Cost of running generator

[JDOnTheGo]

I'm really wondering is that all I have to do to get my outlets to work?  Is there some kind of switch or sensor that keeps them from working, or do they not realize/care if I'm on shore power or not as long as 120 vac is present?

In many rigs, there is a 120 VAC circuit (and breaker panel) that is powered only from shore power/generator (typically only the air conditioners, refrigerator/freezer, water heater, tank heaters, engine heater, etc. are powered from this circuit).  Additionally, there is a 120 VAC circuit that is powered from a switching inverter.  This inverter provides 120 VAC via the batteries if no 120 VAC input is detected or, if it is detected, it is passed thru.  So, to your question, you probably need to do some rewiring to make your rig work this way.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I realize they require an inverter to provide the correct voltage.  I'm really wondering is that all I have to do to get my outlets to work?  Is there some kind of switch or sensor that keeps them from working, or do they not realize/care if I'm on shore power or not as long as 120 vac is present?

It's not just the voltage. The 12 volt Direct Current power is totally isolated from the 120 volt AC outlets. They aren't compatible and the two sources never power the same outlets. 12v outlets look like cigar lighters, not parallel blade plugs.

Basically the wall outlets are wired only to one place (called a load center) and that load center gets its power from the shore cord. It doesn't know or care what feeds that cord, but it has to be 120vac power. Not battery or something else.

What you can do is buy & install a pricey gadget called an inverter, which produces 120vac power from battery 12vdc power. Then feed that to the load center or the shore power cord. There are a few wrinkles that have to be dealt with, though, e.g. stopping the onboard battery charger from running. I won't go into all that here unless you want to explore that option further, but we would be talking  maybe $1000 to have an RV shop do that for you.

 

[Lensbender]

So if I tried to use solar power, I'd just be recharging the batteries and still unable to use the outlets.  So a fossil fuels burning generator is my only option is what you are saying?

 

[Back2PA]

So if I tried to use solar power, I'd just be recharging the batteries and still unable to use the outlets.  So a fossil fuels burning generator is my only option is what you are saying?

What Gary and others have tried to explain is that the solar panels do not produce AC voltage, so just installing solar panels will not allow you to use your outlets. As Gary said, solar has one purpose only, charging batteries.

There are three options to get power from your outlets:
1) Generator, which produces AC power directly
2) Shore power (plugged in)
3) An inverter, which takes battery power and converts it to AC power for your outlets. Depending upon what you are plugging in, inverters can use a lot of battery power so in many cases you'll want additional batteries
There are no other options for making your outlets work

If I bought solar panels, would I be running off battery power or would the trailer think I was on shore power?

You would still be running on battery power. As stated above and by others, solar panels do not produce AC power for your outlets

the only thing that keeps me from dry camping is not having my outlets available to me.

Generator or inverter, the only two ways to get your outlets to work while dry camping

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

So a fossil fuels burning generator is my only option is what you are saying?

No, that is NOT what we are saying. The options are generator or inverter. The generator is indeed fossil-fuel, but an inverter is 12vdc electrical powered, and the 12v can be generated via solar, using the batteries as a storage buffer.

The simple solution, however, is the generator. That makes everything work like being plugged to shore power.

Perhaps we should back up a bit and discuss what it is that you want to plug into those outlets. There may be practical solutions short of running a genset much of the time.

 

[Lensbender]

I'd just like the trailer to operate like it's on shore power, when I'm dry camping.  I want to use the TV, run the AC, use the outlets, etc.  It sounds like I'm going to have to use a generator for that. 

Thanks for all your help.

 

[Back2PA]

I'd just like the trailer to operate like it's on shore power, when I'm dry camping.  I want to use the TV, run the AC, use the outlets, etc.  It sounds like I'm going to have to use a generator for that. 

Thanks for all your help.

If your goal is to simply "operate like it's on shore power" without giving it a thought, then yes, the only solution is to run the generator. However, if you can be flexible enough to understand there are solutions to run some of your AC equipment some of the time (not the air conditioning) from your batteries through an inverter, then there are solutions which won't require that you run the generator all day long. Example, you can run your TV, many plug-in items (not some high draw items), even your microwave (for short periods) if you have sufficient batteries and properly sized inverter.

Unless we need the air conditioning we can power almost everything, watching our usage, off the batteries and inverter.

Air conditioning will require either shore power or generator.