Do you tow in "use" or "store"?

[xo1rider]

I'm a bit confused. Should I be towing with the use/store switch by the front door in the "use" or "store" position? I've been towing in "store" under the assumption I would not be running down the batteries.

If in the "use" position while towing will the juice from the tow vehicle charge the house batteries?

Thanks..

[4RXLA]

I don't have such a switch but can tell you the tow vehicle generator does charge the house batteries when towing.

[monkeypants]

We go with "use". Don't know why, it just works :-)

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, once I pull my trailer forward and start getting it ready for a trip, I turn the "use" switch on and leave it on until our trip is over. Mainly because I will have my refrigerator running.

[Silver Goose]

I'm pretty sure that if you have the switch in Store mode, there won't be 12v supplied to the fridge control board and the fridge won't cool when the engine is off, or maybe not at all. To be sure, disconnect your shore power and connect the umbilical to your tow vehicle. Turn the engine on so that the alternator is providing charge voltage to the trailer's batteries. Now put the switch in store mode and check to see what does or doesn't work in the trailer. Then switch the engine off and see if those things that did work have quit. The battery will always supply voltage to the tongue jack and the breakaway switch for the brakes regardless of the switch position.

Some prefer not to travel with the gas valves open, so if you don't run your fridge en route it probably makes little difference which way you have the battery switch set.

The only time I set the switch to Store is when I've been parked more than a day on shore power so as to not overcharge the batteries.

[moosetags]

We have towed Lucy for over 80,000 miles in the "use" position. We run our refrigerator on LP while underway, and this would not work in the store position. We also use Lucy's bathroom while traveling. The water pump would not work in the "store' position.

I don't see any advantage to towing the trailer on the road in the "store" position.

Brian

[xo1rider]

Perhaps my question should have read "do you leave the switch in "use" and turn on the LP to keep the frig cool?"

I towed from Gulfport, Mississippi to Fremont, California in October with average 4-5 hours driving each day with the LP turned off and the switch in "store". If we had over a one hour stop I would turn on the gas, flip the switch to get a bit of cooling going. Each night I checked the stand alone refrigerator thermometer in the frig and at each stop the temp. was satisfactory.

In my last RV, a class "B" I had a 3 way frig and drove on "battery" which I miss with this unit. I was always told not to drive with any flames going, I don't mind the gas open but I'm a bit shy of having a flame.

Since I'm new to Airstreams and travel trailers in general thought I'd ask.

[moosetags]

We run Lucy's refrigerator on LP while underway. We always have. Many folks run this way. Others are not comfortable with doing this. Do what feels right to you.

Brian

[Scott J-24]

We travel with the switch in the "use" mode, the LP valves open, and the refrigerator turned on. We don't want to take any chance with food spoilage.

[Hibby]

You are correct... Batteries will not charge in STORE position. My dealer told me that I should never worry about putting the switch in STORE position unless I'm going to leave it for two weeks or more without a shore power connection.
Our fridge is a three way, so we do tow with it on the battery setting, but most people I know tow with the LP on.

[Airperson]

Does an o6 classic have a three way fridge?

[Hibby]

Airperson,

The easiest way to answer that would be to have you look at the power button on the front of the fridge. Mine has three modes, identified by a power cord(electric/shore power), battery (battery only), and flame (LP gas). Every time you press the button, it switches between the three modes.

If you choose a mode that's unavailable or not working, there is a small red alert light that will come on.

[Airperson]

Thanks, will go over to storage lot and have a look. AP

[Jack46]

I've found that the batteries still drain in the "store" position (to unsatisfactory levels over a period of time), so I installed a battery disconnect switch.

[Silver Goose]

Originally Posted by Jack46

I've found that the batteries still drain in the "store" position (to unsatisfactory levels over a period of time), so I installed a battery disconnect switch.

The LP gas detector is hard wired to the battery bus. It is a small but constant drain on the batteries in addition to the self discharge effect found in wet cell lead acid batteries. A disconnect switch or removing the cable from the battery is the simplest way to remove parasitic loads like the detector. a periodic charge every month or 2 while the batteries are in storage is good practice.

[Silver Goose]

Originally Posted by Airperson

Does an o6 classic have a three way fridge?

Some refrigerators have the 3-way feature or the ability to add it. It is not commonly found on trailers since running it on 12v demands a lot of the 12v system. It is easier to provide a dedicated 12v line to the fridge in a motor home and the fridge needs to know the engine is running to select that mode or it can quickly deplete the batteries. This can be done in a trailer, but requires a little more than the standard wiring found on the typical model. Some years ago (many, now that I think about it) this was a selling feature on some trailers, one could safely cruise the highways all day long with the gas turned off and still keep the ice cream frozen back in the trailer! In some cases the trailer manufacturer didn't provide adequate wiring or the tow vehicle couldn't provide enough current to the trailer to run the fridge and keep the battery charged. If the fridge continued to run off the trailer battery when the vehicle was stopped, it could run the battery down in short order.

Modern refrigerators are better at keeping stuff cold enough for longer periods. Some trailer manufacturers still off a 3-way fridge as an option or you can buy one as a replacement, just beware of the power requirements.

[overlander63]

In some models, the batteries will not charge from the converter unless the switch is set to "use". In others, it doesn't matter, but in all of them the "use" light will light if the trailer is plugged in to 120v.

[brad1]

The Use/Store switch is a battery disconnect switch. "Store" means that the battery disconnect switch is in the "on" position, which means that the battery is disconnected or "off." Counter intuitive? Yes, until you think about it. "Use", then means that the battery disconnect switch is in the "off" position, which means that the battery is connected, both to the Airstream's power-using devices and to whatever power input there is, either shore power or tow vehicle power.

The best way to think of it is the switch should be to "use" if you're using the trailer. It should be to "store" if you're storing it like in a storage yard. When connected to shore power or the tow vehicle, the light will be on whether the switch is to "store" or "use."

As pointed out by others, having the switch in the "store" mode doesn't mean the battery won't discharge. Batteries do that all by themselves over time and most Airstreams have appliances that cause a small drain even when turned off. You might find the batteries stay charged a little longer if you disconnect the cables or install a disconnect switch right at the batteries, but in a couple of months, they'll still be nearly or completely discharged.