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X New Yorker · 04-25-2015, 08:56 PM

My first true camping trip is coming up, it is going to be cold and now I'm feeling silly.... I figured that when we finally get to "plug in" that the furnance will be powered by the electricity... I have read the owners manual a couple of times and after reading some posts I now have the sneaking suspicion that the heat only runs off the propane? And... that the furnace needs electricity to run. Is this true?

I'm hoping that summer shows up soon, and when it does will the air conditioning run off the electricity or does that need propane?

And...what does that darn generator do? I know it should give me electricity when I'm willing to wake the dead, but will it give me heat or air conditioning in a pinch? I'm positive this greedy thing loves propane!

And... (yes I'm needy -sorry).... last week we de-winterized her and I took her out solo for a weekend of dry camping (in my friend's driveway (aka - plan B, a house with all the comforts if I totally screwed up)). I have now experienced the wonders of running water along with hot water in my Interstate!

I also know a lot about what I don't know...

Thank God for this forum!

About that hot water.. I figured out to flip the gas (looking) switch in the white box to get hot water.... but what is the lightening bolt switch for?

Thanks all for the help, I should have my girl all figured out by the end of the year

timhortons · 04-25-2015, 09:27 PM

The Generator is basically) for AC off grid. The AC needs 2.5KW constant or at least available and probably a surge on start up. I don't know how much cooling(or heat) you can get from the front vents off the sprinter but that's the way to go unless you really need.

Propane is great for heat but the P generators eat fuel. A better design choice might been a diesel gen, but they weigh more and seem to occasionally require expensive overhaul. Then again,on a shared tank some moron would probably drive to the middle of the desert run the gen for a week or 2 run out of fuel and complain about not getting home.

Your furnace runs on propane but draws 12V for the fan at 4A from the 12V battery/system.

Ron_CA · 04-25-2015, 09:38 PM

For heat make sure propane turned on. The switch is in the black box behind the passenger side rear wheel.

Turn thermostat mode to FURN. Set temperature and turn Fan to AUTO

Yes the generator will give you enough "juice" to power AC

The lightning bolt switch is used for hot water when connected to shore power to save your propane. Use the flame switch on the road or boondocking for hot water.

You can find most answers here by doing a quick search. Have fun on your trip.

73shark · 04-26-2015, 06:32 AM

Be sure to turn on your tank heaters if you're going to be in below freezing temperatures. They will use a lot of energy out of the batteries however. since the macerator pump is not protected from freezing, it would be a good idea to run some RV antifreeze through it before taking off. The rest of the RV will be protected with the tank heaters and as long as the internal temperature is maintained above freezing.

X New Yorker · 04-26-2015, 08:48 AM

Thank you everyone for your comments.

I'm on the right track.

Now to figure out why I'm running out of electricity at 4:00 a.m. nightly when dry camping. The engine is off & the inverter is on. The heat and bathroom light were on. Firing up the engine solves the problem, but I don't think any neighbors that I might have would like that. I would like to make it thru the night.... Any thoughts on what I might be doing wrong? I think I'll be OK while plugged in - right?

Protagonist · 04-26-2015, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by X New Yorker

Thank you everyone for your comments.

I'm on the right track.

Now to figure out why I'm running out of electricity at 4:00 a.m. nightly when dry camping. The engine is off & the inverter is on. The heat and bathroom light were on. Firing up the engine solves the problem, but I don't think any neighbors that I might have would like that. I would like to make it thru the night.... Any thoughts on what I might be doing wrong? I think I'll be OK while plugged in - right?

If you're using the tank heaters, that's your answer right there. The heaters for the fresh and gray tanks to keep them from freezing will suck your house batteries stony dead overnight unless you're hooked up to shore power or running your generator. An Airstream Interstate is not the ideal vehicle for winter boondocking. For below-freezing temperatures, you really need to camp where there's shore power available.

73shark · 04-26-2015, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by X New Yorker

the inverter is on. The heat and bathroom light were on.

Why?

mhardin71 · 04-27-2015, 12:41 PM

Hi I am worse off than you--I am new Airstream owner--I get these posts but I do not know how to post something--How did you get this post on the Forum--any help appreciated.

Hittenstiehl · 04-27-2015, 01:12 PM

All people can read the "Airforums" forums but only those logged into the forums can post in a thread. Upper right hand corner. Pick your user name with the thought that it becomes part of your Airforum identity.

73shark · 04-27-2015, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hittenstiehl

All people can read the "Airforums" forums but only those logged into the forums can post in a thread. Upper right hand corner. Pick your user name with the thought that it becomes part of your Airforum identity.

If you want to know how to start a new thread, go back to the Sprinter and B-van forum section and near the top of the section there'll be a block that says new thread. Click on that and you can start your own thread that way.

X New Yorker · 04-27-2015, 07:50 PM

Cause it was really cold on Cape Cod and really, really dark in my Interstate.. The bathroom light is my night light. Was I supposed to turn the inverter off? I thought that is what gave me power.

73shark · 04-27-2015, 08:11 PM

The lighting, frig, furnace, propane valve, and water pump is operated off the 12 volt DC system. The inverter powers the AC circuits.

ColoradoLady · 04-27-2015, 08:14 PM

Tip: buy a small battery powered nitelite. AA or AAA batteries are cheap. That's how I do it. I also bring along two small led lanterns, just in case, also small flashlites. I like to see what's around me!

73shark · 04-27-2015, 08:18 PM

And you can pick up one of those small 9 LED flashlights for free at Harbor Freight with a coupon. They are very bright.

Lily&Me · 04-28-2015, 05:06 AM

Dry camping in serious cold or heat is just plain uncomfortable, and uses a lot of your energy resources.

But for a quick overnite, in weather extremes it is best to be hooked up to electricity, in my experience.

It is just easier, more comfortable and less stressful. You want to enjoy yourself.

I leave a set of silk long underweare and heavy socks in the cabinet, and/or microfleece, for really cold temps. It is just so much nicer to feel cozy warm.

There is a learning curve here, so just lean into it a bit and eventually you will have it all figured out.

We were all newbies once.

Maggie

Protagonist · 04-28-2015, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by X New Yorker

The bathroom light is my night light.

Now that's just silly. Your Interstate HAS nightlights, in the form of the "courtesy" lamps. One by the sliding side door in the recessed step, one next to the LPG detector, both working off switch #4 on the front wall of the wet bath.

All of your interior lights in a 2013 Interstate are LEDs, and don't use enough power to make a difference for battery conservation. Stumbling about in the dark is just hardship for the sake of hardship. Go ahead and use the lights that are built in.

But every RV should have at least one flashlight in it, so invest in one. I have two in mine; a 4-cell Maglite and a single AA-cell light that fits in a pocket.

By the way, as long as you're not running any electrical appliances plugged into a wall outlet, you don't need the inverter. All of the built-ins are 12vDC except the microwave and the air conditioner, neither of which will run off the inverter anyway.

And another by the way, if you have the inverter turned on, the fridge defaults to 120vAC mode, If the inverter is off, the fridge defaults to 12vDC mode. You'll use less electricity with the inverter off and the fridge in 12vDC mode.

X New Yorker · 05-26-2015, 08:52 PM

I went dry camping this weekend and again ran out of electricity every night, even after running the generator to change the batteries up :-( I'm really only running the fridge at night. The only cure was turning on the engine to get thing going again.

What is that darn inverter for anyhow? Should it be on or off?

And when I'm not using her, should I be turning off the coach battery because that is what I'm doing between trips? When I do this, is the solar still charging the battery? Thanks All - I'm going to get the hang of this soon.

PSchw · 05-26-2015, 09:07 PM

Sounds like your batteries don't have any live left. Depleted to many times under 50%.

73shark · 05-26-2015, 10:35 PM

The inverter is to run the devices that run off of 120 volts AC such as the TVs. So if you're not using those or something else that's plugged in the the 120 volt circuit, leave the inverter off. If you are not using propane, you should leave the propane switch turned off and also the antenna booster. If the batteries are in good shape, they should run the refrigerator through the night without charging.

UKDUDE · 05-26-2015, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by X New Yorker

I went dry camping this weekend and again ran out of electricity every night, even after running the generator to change the batteries up :-( I'm really only running the fridge at night. The only cure was turning on the engine to get thing going again.

What is that darn inverter for anyhow? Should it be on or off?

And when I'm not using her, should I be turning off the coach battery because that is what I'm doing between trips? When I do this, is the solar still charging the battery? Thanks All - I'm going to get the hang of this soon.

Yes, as PSchw says, your batteries may need replacing. If you bought your AI recently from a dealer, and it's under warranty, you should talk to them about a warranty replacement.
However, to prevent destroying a new set of batteries, it's best if you can understand how you can prolong their life.
The inverter is there to provide limited 120v for just minor appliances such as TVs, charging laptops, etc. you cannot run the AC or microwave from the inverter. For that you will need shore power or generator. So since the inverter uses power, always keep it off unless you need it.
What type of inverter/charger do you have installed? TrippLite or Magnum? If you have the Magnum, then when not using the AI, it's preferable to disable the coach batteries and connect up to shore power. If you have the TrippLite, you cannot leave it connected to shore power, and you may want to consider changing to the Magnum at the same time you install new batteries.
It's also worth bearing in mind that even with the coach batteries disabled, there will be a parasitic drain on the batteries; very little you can do about it short of totally disconnecting the batteries.
The standard 50watt solar panel cannot do much other than keep good batteries charged when using the fridge. And of course only in good overhead sunshine. So some folks here on this forum have upgraded their solar panels along with larger batteries to ensure longer periods off the grid.
Hope this explanation helps.

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