12v battery and shore power questions

[wordsmyth]

So I have the 224BH parked at my house prepping for an upcoming trip.

We turned on the frig earlier today and put water and drinks in it, but no foods.

The solar powers the frig fine by day, but I don't have a 30 amp hook-up to run full power to the trailer with the OEM power cord.

So my questions are two:

1. Will the 12v battery be adequate for keeping the fridge cool overnight without shore power?

If yes, no problem. But if no, then I get to question number two.

2. If shore power is needed and I don't have a 30 amp hook-up, what might be my other options for connecting power to the trailer?

If "no 30 amp, just turn off the fridge" is the answer then I'll turn if off overnight.

If an extension cord with some type of adapter is possible, I have plenty of industrial grade cord, but I have to go shopping for an adapter.

Thanks in advance,

Rick

[Grumpy]

Since you're only running the fridge go get a 30/15 adapter and you will be fine. The adapter's are usually available at Wal-Mart, some HD or Lowes and some auto parts stores. I'd do that and not strain the battery if it was my choice.

[Jagiven]

X2, just need a 15 amp to 30 amp adapter plug. Here is an example of one on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Leisure-Cords...%2C164&sr=8-13

[RogerR]

If your local library is like mine you can check out a KillOWatt meter and find out what your fridge is pulling and what is left for any other use. Plug the Killowatt into the wall and plug your cord into it.

[OnTheGo]

You didn't say how many AC input amps you have available, but it's safe to assume you have enough to run your converter which will keep your battery charged. So,

Originally Posted by Grumpy

Since you're only running the fridge go get a 30/15 adapter and you will be fine. The adapter's are usually available at Wal-Mart, some HD or Lowes and some auto parts stores. I'd do that and not strain the battery if it was my choice.

... me too.

We have our first 12vdc frig. They are being marketed as being better insulated than gas/electric refigerators, and as good or better than the best non-powered coolers. So they should be capable of maintaing useable teperatures throughout the night if they are turned off and not opened frequently.

Time will tell if that's marketing or reality. The dedicated boondockers will have the most experience and hopefully they will share it with us.

[wordsmyth]

Thanks to each of you for the feedback!

Unfortunately I posted the question late so an adapter purchasing trip was not to happen last evening.

The fridge was turned on early yesterday and had shut off by mid-afternoon so I decided to go to school on it over night. The voltage drop was minimal, and the sun is up and it's already recharging so I'm satisfied for now.

That said, I'll make a run into town today and snag an adapter.

Thanks again, and best to all - Rick

[wordsmyth]

Hmm. Adapter is in hand, so now I have a new question.

The adapter prongs are sticking out - simple enough to plug in a cord.

However I’m leery of grabbing those same prongs to remove the adapter later on.

So is there a trick to the removal, or a suggested tool for that purpose?

[Cincinnati Kid]

Ours is plugged into a standard extension cord as soon as we park it, and it stays plugged in all the time. Adapters are inexpensive and available at Walmart and camping stores.

[wordsmyth]

Originally Posted by Cincinnati Kid

Ours is plugged into a standard extension cord as soon as we park it, and it stays plugged in all the time. Adapters are inexpensive and available at Walmart and camping stores.

Roger that. Thanks.

Note my question please about unplugging the adapter. It’s kind of tight to grip the outer edges.

When you unplug to travel, do you wrestle it off by hand or use a pair of pliers to remove the adapter from the 30 amp plug at the camper?

[Jagiven]

Originally Posted by wordsmyth

Hmm. Adapter is in hand, so now I have a new question.

The adapter prongs are sticking out - simple enough to plug in a cord.

However I’m leery of grabbing those same prongs to remove the adapter later on.

So is there a trick to the removal, or a suggested tool for that purpose?

I'm a little confused. Using the adaptor is just like plugging a computer into a power bar. Then plugging the power bar into an outlet.

There is no back feed of power out of the TT. The 12V is fully isolated from the 120V power.

When you are ready to disconnect it, just give it a good tug. You should not have to use any tools, but being new, there might be a little excess resistance.

[wordsmyth]

Alright. I had it just exactly bass-ackwards in my mind.

In my mind I had the adapter plugging in at the service at the rear of the RV and a heavy gauge cord running to that.

Instead the adapter goes on the end of the RV shore power cable in order to plug into the house.

Still a no go for me. When I got my cables right in my head and hooked to the trailer and went to plug into the wall of my carport, something popped. I immediately unplugged it.

Now I’m watching the system closely to make sure nothing was damaged in the RV system. Not certain of what to look for, but hopefully the 2 seconds of power did no damage.

Somewhere there should be an electrical “here’s what to do and not do and why for electrical dummies. Like me…

[craigav]

Was it just a standard plug you connected to in the carport? If so, likely a circuit breaker tripped. Hopefully it wasn't a drier outlet with 240v going to the RV over the 120v connection. ~CA

[craigav]

Also, which adapter did you purchase and use? A picture may be of value to share. ~CA

[wordsmyth]

Originally Posted by craigav

Was it just a standard plug you connected to in the carport? If so, likely a circuit breaker tripped. Hopefully it wasn't a drier outlet with 240v going to the RV over the 120v connection. ~CA

Yes, standard plug.

Photos -

[wordsmyth]

The solar panel controller readout.

The fickleness of things electrical is part of why I did sheetrock work to get through school.

Anyway, I have an Optimate battery maintainer that I use on my motorcycle. I’m wondering if it would be advisable to put it on the TT battery overnight?

[Grumpy]

You probably plugged into a GFCI outlet and since your RV also has an internal GFCI circuit they don't always play together so the one in your carport tripped.

[TaftCoach]

Was your AC turned on? If it tried starting up you will trip a breaker. Just like at home your AC, and water heater (if electric) will require a larger circuit but your refrigerator is fine on a 15 amp circuit.

Turn off the AC, check your home's circuit breaker, reset it, and you should be fine.

[TaftCoach]

Thank you Grumpy, I forgot that can also be an issue.

[wordsmyth]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

You probably plugged into a GFCI outlet and since your RV also has an internal GFCI circuit they don't always play together so the one in your carport tripped.

Ahh. Yes, it was a GFCI circuit but the house one didn't trip. I'll go out in a moment and check the trailer.

@TaftCoach the TT fridge was the only gadget on. The AC was not on.

The fridge is occasionally giving me an E3 error code. When I looked just now the battery voltage was back to 12.1

[Grumpy]

If you got a spark, it could have come from the converter being on which created the load since the battery charger kicked in.