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Old 03-26-2015, 08:18 AM   #1
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Running more things on battery

We have an 2014 X23B and love it. When on batteries only...and I installed a second.... we cannot even run the TV. I get the microwave, etc pulling too much for the batteries, but does anyone have a solution for getting more use out of the batteries?

We can run the usual stuff ok, water pump, heat fan, lights, stove vent fan, radio. I don't know why the little TV they put in here wouldn't run too?

Thanks in advance!
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Old 03-26-2015, 08:38 AM   #2
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Did you install an inverter? Microwave will kill your batteries fast, not recommended to run when only on inverter.
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Old 03-26-2015, 08:42 AM   #3
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Microwave is shore power only.
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Old 03-26-2015, 08:44 AM   #4
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You need a power inverter to run your TV. I tried a few modified sine wave inverters and always got noise/feedback through the radio. I then bought a NPower 300 watt pure sine wave inverter from Northerntool.com $89 and it works great. I just plug it into the 12v receptacle by the TV. I found that my 32" LED TV that came with the trailer uses under 50 watts. There is no problem running it from the 12v receptacle.
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Old 03-26-2015, 08:46 AM   #5
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We replaced our 120 VAC television with a 12 VDC television that uses just 90 watts.

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Old 03-26-2015, 09:10 AM   #6
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Check to see if your 12VDC accessory outlet has 12Volts. Also, inside the 12VDC male plug (from Tv) has a fuse in it also... Check both.

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Old 03-26-2015, 07:56 PM   #7
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Thank you all for the advice. I wasn't clear up front...but I understood already the microwave was a battery no-go.


There is a 12V female jack by the TV so I may look in to the inverter.


One more thought:


There is a wall plug in a cupboard that the stove fan plugs in to and runs when on battery. Presumably this is so you can cook with gas and vent it while on batteries. Couldn't I just unplug that vent plug and plug IN the TV? The chord seems long enough. Do you think there's a power issue doing that?


Thanks again!
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Old 03-27-2015, 02:53 PM   #8
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I ordered the NPower 300 Inverter. I take it you just bought a 12v adapter with a red and black wire off it?


Thanks for the help!
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Old 04-07-2015, 06:16 PM   #9
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One more question

I'm having a tough time finding the male 12v adapter with just the red/black wires off it to attach to the inverter.

The socket is right there under the cabinet. I just need the adapter.

With rings not clamps at the end of the red/black. I have to screw it down to the inverter terminals.

THANKS!!
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Old 04-07-2015, 06:35 PM   #10
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I appreciate this question. My kids would've been really bummed if we got out there on our first trip with our own trailer and no t.v.

Can someone please post a link of this inverter thingy that we will need? We plan to get a 32" t.v. so is all I need to look for is one with 12 VDC whatever that is?
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Old 04-07-2015, 07:01 PM   #11
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You need to size your inverter and batteries and draw correctly. Too large, and it will consume too much power. Too small and it won't have enough power to operate your equipment. This starts by doing a budget. For example, I did a budget recently of everything I wanted to operate on my batteries at night while I'm asleep. See attached. I think I did it right.

Don't forget anything. Your CO/propane alarm using power. Anything plugged in (for the most part) that is off even draws power. A refrigerator operating on propane even needs some electricity to work. Every small fan needs power.

You need to use the Internet and user manual to source the information to build your budget.

Watt Hours = Watts x Hours
Amp Hours = Watt Hours / Volts
Amps = Volts / Watts

Notice that I have 400 amp hours of battery storage. HOWEVER, you do not want to run your batteries below 50 to 60% below its capacity. Doing so will shorten the life of your batteries dramatically. So although my total overnight budget is 58.88 amp hours, I technically can only use a maximum of 200 amp hours.

To calculate the amount of energy your inverter uses you need to add up all of the AC watts you will be using X the efficiency rating of your inverter. In my case it was 85%. My inverter is way bigger (2000 watts) than what I need for my overnight needs...might use a smaller inverter for just overnight stuff, but for the purposes of this exercise it works just fine.

THEN you need to adjust for the temperature outdoors (assuming your batteries are outdoors):

70° F x 96%
60° F x 90%
50° F x 84%
40° F x 77%
30° F x 70%
20° F x 63%

Hope this helps.
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Old 04-07-2015, 07:11 PM   #12
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A couple of other things I learned too BTW. The converter/charger (a silver, metal box usually located beneath the breaker panel behind the cover) is there to charge your batteries when hooked up to AC power. Only problem is, it doesn't charge your batteries very quickly. In fact, it does it quite slowly. Depending on the size of your batteries it could take 4, 8, 12, and even 20+ hours to fully charge your batteries (or so I'm told). That's why I replaced mine with a Progressive Dynamics PD9280V Converter, which charges batteries much faster and it "conditions" the batteries once they are full. There are many other converters on the market that do the same thing.

It is possible your batteries were drained and did not take the time to fully charge them, thus resulting in a short lifespan when using them next. If that's not the culprit, you might think about having the batteries tested and maybe sized correctly for your exact needs.
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Old 04-07-2015, 08:32 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dangerdave View Post

There is a wall plug in a cupboard that the stove fan plugs in to and runs when on battery. Presumably this is so you can cook with gas and vent it while on batteries. Couldn't I just unplug that vent plug and plug IN the TV? The chord seems long enough. Do you think there's a power issue doing that?
If this cord is in the cabinet above the sink, and on the left side next to the cabinet that holds the microwave. This is the 120V power cord that powers the microwave.

The stove exhaust it 12V and it is hardwired to the TTs power system.

There are a number of 12V power lines that run in the cabinet that holds the microwave. Remove the screws in the faceplate, that hold the microwave into the cabinet. Unplug the power cord in the cabinet next to the microwave. Once you remove the microwave you will have access to lots of different wires. Some are power cords for the stereo, outside lights, sink light, cables for the sensors, if I recall there is a 120V cable in there too.

You will need to track what wire is for what. If you contact Jayco with your vin number they typically will give you the wiring diagram. I would not give them to much info as some customer service reps might not send the info to you. You might just tell them you need to add a power inverter for a piece of medical equipment if they ask. I did not have any issues, but I have heard of a few people having issues getting some schematics on new trailers.
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Old 04-07-2015, 08:57 PM   #14
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NPower 300 watt pure sine wave inverter from Northerntool.com $89 - from above


I bought this from Northern Tools and it just came in. Looks very well made. I'll report once I get it hooked up.


Very informative responses!
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Old 04-08-2015, 06:42 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dangerdave View Post
When on batteries only...and I installed a second....
Is the second battery that you added the same (1) manufacturer (2) same AmpHours (3) same model?

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Old 04-08-2015, 06:56 AM   #16
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Yes. My X23B came with a new Crown Marine 24DP550 and I just bought another exact matching battery, case and cables. I watched a very informative YouTube video on installing it here: (and I am not particularly handy)



The video has a couple of important tips.


So far so good, we love having the second battery except for the time at night when we have to turn off the generator (if in a park) and would like to watch a movie or something. The inverter should fix that (hoping!).
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Old 04-13-2015, 04:09 PM   #17
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Update how the story turned out

I went to test the inverter today and it worked great. The only issue was the beep alarm going off for it sensing (what IT thought was) low DC voltage. I know that in a lot of applications the user would want to know this, but in the trailer where I can monitor the batteries and charge them on the generator during the day, I don't need to know what the inverter thinks about the voltage level.

I pulled the inverter case and popped out the little speaker. Works like a champ.

Thanks again for all the great input!
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Old 04-13-2015, 05:18 PM   #18
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A word of warning regarding most inverter "LOW VOLTAGE ALARMS", they are set to activate when the battery voltage drops to below 10.6VDC. That voltage is way to low and will cause damage to your batteries over time. The battery voltage should never drop below it 50% charge level which is close to 12.0VDC.

I am not sure if you said you had a Digital Display Meter...

You will need to monitor your batteries levels and there are different digital display meters to accomplish this. The basic digital meter will display your batteries voltage whereas the upper level meters will display your voltage and the used/remaining battery Ah.

For most individuals the basic digital voltage meter is sufficient if monitored properly. Here are a few entry level meters to get you started.. as time goes on you can up grade to the high end meters.

Just my thoughts,

Don
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