Converter/Charger upgrade for Lithium batteries?

Here’s the basics and my product recommendation….

Mike,

My son is upgrading to a Lithium Battery on his 2018 Coachmen travel trailer. Have you reviewed any replacement converter chargers that are lithium compatible? Would love a recommendation if you have one.

Thanks - Dave 

Hey Dave,

That’s an easy one for me. I believe that Progressive Dynamics, Inc. not only makes a great charger/converter, they also offer excellent customer support. So I fully recommend them. However, there’s a few things to consider before you pick an upgrade product…

What type converter do you currently have?

There’s two basic categories of converter chargers (three if you include AC inverters). You can have a deck/floor mount converter like this one below. It feeds DC power directly to your RV house batteries.

Or you can have a wall mount converter that’s part of your load center like this one shown below. The load center Converter/Charger also includes all of your RV’s 120-volt AC circuits breakers and 12-volt DC fuses.

What to replace for a deck unit?

If you currently have a deck charger, then the entire unit needs to be replaced. I use the Progressive Dynamics Inteli-Power Converter/Charger in my lab and it would be a great choice for you.

It’s also a pretty easy install since you only need to reconnect the three incoming 120-volt AC wires, and the two outgoing 12-volt DC wires. Just be careful to match the color coding of the wires.

What to replace for a Wall Mount Load Center?

If you currently have a wall-mount Converter/Charger that’s part of your load center, there’s an easy way and a hard way. If it’s an earlier Progressive Dynamics unit that’s not Lithium compatible, you can probably replace just the C/C module in a few minutes. Here’s what that module looks like.

What if you don’t have a Progressive Dynamics Load Center?

You can either replace the entire load center (which involves changing a few dozen wires), or if you’re lucky and have a WFCO load center, Progress Dynamics may already make a replacement drop-in Lithium Converter/Charger module. See the link at the bottom for a compatibility chart.

Don’t upgrade amperage without changing out all your battery wiring!

That’s because your battery charging wiring will probably be rated for the charging capacity of your existing Converter/Charger. So, for example, if you install an 80-amp charger using existing battery wires rated for 40-amps you’ll soon overheat the wiring and maybe even start a fire.

Yes, it’s possible to replace your existing battery wiring with heavier conductors when installing a higher amperage Converter/Charger, but that’s not a simple DIY project.

Here’s what Progressive Dynamics says about selecting charger amperage

“WARNING! Do not replace your present Lead/Acid Converter/Charger or Converter/Charger Section with a Lithium Model with an Amp rating higher than the D.C Amp output rating of your present unit as your RV wiring is may not be capable of safely handling this extra current!”

Find out more

Progressive Dynamics, Inc. has an excellent online reference guide that will help you select the appropriate Lithium Charger upgrade products. Read more about it HERE.

Let’s play safe out there… Mike