Travis's house battery install (1 Viewer)

[tbisaacs]

First, some background. There are a lot of ways to charge phones and run fridges and lights at camp. I've tried them all over 5 years:

1. First-gen lead acid Goal Zero Yeti + solar
2. KISS-style single battery plus solar PWM controller
3. Lithium Goal Zero Yeti + solar

Needless to say — I'm a big fan of Goal Zero and other solar generators. They got us through the last 5 years of camping an overlanding. In ideal conditions, our little 400s + 100w solar would run a fridge indefinitely. However it's not always sunny here—in fact our last two camping trips were cut short due to two cloudy days and running out of power.

The logical answer would be to buy a bigger battery, like a 1000x or 1500x. However while they have more capacity, they aren't perfect:

• They are lithium ion, not lithium iron phosphate. The native cell voltage is only ~10v. The original 400 had a problem where it would be below the voltage cutoff for most fridges. Goal Zero offered a bandaid by selling a "regulated" 12v connector. It was clunky. Note that higher-end models (1000 and above) all now have regulated 12v outlets.
• Fast charging is not really possible without a lot of solar. The inverter will only put out 60w, and the "Yeti Link" is nearly $500.

These days, 12v, 100 amp hour lithium batteries can be had for < $400, at that point, the math checks out to DIY. Especially for a setup like mine where the installation is permanent.

Planning
First, I was immediately inspired by this thread:

LiFePO4 battery sizes that fit in 200 drawer wings

I searched around for a while, found a few scattered posts, but I thought it may be helpful to have the reference info in one place for others that are in the same situation. Lithium appears to be the direction the industry is going as far as house batteries, so this would be a good place to add...

forum.ih8mud.com

I loved the idea of tucking the components away from sight in the wing. I also crawled around @Eric Sarjeant's amazing install at LCDC to get some ideas. Here's what I came up with:

For those of you paying attention—there is one key element missing that I would get from a Goal Zero—and that's an MPPT controller. I may add one at some point.


Build of materials

ITEM	QTY	UNIT	TOTAL
Weize 12V 100Ah LiFePO4 Lithium Battery	1	$399	$399
Victron Energy Orion-Tr Smart 12/12-Volt 30 amp	1	$271	$271
Renogy 1000W Pure Sine Wave Inverter	1	$206	$206
Victron Energy Battery Monitor, BMV-700	1	$143	$143
Blue Sea Systems Fuse Block MIDI	2	$32	$64
GearIT 10/2 Speaker Wire (50 Feet) 10AWG Gauge	1	$59	$59
TOPSTRONGGEAR 4 Gauge 25ft Black and 25ft Red Power/Ground Wire True 4 AWG Power Wire	1	$49	$49
Blue Sea 5253 MIDI/AMI Fuse 60 Amp (2-pack)	1	$13	$13
52 PCS Rubber Grommets	1	$13	$13
Recessed Power Strip Socket 9.8Ft Cord	1	$12	$12
Attwood 9013-3 Battery Box Hold-Down Strap Kit	1	$11	$11
ARB 10900028 Threaded Socket/Surface Mount Outlet	1	$11	$11
Blue Sea Systems AMI/ MIDI Fuses 100amp	1	$9	$9
		Total	$1,260

 

[tbisaacs]

Preparation

Before i started installing - I had to completely remove my Dobinson's drawers and both sides of the interior—this just made things easier. It also gave me an opportunity to remove the old wiring based around an ARB fridge kit. I started from scratch.

To get power to the back, I opted to go through the a through-bolt from the third row seat mount. There is lots of channels and holes under the truck and I ran it all the way to my BlueSea safety hub under the hood.

In hindsight, this was unnecessary. There is a gland under the interior panel that works fine—in fact I used it for some other things: Routing my weboost antenna and I pre-wired an exterior wire drop to the bumper for future exterior electrics:

Because I was going to be adding an inverter, I decommissioned the built-in unit and used the wiring for a Weboost hardwire kit:

This is cool because it's switched power, and I have manual switch on the dash.

Once this was all done—I slide the drawer shell back in and started dry fitting stuff. First the battery:

It's a snug but perfect fit. For a tie down I bought a universal kit and bolted it to the drawer shell. Battery isn't moving. Next I worked on my DC charger, shunt, and inline fuse for the charger. For this spot I chose under the front rear wing. It's kind of perfect as its out of side but there is plenty of space and airflow:

Here is what it looks like peeking out from under the wing when mounted:

Next was the monitor. This was super easy—just a 2" hole saw:

 

[tbisaacs]

Next, I started working on loads. First - ARB fridge socket. I chose to tuck this inside the cutout so it wouldn't get snagged or unplugged:

On the other side I wired up my existing Blue sea panel. I swapped out the ARB plug for a set of quick-charge ports. Next to it is the inverter remote (more on that in a sec)

The back of the drawers is a great spot to hard mount big items. It's metal first of all - so I secured everything with threaded nutserts and M5 machine screws. Right to left is my weboost, blue sea fuse block for 12v loads, blue sea MIDI fuse holder for inverter, a surface mount usb power (the kids in the backseat use it when the armrest is down)

 

[tbisaacs]

And one more thing! I added a Grom Audio Vline. I know the reviews are mixed on this thing—but so far I love it. I have no interest in those weird "tesla style" headunits. I have a current generation Tesla and am not interested in putting a bad copy of the UI from 10 years ago in my truck. The install takes maybe an hour, didn't take any photos, just did it.

 

[tbisaacs]

One item I’ll be cleaning up is that I ran 4AWG power and ground to the rear but the Victron at most is design for 10AWG input and output. Things are tight but I made it work.

What I should have done is terminated the 4AWG to a bus bar to eliminate a voltage drop from front to back, but then dropped to 10AWG in the back.

Victron makes an interesting smart power distributor that I may give a shot:

Victron Energy Lynx Distributor https://a.co/d/b8svsj1

I would run something similar to this. Big gauge in and smaller gauge out to the DC charger.

 

[sdnative]

Who makes the drawers? Did you have to move the seats forward a notch or two to fit the gear on the front face? Looks like you have more room than the ARB drawers provide. To fit that stuff shown in your picture above, I would have had to move the seats forward at least one notch, maybe two.

 

[tbisaacs]

Who makes the drawers? Did you have to move the seats forward a notch or two to fit the gear on the front face? Looks like you have more room than the ARB drawers provide. To fit that stuff shown in your picture above, I would have had to move the seats forward at least one notch, maybe two.

Dobinsons. The LX has power second row seats and I have full adjustment

 

[TN LX570]

Enjoyed following along on this on insta. Lots of smart choices here, I'm going to borrow a lot of this setup for future improvements!

 

[Fisher23]

Can you download apps to that Grom Audio Vline?

Like can you download the ARB fridge App or the Renogy App and control it from the NAV unit?

Or other Mapping Software like AXIS.

 

[TheIcemanCometh]

Nice, I wonder of the Blue Sea rocker switch can be swapped out with a flush switch. I can see something hitting it and inadvertently turning something on/off. Or worst smashing into it and damaging the switch.

 

[tbisaacs]

Can you download apps to that Grom Audio Vline?

Like can you download the ARB fridge App or the Renogy App and control it from the NAV unit?

Or other Mapping Software like AXIS.

Yes you can! My ARB fridge is ancient so no wireless or Bluetooth though

 

[tbisaacs]

Nice, I wonder of the Blue Sea rocker switch can be swapped out with a flush switch. I can see something hitting it and inadvertently turning something on/off. Or worst smashing into it and damaging the switch.

I’ve had that mounted for about 18 months now and so far no incidents! I primarily use it when stationary to charge radios and phones etc. otherwise my dogs are in the way.

 

[tbisaacs]

Last part of the install was a remote outlet to feed to the inverter. It’s a 2” outlet designed to drop into a desk grommet. I chose this style because

1) circles are easy to cut with a hole saw and get a perfect fit
2) symmetry with the battery monitor on the left side

This is a 1500w rated plug so it exceeds my current inverter rating.

Desktop Power Grommet 2... Amazon product ASIN B07MVS6WJW

 

[Aifer]

looks awesome! Thanks for the description.

I have a question:
My needs are the following:
I have an EcoFlow (EF) unit at the back connected to my 12V DC fridge and already have 12V DC wires (always connected) to the back of the car - my needs are the following:

1) Charge the EF (Max Draw 8A) only while the engine is running (disconnect from charging the EF when engine off) - Fridge will draw constantly from the EF (engine running or not)
2) Have the option (to be used rarely in case the EF is depleted) to run my fridge regardless of the engine status (a.k.a on the start battery) - just like now.

What I liked about

Victron Orion-Tr Smart DC-DC Charger Isolated​

is that I can both set the thresholds for connecting disconnecting and (if i understand correctly) override the thresholds and let if be connect the start battery anyways.

My question: is the Victron overkill to my needs? Should I use a different device? I understand from the spec that the Victron can not be installed in the engine bay.

any thoughts?

Aifer.

 

[tbisaacs]

looks awesome! Thanks for the description.

I have a question:
My needs are the following:
I have an EcoFlow (EF) unit at the back connected to my 12V DC fridge and already have 12V DC wires (always connected) to the back of the car - my needs are the following:

1) Charge the EF (Max Draw 8A) only while the engine is running (disconnect from charging the EF when engine off) - Fridge will draw constantly from the EF (engine running or not)
2) Have the option (to be used rarely in case the EF is depleted) to run my fridge regardless of the engine status (a.k.a on the start battery) - just like now.

What I liked about

Victron Orion-Tr Smart DC-DC Charger Isolated​

is that I can both set the thresholds for connecting disconnecting and (if i understand correctly) override the thresholds and let if be connect the start battery anyways.

My question: is the Victron overkill to my needs? Should I use a different device? I understand from the spec that the Victron can not be installed in the engine bay.

any thoughts?

Aifer.

The Victron would work - in fact it as an explicit mode called "power supply". For your ecoflow you'd need to ensure you throttle down the output as you only need 8 amps.

 

[Dunbar]

@tbisaacs I could use your experience to help with my simple power need. I have had portable fridges since 2006. A Norcold MRFT 60 qt old school fridge that I love. It has 2 power cords, 12v and 110v and automatically switches between the 2 when AC is present. It will run the battery into the ground if I let it but I plug into shore power at home. When traveling I never have problems as the batteries keep charged from the alternator. Then I purchased the newer Norcold NRF 45 qt and the damn thing came with one plug using a brick to convert from AC to DC. I hate it but got a great deal back in the day. I have used both in my FJ62 with dual AGM batteries up front, one isolated. I also use them in my Excursion with dual AGM batteries in stock parallel configuration and no drainage protection from the fridge. The 60qt barely fits my 2020 200 series with one 3rd row seat in rider position. It's tough to open and close but doable. I'll likely keep the 60 qt in the Excursion if using the 3rd row at all. (Family needs require retaining both 3rd row seats in the 200). That leaves me using the 45qt for daily use in the 200. Currently I have the brick plugged into the AC inverter in the rear kick panel when driving and switch to a shore power extension cord when parked at home. So when traveling and parked with the engine off, the fridge is off.

Easy solution is to buy the Goal Zero 1000X at Costco, currently $1,250 Aug 2022. I don't mind the inflated cost of this solution as I can see other uses. I would mind if I had to replace the unit within 4 years or so due to failure. Reading about these GZ units it appears that they are designed to wean us off AC and even DC charging through inefficient and expensive charging options to solar, which is more efficient. My question is, can I use one of these for the fridge with the GZ plugged into the 100W AC inverter and the fridge AC brick plugged into the Yeti GZ AC outlet? When parked for more than an hour at home I'll plug shore power into the GZ through it's AC charging plug. I know it is inefficient to convert DC to AC via the inverter, then convert back to AC with the brick but that is the least unplugging and plugging every time I get in the truck. I see folks with the GZ Yeti also running 12V to the rear (really needed anyway). With the damn brick converter on the 45 qt fridge that still has me switching from AC to DC setup when driving away from shore power.

Other solution would be to place a Battle Born Lithium in the rear and run a 12V line to charge it from the alternator. For the fridge I could run using 12V from it. I would need a shore power solution to keep the lithium charged and trickled. This goes down the rabbit hole of G31 or dual AGM's under the hood, which I may do eventually anyway.

Am I missing anything on the GZ option? Do I really need 12v to the rear even if i use this for a temporary solution?

 

[NYC570]

With options like Bluetti, Ecoflow and others, I don't see how some prefer the GZ units. They're overpriced and outdated in comparison.

 

[Dunbar]

@NYC570 thanks for the heads up on the competing products. I guess my usage questions would apply equally to those. Which would work with the Norcold running through the DC-AC brick for ease of use?

 

[tbisaacs]

@tbisaacs I could use your experience to help with my simple power need. I have had portable fridges since 2006. A Norcold MRFT 60 qt old school fridge that I love. It has 2 power cords, 12v and 110v and automatically switches between the 2 when AC is present. It will run the battery into the ground if I let it but I plug into shore power at home. When traveling I never have problems as the batteries keep charged from the alternator. Then I purchased the newer Norcold NRF 45 qt and the damn thing came with one plug using a brick to convert from AC to DC. I hate it but got a great deal back in the day. I have used both in my FJ62 with dual AGM batteries up front, one isolated. I also use them in my Excursion with dual AGM batteries in stock parallel configuration and no drainage protection from the fridge. The 60qt barely fits my 2020 200 series with one 3rd row seat in rider position. It's tough to open and close but doable. I'll likely keep the 60 qt in the Excursion if using the 3rd row at all. (Family needs require retaining both 3rd row seats in the 200). That leaves me using the 45qt for daily use in the 200. Currently I have the brick plugged into the AC inverter in the rear kick panel when driving and switch to a shore power extension cord when parked at home. So when traveling and parked with the engine off, the fridge is off.

Easy solution is to buy the Goal Zero 1000X at Costco, currently $1,250 Aug 2022. I don't mind the inflated cost of this solution as I can see other uses. I would mind if I had to replace the unit within 4 years or so due to failure. Reading about these GZ units it appears that they are designed to wean us off AC and even DC charging through inefficient and expensive charging options to solar, which is more efficient. My question is, can I use one of these for the fridge with the GZ plugged into the 100W AC inverter and the fridge AC brick plugged into the Yeti GZ AC outlet? When parked for more than an hour at home I'll plug shore power into the GZ through it's AC charging plug. I know it is inefficient to convert DC to AC via the inverter, then convert back to AC with the brick but that is the least unplugging and plugging every time I get in the truck. I see folks with the GZ Yeti also running 12V to the rear (really needed anyway). With the damn brick converter on the 45 qt fridge that still has me switching from AC to DC setup when driving away from shore power.

Other solution would be to place a Battle Born Lithium in the rear and run a 12V line to charge it from the alternator. For the fridge I could run using 12V from it. I would need a shore power solution to keep the lithium charged and trickled. This goes down the rabbit hole of G31 or dual AGM's under the hood, which I may do eventually anyway.

Am I missing anything on the GZ option? Do I really need 12v to the rear even if i use this for a temporary solution?

I ran my GZ this way. Inverter to GZ and 12 to fridge. It works fine just keep in mind you only get like 60w from the inverter. The Victron I just installed puts out like 400w.

 

[TheIcemanCometh]

With options like Bluetti, Ecoflow and others, I don't see how some prefer the GZ units. They're overpriced and outdated in comparison.

Another to add to the mix is Jackery. No experience but wanted to mention them. IMHO the issue with all is the cost, which is for a self-contained unit. My biggest concern going forward are replacement batteries.

If someone wanted a portable unit, I think could mfg their own for much less similar as to what is shown by the OP.