pluging in to 110 v when parked

[lrash]

Hello all. I am new to Class A motorhomes. Have had travel trailers and 5th wheels. Here is my question: My buddy keeps his Class A plugged in to 50 amp all the time, even when parked at home. I do not have 50 amp service where I park my 2008 Cross Country 383 FWS but do have 110. Would it help to keep batteries charged or be advisable to plug in to 110 when parked at home? Thank you for your help

[flat_twin]

Mrs. Douglas had it down pat. She knew "you can't plug a 2 in a 6"

[daveB110]

Another option is to install solar power. Wow, isn't that a big expense? Depends on how you use your RV. If you do have solar, simply park your rig where the sun shines, if you have a good, reliable inverter/charger and batteries in good shape (they will last many years in a good setup). If you ever wish to dry camp/ boon dock, or whatever you might call it, you're already ahead of the game. Anyone near will appreciate the sublime quiet emanating from your RV. too. I am constantly wondering why expensive rolling homes are without simple solar.

[chuckftboy]

hanko wrote:

wa8yxm wrote:
First: 110 is no longer used,

You have 120 volts, possibly at 15, 20 or if previously installed for a smaller RV 30 amps. Speaking of the voltage is not really proper.

Assuming you wish to plug into either 15 or 20 amps (Some home "Duplex" receptacles are 15 or 20 amps (Plug's choice) (So are some of the outlets in this RV).

Yes, You may do that, no problem,, I used to run this rig on 20 amps (or less) at home.

Just remember, you can not run a lot of stuff.. ONE A/C. or the water heater OR the microwave OR a space heater,, but not two of the above and on 15 amps not even one of the above with the fridge. (On 20 you can run one and the fridge).

maybe he has 122 or 127 gimmie a break, we all knew what he meant. Sittin there for two years with a broken motor, you have way to much time on your hands

I agree there are still plenty of utility companies in this country putting out 110 volts. Check the power on a hot summer day here in Florida and you might be lucky to see 110 volts.

[hanko]

wa8yxm wrote:
First: 110 is no longer used,

You have 120 volts, possibly at 15, 20 or if previously installed for a smaller RV 30 amps. Speaking of the voltage is not really proper.

Assuming you wish to plug into either 15 or 20 amps (Some home "Duplex" receptacles are 15 or 20 amps (Plug's choice) (So are some of the outlets in this RV).

Yes, You may do that, no problem,, I used to run this rig on 20 amps (or less) at home.

Just remember, you can not run a lot of stuff.. ONE A/C. or the water heater OR the microwave OR a space heater,, but not two of the above and on 15 amps not even one of the above with the fridge. (On 20 you can run one and the fridge).

maybe he has 122 or 127 gimmie a break, we all knew what he meant. Sittin there for two years with a broken motor, you have way to much time on your hands

[randallb]

If all you are worried about is keeping the batteries happy install some sort of battery tender/minder. Pull in, turn off the battery disconnect(s), hook up the tender/minder and forget about it until your next trip. Every thing I own that sits for any time period has a BT JR (.75A) hooked up to it. Multi-stage converters are great when you are on the road but when in storage you want the lowest possible charge/maintenance rate possible. All of the minders/tenders, the lowest amperage possible, have the least negative long term effect on your batteries.
Randy

[Beacher]

RoyB wrote:
The 50A to 20/15A Adapters are hard to find - may not even exist.. .

Heh, the RV supply stores want you to believe this!!

Camping World sells their adapter for over $80! I have seen dealership part stores sell them for up to $120!!

Or, you can buy it on Amazon. Amazon's price fluctuates throughout the year. It was $15!

The other reason, (besides charging the house batteries), that some motorhomes must keep their coach plugged in is so that the residential refrigerator groceries do not spoil.

[jerseyjim]

Yes.. I use adapters (50A to30A to 110 household current) and a 50 foot orange extention cord. Mainly to charge the 2 6V batteries and keeps the fridge on electricity rather than gas.
Do NOT use the a/c (even microwave). Lights...roof fan...small draw things like that.
my 2 cents

[wolfe10]

And, disconnect the jumper before starting the engine. Since both ends are "live"/attached to high capacity battery banks, if either end jumped off and touched any coach metal, you would have welding at a minimum and fire at the worse.

A fuse right at each battery would make the jumper a little safer.

[DrewE]

FuzzyKnight wrote:
On the question of charging both the coach and the starting battery's. Many coaches will not do that. I just made a jumper out of #10 wire and ran it between the starting and coach battery's. Worked just fine.

I assume you remove/disconnect the jumper when actually camping. If you don't, you'll run down the starting battery with the house battery, and potentially leave yourself stranded.

Arguably a better solution is the nifty little Trik-L-Start (or its bigger sibling, the Amp-L-Start), a simple little 12V-powered float charger that automatically keeps the starting battery charged when the house battery is being charged. It only works in one direction, and is current limited to a modest amperage, and generally a well-thought-out and reliable gizmo that can be installed and then ignored.

[FuzzyKnight]

On the question of charging both the coach and the starting battery's. Many coaches will not do that. I just made a jumper out of #10 wire and ran it between the starting and coach battery's. Worked just fine.

[ArchHoagland]

If you are going to leave it plugged in be sure to check your battery water levels at least once a month.

[time2roll]

Ground --> Ground
Neutral --> Neutral
L1 (Hot) --> L1, L2

[RoyB]

BBFD - Thanks for the link - That would eliminate a double adapter hook-up for me. I'll check that out...

After looking closer I think this would be the 50A(F) to 15A(M) long adapter I would need.

Camco 55168 12-Inch 15M/50F PowerGrip Dogbone Electrical Adapter with Handle



I am curious however how the schematic would look like with this adapter with three connections on the 15A(M) end and the four connections of the 50A(F) end.

They may connecting the NEUTRAL and GROUND together which may create another problem to get around.

Roy Ken

[time2roll]

Verify battery voltage on the battery terminals after a week to verify all is working as expected.