Inverter/Charger Installation on my wife's 2005 Raptor 3612DS

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Below is how I installed my inverter/charger on my Raptor 5th Wheel.  It might seem like an ominous task but it can definitely be done by the RV owner.  By no means am I an electrician but I have owned three houses and installed sub-panels in garages, low voltage lighting in yards, interior and exterior outlets, attic fans, a pool pump system, recessed lights, and ceiling fans.  Remember, there is no magic to electricity... It either works or it doesn't.  The only thing you need to understand about electricity is that it you have to respect it!  Many people think that a car battery is some big walkman type battery but they can cause serious injury from shocks to exploding, to even death. 

Another thing to understand is that there are many ways to install an inverter/charger combination depending on the type you have:

Inverter/Chargers Combos are either one of two:

1.  With built in circuit breakers (built in sub-panel) - This is the one I have (2 - 20amp built in breakers).

Advantage: I don't have to run a sub-panel (small cost and space savings) and can simply wire back to the coaches circuit panel and decide which wires (plugs) I want to splice into.  These are good if you are not planning to run your whole coach on your inverter.  I do not plan to run my A/C, Microwave, or Refrigerator off of batteries, nor do I want my family to accidentally try to (which would kill the batteries).  In my case, my coach is wired where the GFI's are on one wire and the wall sockets are on another wire.  This is perfect because those are the ones that only want to work with.

Disadvantage: I am limited only to basically two of the existing runs of wires to splice into.  So if you have a large, complex wiring system, this might not be the type for you.  Most inverters do not have the built in sub panels.  They are generally either 30 amp or 50 amp single output.

2. Without built in circuit breakers.

Advantage:  You can run your whole coach off of it (if you have the power to handle it).  You can add a sub-panel and are not limited to which runs you want to splice into.  From the sub-panel, you could add dedicated plugs, etc.  The sky is the limit for creativity.

Disadvantage: You have to add the sub-panel if you really want to take advantage of it.  A little bit of money has to be spent on the parts and you have to find a place for it.  If you are not careful and have kids or people who don't remember that it is on, they can actually try to turn on appliances that will drain your batteries in no time.

How you want to set it up is completely up to you.  You might have seen a lot of posts asking questions about wire sizes, what to do with the converter, battery locations, and boiling batteries.  My hat goes off to all of the people on RV.net who supplied me with input.

HISTORY OF MY INVERTER

Before I installed my Trace Inverter/Charger combo, I installed a 600 watt (Sam's Club) type inverter which powered the garage area for the kid's TV, Nintendo, and VCR.  This was done after I bought the coach and by removing the "garage" wire from the 15 amp breaker and splicing it into the wires which I ran from my 600 watt inverter, which was installed in my generator compartment.  You can see what it looked like towards the bottom of this page with the blue 600 watt inverter still installed next to my White Trace/Legend .  Notice the red wing-nut to the right in the picture below.  This was the how I connected it to the "garage" wires to the 15 amp breaker.  The 600 watt inverter was hooked up to my batteries and I simply ran the plug wire (110 volt) from the inverter to the breaker panel.  You can see the wire where it ties into the breaker panel with the red wire nuts.

This is how the original 600 watt inverter was installed.  I ran the plug wires back to the main panel from the inverter mounted next to my generator.  The wires to the garage were pulled out of the circuit breaker and then tied into the wires coming from the inverter (just leave the old circuit breaker hooked up in case you want to hook everything back up again).  You do not have to worry about having a circuit breaker because the inverters all have them built in (if it trips, just reset it).  Remember, you can always and an inline circuit breaker (or fuse) if you want. The only problem with this type of setup is that you have to go outside to turn your inverter on and off.  This gets a little old.  The way around this is to mount the inverter inside (in a cabinet or accessible location) and just use longer cables to connect to the battery. You could also mount the inverter outside and get one of those on/off marine type switches and simply mount that in a cabinet.  Your battery cable would first go to that and then back to your inverter.  Like having a light switch.

The reason for the initial inverter installation is that we use the garage for a play area for our kids once the bikes and quads are unloaded.  Down comes the carpet, the Lego's, Lincoln Logs, TV, and Nintendo.  However, even with four batteries (12 volt, Deep Cycle (Marine/RV), group 24), a 10 amp sears charger, and a 50 watt Solar Panel, I was draining the batteries down.  What happened was I underestimated the battery draw by the kids and did not realize that the Raptor's converter/charger (a trickle charger at best - most coaches are the same) and the Sears charger were not even coming close to replenishing my battery bank.  Another problem was the inverter would trip every now and then because the kids tried to turn on too many things (600 watts) and it is just a little underpowered for my needs.   By trial and error, I figured that I not only needed to upgrade my inverter, but also my battery charger.

Remember, if you use one of these inverters you MUST find a way to charge your batteries.  This can range from a Sears type 10 amp charger to completely upgrading your stock converter (not inverter) to a higher output converter.  Here is a link to David Eidell's Converter web page that gives you a brief explanation of what they do.  Upgrading your converter can be done by you and is not that tough, just a little time consuming.  New converters can be picked up at any RV Supply shops such as Camping World or PPL.

INVERTER SELECTION

While speaking to some of my RV buddies, they told me about these inverter/charger combinations that were available but they were running about $2,000 installed from a dealer.  I wanted to be safe and have at least a 1500 watt inverter with at least a 30 amp charger.   So I did some homework and got a real good deal from a Xantrex repair guy on eBay.  It had a built in 3-stage 65 amp charger and It also came with a control panel, the wiring, a 300 amp fuse, and a C-60 series charge controller.  Personally, I have no problem with refurbished items.

My Inverter/Charger is a Trace/Legend 1512 (1500 Watt Inverter with a 65 AMP Charger).  It has two (2) built in 20 amp circuit breakers to run connections from.  This was a perfect unit for me because all I wanted to do was run my garage area and the wall plugs throughout the coach.  I have no desire to run the microwave, A/C, hair dryer, on the batteries alone because that will obviously drain them very quickly.  In summary, all I had to do was install the Inverter/Charger, rerun the "garage" wires and "GFI/Wall Plug" to the inverter, and either seal the batteries or get sealed batteries for my generator area.

INSTALLATION - HERE WE GO! 

Since a RV/Trailer/5th Wheel is like a house but on wheels, it also has a Main Panel.  I removed the main panel's cover and exposed the circuit breakers.  I purchased a 30 amp fuse from Home Depot which will provide power to the inverter/charger using 10 gauge (stranded) wire.  (Remember that the inverter is also a charger and therefore needs a good amount of current to put off the high amp charge.  Thus, the 30 amp breaker).  The "Garage" and "GFI/Wall Plugs" are each pre-wired to a 15 amp breaker (two circuit switches on one breaker). 

I removed the two 15 amp breakers because I will not need them anymore.  Remember, my inverter has two of them built in and I will simply extend the run of the original black wires back to the inverter.  Removing these breakers will free up space for me to install a 30 amp breaker with 10 gauge wire running back to the inverter (see picture pointing to new 30 amp breaker).  Why do I need this 30 amp breaker and 10 gauge wire?  Because the inverter has to receive power from somewhere to allow its built in charger to work.  Thus, it will get power from the main breaker panel which in turn receives its power either from the generator or being plugged in to an extension cord (otherwise known as shore power).

Notice the lack of cuts on the hand at the beginning of the installation.

If your inverter/charger has only one output, and you want to run several of the different breakers off of them, you will have to install a sub panel.  Think of it as a mini-main panel.  Your inverter won't have any built in circuit breakers and you will then have to make your own in the form of a sub panel.  Home Depot carries them.  Simply run the one wire output from the inverter to this sub panel and then connect (extend) the lines from the main panel to the sub panel.  You are simply switching the wires and breakers to the sub panel.

Before you do anything: DISCONNECT ALL POWER AND BATTERY CABLES!  Get a volt meter and check the volts to make sure you have none.

Finger is pointing at the two circuit breakers that will be removed and replaced with one 30 amp breaker.  Remember, my inverter has two built in breakers so I won't need the original ones.  30 amp break is going to send power to the inverter for the charger.  The other two wires will be sent to the inverter to get power.

Original connection from Sam's Club 600 watt inverter to the garage wires. 

TIP: So what does it mean to not have the converter connected?  When you run any shore power (generator or plugged in) to the coach, the converter used to kick in and power all of your 12 volt applications instead of using the battery while the there was shore power (this is whey your lights would all of the sudden get brighter).  Now, not matter what, my 12 volt items will be running off of the battery even when there is shore power.  But won't this drain the batteries? Nope.  Because shore power means the Inverter's built-in battery charger is on, putting out 65 amps of charge to the batteries (compared to about 5 with the converter's built in charger). I don't know anyone who will be running any 12 volt device that will out-drain the 75 amp charge.

Notice the attention to detail with the wiring done by Keystone.  The converter is the grey box bolted to the roof.  My converter is also a trickle charger and converts the 110 shore power (generator or shore power) current to 12 volt. 

Since the new Inverter/charger has a an automatic transfer switch when shore power is detected, I will not need my coach's original converter/charger.  I was originally going to unhook it (and remove the whole thing), but decided to leave it in place and just unplugged.  I might need it later or if I sell my coach and want to keep the inverter for a new inverter.  The plug was located on the back of the main panel and has its own 15 amp circuit breaker. 

I am probably going to use this plug to run a "soow" wire to the other side of the coach for a 110 volt outlet since there are none (stay tuned for this installation).

YOU MUST UNPLUG YOUR CONVERTER!  Remember, it also sends a charge current to your batteries and this can cause issues with your new inverter/charger combo.

Mounting the inverter/charger the way he did it was a great idea but I use every square inch of that area so the only place left for me was the space next to the generator.  Sure the generator area gets warmer when it is running, but is is vented and the inverter/charger has a built in cooling fan.  The current mounting wall is 1/2" thick and secured to the steel (I added a couple of more metal screws).

Notice my original Sam's Club inverter setup.  It was wired (using SOOW wire and a plug adaptor) into the "garage" area circuit wire at the main panel (red wing nut in first picture).  There was also an extra plug for accessories on the inverter.  To get my new inverter/charger in the area, all I did was move it over about 6 inches to the right and move the light blue generator-to-battery wires down.  I left the original inverter for other accessories like the light that you see. 

TIP: What is SOOW Wire?  It is generally found at your home improvement store and on a wire bin which means it can be cut to length.  It is the insulated cord wire that you would find on your heavy duty garage type power tools like a generator.  It is very flexible and easy to work with.  It is not solid wire like Romex wire but it is stranded wire.  Like the kind used for off road lights, and 12 volt things.

HARDWARE TIP: With the exception of the actual inverter, all of the items needed for the installation were obtained from Home Depot.  No need to go to an RV store and pay extra for them.

I used four 5/8" x 2.5" hex bolts with locking washers on the corners (set in @ 2") and put two bolts vertically in the middle (behind the unit).  I secured my wood to the partition wall with a dry-wall screw which held the wood in place while I pre-drilled the 6 mounting holes through both pieces of wood (with carpeting attached).  After bolting the wood to the wall, I pre-drilled the inverter/charger holes from pre-marked holes that I marked on the carpet while on the ground.  The unit was then secured to the mounting wood with four 1/4" x 2.5" hex bolts with locking washers.

I bought twelve (12) feet of #10 gauge (insulated & stranded) black and white wire and five (5) feet of the same but in romex (10/2).  The romex was used to make the connection from this plastic box and back to the main panel. 

I also bought 12 feet of #12 gauge (insulated & stranded) black, white, and red.  The black will continue the "garage" wire and the red will continue the "GFI" wire to the inverter/charger.  The white is for negative (not ground).

TIP: When selecting wire, it is a lot easier to work with what is called "stranded" wire, and not the solid copper wire.  It is more flexible and you can route it much easier than the solid copper wire.

TIP: When drilling into metal or aluminum, there is not need to pre-drill the holes.  Simply use self tapping screws which will work just fine.  You can pre drill if you want but it was more convenient to use the self tapping screws.

The wires were zip-tied together and the flex line was secured to the wall and aluminum channel.  Notice the soow wire hanging down from the hole on the right side.  That was the old inverter wiring which has since been removed.

Also, the bolts that cam through the wall were ground off so to give a smooth appearance.

Prior to putting the partition back on, I completely vacuumed the inside area (rear of panel) with a shop vac.  I think it is in the RV assembler's employment handbook that they are to simply cut, install, and go, without cleaning up behind themselves.  I found all of the original pieces of wood that were cut out at the factory just laying there.  At this point of my narrative, I would normally start to rip on Keystone but all of the RV manufacturers do it.

• Left Side - Power in (10 gauge wires).
• Middle - 20 amp "Garage" wiring (12 gauge / black wire)
• Right Side - 20 amp "GFI" wiring (12 gauge / red wire)
• Yellow Wire is the control module wire to the panel installed inside the trailer.

The middle and right have their own 20 amp circuit breaker built into the unit.  You cannot see the breaker switches in the picture but they are there.  The unit is setup with only one negative/neutral (white) wire for both breakers.

I also left my original (blue) inverter for the retractable light which I have hooked up to it and for any additional items that I might want to run.  No harm no foul in just leaving it.

There is no secret to installing one of these control panels.  Just plug in the yellow wire to the phone jack outlet on the back and you are in business.  Since cutting a hole in the interior wall is probably the most nerve racking part of the installation, measure - remeasure - and measure again, before you cut. 

Personally, I draw the outline of the area to be cut out in pencil and add an 1/8" to each side (it is better to under cut than over cut).  I use a Dremel with a small "heavy duty" cut-off wheel which is about 1" in diameter.  If you look at the other holes in your coach's wall, they were done with a roto-zip type tool.  However, the wall is thin and I did not want to chance cutting any other wires.  Also, the cut off wheel gives a nice clean hole.  Make sure you pre-drill any holes that need screws.  You will thank yourself later. 

The middle panel is an INTELLITEC battery relay to kill the power. This is one of those panels that you see in RV's rather than having a manual Perko on/off switch.  Mine is electric.  Just one more gadget in my arsenal of blinking lights.

TIP:  HOW TO FIX A STRIPPED SCREW HOLE.  If your screws are not biting into the thin wood panel  because the whole is now stripped (or too big), simply glue a thin piece of wood behind hole in the wall area where the wood is supposed to have a screw going through it.  Let the glue dry and then  pre-drill a small hole though the wood (make sure you reach into the exposed hole that you cut and hold the wood against the panel while you are drilling the hole.  This will prevent the wood from coming lose as you drill.  Your screw should now bite and nobody is going to see the inside of the wall anyway.  Just make sure you get replacement screws that are going to go all the way through your backing/support wood.

The only thing left to do was to test the unit. 

• INVERTER TESTING: Since it was already hooked up to the batteries, that meant that the "garage" plugs and the "GFI" wall plugs should all be "hot," when I turn on the inverter via the control panel, and they were.  I have a little plug that when plugged in to a wall socket/outlet, turns orange if the plug is hot.  This is a male/female plug that I found at Home Depot and I used it to tell if my 600 watt inverter was actually on.  The TV plugs into it and it plugs into the wall plug.  So when I walk around the coach, I knew if the the inverter was actually on or if it had tripped (shut off).
   
• CHARGER TESTING:  All I needed was some sort of shore power input.  I first fired up the generator and the charger came to life about 10 seconds after the generator powered up the Raptor.  It immediately went to bulk charge.  I had a battery issue in which one of my batteries was 75% discharged and because of that, two of the batteries started to boil.  So I charged each battery individually by unhooking the main charger 2/0 gauge cable and hooking it to each battery.  Three of the full batteries, bulk charged for several minutes and then they went to float charge.  One battery needs to be slow charged until full and I will then give it a shot.  The unit did exactly what it was supposed to do and for 1/3 the cost of a new unit!  It should be noted that the 300 amp fuse, control panel, and panel wire were brand new.

There are plenty of deals to be had and you can click here to automatically search eBay for Inverter/Charger Units.

Note:  I have received several emails regarding the inverter being in the same compartment as the batteries.  This is because batteries emit hydrogen gasses and they can "ignite" because of the inverter.  Also, these fumes can damage the inverter.  Because of this, I installed an extra vent in the generator door.  And as a side-note, I always keep my generator door cracked (unless driving) when camping because of the heat.  This is something Keystone just figured out.  I am going to install a vent on the main generator door and will post pictures later.  You can seal the batteries if you want in their own boxes or just vent in real good.

SUMMARY

The installation took a whole day and this was because of two additional trips to Home Depot and the fact that I decided to change the oil / filter on my generator.  However, if I had all of the materials needed, I could have done it in about half a day.  Several benefits from self installation:

• There was no "Mickey-Mouse" Dealer installation tactics used.  I used the material I wanted and had it installed exactly where I wanted.  I am very type "A" and can't stand installation surprises that dealerships love to give.
• I probably saved myself about $700.00 in installation charges, not even including what the dealer would have charged me for "above and beyond" materials.  That is money I can now sink into my twin turbo system for my boat.  You can also bet that they would have never vacuumed any of the areas nor used the amount of zip-ties I used to keep it nice and clean.
• Pride of Ownership.  I was able to do it myself and my kids helped me which is of course priceless in itself.
• Finally, beers seem to taste better at the end of the day after a hard day's work.

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