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Converter upgrade

Started by Jim in Michigan, Jul 14, 2005, 10:35 AM

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Jim in Michigan

My Centurian converter went out again.  I was thinking of changing it out with a regular 12VDC transformer, some fuse blocks and terminal strip because I don't have a battery and never will.  I am finding that this will end up costing me more than just buying a new converter.  Since this is the second unit to die in the six years I have owned this camper I don't want to put another Centurian in its place.  All I am powering now is the overhead lights, heater blower and a power point for a plug in cooler.  The fridge in the unit went out a few years ago so now I just use the cooler and use the fridge for storage.  The current unit I have puts out 10amp 12VDC and for the same kind of money I can put in a 30amp unit in its place.  Has anyone done this before?  Any recommendations on a reliable replacement?  Any pitfalls I should know in advance in undertaking this?  I replaced the last unit myself and have all the DC wires wrung out.  The 30amp AC shore power cable connects directly to the Centurian with a 15amp breaker for the AC, a 10amp breaker for the other outlets then the 12VDC fuses (blade type) come off the converter.  There is a 1 amp for the CO detector, a 10amp for the overhead lights, and a 15amp for the furnace and the fridge.  There was also a 30amp that would have gone to the battery if I had one.

AustinBoston

The two biggest things to come to mind are:

1) Make sure the unit has adequate ventilation (some factory installations are inadequate in this regard).

2) Make sure you have enough room!  The new unit is likely to be a different size/shape, and you don't want to discover that it doesn't fit.

BTW, do you have electric brakes?  E-Brakes are a very good reason to have a battery (a very small one will do) for a break-away switch.

Austin