# New To Rv'ing Question About Power When Not Plugged In



## mfreckleton (Apr 23, 2008)

Hi all-

We bought a 23krs late last year and have only taken one trip last fall and one trip this spring. I have some questions about the RV that we can't seem to figure out from the manual (which I think is pretty much useless).

Are the outlets supposed to work when you are not plugged in to power? We thought that they should, but last weekend camping they did not work.

Is there a pilot light for the gas water heater? We could not seem to get hot water last weekend - we thought the pilot light was automatic like the refrigerator.

Is there a valve to turn on the gas to the outdoor cook top? My husband swears that _he_ could have gotten the outdoor stove going, but he was out with his friends when I was trying. I hooked the hose up correctly I think, but never got gas to flow.

Thanks in advance for any help. We love our Outback - room for our dogs and mountain bikes and a cozy warm place for all five of us.


----------



## skylane (Oct 28, 2007)

Are the outlets supposed to work when you are not plugged in to power? We thought that they should, but last weekend camping they did not work. ............They will only worked when plugged into power.........

Is there a pilot light for the gas water heater? We could not seem to get hot water last weekend - we thought the pilot light was automatic like the refrigerator. ............there is no pilot but there is a multiple try automatic lighting system......if it doesnt work the first time turn it off and try again, also make sure it is turned on by the gas switch and not the electric switch.

Is there a valve to turn on the gas to the outdoor cook top? ...yes there is it is on top of the connector that you plugged the hose into, it has a small lever to move to turn on the gas.................. My husband swears that he could have gotten the outdoor stove going, but he was out with his friends when I was trying. I hooked the hose up correctly I think, but never got gas to flow.

hope that helps
Mark


----------



## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

1 - yes they are more or less a waste of paper

2 - No, they require shore power to be connected

3 - The water heater is DSI (Direct Spark Ignition) and will only spark when the gas mode is selected on the control panel

4 - Yes, it is directly behind the quick connect fitting


----------



## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Ask and you shall receive....









Let us know if you have more questions....we're happy to help.


----------



## Airboss (Jul 14, 2007)

Oregon_Camper said:


> Ask and you shall receive....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


x2! And welcome to Outbackers!!!


----------



## LarryTheOutback (Jun 15, 2005)

RVs have two power systems, one is 12-volt Direct Current (12V) the other is standard house current 120V Alternating Current (120V). When you are plugged in at the campground you have access to both the 120V system and the 12V system; when you are not connected to campground power you have only the 12V system available (i.e. you are running off of the battery/batteries located at the front tounge of the trailer).

The 120V system contains the following appliances. It is available only when connected to campground power.


Electrical outlets
Microwave
Light on the Microwave
Air Conditioner (requires a 30-amp connection, not a 15 or 20-amp connection)
Water Heater **
Refrigerator *
The 12V batteries on the tounge of the trailer are charging when connected to 120V.
All items on the 12V list below.

The 12V system contains the following appliances. It is available both when connected to campground power and when you are running on batteries. If you are not connected to campground power you will have to manage your power usage carefully or you will run down the batteries pretty quickly.


Lights
Furnace Blower Fan and Ignition System (requires Propane on either 12V or 120V) 
Refrigerator Ignition System and Light (requires Propane to cool when on 12V) *
Water Heater Ignition system (requires Propane to heat the water when on 12V) **
Radio
Bathroom Fan
Water Pump
12V outlets near the TV Cable connector, for use by 12V Televisions or other 12V appliances with "cigarette lighter" plugs.
Motors that run the slide-outs (if so equipped)
Tounge Jack (if so equipped)

Appliances that run solely on Propane. (They ignite using a manually operated spark or a match, so they do not require 12V to run the electronic ignition system as in the refrigerator, water heater and furnace)


Inside Stove/Oven
Outside Stove

* Requires a switch setting to switch between two modes: (1) Propane Gas Only, or (2) The appliance chooses by itself to run on 120V electric or propane; it's first choice is electric (and if you lose electricity when in this mode the fridge will automatically switch to propane and 12V.

** There are two switches. One allows the water heater to use propane to heat the water. The other allows the water heater to use 120V electricity to heat the water. You can turn both switches on at the same time (when connected to 120V) in order to hurry-up the water heater.

Please let me know if I missed anything and I'll update the post.

Ed


----------



## mfreckleton (Apr 23, 2008)

Thank you all for your help! I knew this was the place to get specific answers. When we picked up the trailer one of the employees gave us a tour and I am sure that he told us that the electrical outlets would work off the battery because he wagged his finger at me and said it wouldn't run my hair dryer that way (I wasn't planning on using it that way anyhow







). This gentleman gave tours of many types of RV's everyday, so it's not surprising that he gave us the wrong info. I'm just relieved that there isn't anything wrong with the electric.

I am a little bit worried about the water heater - we selected the gas option on the control panel and it never seemed to get hot. We did have a camper van before and the water heater in it seemed to get warm almost immediately. Maybe we need to give it a little bit longer.

Is it OK to leave the hot water heater on? We don't plan on just leaving it on all of the time, but do we need to pay close attention to turning it off as soon as the water is heated? My dh is worried about "burning out" the water heater somehow.

We're really excited to use the trailer and learn more from this forum. Actually, this is the place that I did most of my research before we bought our trailer. Great site!


----------



## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

mfreckleton said:


> Thank you all for your help! I knew this was the place to get specific answers. When we picked up the trailer one of the employees gave us a tour and I am sure that he told us that the electrical outlets would work off the battery because he wagged his finger at me and said it wouldn't run my hair dryer that way (I wasn't planning on using it that way anyhow
> 
> 
> 
> ...


As long as there is water in the water heater you can run it 24/7/365.


----------



## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

mfreckleton said:


> I am a little bit worried about the water heater - we selected the gas option on the control panel and it never seemed to get hot. We did have a camper van before and the water heater in it seemed to get warm almost immediately. Maybe we need to give it a little bit longer.


If you're on shore power...turn on both the electric and gas for the water heater.

You should hear the gas click on (at the hot water tank) and then you will hear the burner. If it doesn't start right up...turn off the switch...wait a minute...and try again. BTW...same trick with the refrig if it doesn't start right up. Sometimes there could be air in the propane line and the safety device kicks in and the system fails to start (which is a good thing)


----------



## LarryTheOutback (Jun 15, 2005)

mfreckleton said:


> I am a little bit worried about the water heater - we selected the gas option on the control panel and it never seemed to get hot.


First off, you need to make sure the water heater has water in it. This is not as straightforward as you might think because there is a way, using valves, to remove the water heater from the water system so as to let it be drained for winter. One way to check it is to connect up to water (fill your fresh water tank and use your pump). Then run the hot water at the sink or tub until all the air is out of the system (i.e. the gurgling stops). Then go outside to the water heater, open up the cover and lift the pressure relief valve. If water comes out, then the hot water tank is full. If nothing comes out, then you'll need to locate the bypass valves and set them so as to allow water into and out of the water heater.

At this point you can select either electric or gas (propane) to heat the water. Or, you can select both. Electric should just start heating the water and in an hour or so you'll have hot water.

If you select gas (propane) the procedure is just a bit more complicated. Here's the procedure we follow.

Turn on the furnace, wait until heat comes out. This gets rid of any air in the propane line. Air is in the line after changing propane tanks or for the first run in a while. I should note that this step works for us because the furnace is the last appliance in line from front (propane tank) to rear, so by running the furnace we pull fresh propane into the entire propane system. For you this step may not help if the furnace is closer to the propane tank than the furnace in your particular trailer model.
Turn on the GAS water heater switch. Wait about five minutes; during this time the water heater will attempt to light itself three times. If the water heater fails to fire you will see a small light come on on the panel next to the GAS water heater switch. This tells you that the water heater failed to light. Turn the GAS water heater switch off.
Repeat step two a few times. At some point the water heater should light.
If the water heater continues to fail, go outside and open the water heater access panel and listen for the electronic ignition. It's a clicking sound. You should hear it attempt to light three times (click, click, click, pause; click, click, click, pause; click, click, click, pause). Observe if the water heater fails to ignite at all or ignites and then goes out again right away. You'll need this information when you post to Outbackers for further help 
One other thing you can do is to wiggle and reseat all the connectors on the circuit board (optionally clean them). This seems to fix most problems.
Lastly if it still fails to light, give us a detailed post on what you tried and what failed and we can help you out.

Good Luck!

Ed


----------



## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

Hi mfreckleton









You've already gotten some great advise here, so all that's left for me to do is say......








to Outbackers!! 

Enjoy and Happy Camping,


----------



## 'Ohana (May 20, 2007)

mfreckleton said:


> Hi all-
> 
> We bought a 23krs late last year and have only taken one trip last fall and one trip this spring. I have some questions about the RV that we can't seem to figure out from the manual (which I think is pretty much useless).
> 
> ...










Firstly, Welcome to Outbackers









Not trying to be smart but..........

Are the propane tanks full

Was one of them turned on

One other thing to remember is that when one tank goes empty the auto change over will not work unless both valves are open

Also after hooking up the gas line on the outside stove, there's another small lever near the connection that has to be turned on before the gas will flow.

Hope you discover where the issue lies, before the next outing

Ed


----------



## muddy tires (Jun 22, 2007)

LarryTheOutback said:


> Turn on the furnace, wait until heat comes out. This gets rid of any air in the propane line. Air is in the line after changing propane tanks or for the first run in a while. I should note that this step works for us because the furnace is the last appliance in line from front (propane tank) to rear, so by running the furnace we pull fresh propane into the entire propane system. For you this step may not help if the furnace is closer to the propane tank than the furnace in your particular trailer model.
> 
> Ed


I do something similar but usually light a burner on the stove. Usually works for me!


----------



## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

muddy tires said:


> I do something similar but usually light a burner on the stove. Usually works for me!


That is my trick as well...


----------



## mfreckleton (Apr 23, 2008)

Hey - thanks for all of the replies! We actually got the water heater going - When I mentioned to my husband about the bypass valve for the water heater he looked a little sheepish and said that _*now*_ he remembered using that when winterizing last fall. Luckily we did not run the water heater for long with it empty and everything seems to work fine. I haven't found the valve for the outdoor cooktop yet, but honestly I haven't looked - it was too windy to cook outside on our last trip. We went to Vernal, UT this weekend and had a great time. I feel like we're camping in the lap of luxury with our Outback! Hot water for a shower (albeit a quick one) in the middle of the desert is so over the top.


----------

