New 320S Owner with Basic Questions!

Pekoe1111

 We just bought a 2015 and are very excited! We do not have access to basic resources that can answer these questions, so please let us know or point us in the right direction-thanks! 

 Shore power works great. How do you use the battery only?  Should it happened automatically, or is there a switch?

 The bathroom was never used and there is a short water supply hose that appears to connect to the back of the toilet. How do you get your hands back there, and is it just a straight push on fitting, or should it screw on?  I assume that should be secure so you do not need to press water pump switch on wall every time you flush - correct?

Alde heater never used and this is a 2015 - any tips or tricks I should know?

Thanks!

DigitalSorceress

@Pekoe1111 CONGRATS! and welcome...

Shore Power will charge your battery (if it's connected) and will let you switch your fridge to use AC, and will let you run the air conditioner and provide power to the 110 outlets etc...

Things like your fan, lights, water pump all run off 12v all the time.. they run off the battery when shore power is out and when it's on the converter supplies them

The fridge can switch between AC, Battery, and Propane.. It will QUICKLY exhaust your battery.. I recommend you never run the fridge off battery except while actively towing.. (the vehicle 7 pin cable if properly set up charges the camper battery and can keep the fridge going while traveling but BE CAREFUL.. leaving the fridge on 12v while the tow vehicle is attached but set up can drain BOTH your tow vehicle AND your trailer battery in a few hours.. it's brutal...


The Air conditioner will not run when on battery .. not even a big inverter can power that without lots of extra batteries.. basically without a ridiculously over-the-top battery and inverter, you are not going to run AC without shore power either from a hookup or from a generator

The AC on a 320 is 2015 is only 5000 BTU so even a small 2000 watt generator like those quiet hondas) can power it

The Fridge should be on shore power if you're plugged in to the mains or on propane if you're boondocking .. do NOT run the fridge on propane while driving.. it's dangerous and illegal in most states

DigitalSorceress

@Pekoe1111 , to continue: 

""" The bathroom was never used and there is a short water supply hose that appears to connect to the back of the toilet. How do you get your hands back there, and is it just a straight push on fitting, or should it screw on?  I assume that should be secure so you do not need to press water pump switch on wall every time you flush - correct?"""

The toilet should pretty much always be connected.

As for water pump.. you only need to run the water pump when you're not connected to "city water" .. there are two distinct water inlets on the outside of the camper.. a "tank fill" where you stick a hose in and fill teh 11 gallon fresh tank, and a "city water" where you hook a hose to it and run off the hose directly

USE A PRESSURE REGULATOR so you don't ever give it over 50 PSI or you can break things...

when hooked to city water, your water tank can be empty or full doesn't matter and the water tank wont fill from it.. but it will directly pressurize the sysetem.. if the hose to the toilet is disconnected this will cause a flood/leak... be careful to ensure its connected

So, when you're running without a connection, you turn on the water pump when you want water.. it actually charges up a bit of a back pressure. I find if I turn on the pump with all outlets off and let it go it will run 15 sec or so then stop.. the system is now charged and you can get a few flushes out of it before you have to run the pump again.. it's a demand pump.. it will run when needed like a well pump in a home ... but I prefer to only turn it on when actively using water... and usually it's got enough pressure for a few flushes

ScottG

Welcome, @Pekoe1111.

2015 T@Bs were not supplied with a battery cutoff. However, the previous owner may have installed one as it was a popular mod at the time. If you have one it will probably be a large obvious switch mounted near the battery, or perhaps under the driver's side bench. This switch must be on for your battery to provide power to the camper.

If you don't have a switch, then the battery is hooked up all the time and you don't need to do anything to use it. However, the problem with this arrangement is that phantom draw from things like the CO detector and LED indicators can drain your battery between trips. You should consider installing a switch, or at the very least get in the habit of pulling the small blade fuse at the battery when you are not using it.

As for your Alde, you probably have the analog control panel--a gray box with several sliders. For some reason this thing gave people fits before they switched over to digital controls, but it's really not that hard to use. You can download an Alde manual here. You will have the 3010 model.

tabiphile

It may be that your T@B was winterized by the previous owner. They may have disconnected the toilet when they did. If you can you should ask them. You may need to de-winterize and reconnect that hose. Good luck and enjoy.

Pekoe1111

Thanks, everyone!  So nice to have a responsive community.  For some reason, the water hose for the toilet is not hooked up and there is hardly any room to get a hand back there to put it on.  Wondering if the toilet can be unfastened so I can move it away from the wall a bit.

Does shore power charge the battery?  If not, I’ll throw a trickle charger on it.  My tow vehicle is not wired yet, and assuming it will charge the battery when hooked up.  Thanks also for the fridge battery draining advice!

DigitalSorceress

@Pekoe1111 ,

""Alde heater never used and this is a 2015 - any tips or tricks I should know?""

Alde can work off of AC power or Propane.. you access the settings in the menu.. hit the power button and then the menu.. you can switch between gas and electric.. electric has two levels 1kw and 2kw.. IF you are connected to a full 30 amp proper RV receptacle feel free to use the 2k setting for faster heating..

If you are plugged in via an adapter to a standard wall outlet either use propane or set the electric to 1kw only..

The Alde does both heat and hot water.. you control the heat by telling it NOT to run the circulator unless the thermostat says to and see the thermostat LOW to prevent it from trying to heat in summer/warm weather.. there's a switch to set hot water off, warm or hot.. set it to hot only when you want a shower to save fuel..

I keep mine off most of the time.. I use electric when it's available and propane when it's not.. the manual for Aldes should be available online etc...    it's a little tricky but generally

decide ac or propane

decide heat or Hot water or both

set the thermostat for heat temperature for cabin heat.. tell it not to run the circulator all the time (set it to run only on demand of thermostat)

NOTE: there is a water mix valve (search this forum) which may need adjusting if you find you just never get hot water.. only warm

ScottG

The toilet is quite easy to remove. There is a plastic cap on either side of the base. Pop the caps off, remove the stool nuts, and lift the toilet off the bolts. There is a foam gasket that forms the seal between the toilet base and the floor--you should be able to reuse it but they are a common replacement item if not. Installation is the reverse of removal.

And yes, shore power will charge the battery via the converter.

ChanW

Also, you probably only have the 5-6 gallon fresh water tank (under the sink), as opposed to the later 11 gallon under-floor tank.

I'd suggest pulling the toilet if you need to reconnect the supply hose. Quite easy, and the toilet/floor seal is rubber (and probably reusable), so no messing with a wax seal. 

I'd suggest pressuring up the water system (either with the pump or with your 'city water' garden hose), after the tube is reconnected, but before bolting the toilet back down, to test the toilet flush valve for leaks (it's the little valve that the supply hose connects to back there behind the toilet.) That valve is known to freeze and break/leak, if not properly winterized. That might be why it's disconnected! That's also an easy fix, and the replacement valve is fairly inexpensive (on Amazon, or maybe eTrailer, I think).

ScottG

My 2015 (built Dec. 2014) has the 11 gallon under-floor tank. Not sure when they made that change.

It does not, however, have a battery cut-off switch, digital Alde controls, a hot water mixing valve, electronic tank monitors, combined dump valves, or underbelly covering. Those items were added in later years, and I'm perfectly happy not to have them!  ;-)

DigitalSorceress

Sorry if some of my stuff is for newer designs.. I have a 2019 320 S Boondock so my answers were based on what I had.

pthomas745

Grab the note taking device of your choice and look over everything in the trailer and note the model numbers.  Each Fridge/Alde/Television/Pump/Jensen entertainment center/gas monitor/smoke detector/fan/converter will have a separate manual that is either available on these forums or out there in the Wild Web.  Knowing exactly what you have in your model and year of trailer will help get you focused.

Also, pictures (properly sized!) will help the forum members sort your questions quickly.

ZippyA

@DigitalSorceress
Had a follow up question to what you posted about the fridge

"The fridge can switch between AC, Battery, and Propane.. It will QUICKLY exhaust your battery.. I recommend you never run the fridge off battery except while actively towing.. (the vehicle 7 pin cable if properly set up charges the camper battery and can keep the fridge going while traveling but BE CAREFUL.. leaving the fridge on 12v while the tow vehicle is attached but set up can drain BOTH your tow vehicle AND your trailer battery in a few hours.. it's brutal..."

1.  When I'm towing, I set the fridge to battery.  Is that correct?
2.  When I'm parked in driveway and connected to power, I put it on electric icon.  Correct?
3.  When at campground and plugged into pedestal, I put it on electric icon.  Correct?
4.  What you are saying NOT to do is to have it connected to electric at campground, but fridge is on the battery icon.  Right?

Stupid question, but when you refer to 12v - that means the battery, right?

thx!

pthomas745

1.  Yes.  Only IF your car can keep up with the load of the fridge.  And, it depends on the fridge model.  My car does not charge my trailer battery while driving.  A pre-cooled fridge is an excellent cooler, so this has not been an issue for me.

2.  Yes.  Or propane, if you have that option and want to use it. (Electric would probably be better.)

3.  Same as 2.

4.  Not sure about the question, but (I think) @DigitalSorceress is warning about keeping the 7 pin plug attached to the tow vehicle if you are not driving or with the engine running and the fridge on battery. The fridge will happily drain all the batteries in the trailer and the tow vehicle.

Non-Stupid question: Yes.  Any 12v reference is the battery power. 

Some of these answers will depend on the model of the fridge, either 2 way (electric or 12v) or the 3 way (electric, 12v, and propane).  The different models have different electrical needs.

ScottG

Regarding Question 5: Yes, 12V does refer to the battery, but the converter (the brown box under the bench) can also provide 12V DC power when you are plugged into 120V AC shore power. In this situation, you get all the 12V juice you want without draining your battery.

In this regard, you theoretically could run your fridge on DC when plugged into shore power (Question 4), but there would be no good reason to do so. You would work your converter unnecessarily, and the fridge (at least the older ones) have no temp control on DC.

DigitalSorceress

@ZippyA ,   @pthomas745 answered for me (thanks)  .. on 4.. I meant that you really want to disconnect the Tow Vehicle wiring hitch from the trailer any time you're not running the engine.. the trailer can and will pull off the tow vehicle battery .. I had this happen>>

I was traveling to a friends house.. had the fridge on 12v and tow vehicle plugged in.. I forgot to disconnect and/or turn off the fridge when I got there.. I had to boondock... I went in to their house party and left it for hours and hours.. came out to find the truck battery dead... horn couldn't even beep

I thought "I'm a clever tool-using primate... I'll just pull my second trailer battery and use it to jump the truck"

Nope.. even though it was well charged it just could not crank.. I had to get a jump from a running car and let it charge my truck for 30 min before I could get a start.


LESSON LEARNED>> I always thought "hey in a pinch I can grab my spare Deep cycle and start the truck"..   nope...  don't count on it.

So, now I always disconnect the tow vehicle


As for the other things the general idea is this

Your best option when available is a 30A RV electric connection ("Shore power")  .. if you have that you can run the fridge and heater and AC (though if using heater for hot water AND AC I suggest setting the Alde to 1kw not 2kw..but .. there should be enough power for all.

It not only powers all the things, it will charge your battery while providing 12v to the 12v things through the converter

If you have only a household 15 A plug, then I suggest either /or with AC or Alde and only use Alde on 1kw to be safe... fridge and charging should be OK too..

If you're "boondocking" running off a generator can be fine.. same rules apply if your generator is only a 2kw one with standard household outlet then follow those rules.. if your generator has a full RV plug, great, go to town

If you want to fully boondock without generator then  the fridge and the Alde can run off propane (the Alde needs some power to run the circulation motor.. the 12v battery will supply that)  The AC can not be run off battery and the 110v outlets won't work unless you have an inverter and even then you won'[t be able to run the AC without a ridiculous battery bank and /or solar array (You might be able to run an AC with a 2kw pure sine inverter, and 1000 watts (10 typical solar panels) of solar and/or some kick-ass batteries.

The ceiling exhaust fan .. factory one out of the box is a bit inefficient and can drain your battery faster than you might like.. There is at least one awesome thread on here about replacing the fan housing with an upgraded one that gives you more efficient control..

I opted to add a second battery to my trailer. Since it was not the same exact capacity and age, I opted for an A/B switch (Replaced my shut off with one that can do shut off, or battery A or battery B or both.. I switch between a OR b ... It lets me have well, double the time without charging

DigitalSorceress

@ScottG  GOOD POINT!   yes in theory the fridge can run on 12v while on "shore power" but the fridge does not run as efficiently AND only when running on 110v AC does it have a fully functional thermostat that maintains temp.. 12v is kind of like "emergency lighting" for the fridge.. keeps it cool while traveling but isn't really what you want for day to day running.

When operating on propane the fridge is EXCEPTIONALLY sensitive to the leveling of the trailer.. much more so than when on 110v  and also there's no auto thermostat as ScottG said.. when you run the fridge on propane you have to kind of "Jockey" the temp setting up and down based on ambient temperature and how cold things are getting.. I've had propane fridges where they either are sitting at 50 or turning half and half into solid ice due to not being "ridden" enough.. you really do have to kind of actively monitor

Speaking of fridge.. invest in a small battery powered fan made for RV fridges.. Unlike your house fridge, the RV fridge doesn't have an internal fan that circulates air to even out temps.. without some air flow inside, the stuff at the bottom tends to freeze while the stuff at the top gets too warm.. Those fans usually take like 1 D battery and run for like a month on it.. should be about $12 or so

Sharon_is_SAM

Just a thought.  Assuming the previous owners never changed the Alde glycol it is now overdue to be changed out.  

ScottG

@DigitalSorceress (and others), do you see a range of temperatures when operating on propane or does there seem to be a point where it just swings too hot or too cold?

I confess I've never monitored mine, but probably will start. The fridge has always stayed cold on propane, but things have occasionally frozen. I like the circulation fan idea as well.

DigitalSorceress

Fridges on propane is kind of an art.. if oyu find stuff is freezing you turn the temp up a bit.. stuff not cold enough turn it down.. it is like this constant game of playing catch-up

ScottG

Ah, I get it! I must aspire to be a propane fridge whisperer in addition to a battery whisperer...  :-)

DigitalSorceress

@ScottG  Yes, one must find the zen of the battery and the gas... I am a leaf on the wind.. watch me soar.... 

Pekoe1111

Thanks for great feedback!  When I got the camper, powered things only worked when I plugged into shore power, so I put the battery on a trickle charger.  Now things work on both battery and shore power.  How can I test to see if shore power actually charges battery?

DesertDweller

DigitalSorceress said:

I am a leaf on the wind.. watch me soar....  

You can’t take the sky from me.  

Sharon_is_SAM

@Pekoe1111, to check the converter, plug in a meter into the 12 V outlet while on shore power and you should see a stepped down voltage of about 13.6.  That should be the voltage fed to the battery.  Your battery health is one thing that can impact the ability of the converter to charge your battery.