# New Outback 300bh, Electrical Questions!



## ZHB (Mar 17, 2009)

Hi everyone~ We finally picked up our new 300BH on Friday and brought it home over the weekend. 

We had it in front of the house loading up over the weekend, and I discovered a little problem...... none of the electrical outlets work off the batteries. I guess I should have figured this out before we picked it up, but our friends that we've camped with a lot had a Prowler, and their bats work the TV, coffee maker, etc. They drain fast, but they work. I just sort of assumed ours would be the same way, and when we did the PDI, we were hooked up to shore power the whole time.

My first question is, is this the way it is supposed ot work?

Second, how can I - cheaply and easily - get some power to the outlets?

We don't intend on dry camping frequently, but we will some. And while TV/DVD would be nice while camping, my main concern is the coffeemaker (trust me, you don't want to see my wife before her coffee in the morning....)

I read some of the info about generators and inverters, but frankly, I was a little confused. This is our first RV, and I'm not very experienced with electrical issues.

Any help or advice would be VERY appreciated!


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Yes, the electrical Outlets will not work off 12V. That leaves you with 3 choices:

1 - a Inverter which converts 12V DC to 120V AC power. A coffee maker will require a large inverter and take a real bite out of the batteries though.

2 - a Generator to produce the 120V. I don't like the noise/expense, so we don't have one

3 - a way to make coffee without 120V. Here are some options there:
a. an old fashioned percolator









b. a coffee press (aka French press) where you add boiling water to the ground coffee, and then use the press to separate the grounds from the coffee. My coffee is often served this way when I'm on travel in Europe and I've grown to like it (slightly different flavor than drip makers).









c. a Coleman drip coffee maker that sits on the stove top and uses the burner's heat to make coffee.









(We carry, a 120V drip, item 3a, and item 3b with us at all times. I can't survive without morning coffee!







)

Now, once you solve the coffee problem, you might want to think about a smaller inverter for the TV









By the way, *WELCOME to the group!!!*


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## puffer (Aug 28, 2008)

Generator. Sorry.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

We use the Coleman coffee pot that Nathan has in his post. Works GREAT!! I've found that if you remove the stove's metal top then the coffee pot sits lower and works a LOT better.

We have a small inverter I use to charge things like Gameboy...iPod...Camera. We don't bring a TV while camping so I've never had a need for a larger inter tor. Kids will do other stuff if there is no TV....and that (to me) is what camping is about.


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## outback loft (Sep 22, 2008)

ZHB said:


> Hi everyone~ We finally picked up our new 300BH on Friday and brought it home over the weekend.
> 
> We had it in front of the house loading up over the weekend, and I discovered a little problem...... none of the electrical outlets work off the batteries. I guess I should have figured this out before we picked it up, but our friends that we've camped with a lot had a Prowler, and their bats work the TV, coffee maker, etc. They drain fast, but they work. I just sort of assumed ours would be the same way, and when we did the PDI, we were hooked up to shore power the whole time.
> 
> ...


You will need either the old fashioned percolator, which will run you no more than $20, or an inverter that is in the range of 1000 watts to run a small coffee maker. Which in turn will drain the battery rather quickly. I have a 1000 watt inverter that is wired into most of my outlets. It has an automatic changeover so that when I turn off my generator, I never lose power. You just have to be really careful about how you use the power. I can leave my inverter on standby for about 7 days before it drains the battery completely, or I can drain the battery in about a day with the tv/satelite, and computer going. ( I may be out camping, but I am still at work while I am out.) I dont worry about the battery too much only because of the 175 and 150 watt solar panels I have mounted on the roof, charge the batteries quicker than I can drain them.

Your next option is a generator. Commercial ones will do, but you will have everyone around you making complaints, so it is better to have a quiet one such as the Honda, Kipor, or Yamaha. There is a cheaper one called duropower, and you get what you pay for(they have a 3000 watt quiet generator that runs just under $400, but dont expect it to last long)


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## Just Add Dirt (May 5, 2009)

i GOT A FUN ONE HERE.. I AM PROBABLY JUST IGNEANT.. BUT IS THE FAN IN THE HEATER (CARRIER) SUPPOSE TO RUN WHEN I GOT THE FURNACE ON AND TRYING TO HEAT THE JOINT WHILE ON BATTERY? CUZ WHEN I AM RUFFIN' IT THE FURNACE FAN DOES NOT BLOOOOOOWWW







OH.. THE FAN/FURNACE WORK JUST FINE WHILE AT SPACEDOCK (a/c)


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Just Add Dirt said:


> i GOT A FUN ONE HERE.. I AM PROBABLY JUST IGNEANT.. BUT IS THE FAN IN THE HEATER (CARRIER) SUPPOSE TO RUN WHEN I GOT THE FURNACE ON AND TRYING TO HEAT THE JOINT WHILE ON BATTERY? CUZ WHEN I AM RUFFIN' IT THE FURNACE FAN DOES NOT BLOOOOOOWWW


Yes...the fan is suppose to blow while on battery.

You might want to check at the heater to see if the ducting has come loose. Our Outback get very warm in about 15-20 mins.


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## Just Add Dirt (May 5, 2009)

Oregon_Camper said:


> i GOT A FUN ONE HERE.. I AM PROBABLY JUST IGNEANT.. BUT IS THE FAN IN THE HEATER (CARRIER) SUPPOSE TO RUN WHEN I GOT THE FURNACE ON AND TRYING TO HEAT THE JOINT WHILE ON BATTERY? CUZ WHEN I AM RUFFIN' IT THE FURNACE FAN DOES NOT BLOOOOOOWWW


Yes...the fan is suppose to blow while on battery.

You might want to check at the heater to see if the ducting has come loose. Our Outback get very warm in about 15-20 mins.
[/quote]

THE FAN WORKS FINE WHILE HOOKED TO 110VAC


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## W4DRR (May 17, 2005)

Just Add Dirt said:


> i GOT A FUN ONE HERE.. I AM PROBABLY JUST IGNEANT.. BUT IS THE FAN IN THE HEATER (CARRIER) SUPPOSE TO RUN WHEN I GOT THE FURNACE ON AND TRYING TO HEAT THE JOINT WHILE ON BATTERY? CUZ WHEN I AM RUFFIN' IT THE FURNACE FAN DOES NOT BLOOOOOOWWW
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Carrier would be the AC, not heat. And that fan only runs on 120V. The furnace, which is down near the floor, does have a fan that runs on the battery. The furnace fan is pretty low powered (obviously, to save on the battery), so don't expect any Marilyn Monroe type effects from those floor vents.









Bob


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## ZHB (Mar 17, 2009)

Thanks for the advice guys!

I bought the Coleman coffee maker, which got excellent reviews everywhere I looked.

I'm going to look into either a 1000W inverter or a Honda EU2000i.

My question about the generator is, exactly how quiet is the "quiet" model? Like, could you get away with it during quiet hours?


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

ZHB said:


> Thanks for the advice guys!
> 
> I bought the Coleman coffee maker, which got excellent reviews everywhere I looked.
> 
> ...


Not if I'm your neighbor!


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

ZHB said:


> how quiet is the "quiet" model? Like, could you get away with it during quiet hours?


Nope...


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## outback loft (Sep 22, 2008)

ZHB said:


> Thanks for the advice guys!
> 
> I bought the Coleman coffee maker, which got excellent reviews everywhere I looked.
> 
> ...


The quiet models are quiet enough to get away with during "Quiet hours" here at the local campgrounds anyway, but you are also not sitting right on top of your neighbor. There have been a few occasions where I have had mine running and fallen asleep only to find it still running in the morning. I go to apologize to neighbors, and I am told they didnt even know it was running still.


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