120V outlet in TV

[ThePair]

Hi all!

I'm a new "owner" of a 2720SL ("new" because I haven't yet taken delivery from the dealership). I haven't yet wired my 2006 Sienna for towing, that's the next project.

My Sienna has a 110V outlet in the rear of the van that can be turned on/off with a switch from the dashboard. Reading just about everything I can in this forum, I haven't seen that outlet addressed anywhere, which makes me wonder: does anyone have a thought as to how it can be used?

Since I haven't wired the van yet, and I need to wire for the brake controller as well, I'm certain I'll need to pull the wires back from the battery anyway. So I don't see any utility there. What I am wondering out loud about is, is there any thought to somehow using that plug for the fridge, rather than relying on the 12V/converter system to both charge the battery and power the fridge? Would it make any sense to those more seasoned than I to somehow do that? It would mean (a) easier times at rest stops, because I wouldn't have to worry about disconnecting anything from battery to fridge, because either that outlet turns off with the ignition key, or the switch which is easy to reach; and (b) perhaps less concern with incomplete battery charging from TV due to fridge draw (as some have had issue with); and (c) can run fridge in more effective 120V mode. Downsides would be (a) need for an additional extension cord/hookup; (b) need to rewire the fridge to allow this connection; (c) could make hookup at campsite to 120V trickier?

Here's where I throw myself on the mercy of the forums! Any thoughts? Any thoughts other than the fridge hookup?

Thanks!

Marc

1st a few questions.
1. What is capacity of the 110V outlet. Most likely not very large
2 What currently exists on your TV for wiring (Tow package?).

2nd a few Thoughts.
1. Not sure I want 110V running around while I was towing. If a wire gets cut or chafed you could have a real safety issue.
2. You would have to isolate the fridge as hooking the TM power cord to the inverter in the TV would then run the converter as well which may be too much load.
3. If your TV has a tow package you may already have a wiring harness with the proper wires. Many times the 12V aux power for the trailer plug is installed but not connected at the battery or has the fuse removed. Brake controller wire is usually in the harness as well.
4. If it were me, and 12V is not in wiring harness, I would run a separate fused wire ( both Pos and GND) from the battery to the trailer plug on the TV. This is the simplest, safest and most effective.

I would not use the 110V to power anything in the trailer while towing.
MTCW
Bob

[ShrimpBurrito]

This exact question is discussed in this thread....it's good all the way from the beginning, but the inverter issue isn't discussed until Page 4.

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...voltage&page=4

Dave

[ThePair]

Hey, thanks. Somehow I missed it

Originally Posted by rumbleweed

1st a few questions.
1. What is capacity of the 110V outlet. Most likely not very large
2 What currently exists on your TV for wiring (Tow package?).

Nothing. There is no wiring (and, honestly, no real tow package) for the Sienna. 2006 has all the towing engine components already installed, and I'm going to add the hitch--which is all the tow package adds. I need to do the wiring, and I intend to run, I think, 3 wires back from the battery (positive, ground, brake controller). I don't have all that listed out yet, but am actively researching it.

This question I asked may be a total non-issue, because I haven't yet done anything. 8 gauge wire run straight back would, possibly, do the trick, from many other's experience, from what I've read. I was just wondering if the built-in TV inverter may be useful, just as was ultimately being discussed on that thread, with the difference being that I already have the inverter built into the TV.

So, the concensus of the other thread seemed to be "as long as you're careful with the hookups, 120V and 12V both seem to be, in the real world, as safe/unsafe as each other." Meaning that an extension cord from the TV to the fridge (and only the fridge, unplugged from the 30A and plugged directly into the extension cord) is feasible if absolutely necessary, although there are some who would still not do it, anyway.

Is that about right, or am I misinterpreting that thread as it pertains to my situation?

Marc

[ShrimpBurrito]

Originally Posted by ThePair

Hey, thanks. Somehow I missed it

No problem! That's why we're all here. Group memory!

Originally Posted by ThePair

So, the concensus of the other thread seemed to be "as long as you're careful with the hookups, 120V and 12V both seem to be, in the real world, as safe/unsafe as each other."

Meaning that an extension cord from the TV to the fridge (and only the fridge, unplugged from the 30A and plugged directly into the extension cord) is feasible if absolutely necessary, although there are some who would still not do it, anyway.

Is that about right, or am I misinterpreting that thread as it pertains to my situation?

Marc

I'm not sure I would say that's the consensus, but that's just my opinion. I personally would not run 120VAC from the TV to the TM. It would be fine, as long as you never had a problem. (Isn't that a nice statement.) The way I see it, the biggest potential problem is if you were ever in an accident, rescue personnel and good samaritans are not going to expect that kind of voltage. They could get seriously injured, which would very bad in itself, but it also would hinder their efforts to help you.

The best solution in terms of safety IMHO is to use a DC-input battery charger in the TM, but they are definitely more expensive than a cheap inverter. The second best solution would be to power the inverter from INSIDE the TM off the TV tow circuit. That way you can limit the 120VAC run to as little as a foot if you wanted. But since both of these solutions do not involve any wiring in the TV other than what is required to ordinarily tow the TM, you might want to just tow the TM for awhile and see if you're happy with it. If you are, no need to mess with it.

Since it sounds like you don't already have a tow circuit to power anything on the TM from your TV, that is going to have to be done obviously. And when you do, install the largest wire you can afford/safety install to minimize the voltage loss. #2 wire is the largest I would consider in my car, but since my TV came with a towing circuit, smaller wires are already there -- thus, I'd rather spend money on one of my above solutions than rewire the car.

Dave

Ultimately, you need 7 wires to the trailer plug. The following page shows what to wire to the plug.

http://www.marksrv.com/wiring.htm

I have a similar outlet in the rear of my Tacoma truck bed. I originally thought it to be one of the coolest accessories I had ever seen. But after 4 years it is yet to be used. I guess if I was ever dry camping without the generator and wanted to make margaritas...

[ShrimpBurrito]

Originally Posted by Scott O

I have a similar outlet in the rear of my Tacoma truck bed. I originally thought it to be one of the coolest accessories I had ever seen. But after 4 years it is yet to be used. I guess if I was ever dry camping without the generator and wanted to make margaritas...

I too have one in the back of my Sequoia. I used it once -- to power the air compressor to add air to the TM spare tire when we had a blowout on the side of the freeway.

Imagine this: 8 lanes of traffic during early rush hours (which means LOTS of traffic moving VERY fast, and about to get worse), trailer is up, and it's the end of a 7,200 mile trip. I flip on the compressor....

...and the fuse blew. Haven't used it since.

Dave

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by ThePair

Hi all!

I'm a new "owner" of a 2720SL ("new" because I haven't yet taken delivery from the dealership). I haven't yet wired my 2006 Sienna for towing, that's the next project.

My Sienna has a 110V outlet in the rear of the van that can be turned on/off with a switch from the dashboard. Reading just about everything I can in this forum, I haven't seen that outlet addressed anywhere, which makes me wonder: does anyone have a thought as to how it can be used?

Since I haven't wired the van yet, and I need to wire for the brake controller as well, I'm certain I'll need to pull the wires back from the battery anyway. So I don't see any utility there. What I am wondering out loud about is, is there any thought to somehow using that plug for the fridge, rather than relying on the 12V/converter system to both charge the battery and power the fridge? Would it make any sense to those more seasoned than I to somehow do that? It would mean (a) easier times at rest stops, because I wouldn't have to worry about disconnecting anything from battery to fridge, because either that outlet turns off with the ignition key, or the switch which is easy to reach; and (b) perhaps less concern with incomplete battery charging from TV due to fridge draw (as some have had issue with); and (c) can run fridge in more effective 120V mode. Downsides would be (a) need for an additional extension cord/hookup; (b) need to rewire the fridge to allow this connection; (c) could make hookup at campsite to 120V trickier?

Here's where I throw myself on the mercy of the forums! Any thoughts? Any thoughts other than the fridge hookup?

Thanks!

Marc

Do you know what the wattage is on the inverter in the Sienna? This may be a non-issue anyway, unless the inverter is around 700-1000W.

If the inverter is large enough to run the fridge, I'd do it. It would be more efficient than running off of 12V DC. If it's rated at 1000W or higher, you could plug the entire camper into it and charge your battery at the same time, thus eliminating the need for a separate 8G, 12V line from the TV battery back to the trailer hitch.

In the event of an accident, the inverter is fused. However, if it is raining and someone gets zapped with 1500W (inverter's possible surge capacity) I suppose it could get exciting. I think that chances are about as high as getting hit by lightening under the same circumstances but that's just my opinion........I'd probably be the 1st guy getting shocked.

Trust me....if there were the slightest risk of this being a safety issue in the event of an accident, the factory would not put it on the vehicle.

I cannot speak for a Sienna BUT my Tacoma's rear outlet is 400/200 depending on whether you are moving or not. If the Sienna's is the same (or similar) and the frig needs 700 to 1000 watts, it would seem there is a shortage there....

Mike Anderson