Removing AC power, any electrical reason not to?

[Trash Vanda]

If I never use shore power and can charge the house battery via alternator/solar, is there any reason not to remove the magnetek and related AC circuitry from my EVC? I have only basic DIY electrical knowledge, just want to confirm I'm not going to accidentally break any important connections elsewhere in the van if I just rip out the magnetek and replace it with nothing. (My purpose is just overall simplification as part of upgrading the battery and adding solar.)
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'97 EVC

[jjvincent]

No reason why you can't get rid of the AC. As for your future plan, it would be handy to utilize modern tech and still have the ability to plug in your van to charge the battery because I always see it as having the option to do so is better because you just never know. Most people can live without AC as many people with various vans and travel trailers do so. Plus with Lithium batteries being cheap and having good capacity along with mounting them anywhere and in any position, you can far exceed what your van was originally designed for.

There are plenty of resources out there especially with class B RV's. It's essentially your van just bigger. Just go to Europe and rent a caravan and you'll see. Most likely get a 5 year old Eurovan that has no AC and you can travel around without a problem.

[Trash Vanda]

Yeah thanks I'm actually not worried about missing any convenience or usability from removing the AC system at all, as I said I never use it and don't intend to.

I'm more just asking a dumb technical question about the electrical circuitry in the EVC specifically, to make sure I'm not going to remove the Magnatek or other AC components only to find I've inadvertently cut power to something else that I didn't know about.

As I continue to upgrade the house electrical I expect to gradually remove the whole AC system, starting with the Magnetek and AC fuse but eventually removing the AC outlets and wiring just for a cleaner interior or repurposing some of the cutouts.

Reading all the electrical threads from others, it seems like this plan will not present any problems. However, I didn't see any posts about removing AC power altogether, just a lot of discussion about replacing the Magnetek with a more modern inverter/charger. But I'm hoping I can skip all that complexity and simplify my whole system by just deleting all AC components.

Any reason this would cause a problem or interfere with other EVC operations in any way?
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'97 EVC

[OB Bus]

I *think* the magnatek connects to the AC circuit with a standard plug? If so, you can unplug it and that ends the issue. This leaves your AC circuitry in place "just in case". I am thinking of a small electric space heater if you happen to have 110 volts available.
If you have - or going to get - a Lithium battery you would likely need to invest in a DC-DC Charger to protect the car's alternator whilst charging the house battery.
Lots of threads here and on FB on this topic. My electrical skills are also limited and my rule when dealing with electrons is "first, do no harm".
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Larry in OB
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!
69 Westfalia and 2002 Eurovan Camper.
People deserve the Government they voted for.

[1961tbird]

Yes. I believe the old Magnetek just plugs in

[xEVC]

I'm a big fan of replacing the MagneTek as it's a pile of ****.

Replacing the rest of the AC wiring... I'm not sure what you would gain, and you would end up with a hole on the outside of the van and a few holes in the sink / cabinet / closet area where you'd need to put something else in. Seems like a lot of work.

Another thing you would lose is the ability to run the NorCold fridge on 120VAC.

Check out the Winnebago wiring diagrams: Link

On my 2000 EVC (which should be same as your 97) the AC circuits are on page 2 of the PDF, and show this chain:

INLET (the flap on the left outside of the van) -> JBOX (junction box behind the fuse panel in the rear) -> GFCI -> 15A breaker -> Wardrobe Receptacle -> Converter Receptacle (for the MagneTek) -> Refrigerator Receptacle (for the NorCold) --> Galley Receptacle
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2000 Eurovan Camper (Winnebago)
Upgraded with 16" wheels

[jjvincent]

I'd rip out the whole AC system and then simplify it. Still use the external plug in. Run that to something like a 2000 W inverter charger. Run that to the fridge. Then for an outlet, plug in an extension cord and run it to one of the existing plugs or skip all that and use a nice power strip. Most of the smaller inverter chargers already have a GFCI outlet on them.

After that, a DC-DC charger and some batteries. The biggest challenge is using a tape measure and finding spots to put batteries in. Luckily, you don't have to place all of the batteries in the same area, mount them any direction and there are lots of options.

Even my old RV (which was a 2018) used the same Magnatek garbage that your EV has. It was literally a great unit if you wanted to overcharge your batteries and make a mess.

[xEVC]

Some more thoughts...

* I've had a 800W 120VAC inverter in my van for years, and I rarely use it. These days, many "high power" devices such as laptops, satellite internet etc. can now run on DC.

* Beware of vampires (idle loads). A typical 12V DC to 120V AC @ 2000W inverter has a 15W - 20W idle load. If you planned to run a 120VAC compressor fridge from your inverter, you will waste more power in the inverter than you would actually use for cooling. Go for DC appliances when possible.

* Don't rip out the propane system - for furnace (heating) and stovetop (cooking) propane can't be beat. The ~5 gallons of propane in the EVC give you about 130kWH of heat. By comparison, you can only fit about 5kWh of LFP batteries in the van if you try really hard.

* Flexibility is good: having more ways to recharge your battery bank (solar, alternator, shore power, generator...) gives you more ways to use your van - camp under shade? start parking in a garage? move from Phoenix to Port Angeles? No problem!
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2000 Eurovan Camper (Winnebago)
Upgraded with 16" wheels

[kourt]

I agree with xEVC here. Maintaining the ability to easily charge via shore power is very useful. It has been extremely useful for me when my plans suddenly change and I need to get the house battery from 55% charge to more like 85% charge in an hour, and then leave for the campsite.

And never remove propane appliances. Extremely useful and efficient.

An inverter should be regarded as a load, and one of last resort.

kourt

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2001 Eurovan Winnebago Camper