New owner - general questions about AC/DC/LP

KingstonCamper · 07-31-2013, 12:51 PM

Hi,

Heading to Watkins Glen NY for the Nascar race in a week and have a few general questions about TT's and camping without shore power and when to use AC, DC or Gas.

2012 Jay Series Sport 10
12' GMC Sierra SLE

1. I will have access to a Yamaha generator during the day to plug into. Is that considered AC power and should I be switching my controls for the fridge to AC while running the generator?

2. In the evening, when the generator is turned off, do I switch the unit back to Gas to run the fridge overnight?

3. When using strictly DC (with no generator), are you able to plug stuff into the outlets (i.e. radio's, Toasters, etc.)? because I thought I read somewhere that DC power will only run things like your lights, CO2 and LP sensors, fridge electrical, etc.

4. When using strictly DC again, does the water pump operate?

Sorry about all the questions, I just never had a thorough orientation when I bought it.

Thanks,

Rustic Eagle · 07-31-2013, 01:09 PM

Kevin,

All good questions.

1. The genny will provide AC power to your PUP once it is connected with your shore power cord. The frig uses very little LP to operate, so I would leave it under LP power...., but you can switch it to AC if you want. If your PUP has an AUTO frig switch, it will automatically switch to AC and back to LP if AUTO is selected.

2. Once the genny is turned off, yes, make sure that the LP is running the frig.

3. No, AC circuits will not function without some sort of AC power source, only the 12V DC items will operate.

4. Yes, the water pump uses 12V DC power.

Hope this helps.

Bob

KingstonCamper · 07-31-2013, 02:06 PM

Many thanks Bob!!

1 other question for you around the inline fuse. Should it be left in all the time OR when should it actually be removed (i.e. storage)?

Kevin

Heady · 07-31-2013, 06:58 PM

Hi Kevin, when storing the camper for longer than a week, the battery should be disconnected to prevent it from running down. Some remove one set cables from the battery, or use a battery disconnect switch, or remove the battery's inline fuse.

Rustic Eagle · 07-31-2013, 07:27 PM

As "HeadHunter" mentioned, you could remove the fuse but I always leave it in (best to keep a couple spare fuses in the PUP). If you are leaving the battery in the PUP, disconnect the negative ground cable from the battery.

Since I keep my TT in a public storage area (sticky fingers), I remove my two 6V Deep Cycle batteries every time, take them home and keep a "BatteryMINder" (charger/desulfator) on them so I know they will be at 100% when I put them back in.

I use one of these (just an older model): http://batteryminders.com/details.php?prod=1500

Bob

KingstonCamper · 07-31-2013, 07:48 PM

Thank you both. Learned a lot today.

Tubes77 · 08-10-2013, 08:57 AM

I know I'm brand new myself, but I think I can also make a useful suggestion here. You might want to add a pair of "Anderson Connectors" to your battery. Basically they are a heavy duty plug for things that run on batteries. They have really big ones for forklifts but they make smaller ones too. I personally use them on my bowfishing boat where I run a 26 volt trolling motor that requires 3 batteries. The anderson connectors make it super easy to disconnect the batteries for charging, for removal or you can easily "jump" from one battery to the next, although that probably won't be a factor in the camper application. Anyway, if you add one set just outside your battery box, you can just simply unsnap the connector and not worry about the battery running down. Also, if the battery does go down, you can then charge the battery without removing it from the battery box, which is a big plus! Here is a pic of one, sorry it's not great.

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