Shore v. Battery -- why some stuff doesn't work?

FlowerPower · 07-25-2021, 12:39 PM

When my trailer's plugged in, everything works. When it's on battery power alone, only the lights work. No outlets, no fans. I have two batteries and both are fully charged, and have a solar panel hook up. Everything appears to be working ok.

I want to dry camp but can't live without being able to plug in a portable fan to circulate the air. (and charge my devices)

Not sure where to look for an answer!

Onyrlef · 07-25-2021, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlowerPower

Not sure where to look for an answer!

Look for Bill, I'm betting he can tell you exactly what's up.

**Larryjb** · 07-25-2021, 04:49 PM

Outlets and the AC work on 12OV, so those will work only when plugged in. Lights work on 12V, so they will work off the battery.

You can get 12v fans for ain circulation, and a generator so you can run the AC. I'm sure you can find a way to charge devices off the battery with a USB.

**Bill** · 07-25-2021, 06:36 PM

Larry has pretty much laid it out.

I don't know how technical you want to get, but this diagram adds some detail
https://www.trailmanorowners.com/for...pictureid=1969
It is not as complicated as it looks - just take a moment to see what is going on in the picture.

What this diagram attempts to show is that the TM has two separate electrical systems - fully separate, and quite different.

The first TM electrical system, shown in the upper half of the diagram, is powered by the TM's big black cord - the one near the rear bumper. As Larry points out, all of the outlets, and some of the bigger appliances, work on this electrical system. If the big black cord isn't plugged in to a 120V AC source, those items won't work - as you have discovered.

The second TM electrical system shown in the lower half of the diagram, is powered by the TM's battery, which provides 12V DC. Again as Larry pointed out, all of the lights, and most of the smaller appliances, work on this electrical system.

These two systems touch each other at only one point, as seen at the center of the diagram. When the first system is powered up (the big black cord is plugged into a campground power post or generator), a device called a battery charger takes power from the first system (120V AC) and turns it into the power needed by the second system (12V DC). In doing so, it keeps the TM's battery charged. Note that this connection between the two systems works in only one direction. The TM battery cannot activate the outlets in the TM.

I hope this helps - ask questions if you would like further info or help.

Bill

Shane826 · 07-25-2021, 09:50 PM

I would like to clarify one thing, if I may… When the big black cord is plugged in, it provides 120VAC directly to the circuit breaker and then to the converter. The converter switches 120VAC to 12VDC then supplies that power to the 12VDC system and also charges the battery. If that converter craps out and stops convertering you’ll have a situation where you will have 120VAC but no 12VDC when plugged into shore power after the battery has been drained.

ThePair · 07-26-2021, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlowerPower

When my trailer's plugged in, everything works. When it's on battery power alone, only the lights work. No outlets, no fans. I have two batteries and both are fully charged, and have a solar panel hook up. Everything appears to be working ok.

I want to dry camp but can't live without being able to plug in a portable fan to circulate the air. (and charge my devices)

Not sure where to look for an answer!

As explained nicely above, there's nothing wrong with your TM -- it's functioning as designed.

If you want to run 120V devices off of your battery, you will need to get an Inverter, which converts the 12V from your battery to 120V that you can then use for fans. It's less efficient than getting a 12V fan (Endless Breeze makes a very good 12V fan that we have and use even when not dry camping) but if you already have fans, or have other things you want to plug in, an Inverter will do the trick. The Inverter usually connects directly to the battery, and has it's own 120V plugs on it, which you would then plug the fan, etc, into to use.

There have been posts on this forum about inverters in general -- differences, how much power you need, sine waves, etc. I'd start there to learn the basics. There have also been some who modify their TM so that the inverter can "power up" some or all of the outlets in the camper by flipping a switch. That's a fairly big modification and involves the electrical system at the main panel, so unless you really have the need (or desire) to do so, I'd choose the simpler route, personally.

Easiest: Get a 12V fan, plugs into the round 12V sockets around the TM (Endless breeze or similar) If you only want the fan to work, this is simple.

Also easy: Get a simple inverter that plugs into the round 12V socket, and then plug your fan into the inverter. This is less energy efficient than getting a 12V fan, but will give you a low-amp socket that might be able to do other things (recharge a laptop or phone, for example)

Medium: Get an inverter, connect to battery when needed, or permanently wire and mount it someplace, then run an extension cord from the inverter plug to wherever you need the 120V. This will let you use things other than just the fan, but will take more work.

Hard: Wire up an inverter to power all the outlets when dry camping.

If you're looking to power devices as well as a fan, but not much else, the "Also easy" plug in inverter may be your best bet.

**Kidkraz** · 07-26-2021, 08:37 AM

I do a fair amount of dry camping and set myself up with several amounts of small portable battery packs that have been some of my best investments for dry camping or when power goes out at home. Amazon has a ton of good high powered portable battery packs. I take two 20-26000mAH batteries. When I need more than a small fan, I bring my Ryobie fan. Several of the 18volt portable tools have a battery powered fan. I use fairy lights to have enough lights that I can conserve my rig batteries. I also require a cpap machine and have a Goal Zero portable battery for 5-6 days use and a smaller one for 2-3 days use.
Bottom line, it's not hard to set yer self up for dry camping. And as others have said, a small generator for A/C use is always an option.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

FlowerPower · 07-27-2021, 12:23 PM

Thank you everyone for the information and suggestions! Glad to know that everything is working as designed. I bought it used and didn't get a manual with it so am always at a loss when I can't figure something out.

I just saved that electrical diagram for my TM files.

Re: battery packs for charging devices, I do use those in my vehicles and probably need to get a bigger one for travel.

Didn't know I could get a fan that would work off my Makita batteries. Perfect!

Re: 12V socket plugs on TM? Where are they located? I don't recall seeing one. I already have a couple of 12V fans and carry inverters in both vehicles.

**Kidkraz** · 07-27-2021, 12:30 PM

Kathy,

Here's a link for the tech library. Bill posted a ton of great info as did others.

https://www.trailmanorowners.com/for...ad.php?t=13839

Shane826 · 07-27-2021, 05:17 PM

And here’s a link to an owners manual for the TM; I don’t know how much it would’ve changed over the years.

https://trailmanor.com/wp-content/up...al-v091119.pdf