Palazzo Owners

[Oliver-Max]

Is the refrigerator in the Palazzo able to run off battery power while driving down the road or does the generator need to be running?

[Ridinbear]

Originally Posted by Oliver-Max

Is the refrigerator in the Palazzo able to run off battery power while driving down the road or does the generator need to be running?

It can run off batteries without shore power/generator.

[gmadams]

Originally Posted by Oliver-Max

Is the refrigerator in the Palazzo able to run off battery power while driving down the road or does the generator need to be running?

As long as you have the inverter on the refrigerator will run.

[ERStarck]

Originally Posted by gmadams

As long as you have the inverter on the refrigerator will run.

I would like to know from other Palazzo owners what amount of refrigerator run time they usually have when dry camping before their batteries are depleted. Currently my inverter will shut down after three to four hours therein stopping power to the refrigerator. During this inverting time we are not running anything else, i.e. washer, dryer, tv, hair dryer, lights, or anything else which draws significant power. Maybe my expectations are too high or I am not running the electrical system correctly. Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks!!!! ers

[OC Bill]

We just got back from 4 days at Laguna Seca with no hookups, I have my AGS set for 11.7 volts and it would start the generator once a day and run for the 3 hours I have it set for. We were using normal appliances during thet day and in the evening I run a CPAP machine for sleep. We also used the electric to charge our pit scooters one 800 watt and one 1600 watt. I was satisfied that I could get by on just 3 hours of generator each day.

Bill

[gramps2578]

Originally Posted by Butte64

Is the noise you describe when the slide is going out and in or when traveling?

Do you use the travel bar?

I have heard and read recommendations from not using the travel bar to installing two of them.

Is there any indication of a problem other than the noise?

I hear it when the slide first starts to go out and all the time while traveling.
I use the travel bar, I have tried it in the top position, the bottom position and in the middle. I have also tried using it on the other end with no luck. I only have one bar so I don't know if two would make a difference. The slide goes in and out with no problem. I'll wait to see what the factory has to say.

[MikeAndPeggy]

Originally Posted by ERStarck

I would like to know from other Palazzo owners what amount of refrigerator run time they usually have when dry camping before their batteries are depleted. Currently my inverter will shut down after three to four hours therein stopping power to the refrigerator. During this inverting time we are not running anything else, i.e. washer, dryer, tv, hair dryer, lights, or anything else which draws significant power. Maybe my expectations are too high or I am not running the electrical system correctly. Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks!!!! ers

The longest we've run the refrigerator on the inverter was about 16 hours. We were dry camping and would shut down the generator at 6pm and start it again at about 10am. We also used the lights, two TVs, the microwave, a toaster, and charged two cell phones during part of that 16 hours. We've never run on only the inverter long enough to deplete the batteries.

To answer another's question - while driving, as long as the inverter is ON, the batteries are being charged and you will be able to run the refrigerator (and anything else) without having to run the generator.

[TheArnolds]

Ed,

We can easily go overnight without starting the generator and have proved this on a number of occasions when we stop at a Wal-Mart. We have never had our inverter shut off because our batteries got too low so we have no exact number of hours that the batteries will last but I will say that it is much longer then 3 hours.

When we are on the batteries/inverter we run lights, TV, device chargers, computer, phones, etc. and we always have plenty of power to last the night.

As we discussed during the Thor Diesel Club rally in Eureka Springs you have something that is pulling too much power when on inverter or you have a problem with one or more of your batteries. I am going to ask a stupid question...I assume that you have 4, 6 volt batteries in addition to your two 12 volt chassis batteries?

I am providing some battery information for your reading enjoyment.

I hope you get this sorted out!

Jack


Batteries that are in good condition and fully charged will have a resting voltage of around 12.6 volts. As they are used to power items the voltage will drop as the battery gives up some of it's energy. Eventually, the battery will be "dead" and will need recharging. Note that a fully dead battery has 10.5 volts of resting charge. However, the minute you apply a load to it, the voltage plummets and nothing happens. Just remember that 12 volt batteries are not full at 12 volts and dead at zero. They are dead at 10.5 and fully charged at 12.6.

If you want to make your batteries last longer never discharge them below 40%. If you run your batteries to 40% you will get twice the lifetime out of them than if you were to run them down to 20%. Running them down below 20% is very detrimental to battery life and you really do gain very little usable power from them at that level.

Of course this assumes that the battery has been resting. If the battery was recently charged the voltage will be much higher, quite likely into the mid-13 volt range. This is not a true Resting Charge and is referred to as a Surface Charge. In this case you should let the battery rest for 2-3 hours before testing.

If you want to test your batteries on an RV that is not being used please refer to the charts on the Battery Testing Webpage in this category. However, most RVers just want to know how much "juice" is left in there batteries when camping and they do that by looking at a voltmeter. In that case use the following chart, which compensates for batteries that are in use.

[StevieD]

Also, make sure your battery compartment stays clean. You can loose a lot of juice across the top of a dirty battery. Palazzos are known to get dirty in there because of being behind the dual wheels. I took some steps to reduce dirt buildup including riveting a scoop I made out of aluminum underneath the vents in the bottom of the compartment. This keeps dirt out and air in. Helps a lot. Guys at Thor liked the idea.

We love our coach!!

[Berlin Kid]

Originally Posted by StevieD

Also, make sure your battery compartment stays clean. You can loose a lot of juice across the top of a dirty battery. Palazzos are known to get dirty in there because of being behind the dual wheels. I took some steps to reduce dirt buildup including riveting a scoop I made out of aluminum underneath the vents in the bottom of the compartment. This keeps dirt out and air in. Helps a lot. Guys at Thor liked the idea.

We love our coach!!

Pictures?

[J Walker]

Originally Posted by pigman_sr

My question: What does the connector serve and is it connected in your coach? I am reluctant to connect the two until I know more about the wiring. Your thoughts and comments would be appreciated.

On more routine matters, we, like many of you 33.2 and 36.1 owners, have had problems with the big slide back in March. We tried local Thor repair service facilities with no success and returned to Elkhart late April for factory attention.

My 2014 3.2 has the connector you describe connected. Surely you could connect yours with no problem. It is probably for an accessory that you do not have currently.
I have a question about your slide repair. You describe steel gears and does that include the gear teeth on the slide? Mine are aluminum and I wonder if the outdoor exposure makes aluminum a requirement to avoid rusting.

[StevieD]

No pictures, mostly because I could not take pictures that wold really show it. There are two rows of slits in the floor of the battery box. Dirt gets thrown up through the slits. I took an aluminum sheet (from lowes), I cut it and bent it to make a winged 2" by 1" high box long enough to cover all the slits (maybe 10 to 12" long). I bent it so the front would be closed and the back would be open. Held it in place and drilled about 10 holes that went through the bottom of the box and down through the wings. Put aluminum pop rivets in at an appropriate size of the drill holes. Air get in from the back and holes are protected from the dirt. I also sealed up the back wall of the battery box . There is enough air circulation from the openings at the top of the box. We live in Texas and it is hard to get to some of the rallies, especially with our schedules. Hopefully we can make it in 2014 and we can hook up and I can show se of our corrections.

We love Thor and we love our coach!'

[MikeAndPeggy]

Another note on batteries: I hadn't experienced any problems with my batteries nor their longevity on the inverter, but early last month (August) I thought I would check them and clean the compartment. I found the batteries to be in dire need of a drink. I cleaned everything and used a bit more than one gallon of distilled water in just the 4 6-volt batteries. I was surprised to see how dry they were. My 36.1 was delivered to the dealer on April 30th of this year and we drove it home the following day so the batteries should be pretty new. Early in July I took the unit in for warranty service and it had been sitting there without shore power for 3 weeks in 90+ degree weather. I'm thinking that the sitting must have had a negative impact on the batteries. I have no idea what the status of any of the switches and disconnects were while in the shop.

Another note on battery drain when not hooked up to shore power: Albeit small, the radio and some other items associated with the dash and chassis use the chassis batteries. The inverter/charger uses the coach batteries to monitor its status and the state of the batteries - even when the inverter is off.

Also, make sure none of the cabinet lights are on and make sure the engine heater switch (and any other control panel switches) are off.

[mikebrls]

On first real mini trip and now the black and gray tank monitor doesnt work, is there a fuse i can check some where ? Thank you. Mike