catndahats said:

Learning a lot about the proper care and feeding of our new T@B.  Thank you all for the support!
 
* at a 50 amp campsite, can a 50 to 30 amp cord adapter be used safely? Yes

* so, 1500 miles later I figured out why the 12 volt lights/power in the camper were not coming on---thought the battery was dead.... found a small battery cut-off switch (not the fuse) located by the battery in the propane box (discovered that when we got home--a little embarrassing to admit )....but to charge the battery when hooked to shore power or towing,  does this switch need to be turned to the "ON" position to recharge the house battery????  Not sure I want to add more stress to my TV alternator. Yes

* and a general electrical question: at home we have 110v outlets (probably 15amp, not 30 amp).  Can I use a 110/15amp to 30amp  adapter connected to my yellow electrical cord when at home to charge the battery and pre-cool the fridge??? - Yes

Any advice would be appreciated.
Nate & Cheryl

See, your instincts were right! (see my answers in bold above.)

Nope, no problem taking 30A from a 60A outlet, the outlet supply is rated at 60A max, so adapting down to 30A is fine.

If you're connecting to your house circuits, ideally the circuit/outlet would be rated at 30A, but as you say, most likely they're 15-20A outlets. 

If you connect to a 15 or 20A household outlet using an adapter, what you'd need to be careful of would be high-current-draw items such the Alde at the 110V-high setting, or the AC unit. And use a heavy extension cord that's not too long.

The fridge on 110V, and the converter/battery-charger don't draw too many amps, so should be fine.

jkjenn said:

 
* so, 1500 miles later I figured out why the 12 volt lights/power in the camper were not coming on---thought the battery was dead.... found a small battery cut-off switch (not the fuse) located by the battery in the propane box (discovered that when we got home--a little embarrassing to admit )....but to charge the battery when hooked to shore power or towing,  does this switch need to be turned to the "ON" position to recharge the house battery????  Not sure I want to add more stress to my TV alternator. Yes

I hadn't really thought about this because I have the cut-off switch ON when connected to shore power because there's no worry about draining the battery.  However, when I have my solar 10A maintainer plugged in, I have the cut-off switch in the OFF position and it still charges.  So, if it has to be turned on when connected to shore power, what's the difference?

mawebb, thanks for that explanation.  I installed the cut-off switch myself over a year ago, but cannot remember the particulars.  Will have to take a look and refresh my memory.  I have a 2013 T@B, before they started installing the Zamp plug.  My Goal Zero is connected through a 12V (cigarette plug) that I also installed on the battery box.  Again, don't remember the particulars.  It all works as planned, so guess I did it right.

What confused me - maybe still does - is open/closed vs on/off so...
open = off ...  -- || --
closed = on ...  -- -- --
correct?

jkjenn said:

A cigarette lighter, interesting as the GZ has the Zamp cable.included. Perhaps you got one with regular instead of reversed polarity?

The GZ maintainer came with a cigarette lighter plug.  I assume that if the polarity on the GZ is reversed, the plug included a built-in adapter that allows its use.

Please advise.

Plan to install a 30AMP plug in garage.   What are key cautions?  What the electrician should know?
Is it the same as the 220v for Dryers?

Thanks.

Thank you very much ST_Bob.

Michigan_Mike said:

catndahats said:

When on shore power, ensure the battery disconnect is not open."

If the battery disconnect is NOT open when on shore power, then the converter won't charge the battery, right?  Sorry, the more I learn, the more confused I get.

If the battery switch is in the "open" position the converter cannot charge the battery because in effect the 12V circuit is not completed.  If the switch is closed this completes the electrical circuit and allows the electric converter to provide 12 volts to the battery.  So the statement above in bold print is correct and you need to close the battery switch to allow the converter to charge the battery when plugged into shore power.  

The converter DOES however provide 12 volts to all 12 volt accessories in the trailer when the battery switch is open and the battery is isolated from the converter.  So when off shore power close the battery switch and you'll have lights and be able to use all 12 volt accessories.  

Hope that makes things clearer.....  "

Thanks Michigan Mike. I'm Colorado Mike - but originally I'm "Holly Michigan Mike" and as a neighbor, I respect Linden greatly. My wife and I have a yellow/white 2007 T@B and love it. We took our honeymoon in it, through CO, WY and MT, chasing trout and great western scenery. I'm in the market for a generator to add heat on fall trout trips and elk hunts, but also to add A/C for hot summer Moab days. Does anyone know if the Honda EU 2000i portable generator will power the T@B air conditioning system?  Thank you for any guidance you can provide.

Just for the Honda 2000i (ia to) there's a 5 gal extended tank set up you can buy from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SWCUGK?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00). That might help with running the AC overnight in areas where it's allowed. I read the reviews on the tank and got it anyway. Found reading the tank instructions and using the teflon tape exactly as described (it was provided with the tank) prevented any leaks anywhere (some reviewers complained of leaks). 

What Irving said was right about what else is running inside the camper, including the converter itself. For example, I was inside the T@B, putzing around as per usual, and the only thing running was the main light. One light switch. Parasitic draws like the Jensen player, TV, CO monitor, and itty bitty LED light in the bath were on. I turned on a 1500W small ceramic heater and flipped the Honda 2000i's overload switch. No frig, no charging iphone/ipad/ipod, no additional lights were on, no fan, TV and Radio were not on (just on stand-by). Unplugging the camper and plugging in the heater directly to the generator, the heater ran all the way to it's 1650W top rating and the generator ran flawlessly. 

There's a bunch of threads about generators that may give you more of an idea of what's out there in the low decibel range and which does well above 4000 ft. elevation. I haven't tested the AC on the generator, but others have. Keep in mind that the 2000i's and equivalents are 20 amp rated, not 30 amp. Some people have even said the 1000i runs the AC, but many worry about the AC compressor failure after stressing it during the times it kicks in. I also don't know their factory installed AC rating. Older Dutchmen T@Bs use a heatpump/AC and that needs a bit more power than you'd expect. 

There are many threads that sorta devolve into generator discussions. I wonder if they are too spread out, or if they can be consolidated into a thread? Mods work hard as heck, and I think that would take a good chunk of time - so I understand if it can't be done for whatever reason. It was just a humble suggestion.

TrailMix, what T@B do you have? Many have the high alt kit already installed. You can tell if you have 2 round vent thingies in the front on the door side of the camper for T@B, not sure where those vents are on T@G.

Hmmm. There have been others that had problems at higher altitudes.

It works ok below 8000 feet? I had intermittent problems with the thermocouple connection coming loose at the controller, under the stovetop. It actually got worse at higher altitude, but that might have been coincidence. I finally used a bit of locktite to secure the connection. It has worked good since then, although I haven't had an opportunity to try it at altitude since.