03-20-2014, 04:23 PM
It's a matter of Amps. Determine how many amps at any given minute your coach uses at night, probably all phantom AC loads. Be sure to check if any of those have any higher start up amps (res refer). Determine how many start up amps your A/C wants when it kicks off. Add the two and that's your minimum actual inverter output. A 2000W pure sine will probably put out 13.33 Amps (1600 /120). This is the reason I'm buying the expensive 3000W Victron. I don't need 22.5 Amps usually (2700 / 120), but to kick start the window A/C I'm modifying to fit the van, I might if I have the TV DVR or microwave on.
The van was to have been an E350 regular body; but that's all changed now. It looks like my project will be going in a Super C Thor Outlaw. I'll be like you, having to re-fit an existing OEM electrical system. I think I'll be all right. My biggest concern is having now to get into the solenoid/isolator quagmire because the 2-battery Ford 6.7 diesel won't have room for another alternator to dedicate just to the battery bank. I don't think it'll be necessary, anyway, especially if I take out the OE alternator and upgrade to a higher amp one. The coach has a residential refer and alternator big enough to run it already; so, I fully expect to find enough AGM's on board to provide plenty of space for my lithium's. FINAL problem is I can't do this lithium project until at least a year from now. I want to wait until after my mfgr's warranty runs out, first. By summer of 2015, you lithium guys will have worked all the bugs out, anyway.
Having said that, I still may be back with questions and comments. I'm going to tow a Jeep 4-dr Rubicon behind it which I CAN put in a smaller lithium system. Smaller, however, doesn't make it much different. I'll still need to solve all the same problems.
JC
The van was to have been an E350 regular body; but that's all changed now. It looks like my project will be going in a Super C Thor Outlaw. I'll be like you, having to re-fit an existing OEM electrical system. I think I'll be all right. My biggest concern is having now to get into the solenoid/isolator quagmire because the 2-battery Ford 6.7 diesel won't have room for another alternator to dedicate just to the battery bank. I don't think it'll be necessary, anyway, especially if I take out the OE alternator and upgrade to a higher amp one. The coach has a residential refer and alternator big enough to run it already; so, I fully expect to find enough AGM's on board to provide plenty of space for my lithium's. FINAL problem is I can't do this lithium project until at least a year from now. I want to wait until after my mfgr's warranty runs out, first. By summer of 2015, you lithium guys will have worked all the bugs out, anyway.
Having said that, I still may be back with questions and comments. I'm going to tow a Jeep 4-dr Rubicon behind it which I CAN put in a smaller lithium system. Smaller, however, doesn't make it much different. I'll still need to solve all the same problems.
JC