Community Forums

funugy55 · 07-05-2018, 11:17 AM

That pretty much says it all. I know enough to be dangerous. We have wanted a TT for a while and did a lot of research but have lingering ??'s
We bought a "used" 2017 Arctic Fox 25Y. Hardly used, owner was well off and pout some add-ons and never really broke it in. We've got elec. jacks, 480 watts solar, a 3500watt inverter, Winegard receiver, Fusion back up camera, yada yada
So some ??'s for the group.
The solar will run pretty much everything but AC (15,000) and microwave. So does it really charge the batteries and we use the batteries at the same time? 1st owner put a 6V battery upgrade on it, why that do you think?
What's the possibility that solar charging batteries if they're full will burn out the batteries too soon?
One reason for the 25Y to us was the ability to get into the trailer at rest stops for fridge. So leave the fridge running on solar, do I say 12V for this ? Or do you run on propane while traveling? Do you always hook up if full hook up for the gray & black tank dumps? Or do you only hook up the black tank to the dump line at camp?
How much wind is too much wind to keep awning out?
If we use this a couple of 3-5 day trips a mon th is it worth it to get Dish or whatever we need for that Winegard thing or just try to go where we can plug in cable?
I have many more ??'s but this is a start . . .
Thanks much in advance, this is a great help reading all the info here!

450Donn · 07-05-2018, 11:23 AM

Ues, a properly setup solar system charges the house batteries. Depending on size of battery bank and how the inverter is wired you can run most low current draw items with no problems. You might depending on the size of the battery bank run the microwave for a couple of minutes. But remember what ever you take out of the batteries you need to be able to put back in each day. I always was able to use sat TV, radio, lights as needed with no problems with a 250W system and 4 golf cart batteries. No matter now big a solar syatem you have if you dont have a properly sized battery bank its all for not.
The Winegard thing? You need to figure out what it is? If its a dome then likely its for Dish Network. If its an open faced automatic dish it could be for Dish or Directv.
As for the refer? Unless its a 3 way refer it will be a 2 way. Meaningmit runs on either 120VAC or propane. All modern refers also require 12VDC for control voltage. When traveling most of us run the refer on gas. Only turning it off when refuling.
Never ever dump the black tank unless it is nearly full. On a full hookup site, its fine to connect to the dump and leave the gray tank valves open. My method was always, leave the gray valves open. Day before I planned to dump the black tank I closed my gray valves. Then when dumping, open black, let it drain, flush thru the toilet until it runs clear, close black valve open gray valves to flush the lines. Close all valves disconnect hose andmout it away.

MSHappyCampers · 07-05-2018, 11:26 AM

Hi !

Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

Saw your post in the "Recent discussions" box and wanted to say hello!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

**TonyDi** · 07-05-2018, 11:38 AM

Glad to have you here in the forum with us. You're gonna like it here.

Your grey and black tanks should be connected to a Y connection so that if you have one hooked up the other is also. Your black tank should not be left open. Keep it closed when ready to dump it. Then use the grey tank to flush out the line.

Wind is a hard call. It doesn't take much to ruin an awning. As a rule when the wind starts to pick up or I see the awning flapping I bring mine in.

A lot of CGs have cable on their pedestals. If you want to subscribe to satellite service find one with a pay as you go option.

Happy Trails!!!

funugy55 · 07-05-2018, 12:21 PM

So on the refer running on propane while you drive. You say turn off when refueling – when refueling the truck with gas or refueling the propane tanks?

TonyMac · 07-05-2018, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by funugy55

So on the refer running on propane while you drive. You say turn off when refueling – when refueling the truck with gas or refueling the propane tanks?

Both. Actually, you should only need to fill one propane tank at a time; when one gets empty, switch over to the other and go fill that empty one. That way, you never run out and the wife stays happy. If any appliance is within a football field of a filling station, shut off all propane appliances, to include those with pilot lights. Stop short of the pumps, open the trailer and shut propane appliances off.

falconview · 07-05-2018, 01:58 PM

Two things about the refrigerator. Get a fan (runs on 2-1.5v D batteries) that is made to run inside the refrigerator to circulate the air for better cooling. Next get a 120mm 12v computer fan that has a inline speed control and mount it inside of the of outside grill to pull the air in and out the top, it will make a big difference in hot weather. After installing my fan I had to turn the refrigerator up it was freezing everything.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Valterr...53.m1438.l2649

Inside the outside grill you should have 12v line you can connect to. I have a switch in my trailer on the control panel to turn on/off 12v to the trailer from the batteries. If you have the same you won't have to unplug the fan when the trailer isn't in use.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Antec-Tri...sAAOSwYRhamjNW

J Birder · 07-05-2018, 02:56 PM

there is no inherent advantage to 6V batters over 12V batteries. However, there is a big advantage to a true deep discharge battery. The marine/deep discharge batteries that are commonly used in RVs are actually a hybrid, half way between a starting battery and a true deep discharge battery.

So long as they are both deep discharge types, two 6V batteries in series. or two 12V batteries in parallel will have similar performance.

True deep discharge batteries are available in both 6V and 12V versions. The 6V version is commonly used in golf carts, are readily available, and are reasonably priced. The 12V version is much less common, and tends to be very expensive.

Joel

twinboat · 07-05-2018, 03:16 PM

If your fridge can run on 120 volt inverter power or propane gas, run it on propane gas.

When plugged in to shore power, running the fridge on 120 volt electric is fine. Once you unplug, make sure you switch it to gas, if it stays on 120.

Running a gas/electric fridge on electric thru an inverter is a power hog and may run your batteries down while driving.

If the RV is wired properly, the fridge, and the converter, should not run on the inverter.

If you need to plug the power cord into the inverter, its not user friendly and you need to switch off fridge, water heater, and converter/charger.

As far a solar, it will have a controller that will not allow the batteries to overcharge.

I store my RV and boat with solar on all of the time. The only thing I need to do is check the water level in the batteries every few months.

Mr_D · 07-05-2018, 03:56 PM

How much battery capacity do you have? You just say they changed to 6 volts. 3500 watt inverter is too big if all you have is two 6 volts. My rig has 4-8D 12 volt batteries with 1020 amp hours and I only have a 3000 watt inverter.
The solar charge controller won't let too much current through if sized and set correctly.
480 watts of solar won't run the refer on 120 volts. If the rig is wired correctly you can't do it anyway, the refer should switch over automatically when not on shore power.

Superslif · 07-05-2018, 04:52 PM

One 30 gallon propane tank running the frig on gas, using your gas hot water heater and a little cooking might last 3-4 weeks.

I have two 12 batteries and use one 100 watt "portable" solar panel to get me thru 3-7 days off the grid. Yes, we watch our lighting use, take a short shower every other day, charge our phones and IPad only when I get full sun.

I just picked up a mini 21 watt cell phone / IPad solar charger. Its about the size of a math book and it folds out triple it's size and has two USB ports to charge from. It weighs 7 oz. $25 off Amazon.

I never wanted to get into the mathematics and expanse of a elaborate solar setup. I love solar....I hate noisy / cheap generators. This year we only have 13 nights off the grid on out Acadia National park trip later this summer.

My only upgrade might be the newer 200 watt Renogy suitcase solar unit. I have the 100 watt one now, but our new RV trailer has two batteries.

NYJoe · 07-10-2018, 08:21 PM

Sounds like you scored on your purchase! I'm new to the too.

There are some great YouTube Videos out there. Check out "Long Long Honeymoon" and "Love your RV" or "All about RVs" I've spent hours getting watching and picking up some valuable information

I never travel with the propane tanks open. Since my refrigerator works on shore power and gas only, (no 12v). I prechill the refrigerator on AC power, put reusable ice packs in the freezer and refrigerator compartment which keeps things cold until we arrive. I added a digital thermometer to record the temperature. The frig stays in acceptable range while driving the 3 - 4 hours. P.S. some states like NY require that the tanks are off.