Hi everyone,
After researching the topic last fall and then buying up the necessary parts over the winter, I was finally able to get the battery relocation and lithium upgrade, along with the other associated bits, completed on our 2019 International Signature 27FB over the last little bit.
I ended up going with three of
Lynac Lithium Technology's 12.8V 100Ah – True Series – Low Temp batteries for a total rated capacity of 360Ah. Conor was great to deal with for anyone considering their product and he happily answered all my questions. I am confident they will perform very well for us.
I used 4/0 cable to connect the batteries in the battery bank and then to connect the battery bank to the main fuse (400A T-Class), from the main fuse to the main disconnect switch, from the main disconnect switch to the positive busbar, from the positive busbar to the inverter fuse (100A ANL) which wasn't necessary right now but figured I might as well do it now in case we upgrade our inverter to a higher wattage unit in the future, and also the cables on the negative side from the battery bank to the shunt for the
Victron BMV-712 Smart battery monitor, and from the shunt to the negative busbar.
I pulled the cable that ran from both the inverter and DC panel in the front storage compartment to the stock batteries in their location in the battery box inside the trailer - reusing the 4AWG inverter cable and upgrading the DC panel cable to 4AWG with a 60A ANL fuse inline for good measure.
To support the new LiFEPO4 batteries, I decided to upgrade the stock converter/charger to
WFCO's lithium compatible WF-8950L2-MBA replacement unit. The installation of this was as simple as the directions indicate... five wires and a few screws on your main board.
I also installed a Renogy
12V DC TO DC On-Board Battery Charger to protect the tow vehicle charging system when connected to the AS while hopefully providing a little top-up while driving as well. I protected this with circuit breaker switches on the input and output side per Renogy's recommendation.
I extended the tongue jack 10AWG wiring and ran it through one of the repurposed external wiring looms to a 30A circuit breaker switch in the front storage compartment so I can turn this off if I want to. I also extended the Zamp Solar port 10AWG wiring to the busbars in the front storage compartment as we have a Canada Proof 180W Portable Monocrystalline Solar Panel "suitcase" that we're going to play around with a little this season as we assess our usage and recharging requirements.
I think it turned out pretty clean and is ready to be upgraded or enhanced if we decide we need more battery capacity, a bigger inverter, and very likely permanent solar panels on the roof at some point in time.
Thanks to everyone who has previously posted on the many threads on this general topic - there is a lot of good information within this community. A special thanks to Ronnie (GMFL) for taking the time to have a phone call with me a few months back to share some of his very valuable experience and provide some great advice.
Cheers,
Dion