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Re: Shore power w battery removed?
@JennyM The "converter". when on shore power, distributes power to the 120V and the 12V items in the trailer, even with no battery in the trailer, or when the battery switch is off. With the battery switch off, the converter will not charge the battery. If you have installed solar, the solar setups are wired directly to the battery, so solar will always charge the battery when the sun is on the panel and the battery needs charging. When towing the trailer: you need a battery installed, with the battery disconnect switch on. The trailer's "emergency break away brakes" are powered from the trailer's battery, so the switch needs to be on.
Welcome to the Forums!
@westernstates I think you are asking the same basic question: if there is no battery in the trailer, or the battery switch is off, the WFCO will distribute power to the 12V items in the trailer.
What you discovered with the "12V working in the trailer with the tow vehicle connected and the battery switch off" is that you do have a "charge line" from your tow vehicle battery to the trailer's WFCO. That doesn't necessarily mean that your tow vehicle can actually charge the battery successfully, due to a lot of different factors. What you should check for, however, is what happens when you turn off the tow vehicle ignition. If the lights in the trailer stay on with the 7 pin connected and the ignition switch off, that would mean that if the trailer battery switch was on, the two batteries would be connected together....and the two batteries will begin to "balance each other out". The problem would be the tow vehicle battery being drawn down to a state of charge that might not start the tow vehicle engine.
This question comes up when owners ask about "do I have to unplug the trailer from the tow vehicle when I'm parked?" "Back in the day", the problem of a tow vehicle battery being drawn down from a trailer battery was apparently pretty common. In modern vehicles, with so many battery hungry devices, many vehicles now have "isolation relays" that prevents any draw from the vehicle battery when attached to the trailer.
So, you need to work on one more test to "know" what might happen with your tow vehicle connected. The thread below explains this in a clearer way (I think!) and it includes a short test to determine if your vehicle has an "isolation relay".
Find Mousketab's comment in this thread.
PS: Some owners have made "7 pin plug adapters" to use the 7 pin to add extra battery power, or attach a solar controller to charge the battery. When I use my "adapter" with my "spare" battery, I leave the battery switch off, and my "spare" runs the trailer. When I want to charge the trailer battery through the 7 pin, I leave the battery switch on.
Re: Shore power w battery removed?
Yes. (But I suggest UNPLUGGING shore power when disconnecting or reconnecting a battery.)
Also, note that if you tow without a battery, your emergency breakaways brakes will not function in the event of a total trailer separation.
Also, note that if you tow without a battery, your emergency breakaways brakes will not function in the event of a total trailer separation.
Re: Tab 400 == Plumbing Diagram - - Draft
This is a useful project for many, so I too was hoping for some feedback. My suspicion is that a lot of folks have their 400s stored away so not so easy to check the plumbing configuration.
I’m about to take my 400 out so will look around but my 400 does not have the Nautilus. Just a single bypass valve for the Alde water heater.
I’m about to take my 400 out so will look around but my 400 does not have the Nautilus. Just a single bypass valve for the Alde water heater.
Re: Having Trouble Getting the Heat to Go On Using Propane
Thank you so much for your help and your answer! I had been using shore power for the heater and actually it has a funky smell whereas the propane to heat, though it takes longer, seems to not have any smell whatsoever. I will investigate the slow blow fuses and thank you so much, again, for your reply
Re: Can Alde 3020 compact run dry?
Thank you all for this great bit of education
Re: Can Alde 3020 compact run dry?
The propane combustion camber is at the center of the furnace and heats the glycol surrounding it. The electric heating elements are immersed in the glycol (not water). Water is isolated in an outer location and only gets heat from contact with the walls of glycol chamber. No water in that outer area is not a problem, but low or no glycol will be.
Too much information?
Too much information?
Re: Can Alde 3020 compact run dry?
The Alde can run just fine on the 1KW setting with only a "15 amp" setup. Takes longer to heat, but it will work on a 15 amp circuit on the 1kw setting.
Re: External Solar Port on T@B 360
I agree @rfuss928. The point was that most of the accessories like your 12V cooler come with this type of connection. Personally, I've been switching everything over to Anderson PP15 connectors. I was even able to find a new wire for our 12V cooler that had the PP15 on the end commercially available.rfuss928 said:
I have found those cigarette lighter connections to be very unreliable many times and avoid them if possible especially in higher current applications.
What I was trying to say is that having your solar controller between the battery and external port has advantages and that it's easy to add a second port for accessories. I shouldn't have specifically said a cigarette lighter port. I'm not a fan of SAE port either.
Re: Microwave vs no microwave
We opted to order it with the microwave..again..this will be our 3rd nuCamp trailer and each one has had the microwave..and we use it. Making rice and meatloaf in the microwave is yummy, not to mention warming up a precooked meal after a long drive. It does hold some goodies when not in cooking mode..
