Lights work but nothing else

[ronchable2]

I am new to travel trailers in general so I may be asking a dumb question or two but I figure no better place than here to ask it!

I just recently took my trailer up north to set up for hunting season in the fall, all the interior lights work just fine on battery power but I can't seem to get anything else to work... (Water pump, outlets, etc.)

Can anyone help me with where I should start looking to diagnose this issue? makes dry camping difficult when the water pump and toilet don't work

[JFlightRisk]

Are you plugged in to 110 volt power, also, or are you running on battery only? (The outlets won't have power unless plugged in, or using a generator.) The water pump will work on battery power (1) if it's charged up enough, and (2) check to make sure the pump switch is on.

[ronchable2]

Thanks for the info...I thought the outlets would work but now that i think about it, they would obviously require 110V to work properly i guess.

We were strictly on battery power while up there (what I plan to do most of the time) and we could not find a switch on the pump itself or on anything else connected to that system.

[JFlightRisk]

Check around the area where your battery/tank level monitor panel is. On our TT, there are switches on the monitor for the water pump, and water heater. There probably won't be any switch on the pump, itself.

[Kim Gass]

Water pump switch is over the sink in our unit
Lights work on battery toilet bath kitchen sink do too
For outlets you'll need a small generator
For micro and AC too
Furnace runs on gas but takes battery too to run the fan
Micro for us dry camping is our fruit storage locker. I don't use it much at home except to reheat coffee either

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by ronchable2

Thanks for the info...I thought the outlets would work but now that i think about it, they would obviously require 110V to work properly i guess.

We were strictly on battery power while up there (what I plan to do most of the time) and we could not find a switch on the pump itself or on anything else connected to that system.

On many trailers there is a panel with a number of switches: water pump on/off, water heater (electric on/off & propane on/off), lights on/off, slide in/out, awning in/out.

What trailer do you have?

[ronchable2]

Originally Posted by oldmanAZ

On many trailers there is a panel with a number of switches: water pump on/off, water heater (electric on/off & propane on/off), lights on/off, slide in/out, awning in/out.

What trailer do you have?

So the trailer I have is a 1994 J-3250 so I am not sure it has all of this modern on/off switches that you speak of lol

One this I did notice, that makes sense with the lack of 110V, is that the water pump was plugged into the wall to get power. Obviously it would not get power if the plugs are not powered so it is starting to make more sense. I guess I would have assumed that the pump would be running off of 12V DC as well though...

[JFlightRisk]

Never thought about it having a 110v pump! That's a whole different scenario. Wish I was more help, but I'm sure there are more ideas cultivating out there! Good luck!

[ronchable2]

Originally Posted by JFlightRisk

Never thought about it having a 110v pump! That's a whole different scenario. Wish I was more help, but I'm sure there are more ideas cultivating out there! Good luck!

Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me to have a 110V pump in there but maybe that's it and I just have to get an inverter or replace the pump with a 12V...

[mike837go]

Originally Posted by ronchable2

Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me to have a 110V pump in there but maybe that's it and I just have to get an inverter or replace the pump with a 12V...

The joys of buying used...

The previous owner customized the TT for his/her own satisfaction. My 1st TT had a 120VAC bar fridge because that family only used it in full hookup campgrounds. The pump was dried out from non-usage...

By the time I sold it, the whole water system was re-worked, a gas fridge was installed. A range (oven and stove) replaced the stove and a cabinet. And a bunch of other small mods so it was really ready for Dry Camping (boondocking). The young woman I sold it to was planning on making it a portable office for selling large parcels to the equestrian crowd....

So a 120V water pump doesn't surprise me.

I strongly recommend educating yourself on each of the sub-systems of your new portable house:
- Water (City, Fresh, Gray and Black)
- 12VDC
- 120VAC
- Propane
- Refrigeration
- Heating
- Overall Structure
- Windows
- Roof (really important)
and how they interact with each other.

You've got some work ahead of you. But once you get a handle on which what is where and how it does what its supposed to.... You will have a wonderful time!