Installing a WF-8955-AD-MBA converter in your RV to charge Lithium batteries

[@tonyasmith5299]

Thank you so much for your help. I am a 68 year old woman, living in an RV, and I’ve been waiting for a relative to come put it in, but you know how that can go. Finally got too cold, and I did it myself. Thank you again!

[@CampingwiththeColes]

@@tonyasmith5299 good for you! Great job! 👏👍

[@adamsalton125]

Our family loves your videos, I think our 11 year old daughter might be you’re biggest fan. One tip on this project - use electrical tape to insure the orange marrette at the end of the black jumper wire is secure. Road vibration could cause it to fall off, which could cause a short or worse an electrical fire as the black wire is your hot (live) wire. Cheers!

[@atk1da]

I would add removal of the marette should the original wire from the converter is long enough.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

I'm not sure why the marrette is on there. The old one had it on and the new one came like that with it on. I just installed the converter in the exact same manner as the original. Couldn't hurt though, to put some electrical tape over it to secure it better.

[@adamsalton125]

Looks like the two black wires are soldered together, you would have to de-solder to remove it completely (little bit more advanced on the DIY scale). Cheers

[@JB-vg7qr]

That converter will show that it's charging in lithium mode when the charging LED is blue. I also agree that it would be a good idea to wrap some electrical tape around that wire nut. One less thing to worry about while driving down the highway. Nice video! 😊

[@CampingwiththeColes]

I didn't know there were any lights on it. I'll have to take a better look once I get it out of storage.

[@JB-vg7qr]

The LED is easy to see on my 8735-AD converter but I'm not certain where yours is located. Also, the converter should be supplying 14.4 to 14.6 volts back to the battery when charging in lithium mode. My unit took a few charging cycles before it finally detected the lithium battery and switched over to the correct mode. It has been rock solid ever since. I hope this helps.​@@CampingwiththeColes

[@amberepstein9482]

I searched everywhere for a video to swap out lead acid batteries with lithium ion, as well as the converter upgrade. I found many, but none of them were as detailed as yours. Thank you so much for taking the time to post these!

[@CampingwiththeColes]

I'm glad you found them helpful. Happy camping!

[@mmcgray955]

And as a bonus, the wife's a nurse if you accidentally electrocute yourself lol! Just kidding, nicely done. We mentioned to you at the RV show that our lead acid battery died end of last season and so we might as well upgrade. Excited to get the trailer out of storage in a few weeks so we can check our own converter label and figure things out. Oh, and taking pics on projects like this is always such a good idea, we try to do that with EVERYTHING we unhook or take apart! Hopefully the converter on our '21 trailer will not need the converter upgrade, but now I think we could do it if need be with this video as a guide.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

I like taking a pic incase I get a little mixed up. Since starting doing KZbin videos, Cheryl tells me to record everything I do to the trailer. It just about triples the time it takes to do anything but it gives us content to put out in the off months and you wouldn't believe how many times I go back to my own videos to see how I did something LOL.

[@CreativeCustomDesigns]

We'd LOVE to change to lithium, but it's to expensive for us right now, so when we get our trailer out of storage in a couple weeks, we are going to go with 4 6V batteries. That should give us all the power we need when we go boondocking. GREAT video, and since we only live " down the road from you" maybe we'll see you in a campground sometime.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

LiFePO4 batteries have really come down in price over the past year. You might want to look into it a little more. Lots of benefits over lead acid. If you see us at a campground, don't hesitate to say hi.

[@RoamingRetreats1]

The Epoch 300AH is a screaming deal @ $999, so is the 460AH @ @ $1999

[@CreativeCustomDesigns]

@@RoamingRetreats1 Plus the cost of the charger.....4-6V batteries comes to $950 and has 460 AH.........That's gonna work just fine for us.

[@RoamingRetreats1]

@@CreativeCustomDesigns Its not 460ah, its half that if lead acid/agm. The 460 lithium is the full 100%

[@americansafarico]

Needed this! Thanks!

[@BretZischke]

Thanks! You made that easy.

[@CalicoJackxx]

Thanks, very good video

[@jackychan769]

Im curious what app are you using at the end to check the battery at the end? Thanks

[@CampingwiththeColes]

@@jackychan769 if you buy an AOlithium battery it has it's own app to monitor the battery.

[@allan6021]

I’d be interested to know what voltage you’re getting at the batteries when the new converter is charging. My trailer came with the WFCO “AD” (deck mount) converter installed by the factory but I discovered that the converter won’t switch to a lithium charging profile automatically because of voltage loss along the wires between the converter and the batteries. They are 6 AWG wires and about 25’ long. It looks like you have a longer run from your converter on the rear wall to your batteries on the A frame.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

I did some screen recordings of the app when doing various things with the batteries. When the trailer is plugged into shore power, the batteries show that they are being charged at 13.36 volts. The batteries show that they are charging right up to 100%.

[@JB-vg7qr]

Have you tried depleting your lithium battery to less than 50%? That may help the converter kick into Boost Mode which may also trigger the lithium detection.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

I brought both batteries down to 0% once and 45% once then back up to 100% plugged through the converter. The rest was just topping it off from around 90%. I expected it to show a higher charging voltage above 14V but it never did. The batteries still show that they are getting up to 100% though. They're not stopping at 80% or 85% like I thought they would at the lower voltage. Maybe I need to run them down a couple more times.

[@JB-vg7qr]

​@@CampingwiththeColesVery interesting. I'll be curious to hear if you see the blue LED when you pull the trailer out of storage. Safe travels!

[@kylebrown2732]

These things are far from automatic. Mine would never switch to lithium mode. Called and complained they sent me a resistor to plug in between two leads to trick it into switching. Still no blue light and too low of voltage

[@JaKe-bd2fq]

Great video, I see you have two lithium batteries on the tongue of your trailer, did it come with two batteries previously? Did this change your tongue weight of your trailer ?

[@CampingwiththeColes]

The trailer came with 1 lead acid battery. A few years ago I went to two lead acid batteries. Last fall I switched to 2 LiFePO4 batteries. The 2 LiFePO4 batteries and the metal battery box weigh less than the two lead acid batteries on their own. Here's the video where I swapped them out kzbin.info/www/bejne/poTHe5iknt5_hKs

[@richardannett2493]

I will be replacing my converter with the WF-8955 AD MBA. However, should I trust the converters from Amazon or should I go to a different source. $80 v $200.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

You can't buy them directly from WFCO so Amazon will have to do. However when I got mine from Amazon it was an older version (version number is on a sticker on it). It wouldn't auto detect the lithium battery. I contacted WFCO customer support and they said it needed an update. If your in the USA you have to send them the actually unit so they can update it and return it. If you're in Canada they'll just send you an updated one because it's not worth it for them to deal with the shipping across the border. Hopefully Amazon will give you the latest version but I know for me they didn't.

[@richardannett2493]

@@CampingwiththeColes Do you have any idea how I can tell that I would be getting the most recent version?

[@Nipissingkid1]

Love this how to video! I’ve been toying with the idea of upgrading batteries and the converter in our trailer. You have given me some confidence to achieve that! Thank you very much as always you guys rock! Happy campfires guys hopefully see you camping this yr. 🏕️

[@CampingwiththeColes]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@jimgraham290]

So it looks like you bought the entire WFCO 8955AD and then only swapped out the Inverter/Charger component "Converter" to save removing & reinstalling all of the wiring? I assume you now have a spare chassis, breakers etc?

[@CampingwiththeColes]

No, I just bought and installed the converter. That's all that was needed.

[@RobertMiller-kw7ek]

I posted a video 2 months ago on this subject. The WFCO 8955AD converter is a waste of money. It will not fully charge lithium batteries. I have the lithium jumper installed and blue light on converter is on. I get close to 50 amps charge when my batteries are depleted. But the voltage is 13.6 volts maximum. That only results in 13.2 volts on my 3 - group 24 lithium measured after resting. That is about 50% charge according to LiTime battery charge chart. My Renology voltage meter says batteries are 100% charged. I believe my voltage test is right because LiTime says that this converter does not meet the proper 14.2-14.4 voltage profile necessary to fully charge my batteries. Again, WFCO 8955AD is not an upgrade. Waste of money!

[@CampingwiththeColes]

I'm certainly no expert in this. I got my 8955AD updated and had them put the jumper on so that it charges at Lithium rate. The blue light is on meaning lithium. My two AOlithium 100 Ah batteries charge to 100% according to the AOlithium app through Bluetooth to the batteries. When camping without power they delete at a rate consistent with them being at 100% to start. I have no reason to believe that they aren't charging to 100%.

[@JamesMcLaren1000]

There was an extra wire with a Marr connector on the end attached to the power wire of the new converter. Does anyone know what that was for? Just curious.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

I don't know. The old one and the new one both had that. I didn't have to attach any wires and put it on.

[@adamsalton125]

The wiring diagram states “Available As Branch Circuit”

[@adamsalton125]

So basically you could use it to power a new outlet, lights, etc.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

@@adamsalton125 thanks for the info!

[@jeffhelsdingen4354]

@@CampingwiththeColes personally, I would disconnect it. There really is no place on a trailer/motorhome/boat for marrette connectors. I'm surprised that the previous one hadn't fallen off. Not very nice having a 120v live wire rolling around in your fuse/breaker box. Also I would be inclined to maybe once or twice a year take the cover off and check the tightness on your screw down connectors. They can get loose in bumpy conditions and the heat up or worse. Thanks for the video and was nice to meet you and Cheryl at the RV show in TO. Cheers!

[@mikeyc181]

I am just curious, what were you guys charging the Lithium Batteries with before adding the converter ? Can you just drop a 12V charger on them and expect them to charge ?? or do you at least need some sort of AC-DC charger.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

I actually added the converter at the same time as the batteries. But I also bought a battery charger to do a quick charge on the batteries if I need to. You can also use it if you haven't upgraded the converter to get a charge up to 100%. Here is the one I bought amzn.to/3IX2N8V

[@danielroman9415]

Did you notice that right away your batteries would charge to 100 percent? I noticed another comment saying it took a couple charging cycles for their converter to detect lithium but they had a different model number. I just installed the same converter you did for my rv but my battery only gets to 82 percent . Just curious.. thank you

[@CampingwiththeColes]

@@danielroman9415 it charged my battery to 100% but it took a few days. I contacted them for tech support. It turns out that it wasn't recognizing the batteries as lithium. It was charging then as if they were lead acid. They told me to look at the version number on the converter and it was 1.72. they said that was an old one that needed to be updated. The only way to update it was to send it in to them and they would send it back with the latest update. When they found out I was in Canada they just sent me a new one and didn't ask for the old one back. I guess it's not cost effective for them to have it shipped back. They also offered to put a jumper on it so that it would automatically charge at lithium levels instead of auto detecting. It works great now and can fully charge the batteries in a few hours.

[@danielroman9415]

Gotcha thanks for the reply! I just want to see if I understand correctly . So you purchased the converter from Amazon and it wasn’t working as wished so you called wfco and they sent you a separate converter that has now worked properly ?

[@CampingwiththeColes]

@@danielroman9415 yes

[@ralphblom136]

Did you install a dc to dc charge controller between your truck and trailer?

[@CampingwiththeColes]

No I didn't. Still not sure if I need one. Any thoughts?

[@ralphblom136]

nation rv training - tech Tip Tuesdays suggested “No” if you don’t change any circuitry😳 I am converting our WF8735P to a EF8752AD to support an LiFePO4 battery. My concern is if the battery gets to low could I overheat the power lead in the seven pin trailer lead. By the way, really enjoy your videos, and thank you for your fast response. What ever I find out, I will let you know.

[@DarkenFool]

As far as im aware LifePO4 batteries need 14.4 volts to fully fully charge. Most of these converters that fit in the same spot don't provide that voltage. How did you achieve the voltage required for LifePo4

[@CampingwiththeColes]

The converter is designed to detect the type of battery then provide the necessary voltage. After installation and use I determined that it wasn't detecting LiFePO4 and was only charging as if it was a lead acid battery. I contacted WFCO and found that I needed an update to the converter. The update had to be done manually at WFCO which means I had to uninstall the converter. In the USA they require you to send in the converter for the update, then they send it back. In Canada they just sent me a new updated converter and I didn't have to send the old one back. I installed the new updated converter and now it detects the LiFePO4 battery and charges it accordingly.

[@DarkenFool]

@@CampingwiththeColes So it outputs the 14v charge rate? I bought a updated converter that says lithium compatible but still had a 13.6v output regardless of the type. Only time i got 14.4 or higher was when i depleted the battery to 0. It says "multi-stage battery" which doesn't actually charge it to 100% and harms the battery cells internally. It's good if you have that 14.4 charge for sure on lithium.

[@jentomkins3235]

​@@CampingwiththeColes We recently switched our converter as well, and while it says it is charging, it takes longer than we expected. How did you determine yours wasn't detecting the LifePo4 lithium batteries? How did you contact WFCO about the exchange? We are also in Canada, so would be same process as yours.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

I bought the converter made to charge LiFePO4. It fit in the same spot.

[@jentomkins3235]

​@CampingwiththeColes We bought the same, the auto detect, but, it doesn't seem to be detecting our lithium batteries. Was wondering how you determined that yours wasn't detecting in the end to contact WFCO?

[@tfaneuf09]

Does your batteries also charge going down the rd

[@CampingwiththeColes]

Yep

[@tfaneuf09]

@@CampingwiththeColes did you have to change anything with your alternator feed

[@Cosirius]

At how many Ah does your converter charge the batteries at?

[@CampingwiththeColes]

I'm sorry but I don't know the answer to that.

[@Cosirius]

When your batteries charge, at what rate do they charge? Mine charge at 4Ah per hour because the lithium mode on mine is old.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

​@@CosiriusI'm currently camping without hookups. My 2 batteries are at about 50%. I plugged my trailer into my 2400W power station. The batteries are each charging at about 14 amps.

[@aaronrobbanzach29]

Hi Ben, Cheryl, and Jax. Just curious on how long you can last on battery power? I’m thinking about doing the same. Aiming to be able to last 4 or 5 days running the fridge and water heater (aka hot water heater 😆) on propane. I also have a Jackery type station for my small devices. Any info would be greatly appreciated 🙏🏻 Thanks and keep up the awesome work. Hoping to run into you guys someday. 👍

[@CampingwiththeColes]

We did 72 hours on battery at Killarney last fall. We have two 100ah AOlithium batteries. At the end of the 72 hours we still had 54% left in the batteries. Our fridge and water heater were both on propane. New trailers these days come with only 12V fridges but ours is older so it also works on propane. If it was just a 12V fridge (no propane option), I'm guessing we would lose a day or two.

[@aaronrobbanzach29]

@@CampingwiththeColes Awesome! Thanks so much. I’ll be running everything on propane for sure. At it’s only myself solo camping so I can be quite frugal with energy usage. Again thanks 🙏🏻.

[@bentrider]

Thank you for the video. I appreciate your channel. However, I am not ready to go with lithium ion batteries just yet. There are way too many fires caused by their failure for my taste.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

8 didn't think anybody is putting Lithium Ion batteries in trailers anymore. We put in Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries (LiFePO4). They are much safer than lithium ion.

[@bentrider]

@@CampingwiththeColes Oh! I guess I misunderstood. I am not familiar with such batteries. Looks like I need to do some research huh?😀

[@croxy57]

It’s not a converter ffs. It’s a charger

[@CampingwiththeColes]

@@croxy57 WFCO Technologies, the maker of the WD-8955-AD-MBA, calls it a converter so I'll call it a converter.😊

[@mikejames-xy2zz]

It's both a converter and charger.

[@crw-bm7mm]

My advice would be to stay away from wfco. The 8735 AD that came with my trailer did not switch to lithium at all. The second one that they sent me on warranty would switch if you completely drained your batteries every time. If you were at say 60% SOC it would not change to lithium. They should have stayed with the selector switch. The AD models are junk.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

@@crw-bm7mm I ended up contacting WFCO Support to find the converter needed an update. They sent me an updated one and at my request put a jumper on it so it only charges at Lithium level.

[@crw-bm7mm]

@CampingwiththeColes Thanks for the info. I ended up bypassing it all together for charging and went with a stand alone charger while on shore power. The season is to short in Ontario to mess around.