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Old 05-13-2022, 05:09 PM   #1
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Lifepo4 Battery Question

I am in the process of installing 600 amp hours of lithium batteries in my North Point. I have no problem with the installation but i am not sure how it will effect the electrical system of my 2022 Ram 3500 while towing. I don’t need to charge them while i’m driving so i don’t need a dc to dc charger. My question is will i damage anything if i just leave the truck the way it is.
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Old 05-13-2022, 05:58 PM   #2
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Shouldn't hurt a thing. Your TV can only supply 5-8 amps of current (if I'm not mistaken) with stock wiring when connected.
I installed a relay that only charges RV batteries when my headlights are on so the lithium's (potentially) higher voltage won't keep trying to charge my TV's lead acid batteries when stopped. Unplugging when not towing would work also. You're gonna love the lithiums!
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Old 05-13-2022, 08:41 PM   #3
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John, your post is very timely. I am planning through a lithium battery installation. I had the same question. Do I need a battery isolator or dc-dc charger between TV and 5th wheel.

My thought is $80k truck with lots of electrical stuff. probably worth $200 for a dc-dc or isolator of some type.

Trying to figure out the best option. Will probably just go with a victron dc-dc 20 amp.

What is your plan for charging, inverter, solar, and possibly shunt.
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Old 05-13-2022, 10:57 PM   #4
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What brand of batteries are you thinking of getting?
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Old 05-14-2022, 04:49 AM   #5
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I ordered two 300 amp hour enjoybot batteries. I seen a tear down of them on the Internet and they look pretty good for the price. I also decided to remove the fuse for the 12 V line in the truck that charges the battery in the trailer because with 600 amp hours there’s really no need to charge it when we travel. We don’t travel far distances and I have a generator for charging whenever we need it. We’ll probably add solar panels next year because the system is more than halfway there for solar.
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Old 05-14-2022, 08:08 AM   #6
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I ordered two 300 amp hour enjoybot batteries. I seen a tear down of them on the Internet and they look pretty good for the price. I also decided to remove the fuse for the 12 V line in the truck that charges the battery in the trailer because with 600 amp hours there’s really no need to charge it when we travel. We don’t travel far distances and I have a generator for charging whenever we need it. We’ll probably add solar panels next year because the system is more than halfway there for solar.
Who’s video did you see the tear down on?
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Old 05-14-2022, 10:09 AM   #7
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I saw this video. Although he said it did not have a low temp sensor i will be mounting them in the heated basement.

https://youtu.be/0YDqFKfm9oA
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Old 05-14-2022, 02:47 PM   #8
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Also going with 2 x 100ah LiFePO4's. Sold the group 32 boat anchor. Thanks John for the idea to pull the fuse on the trailer charge line. I was also concerned about the voltage back feed. The residential fridge will be the main draw in the trailer while driving, but from all the videos I've watched on YouTube, it looks like the lithiums should last several hours. We always get full hook ups, so they'll get re-charged at the campground. Also playing with the idea of a 20 amp DC-DC charger. The fuse for the charge line from the truck is 30 amp. Don't know the wire gauge. If I go ahead with the project, I'll have to locate the charge line in the front compartment of the fiver and connect it to the charger. Any thoughts appreciated.
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Old 05-23-2022, 01:43 PM   #9
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I rewired our trailer such that the 12V+ wire from the 7-way only powers our TPMS signal booster.

Didn't want to risk the trailer batteries drawing down the truck battery while hooked up and not running, although that would rarely happen in our case.

I ended up installing a Victron Orion Smart 12/12-18 DC-DC charger for when we do want to charge while on the road. Ran a dedicated 4 AWG circuit from the truck battery back to the trailer.


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Old 05-24-2022, 05:53 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by JohnWedell View Post
I saw this video. Although he said it did not have a low temp sensor i will be mounting them in the heated basement.

https://youtu.be/0YDqFKfm9oA
I saw that video too. I follow Will’s channel on YouTube; it’s very informative. I ordered that battery as well. I’m starting off with one and maybe add another if I need it. It’s a little irritating that it didn’t come with the m8 bolts to hook it up with. Hopefully that’s the only problem I have with it.
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Old 05-24-2022, 06:26 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by 01tundra View Post
I rewired our trailer such that the 12V+ wire from the 7-way only powers our TPMS signal booster.

Didn't want to risk the trailer batteries drawing down the truck battery while hooked up and not running, although that would rarely happen in our case.

I ended up installing a Victron Orion Smart 12/12-18 DC-DC charger for when we do want to charge while on the road. Ran a dedicated 4 AWG circuit from the truck battery back to the trailer.


Those diagrams you shared are very professional looking and informative. What program did you use to create them? ~CA
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Old 05-25-2022, 08:43 AM   #12
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Those diagrams you shared are very professional looking and informative. What program did you use to create them? ~CA
Thanks. I used AutoCAD, since I use it at work everyday.
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Old 06-01-2022, 03:40 PM   #13
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I saw this video. Although he said it did not have a low temp sensor i will be mounting them in the heated basement.

https://youtu.be/0YDqFKfm9oA
I really enjoy Will Prowse's videos. Tons of info without a lot of wasted time. And he is enthusiastic about what he does. Probably why he's heading towards a million subscribers.
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Old 06-01-2022, 09:10 PM   #14
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I installed that battery in my trailer this last weekend along with a 3000 watt inverter. Along with the 400 watts of solar the system seems to be just right so far.
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Old 09-06-2022, 07:56 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnWedell View Post
I ordered two 300 amp hour enjoybot batteries. I seen a tear down of them on the Internet and they look pretty good for the price. I also decided to remove the fuse for the 12 V line in the truck that charges the battery in the trailer because with 600 amp hours there’s really no need to charge it when we travel. We don’t travel far distances and I have a generator for charging whenever we need it. We’ll probably add solar panels next year because the system is more than halfway there for solar.
How are you liking your batteries so far?
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Old 09-18-2022, 10:19 AM   #16
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it's working better than i though. i ended installing a pretty involved system. when we boon dock we average 250 to 300 amp hours at 12 volts each night so the 600 amp hours of batteries works great.
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Old 09-18-2022, 10:23 PM   #17
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it's working better than i though. i ended installing a pretty involved system. when we boon dock we average 250 to 300 amp hours at 12 volts each night so the 600 amp hours of batteries works great.
Have you come up with a way of keeping them warm this winter? I’m trying to come up with a way to keep mine warm. I also want to move it off the tongue and into the storage compartment. I just need some new and longer wires to do that.
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Old 09-18-2022, 10:43 PM   #18
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Where is your main battery cutoff switch? IF that is in the pass through you might actually need shorter wire to allow for you to hook up batteries in there vs the tongue. I found just leaving the stock wires there and adding on to the back of the cutoff switch was easily done and allowed for it to easily go back to stock config if you ever sold etc..
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Old 09-19-2022, 05:38 AM   #19
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Have you come up with a way of keeping them warm this winter? I’m trying to come up with a way to keep mine warm.
Been there, did some research- -

////---->We often place batteries in our under-vehicle battery boxes. In cold climates we put Dorman seat heater elements sealed in two layers of Minicell foam under the batteries and then insulate around and on top with 3M Thinsulate. The seat heater elements are controlled with a digital thermostat.
10 watts total keeps an 800ah battery bank above 41F if ambient temperature gets down to -20F.<----\\\\

The seat heater elements draw more power, so I used the Facon elbow pads. .55A will never get too hot.
Added one per battery of the Facon elbow heat pads stuck to a aluminum sheet for even heat transfer. They are a bit longer than my batteries but the tapered ends have no heating element in them and can be trimmed off. Insulated bottom of battery tray with 1/4" microcell foam insulation, set battery on aluminum sheet, wrapped battery sides with the same foam insulation, added a digital thermostat.
Added a 5A fuse that gets pulled in the warmer weather, but I'm using 3 of the heat pads-(.55x3= 1.65A draw). This works well in my unheated 5th wheel battery tray. Calculated continuous run time with a 100AH fully charged would be about 60 hrs per battery, but is dependent on outside temps with the thermostat cycling. Cost around $40 - $50 to do 3 batteries 2 years ago.

Reflective Foam Core 1/4" Insulation

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Model# GSHP-0313P
Pad size (Inch) 3″ x 13″
Foam Pad thickness 3.0MM
Volts 13.5 V DC
Power 7.5 W
Electric Current 0.55A
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Old 08-09-2023, 08:19 PM   #20
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I want to install a Victron DC to DC Charger in my 5th wheel battery bay. How do I get the 6 gage wire from the pin box to the battery bay? I saw one YT video that said to pull it between the fiber boar and the plywood under the overhang. That is a pretty big pair of wires to pull through. All suggestion welcome, please.
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