Promaster Van Build 2500 159WB - DIY- POWER SYSTEM - Part 30

[@danielstover3029]

Hello Al! Nice power. Looking forward to seeing it in action. Thanks for sharing. 👍😉

[@OregonBatman]

Thank ya sir! Getting closer! :)

[@TOTALLYRELAXED]

Hey there Al! Nice power setup! As I’ve mentioned to you in your videos before I bought the Delta EcoFlow Pro (3600 watt hour) solar power system. I bought it two months ago and haven’t used it yet sadly. I bought it mainly bc I wasn’t gonna go through another week of no electricity and freezing my butt off at home like I endured last year when we had a Texas-wide freeze out. I don’t have a Class B camper van yet…and, although our Texas million day drought was finally broken up the other night with my lights flickering off and on for awhile during a horrific rain storm I ‘still’ didn’t get a chance to see it in action! BUMMER! The battery it has supposedly is equivalent to THREE Battle Born batteries combined. I bought 125 feet of solar cable so I could keep the unit inside my house outta the sun and from theft. I also have two solar panel kits one being 165 watts and the other 400. I sorta feel like “I’m all dressed up and nowhere to go”! 😂😂😂. I’m looking for a builder to build me out a Promaster 2500/159 van like yours but the waiting list is like two years. I don’t wanna wait that long, as, I’ve been retired from 38 years of trucking since 2015 and I’ve been climbing the walls to get back on the road (on MY terms) ever since. I’m excited to see your new system installed in your new van and see it in action! Stay safe as I head to another of your videos! ~Jim~

[@aspendell209]

Nice to see you have graduated to modern batteries in this build. They will save you money in the long term. I think you will be very satisfied with them over lead acid chemistry. One thing I didn't hear you specify is if your going to run them parallel (12v) or series (24v)? If series, you can probably get by with 2 gauge cables between you batteries and the Inverter. If parallel you will want 0/0 ga cables to handle the 3kw of the inverter. Otherwise you will get early inverter shutdowns and warm cables, power loss in the lines, etc. I didn't see those on your table, so thought it was worth mentioning. Also consider a way to charge these batteries from your starting battery in the van so the alternator can charge your whole system while driving or idling. If you go with 24v, which I would, you may need another DC-DC converter for 12v to 24v to charge your batteries. I'd try to find one that is at least 100 amps input, as your alternator can likely put out well over 200 amps when cold.

[@aspendell209]

A local welding supply store may be your be your best bet for the large cables. They don't tend to be any cheaper to buy online, or are inferior quality to copper welding cables.

[@OregonBatman]

Hi Aspendell... going to tie the batteries in parallel as my system will all be 12v. For the cables, found 1/0 welding cables to tie everything together. Had to buy another set of Anderson connectors as the ones that came with the batteries are like 8 awg or 6 awg... definitely too small. I do have a 40amp DC/DC charger that I will install... should have went with something bigger I know. Only thing I'm trying to consider is the fuse between batteries and inverter. Since everything is rated for 175 continuous output... was thinking of maybe a 170 amp breaker, what do you think? I do have a 300 amp breaker I could use, but that may be too large.

[@aspendell209]

@@OregonBatman Well if the battery BMSs are rated 175 Amps each that would be a continuous rating of 350 Amps in parallel. The inverter can use up to about 300 Amps, or slightly over, when producing 3000 Watts @ 12vdc. And since each of the batteries has both a BMS cutoff and a 300 Amp (600 Amps combined) fuse, alls you really need is a way to switch them off. Therefore, I would go with a 300 - 400 Amp DC circuit breaker. The smaller the breaker, the greater the voltage and power losses across the breaker, same with fuses. Hope that helps 🦇🔋

[@aspendell209]

@@OregonBatman Also, you may already know this, but you can buy those Anderson 175 with lugs/pins/contacts starting from about 6 GA on up to whatever size your dealer carries. So you aren't limited to whatever size they may have come with. You can buy bigger lugs and just replace them in the plastic housing. The connectors are rated 175 Amps, but they do better up to 350 Amps than any other reasonably priced connectors, in my experience.

[@OregonBatman]

@@aspendell209 That's perfect! I was heading in the right direction but kept second guessing myself!! Appreciate the help!

[@ASTHECROWFLIESHIKING]

Awesome video! I hope to build one of these out someday. New follower here. Crow

[@OregonBatman]

Thank you Crow!! Glad you stopped by!