replacement for Univolt Converter

autoxstream · 04-26-2006, 04:43 PM

I am new to the Forum and a proud new owner of a 92 excella 1000. The fridge has been gutted and the converter/dc load panel seems to be missing from the front under the window. I have read that it came with a univolt converter. Is this a combination charger/converter? or load center /converter/charger? What is the best way to go on replacement. I assume there have been electronic improvements since 1992. Will any 40-45 amp charger meet my needs. All of the 12 volt lights and fans are working, so there must be a distribution center somewhere. I would appreciate seeing a photo of what this setukp should look like. Also I need to replace the fridge. Apparently the Dometic RM2820 is the recommended replacement. Can anyone give me any info or point me in the right direction? Larry

72 tradewind · 04-26-2006, 06:31 PM

I replaced my 40+pound univolt with a WFCO 3 stage converter/charger so we could charge the ipods with out damage. The other advantages are supposed to be extended battery life due to controlled charging,( I installed a new battery at the same time) and, it hardly weighs anything at all compared to the univolt. The one thing though is if you run one light, no cooler fan operation, 2 lights the fan constantly cycles on and off, 3 lamps-the fan stays on, although you can hardly hear it anyway. So if it cylcles, I turn on another light because the cycling bugs me.

TomW · 04-26-2006, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 72 tradewind

I replaced my 40+pound univolt with a WFCO 3 stage converter/charger ...

I did too, and have been pleased with the result.

A forum member sells them at bestconverter.com.

Tom

balrgn · 04-27-2006, 05:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by autoxstream

I am new to the Forum and a proud new owner of a 92 excella 1000. The fridge has been gutted and the converter/dc load panel seems to be missing from the front under the window. I have read that it came with a univolt converter. Is this a combination charger/converter? or load center /converter/charger? What is the best way to go on replacement. I assume there have been electronic improvements since 1992. Will any 40-45 amp charger meet my needs. All of the 12 volt lights and fans are working, so there must be a distribution center somewhere. I would appreciate seeing a photo of what this setukp should look like. Also I need to replace the fridge. Apparently the Dometic RM2820 is the recommended replacement. Can anyone give me any info or point me in the right direction? Larry

Taka a look @ Vintage Trailer he has good deals on the Inteli-Power Converter. Swapped out a couple of mine for these. Work great!

overlander63 · 04-27-2006, 06:14 AM

One of our forum members sells converters, and I have heard he will give fellow forum members a discount. IIRC, it is 66overlander.
I do know his website is www.bestconverter.com
Welcome to the forums!

AYRSTRM2 · 04-27-2006, 08:44 AM

I just bought an Iota, you can find them for a good price at solarseller.com. I pulled it out of the box last night and I was amazed that it is approximately 1/3 the size of the Univolt. Amazing. I am going to seriously free up some space.

John

uwe · 04-27-2006, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by autoxstream

I am new to the Forum and a proud new owner of a 92 excella 1000. The fridge has been gutted and the converter/dc load panel seems to be missing from the front under the window. I have read that it came with a univolt converter. Is this a combination charger/converter? or load center /converter/charger? What is the best way to go on replacement. I assume there have been electronic improvements since 1992. Will any 40-45 amp charger meet my needs. All of the 12 volt lights and fans are working, so there must be a distribution center somewhere. Larry

Larry,

Are all the fans and lights working NOW? If so, you are either running off the batteries, or there is indeed a converter/charger somewhere.
My recommendation for a 34ft trailer would be to go with the 60A charger/converter. It is stronger to charge 2 batteries quickly, and also will supply extra headroom for all the fans and lights inside your trailer.
I chose a 60A and 2 RV batteries for my 1963 Overlander project. The brand I bought is the Intellipower with charge wizard. So far it has functioned flawlessly, other than the fact that it is much noisier than advertised.

68 Overlander · 04-27-2006, 10:49 AM

I normally estimate the size of converter needed by the length of the trailer along with the size of the battery bank. You can get more accurate by adding up all of the amp requirements of the lights, water pump, furnace, battery capacity, etc but I can tell you from experience pretty much what you need unless you have some elaborate 12 volt system pumping out high powered speakers or something.
For a 34 foot trailer, a 45 amp converter/charger would be barely adequate especially if you run two batteries or an inverter. Without knowing anything else, I would recommend at least 55 Amps, probably more if the wiring from your distribution panel to the batteries can handle the additional current. Airstream has been pretty good about installing beefy wire so if you have at least 6 AWG, you should be fine up to 60 or 65 Amps. Also, the distribution panel is often right next to the batteries in the front of the trailer and that helps. Long runs to the batteries will result in some voltage drop.
A few have reported the Inteli-Power is a little noisy but they all make some noise when the fan runs. Also, several members have been using the WFCO and I have not heard any complaints about the fan. It has the 3-stage charging built-in like the Charge Wizard and is very popular too. Good luck!