Xantrax XC Inverter/Charger Installation and Review! Boondocking Power!!

[@ronwiley6548]

Excellent video on the install. You explained all aspects of the install in simple terms that anyone with a basic knowledge of electrical work should be able to understand. Great job!!!

[@keithre1896]

Thanks!

[@maxgarcia7056]

Thanks for the video. I have a Xantrex inverter and I am new to understanding this inverter. But I’m not sure what parameters I need to set on my phone app. Do you know what they should be? Thank you

[@VideoByPatrick]

Where did you source the AC input, the 30amp main breaker (on panel) or cable attached to any 15amp RV outlet. I ask as when on Shore, you don't want convertor charging batteries (right ?).

[@keithre1896]

I sourced the AC from a newly installed breaker. Check out where I discuss this. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJPIoKCsmLKLr5Y I moved a circuit , and installed a new circuit breaker to feed to the inverter. So when shore current is applied to the panel, then the inverter gets AC.

[@coreybabcock2023]

I use a xantrex freedom xc 2000 here in my camper Van and have the Bluetooth remote for it

[@richardkoch8752]

Nice video, good explanation! I am looking at either the 1800BH or 2100BH. Slides make me nervous for potential problems plus you can't use a slide when it's retracted in....bummer! I'm looking at bunkhouses as I want to install under the bottom bunk 3- 200 AH SOK Lithiums along with a Victron 3000 inverter/charger. Seems like a perfect location for a "power station" Then on top three 190 Watt panels and another 200 Watt portable on the ground to chase the sun. I have a 2500 Watt dual fuel Inverter/gen to top off the batteries on extended cloudy/rainy days. For health reasons I need the A.C. on hot humid days. You are so lucky your camper has a oven, new current models do not. Sure wish Win. would at least make it a option

[@keithre1896]

Thanks! Sounds like you will have a great set up! We want to move to lithium as well in the next year or so I think. For our needs, the 1,000 watt inverter is enough, but I can see having more electrical needs. I like solar a lot, and I find that I don't like using my generator unless I absolutely have to, but it does help if I run it like 1 hour a day during those cloudy days. I'm looking forward to moving to lithium to get faster charge rates too.

[@richardkoch8752]

@@keithre1896 Lithium is taking a pretty decent drop in price lately. SOK brand Li's (my choice)are a excellent battery for about 60% the price of Battle Borns according to Will Prowse (check his channel....you'll love it) Currently a 200 AH SOK Li is right at $1K. Twice the AH's of a Battle Born. One of the clubs on line gets members a 15% discount on Battle Borns. Add a solar panel and qualify for a 26% Tax Credit. Pretty sweet!

[@keithre1896]

Thanks for the tips! Those SOK batteries look awesome!

[@richardkoch8752]

@@keithre1896 You're very welcome Keith. Check out Will Prowse Solar where he actually tears one apart.....he was impressed and that's not common with Will LoL He is the solar guru of KZbin :) Another one is "I'm not lost, I'm Rving" He's a professional installer, system designer. He took out his Battle Borns and replaced them with the SOKs One of those and a solar panel is a great buy especially with the Tax Credit still in place for this year.

[@Dude3617]

It’s an absolute great video and discussion. As a newbie, would this inverter work with lithium batteries? Also, would it charge when driving? I have read when you switch to lithium batteries, some trucks alternator don’t like that and tend to die premature. Thanks again!

[@jamescox857]

Except if the inverter is off it will not charge the batteries as you explained. That’s like says my toaster makes toast even when it unplugged.

[@keithre1896]

The inverter is wired to a 30a AC breaker in the camper, so if the camper is connected to shore power or generator, and the breaker is on, then power is going to the XC1000 and the transfer switch will know it has a load and the charging component of the inverter will charge the batteries. The inverter portion of the XC1000 doesn't need to be on or off for that to work. It's a separate circuit in the unit that handles the inverter process. The one thing that won't happen with the way I have the XC1000 wired in, is that there is no "conversion" happening from AC -> DC from shore power. Meaning, if I didn't have a battery bank set up on the camper, and I was connected to shore power, then the 12v side of the camper would have no power. The factory converter/charger does this, but since I disconnected it during my installer of the inverter/charger, no converting is going on. No biggie for my install, but for others it might matter. Cheers!

[@sharbinsa]

Hi Kieth, I have the same setup as yours but for a cottage that we use on the weekends. I am planning on adding the remote panel for convenience (batteries and unit are in the crawl space). However I read that you can only turn the inverter/charger on (when it is turned off from the inverter/charger). But what about turning it off? Can it be done from the remote? I need to have the unit completely off so as not to drain the battery. Many thanks

[@keithre1896]

Hello! Yes, the round silver button on the remote will turn on or off the inverter. What it will not control, however, is the charging. If the inverter is receiving current from a shore connection, it will charge the connected battery bank regardless of whether the inverter is on or off. Hope that helps!

[@sharbinsa]

@@keithre1896 thanks a lot Keith. This is the information I was looking for months. Happy summer and RVing

[@tonyfontana8222]

You shouldn't have to turn off the inverter when plugging into shore power, that's what the transfer switch is for.

[@jeremiahpowen]

To run your DC cables did you just drill through the floor and then route them outside along bottom of the camper? Looking at doing nearly same setup. My trailer came with a solar charger installed but there's not enough room for me to run the DC cables out. How did you seal up around the cables? Just silicone? Any other gotchas to be aware of? Thanks!

[@keithre1896]

Hi Jeremiah, yes I just drilled a hole through the floor big enough to fit the +/- DC plus ground cable through, then sealed with a the similar water proof expanding sealant they use at the factory for when they seal cables or gas lines coming through the bottom of the camper. I just picked up some of the sealant at Home Depot. Then I ran the cables along the frame up to the batter box. Overall , super easy install. Used zip ties to hold the cables in place on the frame. Used a marine grade self tapping screw to attach the ground cable to the frame. Hope that helps!

[@jeremiahpowen]

@@keithre1896 It does indeed! You are a scholar and a gentleman! Thanks, let you know how it works out when I work on it this weekend. Thanks for making the video!

[@thisissparta7572]

Hi Keith, I am planning on adding this same inverter on our new 2021 1808.. I have a couple questions hoping you could answer.. The under belly on our unit seems like it has a soft sac sorta thing.. Thinking this is just pink insullation, do you happen to know if i can stilll drill through this? Also was going to run the inverter straight to the main breaker, basically splicing the shore power connector, then going into the inverter and back out of the inverter back into the main breaker? Thoughts on these questions would be greatly appreciated.

[@keithre1896]

Hi there! For drilling through the floor for your DC cables, yeah you can do that, I have the same underbelly insulation. Just make sure there's nothing in the way underneath or in the floor that you would hit. I used a weatherproof expanding foam as a sealer after feeding the cables through. Wiring the inverter the way you described may work, but the only thing I would be concerned about is that the inverter has its own set of risks that could short or overload that romex leading from the main panel to the inverter, and trip the breaker. Anything from a bad ground, or a surge from the battery that wasn't stopped with a fuse, or something that might go wrong with the electronics in the inverter. If anything went wrong with that inverter circuit, then your shore power would be out. I look at the inverter as it's own circuit, and the shore power being the main power feed into the camper, and they both have their own set of potential things that could go wrong. I would probably stick with putting the inverter on it's own circuit breaker for safety. Congrats on your new 1808FBS! You're going to love it!

[@thisissparta7572]

@@keithre1896 Thank you for the reply... I agree thats the better way to go.. Adding in another 30 amp breaker.. This will still allow the entire camper to be inverted correct ? Also does that mean that the internal switch that changes from shore to inverter power is still working ? Also what guage of DC cables did you use... Our old rpod had a 2000 watt inverter as well and the person that installed it the way i orignally suggested worked fine.. He used a 4 wire romex though because of the thicker wire, and just didnt use the red wire.. Thoughts?

[@keithre1896]

Hi there - sorry for the late reply! The process from changing shore power to inverter power is handled through a transfer switch, which in the case of my install, is built into the inverter. So if your inverter has a built in transfer switch, then it will detect when shore power is connected, and automatically shut off any inverting off the battery bank. The DC cables we used are 1/0 gauge. No penalty for going overkill on the DC cables! I'd go as big as you can go on those, but that gauge is for our 1000 watt inverter. A larger inverter likely requires even larger DC cables. For the Romex, I just ran 10 awg from the 30 amp breaker to the inverter, which is the same as what's used for our shore power input, which is also 30 amp. 4-wire would be used for a dual bus 240 volt application, like when you need to wire two hots, a neutral, and a ground. I didn't use that in my application, since it's all 120 volts. To invert your entire camper, you need to utilize the subpanel you wire into the inverter, and then re-route those circuits to use your new subpanel. But I'd caution doing anything big, unless your inverter can handle it, and of course, you then need a crazy high Ah battery bank to support it all. I kept my install small so as not to kill my battery bank too fast, so that's why I just inverted the plug circuit, which allows me to run the television, and plug in my laptop, etc. I could invert the microwave later since the surge rating on the inverter is like 2000 watts. But it's not a priority for me. Good luck with everything!