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Basic Electricity

Your RV is a hybrid vehicle of sorts. It contains both a 12V DC system like a car or truck, and a 110 V AC system (or two) just like your house. As a rough guide, the 12V DC system powers things that will be needed on the road or when parked off-grid. The 110V AC system will provide power for things needed when parked at a campground with electrical hookups. Typical 12V loads in a modern rig are powered by a 12V battery and will be things like the water pump, some interior lighting, the slideout(s) if present, fans, and in some cases the fridge. The AC system is powered by the incoming power cord, and provides power for the TV, fireplace, battery charger, some lighting. Some rigs also have a built-in inverter which can also provide limited power to a small number of 110V AC outlets or devices.
Our previous Micro Minnie Winnie (per info from Winnebago): 12V System USB Charging Port(s) Carbon Monoxide Detector Propane Detector Bathroom Vent Fan Kitchen Vent Fan Radio Furnace Water pump Monitor Panel Certain LED Lights Refrigerator Outdoor Security Light Slideout 110V System Battery Charger Television Refrigerator Microwave Outlets Water Heater		The current Cougar 26RBS (per my own audit): 12V System USB Charging Port(s) Carbon Monoxide Detector Propane Detector Bathroom Vent Fan Kitchen Vent Fan Radio Furnace Water pump Certain LED Lights Refrigerator Outdoor Security Light Slideout 110V System InCommand Monitor Panel Battery Charger Television Refrigerator Microwave Outlets Water Heater Fireplace
The MMW didn't have an inverter, as we learned the hard way first thing one morning while boondocking. Now we travel with instant coffee just in case.		The Cougar did not have a factory inverter but a 2000W Pure Sine Wave Renogy is on the way. Expect the installation process later. Here's a preview for thereview: So far I'm not terribly impressed with Renogy's logistics and support.

110V Subsystem Electric Plug adapters If your rig is 50A, you'll need a 50A to 30A adapter. If you have a 30A rig, you'll need a 30A to 50A adapter, and a 30A to 110 outlet adapter for barebones charging at home. (110V=>30A=>50A and 50A=>30A=>110V) link Battery Charger or a solar solution Your battery WILL drain at some point, if you can't plug the rig in you will need to be able to charge the battery outside the rig, so a 10/6/2A or even a trickle charger will make that possible. link 100 Watt (min) solar panel + charge controller That's just to keep the basics online. If you plan to use the system off grid you'll need at least twice that. Example, a Keurig draws 1500W to startup, the solar can't support that directly so you'll need to be able to charge the battery for 1500W/XWatts where X is the capacity of your solar system. A 300W system will need to charge the battery for 5 times as long as the Keurig runs, not counting any other losses. If the Keurig runs for 2 m inmnutes, you'll need full sunlight and no other load for 5 10 minutes between mugs. It's actually a llittle more complicated, but solar is a slow, continuous charge while the loads tend to be intermittent and larger. More on this later. link Inverter desc link title desc link		12V Subsystem Notes 12V is not really 12 Volts, exactly The nominal voltage for a 12V system is at least 12V for everything to work properly. If your monitor panel shows the actual voltage you'll see that it varies from a high near 13.8V, down to a depleted voltage that can be considerably below 12V. Depending on the battery chemistry, voltages much lower than 12V can indicate a compromised battery that will be unable to provide maximum capacity. The 12V system power is provided by a battery or battery array Batteries are charged from several possible sources depending on the rig: Trailers/Fifth Wheels can be charged through the 7 pin connector from the tow vehicle. A motorhome's house batteries can be charged from the coach's alternator while driving or maybe even the starter battery for emergencies. Any battery can be charged by an AC=>DC charger from shore power (110V) Solar Batteries can be charged by an onboard or external generator Warning: Before working on a battery you should disable ALL possible charging sources. Batteries are going to drain, all the time, all by themselves If anything at all is connected to a battery, there will be some amount of battery depletion. Many convenience features have what is called "soft-power" or "instant-on" capabilities, so they contain an internal circuit monitoring a switch, waiting on the user to turn it on. That circuit draws a small amount of power even when the feature is technically "off". If you want to ensure that your battery doesn't run down in storage before you use the rig again, disconnect it from the rest of the rig through a disconnect switch or remove the cable(s). Solar enabled systems should NEVER have the battery disconnected without first disconnecting the solar panels from the solar controller/charger. SLA and AGM batteries will maintain their charge well when disconnected from the rig. Most modern LiOn or LifePo4 batteries contain internal battery management systems that draw a small amount of power to do their job, but have an internal low voltage cutoff to prevent draining the battery completely. Manual Monitoring Tools I normally use a VOM (Volt/Ohm Meter) or multimeter to check out circuits. There are also some common voltage probes to check for live circuits for yes/no continuity checks. The probes are convenient but still require a ground (or negative battery) connection. Safety Notes Using the VOM or probe to check for connection is relatively safe. The low (12V) voltage is not subject to jumping gaps the way higher voltage or AC can, but a short circuit from 12V to ground can carry some very serious current that is capable of heating things up and even welding things together. Be aware of where your rings, watches, and tools are when working on 12V. Repairs On The Road title desc link title desc link title desc link title desc link title desc link

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