Quote:
Originally Posted by adventurefanatic
I really appreciate your explanation. Your reply presents a new question in my mind. When I contacted TM about pre-wiring for solar, they stated that "pre-wiring option" includes exterior wiring gauge of my choice, in addition to 10-gauge from the battery compartment to the sink cabinet (which I probably don't need if I place the solar charge controller near the battery).
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Their plan is for one or two solar panels (~100W each) on the rear shell, and it's a good option for that. Their exterior wire should be 10-AWG Solar Wire, with MC-4 connectors at the rooftop ends.
However, if you want to go bigger than 200 watts, you will need to use the front shell instead. The "sink cabinet" inner wire location is still good, but you will need to specify that the exterior wiring should be run up the rear of front-shell lift arms (rather than a rear shell lift arm).
Quote:
Originally Posted by adventurefanatic
If we want to upgrade to lithium once the factory-battery is at end of its useful life (and consequently have the WildKat also installed with the lithium), would it be advisable then to see if we can special order the TM with the larger 6-gauge that you stated would be required? Are we talking about three 6-gauge cables from the battery compartment to the WFCO, in lieu of their 10 and 8-gauge standard? My goal is to make the lithium upgrade easier later, since it seems technology is headed in that direction. Please forgive my elementary electrical knowledge. ty
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It costs them very little to upgrade to #6 (or at least #8) - and it can save you considerable time. I don't know the 12V ground wiring method for new TM models. Perhaps, like Airstream, they have switched from using the frame for "return ground" and now run grounding wires for the 12V "-" return wiring. In my model year, 12V "grounding" between the load center "ground" wires and the battery "-" terminals was done through the frame. 3 cables were installed: +12V between the load center and the battery "+" (size 10 AWG); a grounding neutral between the WFCO 12V neutral bus and the frame ((IRC, this was 8 AWG); plus another grounding neutral between the Battery "-" terminals and the frame (8 AWG, into another frame brass lug screwed into the frame). Pulling new wires was risky, so I kept theirs (but arranged to use both of them, together).
Per Post #10(
https://www.trailmanorowners.com/for...2&postcount=10), I used 4 terminals blocks in my installation. Output wires from the WildKat Converter are connected into two blocks behind the WFCO Converter case (one for +12V, one for 12V "Ground"). The +12V terminal block has one wire back to the "Power Distribution" circuit board with fuses (IIRC, it's terminal lug could handle #6, and that's what I used). The other wire also #6, goes under the trailer in liquid-tite flex conduit, forward to the new "battery compartment" in storage under a couch.
The new "-" Grounding Block is done with complicated tricks: In my TM, there are two frame lugs for the WFCO: One connects an AWG-8 wire to the 12V grounding lug (full of white wires for 12V ground connections). The other connects an 8-AWG to the a frame lug for the 120V safety "grounding" bus (the green and bare wires). The two connections make the TM frame, 12V grounding bus, and 120V safety grounding bus a common ground.
My grounding block has: the original wires (both #8) from the frame lugs. It also has new and shorter #8 wires into the two WFCO lugs, with the 5th wire connecting 12V "-" from the WildKat. At the Load Center, I now have two "shared" wires into the frame, both serving both buses (the 12V grounding bus, and the 120V safety grounding bus). The dual #8 wires have about the same capacity as a single #6.
I cleaned the frame lug at the battery end (it's up front, on the A-frame in a 2619) and put in a new #6 to handle the battery "-". As I did at the WFCO end, the battery has new terminal blocks + and - . But they're larger ones, because each holds #2 wires for the battery terminals and the 120V Inverter connections.