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Old 04-16-2018, 04:16 PM   #1
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Trimetric 2030 Battery Monitor Shunt Location and Battery Connection

I have been mapping out the wiring and shunt location for a Trimetric battery monitor in our 17B. The negative wires from the power centre all go out through the floor to a ground point on the frame. The battery negative is also connected to a ground point on the frame.

I think I have two options for the shunt:
1. Install the shunt in the rear dinette. This would mean wiring all negatives from power centre and the chassis to the shunt and then running a new wire from the shunt to the battery.
2. Install the shunt in a weatherproof enclosure in the battery box on the bumper and run all the sensing wires out there.

I think option 2 might be the simplest but I can't find a suitable exterior rated enclosure. Has anyone tried mounting the shunt outside in the battery box in an exterior rated box? I did find the Victron BMV-700H Shuntbox but I am not sure if the box is available separately.

Thanks!
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Old 04-16-2018, 05:37 PM   #2
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Outside box

I am not sure what size you need but these boxes work good from Home Depot. The are 4 inches square and come either 2 or 4 inches high.
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Old 04-16-2018, 06:08 PM   #3
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The negative wires from the power centre all go out through the floor to a ground point on the frame. The battery negative is also connected to a ground point on the frame.
Since you're upgrading your electrical system that's an area that you might want to take a look at.

When I rewired my trailer, that situation; ground wire from battery going to ground on the trailer frame, using a short bit of the frame as a ground and then a cable from the frame to the panel caught my eye. Each cable attachment to the frame, under the trailer exposed to moisture etc. is a potential point for corrosion and degradation of the current carrying capacity. I eliminated that situation. I think ETI has since stopped doing that.

A simple fix, short of replacing the two cables with a single cable, is to bridge that area with a battery cable. Lug to lug stands less chance of degradation than a screw into the steel frame. I coat connections like that with liquid electrical tape.

Ron
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Old 04-16-2018, 07:19 PM   #4
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Each cable attachment to the frame, under the trailer exposed to moisture etc. is a potential point for corrosion and degradation of the current carrying capacity. I eliminated that situation. I think ETI has since stopped doing that.
Great point! I hadn't thought of that but once you mentioned it I remembered troubleshooting boat trailer lights that weren't working due to a bad ground. I think it makes sense to install a direct run to the battery then. It keeps the battery shunt inside the trailer away from moisture, etc. I was thinking a #8 AWG would be fine as I don't have an invertor in our system and I am only going about 6'. Any reason for going with something bigger?
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Old 04-16-2018, 08:57 PM   #5
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Great point! I hadn't thought of that but once you mentioned it I remembered troubleshooting boat trailer lights that weren't working due to a bad ground. I think it makes sense to install a direct run to the battery then. It keeps the battery shunt inside the trailer away from moisture, etc. I was thinking a #8 AWG would be fine as I don't have an invertor in our system and I am only going about 6'. Any reason for going with something bigger?
Sounds like my kind of project! The cable size should be selected for the maximum amp current draw which will probably be your converter that charges your battery when hooked up to shore power. I believe your trailer has a 30 amp converter (battery charger) so a short 10 AWG wire from the battery will be sized correctly for that load. I have 4 6 volt batteries and installed a 45 amp converter in my 19" so I ran 8 AWG in mine. I've measured almost 50 amps when charging and the 8 gauge gets slightly warm after a few minutes. Sizing that wire feed is important and I believe 10 AWG will be fine. Install your shunt inside if possible. The overall wiring will be much simpler. Good luck!

Steve
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Old 04-16-2018, 09:03 PM   #6
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There should be a single connection from the battery negative to the shunt, and then the shunt connects to all other negatives in the trailer including the frame. The shunt measures all current returning to the battery.
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Old 04-16-2018, 09:07 PM   #7
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There should be a single connection from the battery negative to the shunt, and then the shunt connects to all other negatives in the trailer including the frame. The shunt measures all current returning to the battery .
Yes! Very important...
"returning to the battery" and from the battery...that is how the battery monitor accurately determines the charge condition.
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Old 04-16-2018, 09:43 PM   #8
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Since the shunt must be in the (only) path from battery negative to the rest of the trailer, the three locations choices are then:
  1. in the battery box (probably not enough space),
  2. in a separate external box (that would be my choice), or
  3. inside the trailer.

Since the shunt dissipates a little bit of heat, it might make sense to use a ventilated weatherproof box, rather than a completely sealed box; on the other hand, Victron's box appears to be just sealed. A metal box might be another alternative.
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Old 04-16-2018, 09:52 PM   #9
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I am not sure what size you need but these boxes work good from Home Depot. The are 4 inches square and come either 2 or 4 inches high.
The box I got to install my Victron shunt in close to batteries inside storage box . Pat
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Old 04-16-2018, 09:57 PM   #10
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Since the shunt must be in the (only) path from battery negative to the rest of the trailer, the three locations choices are then:
  1. in the battery box (probably not enough space),
  2. in a separate external box (that would be my choice), or
  3. inside the trailer.
Running a single 10 AWG or 8 AWG wire from the negative post of the battery to the inside of the trailer is easy with a drill and some sealant for the drilled holes. Then, no box is needed because weather-proofing is not an issue for the shunt and the wire can be terminated directly to the shunt inside then another supply wire to the ground wires from the power center to the other side...my vote is to keep the shunt inside and the impact of that choice is minimal...
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Old 04-16-2018, 10:05 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
Since the shunt must be in the (only) path from battery negative to the rest of the trailer, the three locations choices are then:
  1. in the battery box (probably not enough space),
  2. in a separate external box (that would be my choice), or
  3. inside the trailer.

Since the shunt dissipates a little bit of heat, it might make sense to use a ventilated weatherproof box, rather than a completely sealed box; on the other hand, Victron's box appears to be just sealed. A metal box might be another alternative.
I have my shunt inside the 19' on the driver's side box under the dinette and never felt any heat at all coming from mine, even in my high amperage setup...no box needed...
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Old 04-16-2018, 10:12 PM   #12
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I believe your trailer has a 30 amp converter (battery charger) so a short 10 AWG wire from the battery will be sized correctly for that load. I have 4 6 volt batteries and installed a 45 amp converter in my 19" so I ran 8 AWG in mine. I've measured almost 50 amps when charging and the 8 gauge gets slightly warm after a few minutes. Sizing that wire feed is important and I believe 10 AWG will be fine.
Don’t all Escape trailers use the WFCO 8955 power center? This has a maximum DC output of 55 amps based on the unit specs.

WF-8955 | wfcoelectronics.com
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Old 04-16-2018, 10:41 PM   #13
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I have my shunt inside the 19' on the driver's side box under the dinette and never felt any heat at all coming from mine, even in my high amperage setup...no box needed...

But it's open to a large cabinet volume. Trap it in a little sealed box and that may change.

Quote:
Originally Posted by hotfishtacos View Post
Running a single 10 AWG or 8 AWG wire from the negative post of the battery to the inside of the trailer is easy with a drill and some sealant for the drilled holes. Then, no box is needed because weather-proofing is not an issue for the shunt and the wire can be terminated directly to the shunt inside then another supply wire to the ground wires from the power center to the other side...my vote is to keep the shunt inside and the impact of that choice is minimal...
That all makes sense, and works fine, but I just dislike equipment buried in cabinets. If the cabinet used (presumably under a dinette seat) is used for storage (or a stuffed-in shore power cord), then I would still want some sort of cover (not sealed at all) for physical protection of the shunt and wiring terminations.
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Old 04-16-2018, 10:57 PM   #14
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Don’t all Escape trailers use the WFCO 8955 power center? This has a maximum DC output of 55 amps based on the unit specs.

WF-8955 | wfcoelectronics.com
You are right! It has been a while since I made the installation and I remember now doing it to set the charge voltages for my 6 volt batteries.
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Old 04-16-2018, 11:07 PM   #15
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Don’t all Escape trailers use the WFCO 8955 power center? This has a maximum DC output of 55 amps based on the unit specs.

WF-8955 | wfcoelectronics.com
That's what we have Dave . Pat
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Old 04-16-2018, 11:07 PM   #16
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Specs can change at any time, but it looks like the Escape web site specified 45 amps from 2005 (or earlier) to just before the 2009 introduction of the 13' and 19' models, and 55 amps since then. If the published spec is correct this trailer could have either, depending on date of manufacture. Michael can just read the spec off of his converter (or the model number), but it's not a big difference.

Of course the battery can deliver much more than the converter, so while the converter/charger output rating is the highest-current case for charging, discharging current can (for a while) be higher if there is a enough load plugged in (which is unlikely without an inverter).
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Old 04-16-2018, 11:19 PM   #17
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But it's open to a large cabinet volume. Trap it in a little sealed box and that may change.


That all makes sense, and works fine, but I just dislike equipment buried in cabinets. If the cabinet used (presumably under a dinette seat) is used for storage (or a stuffed-in shore power cord), then I would still want some sort of cover (not sealed at all) for physical protection of the shunt and wiring terminations.
Under my driver's side dinette seat I have all of my power stuff,. I find it is practical to have it all in one place if possible; 3 gauge wires installed by Escape from the 2 batteries in the front box (4 total) to my 2,500 watt Inverter, Programmable Tristar/Morningstar Solar Controller, manual power transfer switch, Victron BMV-12 Battery Monitor with Shunt, battery disconnect, WFCO ULtra III WF 8955 Distribution Center and SolarMax 45 AMP Controller.

Since everything is inside the trailer, inside a single compartment I haven't gone to the bother of putting everything in separate boxes as you would for 120 volt installations.

Steve
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