Battery Charging

[DirtyMax88]

Good afternoon everyone,
I apologize if this question has been asked, but I couldn't seem to find the exact answer. We have a 2015 Heartland Landmark Newport.
Can anyone tell me if there is a way to plug in the trailer to keep the batteries charged up, run the few lights, etc, but not be plugged in with main shore power 50 amp service. Now, I have only looked around a little, so there might actually be somewhere to plug in a regular old extension cord. We are working on getting a 50 amp service installed at home, so we can eventually have it plugged in all the time. The dealer told us to just disconnect, or turn the batteries "off" when we were not using the trailer. But I would like to keep them on, and at full charge. I'm new to the 5th wheel world, and trying to pick up as much as I can, but this AC/DC, 12v 120v, 240v etc makes my brain hurt at times. Thanks everyone in advance for your help!

 

[pegmikef]

Yeah, you can get a dog bone or an adapter that will let you plug it in to a standard 110 outlet. I wouldn't use anything less than a 12 gauge extension cord and a fairly short one at that. I keep my BH plugged into a dedicated 20 amp circuit and we keep the refrigerator running, the batteries stay charged up, and of course all the lights work. I can even run one of the A/C's, but that is it. There is nothing else on the circuit I am using.

 

[DirtyMax88]

pegmikef,
thanks for info. I hope we will have our 50amp circuit/service hooked up soon. Only issue until then is our trailer is parked about 100 ft from the closest power source, so a short extension cord wont exactly work. I will look into that adapter, thanks.

 

[brianharrison]

50 to 30 dogbone adapter,
30 to 15 adapter.

Click on above for link to amazon (for examples)

I have run a 14 GA extension cord over 100 feet to plug in my Landmark when required to keep batteries topped up and refrig on electric. No large loads like AC, electric water heater or fireplace can be used in this configuration.

Brian

 

[travelin2]

Lowes has 12 ga extension cords. I have a 100 ft at home and I carry a 50 ft in the BH.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[danemayer]

I believe the Power Converter has a low-voltage sensor that shuts off the converter if voltage is below 105. If your outlet is close to 120V you should be ok with a 12 gauge cord, even though there will be a voltage drop. If your outlet is closer to 110V, you might have intermittent operation of the converter. It would be even iffier with a 14 gauge extension cord.

One other thing is to make sure the outlet has a ground and that the extension cord is grounded. If the ground is missing, you'll have an unsafe condition.

 

[DirtyMax88]

Thanks guys for all the helpful info. I appreciate it! I am going to Lowes this afternoon for the extension cord, hopefully find a nice heavy gauge one. And I ordered the 30amp to 15 amp plug from amazon last night. One last question, it isn't a big deal that you have a 50 amp, to a 30 amp, to a 15 amp, all hooked together?? That wont affect or hurt anything?

 

[caissiel]

Everyone I know does it.
We all plug on our fridge and batteries.
We all drop from 50amp to 15 amp. All accessories in the trailer is 110 volt and 12 volts from the batteries and converter. Though 50 amps is 220 it all works as 110.

 

[Bob&Patty]

I have used the 50 to 30 to 15 for 7 years without any problems. We can use the microwave and all the lites, the fridge, but running A/C can be iffy at times. We start the fridge a day or 2 before we leave.

 

[DirtyMax88]

Thanks you all. I appreciate the re-assurance. Didn't want to have the "Clark Grizwold" thing going on with all the plugs and adapters. Good to know what i can and can not run. Thanks again!

 

[brianharrison]

If you are having a 50A service installed at your house, here is a good read for your knowledge to ensure the installation is consistent with a RV 50Amp service (4 wire, NEMA 14-50R)as opposed to the old "household dryer" 50A service (3 wire, NEMA 10-50R), or welders 50Amp (3 wire, NEMA 6-50R).

Heartland Owners Manual Basic Electrical Info.

Read the 50A service link.

Hope this helps.
Brian