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Topic ClosedSequoia/Kings Canyon recommendation needed

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mesamie View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Sequoia/Kings Canyon recommendation needed
    Posted: 13 May 2019 at 9:46am
Planning on 3 nights. Reserved at Lemon Cove, but thinking it is too far.
Anyone have any suggestions ?
I know the parks have no electric, but I think a battery will last 3 days, with propane ... or is a 2nd battery recommended ?
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 May 2019 at 10:15am
A single battery might last you if its in good shape and you're conservative in your electric usage. I suggest trying it one time rather than spending money on more batteries or solar unless you expect to boondock often. You can always recharge a little with your tow vehicle if needed. Be sure that's working before you go and don't run the fridge on electric. 
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mesamie View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 May 2019 at 7:26am
Thanks for the reply.
Also first long trip. We will be gone about 3 weeks. While driving, most of the time, I intend on using propane to run fridg, any problem doing that ? And will a full propane tank last that whole time ? I will use electric at other overnights...almost all have electric except the 3 nights in Cal.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 May 2019 at 7:58am
There is probably nothing that gets more debate than propane vs. electric fridge operation while driving. Some think its almost as dangerous as jumping out of an airplane without a parachute, some don't give it a second thought. 

Its legal except in a few tunnels/bridges on the East Coast and in Texas. I happen to go over one of these frequently so I tend to run on electric while towing so I don't have to stop and switch over for the bridge. But I'm fine with running on propane otherwise.

Up to you what you do. 

Depending on how much you use your stove, water heater, and furnace you could well need a new propane cylinder within 3 weeks. No big deal, just start checking it after about the first week or so and do a swap at most any convenience store, hardware store, or Wally World. You can pour warm water over the tank and feel where the tank temp changes to estimate how much propane you have left. 

Enjoy your trip!

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mesamie View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 May 2019 at 8:13am
Didn’t know I could keep it on electric while driving, is that just pulling battery power...and that being trickle charged by the car ? Will that eventually drain the battery down on a 6-8 hour driving day ?
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mesamie View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 May 2019 at 8:17am
Also, have always used electric for everything except stove, rarely use that. If no electric hookup, will the water heater automatically use propane ? I know I can choose for the fridg
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lostagain View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 May 2019 at 8:34am
mesamie, be very careful with your use of the electric heating function of the water heater.  It won't automatically go back and forth between energy sources.  You have to deliberately select your preference.  In fact, if you have an AC source, you can turn them both on at the same time to heat the waster faster.  For both gas and electric heating in your water heater, a thermostat controls the temperature.  

But, there is an inconvenient side to the water heater when using the electric heat element.  If that element ever heats up with an empty water heater tank, it will last about 30 seconds before it's burned up.  So, it is a good practice to keep it turned off when you don't want to use electric energy to heat your water heater.  There are two switches that control the electric heat element.  One is on the back side of the water heater [outside] under some gas tubing and a little hard to reach.  It's a black toggle switch with a little hole on the side where you can put a pin or cotter key in it to prevent accidental movement.  The other switch is in your AC power circuit board panel.  It's the AC breaker that controls current to the water heater.  Check the archives and you'll find a number of discussions about this topic and also a very clear foto posted by marwayne showing the location of the switch on the back of the water heater.

Best of luck with your pod and enjoy camping.
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mesamie View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 May 2019 at 9:09am
Thanks so much
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 May 2019 at 10:29am
Originally posted by offgrid

Its legal except in a few tunnels/bridges on the East Coast and in Texas. I happen to go over one of these frequently so I tend to run on electric while towing so I don't have to stop and switch over for the bridge. But I'm fine with running on propane otherwise.

I did not know about Texas. What bridge there prohibits propane? That does not make a lot of sense since a bridge is unlikely to be able to have a build-up of propane in sufficient quantity to enable combustion.

The one principle is that propane is heavier than air so if there is a leak, it would tend to go to the lowest point. In Baltimore and NYC, the tunnels are under rivers so the lowest point is in the middle of the tunnel. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel is the same. Tunnels through mountains are sloped so there is not a low point in the tunnel so there is no risk of propane accumulation inside the tunnel.

We have had to go around Baltimore's tunnels since it was listed as a flat-out prohibition of propane regardless of whether the tank valve was shut or not. Personally, I run our refrigerator on propane whenever it is not plugged in to shore power. That is because I found that our dual 6V batteries were not getting adequately charged if the refrigerator was being run on battery. Running a dedicated charging line from the battery of the tow vehicle to the trailer might make a difference, but I've not had any problems running with propane since I put the screens on the refrigerator vents to keep the wasps out.
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GlueGuy View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 May 2019 at 10:32am
Originally posted by mesamie

Didn’t know I could keep it on electric while driving, is that just pulling battery power...and that being trickle charged by the car ? Will that eventually drain the battery down on a 6-8 hour driving day ?
It will depend on your tow vehicle, and how much power it will supply to the 12V in the trailer. Some tow vehicles (like ours) supply sufficient 12V power to run the fridge, some do not. Likewise, some tow vehicles (like ours) switch the 12V on and off depending on whether the engine is running or not. 

Either way, you can't leave the fridge on 12V power without some sort of power augmentation for terribly long. If you are going to be parked for more than 5 or 6 hours, I would recommend switching to propane for the duration.
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