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Old 10-05-2017, 02:48 AM   #1
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electrical settings for storage

Trying to figure out the best configuration for winter storage for my 37TB.. I've gotten confusing advice from the Thor techs, so hoping to benefit from the experience of other owners.

Last tech advised me to leave the battery set on "use", turn the inverter off and leave it plugged into regular household outlet to keep the batteries charged. I had already been advised to turn the frige off and leave the doors open, but when I plug in and turn the battery on, the frige lights stay on and I'm afraid they are going to burn out, not to mention the waste of electricity.

Is it better for the frige to be left on, or will that use too much electricity and drain the batteries? I left the doors open to prevent mold, but is that necessary? Is there some way to turn the lights off? It will be parked in the driveway while we are gone for two months.

I am completely confused about all this electrical stuff..

Thanks!

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Old 10-05-2017, 03:02 AM   #2
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There's a button somewhere that turns the light off when the closing door depresses it. Tape a piece of cardboard over it to keep it depressed.
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Old 10-05-2017, 03:37 AM   #3
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On mine if I turn the fridge control panel "off" the light doesn't work.
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Old 10-05-2017, 10:17 AM   #4
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Some where on the frig is the OFF button. That will turn off the light and the rest of the electrical components. As for the doors leave them open or mold will develop over winter.
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Old 10-05-2017, 11:00 AM   #5
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Turn the breaker off to the fridge.
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Old 10-05-2017, 11:42 AM   #6
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My light stays on also I just unscrew the bulb
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Old 10-05-2017, 06:57 PM   #7
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I also just turn the fridge off & unscrew the bulb.
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Old 10-05-2017, 08:43 PM   #8
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I would leave the use/store in use, leave the inverter on and plugged into shore power. That's how I leave mine. As far as the refrigerator, there should be an off switch somewhere, if not, pull the fuse to it, or you could just remove the light. I used to leave my DP with power off to everything inside, but Thor wires their MH's so if you kill power, you will not be charging the house batteries.
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Old 10-05-2017, 08:51 PM   #9
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Thor tech said that leaving the inverter on would drain the batteries if it was only plugged into a regular house outlet. Do you have more power? Or does turning fridge off solve that?
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Old 10-05-2017, 09:17 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by Mothertype55 View Post
Thor tech said that leaving the inverter on would drain the batteries if it was only plugged into a regular house outlet. Do you have more power? Or does turning fridge off solve that?
And we wonder why we have problems with our coaches.

The inverter will not drain your batteries if left on and you are plugged into shore power. Of course, there is no reason to leave your inverter on when in storage.
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Old 10-05-2017, 09:39 PM   #11
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Of course the inverter will not drain your battery when plugged in, however there is no reason to turn it off either, since when plugged in, it stops inverting and goes into pass through mode.
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Old 10-05-2017, 10:11 PM   #12
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Does anyone know where all of the parasitic losses in our rigs are hidden?

I'd love to know where to start looking for them; it'd give me some time to figure out how to turn them al; off!
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Old 10-05-2017, 10:41 PM   #13
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I have a Miramar. I turn off the fridge from inside of it then press the store switch. I am not plugged into shore power so monthly I run the generator for at least 30 minutes and operate a space heater to put it under a load. Everything works perfectly. If you are plugged into the light on the fridge does stay on with the door open. You can put in some "damp rid" and close the door... that works for keeping the mold from developing, assuming you wiped it out thoroughly.
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Old 10-05-2017, 11:00 PM   #14
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Does anyone know where all of the parasitic losses in our rigs are hidden?

I'd love to know where to start looking for them; it'd give me some time to figure out how to turn them al; off!
Disconnect the batteries & don't worry about the draws.
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Old 10-05-2017, 11:06 PM   #15
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An inverter (changes 12 volt to 120) is not charging your batteries, a converter (changes 120 volt to 12 volt) is when plugged to shore power & no need to turn it off. You will have an inverter if you have a residential fridge & if storing without shore power would recommend turning it off.
Residential fridges in rvs, which only run on 120 volts from shore power, generator, or inverter powered from your batteries, are a totally different setup compared to a standard rv fridge which runs on 120 volt or propane.
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Old 10-05-2017, 11:42 PM   #16
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Of course the inverter will not drain your battery when plugged in, however there is no reason to turn it off either, since when plugged in, it stops inverting and goes into pass through mode.
unless it's one of those inverters that run the cooling fan continuously.
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Old 10-06-2017, 12:40 AM   #17
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Yours would be the first inverter I know of, that runs the cooling fan continuously regardless of temperature. All inverters I have ever had only run the cooling fan as needed for cooling, and use a thermostat to turn the fan on and off as needed.
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Old 10-06-2017, 02:02 AM   #18
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Yours would be the first inverter I know of, that runs the cooling fan continuously regardless of temperature. All inverters I have ever had only run the cooling fan as needed for cooling, and use a thermostat to turn the fan on and off as needed.
I don't, but have seen others on this forum complaining about their continuously running inverter fans, especially when the inverters are located under the bed.
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Old 10-08-2017, 03:13 PM   #19
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Mine is under the bed and is thermostatically controlled. If I'm camping with loads running it's cooling quite often however, when at home and connected to shore power I'm not running anything I never hear it running.
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Old 10-08-2017, 07:05 PM   #20
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When an inverter is on it is drawing current from the batteries.

The XM 1800’s low standby battery demand means you don’t have to
worry about excessive drain on your battery if you leave the inverter on
for a few days. When the XM 1800 is on but no power is being
supplied to a load, the inverter draws, on average, less than 0.5 A (XM
1000) or less than 0.7 A (XM 1800) from the battery.


Admittedly not much but there is a current draw. The converter/charger can only charge the batteries if the store/use switch is in the use position. That is the way Thor Motorcoach plants 650, 750, and 850 wire the coaches.




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