DC to DC Charger Install for Van | Victron DC to DC Charger | Ram Promaster 2500 Van Build

DC to DC Charger Install for our Ram Promaster 2500. We knew that van life in the winter we would need more than just solar. And since we will be boon-docking we can't rely on shore power either. The Victron DC to DC charger was a no brainer and we've loved what's its done so far. It charges fast when running idly parked and driving.
UPDATE Sept 2022: We mounted the charger HORIZONTALLY - after comments and research. Better placement per Victron and our friendly commentors :) Thank you for watching! We also fixed the fuse issue! (no more comments lol). Its operating and working great. Please see comments below!
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Michelle handled all of the electrical and this went pretty smooth after figuring out how to attach to battery and run correct amount of wire from front to back and through our benches.
Check out her install and what went right and wrong. Thanks for watching!
What we bought:
Victron Orion-Tr-Smart isolated DC to DC charger 12 | 12 - 30 - amzn.to/3vrjkwf
6 AWG stranded wire - amzn.to/3sVykAD
Littelfuse 60A fuse - amzn.to/3NzklZo
split loom tubing - amzn.to/3MIEHiB , amzn.to/3LCZXoD
zip ties - amzn.to/3wJuAn5
butt connector (for 6 AWG)
electrical tape - amzn.to/3PGCR3B
dc to dc battery charger victron orion dc to dc charger renogy dc to dc charger van build electrical victron dc to dc charger victron dc to dc charger isolated vs non isolated renogy dc to dc battery charger victron dc to dc smart charger

[@jonnytacooutdoors]

Awesome video 🎉 great info

[@libertybell144]

Thank you! I have just gotten to the electrical wiring part of my build. I have been looking for over a year and this is the most helpful video I have found that is specific to both the Orion and Promaster.

[@JRNYFWD]

I’m so glad I could help! Believe me, I know how overwhelming it can feel to start the electrical part. Good luck with your build!

[@gregnorman3183]

First off thank you so much for your video-it was very helpful. In fact I bought the same fuse as you did and think it was extremely wise utilizing area provided by Promaster area provided for addition fuse. I did go out to my van and looked closer at positive battery connections and it does appear that you bypassed your fuse. I believe cable going from your van battery should be connected on other end of fuse so electricity flows through fuse. As seen at 7.25. I'm not an electrician so I may be wrong. SORRY! I should have read through the comments first. I see that you already addressed this issue.

You are absolutely right. The fuse is currently disabled.

[@NOECO317]

Hello, as a former electrician with 25 years of experience, I just wanted to let you know that the positive wire on your van battery isn't fused properly. It is wired incorrectly. Time stamp starting at 4:55. You could remove that fuse and reconnect it as is and it will still work because of the way you have it. The red wire should be connected to the load side of the fuse or in your case, the other terminal (the side of the fuse closest to the driver door). Right now you actually have no fuse protection and a cause for concern for potential electrical fire or hazard.

[@JRNYFWD]

Thank you so much! I appreciate your expertise, especially as this is all new to me. I moved the red wire to the driver's side of the fuse. Thanks for the peace of mind.

[@edm7356]

@@JRNYFWD I think NOECO did a better job of explaining what I tried to explain 3 months ago. At 5:05 the red (pos) wire should be moved to the other terminal on the opposite side of the LITTLEFUSE 60 amp MEGA fuse. I hope that is what you did when you stated "I moved the red wire to the driver's side of the fuse". Thanks for the great video.

[@JRNYFWD]

@@edm7356 yes!! Exactly what I did. Thank you for clarifying the details-red is now on the load side (drivers) of the littlefuse 60A fuse. I appreciate you, Ed!!

[@jonnytacooutdoors]

The output wires just run Straight to the camper battery? With a breaker on the positive line? Looks easier than I thought. Question are you running a fuse on the positive line at the battery or just running a breaker before the dc dc charger? I think that’s what I saw…..

[@djmayna87]

Thank you for this detailed video. I hope it's working well for you. Electrical work can be rather complex. I'm a Mechanical Engineer by background, and find it confusing at times. One thing I'll note that maybe you or others can comment on... @2:51 Your chassis battery is clearly grounded to the van; as opposed to say black wiring going back to the alternator or other electrical components. It's less clear how you grounded your House BattleBorn Batteries. If those are also grounded to the van then you may not have needed the "Isolated" version. You installed the Victron DC to DC Charger "Isolated" version. @10:48 Meaning you ran a ground cable from the chassis battery to the Victron unit as Input. Then a black cable also as Output to the bus bar. Basically a "Floating" system if I'm not mistaken. I'm not 100% sure this was necessary. Meaning you possibly could have purchased the "non-isolated" Victron unit and only ran the one Red (+) Input from the Chassis battery to the Victron. I may be mistaken, so feel free to correct. At the end of the day, I'm not sure there's really any downside here; other than the cost of extra (black) cable and the slightly more expensive Isolated unit (as opposed to the lesser expensive non-isolated unit). At the end of the day, both negatives are finding ground on the same chassis body. I suppose the hypothetical bigger mistake would be if you had a stock van with an actual floating system that actually required this "Isolated" DC to DC unit and you instead used the Non-Isolated version. As a disclaimer to anyone reading, I'm not an Electrician and I could very well be wrong here. Just thought I'd point out this observation and see if you or others had comment; as I am looking to do this myself in the not too distant future and would welcome any advice. Thanks again for the great content and safe travels!

[@JRNYFWD]

Hi DJ! You're right...it is complex. Yes, the Battle Born batteries are also grounded to the van (black wire from shunt to rear passenger corner of van). Tbh, my method may not have been the most efficient and I'm definitely learning as I go. Upon further research regarding the isolated vs non, you are correct. Good luck with your build and stay safe!

[@darleneberger3620]

Thank you! I need to install the same charger on my Ram 3500! Appreciate you!

[@JRNYFWD]

Good luck, Darlene! It's pretty straightforward. Hope this helps ;)

[@gcarbajalr1]

Thank you!!!

[@JRNYFWD]

You're welcome!

[@fratermus5502]

I originally had 220Ah of GC FLA in my promaster. At low SoC they would pull 42A through a charging relay (VSR). After those batts their cycle life I replaced them with 100Ah of LFP. This bank pulls 30A at very low SoC. This morning the bank was 40% SoC and charged at 25A. I installed a switch on the VSR to disable it when the bank is at 100% SoC. The VSR cost about 1/5th what the DC-DC does and works for me. I mention this in case others are wondering if DC-DC were mandatory.

[@dfanman1]

I learned more from this video on how to fuse at the terminals than any other. Thank you! Do you remember the bolt size for the fuse and the negative terminal?

[@stephenkim2472]

Most helpful video, thanks!! Did you need to wire a switch?

[@lafamiliaesimportantefamil1272]

Hi, I came across your video on the DC to DC charger. I got the same one. Could you tell me what wire gauge you use for the setup? Thank you.

[@eprohoda]

brother.gorgeouss uploading~:))

[@JRNYFWD]

Thanks for the visit

[@veronicamunoz8759]

What year is your Promaster? Great job 😊

[@zx10rmac84]

No easy way to say this, Those breakers need taken out, they will cause you a fire eventually.it has already happened here. Fit a fuse if possible. Your info is half patched, but with more help you can get there. Keep at it. ✌️🇬🇧

[@CPRebels21]

You didn't actual fuse your positive wire. You have the fuse in place but the wire is connected directly to the positive battery bus bar and not to the end of the fuse.

[@JRNYFWD]

UPDATE MAY 2022: We mounted the charger VERTICALLY (not laying down) - after comments and research. Better placement per Victron and our friendly commentors :) We also fixed the battery fuse issue and it correct now also - thanks to commentors. 🟣 BUY US A COFFEE - Digging our van content? Support our channel with a tip and buy us a coffee! Coffee Is Life! :) Thank you! www.buymeacoffee.com/JRNYFWD Thank you for watching!

[@truckstopmedia]

That charger is supposed to have at least 10 cm of space around it so that it can properly cool. I believe it’s also supposed to be mounted vertically. Let us know if you have any overheating issues!

[@JRNYFWD]

Yes, I've seen it mounted both ways. The charger does get hot while in use, but so far no issues. We've done 6 hr drives so far and it's been OK. Will keep an eye, though, and will definitely move if looks to be a problem. Thanks!

[@greenbimoon]

The Orion must be mounted vertically, as they get really hot in operation. They also need a minimum of 100 mm above and below to allow for the air movement through the cooling fins. These units can reach temperatures of over 50° C.

[@JRNYFWD]

Thank you! Just updated our video description and pinned that update too. We have changed that now and you are correct :)

[@amacmedia3221]

I’ve just tried mine after installing and the on/off green led was flashing, any idea why?

[@mirola73]

Yes, you can switch your engine on to charge the battery, but extended idling is NOT a good thing (for your engine).

[@christinathomas7455]

I hooked up our Orion charger this way as well and it killed our starter battery??? What am I doing wrong?

[@JRNYFWD]

Oh no!!!! 🙉 Is it possible that the negative and positive wires were reversed? Also make sure you installed the 60 amp fuse on the battery. Maybe your starter battery was not strong to begin with? I’m so sorry that happened to you 😟

[@jmd8675]

It looks like you installed a fuse on that square-headed bolt. Can you give more details about that?

[@JRNYFWD]

Hi Jennifer! Sorry for late reply. Yes, I used a 60A Mega Littelfuse. A square headed bolt of the correct size was hard to come by, so I used a hex bolt (size 8.8 metric) and it's worked just fine! The main issue was that it wouldn't fall through the round hole. I got it either at Home Depot or Lowe's. Hope that helps :). Here is a link for purchase on Amazon: www.amazon.com/Littelfuse-0298060-Bolt-Down-Delay/dp/B01M6UA7BZ/ref=sr_1_3_mod_primary_new?crid=U1J4OV7FBQZR&keywords=littelfuse+mega+60A&qid=1647988309&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sprefix=littelfuse+mega+60a%2Caps%2C104&sr=8-3

[@jmd8675]

@@JRNYFWD did you need 2 bolts?

[@JRNYFWD]

@@jmd8675 yes, 2 bolts

[@mamazzon1]

Looking at the red wire attached to the fuse block on the battery it appears that the wire is attached to the lug that is connected directly to the battery and that the fuse you installed isn’t in the circuit. I’ve never seen one of these in person but looking at the video something doesn’t look right. Should that wire be on the opposite end of the fuse?

[@JRNYFWD]

Just fixed it--thank you for the heads up!

[@edm7356]

Vince, I am not an electrician but it looks to me that the positive wire that you hooked up is on the hot side of the fuse. If this is the case the fuse is not being used, so the circuit has no fuse protection.

[@JRNYFWD]

Hey Ed! Michelle here (Vince didn’t do the electrical part of the build) 😉. I went back to look at it and I DID have the load and the line reversed. So, thank you so much for the comment!! We were experiencing some power inefficiencies, so this may be the culprit

[@chadhill14]

@@JRNYFWD Are you saying the connection at the starter battery fuse was in the incorrect position? Is is shown incorrect in this video, thanks for the informative video, was very useful to help me understand the starter battery fuse side!

[@JRNYFWD]

@@chadhill14 Hey Chad! I neglected to talk about the installation of the Littlefuse 60 Amp fuse that you see at 5:03. I think that is what you are referring to? The other fuse that you see (unmarked) was already there and is correct. Thanks so much for watching, I'm glad it was helpful!

[@chadhill14]

@@JRNYFWD Thanks Michelle! I was referring to which side of this fuse your red wire was hooked to in the video (i.e., the side facing the negative vs the driver's seat), was this incorrect and it should have been the driver's seat side from the comments above? One more question if you happen to remember, what size lug did you use on the negative battery side? I"m struggling to find the right size here. How's the charger doing after a few months of use?? Thanks!

[@JRNYFWD]

@@chadhill14 Sorry for the late response. The positive red wire is attached to the passenger side of the 60A fuse (on the starter battery). The comment about the fuse being incorrectly wired was referring to the 60A breaker in the rear of the van. On THAT breaker, be sure that you have the LOAD and the LINE in the correct places! Sorry, I don't remember the lug size...I would suggest bringing the bolt from the battery and the 6 AWG wire piece into an auto parts store to make sure it will fit both. Charger working great still!!

[@jmd8675]

What kind of Do the bolts need to be stainless?

[@jmd8675]

Did you use 2 square-headed bolts and were they stainless steel?

[@JRNYFWD]

Yes, I used 2 bolts but hex bolts (8.8 metric). I don't remember if they're stainless or not, but I don't think that it's necessary. Good luck on your build!

[@shelleyvickers481]

You never said that Victron takes 84.4 megabytes to download the app on phone!

[@javiersamp]

And the amperes, arrive really 30 Ah

[@RicardoSicks]

6ga wire @ 30 amps is less than efficient at the length you're running the wire.. especially with a splice.. btw... how many rats live in your van... it's awfully filthy.. and as said before, Victron recommends a vertical installation...

[@JRNYFWD]

Hey Ricardo, thanks for the input. 1. 6 AWG may not be ideal, what did you use? 2. We WILL be reinstalling the DC Charger vertically, as recommended by Victron 3. Yep, the van was pretty dirty....it's still under construction, and we bought it used. A final clean once its done will make it nice for the 2 rats left.. Me & Vince ;)

[@RicardoSicks]

@@JRNYFWD What did i use? I used a wire gage that was appropriate for less than 3% voltage drop good luck with your journey!!