RV Lithium Battery Install Mistakes (DIY, Beginners & Pros Still Make)

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[@EnjoyTheJourneyLife]

Have you made any of these mistakes? ✅ SUBSCRIBE: enjoythejourney.life/KZbin ➡ Subscribe by Email: enjoythejourney.life/newsletter ✅ Click ⬇⬇⬇"READ MORE"⬇⬇⬇ for links to our favorite RV resources, gadgets, gear, & FREE stuff! 🔋 Save 5% OFF Enduro Power lithium batteries enjoythejourney.life/enduro or mention 'Enjoy the Journey' if you call 303-968-1366 Inverter enjoythejourney.life/inverter Our Solar Set Up enjoythejourney.life/solar Shunt enjoythejourney.life/shunt Tom's Beginner's Guide To RVing Course (free with subscription) Best RV Routes, campsites & more! enjoythejourney.life/rvtripwizard (25% off with code: ENJOY25) FREE TRAUMA/PTSD TEST forms.gle/LFSg2TyK23ev7aT78 (track your score, 20+ is PTSD) 🌞 Cheri can help enjoythejourney.life/cheri (96% success treating depression, PTSD, anxiety, shame & more.) 🚲 LECTRIC EBIKES! Get the best price on the same e-bikes Tom & Cheri have enjoythejourney.life/ebikes (or mention Enjoy the Journey if you call in [phone]) 📰 BEST RV WARRANTY enjoythejourney.life/warranty 💦 Blu Tech R3 (the same water filter Tom & Cheri have) enjoythejourney.life/water (Save 10% off code ENJOY10) or on Amazon: amzn.to/3xqRiAu ➡ JOIN US, secret videos, live streams, current location, KZbin creator tips & MORE! enjoythejourney.life/join ✅ MERCH! T-SHIRTS & MORE! teespring.com/stores/enjoythejourney 👍 Quick Start Guide: How to Make Money & RV & FREE RV Campsite Setup & Breakdown Checklist(s) enjoythejourney.life/newsletter 🎉 LIVE KZbin CREATOR Q & A WITH TOM & FREE PDF DOWNLOAD eepurl.com/hrNi6P 📶 HOW DO WE GET INTERNET? enjoythejourney.life/speed (🤑 SAVE 5% OFF!) SAVE BIG ON RV DIESEL! enjoythejourney.life/RVfuel (mention Thomas Kenemore) Lippert (LCI) 24/7 RV tech support chat, videos & more enjoythejourney.life/LCI or call 432-LIPPERT OUR HITCH! GET YOURS enjoythejourney.life/hitch Get all your truck, towing, RV needs & more enjoythejourney.life/Etrailer SHOP OUR AMAZON STORE www.amazon.com/shop/enjoythejourney.life **** SOCIAL: Follow us & share with your friends **** Join the 'Journey Tribe': enjoythejourney.life/join Subscribe to our KZbin channel: enjoythejourney.life/KZbin Subscribe to our Podcast: anchor.fm/enjoy-the-journey-life Subscribe to our newsletter for updates: enjoythejourney.life/newsletter Join our Facebook Group: enjoythejourney.life/group Facebook Page: facebook.com/EnjoyTheJourney.Life Instagram: instagram.com/enjoythejourney.life TikTok www.tiktok.com/@enjoythejourney.life Website: enjoythejourney.life/ **** FAVORITE RV PARKING & CAMPSITE FINDERS! **** Best RV Routes, campsites & Tom's Beginner's Guide To RVing Course (free with subscription) enjoythejourney.life/rvtripwizard (25% off with code: ENJOY25) CampersCard - Save up to 50% off on campgrounds - 15% OFF enjoythejourney.life/card Get $100 off a Thousand Trails camping pass! Contact Aaron [e-mail] or 360-489-4407 or contact Kimberly for a "used" membership enjoythejourney.life/TT or 800-272-0401 (mention Tom Kenemore if you call in) RV FREE at wineries, breweries, golf courses & more (save 15% off with code: HHFRIENDS15) enjoythejourney.life/HH FREE RV parking (save 15% off with code: BWFRIENDS15) enjoythejourney.life/boondockers100K **** OUR FAVORITE RV GADGETS & GEAR **** Check out our favorite gear (and fun stuff) that we use to enjoy the RV life Get all your truck, towing, RV needs & more enjoythejourney.life/Etrailer Our Amazon Store www.amazon.com/shop/enjoythejourney.life **** OUR WORK/VIDEO GEAR **** Want to know what equipment we are using to make videos like this one while traveling full-time? www.amazon.com/shop/enjoythejourney.life Get A Free Month of Video Music enjoythejourney.life/musicbed, enjoythejourney.life/music & artlist.io/Tom-2432573 FREE KZbin Channel success tools we use enjoythejourney.life/KZbinSuccess Thanks for using our links! Tom & Cheri’ :) ** CONTACT US ** Email: [e-mail] Mail Bag: Lake Effect Media 14870 Granada Avenue 1037 Apple Valley, MN 55124 Tom & Cheri, Full-time RV travelers sharing our adventures (and challenges), advice and more from the road. Inspiring others to do it now and live life on their terms, a life of freedom and adventure. 😍 Enjoy The Journey . Life, All Rights Reserved Our channel is for entertainment purposes only. We are not RV or travel experts. We share our opinions and what has worked and not worked for us in the past. Before taking any action or making a purchase decision, you should do your own research. Some of our links are affiliate links. We may make a small commission if you use our links which helps support our channel. Thank you! #rvliving #rvlife #RV

[@trx350]

The utility worker was like “shit, I just got caught going into a pad mount transformer with absolutely no PPE on.”

[@lukefarmer5391]

Buss bar method is best. Also you can add different AH batteries together with a buss bar method. They will all discharge at the same rate and will also share load accordingly. So if you have a 100 amp load and you had two batteries, let’s say a 300ah and a 100 ah the 300ah will take 75 amps and the 100 ah will take 25amps. Or if you have the same 100 amp load with two 100 ah batteries then each would take 50amps each. I have a 300ah and a 100ah together on a buss bar method and this is how mine works. Works great. You then also put the charger and solar to the buss bar and they also charge accordingly.

[@keithbar19741974]

If I heard correctly that it was 6 gauge wire was way to small, at that length 6 gauge is designed to handle 70 amps max. With the fix I assume it will be upgraded to 4/0 cable which is 7 sizes up from the one installed. Glad you guys caught this before it created a bigger issue. Love your content, keep it up.

[@EnjoyTheJourneyLife]

Thanks Keith!

[@RVingwithG]

Yes so true. It looks like he used battery cables from automotive store.😢

[@Gubers]

This is why I do all of the research myself AND do the work myself. So many services and people that call themselves professionals are cutting corners or don’t even really know what they’re doing. Case in point - I had to gut my master bedroom down to the studs and floor joists due to some foundation and rot issues. I had never done any of the kind of work necessary to repair, rebuild and refinish that room. It took me 8 months of weekends and nights after work researching, learning and doing the work myself. I did everything including electrical and even leveling the floors that were off by inches over 10 ft. Except for drywall and reframing two windows, one into a larger window and one into a door. I thought a pro would just be able to handle those better. Well, it’s all about complete now. Everything is perfect. Except what I hired a contractor for… Window is not level, square or centered like I asked. I can see light coming through the door jambs in several places where it should be sealed. Basically, I should have done it all myself. Not everyone is capable of doing these kinds of things, but I am. I just need to spend the time learning and doing it. But it takes a lot out of me. Anyways, I am now in process of replacing my new RV lead-acid stock battery with a Lithium SOK battery. I’ve done the research and learned all about electrical. One of the biggest rules is wire gauge and amp ratings. When I wired my bedroom circuit I opted for 14G cheaper wire. But I also installed all 15A outlets, and 15A breaker. Because that is what 14G wire is rated for. So it’s all perfectly safe. For my trailer battery, I chose 6awg OFC pure copper welding wire, and that’s just for one battery serving only 12v with no inverter. I know I can rest easy that this would not happen on my system. If I had a bank of batteries like this and a 3000w inverter I’d probably double up 4awg OFC wires to be safe because these battery banks can draw over 150 Amps with an inverter. Inverting DC 12v to AC 110/120v means that the DC amps are much higher than the AC amps. And there is you biggest pitfall. So many DIYers and apparently even professionals seem to be oblivious to this. And that is what causes the majority of RV fires right there.

[@jwright650]

I used 4/0 welding cable between my batteries and 3000w inverter on a 800ah, 12v system.

[@1gesteban]

Thought: makes me wonder if there should be a smoke detector in the battery compartment/RV basement that triggers a siren... not only in the compartment, but also on the other detectors (with app and bluetooth capabilities/notifications).

[@taldozer]

Harrison is the man! This guy is a wealth of knowledge. I could listen/watch him talk about Lithium batteries all day long. I learned a lot today.

[@FreckledGingerGoes]

Would you guys consider an episode on installing solar in stages for those of us who can’t afford a full solar system all at once? We are on a fixed income as hubs is a 100% disabled veteran

[@EnjoyTheJourneyLife]

Sure, I believe our upcoming videos in this series will help.

[@horizon42q]

Good info. Most RV repair shops don’t know anything. You need specialized installer for Lithium BTW, I never recommend using a space electric heater. So many stories about fires. Now you know. Too many amps = heat = fire One more thing, when it’s cold outside. Use your propane heater or your Aquahot. Safer and your RV was built for those units.

[@tankscrittersandurbanhomes5579]

In a nutshell, too maintain watts you can use volts or amps. Amps make heat. To get more watts with less amps increase your volts.

[@rvfools]

Great video (a little long) but good info! That is exactly why I used 4/0 welding wire (and it wasn't cheap!) to connect my 4x 100amp battery bank and my 3000 watt inverter! I have watched a whole lot of videos before starting my installation. Good job Tom

[@EnjoyTheJourneyLife]

Thanks for watching! Wait till you see the upgrade.

[@tomkrause62]

You'll notice that the actual insulation on the wire did not melt, it did it's job. It was the crappy red sleeving that somebody put on to look pretty that nearly caused a fire.

[@dougefreshproductions537]

Good video . Not a fan of wing nuts on battery connections.

[@EnjoyTheJourneyLife]

For sure, we got rid of those in the upgrade (video coming soon)

[@glenc90240]

Good information on the cable size, however, i'm curious, it looks like only the red heat shrink melted on the cable, not the actual cable sheathing. It was probably good for much higher temperature before failure.

[@AleciaHart-dl1od]

I switched to 200 amh enduro after watching Harrison do the in stall for "SWITCH IT UP ". LOVE enduro batteries and working awesome!

[@robertg9514]

You have 3 choices when configuring batteries- series, parallel, and a series/parallel combination where the voltage and amp hours are increased, but the total available amp hours are equal to the combined batteries amps added together.

[@raystanton238]

I'm using the same Go-Power 3000 watt inverter charger in my 5th wheel. But, I'm using 2/0 welding cable to a bus bar for all battery negatives and 2/0 cable to another bus bar for all battery positives. Then 4/0 cable from each bus bar to the inverter and 4/0 to chassis ground. There is a 400 amp ANL fuse and a disconnect on the positive feed to inverter. With this inverter you must remember to change the shore power setting to either 50 amps or 30 amps as needed at the different campgrounds. This inverter has assist on line one only when shore power is not enough so the inverter will invert power from the batteries to compensate. The remote panel will show how many amps are being drawn from the batteries when inverting. If you're using 3 or more batteries in parallel try to use bus bars, it really helped my inverter system perform better.

[@EnjoyTheJourneyLife]

Great info Ray! Thanks for sharing.

[@skipgarrett4379]

One of the more informative and important videos I’ve seen! Thank you

[@TheRayDog]

Why does the large charging output from the inverter need its own path to ground? At 24:40. That is not recommended in the install manual for my inverter.

[@geno92308]

Cables and fuses/breakers. need to be designed to work together. The fuses/breakers are designed to protect the wire.

[@tglass0000]

Great info! Excellent presentation for someone planning to upgrade their electrical system.

[@TreeTalkerTheTraveler]

I appreciate how you get experts on your channel. Thanks

[@TWSJEEP]

Harrison! At 13:20 you cannot connect bigger lithium batteries like that. The 200a BMS has to run one battery to one battery. It will not work as stated. I would be willing to bet it is not advised at 100a bms lith batteries either you just don't notice because the stress of the system is not there.

[@williamwhite8749]

So you can have the Victron app but you can also have the battery monitor inside the trailer so you can have both at the same time, correct

[@williamwhite8749]

What size wire was it and what size wire should have been on my arm

[@jamesr3406]

Very informative, I’m planning on having an solar system installed within the year.

[@ericklein5097]

Sizing wire is not something confined to the solar/battery side of things. It's a core fundamental of anything electrical so I have a hard time finding any way to give the shop that installed this any kind of an excuse. Unfortunately I've seen this on the few RV's I've been in, some worse than others. Poor wire management and poor insulation is another thing I saw. Not every job is going to be showroom pretty but putting ELEVEN ring terminals from 12 and 14 AWG wire on a single battery terminal had me really scratching my head. Seeing someone that shelled out the money for 3 BattleBorn Batteries but got 6 AWG battery cable was pretty disappointing as well. Yeah it was only feeding a 1500W inverter and I believe all the heating is propane so no crazy large DC loads...but still...you've got the ability to draw up to 300A with those batteries and if you max out the inverter you're pushing the limits with that 6 AWG. If you wanted to bump up to a 2000W generator you've gotta put new cables in. There's no reason why those in the 1500W area shouldn't just shell out the extra $50 for some 2 AWG or those in the 2500W club shouldn't shell out the extra $100 (assuming you're coming from 2 AWG) to 2/0 AWG. You'll never have to worry about these little things when you're running heavy loads if you. just upsize your cable PLUS you get reduced voltage drop which means less amperage....so you gain a small bit of efficiency as well. This could also mean (especially if your inverter isn't right next to your battery bank) that your inverter won't cut off early because you'll be able to squeeze that extra 0.1V or 0.2V out of your batteries if you have an inverter that doesn't have a very low cut off voltage. Hydraulically crimped tinned copper lugs, quality battery/welding cable, and dual walled adhesive shrink wrap. And if you're paralleling batteries a QUALITY bus bar makes life a heck of a lot easier.

[@pjwroblewski]

An impressive amount of information, almost overwhelming.

[@EnjoyTheJourneyLife]

Yes, more to come.

[@pjwroblewski]

@@EnjoyTheJourneyLife I would like to ask you or this tech what's involved in just upgrading to a lithium over a conventional deep cycle acid battery? Is there an advantage?

[@EnjoyTheJourneyLife]

Yes and that will be answered in an upcoming video!

[@vincebotkin1960]

DIY my project after tons of research. 1,500 watts of solar panels, (2) 60 amp solar chargers, 900 AH Battleborn batteries. 3,000 watt inverter. 4/0 wires throughout the system. When plugged into shore power turn off your inverter and avoid potential disaster.

[@EnjoyTheJourneyLife]

Thanks for sharing, nice set up!

[@tiffani2403]

Always go silver tinned ofc 0 gage! Ask them if they know lithium! A Class Sounds in MN is amazing.

[@LiveTomorrowNow]

Great info and presentation was enjoyable!! We are subscribers and learn from you!! Happy travels!!❤

[@XPLORCAMPER]

Great information Tom! So glad your channel is one of the few I subscribe to. Always lots of good information. Stay safe.

[@EnjoyTheJourneyLife]

Thanks so much Wayne!

[@DIYCamping_Offical]

Thank you for the detailed Video Tom

[@garypio2241]

It's not like I don't have time to watch long vid , but this vid was very good , thanks

[@EnjoyTheJourneyLife]

Awesome, thanks for watching Gary!

[@timinsandiego6979]

This was a very good overview

[@briannelson1904]

This is a great video. Can’t wait for the next one in this series.

[@EnjoyTheJourneyLife]

Awesome! Thanks for watching.

[@Siskiyous6]

That is backwards, the converter should be reduced, by whomever installed the larger one.

[@solarandwindinsouthtexasda1473]

Even that wire guys still too small for 3000 watt inverter is that high frequency inverter then you’ll be OK but a low frequency inverter unit for a wire is to small and the batteries need to be connected to a bus bar

[@EnjoyTheJourneyLife]

Thanks for the tips! Wait till you see the upgrade.

[@supremeautomotive6749]

Have not finished yet but i can you that wire is no where near the right size lol

[@jimmyjimjim3054]

Saved for future reference!

[@athomewithjenny]

Thank you so much for making this video!!

[@EnjoyTheJourneyLife]

Thanks for watching!

[@RVingwithG]

😮🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️Oh my gravy… WHO DID YOUR WIRING? 😢😢😢

[@Gratefulwon]

Behold the awesome advantage of a MANUAL transfer switch. I would never have anything else.

[@EnjoyTheJourneyLife]

That makes a lot of sense, thanks for mentioning that.

[@ToddM452]

No one is immune to the saying “you don’t know what you don’t know”.

[@jerrysgaragethemoneypit2028]

amps does not resent power. Power is what your appliances use.

[@bobbihanratty8792]

Great video...

[@TheFiremanJoe]

I disagree with the technician. Overall it was a shitty install! Because the original installer didn’t follow basic electrical techniques, they get an F!

[@briansomers4753]

And they got extremely lycky they still have a camper

[@RVingwithG]

😆🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️he said you had #6 AWG WIRE SIZE. 😮😢 The guys that did this install need A Clue. 🤦🏼‍♂️Tom, Please go back and tell them what you learned. THIS INSTALL IS VERY DANGEROUS 😮😮😮

[@EnjoyTheJourneyLife]

Yes, they did not have experience putting in a system of this size.

[@caracerv13]

The balanced vs not isn't correct in his explanation. The current in a parallel connection doesn't run through the other batteries. The connecting cables or bus bars is the only place the current flows. Running each cable to a centeral location would reduce the necessary cable size connected to each battery otherwise a parallel system the leads can be connected aa you wish as long as positive is to positive and negative to negative. The biggest thing to consider is having the cleanest and lowest resistance connections possible

[@solarandwindinsouthtexasda1473]

No generetor

[@ToddM452]

I’ll never understand why people with generators don’t run their generators when needed. Run the darn generator!

[@bookooc5605]

'expert' didn't say anything about the use of wing nuts on battery terminals. Anyone coming from the marine world knows these should not be used in an environment that is subject to movement, like the road or water. This spent the 1st 10 minutes on saying very little about the wire size. geez

[@Slingshot277]

ever make a video without your opening? that would be awesome.

[@WizzRacing]

I had someone walk up on me from behind. While working on a 800amp service... He almost got to see if Jesus Exist...

[@robertg9514]

You have 3 choices when configuring batteries- series, parallel, and a series/parallel combination where the voltage and amp hours are increased, but the total available amp hours are equal to the combined batteries amps added together.

[@WizzRacing]

You need more information then that.. As I seen people buy 200ah Batteries.. Then realize the BMS can only output 100ah.. Where 2 100ah batteries will give you 200ah continuous output. That is the advantage of 2 12 volt Lithium batteries, compared to one 200ah one... So look close at the battery specifications..You might get caught wondering why the BMS shuts down..