Please help me understand my RV electric

Ok, so I feel pretty confident I understand about 90% of it. I have 110V input (shore) and a 12V input (battery). The 110V goes to an inverter, the A/C, and a few standard outlets. The 12V battery and the inverter power everything else- right?

So here's why I'm asking. I thought everything would run off the battery as if we were dry camping. I did some testing on the driveway and was disappointed to learn the 110V outlets did not power up from battery alone. I took the opportunity to start labeling the fuses for the inverter/battery. I used the old pull-a-fuse and see what happens method and was able to figure most of it out pretty quickly.

I was glad to see that everything on the rig is working.

There is one fuse (#3) that I can not figure out though. With it pulled, I confirmed everything: the radio, interior/exterior lights, overhead exhaust fans, water heater, water pump, heater, refrigerator, CO^2 alarm, and even running lights were all working. What the heck could it go to? #1 and #9 are not in use.

Anyone have a manual for my trailer (please see signature)?

Has anyone made a cool cage for the batteries on the trailer tongue? I am a welder/fabricator and looking for ideas.

Are you sure that you have an Invertor.  The picture that you posted is of a convertor.  The convertor charges the batteries and converts 110 to 12 volts.

Ah, you are correct, so please think convertor where I say inverter. I know inverters change 12V to 110V so please excuse that.

A convertor will not power your 110 volt outlets.  You can add an Invertor to provide 110 power.  You will need to size it for you needs and probably increase the size of your battery bank to supply the 12 volt power to use it for any length of time.  You might also need a source of A/C or DC to recharge your batteries when not hooked up to shore power.  Usually a generator or solar panels to recharge.

The library has lots of information on this subject or you might want to look up some articles by Handy Bob.  Just do a search on this forum.

Thank you, I do have the Harbor Freight 45W solar panel kit and their 6500W peak generator. I've asked some questions along those lines in other threads on the forum. This thread was mainly to understand the existing system better. I did not receive a manual with my trailer so its a game of exploration. Any idea what I'm not thinking of for that #3 fuse spot?

Normal operation.... (NOTE: if you have a generator, Portable or installed  Replace "Shore" with "Shore/Generator" from here on)

120 volt shore power goes to all outlets, including the ones powering the TV, Microwave and Fridge on electric,, It goes to the water heater, and air conditioners.. And to a device called a CONVERTER (Not inverter) which makes 12 (well 13.6) volt DC.

Older: the converter is a battery charger,, Makes very crappy DC if you have one of these upgrades recommended.

Optional: A small inverter is in the line to the TV, it runs the TV off batteries if no shore power

Better optional: The converter is replaced by an Inverter/Charger..  Power to the TV, Microwave and SELECTED outelts (Usually the GFCI outlets) runs through the INVERTER.

Better still.. Add the inverter later, keep the converter so if one chazrer/converter goes out.. You have a spare (What I have)

With both the small TV only inverter and the big Inverter/Converter (Mine is 2,000 watts) if shore power is present it is passed on and the inverter sits there and naps (Standby mode) with the big one batteries will charge if needed (Rather good 3-stage charger with at least one additional feature in my case) I normally use my factory converter however and leave the Prosine's disabled.. More on that later.

BUT not ever RV has an inverter.. Mine DID not on delivery, it was on the list of things I added well... at my first oil change. (Which I paid too much for since I went to Camping World)

Now: the dual converter/charger thing.
Factory converter was a Progressive Dynamics Intella-power 9180 with wizard, A better converter I can not find and I've looked.
I really like the programming in that wizard and consider it the better converter.. The prosine's is programmable (The Wizard is pre-set) but no program I can create beats the Wizard.. So I leave the prosine's converter disabled normally.  Since I have added batteries I will enable it if I'm charging off GENERATOR power.. or if the 9180, which is a plug in model, becomes unplugged (I sometimes snag the cord and pull the plug by accident, when that happens I usually figure it out at 3am and at 3am (or thereabout) I'm not going out to plug it back in,, Just flip the switch and let the Prosine do it overnight, fix it in the morning).

Oh, and evidence suggests the charger in the Prosine has a defect.. (I have seen it drive the voltage too high, well above progtrammed cut off, suggesting a leaky pass transistor) but that only applies to mine.

If you decide to add an inverter one piece of advice.

Reading the dcocumentation for MSW inverters there is a long list of things that might not work well on an MSW inverter.. Included on that list is "Anything needing too much power"

ON True sine inverters the list is much shorter, IN fact it's one item,, (Anything needing too much power).

Go with TSW.

Thank you for all that! I will look into TSW for sure. As for installing the inverter, I believe a previous owner installed a push/pull type switch to disconnect the battery from the house power. I believe that the inverter would connect to the generator/shore connection and I would need to disconnect the battery using the push/pull switch so that the battery does not try to charge itself via the inverter- correct?

That's one way to wire an inverter and handle the battery charger, but not the only way.

Maybe the #3 fuse powers the television antenna amplifier, assuming you have one?

I'm confused cause you don't even have a fuse in the #3 position. At least not in the photo.  ???

Right, I pulled the fuse to see what would turn off and nothing seemed to be affected. However you can see there is a lead coming off that post, a black wire.

I doubt there is a TV antenna booster as there was no cable connected to the TV when we got the rig.

As for inverters, what do you recommend? I've spent a lot of time reading the Library today and decided to order the T105 batteries, I found a local wholesaler that will sell them to me for $91.19 each, I plan to get 4.

What are your thoughts on this inverter?:  http://www.invertersupply.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=4306

Your LP and CO detectors may be powered from the fuse panel.  Have you located their source?

The only 5 amp fuse I have is for my LP monitor.  I don't see your panel marked with anything other than 15 amp fuses, so maybe the mystery fuse on yours is also the LP monitor.

Not sure if this will help but, my D/C panel is labeled like this:

1. 15 amp  Water Pump
2. 15 amp Furn. Fridge
3. 15 amp. Living? Area (sorry, I can't make out the handwriting!)
4. 15 amp. Bath
5. 5  amp  LP Monitor RH (I don't know what the RH stands for)
6. 15 amp  TV Radio Co
7. 15 amp  Power Fan

Just Lou said:

Your LP and CO detectors may be powered from the fuse panel.  Have you located their source?

Click to expand...

So I did look at the CO detector specifically and noticed it was flashing as normal with the #3 fuse pulled. However, I failed to see which fuse shut off the CO.

I will not be buying those T105 batteries as I just found they are acid, NOT AGM. I will keep shopping for AGMs.

If those T105 batteries are truly new, and not customer rejects/returns or overlooked stock that are maybe six months or more old, I can not imagine why you would pass them up at $91.00. Will you be installing the AGM batteries in a location which will make it difficult to check the water level occasionally or take a specific gravity reading?

Do you really need AGMs and have you checked what four of them will cost?

T-105s are usually about $125 each.  If as mentioned they are new then that is a fairly good price.  You can find some other 6 volt golf cart batteries at Cosco for a little less.  I recently saw similar batteries at a Farm supply store for around $80 each.  They were not Trojan batteries but similar specs.

If you can get AGM batteries $91.19 each I will by 6 today.
Bill

I would rather not have to deal with topping them off but they're still on call for me so I'll mull it over this week, they will be installed in the tongue so easily accessible.

Trojan makes an AGM, but the T105 isn't it. Trojan makes AGMs in both 6v and 12v, deep cycle and standard types. Be prepared for sticker-shock, though. An AGM is going to cost at least 2x those T105s and probably more like 3x.

If going to AGM, there is no particular need to stick with a golf cart type battery. There are excellent 12v deep cycles available from several brands, e.g. Lifeline, Trojan, Deka, US Battery, etc.  If your trailer is already set up for 12v batteries, it's probably easier to stay with that. One advantage of 12v is you don't need to install pairs, so you might find that 3 suits your needs. Just buy the number of amp-hours you need.

Trojan AGMs

US Battery AGMs

WILDEBILL308 said:

If you can get AGM batteries $91.19 each I will by 6 today.
Bill

Click to expand...

No kidding! I recently added two more 12 volt AGM batteries to our house battery-bank (for a total of eight), and they ran $360.00 each (Napa, made by East Penn). I'm going to have to take out a 2nd on the house when it comes time to replace all eight. Just my luck the tires will come due at the same time. Yeah I really like those AGMs, but bring your wallet.

Kev