Being new to the world of rv camping, I'm not sure what we will encounter. Barking dogs, babies crying, generators, and million dollar motorhomes are what we hope to avoid if possible, so for us a small camper that could fit in a tent site seemed to fit our needs. So if we are in a site that has no electric hookup for a few days, and we manage to run the camper battery down to the point that there is no battery power left, will that effect our car starting up? Will the camper use the camper battery power and then draw the car battery down? And if I were to start the car in the morning and let it idle, could that restore the power drained from the camper battery?
Tue, 06/13/2017 - 06:34
#1
Battery use!
Some (if not most) vehicles disconnect the 12 VDC from the RV when shut off. You can always pull the 7-pin plug just to be safe. Also, repeatedly running the battery down too low will shorten the overall life of the battery. Recharging with the car will work, but it may need to be at a fast idle. A small solar panel and regulator will help. Do not buy it from Harbor Freight. Last time I looked they were under $1/watt at Amazon. If you do not have a volt meter get one. The free with a purchase meter at Harbor Freight will do fine, the nitrile gloves make a good qualifying purchase.
Read through the battery section in our Solar Resource, this will help immensely with understanding battery role, maintenance and how to use for boondocking.
One of the first things I do is check if the tow vehicle I'm going to use is hot with key off at the 7 pin connector. You never want to leave a trailer plugged in overnight if the 7 pin is hot. One of the best tools I've added to my setup bucket is a 7 Pin Tester. Not only can you quickly find out if your power pin is hot with the key off, you can troubleshoot all light/brake conditions with this handy lil gem. We used my lil tester this year at Scamp Camp SW to help one of the attendees fix her lights on the trailer.
Our Trailers:
2015 19 Escape
Buying or Selling Molded FG Trailers:
Fiberglass-RV-4Sale
The first thing we purchased after buying the Camper was a 7 Pin Tester.
We actually stopped at Lazy Days on our way home to buy it.
The Tester stays in the Tow Vehicle.
We were having some light issues with the Camper.
As Always,
Happy Scamping !!!