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12-16-2009, 08:50 AM
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#1
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Senior Member
National RV Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,875
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Charging batteries with 15A 120V
We've put our coach up for the short winter in Las Vegas at our son's home. I have a 120V 15A outlet that I can plug the coach into. Our coach has a 50A cord and I would like to use 2 dog bone connectors to get to a 15A plug in. The coach came with these 2 connectors so I imagine it's been done before. I have one that goes from 50A to 30A and one that goes from 30A to 15A. My question is also, will there be any problems associated with all these adapters. I will not be using any appliances or heaters or furnaces, etc. I just want to maintain the batteries. Thanks for your help. Dan
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2001 National Tradewinds 7370 300 Cat
2011 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport
Officially fulltiming. The Journey Begins
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12-16-2009, 09:02 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club Coastal Campers
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Marathon, Florida
Posts: 2,909
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Dan,
I don't see any reason that a 15A outlet wouldn't be plenty for just a maintenance charge. My little portable charger will only go 10A. One thing to look at is if your coach will charge the chassis battery as well as the house. It has been kicked around here a couple of times but a search for Trick L Start might help.
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Mark & Nancy
2004 Winnebago Vectra 40KD
Shep dog, R.I.P. Kenzie dog Toad 2015 Jeep Wrangler Willys Wheeler
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12-16-2009, 09:07 AM
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Traveling the lower 48
Posts: 2,450
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There should be no problem using the adapters you have. Be sure that you are able to keep the plug plugged in. Sometimes you have to support the weight of the plugs/cords to ensure the 15A plugs remains securely in place. Otherwise, you just need to ensure that everything is off before you plug in and if you have the option of different battery charging level I would set it to the lowest and see how the circuit handles the load. You may find that you can keep the fridge on electric as well once the batteries go to their float charge or you may be able to run an electric heater on low. You just need to see what loads you can eliminate to ensure you don't have problems with the 15A circuit. You may be surprised how well you can get by with that connection.
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12-16-2009, 10:05 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
National RV Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,875
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Thanks guys, We will not be living in the coach so no appliances or heaters will be used. I just want to maintain the battery bank for a couple months.
__________________
2001 National Tradewinds 7370 300 Cat
2011 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport
Officially fulltiming. The Journey Begins
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12-16-2009, 08:56 PM
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#5
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Registered User
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,603
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We have our rig plugged in the same way 24 7 no problems.
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12-16-2009, 09:09 PM
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#6
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Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 7
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I have done the same thing many times with all the adapter plugs with no problems. But the first time I happened to plug into a GFI outlet that would not carry the load, it kept popping the GFI button for that circuit. I found a non-GFI, 20 amp in the garage that works great. My inverter will then run off the battery to power the residential refrigerator and cool it down for loading.
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12-16-2009, 10:36 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
National RV Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,875
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It works! I have plugged into an outdoor recept. That left my "dog bones" exposed to weather, so I got a plastic tub with a snap on lid large enogh to fit the adapters and connections inside, notched it in 2 places at the top of the tub and after putting the adapters inside, snapped the lid on.
__________________
2001 National Tradewinds 7370 300 Cat
2011 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport
Officially fulltiming. The Journey Begins
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12-16-2009, 11:33 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 279
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120V at 15A is 150A at 12V-plenty for a charger.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vegasdan
We've put our coach up for the short winter in Las Vegas at our son's home. I have a 120V 15A outlet that I can plug the coach into. Our coach has a 50A cord and I would like to use 2 dog bone connectors to get to a 15A plug in. The coach came with these 2 connectors so I imagine it's been done before. I have one that goes from 50A to 30A and one that goes from 30A to 15A. My question is also, will there be any problems associated with all these adapters. I will not be using any appliances or heaters or furnaces, etc. I just want to maintain the batteries. Thanks for your help. Dan
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2007 Presidio 39D
Mercedes MBE 926
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12-17-2009, 12:36 AM
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#9
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Community Administrator
Pond Piggies Club LA Gulf Coast Campers Outdoors RV Owners Club Entegra Owners Club Skyline Owners Group
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 40,590
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Adams
... you just need to ensure that everything is off before you plug in...
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I can attest to this. We keep our coach plugged into a 20a recept for it's entire winter sleep (Nov-Apr) at a storage facility away from our home. Last season, I *stupidly* left the radio on while I was doing a final cleaning inside. Dave was busy taking the radio/cb antenna & solar panel off (sharp edges) in prep for putting the cover on. I was running the sweeper & didn't realize the radio stopped putting out sound but was still on. We buttoned up the coach, put the cover on, plugged it in & thought all was fine. Unfortunately, there must've been a power outtage for a long time when there were temps well below freezing. The silent but ON radio drained the house batteries & they burst. Didn't find out about it until we uncovered it in the spring.
Lesson learned: don't run the sweeper while the radio is on when hubby is disconnnecting the antenna!.
I've also heard to check each month the battery fluid levels on plugged in rv's to be sure the batteries don't boil dry from over charging. Our Bounder has some kind of device that prevents this, but I've read of rv's that don't have this safeguard.
Lori-
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Lori (& Dave, my spirit guide) - RV/MH Hall of Fame Lifetime Member | My iRV2 Photo Albums
2016 Phoenix Cruiser 2350S, 2018 Phaeton 40IH,2006 Bounder 36Z, 2004 Cougar 285EFS, 2000 Aerolite 25FBR
There is great need for a sarcasm font.
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12-17-2009, 09:03 AM
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#10
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RV Mutant #14
Winnebago Owners Club Texas Boomers Club Freightliner Owners Club iRV2 No Limits Club
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 17,189
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As you found out, yes. I do it at my storage unit all the time. I run a 15 amp, 12 gauge extension cord to inside the electrical compartment and use the two dog bones you mentioned into a Progressive Industries portable surge protector. (PT50C)
I'm not sure how you notched your plastic box, but please make sure that water cannot get in when it rains. Filling up the box with the connectors laying on the bottom would not be a good thing.
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Wayne MSGT USMC (Ret) & Earlene (CinCHouse) RVM14 (ARS: KE5QG)
Lexi - Goldendoodle
2015 Winnebago Tour 42QD - 2020 Lincoln Nautilus Reserve
It is what it is, and then it is what you make of it.
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12-17-2009, 09:23 AM
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Traveling the lower 48
Posts: 2,450
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I have never found that leaving the various dog bones connected and out in the weather to be an issue. If you think there could be standing water where you lay them I would just raise them with a piece of wood or on top of one of those open milk crate type boxes and the connection should be fine.
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12-17-2009, 09:41 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Damon Owners Club Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 24,024
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When I had a house and stayed there in the winter the RV was plugged into a 20 amp line (30 amp outlet but 20 amp breaker, saves on one adapter that way) It not only kept the batteries full and happy. but since I use the RV most every day summer and winter it provided up to 1500 watts of heat for the "Radio Room" in the rig (Now you know why, it is my "ham Shack")
Though I'll admit the rest of the rig got downright frosty at times
My converter is a PD-9180... I have fed it with a 10 amp circuit (though that is not recommended) when the batteries were dead and I mean DEAD!!!! and it worked.
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Home is where I park it!
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12-17-2009, 10:47 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
National RV Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,875
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I won't have to worry about the freezing issue here in Vegas-yes it can get down to freezing over night, but it warms up into the 50s on most winter days. The second thing is water getting into the tub, we get about 1" of rain a year and this tub is under the overhang of the roof. I notched it at the top of the tub and the lid snaps down so the space between the cord and the hole is minute, however I will keep my eye on it if and when it does rain.
__________________
2001 National Tradewinds 7370 300 Cat
2011 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport
Officially fulltiming. The Journey Begins
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12-17-2009, 07:02 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Damon Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Middletown,OH
Posts: 183
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vegasdan
We've put our coach up for the short winter in Las Vegas at our son's home. I have a 120V 15A outlet that I can plug the coach into. Our coach has a 50A cord and I would like to use 2 dog bone connectors to get to a 15A plug in. The coach came with these 2 connectors so I imagine it's been done before. I have one that goes from 50A to 30A and one that goes from 30A to 15A. My question is also, will there be any problems associated with all these adapters. I will not be using any appliances or heaters or furnaces, etc. I just want to maintain the batteries. Thanks for your help. Dan
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If you look at your converter feeds, I'll bet there is one on a 15a breaker for your converter. If that's so, and you are only using the converter, you should have no problems.
cheers
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Dave
Callsign: KD8W
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