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Generators and Battery chargers

Started by PITPOP27, Jan 30, 2006, 02:11 PM

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PITPOP27

Quote from: tlhdocNo you will not be able to use what ever you want when you want, you will only be able to use DC/12 volt/battery power.  Depending on what you are using you could still drain the battery.  Anything that produces heat will cause the battery to drain quickly.  If you run your refrigerator on DC power you will drain the battery in a few hours.
 
If you are talking about lights, water pump, furnace, etc and you will be recharging the battery every day or two, you will be fine.:)

I meant the batteries working our lights, furnace (not likely to run all day, just run abit to take chill off before bed, and in mornings, and water pump.)  We aren't using the fridge  we'll be bringing a cooler.  It's actually so cool at Yosemite, sometimes it's cold enough not to even keep your drinks in one. We just keep it in the bear locker. And we don't bring any refridgerator food with us.

Carpenteria is another story and we have a couple friends with generators, who said we can hoook up our charger and batt to them if we need to, we do have two batteries.

Kavoom

Here's a question.  Everything in the trailer is 12 volt, but there are no 12 volt outlets in the trailer like, let's say for a coffee maker on those cold mornings when you are dry camping!!!!

What's up with that?

rbgatti

Quote from: KavoomHere's a question.  Everything in the trailer is 12 volt, but there are no 12 volt outlets in the trailer like, let's say for a coffee maker on those cold mornings when you are dry camping!!!!

What's up with that?

I noticed that in our new PUP also.  I'm going to add at least one 12v cigarette lighter style socket to a convenient place to allow for the cell phone to recharge, etc.  Most 12v accessories you would want to plug in would use this type socket vs. the phono style that you use for bunk end lights/fans.  If not, you can always get a converter (lighter plug to phono socket).  You can find these wall mountable lighter sockets at RV stores and Radio Shack.

wavery

Quote from: KavoomHere's a question.  Everything in the trailer is 12 volt, but there are no 12 volt outlets in the trailer like, let's say for a coffee maker on those cold mornings when you are dry camping!!!!

What's up with that?

I think that the manufacturers avoid putting in cigarette lighter style outlets for liability and warranty reasons.

You mentioned a coffee pot. One of those may well draw over 10A on your DC circuit and over load your fuse and put additional stress on your power supply, thereby shortening the life of the power supply.

If the consumer installs a 12v socket in th PU, that's a good enough reason to avoid replacing the P/S under warranty.

It's been mentioned here several times that the P/S only puts out between 12-12.5v DC. I have tested mine and it puts out exactly 12v. By the time it goes through the wiring to the 12v outlet that I installed, it drops to 11.8v. Most 12v RV accessories, with a heating element, really don't perform well on 12v. They like to have 12.5 - 13.8v. If they only get 12v they build up a lot of resistance while heating up and may well blow a 10A fuse.

I plan to run a dedicated wire from my battery directly to my 12v outlet to bypass the P/S. Of course, I will put a 20A fuse right at the battery.

I don't know why the manufacturers don't make those P/S so that they put out, at least, 13v. Seems sorta lame to me.

PITPOP27

:eyecrazy: OH no, no I'm confused again....we HAVE outlets in our PU, we have 3 which carry two plugs (yep no techinical talk here) so your saying even though we have em, doesn't mean we should use em?   :compumad: I hate when I think I understand something and completely don't!

Or are you talking about coffee makers attached to cigarette lighter plugs? You couldn't plug a standard coffee maker into the wall socket?!? :confused:

wavery

Quote from: PITPOP27:eyecrazy: OH no, no I'm confused again....we HAVE outlets in our PU, we have 3 which carry two plugs (yep no techinical talk here) so your saying even though we have em, doesn't mean we should use em?   :compumad: I hate when I think I understand something and completely don't!

Or are you talking about coffee makers attached to cigarette lighter plugs? You couldn't plug a standard coffee maker into the wall socket?!? :confused:
The outlets that you are talking about are 110v (household) outlet. They run your regular home appliances only while you are plugged in to "Shore power".

I was discussing 12v appliances that might be able to be used if you had a "Cigarette lighter" type outlet (Like you have in your car) in your camper.

rbgatti

Quote from: PITPOP27:eyecrazy: OH no, no I'm confused again....we HAVE outlets in our PU, we have 3 which carry two plugs (yep no techinical talk here) so your saying even though we have em, doesn't mean we should use em?   :compumad: I hate when I think I understand something and completely don't!

Or are you talking about coffee makers attached to cigarette lighter plugs? You couldn't plug a standard coffee maker into the wall socket?!? :confused:

He was talking about 12v only and connecting the coffee maker to a cigarette lighter socket, if you had one installed.

tlhdoc

PITPOPS27 I posted this at the beginning of this thread.  Maybe you missed it.  
 
Also there are a lot of PUs that come with a 12 volt outlet standard.  They have a fuse inline so that you don't draw too much current through them.
 
Quote from: tlhdoc12 power = battery power = (DC direct current) as long as we are talking about a 12 volt camper battery
 
110 = AC alternating current (what you have at home in your wall outlets)
 
A battery/12 volt/DC power will not operate the regular 110 outlets (like at home) in the trailer. The trailer has to be plugged in to a regular household type outlet, to use the household outlets in the trailer.
 
solar bunkend covers are a reflective cover that you put over your bunkends to help reflect heat from the sun away from the camper keeping it cooler (summer use). If you put the reflective side down and the colored side up they help keep some heat in the bunkend (cold weather use)
 
Generator produces electricity by burning fuel, usually gas, diesel or propane
 
A battery Charger is used to recharge the 12 volt/DC power in you battery by turning AC/household current into DC current. You can't use one unless you have regular household current to plug the battery charger in. You can plug the battery charger into a generator to recharge your battery.
 
How cold will it be where you are camping? Do you expect to run the furnace a lot? Your needs and the size of the battery and amount of propane will determine how long your battery and propane will last.
 
The appliances in your camper water pump, lights, and furnace fan all use 12 volt/DC/battery power.
 
The furnace also uses propane to produce the heat, the electric fan blows the heat into the camper. The furnace uses a lot of battery power and propane.
 
The refrigerator will run on propane/DC power=battery/AC power=household electric. Running the refrigerator on DC power will drain the battery in a few hours. If you can't plug the camper in to an electric outlet run the fridge on propane. It doesn't use much. Also you will not hear anything running when using the fridge. There isn't a compressor. If you can plug the camper in at home for 12 to 24 hours before you leave to precool the fridge.
 
IF the camper is plugged into an electric outlet the power converter will turn the household/110 AC power into DC/12 volt power to run the lights, water pump, furnace fan.
 
So if you can't take a chance on running out of battery/DC power, a generator will allow you to use a battery charger to recharge the PU's battery.
 
A second battery may be the way to go, I have 3 that I take on long trips.
 
I hope this helps.:)

PITPOP27

Oh, I read it, and read it and read it...batteries are definitely not going to be my life's ambition!  But at least I know we are back into plugging our coffee maker into my truck, where I have an outlet installed..... man I was hoping I could put it in our camper.

wavery

Quote from: PITPOP27Oh, I read it, and read it and read it...batteries are definitely not going to be my life's ambition!  But at least I know we are back into plugging our coffee maker into my truck, where I have an outlet installed..... man I was hoping I could put it in our camper.
Is your coffee pot 12v or is it 110v, like you have at home?

Do you camp with full service electrical hook-ups?

PITPOP27

Quote from: waveryIs your coffee pot 12v or is it 110v, like you have at home?

Do you camp with full service electrical hook-ups?

We will be mostly dry camping - I wish we went to more places with hookups, or could get into the hook up sites - my coffee maker is the ol' plug it in at home and get your cofffe made.  Our truck has a 110 outlet for XBOX.  So we will probably be brewing in there...I'm wondering if I should just get a perc for my hubby to make on the lil portable propane grill we've got...you see, coffee would be on my necessity list for camping :D

fritz_monroe

Quote from: PITPOP27We will be mostly dry camping - I wish we went to more places with hookups, or could get into the hook up sites - my coffee maker is the ol' plug it in at home and get your cofffe made.  Our truck has a 110 outlet for XBOX.  So we will probably be brewing in there...I'm wondering if I should just get a perc for my hubby to make on the lil portable propane grill we've got...you see, coffee would be on my necessity list for camping :D

How about getting a Coleman Camping Coffeemaker.  It's an automatic drip coffeemaker for on a camp stove.

wavery

Quote from: PITPOP27We will be mostly dry camping - I wish we went to more places with hookups, or could get into the hook up sites - my coffee maker is the ol' plug it in at home and get your cofffe made.  Our truck has a 110 outlet for XBOX.  So we will probably be brewing in there...I'm wondering if I should just get a perc for my hubby to make on the lil portable propane grill we've got...you see, coffee would be on my necessity list for camping :D
Ah-Ha!! That means that you have an inverter in your TV.

Easy solution, get a HD 12g or 14g extension cord about 25' long. Run it from the TV to the inside of the PU (Don't plug the trailer hook-up line into it). Just make sure that you don't run the battery down in the TV :yikes: . Sounds like you've been brewing in the TV anyway.

Find out how many watts the inverter is. You may be able to run a microwave and a lot of other stuff off of it too. If you run your hair dryer or anything with a lot of demand, you will have to have the motor running in the TV while you're using it (to keep the battery from going dead).

PITPOP27

Quote from: waveryAh-Ha!! That means that you have an inverter in your TV.

Easy solution, get a HD 12g or 14g extension cord about 25' long. Run it from the TV to the inside of the PU (Don't plug the trailer hook-up line into it). Just make sure that you don't run the battery down in the TV :yikes: . Sounds like you've been brewing in the TV anyway.

Find out how many watts the inverter is. You may be able to run a microwave and a lot of other stuff off of it too. If you run your hair dryer or anything with a lot of demand, you will have to have the motor running in the TV while you're using it (to keep the battery from going dead).


OK Yea, that would stink to get stuck in Yosemite!  I'll see what me hubby wants, he loves coffee too.  He loves camping.  He'll probably want to just plug in the coffe maker who knows.

and ps REAL women do not blow dry their hair while camping (says the lady with perfectly straight hair  :D )

wavery

Quote from: fritz_monroeHow about getting a Coleman Camping Coffeemaker.  It's an automatic drip coffeemaker for on a camp stove.
WOW!!! I've never seen one of those. TOOOOOOOO COOL!!

Wally has 'em too.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=2138573