Converter

[MrKABC]

I was talking to my wife about going to Lithium. She, as a surprise, decide to get a converter. So she got this one: .

I'm seeing the main takeaway here is that SHE IS A KEEPER!!!

 

[Salty25]

I'm seeing the main takeaway here is that SHE IS A KEEPER!!!

I have the WFCO 9855 AD coming in; should be here tomorrow. I'll go for the install on Fri.

We've been married for almost 40 yrs now. At this point she knows all my corny jokes and refuses to leave. So I'm stuck with her.

 

[Salty25]

Box arrived today; stated WF-9855-AD on the outside. Opened and found this.

That isn't what I ordered

It only states 13.6 and my understanding is you need 14.4 for lithium. WFCO site shows the 8955 is a power center not a converter.

 

[NH_Bulldog]

Dang that sucks, hopefully you didn’t order it from Amazon. Although they have a good return policy, you often end up with old, obsolete, or just plain mis-packaged items. Even on the WFCO site that is an obsolete model number. Look at the WFCO logo, it should say WFCO not WF-8955.

Some units have the converter built into the power center. Others (like mine) the converter is a completely separate standalone unit (mine says "Deck Mount") meaning that it screws to the floor of the compartment and has a regular power cord that just plugs into the back of the power center.

Post #4 is a picture of what you want.

 

[flybouy]

Looking at the words that run together, the mispelling and poor. Grammer on that label I'd question its authenticity. That very well could be a knock off.

 

[LHaven]

Screams counterfeit. Report it. Hope you can return immediately and get full refund.

 

[JRTJH]

Yes, it sure looks like a knockoff rather than a WFCO product. That is unless they're contracting out what they used to build...

That said, is your converter/charger a "built in" (in the bottom of the power center) or a "stand alone" converter??? The built in is not an "enclosed assembly" and parts of it are open to the lower half of the power center... The stand alone is a completely encased converter/charger, designed to be installed outside the power center...

Which do you currently have ??? That will determine whether you should order a "lower unit change out" or a "new unit, fully encased for separate installation"...

I thought (I've been wrong so many times I try not to second guess what Keystone installs on any given day), anyway, I thought all the Cougar half ton trailers and fifth wheels had a built in converter/charger, installed in the lower half of the power center... Which is yours ???

 

[Salty25]

I did order it from Amazon. I ordered the WF-9855AD. I contacted WFCO and they suggested that one as well. They said it may have a CB at the end and that only means it is in a cardboard box.

I guess I'll be going to CW to pick one up. Open the box and see what is in it first.

 

[Raptor Dave]

Someone is dyslexic. The number is not even correct.
Should be a 9855
That says 8955

 

[JRTJH]

Someone is dyslexic. The number is not even correct.
Should be a 9855
That says 8955

That's why I asked the question about whether the converter/charger that is being replaced is a "stand alone" or a "built into the power center" unit...

The 9800 series (both old and new AD ones) are "stand alone converter/chargers and are fully encased and mounted outside the power center.

The 8900 series (both old and new AD ones) are not fully encased and are intended to be mounted in the lower half of the power center.

Here's the link to WFCO's converter page that shows all of their converter/chargers, both separate "stand alone models" and those intended to be installed INSIDE the power center..... https://www.wfcotech.com/product-category/converters/

Note there are TWO types of 8900AD series available. One is an upgrade to an existing 8900 converter/charger and one is a replacement for an existing 8900 converter/charger....

So, without knowing what is currently in the specific trailer, there's no way to know (for sure) what is needed to upgrade or replace the "power center built in" or to replace the "stand alone/outside the power center unit.....

 

[Salty25]

Raptor Dave,

They may have had a dyslexic day; I don't know. But I wasn't going to take the chance with my trailer.

John is right. They do have a 8900 series that is mounted at the bottom of the power panel and doesn't have a case. I did see a 8955 version with a case that goes into the bottom of the power panel.

When I contacted WFCO I told them what my 5th wheel model is, including the model of the panel, and the converter currently installed. They suggested the 9855AD and said if I see a 9855AD-CB that it is the same. They said the CB just means it comes in a cardboard box.

I'll just go to CW and pay the $40 extra to make sure I get what I want and need.

 

[Raptor Dave]

Raptor Dave,

They may have had a dyslexic day; I don't know. But I wasn't going to take the chance with my trailer.

John is right. They do have a 8900 series that is mounted at the bottom of the power panel and doesn't have a case. I did see a 8955 version with a case that goes into the bottom of the power panel.

When I contacted WFCO I told them what my 5th wheel model is, including the model of the panel, and the converter currently installed. They suggested the 9855AD and said if I see a 9855AD-CB that it is the same. They said the CB just means it comes in a cardboard box.

I'll just go to CW and pay the $40 extra to make sure I get what I want and need.

Can't say I blame you with this one. Sometimes it's worth a few extra bucks to know for sure what it is you are holding in your hand and purchasing.

 

[JRTJH]

Raptor Dave,

They may have had a dyslexic day; I don't know. But I wasn't going to take the chance with my trailer.

John is right. They do have a 8900 series that is mounted at the bottom of the power panel and doesn't have a case. I did see a 8955 version with a case that goes into the bottom of the power panel.

When I contacted WFCO I told them what my 5th wheel model is, including the model of the panel, and the converter currently installed. They suggested the 9855AD and said if I see a 9855AD-CB that it is the same. They said the CB just means it comes in a cardboard box.

I'll just go to CW and pay the $40 extra to make sure I get what I want and need.

The CB is literally in a "cardboard box" but that's not the designation... LOL

WFCO ships the 9800AD "1000 to a pallet" with no retail packaging. Those only go to manufacturers to be installed in trailers. When Keystone orders 15000 converters, they'll get 15 pallets with 10 boxes on each pallet. Each box will have 100 converters in it, for a total of 1000 converters per pallet.

When CW or your local RV parts store orders WFCO converters, they order "per unit" and those come from WFCO "ready to hang on a display shelf" with individual packaging, intended for retail sale....

It's the same as Hershey bars in a "multi pack" or in an assortment bag... The individual candy bars inside the bag will say "Not intended for retail sale" and won't have the nutritional label on each bar... Same with WFCO. They eliminate the packaging and pretty printed cardboard when shipping to manufacturers and charge more for that stuff on the ones marked "CB".....

 

[Salty25]

Update

I got the WFCO convertor and installed it. It was a little easier than I thought it would be. I haven't plugged into shore power yet. I did see a light glowing inside the convertor when I hooked the batteries back up after the install.

I got two of the Li Time batteries, 100ah. I remember it was suggested to not charge the batteries before installing them; to let the convertor charge them for the auto detect. But Li Time said the two batteries should be connected in parallel, for 12-24 hours, before installing them. I hooked them together figured it won't hurt anything.

My question is on my hookups, before I attach the batteries. Li Time said to use 4 or 6 gauge cables. So I bought some four gauge premade to use. I also got a set of bus bars and I had a shunt.

So here is a pic of my setup so far. I still have to wire to the batteries and the shunt of course. Does this look ok so far?

Then the cable sizes. The top cable is the four gauge I bought. The middle ones were used on the old batteries to tie them in parallel. The bottom ones were used to go from the batteries to the RV. Am I using the wrong size cables?

Thanks for any help or info.

 

[LHaven]

IMHO, I'd upgrade the tie-togethers to four gauge as well, just for consistency. But that's me.

 

[Salty25]

IMHO, I'd upgrade the tie-togethers to four gauge as well, just for consistency. But that's me.

That's what I got, four gauge to tie them together and then to attach to the bus bars. I'm just wondering about the old wires being so much bigger then four gauge I got. You can see the size of the wires going from the bus bars into the RV wall; the top of the red bus and bottom of the black bus.

 

[NH_Bulldog]

The diameter of the wire depends on whether it is solid or stranded wire. Stranded is very flexible with a larger diameter, solid is very stiff with a smaller diameter, but 4 ga. is 4 ga. I used all stranded 4 ga. in my setup for consistency.

The idea of tying the batteries together for 24 hours is so that they equalize the cells. There is nothing wrong with doing it.

The converter will have a green internal light until it senses the lithium profile and then it will change to a blue light. It doesn’t happen instantly, it has to reach a certain stage of charge before changing over, but it is perfectly fine.

I don’t recall, but do you have a solar setup on your camper? If not, no big deal. However, if you do you will need to make adjustments to the solar charge controller and also to your shunt so you get a proper state of charge reading.

 

[Salty25]

I don’t recall, but do you have a solar setup on your camper? If not, no big deal. However, if you do you will need to make adjustments to the solar charge controller and also to your shunt so you get a proper state of charge reading.

It may be the solid vs strand for the size difference. I didn't think of that. I just went with they suggested four or six and I went with four thinking it would be the larger size.

I do have a solar charger. I know I have to switch it from AGM to LifePO4. I already downloaded the app for the Victron shunt and will set it up when I attach the batteries.

I plan to attach the shore power so the convertor will set itself as well when I hook up the batteries.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Salty25]

I attached all the cables. Nothing went boom or started smoking. I checked the volts at the battery, it was 13.2. I changed the solar charger to LifePO4. I dialed up the Victron app and configured it by the specs that came with the Li Time. The shunt showed a slight draw, which is expected since the sun is going down. I checked inside and nothing was smoking there either, so I plugged in shore power. The shunt now shows about an 11 amp charge.

So, I think I got it all hooked up ok.

 

[Raptor Dave]

I attached all the cables. Nothing went boom or started smoking. I checked the volts at the battery, it was 13.2. I changed the solar charger to LifePO4. I dialed up the Victron app and configured it by the specs that came with the Li Time. The shunt showed a slight draw, which is expected since the sun is going down. I checked inside and nothing was smoking there either, so I plugged in shore power. The shunt now shows about an 11 amp charge.

So, I think I got it all hooked up ok.

It's always an adventure!
Congrats on your completed project. Hope it bodes you well all summer and into the future.