WFCO converter

[Magicch]

We have a 2023 23fb flying cloud. It has the WFCO converter that is supposed to convert to lithium batteries automatically. Back when we bought it, about 2 years ago, most of what I read indicated it did not change to lithium very well and owners were replacing with different brands. Now I am thinking of going to lithium and wonder as time has gone on if owners figured out how to make the WFCO work for them with lithium batteries. Thanks.

[Pal47448]

I recentlty changed over to LifePO4. I had contacted wfco for instructions on how to make it recogonize. I also read that it was a battle to get it synced. However, my accepeted the very first time. I beleive they instructed me to run the batteries below 20% and then plug it in to shore power and charge to 100%. The green light turned blue on the first try.

[Pal47448]

Originally Posted by Pal47448

I recentlty changed over to LifePO4. I had contacted wfco for instructions on how to make it recogonize. I also read that it was a battle to get it synced. However, my accepeted the very first time. I beleive they instructed me to run the batteries below 20% and then plug it in to shore power and charge to 100%. The green light turned blue on the first try.

I just went and double checked to make sure the light was still blue, it has reverted back to green. I guess it was not as successful as I thought. I will run it down and re-sync again.

[BGClassic]

I hate to sound negative, but after my experience with our 9 month old WFCO converter failing at 3 A.M., I'd just replace it with something better quality, that will charge lithium. Victron and others make good quality chargers.

[Sunny Falls]

Yep, WFCO Auto Detect sucks... Here's an excerpt from our Casita travel trailer modification writeup that can be found by Googling our trailer name if interested:

"For some bizarre reason, our Casita trailer OEM WFCO WF-8955-AD-MBA Converter/Charger used a microprocessor and firmware to “Auto Detect” (AD) the type of the battery in order to then select the proper battery charge profile (e.g., lead acid battery, lithium battery, etc.). There have been many reports of this WFCO-8955-AD-MBA Converter/Charger reverting from the lithium battery charge profile to the lead acid battery charge profile (even AFTER getting it updated with the latest firmware…v1.19 as of this writing). We decided we just didn’t want to risk and experience this while camping. Frankly, it makes little sense to us why a company would complicate what should be a very simple and robust battery charging device with a microprocessor and firmware when a simple jumper pin or switch would certainly be more reliable? Perhaps to help address the situation of having to deal with an increasing clueless and ignorant population working on RVs who might not be capable of toggling the jumper pin or switch correctly given the type of battery being used? In any event and sad to say, this WFCO design approach and wasting much time working with WFCO to resolve this issue to no avail didn’t instill us with very much confidence in their products in general.

Furthermore, our Casita trailer OEM Converter/Charger when in the lithium battery Bulk charge profile charged at 14.6VDC and 55A and our Renogy 100AH LiFePO4 Deep Cycle Self-Heating Battery calls for a 14.4VDC maximum charge voltage and is only rated for a maximum charge current of 50A. There have been reports that exceeding the maximum charge voltage or maximum charge current rating of lithium batteries that use a Battery Management System (BMS) by even a small amount can cause the BMS to disconnect the battery which can then require having to accomplish a complicated BMS reset procedure. And then there is also the remote but potential situation of the lithium battery BMS completely failing and allowing the lithium battery to charge above its maximum charge current rating which could then cause the lithium battery to fail and self-ignite. So, we didn’t feel the need to push these limits or personally test this out while camping.

Therefore, after giving this some deep thought and doing much research, we also decided to replace our Casita trailer OEM WFCO WF-8955-AD-MBA Converter/Charger with a Progressive Dynamics PD9145ALV Converter/Charger which automatically only uses proper LiFePO4 charge profiles (14.4VDC Bulk Stage and13.6VDC Idle Stage) given the charge state and actual real-time usage of the LiFePO4 battery and can only physically provide a maximum charge current of 45A. And we also have a Progressive Dynamics PD92201 Converter/Charger Remote Pendant which provides remote annunciation of the current LiFePO4 charge profile being used and also enables manual selection if desired.

In summary, a reliable Charger/Converter which automatically uses proper LiFePO4 Bulk Stage and Idle Stage voltage profiles, provides remote annunciation of the actual voltage stage profile being used while also enabling manual selection of the desired voltage profile stage charge to use, and charges at a lower maximum charge current (i.e., 45A) than the maximum charge current rating of our LiFePO4 battery (i.e., 50A), our replacement auto resetting circuit breaker (i.e., 50A) and our added Maxi Blade fuse (i.e., 60A) seemed like a much better approach and also remedied our safety concern with the original Casita trailer OEM arrangement (please see our Improved Battery Disconnect Location/Functionality section for additional details on this). Our Charger/Converter was mounted on a shelf created above the back of the AC and DC distribution panels and simply plugs into a 120VAC electrical receptacle outlet on the back of our AC distribution panel and easily connects to our DC distribution panel. This location also makes our Charger/Converter very convenient/easy to access and keeps it out of harm’s way should our Casita trailer plumbing ever fail resulting in a water leak."

Gayle & Bob
"Los Gatos Casita"

[G8trwood]

More expensive, but the 50a Victron was well worth it to me in the long run. Plus lots of settings if you like to experiment, lol

[ITSNO60]

IMO the only way to make the WFCO work is by upsizing the charge cables or moving the batteries closer. I experimented with mine and temporarily ran some parallel wires and it worked fine. Not having got around to running permanent wires I use a Victron Blue Smart charger set to Li in combination with my DC-DC charger, either of which can top them off for cell balancing when needed. Solar is another option for topping that I don't have. Meanwhile the WFCO does fine for supplying all house power needs when plugged in, and will get the Lithium "mostly" charged.

I have the Victron mounted and connected to the Li and when I want to use it I just plug it into the outlet that is right nearby so it charges any time we are on shore power.

I probably won't ever run the bigger wires as this has been working fine for us. No need to have the Li topped off all the time, in fact most manufacturers say not to.

[Wazbro]

Originally Posted by ITSNO60

IMO the only way to make the WFCO work is by upsizing the charge cables or moving the batteries closer.

From all reports this does seem to be the case, Airstream uses wires that would barely be large enough if they were only 1/3 the length.

[JEB]

If the auto detect isn’t working to your satisfaction, call WFCO technical support and ask them to send you a jumper to lock the converter into lithium mode. It works, but you’ll need to remember to remove it if you ever decide to revert back to SLA batteries or you’ll cook ‘em.

[FC25_Kashmir]

Originally Posted by G8trwood

More expensive, but the 50a Victron was well worth it to me in the long run. Plus lots of settings if you like to experiment, lol

What model Victron do you suggest? I am a bit confused by charger versus charger / converter.

Any guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks

[PB_NB]

I went with a GoPower converter. It has a dial to fine adjust the output voltage. I used my multimeter and set the voltage to 14.2V dc. It has been great for many years.

My trailer came with nothing at all expect a 12V lead acid battery and a WFCO converter. It was a blank slate so I went with Lithium and added a bunch of other GoPower stuff to the trailer.

If I had a choice now, I would probably look at the Victron Multiplus as the heart of my system.

[Downsized]

Originally Posted by JEB

If the auto detect isn’t working to your satisfaction, call WFCO technical support and ask them to send you a jumper to lock the converter into lithium mode. It works, but you’ll need to remember to remove it if you ever decide to revert back to SLA batteries or you’ll cook ‘em.

Could one just build one and attach it? Is it clearly marked?

[JEB]

Originally Posted by Downsized

Could one just build one and attach it? Is it clearly marked?

I suppose you could build one, if you are suitably skilled. I am not. It’s just a 6-pin connector that jumps the first two pins. It’s easy to spot on the converter board (white connector, 6 pins) if you loosen the screws holding the converter to the floor and slide it out a little. Post #6 in this thread has pictures of the jumper WFCO will send you and the location of the connector on the board of a smaller 35-amp converter but it’s pretty much the same for larger converters. https://www.forestriverforums.com/th...ad-fix.385106/.

[Sunny Falls]

If you use the jumper approach, just be sure to put warning labels on the battery compartment and WFCO charger to keep any future owner from putting in a LA battery and then causing an explosion. LiFePO4 only chargers and chargers that use jumpers/switches usually have these warning labels.

The other thing to be careful about is if there is an Auto Resetting Circuit Breaker located between the battery and charger. Auto Resetting Circuit Breakers are often used when it would be difficult or inconvenient to access a fuse where they are located. Unfortunately, Auto Resetting Circuit Breakers are polarized (they use an electromagnet to increase the opening gap to extinguish a DC arc) and as such, they only safely disconnect for an overcurrent going from the battery to the RV systems. However, when charging the battery, current goes from the charger to the battery violating the installed polarization requirement. If your charger produces a higher current than the Auto Resetting Circuit Breaker rating, it will arc, overheat and potentially cause a fire. The easiest solution to this issue is to never use a charger that can physically generate current in excess of Auto Resetting Circuit Breaker rating. Another solution is to replace the Auto Resetting Circuit Breaker with one having a higher amperage rating than can be physically generated by the charger and additionally also use proper wiring that handle this higher amperage. And another solution is to replace the Auto Resetting Circuit Breaker with a fuse (or put a fuse in series with the Auto Resetting Circuit Breaker), again making sure the amperage rating of everything is proper.

Gayle & Bob
"Los Gatos Casita"

[Cannonball]

The best way to get the WFCO to work is to replace it completely. Contact Randy at Best Converters. He recommended a Wildkat/Progressive Dynamics converter for lithium. Seems much better to me.

[mythbuster88]

WFCO.

Where Failure Commonly Occurs.

World Finds Chiefly Obsolete