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Well guru's, I figured it was time to post about the solar, LiFePO battery and inverter upgrade.  It has been a long time coming, but I am nearing completion.

I will start with a little description of the main components:
-2 Victron 5KVA quattro inverters
-Victron 150/70 solar controller for 48V batteries
-Victron 100/50 solar controller for charging 12V from 48V batteries
-Victron GX
-3 280Ah batteries made from 48 EVE cells
-Batrium watchmon core battery monitor/controller
-16 100W solar panels hooked up 4S4P
-48-24VDC transformer for Batrium control

It all started about 2 years ago prior to a trip with my bride to our 2nd burning man event.  The plan was to have it all done, but that was not in the cards with the rest of life happening, so I installed the solar the panels and controller to the failing 12V D house batteries.  This has lasted and we never ran out of power even though we were down to 4 batteries.

The location of the devices was a challenge as we did not want to take away any of our storage so here is where I ended up with placement:
-The inverters were located on the back wall of bay L4 (just in front of current inverter/generator-aquahot exhaust bay)
-Both solar controllers were located in the current inverter/generator-aquahot exhaust bay
-3 new batteries were located in current battery bays (in front of drive, and in back of tag axle)
-Main circuit board is located in the new inverter bay (L4) on the ceiling of that
-48-24VDC batrium transformer and auto gen start solenoids are located in pantry closet right behind microwave along with the GX screen

Yesterday I was able to finish the battery top balance charging each cell to 3.64V.  I am letting them sit hooked up until I start the install of the batteries.

There were many challenges with hooking up everything, here are some of the more challenging ones:

-Running wiring to the shore power bay and behind tag axle from the new inverter bay.  This took the longest to prepare for.  Without being able use Simons pit, it would not have been possible to do it as clean as it turned out.  From the new inverter bay, I first went on top of the a/c ducting back to L5 bay, then over to R5.  I went "over the wall" of the R5 bay to R6 fishing the lines (3@6/4 So cables and 6@2/0 battery cables along with a bunch of smaller wires (about 20..).  I drilled 5 holes for 1-1/2 PVC pipe through the R6 aquahot bay into R7 battery bay to run lines through without abrasion.  Then I cut a 4 x 7 oval  in the top back of the battery bay and removed some of the sheet metal above the diesel tank to route the wiring down near the hydraulic cooler area.  I then followed the existing 6/4 wire that came from the generator to the back shore line bay, and the 2/0 battery cable to the battery box behind the tag axle.  (long winded, but a long way to go!)

-Hanging the inverters in bay L4.....I am not as strong as I used to be, I hope to never have to remove.  I mounted a 1/2" panel of baltic birch to the aft of the bay being sure to screw into the metal framing behind the normal bay material as well as putting fender washers all the way through the bay without hitting exisiting inverter or anything already mounted on the front of L5 bay

-Getting an organized place for all of the circuit board that is mounted on the roof of L4 bay.  The board is mounted to the tube frame members with 6 screws that are tapped into the steel

-Drilling the 3 holes through the three 3/8 steel plates on the inside of the shoreline power bay for the 6/4 wire.  I am not as young as I used to be, but carbide hole saws helped me prevail.  The 3 holes were needed to hook up the split phase power that hooks the shore line to generator to main panel together through the inverter.  I removed the existing transfer switch as the inverter has the built in.


That is all for now, I will post some more as I get time.  Enjoy!

Got my Mini Split up and running yesterday. It replaced the SCS unit for the rear of the bus. Used a Senville unit medium Static . I wanted to use a high static concealed duct unit
But it is larger and I didn't see a way to make it fit. The air output at the ducts seem a little weak so I ordered a 6X12 rectangular duct fan. The unit cools the coach like it is but I think it will be way better with the fan. The duct to the rear of the coach is way undersized.

    1995 newell coach #375 130000miles 8v92ta 500hp detroit diesel runs great I've owned over 20 years non slide always garage kept. I have lots of pictures i can either text or send Facebook messenger asking $55000 
Kurt McPhee 989 370 0752 
[email protected]

Have been fighting with my front shade and thought I had it fixed until my last exercise drive where it managed to fall completely down while driving as I’m not just unrolling as it had done before, but clean off the brackets.

So I was stumped and left the coach thinking I’d mess with it today.  So a couple days ago while pondering this something hit me.  I think from memory there is a small bushing that goes on the drivers side to take out just enough slop so that it can’t move enough to fall down?

Anyone else remember such a thing when you’ve had shade down?  If so I lost it somehow and the last time or two I put it up I did not use it.

Ok, so I have a trip coming up in two weeks so I went up to the coach to work on a few things so that hopefully there is no last minute drama.  Coach always holds air in the rear pretty much indefinitely so when I go to pull coach outside and around the building I get out and look at front mudflaps and they are up so I pull out and around.  

As I cross over a little transition very slowly I noticed it was a little rougher than normal.  Get parked and walk to back of the coach and it’s what I think is on the ground.  I’m stumped as that has yet to happen.  Hadn’t worked on suspension, etc. so the ol what was the last thing you did reminder was not helping.  Had power to solenoids, lowered coach entirely and attempted to air up…didn’t help.

So I call Bill-Net for a little guidance.  We talk through things and try a couple other things.  Then there is this story about zebras and horses and while I think in got the point my mind was all over the place.

So we figure out that it would raise…but only about 1.5 inches.  Bill asks which position the switch is on the dash that puts more weight on the drives and I said I didn’t know as I haven’t ever messed with it and while fiddling with it sure enough it was in the down position which raises tag to put more weight on drives.  I must have bumped it when fiddling with my front shade (different thread for that problem).  

Flipped the switch to the middle/neutral position and sure enough she raised right up.  Really not sure how long that would have taken me to figure out on my own so hopefully this thread will help someone else not make this same silly mistake.

So we contacted Newell and asked if they had any information on #490 and they sent us the blueprints. 
I have attached the drawings they provided below.

Hello all you sparkies. 

My Outback FX inverter has been shutting off when I am running the genset. Sometimes predictably, most time not. It comes back on sometimes in mere seconds sometimes a minute will pass.  

When the bedroom AC is running it doesn't shut off, ever. 

When hooked to shore power it never shuts off. 

When no outside power going through the ATS it never shuts off. 


Did I burn something in the ATS? Is the inverter charger about to die? 

Any thoughts greatly appreciated. 

Cheers.

I bought coach #125 in April and drove it without issue from Arizona to it's new home in Oregon, but have been so busy with other commitments that I haven't had a chance to take it out on its first vacation until last week.  However, being a nearly 30 year veteran of RVing, I knew it was only a matter of time until something needed fixing.  

So last week I found the bathroom exhaust fan screeched like it was being stabbed with a dull knife.  

This week, I bought WD-40.  Problem fixed!  Last week I noticed one of the cabinet doors had a hinge with loose screws.  I added a few slivers of wood I found on the ground  in the campsite and put them in the screw hole.  The screws went in snuggly and stayed tight.  (A trick I learned when fixing cabinets as a former home remodeler).

As I pulled into the campsite a few days ago and turned off the engine, I heard a small motor running.  Turns out the water pump (#1) was running constantly and water was spewing out of the compartment.  It turns out the flex hose connected to the copper pipe had come loose, but the clamp was still on it.  I loosened the clamp and pushed the hose back onto the pipe and tightened down the clamp.  Problem solved!  

I found another cabinet door that had separated at the hinge connection.  All I needed was a screwdriver to pull out the retractable portion and reattach.  

Had I been a new RVer, I may have been overwhelmed and frustrated.  Stuff happens.  Problems occur.  This is a 1986 model, so I expect things to happen.  I'm thankful that Mark and Marion, the previous owners, had gone through and breathed new life and fixed many of the mechanicals prior to selling it to me.  Regardless, things break.  I know that I am probably "preaching to the choir" in this group.

Despite these little things happening, my wife and I are having a great time in the coach.  I love how solidly it is built, how much power it has compared to my former gasser coaches, and the quality that, even in 1986, still stands the test of time.  We keep discovering new "features" of the coach.  This week we found the switch for the floor "night lights".

I spy...a pretty cool convoy. Traveling 95 in NoVA yesterday morning i saw 3-4 Prevost heading north, then minutes later another group of a few more, then another few minutes and 3or4 more. All were H3s, most were pulling stickers.

I know, youre either bored or yelling at me right now because this is not the P group.

Wellll, i saved the best for last. The pretiest and coolest one in the group was a 2000ish Newell smack dab in the middle of the convoy. White with simple old school flames, someone told me it was originally built for Dale Jr

I see Prevosts several times a week, but always wonder why I don't see Newells in the wild, this is only 4th that I can remember seeing on the road...ever!?! I suppose Newell owners are smart enough to stay far away from this area

My best guess is this sited group of smiling drivers is headed from GA to NH for Nascar? Although I have seen no, zip, zero, nada haulers!?!
Anybody in the convoy on here? If so, thanks for putting an envious smile on my morning

I am looking for right hand wheel studs for my steer tires I stripped one out and the factory doesn’t have any more and sounds like they can’t get any. They have left hands but no rights. For a 1997 coach #440