17 RD front Area Air Circulation

[Mesabound]

Thanks for the clarification regarding into tapping into that circuit.

Yeah, I wasn't sure if inverter was the right term. I appreciate the knowing.

[kuba122]

An inverter “inverts” DC to AC, usually 12vdc to 110vac. Using the word invert is confusing the situation.

On house power (plugged in) your battery charger/converter/power supply is supplying 12vdc to 12vdc devices with no battery installed. If you have a battery installed and it is in operational condition 12Vdc is ALWAYS present at 12vdc devices, including when your RV is not plugged into house power.

I haven’t specifically studied up on the charger within every RV system, but, as a general rule, battery charging circuits are kind of a dirty source of power When no battery is installed. and typically Chargers limited in current. Without a battery installed your charger may be running hot and could fail sooner than one would like.

The answer to the original question is: yes, great place to tap into the 12 volts, provided the current draw you are adding doesn’t exceed the capability of the wire under normal conditions.

We use the word convert or power supply to make DC from AC in automotive (Rv) terms 12vdc

[Mesabound]

12V is always present. On battery, from the battery. When plugged into shorepower, 12V still comes from the battery. The difference is: Shorepower charges the battery, constantly.

I don't understand how that would be the case since all of my 12V items, like lights, fans, etc., work on house power with no battery installed. Wouldn't there have to be an inverter that converts the 110 to 12 for those circuits?

[cattzap]

12V is always present

Huh?

[kuba122]

12V is always present. On battery, from the battery. When plugged into shorepower, 12V still comes from the battery. The difference is: Shorepower charges the battery, constantly.

[Mesabound]

I have a 171 RD that has a 35,000 BTU ceiling-mounted unit. I tested it for the first time a few days ago and found the same situation - cold in the back, not so much in the bed area. I just got a 12V Sirocco II fan that I'm going to mount on the front corner of the bathroom wall so it can draw air up there.
I want to make sure I understand the wiring properly. I plan to draw power from the light and fan switches in the bathroom right on the other side of the wall. I assume that while I'm plugged in to house power, that circuit still gets 12V through an inverter. I'm thinking it has to be that way since otherwise the lights, fan, anything that's 12V would also have work on 110. Even though I'm 99.9% sure I'm right, I thought I'd ask and make sure. Am I OK tapping into that circuit?

[cattzap]

Thanks for responding. I did consider it. Most are 240 volt, and this camper is really small so there's not a lot of places to put the inside unit. I saw a lot of the outside units mounted to the A frame tongue area. It would have cost about the same although looking at the specs for some, the gas lines seemed short and I wasn't sure if they would reach so extended lines and additional charging might have been needed. I'm still going to add the heat strips to this unit, before a winter trip. I certainly don't need them now. I have 4 toe space vents coming tomorrow from Amazon. I'm going to use them to get more air circulation into the bathroom. And I'm going to add a round ceiling vent into the inside cover of this new unit right where the cold air blows down. That will increase the air flow thought it big time. During the install, I have carefully sealed every possible air path so no hot/cold gets mixed or lost.

Yesterday, I left the ac off. It was 102 when I got home. It took about 15 minutes to bring the temp down to how I like it so I could mount the tv where the wall ac came out. When I'm done, my plan is to need to put stuff in the fridge to keep it warm.

[kuba122]

Dude! That’s some upgrade. I would have suggested a mini split 2 ACs did the trick, of course. This Summer weather is seriously hard on any AC unit.

[cattzap]

Not sure if anyone actually uses this forum much..but.. I solved the issue. I added a 13-5 rooftop unit this weekend. Yesterday afternoon with it 102 outside and parked in full sun it was so cold inside it was making my hands hurt. It was a pricey upgrade for me but I'll never not have enough capacity again. While I have it opened up, I[m moving the TV location form the dinette area which was stupid, because once the tv was installed, it hit you shoulder if you sat on that side. it will be were the original wall ac was installed and everything behind and above that is now sealed off.

[cattzap]

I believe its the 17 RD. Thye little window unit AC cools great. Makes a blizzard in the back area. However, the front bed area is blazing hot. It's obviously not circulating the air up the sufficiently. besides a fan, which so far doesn't really help, what are some thing anyone has done to help this? I've thought about adding a very small ac like the built in one up there or possibly adding a rooftop ac.