat and soak into the exposed endgrain…the 5200 is flexible and waterproof. i use this on all my thru hull projects on my boats and it is extremely waterproof and durable/flexible. it’s about $21 a tube

[dutchmensport]

I'm sure you've got it all figured out, but here's the diagram for my set up. You will also need to factor in a transfer switch.

One more thing.... Some inverters require that the cut-off switch be installed on the positive incoming battery cable to the inverter, NOT the ground wire. Double check with your specific inverter's instructions first to be sure you are adding the cut of on the right side. If installed on the wrong side, I understand when they are turned off and then back on again, the inverters error out and have problems.

[IMG][/IMG]

[Chacur]

Originally Posted by dutchmensport

I'm sure you've got it all figured out, but here's the diagram for my set up. You will also need to factor in a transfer switch.

One more thing.... Some inverters require that the cut-off switch be installed on the positive incoming battery cable to the inverter, NOT the ground wire. Double check with your specific inverter's instructions first to be sure you are adding the cut of on the right side. If installed on the wrong side, I understand when they are turned off and then back on again, the inverters error out and have problems.

Pretty sure I got the connections figured out. My main question was the physical routing of the cable. This inverter has a built-in auto transfer switch. And yes, the instructions specify a disconnect on the positive cable (not sure why, though. The unit has an on-off button).

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by Chacur

Pretty sure I got the connections figured out. My main question was the physical routing of the cable. This inverter has a built-in auto transfer switch. And yes, the instructions specify a disconnect on the positive cable (not sure why, though. The unit has an on-off button).

it has a onboard shutoff switch but i believe it still draws some power even in the off position..but the shutoff switch is if there was a failure of the inverter for any reason you need to be able to disconnect if from the battery source

[Paul2]

Our 2022 passport 221BH came with the 400i package that has a shunt and 2000w inverter. There is a waterproof box on the frame behind the batteries that contains a cutoff switch for positive cable to inverter and a victron shunt. Perhaps they sell that separately. It makes for an easy connection point to the batteries.

[mikec557]

Originally Posted by Paul2

Our 2022 passport 221BH came with the 400i package that has a shunt and 2000w inverter. There is a waterproof box on the frame behind the batteries that contains a cutoff switch for positive cable to inverter and a victron shunt. Perhaps they sell that separately. It makes for an easy connection point to the batteries.

Out of curiosity, where is the Shunt physically located? And if it's "outside" on the frame somewhere, how is it protected from the elements? Waterproof box of some kind? What gauge wire/cable is connected to it? Two ought?

[Paul2]

Yes, Keystone used a waterproof box that contains shunt and cutoff switch for positive to inverter. Looks to be 0/2 cables. Within the box they also have the fuse and power wire for shunt power connection

[mikec557]

Originally Posted by Paul2

Yes, Keystone used a waterproof box that contains shunt and cutoff switch for positive to inverter. Looks to be 0/2 cables. Within the box they also have the fuse and power wire for shunt power connection

That sounds great. Wish they would have thought of that back in 2019 (when my 2020 was made). LOL.