Charging & Managing battery

[dhampanu]

We are new to RV'ing and have learned a lot of things the hard way, including losing a freezer of meat assuming our single battery in our new X-Lite Cougar would run the frig for 6 days while we visited family. We now know 3 days is a stretch. This has lead to a couple of questions for you more seasoned travelers. Is it OK to reduce down our 50 amp power to a 110 house plug in to keep the battery charged with and without the frig running? We see RV's stored all over the place for weeks and months. How do you get the battery charged to run the jacks to get hooked up and slides to get inside?

[scrubjaysnest]

Go to batteryfaq.org for all you'll ever want to know about batteries.
If your converter is a WFCO xxxx remove it and use as a boat anchor. Get a Progressive Dynamics or Iota. Or do like I did, remove the WFCO and add solar.

[laknox]

dhampanu wrote:
We are new to RV'ing and have learned a lot of things the hard way, including losing a freezer of meat assuming our single battery in our new X-Lite Cougar would run the frig for 6 days while we visited family. We now know 3 days is a stretch. This has lead to a couple of questions for you more seasoned travelers. Is it OK to reduce down our 50 amp power to a 110 house plug in to keep the battery charged with and without the frig running? We see RV's stored all over the place for weeks and months. How do you get the battery charged to run the jacks to get hooked up and slides to get inside?

Good advice from the others. I'd add that, even if you don't boondock, having 2 good 6v deep cycle (golf cart) batteries gives you a lot more leeway. No problem to keep plugged in to 110v with adapters, but battery(ies) need to be checked to keep from boiling off, if wet cells. Replacing the OEM power converter with a better one will also help prolong battery life. Solar, again with top of the line power converter, will also keep your battery(ies) in top condition. Personally, I had an electrician install a 30a plug at my house, and love it. Yes, I had to buy a 25' extension cord to reach it from the street, but that's not a big deal, and it's great to be able to load up for a trip with the A/C running. 🙂 My next FW will be a 50a, so I'll likely have the same guy add a 50a plug and leave the 30a plug in place.

Lyle

[pianotuna]

As SMK suggests add some solar. Use two dog bone adapters. 15 to 30, and 30 to 50.

[BarneyS]

The 12 volt Side of Life. Link to part II at the bottom of the page.
Barney

[time2roll]

You need a second battery and about 200 watts of solar.
Maybe more if you are serious about extended off-grid camping.

No problem with the 50/15 adapter.

> Forum Members Solar Installations With Pics


The 12 Volt Side of Life

[Allworth]

A 15Amp circuit will easily run the converter (120Volt AC to 12Volt DC) and the fridge in electric mode. No propane needed.

Do NOT NOT NOT try to run the A/C, the water heater, or the microwave with this setup. You will either trip the household breaker or melt the extension cord (or both).

You don't say whether your trailer is at home or in a storage yard. If at home, you may want to have an electrician set up a 50 (or 30) Amp RV outlet. Make sure he really understands how an RV outlet is wired. 110 Volts; Split phase; 50 Amps. It looks like a 220 Volt plug but it IS NOT! Plugging into 220V will blow out every appliance in your trailer.

My Titanium is stored in the back yard with 50Amp power available 24/7. Be aware, however, that one reason I can do this is because I have a total of 500Amps (2@250 mains) on my main panel.

A fully charged battery, disconnected from any load, will hold charge about 6 months in Florida below Gainesville. About 2 or 3 months up North in Winter. People using remote storage usually disconnect their battery from all loads; or take the battery out and take it home and put it in trickle charge.

There are several good references on how trailer electrical systems work and the relationship of the 120Volt system to the 12Volt system. I believe one is "The Twelve Volt Way of Life" but it has been a long time and I don't remember where to find it.

Learning is part of the experience. We were all newbies at one time. (Of course, I'm so old that I learned on a two-ox cart.)

[2oldman]

Owner's manual or look it up by brand/model.

[dhampanu]

We have a 2015 Cougar X-Lite 28SGS with 1 battery. How do I know if I have a smart converter or inverter?

[2oldman]

Stay plugged in in storage?2007
disconnect? Oct 2013
Stay plugged in Mar 2014
Stay plugged in Jun 2014
Stay plugged in Sep 2014

[halfwright]

Yes, you can adapt it down. You will need the small plug that adapts from 15 amp to 30, then the 30 to 50 amp adapter. I have never seen one that goes straight from 15 to 50.