I am new to having an RV and I recently purchased a Flagstaff hard sided pop-up which is stored in my garage. Should I plug the power in while it is being stored? Should I leave the refrigerator on?
* This post was
edited 03/27/12 12:49pm by PDX_Wizard *
Mike
2010 Ford Edge
2011 Flagstaff Hard Side Folding T12RB
I leave the refrigerator off until the day before a trip.
What converter/charger do you have? If you have a three stage smart converter/charger leave it plugged in 24/7. If you don't leave it plugged in you will need to disconnect the battery or else it will be dead in a few days to a week.
Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.
- Soren Kierkegaard
You can certainly leave it plugged in, provided you do your research on what kind of a charger (converter) you have in your PUP. As mentioned, if you have a "smart" or three-stage charger in it, then I would say OK to leave plugged in.
HOWEVER, and here's the expensive lesson I learned...you must check the electrolyte level in the battery quite frequently. I stored my battery over the winter with a new Battery Saver battery maintainer. I must have shelved my brain over the winter, as I did not check the water (electrolyte) level for a couple of months. The maintainer had boiled off nearly ALL of the water out of it, turning a nice Group 31 121AH battery into a brick that won't hold a charge.
So, be careful. You have options on what to do with your battery during the down times. I had installed a kill switch that disconnects it from the PUP's electrical system, which will slowly drain it from the LP gas monitor, converter and other parasitic devices in the PUP. The kill switch isolates it.
Regarding leaving the refrigerator plugged in and running all of the time: I wouldn't. As others have said, I'll go plug in the PUP a few days before a trip and turn the refrigerator on 120v electric the day before to chill it down. I then switch it to LP the day I pull out and leave it on LP the rest of the trip, as LP provides the best cooling power in most PUP refrigerators. Several will dispute the safety of using LP while going down the road or at a gas station. I've never blown up nor known or heard a credible account of one doing so.
So, you have choices. You might think about how you intend to approach the issue and post it here for comment.
Thanks for all the feedback; I am so ignorant about this subject . I have a Flagstaff Hard Side T12RB and all it says in the documentation is "35 Amp Converter with Built in Battery Charger". The reason I ask is during the “walk-a-round” when we bought the trailer the guy said since we were storing in the garage we should leave it lugged in with the refrigerator turned on so it will last longer. Didn’t sound right to me but stranger things are true.
If the only reason to keep it plugged in is to keep the battery charged, I don’t think I will do that; but rather disconnect the battery from the trailer sounds like a good idea.
Leaving the trailer plugged in and refer on will only waste energy, disconnect the battery to store it. Be sure to mark the battery wires first!!! Often the trailers use "house" wiring colors of Black for the hot wire (120V/+12V) and white for the neutral (negative/0V). RV manufacturers don't often use the automotive colors of red/black, but it happens occasionally.
That advice sounds, well, suspect. I just wouldn't put the wear and tear on the refrigerator. They only have so much useful life in them.
BTW, you're going to need a pad of paper and pen to write down things you forgot, a generator, a blue waste water tote, an outdoor mat for the PUP entrance, Eternabond, Lynx levelling blocks and/or a BAL light trailer level, some duct tape, a bucket of tent spikes, fuses, oven mitts, water sanitizer, drinking water hose, 50-to-30 amp plug converter, water pressure regulator, lighter, salt/pepper, gloves, lawn chairs, fire starter, marshmallow sticks, assorted tools, a dutch oven, rope lights, a bug zapper or citronella candles, heavy-duty extension cable, bungees, Pop-up Gizmos, Reflectix, help, and a good sense of humor. You can't even imagine what I've left off.
I do the same and plug in a day or two before leaving to cool the refrigerator down. It is definitely more efficient with LP, but I have never had a problem with electric. In fact, it cools too well at times, even with the setting on 3. As for the battery, I do not even keep one on board. We don't boondock, so we have never used it. I do have a separate 12v battery for the break away switch. We have always garage kept ours too, which has probably saved a lot of weathering on it. Happy Camping!!!
Again, thanks for the great feedback. I especially liked the list I only have about half that stuff, looks like I need to go shopping before I go camping!
That advice sounds, well, suspect. I just wouldn't put the wear and tear on the refrigerator. They only have so much useful life in them.
BTW, you're going to need a pad of paper and pen to write down things you forgot, a generator, a blue waste water tote, an outdoor mat for the PUP entrance, Eternabond, Lynx levelling blocks and/or a BAL light trailer level, some duct tape, a bucket of tent spikes, fuses, oven mitts, water sanitizer, drinking water hose, 50-to-30 amp plug converter, water pressure regulator, lighter, salt/pepper, gloves, lawn chairs, fire starter, marshmallow sticks, assorted tools, a dutch oven, rope lights, a bug zapper or citronella candles, heavy-duty extension cable, bungees, Pop-up Gizmos, Reflectix, help, and a good sense of humor. You can't even imagine what I've left off.
(And he thinks I'm kidding... )
What is Pop-up Gizmos ? or is that part of the sence of humor?
Why would I need Reflectix ? That appears to be some sort of insulation?
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. I have a Flagstaff Hard Side T12RB and all it says in the documentation is "35 Amp Converter with Built in Battery Charger". The reason I ask is during the “walk-a-round” when we bought the trailer the guy said since we were storing in the garage we should leave it lugged in with the refrigerator turned on so it will last longer. Didn’t sound right to me but stranger things are true.
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