That is disappointing. I've already reached out to my marine electrician who can do this job. He likes it because I can actually drive the "land yacht" to his shop for work...
Might as well put the smallest, cheapest lithium battery possible in there until you get the one you want.
You mentioned a Balmar alternator? Is that the alternator you went with instead of the Nations? If that is the case the electrical set-up is almost exactly like a boat with balmar alternator, external balmar regulator, and Blue Seas panels.
Is running new cable from the alternator a possibility after the interior is built in? It looked to me from previous build pictures the a good portion of the wiring is not accessible after build
Lithionics makes a couple batteries in the 45-66Ah range. Since the battery is getting pulled, curious why you don't just put the bare minimum battery like that in? Even that battery is listed at about $1,000+. Clearly not enough to run much of anything installed but I think the idea is to just get the lithium profile/template going in the van then replace?
I would think we'd test everything (fridge, a/c, etc) then it all gets shut down while the van is driven to a post-conversion site for the lithium replacement.
Wrinkledpants/TomH, I'd like to put the below battery in. We decided to switch back to the dinette lay-out after like Wrinkledpants has, we were 50/50 on that anyway. It seems this way that most of what is going underneath the settees are exactly what Wrinkledpants is doing.
Can Wrinkledpants verify that the height requirement will work for this battery? I believe that will be the only critical dimension. Width and length should be OK if SMB leaves room. I was thinking this battery would go in the forward most part of either settee, drivers side or passengers side. We'll have the battery box and minimal battery installed removed and replace it with a larger battery, hopefully this one.
I had a great Balmar alternator on my Perkins 4-108 engine, external regulator, easy to work yourself.
If the Balmars will fit, and I would think they would, that is the way to go since it could be synced up with a Balmar external regulator. Not that the Nations alternators can't be, but I am a fan of pairing components with the same manufacturer.
They are Saddle Mount (Dual Foot), 4in.
As seems to be the case with all our efforts, it comes down to what SMB will install.
The below is basic information but good to have for conversations with SMB, direct from the Balmar Alternator PDF guide. That guide has great information on Blamar Alternators as well.
Fitz had the below installed in his build. The dimensions are perfect for larger battery/wiring. Wondering if it could be insulated and used for a larger lithium. Take a look in his build thread.
I sent out a feeler to Balmar (CDI). They steered me to Nations Alternators.
Couple of Van outfits up in our neck of the woods who do the type of work we would require post-conversion. I've contacted both:
1. Van Specialties
19400 SW 125th Ct.
Tualatin, OR 97062
2. Van Guys, LLC
20772 Carmen Loop, Suite 120
Bend OR 97702
Brian just told me that the wire they install from alternator to battery goes through the wall, without conduit, and that replacing it would be a nightmare. He also said, however, that they use 2/0 gauge wire for that, which is pretty substantial wire. I think the most critical place for wiring is when someone places two 6V batteries in series to produce 12V. That is a place where I would really want 0 gauge and very high conductivity connectors to reduce voltage drop between the two. Maybe we're fine with 2/0 coming off the alternator.
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