Refrigerator not working and photos of Camano

[Ron in BC]

And, if you feel getting to understand relay wiring is not in the cards, a simple heavy duty toggle switch saves the nuisance of plugging and unplugging.

I have a toggle switch. It just gets to be habit pretty quick. Pull into site. Flip switch. As Donna would say easy peasy

Ron

[OneOleMan]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

And, if you feel getting to understand relay wiring is not in the cards, a simple heavy duty toggle switch saves the nuisance of plugging and unplugging.

I have a toggle switch. It just gets to be habit pretty quick. Pull into site. Flip switch. As Donna would say easy peasy

Ron

Ron, how did you wire in the toggle switch? Old Geezers wanna know

[Ron in BC]

My truck came with a "tow package" but that didn't include power to the trailer or a brake controller (or a rear view camera). So I added them myself.

I had two choices for the trailer power. Take it from the fuse box or the battery terminal. So I used the battery terminal to an inline fuse, to the toggle switch and then on to the 7 pin connector. Could have have used a relay and had the switch inside but I don't mind popping the hood at the end of a day's driving and flipping the switch. Never hurts to take a quick glance at the engine after a long day's drive.

If I had a factory installed 7 pin power connector that stayed live even with the tug engine off I'd probably look for a suitable place to tap into the line and install a switch.

Ron

[Ruthe]

In the late eighties when we were pulling our airstream with a suburban, we went camping for the very first time and stayed hooked up for two days. We were happy to see that we could use lights and pretty much everything else. Only when we went to leave the campground did we realize that we'd been drawing off the suburban battery, which was now dead.

Pretty embarrassing.

[float5]

I can't believe no one said anything to you in two days about being hooked up.

Wonder how Ellen's batteries are now.

[cpaharley2008]

I have used one of these for past 10 years in various tow vehicles to determine what the factory connection status with the ignition off or on....Amazon.com: CURT 58270 12V LED Connector Tester: CURT: Automotive

[Fox hunt]

I'm not a good at fixing this type of thing so next year i will try to find someone to install a switch or something to stop my car from charging the trailer when stopped.

[cpaharley2008]

Just unplug the trailer, very simple fix.

[Fox hunt]

up that's the plan...

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Just unplug the trailer, very simple fix.

As Jim said and has been previously noted, one sure way is to unplug the trailer from the tow vehicle and make sure to check the lights before taking off, then you'll catch the unplugged unit and simply hook up and go. Simple is good for me.

Dave

[Greg A]

Till you forget and drag the 7 pin down the road. Ask me how I know...

[dfandrews]

Originally Posted by Greg A

Till you forget and drag the 7 pin down the road. Ask me how I know...

A couple of things that are (almost) automatic with me:
-when I am ready to go, I look in the rear view mirror on the shade-side of the trailer, and turn on the parking lights.
If the marker lights on the trailer side light up, I'm plugged in.
-When I first start to roll, I shift to neutral, and operate the
manual switch on the brake controller to stop the rig.
I know I'm plugged in, brake circuit is operative, and brakes actually work.

Those actions take about 5-10 seconds each, and keep me from second-guessing whether I'm ready to hit-the-road.

[Loren & Cathy]

Originally Posted by Greg A

Till you forget and drag the 7 pin down the road. Ask me how I know...

On the last trip I was in a hurry to get to a Camping World before they closed and didn't get the connector in tight. It came loose and the dash lit up like a Christmas tree with all kinds of warnings. As I pulled over I couldn't believe the shove that I got from behind without the electric brakes engaging on the trailer. Loren

[cpaharley2008]

I use a small bungee around the connector, have not become unhooked with over 20K mileage, but have misplaced that little rubber band until getting some replacements.&&

[Dave&Jane]

Dennis showed us this trick when we picked up or trailer. The spring-loaded cover over our 7-pin socket engages a tab on the trailer plug. You press down to force the notch in the cover over the tab on the plug, but using this feature ensures a tight, full-depth plug insertion that will not accidentally come loose.

-Dave

[EDarby]

Oh, WOW, just got to a Starbucks in Seattle so have wifi and am overwhelmed with all the great suggestions. If I were home, would make a manual out of all this information. But if I were home, wouldn't be . . . well you know what I mean.

To update you on everything: The last two days at Camano Island were wet and dreary. The lowest I got was 11.6. The camp host/mechanic insisted I could plug into the Tahoe and I did . The first morning, the Tahoe started immediately. The second morning, it also started immediately. Could that be because it's a hybrid?

Drove to an RV park in Everett, WA and stayed there two nights. Needed, of course, to charge the batteries but also really needed to de-stress from the solar issues and then the propane issue. In other words, to charge my own batteries!

Searched over the weekend for someone to install my propane controller. No luck. There was an RV place next to the RV park but they wanted $206 and that just seemed too high and wasn't comfortable with the communication. Went out this morning to get ready to leave the park, checked the tanks and the gauge was showing green on both sides. I'm glad I have Karen to attest to the fact that the right side really WAS consistently showing red and that, after switching tanks, it remained red. (I AM a bit insecure in my diagnostic powers)

Went to Poulsbo RV and they had a dual tank controller but since it wasn't the same, and since both sides again were showing green, decided to just hold off. Did it fix itself? Is it a temporary fix? Who knows, but at least I have propane and can physically switch the tanks if needed. Oh . . . bought some strips at Poulsbo that stick to the banks and read the temp of the tanks to let you know how full or empty they are. They were inexpensive so if they don't work, no biggy.

Though I was planning on staying in the Seattle area for a month, will be heading south in a week for more sun. The logistics of getting to a flight to Cleveland for Thanksgiving and to NYC for Christmas are not settled but I am just going to figure that out as I go.

Wish I could thank you all individually but have limited time on wifi. But I sincerely thank you for your info and your support.


Thank you, Donna!

[BCnomad]

That's great Ellen. One trick with propane is to slowly open the valve instead of quickly. I believe that leads to a false empty reading if done quickly.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by EDarby

The camp host/mechanic insisted I could plug into the Tahoe and I did . The first morning, the Tahoe started immediately. The second morning, it also started immediately. Could that be because it's a hybrid?

Sorry I had forgotten that your Tahoe is a hybrid, and did not notice it in your profile... I would have suggested using it to charge had I thought about the hybrid feature.

If the GM control system for their 2-mode hybrid system behaves like Toyota's Synergy Hybrid Drive, you can leave the vehicle idling indefinitely - the engine will start when required and stop when the main battery is charged enough, and due to the size of that main battery it should go for quite a while supplying charging power to the trailer. I think it's worth trying out during day (when you are awake and around to see what it does).

Even if the engine doesn't start itself overnight (if, for instance, you leave the ignition off), the engine starts from the 300-volt main battery pack so it should still start and only the accessory 12-volt battery might be run flat (assuming that the main battery does not charge the 12-volt battery when the ignition is off).

If the truck has an AC outlet (powered by an on-board inverter), it could be a great source of power to run the Escape's converter or a separate battery charger.

[bdornbush]

I was listening to an RV podcast today, and the person being interviewed, The RV Doctor, discussed 5 things every RVer should know. Number one was how to check for propane leaks, and number 2 was to carry a spare regulator and the needed wrenches and sealant to change it and to know how. They go together as you will want to check for leaks after changing the regulator. See the other three at RT60 Five Things Every RVer Must Know!Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by bdornbush

... carry a spare regulator and the needed wrenches and sealant to change it...

If you use the right fittings and hose ends, both inlet and outlet connections to the regulator can be flare joints, so no pipe threads are taken apart and reassembled to change the regulator, so no sealant is involved.

1/4" inverted flare is normal for the regulator end of the hoses to the tanks (which are commonly called "pigtails"), and the outlet side to the trailer is generally 3/8", but the hose end can be either a pipe thread which goes right into the aluminum of the regulator, or (the way I prefer) the hose end can have a female flare end which goes onto a brass adapter which is left threaded into the regulator (like the adapters which are normal on the inlets).