New Camper questions about converter !!

[camperdad22]

Hello everyone im new to the posts here as well as camping in general.  I will start off with the fact that i have a 88 Starcraft popup in it is a Series 6400A Model 6406 converter says at the bottom manufacturer is B W Manufacturing Inc Kokomo Indiana (which i searched but didnt find)
The panel info says:
Panel Input 120vac/ 60hz /15amp
Converter Input 120vac / 60hz /1.2amp
Converter Output 12.6vdc / current 6 amp
i have one outlet which works fine as well as a plugin on the converter face.
My question is...well everything i have never had any run ins with converters. it has a switch on the front bat/off/conv of course when i have it plugged in its on off but what are the other features ?
Lookin for some help anything ..PLEASE !!! LOL
Thanks!!
Chris B
East Peoria, IL

[tlhdoc]

Welcome to PUT.  When you are plugged in you want it "on" so that it will convert 110 power to 12 volt power.  If you are using the battery you should set it on "battery" and when not using it turn it off.  The outlets that you have are 110 AC power like at home.  The camper lights, water pump, furnace, etc (if you have them) run on 12 volt DC power.  That is why you have the converter.  To convert the 110 AC power to 12 volt DC power.  Good luck with the camper.

[camperdad22]

Thank you for the info i thing im getting straight here....one more thing i do not have a battery on the camper...do i have the potential to hook one up to the converter further more do i need it ??

THANKS !!!

Chris Bankes
East Peoria, Il
88 Starcraft Popup

[wynot]

Thank you for the info i thing im getting straight here....one more thing i do not have a battery on the camper...do i have the potential to hook one up to the converter further more do i need it ??
 
THANKS !!!
 
Chris Bankes
East Peoria, Il
88 Starcraft Popup

It's always nice to have a battery even if you do camp at full hookup sites.  We've had a few times that the campground has lost power for extended periods of time.
 
I can't answer the question about hooking it up to the converter, but I would guess there would be no problem as long as you can get a 12V pos lead to the battery.

[ScouterMom]

I never had a camper that had a 'fridge - but I've heard that if you have a RV battery (car battery) hooked up to the converter, your fridge can run while you are on the road - keeping your stuff cool while traveling?  Is this true? or safe?

I'm going to be finding out, I guess, as there is a converter in the old PUP I just bought, and supossedly, a 'fridge too.

Laura

[AustinBoston]

I never had a camper that had a 'fridge - but I've heard that if you have a RV battery (car battery) hooked up to the converter, your fridge can run while you are on the road - keeping your stuff cool while traveling?  Is this true? or safe?

I'm going to be finding out, I guess, as there is a converter in the old PUP I just bought, and supossedly, a 'fridge too.

Pop-ups that come new with a fridge generally come with a 3-way fridge.  They will run on 120 Volts when the pop-up is plugged in, they will run on LP (propane), and they will run on 12 Volts, but there are a couple problems on 12V.  

First, the 12V setting is not as effective as the other two settings, so it should not be used for extended periods (four hours is usually OK), and second, if 12V is used while parked (such as at a rest area), it will kill both the camper battery and the tow vehicle battery in a short time (anywhere from less than one hour to three hours, depending on the size of the camper battery).  You will also need to have a charge line (a.k.a. aux. or auxilliary 12V) from your tow vehicle to your camper.  One other thing - if you plan on dry camping (no hookups), you may find the camper battery half drained when you arrive.

In older campers, the original RV fridge has sometimes been replaced with a dorm-style fridge, which only runs on 120 Volts, and only when the camper is plugged in.

Austin

[wynot]

First, the 12V setting is not as effective as the other two settings, so it should not be used for extended periods (four hours is usually OK), and second, if 12V is used while parked (such as at a rest area), it will kill both the camper battery and the tow vehicle battery in a short time (anywhere from less than one hour to three hours, depending on the size of the camper battery). You will also need to have a charge line (a.k.a. aux. or auxilliary 12V) from your tow vehicle to your camper. One other thing - if you plan on dry camping (no hookups), you may find the camper battery half drained when you arrive.
 
 
Austin

I personally haven't had the major problems about killing the battery if I leave my fridge in 12 V mode while stopped for lunch or whatever, but I will tell you what I've observed and done.
 
Usually, if I stop for lunch or an extended break, I disconnect the line between the camper and TV and let it run off the hotel (camper) battery.  I've done this for a couple of hours without a problem.
 
If we are going like into a museum or something, I will shut down the 12V and light the gas mode.
 
As was noted, I will not run the fridge on 12V at all while travelling if I am dry camping.  You will pull more juice out of the battery than you can recharge.  Found that out the hard way.  That's why we have a second battery for our camper!!!
 
And to be totally honest - sometimes I just shut it off if I am not driving, it doesn't seem to make any difference.  We transfer our cold stuff out of an ice chest anyway.

[tknick]

like Austin said, you need a charge line from your TV to run the fridge on 12v while on the road.  you can add a relay to the charge line which will automatically disconnect the line when the TV is not running.  that way you never return to a dead battery on the TV.  we tow with a 99 ford expedition that came with a factory installed tow package.  that included the charge line w/ a relay already installed.  i don't know if the alternator was upgraded w/ the tow package.  i charge the camper battery before we leave and run the fridge on 12v while on the road and we have never had a dead battery upon arrival at the campsite.

the best thing you can do to help the fridge cool better (in any mode) is to make sure you have a good baffle installed.  The baffle forces the cool air entering at the bottom to flow past the proper parts on the fridge and the hot air to exit out the top.  without a good baffle, the air can stagnate inside the fridge compartment and heat up.  that dramatically reduces cooling efficiency.  the other thing you can do is add a small 12v fan to draw out the excess hot air and draw in cool fresh air.  I used an old cooling fan from a dead desktop computer. It already had red and black leads.  it was simply a matter of tapping in to the 12v source already present in the fridge compartment.  with a good baffle and fan, you can freeze things inside your fridge.

of course you should always pre-cool your fridge before any trip.  anything you load in there should also be pre-cooled.  this isn't your home fridge.  it doesn't have a compressor and works on a totally different cooling priciple.  don't expect that six pack you bought at the store to be cool an hour later.

travis