Ken & Sheila
Site Team
I'm not sure if this belongs here or under Remodeling.
On our new Camelot I have done many "improvement" but this is the largest project to date.
Our previous coach, a 2000 Windsor, had the inverter fed by two 30 amp inputs and had two 30 amp output to a sub-panel with 6 or 8 circuits (memory issue).
The Camelot has a pure-sine wave inverter, but with only a single 30- amp input and 20 amp outputs (still 30 amp max). One of the 20amp outs feeds the Microwave and the other feeds ALL the outlets in the coach (including 4 I have added) except one outlet I also added with a direct feed from the main panel. I find this unacceptable.
Phase One. Add an 8 circuit sub-panel (2 for the "mains" and 6 circuits). I was lucky because just above where I put the sub-panel (near the inverter) in the kitchen area is a J-Box with 2 feeds and 4 out lines. One of the feeds comes from the bath vanity where there is another J-box with several circuits.
I brought the 4 new feeds from the sub-panel to the kitchen J-box. The existing output lines from the inverter will be moved to the sub-panel giving me 6 circuits. In the kitchen J-box the micro feed through will not be change. The feed to the Bay/dash will be moved to the new J box and a one of the 4 new feeds. The BR feed will also feed will also be move to the new J-box with new feed #2. The other two new feeds will go into the existing J-box. One will feed the line to the Kitchen. The last will feed the line that is currently a feed from the bath vanity J-box. In the bath vanity J-box the existing feed from inverter (now in the sub-panel) will feed only the bath area. The other two lines will be tied together, one the feed from the Kit J-box, the other going to the driver?s side front slide (I may find a more direct way to do this in the bay when I open the panel under the coach rails).
As you can see in the pictures, I am ready to move the existing inverter outputs to the sub-panel and the tie in the new 30 (10ga) cable to the inverter to feed the subpanel. After that I will move to the kitchen J-boxes and start tying in the new circuits. I work slow and cautious so this will probably take the better part of two days. The work in the kitchen J-boxes will be slow due to lack of space to work.
Phase Two will replace the existing inverter with one that has 2 inputs (30 amps ea) and two outputs, giving my sub-panel 60 amps instead of 30amps. But in the process of investigating also upgrading from a 2000 watt inverter to a 2800 or 3000 watt inverter, I found that Monaco has fed the inverter with a single 04 cable from the batteries via a distribution/fuse panel. The cable length exceeds 18 feet which while safe has far too much voltage loss if using the full 2000 watts much less 3000. So, I now need to: A) add a second set of 04 cables, B) upgrade to MCM 500 cables (easier to handle tin the distribution panel), or C) and the best, move the inverter to a location in the back of the coach near the batteries and feed the 120 forward (far less voltage loss on 120 vs. 12volt).
ken
On our new Camelot I have done many "improvement" but this is the largest project to date.
Our previous coach, a 2000 Windsor, had the inverter fed by two 30 amp inputs and had two 30 amp output to a sub-panel with 6 or 8 circuits (memory issue).
The Camelot has a pure-sine wave inverter, but with only a single 30- amp input and 20 amp outputs (still 30 amp max). One of the 20amp outs feeds the Microwave and the other feeds ALL the outlets in the coach (including 4 I have added) except one outlet I also added with a direct feed from the main panel. I find this unacceptable.
Phase One. Add an 8 circuit sub-panel (2 for the "mains" and 6 circuits). I was lucky because just above where I put the sub-panel (near the inverter) in the kitchen area is a J-Box with 2 feeds and 4 out lines. One of the feeds comes from the bath vanity where there is another J-box with several circuits.
I brought the 4 new feeds from the sub-panel to the kitchen J-box. The existing output lines from the inverter will be moved to the sub-panel giving me 6 circuits. In the kitchen J-box the micro feed through will not be change. The feed to the Bay/dash will be moved to the new J box and a one of the 4 new feeds. The BR feed will also feed will also be move to the new J-box with new feed #2. The other two new feeds will go into the existing J-box. One will feed the line to the Kitchen. The last will feed the line that is currently a feed from the bath vanity J-box. In the bath vanity J-box the existing feed from inverter (now in the sub-panel) will feed only the bath area. The other two lines will be tied together, one the feed from the Kit J-box, the other going to the driver?s side front slide (I may find a more direct way to do this in the bay when I open the panel under the coach rails).
As you can see in the pictures, I am ready to move the existing inverter outputs to the sub-panel and the tie in the new 30 (10ga) cable to the inverter to feed the subpanel. After that I will move to the kitchen J-boxes and start tying in the new circuits. I work slow and cautious so this will probably take the better part of two days. The work in the kitchen J-boxes will be slow due to lack of space to work.
Phase Two will replace the existing inverter with one that has 2 inputs (30 amps ea) and two outputs, giving my sub-panel 60 amps instead of 30amps. But in the process of investigating also upgrading from a 2000 watt inverter to a 2800 or 3000 watt inverter, I found that Monaco has fed the inverter with a single 04 cable from the batteries via a distribution/fuse panel. The cable length exceeds 18 feet which while safe has far too much voltage loss if using the full 2000 watts much less 3000. So, I now need to: A) add a second set of 04 cables, B) upgrade to MCM 500 cables (easier to handle tin the distribution panel), or C) and the best, move the inverter to a location in the back of the coach near the batteries and feed the 120 forward (far less voltage loss on 120 vs. 12volt).
ken
