Jayco camper newbie Q

Hi OzW

The 100A deep cycle battery with your Jayco, will run the lights when your camping and not plugged into a 240volt AC supply. That's about all that it will be connected to run.

The standard looking power points inside the camper, plus one external power outlet are 240volt oulets and these will only operate when the camper is connected to a 240volt AC supply using the 15A extention power cord.

The 100A battery will only recharge when the camper is connected to the 240volt AC supply via the 15A extension cord.

Hope the gets you heading in the right direction for more questions ?

Oxwrangler,

I noted in your follow up to the previous reply that you intended to run your fridge on gas.
I hope you mean.... Only when set up in your chosen campsite.

Running a fridge on gas while travelling is probably illegal and certainly NOT very clever.
It can be a recipe for disaster
If your fridge gas blows out, it is possible for unburnt gas to accumulate in the camper.............................One spark and both your tow vehicle and the camper may no longer exist, to say nothing about the passengers.

DON'T RISK IT, TURN THE GAS OFF WHILE TRAVELLING.


Disco.

Ozwrangler
I hope that you bought the camper privately, or at least not from a Jayco dealer. Otherwise my opinion of Jayco dealers will slide even deeper into the morass.

teege

The system works like this.
The 15 amp 240volt extension lead plugs into the side of the van and runs all the 240volt power points and the fridge when AC is selected on the fridge switch and microwave if one is fitted. The 240volts is also run to the transformer/charger and it converts the 240volt power to 12 volt power to run your lights and at the same time it trickle charges your 12 volt deep cycle battery.
There may also be a low voltage power point which has only two pins, one horizontal and the other vertical. This will always have 12 volts running to it either direct from the battery or from the transformer when you are connected to the 240 power supply via the extension lead.

The battery can be charged from the vehicle while travelling but there needs to be a live wire running through the 7 wire system and preferably a larger diameter than the normal 7 core flex. It will charge but slowly. It is better to have an isolating switch in the van, which you should have near the transformer, to isolate the battery from the circuit in the van and then the 12 volt power is taken direct from the vehicle while travelling and therefore saving the van battery for the light duty applications of running lights.

The fridge should, as mentioned above, be run on 12 volt when travelling and only on gas when set up for camping. The 3 way fridges are very 12 volt power hungry and not designed for running off a 12 volt battery for long periods. They are fine in travelling mode and for short roadside stops but they will flatten a battery pretty quick. If you have a second battery in the tow vehicle, it is better to run that live wire off that.

I think that makes sense.

No one else has mentioned it so I will.

Always level up your camper when parked both lengthways and crossways.

Firidges are designed to work level and vertical.

If not function is impaired and if on gas problems with overheating some parts may occur.

It would have been wise to get previous owner or dealer to give you a heads up on how the things work. Stops you from making unholy F ups

This has nothing to do with the battery but is definately to do with your Eagles internal lights.

Make sure they are turned off and cooled down prior to lowering your roof. I have heard about those that have burnt their camper from their lights being left on while packed up and travelling. I never thought I would meet one of those people, but I found out that I actually know one friend that made that mistake and learnt the hard way when he lost his new Jayco camper.

DO NOT rely on the over-riding switch that is placed under the roof edge - (normally midway on the drivers side, but it may vary) - that is supposed to turn the lights off when the roof is wound down in case the lights have been left on. I have yet to see one that is 100% reliable and always working. It would be a harsh lesson to learn when it fails and you think it has switched your lights off because you havent got into a habit of turning them off yourself.

If your lights have 2 switches, 1 for 240V and 1 for 12V, do as I have done. I have placed a small piece of red insulation tape around the 12V switch so I always know which switch is which - even when I am in a hurry doing something else. I have also removed my 12V light bulbs and placed them in an accessible place ready for me to fit when I need them. Even in the dark they can be fitted quite easily with torch light.

Always ask those campers around you any questions you have as most guys are happy to talk about their experiences and show off their camper or van etc. Happy camping....