1. Power Sources on an RV or Travel Trailer
    1. Engine – 12 volt DC powered by your chassis battery. This is used to operate exterior lights such as running lights, blinkers, etc. On a travel trailer they receive power from the 7 way wire harness.
    2. Camper- 12 volt DC powered by your on board RV battery. This will power your interior lights, slides, water pump, stabilizer jacks, etc.
    3. House – 120 volt AC powers your microwave, air conditioner, outlets, etc.
  2. 30 Amp Power
    1. When operating with 30 amps (3600 watts) it’s possible to trip breakers when trying to power several appliances at the same time. See below for appx wattage of several items below and keep in mind you have 3600 watts to pull from
      1. Air Conditioner = 2,400 watts
      2. Microwave = 1,500 watts
      3. Electric Coffee Maker = 1,100 watts
      4. Toaster = 1,200 watts
      5. Hair Dryer = 1,200 watts
      6. Electric Water Heater = 1,500 watts
      7. Electric Frying Pan = 1,200 watts
  3. 50 Amp Power
    1. When operating with 50 amps your feeding the camper with 12,000 watts
  4. DC Voltage 
    1. DC (Direct Current) voltage comes from the automotive style battery. Depending on if your in a drive-able RV or tow-able travel travel there may be more than one. These batteries are known to get drained down by over use and under charging. This battery can be charged while plugged into shore power, when the generator is running  or when plugged into a tow vehicle via the 7 prong wire harness.
    2. DC Batteries will typically power your interior lights, water pump, appliance controls, thermostat, slide-outs and stabilizers.
  5. AC Voltage
    1. AC (Alternating Current) voltage will come from shore power (the campground) or your generator (if unit is equipped with one).
    2. AC House voltage will typically power your wall outlets, air conditioner, converter, electric water heater and interior lights.
  6. Generators
    1. Drive-able RV built in Generators 
      1.  When driving down the road you will need the generator running to power 120 volt appliances and outlets. The Air conditioner, Microwave and all outlets to name a few.
      2.  If a breaker is tripped while running off the generator be sure to check the breaker switch on the generator itself as well.
      3. The generator will shut off is the gas in the RV falls below 1/4 tank.
      4. The generator will start and run a couple minutes and stop if the oil is low. If it starts again and then stops after a couple minutes check oil.
    2. Stand Alone Generators 
      1. When is comes to powering a camper with a stand alone generator many issues can occur. To ensure peak performance you need a generator inverter that runs at least 4000 operating watts.
      2. See item #2 30 Amp Power above and you’ll see that running an air conditioner requires around 2400 watts. The air conditioner may require up to 3500 starting watts though.
      3. Per our rental agreement we do not guarantee camper will perform properly when running off of a generator. If you got a generator for a couple hundred dollars chances are that it will not properly power the camper as RV style generators typically cost $1000 or more.
  7. Outlets and GFCI outlets
    1. all outlets require 120 volts to function. You will get this by being plugged into shore power or a generator.
    2. Many GFCI outlets (the outlets are typically labeled with a gfci) are found in the kitchen, bathroom and possibly on outside outlets. These outlets are typically interconnected and can be traced to one outlet with the actual reset button on it.
  8. Misc:
    1. 30 or 50 Amp to 120 adapter can drastically limit campers ability to function. DO NOT run an air conditioner when using a 120 adapter. When you use a 120 adapter you limit the amount of watts your feeding the camper from 3600 watts to 1,800 watts.

 

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