We just boondocked for the first time in our 2005 Concourse. Hubby uses a CPAP and that drew the batteries down pretty far after just 1 night & being ULTRA frugal with anything 12v. So I thought if all those in cabinet lights were on one fuse, I'd just pull it when we wanted to boondock. Trouble is, the fuse diagram in our manual, doesn't look anything like the one in the rig.
Does anyone know what else might be on that fuse? or have a diagram where all the fuses are in a line horizontally, rather than vertically?
I need a fuse panel diagram
Re: I need a fuse panel diagram
A picture will help. Most people don't change their fuse panel unless there was an electrical fire. I assume you compare it to the manual, and it look different? Maybe Trail Wagon did something special for the last few Chinook they were working on to roll it out of their door.
Anyway, is your hubby using the CPAP from the 12 V DC, or you use an inverter and run it off AC? There should be enough to run the CPAP all right. Why you think it is the cabinet light that drains the battery? Aren't they stays off if you close the cabinet doors?
Anyway, is your hubby using the CPAP from the 12 V DC, or you use an inverter and run it off AC? There should be enough to run the CPAP all right. Why you think it is the cabinet light that drains the battery? Aren't they stays off if you close the cabinet doors?
2000 Concourse dinette, on 1999 6.8L Ford E350 Triton V-10 Chassis
Re: I need a fuse panel diagram
I'll try to get a picture posted, I'm sure that would help. Not sure if it was replaced or not since we are the 3rd owner.
Hubby is using a separate, small inverter for the cpap, not the one in the coach, and of course is on 110v. He has hunted for cpaps that can easily be run on 12v, but they are hard to find and expensive.
I'm sure the cabinet lights aren't a major drain on the batteries, but I just thought it was something we don't need (and we often forget to close the doors) so might as well save every bit we can.
Plus, I think it would be good to know what fuse runs what.
Hubby is using a separate, small inverter for the cpap, not the one in the coach, and of course is on 110v. He has hunted for cpaps that can easily be run on 12v, but they are hard to find and expensive.
I'm sure the cabinet lights aren't a major drain on the batteries, but I just thought it was something we don't need (and we often forget to close the doors) so might as well save every bit we can.
Plus, I think it would be good to know what fuse runs what.
Re: I need a fuse panel diagram
Take a look at the CPAP power supply and see if it is outputting 12 V DC. Sometimes you can get a adapter that let the CPAP machine to plug directly into a automotive accessory adapter, so there is only one conversion, instead of two: going from 12 VDC to 110VAC, than back to 12VDC or whatever the machine is using.
For power usage during boondocking, I think the biggest sucker is the fridge. It can pull down the battery very quickly, even taking more power than the CPAP. So see if you can turn that to propane to make it less power demanding.
For power usage during boondocking, I think the biggest sucker is the fridge. It can pull down the battery very quickly, even taking more power than the CPAP. So see if you can turn that to propane to make it less power demanding.
2000 Concourse dinette, on 1999 6.8L Ford E350 Triton V-10 Chassis
Re: I need a fuse panel diagram
Hi JB,
If you can't locate the correct diagram, you could just pull/replace fuses one-by-one to isolate the circuit you're looking for.
BTW, do you know the age/condition/size of your house bank? I would guess that you should easily be able to run a CPAP machine all night with any healthy battery bank that is over 100 amp hours capacity.
Good luck.
If you can't locate the correct diagram, you could just pull/replace fuses one-by-one to isolate the circuit you're looking for.
BTW, do you know the age/condition/size of your house bank? I would guess that you should easily be able to run a CPAP machine all night with any healthy battery bank that is over 100 amp hours capacity.
Good luck.
1994 Premier
Re: I need a fuse panel diagram
Good idea. I'll try that, and then record what each fuse does.
We have only had this rig since January 2020. I would bet the batteries are old. Hubby did have to add water to them both. We will probably be replacing them. His cpap isn't 12v enabled so we have to use an inverter.
I'd still like to pull those cabinet lights, it's rare we need them and could use a flash light if we do.
We have only had this rig since January 2020. I would bet the batteries are old. Hubby did have to add water to them both. We will probably be replacing them. His cpap isn't 12v enabled so we have to use an inverter.
I'd still like to pull those cabinet lights, it's rare we need them and could use a flash light if we do.
Re: I need a fuse panel diagram
What brand is the CPAP, and what is the output of the power supply? I don't think it is running directly on 110V AC without stepping it down first.
2000 Concourse dinette, on 1999 6.8L Ford E350 Triton V-10 Chassis
Re: I need a fuse panel diagram
chin_k you are right, the cpap is only 110v so we plug it into a separate 300w inverter (because I figure that wastes less juice than the big one built into the rig) which is plugged into the 12v plug. So it is stepped down. The inverters waste...what is it, 20% in the change from 12v to 110? So I want to reduce unnecessary 12v use. And it seems we are always leaving cabinet doors open!
Re: I need a fuse panel diagram
If you look at how many watt the CPAP use, you should be able to figure out how many days your batteries can last. I think Scott has a good point that it maybe your coach batteries is getting old. If you do not use humidifier or the heater with the CPAP, it maybe drawing 60 watts, and you can last at least a week or more. Each group 31 battery is maybe 100 A.h, and at 12 V, it is 1200 Watt hour. That should* run your CPAP for 20 hours, and you have two batteries (40 hours), and with the solar panel at 50 watt, you should get most of the energy back.
*Obviously we never run the battery down to 0%, but my point is that even with 80 % efficiency, you should not wake up in the middle of the night when the LVD shuts off the power to the CPAP when you are using the inverter. If you have a more efficient CPAP, you practically can go forever if you have enough sun on the solar panel if you remember to close your closets
*Obviously we never run the battery down to 0%, but my point is that even with 80 % efficiency, you should not wake up in the middle of the night when the LVD shuts off the power to the CPAP when you are using the inverter. If you have a more efficient CPAP, you practically can go forever if you have enough sun on the solar panel if you remember to close your closets
2000 Concourse dinette, on 1999 6.8L Ford E350 Triton V-10 Chassis