Iota 55amp replacement for old univolt

jtaggart · 09-19-2009, 08:40 AM

Yesterday I purchased the Iota 55amp q4 (Randy told me this is the best one to buy) to replace the old univolt in my 1965 Safari. I plan to use the existing circuit breaker panel. It looks like the univolt was only 20amps. Am I going overboard as they say with the 55amp purchase? Can the existing circuit bkr panel be used safely? Thanks for any help; my handyman who is quite excellent will be installing the Iota and a new battery.

overlander63 · 09-19-2009, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jtaggart

Yesterday I purchased the Iota 55amp q4 (Randy told me this is the best one to buy) to replace the old univolt in my 1965 Safari. I plan to use the existing circuit breaker panel. It looks like the univolt was only 20amps. Am I going overboard as they say with the 55amp purchase? Can the existing circuit bkr panel be used safely? Thanks for any help; my handyman who is quite excellent will be installing the Iota and a new battery.

Most modern converters are 35+ amps. It's kind of like tooling around town with a 500hp car, you don't need to use all the power. Your original panel can be re-used, again, it's only going to use what it needs. Just don't put heavier duty fuses in the panel.
The converter will probably be able to charge the coach battery faster.

jtaggart · 09-20-2009, 08:10 AM

I emailed Randy at bestconverters. He suggested looking at the cable between the Univolt panel (the existing one, which I plan to use) and the new battery. It needs to be 8 AWG to carry 55 amps. He said all of the other circuits are fused already.

I hope it isn't too big a job for my handyman, Bruce.

Need to purchase a new battery; I'm thinking an AGM battery. Any suggestions on where to purchase battery? Also plan to install some solar to keep the battery charged and then down the line to keep it charged when I'm dry-camping.

Thanks overlander63 for your input.