120v or 12v

Jebby14 wrote:
thanks guys im on the hunt for a good price on a bettery and a battery box for it. I will figure out how to get it installed when I get home and can actually look at whats there.

Wallyworld or Canadian Tire should have one. As others have said make sure to get a deep cycle, a car battery will not hold up to the cycling.

Agree with getting a cheap meter to measure voltage, you can get them for around 10 bucks.

Some of the nicer campgrounds are the remote ones that people don't use all that offen. These remote campgrounds seldom have hookups and a battery allows you to enjoy these as well.

If you intend on purchasing a single 12 volt deep cycle battery, get the largest "group" size you can find.

Also, read this and you will understand the battery & 12 volt system requirements much better.

The 12 volt side of Life

Read both part 1 & part 2

thanks guys im on the hunt for a good price on a bettery and a battery box for it. I will figure out how to get it installed when I get home and can actually look at whats there.

Yes, you'll need a battery. The battery also acts as a filter in the battery charging circuit. In fact, many older charger/converter's will not work without a battery installed. You can test the health of your converter by measuring voltage between the battery terminals, once installed and connected to shore power. The voltage should be greater than 13.2 V.

If you don't have a handheld electrical meter, get one and learn how to use some of it's functions. They are inexpensive and a "must have" for diagnosing problems and maintaining a travel trailer.

You could probably get by with a cheap battery if you always have shore power available. Some of us camp off-grid so have banks of batteries and solar to keep everything running.

One dirty little secret is that most trailers have parasitic "phantom" loads that will suck a battery dry in a week or so if the battery is left connected. IMO, every trailer should have a battery disconnect switch for storage. This is one item that the Mfgs. choose not to install because of greed. If you park the trailer with your new battery and you don't connect to 120V AC and don't know if the converter is working, disconnect a wire from the battery terminal. A disconnect switch is a better solution.

Good luck with your new rig and buy that meter!

good to know. it will be plugged in for the duration of our camps. usually 3 or 4 nights at a time. sometimes a 9 or 10.

Jebby14 wrote:
thanks guys. I wish Colorado. I'm Windsor Ontario. Ya I'm trying desperately to soak up as much info as I can. Been a tent camper all my life, new to travel trailers so much to learn. I'm going to spend my lunch hunting down a battery for it. Then I just need to figure out how to insure its getting a proper charge.

You're going to need a battery in the loop in order for everything to work, even when you're plugged in. The battery completes the circuit.

The old converters are known as "battery boilers". If you're going to leave it plugged in for an extended period of time you're going to want to invest in a modern converter with a 3-stage charging strategy. Not critical, but something to keep in the back of your mind.

A friend of mine boiled 2 brand new deep cycle batteries when he first got his rig with a 1987-era converter.

Jebby14 wrote:
OK so assuming there is a converter. when im plugged into shore power the batter will still run the 12v systems but will simultaneously be charging therefore wont run out? if there is no converter then I would need secondary charging? forgive me im not electrically inclined

Correct.

It would be nice if someone around you with a RV could go through the system with you. If I was closer I would be glad to help.

thanks guys. I wish Colorado. I'm Windsor Ontario. Ya I'm trying desperately to soak up as much info as I can. Been a tent camper all my life, new to travel trailers so much to learn. I'm going to spend my lunch hunting down a battery for it. Then I just need to figure out how to insure its getting a proper charge.

Sure would be neat if you had a nearby neighbor friend that has a Rv TRAILER to come over and go through all these things with you. Getting a first hand experience is worth its weight in gold as they say...

In my state if the trailer has electric brakes then it has to be inspected. Of course it also has to be tagged.

Everyone got to get their little piece of the pie...

We love the small trailers. the 19-24 foot trailers are boss with me... Doesn't cost much to maintain them and they fit almost anywhere you go camping at..

Your 1991 trailer should have all of things listed in the above Electrical setup.

You will have alot of fun with your trailer... If your Windsor is Colorado you are right in the middle of many wonderful camping places...

Once the dust settles you will want to upgrade your converter/charger to a smart mode type and add a couple of batteries. Change out the automotive incandescent lights for LEDs. Even add a 120WATT Solar Panel. Then you will be more or less self sustained camping in the high sun...

Roy Ken