Newbie from Colorado with power struggles

[Townie]

Hello all! We just purchased a 2011 Georgetown 32 footer, and we are loving it. We have three small children and have found that this is the best way for us to travel and camp.

We read in the manual somewhere that are are a few plugs that should work when without the genset on. And I think our microwave worked without the genset also, but it was for such a short time, I may be remembering incorrectly. Right now the microwave and all plugs work fine with running generator. Is this all I can hope for, or is there more power available without the generator? Have we blown a fuse? Where would we look to fix it?

Thanks! Can't wait to be a part of the family here at FR Forums!

Jamie and Kristin

[bikendan]

no AC outlets nor the a/c nor the microwave will work without the generator or plugging into shore power.

the batteries power lights, fridge electronics, radio/DVD,
furnace.

[Rick Cunningham]

Jamie and Kristin,

You probably know this, but you can get an inverter that will turn 12V into 120V, so that you can use a laptop or other low to medium power loads while driving. These aren't expensive, starting at about $25 for a 200W model. I've got a 400W inverter that I've wired into the 12V panel (so I don't have to plug into a cigarette lighter). Note that the inverter will use a good bit of battery power, so you can't use this forever while dry camping, but while driving, the engine's generator also charges the house batteries. They won't run down when the engine's on, even if the generator is off. To get started, plug an inverter into a lighter outlet, then use an extension cord to plug in all the kids' dvd players, computers, etc.

[tmmar]

Congrats on your new coach. If your microwave worked for a short time without the generator or without being plugged into shore power, it sounds like you may have an inverter that will draw power from your battery and convert it into 120v A/C. As you found out, you can only run electrical items that have a heavy draw for a short period of time.

Enjoy the new coach!!!