AI parked at home - keep main disconnect switch on, etc?

[Tobbun]

So we are fortunate enough to have a place to park the 2017 AI Lounge at our house and not get in trouble with the Homeowners Association.

I am still planning on getting a 30amp outlet installed but in the mean time I am just keeping the AI plugged in via 120v converter.

I have been keeping the fan on, windows cracked a little and the frig running (24x7). Is this what others are doing that have the same home set up? Any issues I should be aware of?

Yesterday for the first time I heard the Refrig compressor running constantly (still running). Not sure if it is because of the increase in temps outside (90's now in north Texas) and the AI does get morning and early afternoon sun (on same side as refrig). 3pm or so it starts getting shade.

Just started making me think that maybe I should hit the main disconnect switch during downtime. Only issue would be interior heat without the fan. Just keeping drinks in the fridge so not a big issue there if it was room temp while stationary.

What are others doing in similar situation?

[FlyFishinRVr]

Originally Posted by Tobbun

So we are fortunate enough to have a place to park the 2017 AI Lounge at our house and not get in trouble with the Homeowners Association.

I am still planning on getting a 30amp outlet installed but in the mean time I am just keeping the AI plugged in via 120v converter.

I have been keeping the fan on, windows cracked a little and the frig running (24x7). Is this what others are doing that have the same home set up? Any issues I should be aware of?

Yesterday for the first time I heard the Refrig compressor running constantly (still running). Not sure if it is because of the increase in temps outside (90's now in north Texas) and the AI does get morning and early afternoon sun (on same side as refrig). 3pm or so it starts getting shade.

Just started making me think that maybe I should hit the main disconnect switch during downtime. Only issue would be interior heat without the fan. Just keeping drinks in the fridge so not a big issue there if it was room temp while stationary.

What are others doing in similar situation?

Yes, Main Disconnect needs to be ON for your '17 in order to keep the batteries charged. You still may have trouble with your chassis battery thanks to the BIM, so keep an eye on it.

Re. the fridge, I would keep it OFF (turn knob all the way to "0") and keep the door open. No reason to waste all that energy, and compressor refrigerators cool very quickly so if you want to go somewhere, just turn it on and close the door and in 1-2hrs it will be cold inside.

A few other notes: I keep my bathroom vent OPEN just to keep odors from building up in there. No water comes in, even during heavy rain. I only close it when I'm driving. Keep a bit of water in the toilet bowl to keep the seal moist, and keep the plugs in the two sinks screwed down tight to keep any gray tank odors from creeping into the van.

Oh, and speaking of odors, I use Happy Campers Organic holding tank treatment and NEVER have a problem with either of my tanks producing bad odors. I use it in both the black and gray tanks per the instructions (put one scoop into the tanks with about 1 gallon of water). It's a powder so there's never going to be an issue with the packets not dissolving and clogging the macerator (a VERY common problem, and one that's a nightmare to clean out for obvious reasons) and it's organic so there's no harsh chemicals doing "bad things" to your plumbing or the environment should you ever pump into a pit toilet at a campground (one of the benefits of a macerator....pump uphill!!!!).

[Tobbun]

Got some Happy Camper ordered (love amazon and same day delivery). The RV place gave us those packets. I really would like to avoid any issues with the macerator...

I will keep an eye on the battery... BIM replacement is towards the top of the list.

I could also park the AI so the refrig side stays in the shade more.

[FlyFishinRVr]

Originally Posted by Tobbun

I could also park the AI so the refrig side stays in the shade more.

My feeling on that is still to keep it off w/ door open. Here's why: If your power ever goes out while you're away, first, you're going to flatten your house batteries that much faster with the fridge on, and second, with it on then off, you'll likely have moisture inside and with the heat you get down there, you're going to get mold, and fast. Not good.....

[wachuko]

Originally Posted by Tobbun

So we are fortunate enough to have a place to park the 2017 AI Lounge at our house and not get in trouble with the Homeowners Association.

I am still planning on getting a 30amp outlet installed but in the mean time I am just keeping the AI plugged in via 120v converter.

I have been keeping the fan on, windows cracked a little and the frig running (24x7). Is this what others are doing that have the same home set up? Any issues I should be aware of?

Yesterday for the first time I heard the Refrig compressor running constantly (still running). Not sure if it is because of the increase in temps outside (90's now in north Texas) and the AI does get morning and early afternoon sun (on same side as refrig). 3pm or so it starts getting shade.

Just started making me think that maybe I should hit the main disconnect switch during downtime. Only issue would be interior heat without the fan. Just keeping drinks in the fridge so not a big issue there if it was room temp while stationary.

What are others doing in similar situation?

We do the same... keeping the fridge and the ARB cooler on... this is while hooked to 15amp power source. Main switch is on... Fan is on auto... windows are slightly cracked open to allow flow when fan comes on...

I did a test for about two weeks of disconnecting from 15amp source and validating how it worked with just solar charge (nice sunny days) and all was fine... but now with rainy days, not taking any risk. So we keep it plugged in.

If unplugged... I turn off both ARB and Fridge and doors of those are kept open to avoid mold. Do not leave the door on the fridge closed if the power is off... unless you are into cultivating strange mold cultures...

[Pahaska]

Unless there has been some substantial changes since my 2014.5 Lounge, the venting for the refrigerator in the Lounges is almost criminally poor. For that reason, when the temperature hits 90 and above, the compressor struggles to keep up. Before I improved my venting, the box would go up in the 40s as soon as it got hot outside, especially with the sun on the side of the coach. With insulation and proper venting, mine now stays in the mid-30s.

You might look at some of my mods; do a search on "venting."

[wachuko]

Originally Posted by Pahaska

Unless there has been some substantial changes since my 2014.5 Lounge, the venting for the refrigerator in the Lounges is almost criminally poor. For that reason, when the temperature hits 90 and above, the compressor struggles to keep up. Before I improved my venting, the box would go up in the 40s as soon as it got hot outside, especially with the sun on the side of the coach. With insulation and proper venting, mine now stays in the mid-30s.

You might look at some of my mods; do a search on "venting."

John, thank you for the reminder... this was something that I had forgotten to follow up on... let me add it to my list before I forget again.

[Pahaska]

I have kept the fridge running for 20 years, 3 Airstream trailers, and my AI. I pay for 30a power at the storage yard and I installed a 30a outlet on my workshop at home.

My AI, as were the trailers, is my "man cave." It is my refuge when ladies are at the house and it is where I stop after lunch for a quick nap and, maybe, some TV watching. It is also where I design my many modifications to the AI.

[cjrdad]

My "man cave" is parked in my driveway with a 30 amp so the fridge and the A/C is always on.

[Land Stitchy]

We keep it in the driveway plugged into regular house 15 amp service. We shutdown everything in-between trips. Pull out food/beverages from frig/freezer moving to the garage frig. Then leave the frig/freezer doors open. I cut a 1/2" pvc pipe to the exact length to wedge into the light switch in the frig to turn that off when the door is left open. We crack open the back windows and leave the roof vent open but no fan on.

We have learned the hard way to keep the main battery switch on for the BIM. Still wrestling with a 1.6A draw on the main battery which kills it in 5 days. Hope to get that resolved next week. I know 1A is Fusion.

We are recovering boaters by nature so shutting down as much as possible that is not needed is in our genes.

[Titus]

I turn the fridge, lights, fans, water pump, propane switch, radio, etc. OFF but leave the main battery connect ON. I have 200W solar with MPPT controller and that is enough to keep the batteries charged, even if it is rainy for several days in a row. In the above configuration I think the only things drawing power are the LPG and CO detectors. (My smoke detector is now battery-only.) I drain black and gray tanks at the end of the trip and have never noticed an odor. (I use the bagged chemicals but cut a corner of the bag and pour it in, instead of letting the bag not dissolve and clog the macerator.) If it is month or more until the next trip I drain the fresh tank and sanitize it just before the next trip. And every couple of years I use vinegar in the water heater tank to remove the sulfur smell.

[MHammy]

We park ours at home in the garage. We turn everything off and leave the fridge doors open. I leave the screen door closed but open the door for ventilation. I have a reminder in my phone to plug in every two weeks for two days to top off the batteries. No problems with this system so far.

[accordionman]

We have our 31-15 Classic parked off site(HOA rules), but it is in a large garage. I have power there and could run more, but just leave the battery disconnect on, so the batteries charge and I leave a small fan running in the galley with the galley window cracked open to keep the air moving in the coach. I do not run the fridge, but keep the doors cracked open so no odors are born and I keep one of the roof vents open; usually in the shower to help provide and air flow. The owner of the building told me I could run anything I want, such as fridge, A/C or whatever, but I think what I have running is sufficient and prudent.

[Jdurossjr]

Good stuff here thanks. Just picked up our 18 AI. Heading for a long weekend to test her out. What is BIM. BTW we just had 2 addl batteries installed and 1 addl solar panel up on top by AI in Jackson City. In our brief trip to bring it home we found it was not going to work well off the grid.

[wachuko]

Originally Posted by Jdurossjr

Good stuff here thanks. Just picked up our 18 AI. Heading for a long weekend to test her out. What is BIM. BTW we just had 2 addl batteries installed and 1 addl solar panel up on top by AI in Jackson City. In our brief trip to bring it home we found it was not going to work well off the grid.

BIM is a battery isolation manager and the first thing you should change...

I suggest replacing with a Blue Sea ML-ACR 7620

Get a better solar controller as well. I think these are the two top modifications needed in the AI.

I went with the Victron BlueSolar 100/30 MPPT Charge Controller... great unit. And add the remote monitor with Bluetooth capability

[Mansderm161]

Just returned from hot Texas. Had to dry camp 2 nights. First night ran AC for 3 hours, frigde, then fantastic fan overnight on generator. Batteries ok, but generator fuel ran to near zero. Second night per forum, just ran fan and fridge with solar and house and chassis batteries almost ran totally down, I immediately started engine and everything returned to normal. I have to store mine, so now a little worried about batteries. I turn off everything at the sliding door main panel switch, open fridge and place damprid in it, prop bath door open with towel and place damprid. I am able to bring it home once a week and plug in 30 amp overnight. My homeowners assoc. has restrictions. Before this trip, my batteries were always good...we will see. Since I do plan to camp in mine, I am looking into modifications. But my idea of camping is staying somewhere with hook ups and a shower house.

[Pahaska]

The large refrigerator and freezer on the Grand Tour precludes overnighting without hookups on the installed batteries.

A GT has a 550 ohm resistor in the control circuit for the refrigerator. That, alone, runs the compressor at about 2750 rpm rather than the 2000 rpm of the Lounge. This resistor probably increases the amp-hours needed for the refrigerator by at least 50%. Add the amp-hours of the freezer, and you are using a lot of amp-hours for the two boxes.

My Lounge will just safely go overnight in hot weather. There is no way that a GT will do so without additional batteries, generator, or idling the engine.

[Jdurossjr]

Originally Posted by wachuko

BIM is a battery isolation manager and the first thing you should change...

I suggest replacing with a Blue Sea ML-ACR 7620

Get a better solar controller as well. I think these are the two top modifications needed in the AI.

I went with the Victron BlueSolar 100/30 MPPT Charge Controller... great unit. And add the remote monitor with Bluetooth capability

Sorry not sure where that unit is. Do you have this done at a dealer or RV shop. I am totally new to this[emoji3] controller too?

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by Jdurossjr

Good stuff here thanks. Just picked up our 18 AI. Heading for a long weekend to test her out. What is BIM. BTW we just had 2 addl batteries installed and 1 addl solar panel up on top by AI in Jackson City. In our brief trip to bring it home we found it was not going to work well off the grid.

First of all, CONGRATS on new pickup & drive AI. And good for you for doing that additional upgrades right off the bat. If I had to order from scratch rather than dealer lot choice, that would be a great add.

BIM - battery isolation manager. I am very new to rv world (3rd month) so my basic understanding is it contains the logic to do the connecting or disconnecting the house batteries from chassis battery(ies) depending on the state of each side and/or if a charging source is available, all this to ensure one side does not drain the other side. I know it does more than that very simplistic level. But someone else probably can elaborate on that

[Jdurossjr]

Thanks I am hoping the technology these units doesn’t become a monster. I read these threads and they scare me to death. My wife is already saying if this isn’t fun it goes back[emoji30] screen door came off and I’ve worked on the adjustment for an hour to no avail.