Our first travel trailer, a new 154bh

Jc85 · 11-29-2018, 05:03 PM

My thanks to everyone who replied to my "Towing a 154bh" thread from a couple weeks ago. Last Friday we brought home a brand new 154bh. Our Frontier did a great job of towing it and we took it out last weekend for a dry run. Everything seems to be in good shape so far.

Much to my chagrin I found out that we don't have AC power (120 volts) when 'unplugged.' Of course, this will not do so I'm looking at inverters to feed the trailer with. My plan is to house the inverter inside the battery box and essentially plug the trailer into itself. Battery to inverter to my 120/30a plug. As long as I turn off the converter first and remember not to use the microwave or AC this should work fine. I'll need a pure sine wave inverter to run my LED TV and Raspberry Pi for our media center and give us nice clean power to charge phones, etc.

Mods to come include a very slick fold up table I saw somewhere on this forum and possibly a solar panel to keep the battery topped off. I'd also like to install some kind of battery level indicator and a propane level indicator if anyone has any ideas for those..

Overall just very jazzed about this. I've done tons of tent camping over the years and this is a whole new ball game.

GarlicDude · 11-29-2018, 05:56 PM

May want to think of a generator?

**norty1** · 11-29-2018, 06:01 PM

Do some research before making any purchases. You are going to need more battery capacity and one whopping inverter to satisfy the power needs you have mentioned.

GarlicDude · 11-29-2018, 06:33 PM

Unless things have changed you should have a battery monitor, it's on the display panel that tells you how much water, grey, fresh and black that is on board. How accurate it is, is anyones guess.

Jc85 · 11-29-2018, 07:36 PM

Garlic, that's kind of why I'm looking for something a little more accurate.. 1/3, 2/3, full doesn't seem all that accurate to me..

Nordy, do you think so? My TV is a 24" LED and shouldn't draw more than 30 watts, Raspberry is a micro computer running off a 5v, 2.1a power supply (10w max) and 2 smart phones at 5v, 2.1a each is 20w more. So 60 watts / 12 volts is 5 amp draw. Even running the tv, media center and charging both phones at once I shouldn't be using more than 100w.

I can see the need for a 2nd battery though. With that kind of draw I'll be at 50% discharge at around 5-6 hours of use. Any suggestions for an economical second 100ah battery?

mharrison · 11-29-2018, 08:20 PM

You might consider getting a tv that runs off of 12v so you don't have to run it through the inverter, just plug it into the 12v socket. Right now we just have a 13" I've had for years and the screen isn't so good so I think we might upgrade to a 19" or 24".

https://www.amazon.com/SuperSonic-10...s=RV%2Btv&th=1

Chet & Marie · 11-29-2018, 09:02 PM

Have fun. I think many campers start in a tent, then graduate to a pop up when the kids come into the picture. When kids leave the nest and are no longer around to destroy it you move onto a travel trailer and grand kids. Buy lots of toys for the TT and enjoy it every minute you can while you still can.

dennis b · 11-29-2018, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jc85

Garlic, that's kind of why I'm looking for something a little more accurate.. 1/3, 2/3, full doesn't seem all that accurate to me..

Nordy, do you think so? My TV is a 24" LED and shouldn't draw more than 30 watts, Raspberry is a micro computer running off a 5v, 2.1a power supply (10w max) and 2 smart phones at 5v, 2.1a each is 20w more. So 60 watts / 12 volts is 5 amp draw. Even running the tv, media center and charging both phones at once I shouldn't be using more than 100w.

I can see the need for a 2nd battery though. With that kind of draw I'll be at 50% discharge at around 5-6 hours of use. Any suggestions for an economical second 100ah battery?

Not to burst your bubble or take wind out of sail...BUT
Now add the a/c and you will need more batteries than you can haul plus a 2500-3000 watt inverter! yup I agree on the genny How you going to charge your batteries? I think you would deplete them fast using a/c... solar panels would take up 2 campsites in full sun.

Jc85 · 11-30-2018, 12:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dennis b

Not to burst your bubble or take wind out of sail...BUT
Now add the a/c and you will need more batteries than you can haul plus a 2500-3000 watt inverter! yup I agree on the genny How you going to charge your batteries? I think you would deplete them fast using a/c... solar panels would take up 2 campsites in full sun.

I couldn't agree more, which is why I mentioned not running the AC or microwave while unplugged. In actuality the math for a small solar setup works out well if you can get 4-5 hours of sun on the trailer.

170 watt solar panel * 4 hours of sun = 680 watt/hours divided by 12 volts is 56 amp hours. Of course with charging losses and it's unlikely that you will see 1000 watts/meter sq. (Stc for the solar panel) you'll lose 20-25% overall. So figure an overall gain of about 40ah per day on this set up. That's actually enough to recover a 75ah battery from a 60% depth of discharge..

**norty1** · 11-30-2018, 05:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jc85

Garlic, that's kind of why I'm looking for something a little more accurate.. 1/3, 2/3, full doesn't seem all that accurate to me..

Nordy, do you think so? My TV is a 24" LED and shouldn't draw more than 30 watts, Raspberry is a micro computer running off a 5v, 2.1a power supply (10w max) and 2 smart phones at 5v, 2.1a each is 20w more. So 60 watts / 12 volts is 5 amp draw. Even running the tv, media center and charging both phones at once I shouldn't be using more than 100w.

I can see the need for a 2nd battery though. With that kind of draw I'll be at 50% discharge at around 5-6 hours of use. Any suggestions for an economical second 100ah battery?

I'm no expert on solar but I read a lot. I'm just saying I would not make a lot of assumptions or purchase expensive equipment until I had a better understanding of all involved.

As to the tank levels, what you have is what most owners have to deal with. If you want to upgrade, look into a product called Sea Level. https://www.garnetinstruments.com/rv-shop/products/

dennis b · 11-30-2018, 08:14 AM

Sounds like you are in for a real learning experience my friend. hope you keep us up to date on your progress!

Tiguan Tow r · 11-30-2018, 06:32 PM

Congrats on your new trailer! When considering upgrades, put an axle flip on the list. We did this with our 145RB and couldn't be happier. No longer have to worry about dragging or losing our black/gray water drain pipe. We raised our trailer 4-1/4 inches and it only cost $220 total.

vwprostock · 11-30-2018, 09:53 PM

Yeah...so I will be more blunt. Your inverter trick will work ok for all you mentioned aside from the AC and the microwave. IF you had 4 large batteries fully charged and an inverter big enough for the start load of the AC, those batteries would last maybe an hour....at best is my guess. The AC and micro take a pile of power.

A small gen is in your future....many threads on them...Honda leads the pack in price (high) and quiet but numerous "close" options now out there.

vwprostock · 11-30-2018, 09:56 PM

An inverter big enough to do this is $400 minimum, then you buy a bank of batteries at $100 plus/each...and you could just get this guy and have much less worries and maintenance.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sportsman...UaAoe8EALw_wcB

kblast523 · 11-30-2018, 10:51 PM

The power requirements you mention will need multiple high amp 6 volt batteries, at least a 3500watt inverter and equal solar. Or a generator. Honda makes great, quiet generators and you can start with one, parallel the second one later. WAY cheaper than all those solar panels and batteries you will need to pull around on a second trailer.

Jc85 · 12-01-2018, 09:24 AM

Cool guys. I specifically mentioned not running the AC and/or microwave in my original post. I know that the loads associated with those appliances are much too large to run from battery for more than a very short time.

We're just talking about running the interior LED lights, charging a couple smart phones once or twice and maybe watching a couple movies on a small (24") LED TV.

**norty1** · 12-01-2018, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jc85

Cool guys. I specifically mentioned not running the AC and/or microwave in my original post. I know that the loads associated with those appliances are much too large to run from battery for more than a very short time.

We're just talking about running the interior LED lights, charging a couple smart phones once or twice and maybe watching a couple movies on a small (24") LED TV.

I get that but your description was to be able to plug the 30a cord into the inverter output. That means that any outlet or appliance in the camper will be activated and available if anyone used them. That will quickly be a likely overload that you would have no control over w/o opening breakers in the dist. panel. I can visualize other problems with the converter also.
Most rigs that have inverters limit the ac access to certain outlets/ appliances.

mharrison · 12-01-2018, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jc85

Cool guys. I specifically mentioned not running the AC and/or microwave in my original post. I know that the loads associated with those appliances are much too large to run from battery for more than a very short time.

We're just talking about running the interior LED lights, charging a couple smart phones once or twice and maybe watching a couple movies on a small (24") LED TV.

We run everything you're talking about here without any mods. We have an AC/DC LED TV that we plug into the 12v receptacle, but I'm not sure about powering the Raspberry you mentioned. I do have a generator to top off the battery when needed but it's nice in the evening to watch TV without having it running. I've been thinking about a second battery and maybe a portable solar panel just to add a little juice to the battery but right now I'm not sure it's worth the expense for me.

Another simple option I've used which would work for you also is a automotive inverter that plugs into the 12v socket. I have one that's 500 watts and used it on occasions.

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

RAurand · 12-01-2018, 11:55 AM

All the lights in my trailer run on 12 volts. I have 2 cigarette lighter outlets and several USB ports for charging that all work off the 12 volt battery to charge phones and tablets. Refrigerator runs on propane. The only think I need 120 volts for is the AC, Microwave and TV. My trailer has a 12v cigarette lighter outlet right beside where my TV plugs into the 120 Volt wall plate.
If I don't have 30 Amp service and I need to run the TV, Microwave or AC, then my 2000 watt Yamaha Generator gets put to use. (Can I run my AC on one 2000 watt Yamaha generator.... YES... I have a Micro-Air easystart installed that enables me to do this).

https://www.microair.net/products/ea...nt=30176048267

However, I do have (2) Yamaha 2000 watt inverter generators and sometimes run them in parallel.

I honestly do not think you need an inverter to charge cell phones and tablets.
You will need one though for the TV unless you get a 12 volt tv like mentioned above.
Power consumption on a 32" Furrion TV is 60 Watts so a 150 Watt inverter plugged into a cigarette lighter plug will work for the TV. Like mentioned above, Battery will not last long.

Jc85 · 12-02-2018, 08:47 PM

I'm really interested to see where this goes. I think the convenience of having all of my 120v receptacles live will be worth putting in an inverter even if it's very small. If I have to open a few breakers to make it happen, so be it, I'm a CA state certified electrician so panels and breakers are hardly a new thing for me.

We had the trailer out for an over-nighter this weekend and ran a small (harbor freight) inverter for the tv and a DVD player. We watched roughly 4 hours of tv on and off, used assorted lights, ran the furnace liberally (which I understand the t-stat is 12v) and the battery got down to the 1/3 mark on my fun little gauge.

Funny thing about this gauge, I think I've figured out the notches. Firstly it reads by voltage because as soon as you put any decent load on it it goes down to the next notch. Secondly I think it reads full at full (duh), 2/3 when it is between full and 2/3, 1/3 when it is between 1/3 and 2/3 and empty when it is below 1/3.

I'm going to get a cheap LCD voltmeter and hook it up to monitor the voltage and get it figured out. Then I'll be able to monitor it more closely (on the fly) and make a more informed decision on a secondary battery and/or solar.

Just bought stuff to add a 120/30a receptacle to the house as well. No more crummy adapter and cord sticking out under the garage.

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