Few Questions related to Inverter prep- Delta 321BH '24

[mountainmike11]

Asked Service and they do not provide wiring diagrams, outside of an outlet illustration. Trying to get an idea of the wiring setup I need to add a Renology 2k Wt Inverter with auto transfer switch. There is AC In and AC out on the Inverter. If I interpret the Pre-wire junction box, it is AC power in and power out (hot, neutral and Ground) and appears they are in a circuit, so they work without an inverter currently.

Question 1: I wanted to confirm a way to know which is which, in and out. would that be something I would have to chase back to the breaker or use a multimeter? I assume it matters.

Question 2: Alliance wires DC directly from the battery to the Buse under the pre-wire in the picture, to keep it enclosed and out of the weather. is there any reason I cannot tie into DC power here from the Inverter or do I need to go directly to the battery with the "DC In" side of the inverter?

My plan is to mount the inverter on the other side of the pump behind the wall and add some USB powered fans ported through the wall to add some circulation.

Any other suggestions or tips from those that have done this before?

 

[Oregon_Camper]

Answers

Q #1 - Turn off all power, remove wires and find hot one with volt meter. This "inverter prep" setup from Alliance will enable a few circuit to have AC power. This setup method will NOT power every outlet in the RV.

Q #1 - For inverter, you will want dedicated 2/0 or 4/0 wires, depending on size of inveter. I would always go 4/0, but some folks want to save a few $$ and go 2/0

 

[JeffS]

I'm not an expert but this is what I found when adding an inverter to my 321.

1: I had to use multimeter to find the hot cable.
2: You will need to run your own cable to the inverter from the battery with its own fuse. The existing cable is too thin, you'll need at least 2/0.

You didn't mention any battery upgrade, but you should look into a LiFePO4 upgrade.

 

[Socal-Paul]

As stated make sure all your power is off. I plugged the shore power cable into the rig then brought the other end around to the box and used a meter on ohms to find the hot lead coming into the box. Unless they screwed up big time it will be one of the blacks tied together. As to the wiring I think you will find to 02 more expensive than the 04.

 

[Oregon_Camper]

....... As to the wiring I think you will find to 02 more expensive than the 04.

Paul....we both recommened 2/0 AWG or 4/0 AWG. 2 AWG is a bigger wire than 4 AWG. However, 2/0 AWG is bigger than 2 AWG and 4/0 AWG is bigger than 2/0 AWG. So, you are correct 2 AWG would cost more than 4 AWG.

Here is a quick chart with all this shown

 

[mountainmike11]

I'm not an expert but this is what I found when adding an inverter to my 321.

1: I had to use multimeter to find the hot cable.
2: You will need to run your own cable to the inverter from the battery with its own fuse. The existing cable is too thin, you'll need at least 2/0.

You didn't mention any battery upgrade, but you should look into a LiFePO4 upgrade.

I think a battery is next on the list. I think I have 2 interstate 125mAh batteries and the LiFePO4 battery I looked at was something like 9x the capacity. I have 2x 200W Rich Solar panels on the roof and live in Arizona so I get really good daylight most of the time. I was out for a week 2 weeks ago and I ran my generator right around 10 hours the whole week.

Added to my build list getting thicker cables and direct connecting. I don't know that the 3FT cables that came with it will make it to the mounting point.

 

[mountainmike11]

2 new questions:

Finally got my Inverter in and most of the cables. I am laying it out and trying to figure out where to put it and how to pull the remote panel inside to control it outside of Bluetooth and not sure I have seen any good pictures of access points within the trailer. It is a Delta 321BH.

1 - I know I can get behind the bathroom and see wiring where the heater lives between the closet and bathroom. I assume this connects up under flooring to the front storage bay, then under the bathroom into the kitchen. is there any known or built in access points to get to wiring or do you just make your own? I wanted to try to get the remote to the main control center but may concede to put it next to the master bedroom charging stations and external light switch.

Any tips you can share on trying to pull the remote inside?

2 - How have others DC ported into the inside bay for wiring? I was planning on expanding the hole where the DC wires are coming in now, but if there is a better or closer option, I would love to learn from those that have done this before.

 

[dafish]

Mike:

When I was working with sales talking about a new Grand Design I asked for, and was given, a pretty decent schematic of the wiring. Routing, gauge, devices per circuit, etc.. I'm certainly not saying Alliance would do that, has it, or even that sales might do same for a potential customer. I am saying some departments might work harder than others to get needed answers.

 

[JeffS]

When I installed mine, I connected the Cerbo display to the panel in the passthrough to be able to make changes without having to connect my phone. I also didnt want to run the wire. A couple days ago I came across this post https://community.victronenergy.com...ablet-as-dedicated-gx-wi-fi-display-beta/8575. I went to walmart and bought an Onn 8" tablet for $79 and did the setup, it worked perfectly. I plan to mount it above the panel inside.

 

[Oregon_Camper]

When I installed mine, I connected the Cerbo display to the panel in the passthrough to be able to make changes without having to connect my phone. I also didnt want to run the wire. A couple days ago I came across this post https://community.victronenergy.com...ablet-as-dedicated-gx-wi-fi-display-beta/8575. I went to walmart and bought an Onn 8" tablet for $79 and did the setup, it worked perfectly. I plan to mount it above the panel inside.

I saw that info as well. I wonder if this will Osborne their 7" display? If doing it again, I might put 5" in with battey bank and use a 7-10" Android tablet inside the RV like you're doineg.