hello from newbie

[Lamchop]

jus introducing myself. new to the "travel trailer world". had a jayco 10 pop up for few yrs. I just acquired a 99 four winds lite? 19 or 20 foot I think? no manual of course....and to my everlasting shame..i have little to no knowledge of campers.. looked to be in good shape.. I was "assured" everything works.. the guy hooked up a jump pak to the battery cables to show me lights and radio worked... didn't have the adapter to plug in the power cord... should the plugs have become "hot" (fridge/microwave/etc..) with jus that lil jump pak hooked up? hope not a silly question.. but I cant seem to locate an owners manual.

[Mark_and_Linda]

Hey, noticed you were from Tennessee. We camp a lot around Nashville. It is a learning experience..don't never hesitate to ask questions about things. We went from a tent to a pop up to a travel trailer. Enjoy, biggest problem is trying to find a good spot when you want to camp.

[Fiddlestix]

Welcome to this awesome world of discovery and trial and error. Always ask questions. Best advice I can give is always drink filtered water, and anytime a fairly common item breaks, buy 2 or 3 of them when you replace it. Have fun. I've been following these forums for years. I;ve camped in one manner or another dang near all my life. But have been limited to the eastern side of the Mississippi because of my job.

Just retired this year so look out western states. I'm on my way!

[doughboy]

welcome to travel trailer world.
one word of advice, maybe two.
always!!!
before your hook up to the campground water system, turn it on and let it run for a second or 2. cleans out any insects or any sediment that may have accumulated in the valve.
and
always,always,always,
turn off the water before you leave the campground!!!!!
now go out and enjoy camping
larry

[profdant139]

Don't be ashamed of ignorance. Ignorance can be fixed -- stupidity can't!

Be sure to ask lots of questions. Hopefully, us old timers can help you avoid some of our own newbie misteaks. 😉

Trailers have a steep learning curve, but it does level out after a while.

[rbpru]

Welcome to the TT world. We were all first time TT owners once. There is nothing mystical about RV electrical but It is unusual.

Generally the the things you really need, lights, water pump, refrigerator, water heater, and furnace run on LP and/or battery. To this you can add the radio/DVD player and antenna booster. The remainder of the items run on 120 volts.

As already mentioned if your TT has electric brakes it should have a separate dedicated line directly to the battery through a break away switch.

One thing to be aware of, is you do not know what modifications may have been made over the last twenty years to "improve" the TT. Also you may find some stop gap repairs that were to be corrected later.

All this may sound confusing but they are just part of the RV world.

Enjoy your new TT.

[sgfrye]

welcome from north carolina

[coolmom42]

You will find some very helpful info here:

Marx RV garage--the 12V side of life

[Fireballsocal]

No, the plugs need you to be plugged in to AC power, either a generator or an extension cord or outlet from your house or RV site. Don't have shame, we all started where you did at some point.

[afidel]

Lamchop wrote:
jus introducing myself. new to the "travel trailer world". had a jayco 10 pop up for few yrs. I just acquired a 99 four winds lite? 19 or 20 foot I think? no manual of course....and to my everlasting shame..i have little to no knowledge of campers.. looked to be in good shape.. I was "assured" everything works.. the guy hooked up a jump pak to the battery cables to show me lights and radio worked... didn't have the adapter to plug in the power cord... should the plugs have become "hot" (fridge/microwave/etc..) with jus that lil jump pak hooked up? hope not a silly question.. but I cant seem to locate an owners manual.

Stop, safety first, a travel trailer over 14 feet is going to have brakes, and with a 1999 unit there's a 99.99+% chance those are electric brakes. For the brakes to operate if the trailer should detach from your tow vehicle it needs working 12V power so before you tow it (or tow it again) make sure you have a working 12V battery onboard. Also, just in case, does your tow vehicle have a 7 point harness and a working brake controller, either factory or aftermarket? If not that's a top priority as well.

If you're all set on the safety stuff welcome and happy learning!

[mat60]

Welcome to the forum. You will need to use the power cord for your outlets exc and its best not to run allot of things at the same time at home or you may trip the breaker in your home.Enjoy

[MarkTwain]

Lamchop wrote:
jus introducing myself. new to the "travel trailer world". had a jayco 10 pop up for few yrs. I just acquired a 99 four winds lite? 19 or 20 foot I think? no manual of course....and to my everlasting shame..i have little to no knowledge of campers.. looked to be in good shape.. I was "assured" everything works.. the guy hooked up a jump pak to the battery cables to show me lights and radio worked... didn't have the adapter to plug in the power cord... should the plugs have become "hot" (fridge/microwave/etc..) with jus that lil jump pak hooked up? hope not a silly question.. but I cant seem to locate an owners manual.

One is AC and one is DC.