How do you charge your trailer at home?

TravelDad · 09-30-2020, 10:25 PM

Hi I’m new on the forum and just bought a NoBo 19.3. I want to get ready for a quick weekend trip locally for my first official use of my trailer. I want to charge my trailer battery make sure everything is good to go and refrigerator is up and running. I bought a 15 to 30 adapter at Walmart. Is that all I need to charge my trailer from my home outlet? The battery disconnect is in off position. Does it need to be on or off to charge? While charging can I keep my refrigerator on? And should I have propane on while charging for refrigerator? Please any advice is truly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

bob213 · 09-30-2020, 10:58 PM

Not knowing how your battery disconnect is wired I would turn it so the battery is on. 15amp should be enough to let converter run and refrig. on electric but to be safe you could run the refrig. on propane (gas position not auto). Keep in mind that the circuit you plug into at your house will more than likely have other devices plugged in so watch amps. If it's a GFI circuit (on the house) it may not work with your trailer plugged in. Refrig. may take from 12 to 18 house to cool down.

JRHERE · 09-30-2020, 11:05 PM

Plug in the trailer using your adapter. Turn on the battery switch and you're charging the house batt and supplying 12v and 110 to the fridge. Uou do not need LP on for the fridge to cool. The fridge might take a while to chill. Freezer gets cold then the lower will cool.
If you plan to use the LP in the near future, go ahead and turn on the the LP now. At any time, switch off the 110 to the fridge and it'll try to light. It might need to be reset several times before it burns steadily. The relight attempts can be reduced by lighting the hot water heater or range. Helps purge the gas lines. Once the fridge burns clean. Turn the 110 ac back on and the LP will pick it up any time the AC shore power is interrupted AND the 12Vdc switch is "on," and the fridge is turned on.
The fridge always requires 12Vdc to function either on LP or 110Vac.
As long as the gas isn't turned off, it should switch without issue.
When you disconnect shore power, unless you wish to operate 12v devices, switch off the battery master to prevent discharging. There are loads in typical campers that require constant power. Radio, LP detectors, USB chargers.
That said, remember the fridge requires 12Vdc to operate on both 110Vac or LP.

TravelDad · 09-30-2020, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRHERE

Plug in the trailer using your adapter. Turn on the battery switch and you're charging the house batt and supplying 12v and 110 to the fridge. Uou do not need LP on for the fridge to cool. The fridge might take a while to chill. Freezer gets cold then the lower will cool.
If you plan to use the LP in the near future, go ahead and turn on the the LP now. At any time, switch off the 110 to the fridge and it'll try to light. It might need to be reset several times before it burns steadily. The relight attempts can be reduced by lighting the hot water heater or range. Helps purge the gas lines. Once the fridge burns clean. Turn the 110 ac back on and the LP will pick it up any time the AC shore power is interrupted AND the 12Vdc switch is "on," and the fridge is turned on.
The fridge always requires 12Vdc to function either on LP or 110Vac.
As long as the gas isn't turned off, it should switch without issue.
When you disconnect shore power, unless you wish to operate 12v devices, switch off the battery master to prevent discharging. There are loads in typical campers that require constant power. Radio, LP detectors, USB chargers.
That said, remember the fridge requires 12Vdc to operate on both 110Vac or LP.

Hi thanks for reply. If I turn propane on do I leave it on while driving too? Or just leave fridge in auto and will run off electric while connected to vehicle while driving?

TravelDad · 09-30-2020, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bob213

Not knowing how your battery disconnect is wired I would turn it so the battery is on. 15amp should be enough to let converter run and refrig. on electric but to be safe you could run the refrig. on propane (gas position not auto). Keep in mind that the circuit you plug into at your house will more than likely have other devices plugged in so watch amps. If it's a GFI circuit (on the house) it may not work with your trailer plugged in. Refrig. may take from 12 to 18 house to cool down.

Awesome! Thanks for reply!

bob213 · 09-30-2020, 11:13 PM

Frig will not run off vehicle while driving unless it is a 3 way with a 12v option. You need propane and battery on. Some don't like to drive with propane on. Majority do and some will turn off fridge while fueling their vehicle to be safe.

**bikendan** · 10-01-2020, 12:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bob213

Frig will not run off vehicle while driving unless it is a 3 way with a 12v option. You need propane and battery on. Some don't like to drive with propane on. Majority do and some will turn off fridge while fueling their vehicle to be safe.

Unless it has one of the newer 12v only compressor fridges.

TravelDad · 10-01-2020, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bikendan

Unless it has one of the newer 12v only compressor fridges.

It’s a 2021 NoBo 19.3 but I don’t really know

JRHERE · 10-01-2020, 03:36 AM

Looks like standard Dometic gas/110 fridge.
As Bob213 sez, running on propane is a judgement call.
It's obviously a fire hazard. As is just having the tanks turned on without the fridge. That said, I run mine on LP when travelling. How else to keep adult beverages cold?
I run on diesel. Not a hazard. I'm 40' and opposite side from fuel tank filler to fridge.
The fridge is an ignition source if near flammable vapors such as gasoline.
There's a tiny flame inside the exterior side fridge access panel. It's audible and makes verification of flame easy.
Running RV fridge on LP while rolling always generates an interesting discussion!
Cheers. Gotta go do some work..

**bikendan** · 10-01-2020, 04:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TravelDad

It’s a 2021 NoBo 19.3 but I don’t really know

your dealer should have told you during the PDI/walkthrough. didn't they tell you how to run the fridge?
and i've been using the 30-15amp adapter for 15 years, when plugging it into to a home NON-GFI outlet.

eye95 · 10-01-2020, 07:30 AM

1. If you don’t have an EMS, test your outlet before plugging in with the adapter. Do not plug in if your outlet has issues. When I bought my house, half of it ran off a fuse panel at the back of a cabinet. ALL of the outlets were wired backwards (reversed hot and neutral). Many of the outlets were not actually connected to ground. I did not find this out until I had the kitchen remodeled, replacing the kitchen fuse box and the breaker box in the basement with an all-new, upgraded breaker box in the basement. The outlet I currently use from my RV was one of the miswired outlets.

2. I would never drive with the propane on. Fortunately, I have a 3-way fridge that will run off of batteries. If you want to avoid driving with your propane on:

A. Prechill your fridge to temperature.

B. Fill the fridge with already cold food.

C. Fill the fridge completely.

D. Keep the door closed until arriving at your destination.

If your fridge has decent insulation, you should be able to drive several hours and still have cold food on the other end.

Using propane could leave you with the choice of making stops to turn your propane off and back on or breaking the law.

**Flybob** · 10-01-2020, 07:38 AM

You should use a non-GFCI protected outlet in your house to connect to as some GFCI devices do not play well together and you will have at least one in the trailer.

eye95 · 10-01-2020, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flybob

You should use a non-GFCI protected outlet in your house to connect to as some GFCI devices do not play well together and you will have at least one in the trailer.

Good catch.

That is what is best about this site: all of the knowledge that gets shared.

TravelDad · 10-01-2020, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eye95

1. If you don’t have an EMS, test your outlet before plugging in with the adapter. Do not plug in if your outlet has issues. When I bought my house, half of it ran off a fuse panel at the back of a cabinet. ALL of the outlets were wired backwards (reversed hot and neutral). Many of the outlets were not actually connected to ground. I did not find this out until I had the kitchen remodeled, replacing the kitchen fuse box and the breaker box in the basement with an all-new, upgraded breaker box in the basement. The outlet I currently use from my RV was one of the miswired outlets.

2. I would never drive with the propane on. Fortunately, I have a 3-way fridge that will run off of batteries. If you want to avoid driving with your propane on:

A. Prechill your fridge to temperature.

B. Fill the fridge with already cold food.

C. Fill the fridge completely.

D. Keep the door closed until arriving at your destination.

If your fridge has decent insulation, you should be able to drive several hours and still have cold food on the other end.

Using propane could leave you with the choice of making stops to turn your propane off and back on or breaking the law.

Yes my fridge has an auto option does this mean I don’t need propane on while driving? Also has solar so I’m assuming battery disconnect has to be on the on position.

chriscowles · 10-01-2020, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TravelDad

Yes my fridge has an auto option does this mean I don’t need propane on while driving? Also has solar so I’m assuming battery disconnect has to be on the on position.

Traveling with propane on is a controversial topic because of the potential for a fire, particularly at gas stations. Many people conclude that the risk is low and travel with propane on. Some states have laws against it.

Propane is heavier than air and can pool at the bottom of tunnels, causing an explosion/fire hazard. If you live in a location where there are underwater tunnels (e.g., the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel), they typically require propane to be off at a minimum. Some forbid propane of any kind, requiring you to take a different route. Mountain tunnels have a crest in the middle, so any propane naturally drains out. Those generally don't have propane restrictions.

As for the battery disconnect, I think you'll find the solar panel conductors are separate, and always on. You'll also find the solar panel that came with the trailer is modest in size. It's good for keeping your battery up while in storage and maybe supplementing it while camping without power. It's probably inadequate for extended dry camping without a generator.

JimMorrell · 10-01-2020, 01:36 PM

Simple....as long as you don't try to run your AC or any other high amperage device in your RV, the 15 A circuit is perfectly safe to charge batteries and run your fridge, I have used a household 15 A circuit for years.

boogiejack75 · 10-01-2020, 01:55 PM

Be certain that the electric side of your water heater is OFF before you power the trailer up. Usually a small rocker switch behind the outside panel, lower left.

You will burn out the electric heating element if there is no water in the heater.

**bikendan** · 10-01-2020, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TravelDad

Yes my fridge has an auto option does this mean I don’t need propane on while driving? Also has solar so I’m assuming battery disconnect has to be on the on position.

Without knowing make and model of fridge, can't say. You haven't said whether it's a 3-way fridge, 2-way fridge or 12v only fridge.

TravelDad · 10-01-2020, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bikendan

Without knowing make and model of fridge, can't say. You haven't said whether it's a 3-way fridge, 2-way fridge or 12v only fridge.

Where do I find that out?

Chuck_S · 10-01-2020, 02:11 PM

This saved me a lot of typing although ruined at the end by the needless advice regarding gas stations and tunnels. (The sky is NOT falling!) The trailer is 25 feet from the gas pumps and there are only half a dozen tunnels in the US where you have to turn the LP off. Just set it to AUTO unless the outdoor temperature is pushing 100°F at which point LP will provide better cooling. Refrigerator can run for weeks (plural) on one cylinder of propane and you have two.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_DQJdOkm0Q

The battery will charge automatically if plugged in to 110v and the battery switch is ON. 15 amp circuit is fine. A 20 amp will do all this and run your AC in most cases.

-- Chuck

You may also like: