running appliances and battery charging

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   help I am confused

so I have loaded my fridge with food on the way to a park- I set it on battery use  during the drive? is the Rpod battery recharged by vehicle as it goes?

when at state park with no electrical, if it runs on battery , the fridge  drains battery in 4 hours i think- so I need a generator for even 1 night?

would a 1800/2000 wat generator do it or does all the running need to be over 2000 watts

can I get one quiet enough, light enough  strong enough for  under $800

 if fridge is run on propane is that better when in a park? lasts longer?

unit will be stored down the street at a storage unit- will I need a battery charger on it at all times? would that affect the batteries ability to hold a charge later

 or is the charger put on just prior to a trip

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Nanc Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 06 Jul 2015 Location: washington Online Status: Offline Posts: 12	Topic: running appliances and battery charging Posted: 13 Jul 2015 at 12:03am
	help I am confused so I have loaded my fridge with food on the way to a park- I set it on battery use during the drive? is the Rpod battery recharged by vehicle as it goes? when at state park with no electrical, if it runs on battery , the fridge drains battery in 4 hours i think- so I need a generator for even 1 night? would a 1800/2000 wat generator do it or does all the running need to be over 2000 watts can I get one quiet enough, light enough strong enough for under $800 if fridge is run on propane is that better when in a park? lasts longer? unit will be stored down the street at a storage unit- will I need a battery charger on it at all times? would that affect the batteries ability to hold a charge later or is the charger put on just prior to a trip
	Namaste

furpod Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group - pHp Joined: 25 Jul 2011 Location: Central KY Online Status: Offline Posts: 6128	Posted: 13 Jul 2015 at 7:46am
	The battery should never be used to power the fridge unless you know YOUR tow vehicle is sending a proper charge to it. The fridge takes a day or so to properly cool down. This can be mitigated some by loading everything frozen or chilled into it to start. When not hooked up to shore power, run the fridge on propane. The fridge will run for 6-8 weeks on a full bottle. Battery health is one of the hardest things for new campers to get a solid hold on. Your fridge needs 12v to run in ANY mode. So if you run your battery flat, it's to late to switch to propane. Letting the battery die does effect it's health dramatically. Add a battery cutoff switch for when it's going to sit for more than a few days unhooked. Pull the battery and charge at home if it's going to be months between uses.

CharlieM Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Nov 2012 Location: N. Colorado Online Status: Offline Posts: 1797	Posted: 13 Jul 2015 at 9:04am
	I agree completely with Furpod on batteries and fridge. And, at the risk of repeating myself and many others, I'll add: IMO the only time to run the fridge on 12V is when you're connected to the TV, the engine is running, and then only for short periods of time. If you're traveling run the fridge on propane. If you stop at Wally World leave in running on propane. If you want to shut down at a gas station just turn it off. No problem for the 10 minute pit stop. The reason for this is simple. Most TVs are not wired to supply sufficient charge current to the TT. It varies by model, but a good guess is 10-15 Amps. The fridge on 12V draws 11 Amps so you've got between -1 and +4 available for the battery. On the low side you're actually discharging your battery while driving. On the high side you're only putting 4 Amps into the battery. No problem if the battery is already charged, but that would take ten days to recharge a typical battery from 50% discharge. No problem if your battery is fully charged before you start and you're going to a campsite with electrical hookup. But if you start with less than a full charge and/or you do not have electricity at the campsite you'll end up with a dead battery just when you need it. This is particularly a problem between campsites where you depend on the driving time to partially recharge your battery. Ain't gonna happen with the fridge on 12V. The last point is on safety of towing with propane on. All current propane bottles have flow limiters built into the valves. In case of a broken gas line the gas flow will either shut of completely or be reduced to pilot light levels. These limiters are so good that they can even be triggered by opening the valves too fast after refilling. Consider that larger fridges used in bigger RVs don't even have a 12V option. They travel on propane with no issues and no concerns.
	Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD

Nanc Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 06 Jul 2015 Location: washington Online Status: Offline Posts: 12	Posted: 13 Jul 2015 at 10:16am
	thanks y'all the info is very helpful when is a generator helpful? necessary? week long trips? where do you store gas can? what about a fridge fan?
	Namaste

CharlieM Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Nov 2012 Location: N. Colorado Online Status: Offline Posts: 1797	Posted: 13 Jul 2015 at 11:04am
	Generators are only required if you need AC or Microwave and have no electric hookup. If you can live without these two conveniences you never really need a generator. You can recharge your battery from your TV, preferably with good heavy jumper cables. Your TV will typically burn 1/2 gallon per hour at idle. Lots easier/safer/quieter/cheaper/more conveniennt than a generator and no gas can needed. If you plan on much off grid camping you should definitely upgrade to two 6 volt GC2 golf cart batteries. Depending on usage these can last days to a week. The big draw will be the furnace if you need it. The fridge will benefit from some air circulation. I use one of the little blue cube fans and the batteries have lasted more than a month so far.
	Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD

GLBCamper Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 30 Jun 2015 Location: Oregon Online Status: Offline Posts: 274	Posted: 13 Jul 2015 at 11:50am
	How should the jumper connections go for charging? TT + to +, - to - with TV + to +, - to ground?
	Old: 2014 177 HRE 2015 Tacoma V6 4x4 Double Cab New: 2016 EVO ATS 200rd 2016 F150 4x4 Sport

CharlieM Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Nov 2012 Location: N. Colorado Online Status: Offline Posts: 1797	Posted: 13 Jul 2015 at 12:41pm
	The best connection is TV battery positive terminal to TT battery positive terminal and TV engine block to TT battery negative terminal. If you can't conveniently get to the TV engine block a perfectly acceptable alternate is the TV battery negative terminal. In connecting the jumpers it is best to connect the two positive clamps first, then connect the two negative clamps in either order. Of course the TV engine should be running.
	Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD

GLBCamper Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 30 Jun 2015 Location: Oregon Online Status: Offline Posts: 274	Posted: 13 Jul 2015 at 1:43pm
	Thanks. That's the configuration I was trying to relay.
	Old: 2014 177 HRE 2015 Tacoma V6 4x4 Double Cab New: 2016 EVO ATS 200rd 2016 F150 4x4 Sport

CharlieM Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Nov 2012 Location: N. Colorado Online Status: Offline Posts: 1797	Posted: 13 Jul 2015 at 1:46pm
	BTW, the connection sequence I recommended is based on thin probabilities of you dropping a cable and hitting some metal of the opposite polarity. No big deal if you violate it. Sky will not fall, Earth will not stand still, etc.
	Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD

Tars Tarkas Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 14 Jan 2013 Location: Near Nashville Online Status: Offline Posts: 1446	Posted: 13 Jul 2015 at 9:35pm
	Charging batteries with you tow vehicle is as restricted as generator use, for what that's worth. From the Great Smoky Mountains campground rules: Quiet Hours and Generators Quiet hours are in effect from 10 pm to 6 am. Generator use is prohibited from 8 pm to 8 am. Generator use and battery charging by engine idling is prohibited in generator free areas. TT
	2010 176 FJ Cruiser