My partner and I are living in Alberta Canada right now. We just sold our house and bought a 2010 F350 6.4L Diesel, along with a 2009 34SAQ Keystone Challenger 5th wheel. I'm quitting my job and picking up the trailer on the weekend. We are leaving for BC next week and will be volunteering on farms.
My questions are these! When we stay on people's farms, all we are going to have is probably 15 amp service. What will we be able to run? We don't have a generator or solar panels. I believe the trailer has 2 6 volt batteries and 2 30lb propane tanks. It has a 15000 BTU furnace which I know we definitely can't run. Will we be sitting in the dark every night, unable to use any appliances, laptops, etc?
How long do the batteries last? What is the best way to charge them?
Should we consider a generator or try to rough it?
The short answer to your question, is you will not be able to operate that much on 15 amps -- at least simultaneously. If your furnace runs on propane, you will be able to operate the furnace.
Enjoy and happy travels.
TRAILERKING said
07:58 PM Mar 25, 2015
Welcome aboard...
Furnace should be propane and no problem to run that. It will just suck a lot of propane.
If you have an A/C.........You might "Just" run it by itself "Maybe".
Getting a small Honda 3000 inverter generator would be a good thing to have. Very quiet and cheap on fuel.
pkhalin said
08:20 PM Mar 25, 2015
Welcome Lisa,
I used to have a 2005 Challenger 32TKB. Originally came with 1 12 volt battery and I added another. I'm sure there are folks more ingenious than me on here on how they deal with such things.
I have a Honda EU3000 generator which has been great. I'd still invest in one if I were you but you don't necessarily need one that big. They, as well as a couple other brands, have a 1000 and 2000. New ones are a bit pricey. But, the more power you have, the more toys you can power. If you're plugged into even 15 amps, that should be re-charging your batteries. Over a period of time, I also gathered a couple different kinds of battery operated LED lights that put out quite a bit. One other thing of note on generators, some places will have quiet times where you can't run your generator, particularly at night. So, just be aware.
As Lynn and Ed have indicated, on 15 amps you can power some things individually, but would be hard pressed running say the AC and the micro-wave, or a hair dryer at the same time. And ditto on the furnace running on propane. But hey, laptops have batteries!
Just my ramblings and opinions.
Have a great adventure and happy trails.
Jim and Barb said
08:11 AM Mar 26, 2015
We operated on 20amps for over a month last summer without a lot of issues. You just have to watch how much you use at one given time. We were able to use the microwave as long as nothing else was on. The toaster often blew the breaker all by itself. But as far as just lights and TV, we never had a problem. Make sure you know where the breaker box is so you can reset it when you need to!
Cowdog353 said
08:59 AM Mar 26, 2015
Hello,
I would not recommend using the AC with 15amp service. If the AC started it would pull the voltage down to dangerous levels and could a failure of the a/c and other electric devices.
You could run your heater and many other lights without problems. The microwave maybe ok to run also.
Your battery should charge any time your on shore power.
I would suggest buying a plug-in volt meter, use this to monitor voltage.
Anything under 110v AC is getting close to alarm, much below that could be a real problem because as you turn on more devices the voltage may drop more.
Hope this helps.
Jim
PIEERE said
09:21 AM Mar 26, 2015
Most 5th wheel rv's use a 50 amp cord, 2--110 volt legs; 25 amps each. The furnace on propane will use battery power for the igniter and the fan.You will need at least a 4KW, 33 amp generator to run 1 ac and no other high amp appliance, microwave; toaster; or hair dryer. I would have a 5.5 or 6 KW generator preferably diesel with a tank mounted in the bed of the truck. Others will maybe differ. Its just a matter of choice.
Lisa said
09:34 AM Mar 26, 2015
Lisa wrote:
My partner and I are living in Alberta Canada right now. We just sold our house and bought a 2010 F350 6.4L Diesel, along with a 2009 34SAQ Keystone Challenger 5th wheel. I'm quitting my job and picking up the trailer on the weekend. We are leaving for BC next week and will be volunteering on farms.
My questions are these! When we stay on people's farms, all we are going to have is probably 15 amp service. What will we be able to run? We don't have a generator or solar panels. I believe the trailer has 2 6 volt batteries and 2 30lb propane tanks. It has a 15000 BTU furnace which I know we definitely can't run. Will we be sitting in the dark every night, unable to use any appliances, laptops, etc?
How long do the batteries last? What is the best way to charge them?
Should we consider a generator or try to rough it?
ANY advice would be so greatly appreciated!!!
Lisa
Oops! I just saw that I wrote it has a 15000 BTU furnace. That should read AIR CONDITIONER!
Lisa said
09:35 AM Mar 26, 2015
Thank you everyone for your help and your well wishes. We are going to try it out tomorrow at an RV park here in town and see how we do. Anything extra we need will be purchased before we get on the road. It should be interesting!!
BiggarView said
10:57 AM Mar 26, 2015
Lisa, I admire your enthusiasm. Pushing off into the great unknown of this lifestyle at the pace you appear to be going at, would be too daunting a prospect for us though I suppose if we had to....
My advice, FWIW, would be to work out your finances, not just a budget, but the cost of all those "outlays" that you appear to need. Having control and knowledge of your financial picture will go a long way to making the experience as enjoyable as you want it to be. If you are only going to have 15AMP service, you'll probably need a decent sized genny, think about solar options (not cheap BTW). After you have the basics covered, then address other lifestyle "options" with an eye toward the method you will fund them. The important thing is to figure a plan that will cover and fund your unplanned events... and you will have plenty of those.
It's really hard for the rest of us to give concrete advice as to what you'll need, without understanding the whole picture. For instance, if you are very minimalistic you may well get by with 15AMPS. If you want more modern conveniences, well, they come at a cost and the need for additional power to run the gear.
Now, if you have plenty of loot to begin with or you love flying by the seat of your pants........ never mind.
Good luck with your adventure!
-- Edited by biggaRView on Thursday 26th of March 2015 11:00:31 AM
Terry and Jo said
09:12 PM Mar 26, 2015
PIEERE wrote:
Most 5th wheel rv's use a 50 amp cord, 2--110 volt legs; 25 amps each. The furnace on propane will use battery power for the igniter and the fan.You will need at least a 4KW, 33 amp generator to run 1 ac and no other high amp appliance, microwave; toaster; or hair dryer. I would have a 5.5 or 6 KW generator preferably diesel with a tank mounted in the bed of the truck. Others will maybe differ. Its just a matter of choice.
Pieere,
With the 50 amp system, each of the 120V legs are actually rated at 50 amps each.
My partner and I are living in Alberta Canada right now. We just sold our house and bought a 2010 F350 6.4L Diesel, along with a 2009 34SAQ Keystone Challenger 5th wheel. I'm quitting my job and picking up the trailer on the weekend. We are leaving for BC next week and will be volunteering on farms.
My questions are these! When we stay on people's farms, all we are going to have is probably 15 amp service. What will we be able to run? We don't have a generator or solar panels. I believe the trailer has 2 6 volt batteries and 2 30lb propane tanks. It has a 15000 BTU furnace which I know we definitely can't run. Will we be sitting in the dark every night, unable to use any appliances, laptops, etc?
How long do the batteries last? What is the best way to charge them?
Should we consider a generator or try to rough it?
ANY advice would be so greatly appreciated!!!
Lisa
Lisa,
It sounds like you would benefit from reading Howard's write-up on electrical, you can find it here: http://www.rv-dreams.com/rv-electrical.html.
The short answer to your question, is you will not be able to operate that much on 15 amps -- at least simultaneously. If your furnace runs on propane, you will be able to operate the furnace.
Enjoy and happy travels.
Furnace should be propane and no problem to run that. It will just suck a lot of propane.
If you have an A/C.........You might "Just" run it by itself "Maybe".
Getting a small Honda 3000 inverter generator would be a good thing to have. Very quiet and cheap on fuel.
Welcome Lisa,
I used to have a 2005 Challenger 32TKB. Originally came with 1 12 volt battery and I added another. I'm sure there are folks more ingenious than me on here on how they deal with such things.
I have a Honda EU3000 generator which has been great. I'd still invest in one if I were you but you don't necessarily need one that big. They, as well as a couple other brands, have a 1000 and 2000. New ones are a bit pricey. But, the more power you have, the more toys you can power. If you're plugged into even 15 amps, that should be re-charging your batteries. Over a period of time, I also gathered a couple different kinds of battery operated LED lights that put out quite a bit. One other thing of note on generators, some places will have quiet times where you can't run your generator, particularly at night. So, just be aware.
As Lynn and Ed have indicated, on 15 amps you can power some things individually, but would be hard pressed running say the AC and the micro-wave, or a hair dryer at the same time. And ditto on the furnace running on propane. But hey, laptops have batteries!
Just my ramblings and opinions.
Have a great adventure and happy trails.
I would not recommend using the AC with 15amp service. If the AC started it would pull the voltage down to dangerous levels and could a failure of the a/c and other electric devices.
You could run your heater and many other lights without problems. The microwave maybe ok to run also.
Your battery should charge any time your on shore power.
I would suggest buying a plug-in volt meter, use this to monitor voltage.
Anything under 110v AC is getting close to alarm, much below that could be a real problem because as you turn on more devices the voltage may drop more.
Hope this helps.
Jim
Oops! I just saw that I wrote it has a 15000 BTU furnace. That should read AIR CONDITIONER!
Lisa, I admire your enthusiasm. Pushing off into the great unknown of this lifestyle at the pace you appear to be going at, would be too daunting a prospect for us though I suppose if we had to....
My advice, FWIW, would be to work out your finances, not just a budget, but the cost of all those "outlays" that you appear to need. Having control and knowledge of your financial picture will go a long way to making the experience as enjoyable as you want it to be. If you are only going to have 15AMP service, you'll probably need a decent sized genny, think about solar options (not cheap BTW). After you have the basics covered, then address other lifestyle "options" with an eye toward the method you will fund them. The important thing is to figure a plan that will cover and fund your unplanned events... and you will have plenty of those.
It's really hard for the rest of us to give concrete advice as to what you'll need, without understanding the whole picture. For instance, if you are very minimalistic you may well get by with 15AMPS. If you want more modern conveniences, well, they come at a cost and the need for additional power to run the gear.
Now, if you have plenty of loot to begin with or you love flying by the seat of your pants........ never mind.
Good luck with your adventure!
-- Edited by biggaRView on Thursday 26th of March 2015 11:00:31 AM
Pieere,
With the 50 amp system, each of the 120V legs are actually rated at 50 amps each.
RV Electric
Terry