3550MB Inverter

[Mr V]

I found a small box up front, near the battery, that was labeled for the inverter, but one was not there, just a wad of electrical cable (One strand of cable shoved into the box with a total lack of professionalism.) The dealer has been no help...at all.

Is the inverter supposed to be there?

How would it get wired in?

[NH_Bulldog]

That is a loop of Romex wire that feeds the outlets each labeled with a yellow sticker throughout your camper. It is your inverter prep circuit. They leave plenty of extra wire there to give people options on placement of an inverter if they choose to install one. If you were to install an inverter, that loop of wire would be cut and the load side connected to inverter out and the line side connected to the inverter in.

It is a fairly straightforward procedure, but there is a LOT more work involved (sizing and location of battery connection cables, adding another disconnect switch, adding proper size and type of fuse, obtaining the proper size and type inverter, etc.) and unless you have the electrical knowledge, parts, tools and comfort working on electrical components, it is best to leave it to a professional.

[Mr V]

I have designed and wired up a 1KW solar farm before, wiring it into my house, so that shouldn't be a problem. I'm curious about the loop of wire, versus just an open end.

[NH_Bulldog]

The loop of wire runs from a breaker in the power panel that is labeled "Inverted Recepts" to the front where they leave a lot of extra loops of the Romex behind that cover, and then back out to any outlet in the camper with that inverted outlet sticker on it. If the wire was cut, then none of those labeled outlets would work unless and until you added an inverter (which not a lot of people do).

So the loop is there to provide you the option of adding an inverter if you want, or still having use of the outlets if you chose not to.

I have 7 outlets on my inverter prep loop; one on either side of the bed, one for the bedroom TV, one in the main living area, one for the main TV, one for the refrigerator in my outdoor kitchen, and one in my front passthrough. If that loop was cut and just dead-ended, none of those receptacles would have power and would be inoperable unless I added an inverter. On the flip side, if I wanted to install an inverter and none of those receptacles were pre-wired in that loop, I would have to rewire my entire camper to feed power to those receptacles from the inverter.

Lastly, although a solar setup can be a part of adding an inverter to your RV, it isn't required, and an inverter and solar are not interconnected except at the batteries.

I am not sure if the 2023 Arcadia models came with a SolarFlex 200 as a factory standard. What solar setup do you have on yours currently?

[chuckster57]

If you never removed the cover, you wouldn’t know if the loop was “neat” or ugly. I dare say you might not want to remove any access panels without being prepared for a bunch of “spaghetti”, and that goes for pretty much any brand any model.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by Mr V

I found a small box up front, near the battery, that was labeled for the inverter, but one was not there, just a wad of electrical cable (One strand of cable shoved into the box with a total lack of professionalism.) The dealer has been no help...at all.

Is the inverter supposed to be there?

How would it get wired in?

To answer your question (in red):

It depends on which SolarFlex system was installed on your trailer at the factory.

If you have the "standard equipment" then you have the SolarFlex 220 system and there is NO INVERTER suppled by Keystone.

If you have the "upgrade, extra cost (around $2000) SolarFlex 440i (note the "i") then you will have two roof panels, an inverter with cables from the battery to the inverter and other equipment installed by Keystone during the build. If Dragonfly batteries were included in the OEM buld, then the two Dragonfly 100A/H batteries is a $2700 option if installed at the factory. The two options, the SolarFlex 440i and a pair of batteries is in excess of $5500 MSRP.

From your statement, "cable shoved into the box", then that is how the SolarFlex 220 (note there is no "i") ships from Keystone.

You can familiarize yourself with the 5 SolarFlex options here: https://www.keystonerv.com/solarflex_landing

Not only does that link go to a description of each system, it also includes instructions on how to upgrade, what can, and more important, what can NOT be done with each system. Take a few minutes to read about the SolarFlex 220 and the SolarFlex 440i. My money would be that you have the SolarFlex 220 with no inverter and no OEM lithium batteries from Keystone. That's the way the vast majority of trailers are shipped from Keystone.

The "i" denotes "inverter" and the SolarFlex 220 does not have an inverter.

[NH_Bulldog]

John, the OP has an Arcadia model that was only available for the 2023 model year. However, in 2023 Arcadia doesn’t have SolarFlex as a standard feature. It only has “optional SolarFlex 200, 400i or 600i-L system”. This is why I asked the OP if he has a solar setup and if so what it is.

[Mr V]

My thanks to all. This is the information I needed.

[rlh1957]

That’s what they call Solar Ready.
A few plugs are wired to that point so an inverter can convert dc to ac.

Get a solar installer to give you a synopsis of what’s required & options to get it up and running.

Whatever you do Don’t let a dealer shop specify or do any installs.

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by rlh1957

Whatever you do Don’t let a dealer shop specify or do any installs.

Why is that?

[rlh1957]

Dealers are not Solar techs nor do they specialize in DC/AC electricity. If their service techs were that qualified or savvy they’d be working in the trade for much more money.

But everyone has their reasons and choices to make.

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by rlh1957

Dealers are not Solar techs nor do they specialize in DC/AC electricity. If their service techs were that qualified or savvy they’d be working in the trade for much more money.

But everyone has their reasons and choices to make.

It’s not about the money. I’ll leave it at that, but please refrain from telling anyone that dealer techs aren’t solar techs or specialize in DC/AC electricity. We also specialize in HVAC and PLUMBING.

Spend a month in the shop with me and you MIGHT have a different view.

[workinonit]

The RV industry is no different than ANY other industry. There are good, bad, lazy, incompetent and sometimes exceptional techs at the dealerships. Based on the responses I've read from chuckster57 I would trust his advise and broad range of knowledge he has on Keystone products over pretty much anyone. I would hope he feels the same about me in the event he needs technical information on generators and voltage regulators.

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by workinonit

The RV industry is no different than ANY other industry. There are good, bad, lazy, incompetent and sometimes exceptional techs at the dealerships. Based on the responses I've read from chuckster57 I would trust his advise and broad range of knowledge he has on Keystone products over pretty much anyone. I would hope he feels the same about me in the event he needs technical information on generators and voltage regulators.

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I have installed numerous solar, inverter/charger, Lipo4 systems. I wouldn't hesitate to ask you about gens/regulators if the need arises.

As an example, about a year ago I installed 800W of solar with a victron MPPT controller, victron 3000W/150A charger inverter and 800aH 0f Lipo4 batterys. Soft start on the AC and was able to keep the interior at 65 degrees for 5 hours in the direct sun and 90 degrees outside.

Last month I installed a Magnum hybrid 3000W/100A charger inverter and an expion 386aH Lipo4 in a 40 foot trailer. its 50A service, bedrooms at opposite ends and they wanted to be able to watch TV at night and keep the 16 cubic foot 12V Furrion refrigerator operating through the night as there isn't any shore power where its located. they do have a 10K diesel gen for charging during the day for the 4 trailers parked there.