Hi Suzie
Glad things on the home front are doing well and son is home safe. That is great news.
Yes Best Convertor has been good to work with. A few tips I can pass along on the convertor install.
Before unhooking anything, take real good detail pictures of your existing setup. If needed you can post to help tell us what you had and ask questions. Plus the memory of a picture doesn't forget ...
Did you buy just the convertor circuit board itself or a complete convertor with the case, AC portion and DC fuses? Just the convertor board is easier on the hook up as there is less wire to deal with but both can be done.
If you have a complete convertor swap, there are several wires to move from one to the other. Since there is a qty of 120 VAC in the complete change option the system this takes someone who is familiar with working with household electrical wiring skills at a minimum. These skills understand the risks and precautions working with this voltage. A friend who is an electrician will have zero issues doing the conversion as it does not have to be a RV repair person.
Heads up on the color of the wires. Especially the white wire. White has been used (often) as the 12 VDC common in many cases and so is the 120 VAC common wire. Those white wires are truly different and the 2 sources should not connect with each other inside the camper. Doing so will create issues with proper grounding in your camper.
You will find in the convertor box what we call a buss strip, it is a terminal strip with a bunch of screws in it. One will be for the 120 VAC common and one will be for the earth grounds coming from the 120 volt wall plugs and appliances, green or bare copper wire attached to it.
There is a bunch of white wires coming from the 12VDC circuits and at least on mine Sunline bunched them up on a terminal strip outside the convertor box. There are still some white 12VDC wires inside the convertor box as well to note where they go.
See these pics. This is my old one with the cover off. You can see the 2 bus terminal strips.
And here a close up, one is for the grounds and the 2nd for the 120 VAC common.
We nick name this "rats nest"... but this is how they do it in the RV world. The convertor pulled from the cabinet showing the 12 VDC wiring all bunched togehter
A close up you can see the 12 VDC terminal strip screwed into the rug
Screw tightness. In a camper that rolls down the road screws in the convertor can loosen up over time. During the install a final tightness check on every screw is a good thing to do. And also a yearly check is good too. Even if the screw has no wire on it, tighten it up as the screw backing out and rolling around in the convertor is not a good thing.
The change out is straight forward for someone who has done electrical work before. If there are any questions post away and pics help a great deal.
And happy camping
John
Linear Mode
