2 separate questions from new owner

[DaltonG]

I'm still learning about this 2008 pacearrow I bought a few weeks ago and a couple things I still don't know.

1) today I put leveling jacks down but this time when it completed I got 3 beeps pause, 3 beeps, pause, etc etc. Kept going. I lifted the jacks back up and everything was fine. I didn't set them back down again though.
It hasn't done this before the 4-5 times I've used the jacks.

I know it could be getting low on fluid. Where is this usually located (to check and fill)?

2) We may be going to the desert with no hookups and it will get chilly. I'm assuming the heater works off the propane but the fan must run also. Can this be done with the house batteries and if so, will it last all night?

[KF5UMC]

Regarding #1
Get the manual for the jacks and find out what the codes/beeps are telling you, check the fluid levels.


Regarding #2
The furnace fans are 12 vdc and operate from the house batteries. It should last several nights if you have the thermostat set to 68 or so and depending on your state of charge, battery condition etc. Monitor your 12 vdc house voltage and charge as required. Also testing them before you leave is a great idea too! Have fun.

[DaltonG]

Originally Posted by KF5UMC

Regarding #1
Get the manual for the jacks and find out what the codes/beeps are telling you, check the fluid levels.


Regarding #2
The furnace fans are 12 vdc and operate from the house batteries. It should last several nights if you have the thermostat set to 68 or so and depending on your state of charge, battery condition etc. Monitor your 12 vdc house voltage and charge as required. Also testing them before you leave is a great idea too! Have fun.

ok on #2, got it, thanks.

For the leveling jacks, I've read the manual and no mention of beeps. It really just goes over flashing lights which I didn't pay much attention to at the time. I'll have to try it again and see if the error occurs. It all seemed to work fine, just had this beeping at the end. The retracted just fine.

[Mark_K5LXP]

I tested my heater in the following way.


First step was blower motor power. With an ammeter inline and heater running, the heater alone drew about 11A.



2nd step was to see how often and for how long the furnace would run. My RV is already winterized but I spent a night in it parked next to the house and noted the times it turned on and off, set to 68F with the outdoor ambient being about 30F. Turned out it ran about a 38% duty cycle over a 12 hour period. So any given hour that's about 23 minutes or so.


3rd step was to see how much propane it used. I ran the heater every night and shut it off before I went to work one week. I monitored the propane tank levels and for 12 hours run time, set for 68F with nominal ambient temperature of 30F I got 3 days per quarter tank of propane.



So knowing these things I've got a pretty good idea how long I can go on a given amount of propane and battery power. Characterizing your power converter charge rate would then tell you how long to run a genset (or how much sunshine for solar) you'd need to bring the batteries back up for a given amount of heater operation.


Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM