Wiring Questions and Advice - Converter Upgrade

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Thu, 03/07/2019 - 09:10
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Rabidsnipe
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Joined: 03/06/2019 - 16:46
Wiring Questions and Advice - Converter Upgrade

Background:

I picked up a 2005 Scamp 16 Layout 4 over the winter and am currently working through getting it up to speed for the upcoming camping season.  It currently has an American Enterprises CS2000XL Power Center/Converter with a failed converter.  A previous owner swapped the failed converter for a hard-wired Battery Tender (1.25 amp) that appears to have also failed.  Seeing as how the trailer came equipped with a dual 6V battery setup with 230 AH capacity (SLIGC115), the charger capacity seemed hilariously undersized.

In my search for an appropriately modern, and appropriately sized, power center, the best thing I came up with was a Progressive Dynamics PD4135 (Link to specs).  Seeing as how the max DC current rating increased by 75%, it seemed prudent to increase the backbone wiring that runs from the converter to the battery.  Using the handy graphs over at West Marine (Marine Wire Size and Ampacity), I plan on running 6 AWG wiring between the battery and converter.  After failing to get a fish tape behind/beneath the shower pan, I decided to run the wire beneath the trailer in liquid tight flexible conduit.  Which raises a question.

The Question:

What should I do with the existing +12 volt black that runs in the wiring harness from the trailer connecter to the converter?

I don't really know what all is connected to this wire but I plan on pulling the main fuse from the converter and see what still operates (I assume only interior lights, but who knows).  I figure I have three options:

  1. Leave it alone.  While I don't think this technically will hurt anything, it does have the potential of making future trouble shooting more difficult.
  2. Disconnect the line upstream of the fuse under the bunk.  This would basically convert the lights and whatever else is on the circuit to a fused circuit that originates at the power converter.
  3. Disconnect the line from the power converter.  This would allow the interior lights to still operate when connected to the TV and a failed trailer battery.

Any feedback is more than welcome.  Thanks in advance.

-Chase

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