Newbie trailer owner, quite confused

[RetroAirBnB]

I just bought my first travel trailer. A 2017 Riverside Retro 195. Mint condition with the all the manuals.

I thought: "this will be great, I'm sure I can learn everything i need to by reading the manual."

No schematics. Anywhere. And even the narrative is confusing.

It's hooked up to the battery, no "shore power" yet. And only certain electronics seem to work. Ceiling fan, outside light, radio, pump.

I ASSUME I have to have it plugged into power to get the other stuff to work, but nowhere can I find a description of what might be wired to battery and what might not be.

I'm wondering, if there are other owners out here, if I post a link to a 5 minute youtube video walking through if people could help me figure things out?

[Seon]

OP should list where in California he's located then maybe a fellow RV'er nearby can swing by and help him.

[Taxman2436]

Check this out and the other links provided. I am a newbie also and besides the great advice here, this has also been helpful.

http://rvservices.koa.com/rvinformation/rvmaintenance/basic-rv-electricity.asp

Lenny

[time2roll]

RetroAirBnB wrote:
OK, but maybe you can tell me this: can i connect to my home power? Manual says I can, but have to turn off all breakers in house and trailer first, then turn on. For some reason.

A regular 120v outlet with an adapter, yes. You will have limited power to charge the battery and maybe run the fridge. Anything big will trip the home breaker. Reduce the load and reset.

DO NOT plug into a large dryer outlet even if the prongs look similar. They are not compatible. The smoke will come out.

Turn off main breaker in the RV is fine. Some items are on and will cause a spark as you plug in. Best to avoid the spark and related voltage surge.

[wanderingbob]

Many garages in older homes will have an outlet that looks like an RV plug , it probably is not an RV plug but is a 220 volt dryer plug . If ya plug in there it will blow a lot of stuff in your trailer and all your babies will be born naked !

[RetroAirBnB]

This is great. thanks so much!

[profdant139]

Retro, don't try to run the air conditioner off your house power unless you have a circuit that can handle that load and unless you have a beefy extension cord.

And on a larger note, don't stop asking questions!! There is a bit of a learning curve for trailer owners -- it is not rocket science, but there are tips and tricks that you will pick up.

Don't be discouraged --all of us old timers were newbies once -- and take time to laugh at the mistakes you will make.

Speaking as someone who has been doing a lot of trailering during the last 15 years, my only regret is that I did not discover RV travel until I was in my 50s. I missed out on a lot of good years.

Welcome to the club!!

[RetroAirBnB]

Very helpful. Thank you. I just ordered the adapter

[Huntindog]

It is a good idea to turn off the breaker to the receptacle you are pluging into.
The reason is that if it is live, it will arc a little everytime you plug in. After awhile this arcing will damage both the power cord and the receptacle.

That is the only breaker that you need to turn off to prevent this.

Welcome to the RV world.. Have fun.

[bgum]

Do not plug it into any house plug that "looks" like your trailer plug. Use only normal wall plugs that are 120 volts and you should not try to run your trailer Air conditioner on that. If in doubt make sure the plug is NOT 220 volts. When plugged into house plug you can operate all 120 volt items except A C but not all at the same time. Microwave or water heater one at time. As you learn more you will learn what can be run at the same time. This will get you started.

[midnightsadie]

at my house. I bought a adaptor from a 30amp pluglike your rv has to a 120 plug I have a regular outlet 20amp. and can run the whole rv. do not turn on microwave and AC at the same time, and fill hot water tank before turning it on. just my .02cts you don,t need to turn things off first.

[Lwiddis]

“OK, but maybe you can tell me this: can i connect to my home power?”

Asking random questions isn’t going to educate you. Read about RV electrical basics.

[bukhrn]

On battery, your lights will work, radio, water pump, water heater on propane, fridge will work on Propane, you still need 12V for it to work, Furnace will work, perhaps not for long, propane detector, For all your 120V things, like wall outlets, TV, AC, microwave you will need shore power, or generator.

[opnspaces]

RetroAirBnB wrote:
OK, but maybe you can tell me this: can i connect to my home power? Manual says I can, but have to turn off all breakers in house and trailer first, then turn on. For some reason.

Standard CYA by the manufacturer. At home most people just plug in with no issues. If at a campground most people flip the main breaker at the post off before plugging or unplugging. But the rest of the breakers stay on.

Just plug it in and see what works.

[opnspaces]

Make sure the battery is hooked up correctly. Turn on the overhead lights as a test.

Your battery should run:
Overhead lights
Light over the stove top
Any fans
Water pump
Refrigerator on LP
Water heater on LP
Electric awning
outside lights (Except) the running and taillights
Slide out

Items that you need to be plugged into shore power for:
Microwave
Refrigerator on electric
Water heater on electric
Air Conditioning
All the 120v household style plugs
Battery charger
All the other items from the battery list above also