Many people do not understand that an RV has more than just one electrical system!  I always thought there were two electrical systems in an RV: the 12 volt and the 120 volt.  But I missed the fact that there are really two 12 volt systems.  This was one of the first lessons, one of many in my RV life, that taught me when RV electrical problems arise, I needed a basic understanding of RV electrical systems! Imagine you are enjoying a nice evening in the RV: the AC unit is cranking, the convection oven is cooking the evening meal, the electric water heater element just kicked on because the wife is in the shower, and all of the sudden it gets awfully quiet in the RV.RV electrical problems may have popped up because of these possible situations: did the water heater kick on and send the electrical system into overload?  Did the RV park’s power cut out?  Did your EMS unit shut the power down because it detected a problem?  Did the AC unit and the convection oven restart together?  

What should you do?  Here comes the purple monkey! What is a purple monkey?  According to the Texas RV Professor, Terry Cooper, it’s a big hairy problem that does not seem to have an immediate answer due to a distortion of the facts.  And it climbs on your back and laughs at you while you panic!  If you don’t have at least a basic understanding of how RV electrical problems can arise, then the purple money may visit you quite often! The best way to avoid RV electrical problems is to understand the three electrical systems that you have in your RV, and to be able to diagnose a problem by learning how they work together to keep you comfortable in your home on wheels. The 3 Electrical Systems in Your RV Most electrical products have labels on them to tell you what kind of electrical requirements they need and use: volts, amps and watts.  Do you know what these are, and how to figure out what your maximum usage is in your RV?  If you don’t, the big purple monkey may visit you!  

So, let me get the monkey off your back! What are Volts, Amps, and Watts? Most RV Electrical Problems occur because RVers don’t understand the relationship between volts, amps, and watts!  It is very easy to overload an RV such that you are tripping the breaker in the main panel, or even for the appliance itself. So what is a Volt?  Very simply it is the push that electricity has through the wires of your 12 volt or 120 volt RV electrical system.  In comparison, it is like water pressure to a water system. So how about an Amp?  Amperage is the flow of electricity.  Amperage is the same to electricity as gallons of water flow is to a water system.  The size and length of the wire determines how much amperage there can be. If you try to flow too many amps through a small, or under rated wire, what happens?  It gets hot, right?  The resistance to flow equals restriction, and therefore heat builds up.  The wire will overheat and melt it’s casing, possibly causing a fire.

Then, what are Watts?  A watt is the power the electricity has.  ice air ac unitIf you know that you have 120 volts going into your RV, and you have 30 amp main service inside that RV, then if you multiply the 120 volts times the 30 amps, you get 3600 watts.  best hvac home unitsSo what does that mean to you?ac units for warehouse Mr. and Mrs Smith, and the kids, hookup their travel trailer and head out for the weekend.  They had it plugged in at home and had all the electrical items running before they left.  They unplugged the RV and hit the road. The electric water heater was on, the air conditioner unit was running, the converter was charging the batteries, and the fridge was set to be on electric when plugged in.  Oh, and this is a 120 volt – 30 amp electrical system.

So what happened when Mr. and Mrs. Smith get to their destination and plugged in their RV?  Remember, everything was left on!  Lets examine the load on the system: for a Grand Total of 5,160 watts All those appliances were still switched on and were calling for power, because the RV was hot inside, the hot water had cooled off, the fridge needed to keep cooling and was switching from propane, and the batteries needed charging.  After a few minutes of being plugged in, the Smith’s were sitting without AC, hot water, and ice cold beer because the breaker tripped. Perhaps it was the main breaker in the RV, or perhaps the breaker at the electrical pedestal. They only had 3,600 watts available to use, at most!  And when an air condition first kicks on, it requires approximately another 500 watts. How could this have been avoided? Don’t plug into an RV park electrical pedestal without checking the power source.  If you don’t know how to use a volt meter, either learn, or get an electrical management device.  

These are designed to plug into the RV park’s electrical pedestal and detect any electrical issues before you plug in. Would you like to know more about solving electrical issues?  How about all the other issues that come up in your RV?  Would you like to be able to fix 80% of the RV issues that are easy to find, and easy to fix, by yourself? Would you like to save yourself thousands of dollars from the many repairs that will be needed over the years?  What about time off the road because you are waiting for someone else to solve your problem? Jump over to my page on an RV technician course that could help you get the purple monkey off your back!  You can learn how to handle issues similar to these, like a pro! Here’s wishing you happy adventures as you enjoy the RV lifestyle!Tuesday, July 21, 2015 When it comes to enjoying all your RV has to offer, you need to be aware of problems that can occur. Some of these problems can make for a really bad day, and RV battery issues fall into this category.

With a little basic understanding, you will be able to maintain the health of your RV's 12-volt DC system and remain a happy camper. My wife Pam and I have been traveling the country in an RV for 15 years and have enjoyed full-time RV living for seven of those years. We have learned a lot of things the hard way, and some things by the mistakes of others. As we travel and talk to other RVers, we find this topic is quite difficult to grasp. There appears to be a lack of understanding of how an RV's electrical system works. And the RV battery is a big part of the electrical systems in an RV. Your RV has three electrical systems. First, you have a 120-volt AC (alternating current) electrical system known as your shore power. This becomes active when you plug your RV into either a 50-, 30- or 20-amp power source. This electrical system will control the power needs of your major appliances and allow for charging of one or more battery systems. And, on some RVs, you can create this electrical power source from an external or onboard generator.

Please be aware of the amperage requirements of your RV when choosing a shore power source. The second RV electrical system is the chassis 12-volt DC (direct current) system provided by an auto battery. This controls your tail lights, marker lights, brake lights, electric wheel brakes, engine starter motor and dash accessories. It does not matter whether the RV is a towable or a motorized unit, it still has this electrical system. It just may not be attached to the RV all the time. The third — and most important — electrical system in the RV is the 12-volt DC house batteries. This system is powered by either a six- or 12-volt DC deep-cycle battery combination. They are hooked together in either a parallel or series combination to create a strong 12-volt DC source. Now, here is where the confusion sometimes occurs. Most things inside your RV will not work without a properly functioning 12-volt DC house battery system. And this is where RV battery issues can be created because of a lack of understanding of how this system works, and its interaction with the 120-volt AC system.

Stick with me here. I may be able to save you from a potential problem. In order for your 12-volt DC house battery system to function, you need good batteries as well as a way to charge them. That is where your RV's power converter is used. When plugged into shore power, this device is converting 120-volt AC power into 12-volt DC power. Think of the converter as the main 12-volt DC power system along with the house batteries, and that these batteries actually function as your backup, or the piggy bank if you will. If the piggy bank is nearing empty, then the power converter will have a hard time keeping up with the demand when many 12-volt DC systems are being used. This is when things will not work properly. When disconnected from shore power, you can run your lights, your water pump, your gas furnace and even some electrical devices if you have an inverter. This device takes your 12-volt DC power and converts it to 120 volts of AC power. But during use, the piggy bank will empty quickly without being recharged by the power converter.

You need both a properly functioning set of batteries and a working power converter. Do you know where your power converter is? Do you need to in order to be sure it is doing its job? Do you need to know where the house batteries are located? One of the main causes of RV battery issues is the lack of a proper maintenance schedule for them. They require water in order for the chemical reaction to occur in creating DC voltage. If water is not checked and added on a regular basis, the RV's house batteries will deteriorate and not allow many of the needed systems to function in the RV. Have you ever been inside your RV and the 120-volt AC power went out? Perhaps you had your lights on and noticed just as the power went out the lights also dimmed. This could be an indication of either a power converter problem or weakened batteries due to age or neglect. Without a properly working 12-volt DC house battery power source, RV interior lights will not work, the water pump will not function, the appliance control boards will not have the power they need to allow the gas/electric refrigerator to work, the air conditioning units to cool, the furnace to provide heat and the slide outs and leveling systems to function.

Even if the RV is plugged into a 120-volt AC source, those items will not work if there is a problem with the RV's 12-volt DC house battery system. Do you know where all your 12-volt fuses are located? What can you do now to keep your lights on and appliances operating? Please, check your batteries regularly. Be sure they are at the proper water level. Some of these batteries are difficult to reach, but take the time to check them and fill as needed with distilled water. Also, clean any corrosion you see developing on the battery terminals. This will add extra resistance to the system that you do not want to have. If you know how to use a voltage meter, you can also check the house battery voltage with your RV disconnected from an AC electrical source. Compare that to a battery voltage reading with the power back on and the power converter operating. This test can reveal a lot of information about the health of your RV's 12-volt DC house battery system. In summary, check your RV batteries regularly to avoid any issues.