Thor Forums

[TurnerFam]

Boon-docking, Dry-camping, or otherwise 'living off the grid' is simply a combination of different power sources that make it bearable, as compared to living with constant 120v power to everything that is electrical.

What you realize, and quickly, with off-gridding, is that you have to almost become an electrical engineer, in so much that you have to quickly diagnose and learn what and how things get their power.
You'll soon realize that most of your typical 'RV' related items are 12v, and therefore should ALWAYS be available - such as lights, roof fans, water pump, video/radio, etc. These items all gain their power from the batteries directly, and why they are all integrated into your 12v FUSE panel.

Propane items, like the furnace, stove top, and water heater, should all also work ANYTIME, as they are linked to the 12v system since they need a 'spark' to start the process of heating... a flame, and a fan for the furnace.

120v items are different, though, as they are part of the Shore Power or Generator power systems, as everything 120v can be powered by these two sources, whether the Air Conditioners, electric Water Heater, engine Block Heater(if you have one), and all the other items that 'plug into' a residential outlet, such as fridge, microwave, etc.
When you 'UNPLUG' from shore power, or turn off the generator, you will NOT be able to continue to enjoy the roof Air Condtioners, and the electric Water Heater, etc., because these items draw too large Amperage, and therefore are dropped from the 'Inverter' equation.... Your breaker box should give you a hint as to what items are on the Inverter, and which are not. Some factories only provide an inverted outlet for the fridge, and others will also include one in the bedroom...while others with larger inverter will have ALL the outlets on the Inverter - such as mine.

Now, the Inverter/Charger is the critical link, allowing those two mentioned power sources to CHARGE your batteries, and therefore 'invert' 12v battery power to the 120v power items that need them - essential any OUTLETS that you plug something into, including the fridge, the microwave, computers, tvs, satellite receivers, etc.

Many, many campers, trailers, popups, and other types of RVs have NEVER had an inverter, so it's really a very nice addition to the experience, giving you more 'comfort' while camping, though there are some limitations without Shore or Generator power, such as size and number of batteries, and whether the batteries are fully charged when the inverter starts 'using' them. Solar can help, but even it has it's drawbacks, as the upfront cost is fairly expensive for the amperage it provides, mounting them is a question, and the extent of 'sun hours' is not always predictable - especially if you park in the shade!

The inverter also serves as your 'backup' power. Even if you have shore power, if it fails, your inverter can continue to power computers, tvs, and satellite receivers so that you can still continue to 'enjoy' the camping lifestyle!


For the best off-gridding experience, consider that even your fridge does not 'need' to run constantly, but only comes 'on' when the temp requires the compressor to kick on. Even if your inverter does not have enough battery power to keep it running during the last several hours of the early morning hours, it's doubtful that it's really an issue, since the fridge is essentially a 'cooler' full of cold items!