Operating Without Batteries - Montana Owners Club

rames14 · 11-11-2006, 12:17 PM

I am curious. Since I buttoned the Montana up for the winter and took out the batteries - can you still plug in and run without the batteries in the trailer? I assume you can, but have never tried it.

rlwhit · 11-11-2006, 12:28 PM

I may be wrong but I think all 12 volt items have to go through a connected batt. I am sure you will get more info.

Glenn and Lorraine · 11-11-2006, 12:37 PM

All AC items should work while the 12V DC will not.

kdeiss · 11-11-2006, 01:35 PM

I understand it is not a good idea to have the AC/Dc converter running with no battery connected.This will damage the converter.When you plug in the AC the converter will be on.

Ozz · 11-11-2006, 02:10 PM

I may be wrong, but I think it is fine to run with just the converter, I did it with no ill effects on my old Keystone Sprinter, you can go to the Iota site and read some of the FAQ's.
Ozz

noneck · 11-11-2006, 02:32 PM

I had the same understanding...should work without batteries installed. I did this with my old Fleetwood Terry which had a Todd Engineering converter. I would suggest you make sure the battery leads do not touch each other nor allow the positive lead come in contact with the coach metal!
Chuck

AZCampinfool · 11-11-2006, 04:43 PM

I have run my Mountaineer with no batteries and no apparent ill effect. The converter took care of all the 12v items and they worked fine. I know at RV shows the units don't have any batteries and they are plugged in and working so I figured I could do the same.

Broome101 · 11-12-2006, 01:31 AM

No problems or ill effects will happen, just nothing that requires 12 volt will work, such as landing gear, slides, heater,frig, or hot water heater. All require a 12-volt system.

Mudchief · 11-12-2006, 01:45 AM

The battery in there to supply the high current requirements when the slides and landing gear are being used. It takes the load off the converter when this is happening. It also supplies 12 volt power when you are not hooked up to ac. If you use it without a battery what you will notice is the slides move slower because you are putting the load on the converter instead of the battery and you don't want to do that too much.

rak · 11-12-2006, 04:12 AM

You can run without the batteries connected. We were connected to shore power for 5 1/2 months with the batteries disconnected and no problems. If you are plugged into shore power for long periods of time and leave the batteries connected, be sure to check the water level in the batteries at least once a month.
Dick

Mrs. CountryGuy · 11-12-2006, 04:33 AM

Ok, Rak

Now ya got me confused. I thought you had to have the battery connected to have the frig run?? Parts of it are 12 volt? Right? OH, dear, me head is spinning.

So, those little 12 volt lights, they work with NO battery?? Ya know, you would think married to the electrician and all the years of rig ownership, I would know this, but honestly, we just don't go without a battery. Therefore, me confusion!

Now that ya are all done laughing, what am I missing here??

Ozz · 11-12-2006, 05:52 AM

The converter is a battery charger as well as a 12 volt source of electricity, it converts 110 to 12 volts.
Forrest and the trees, and all that stuff.
Ozz

Mudchief · 11-12-2006, 05:59 AM

Carol, like I said above the converter puts out 12 volts to run everything. The battery backs it up. If you had no battery in your unit and the ac went off the fridg would not switch to gas and the furnace would not work. That may or may not be a problem depending on when it happens.

Mrs. CountryGuy · 11-12-2006, 06:27 AM

Me thinks I got it!

thanks

Cat320 · 11-12-2006, 07:37 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Mudchief

Carol, like I said above the converter puts out 12 volts to run everything. The battery backs it up. If you had no battery in your unit and the ac went off the fridg would not switch to gas and the furnace would not work. That may or may not be a problem depending on when it happens.

Okay, now I'm confused.

If you are hooked to AC power and the converter is on line...it would seem to me that the refrig, furnace, landing gear, would work. A/C is going to run A/C appliances and the A/C is running the converter , which is changing A/C to 12v, so why would the 12v stuff not work?

Ozz · 11-12-2006, 08:08 AM

It will.

315RLS · 11-12-2006, 09:07 AM

I don't know if slides would work without a battery. On our trailer the slides are not run through the converter, they are wired on a bypass to directly to the battery.

noneck · 11-12-2006, 10:35 AM

Folks, The converter should provide 12vdc w/o battery connected. Therefore your 12v devices should be fine. One small point would be that with the battery connected the DC output will clamp better at 12 volts...as this tends to help manage any AC leakage through the bridge rectifier...Battery when connected in the circuit helps to "fix" the voltage from variations....in load.
Chuck

Mudchief · 11-12-2006, 11:05 AM

Bert, if the ac power is on everything will work however if the ac power fails there will be no 12 volts coming out of the converter, therefore with no battery in your unit you will not have any 12 volts to switch the fridge or furnace. Like I said before that may or may not be a problem depending on the length the ac power is off and the time of year.

rames14 · 11-12-2006, 01:46 PM

Thanks for all of the responses. I must have had a premonition, because as I'm sitting here watching the Bears game (down by 7 already), Terrie asked if we could get some books out of the chairs. Trouble is, Monty is all buttoned up with not batteries. If I hook up the power cord and can move the slides, it will be great. Now, I know Glen's going to chime in with "we don't need to winterize down here in Florida" but those of us without enough sense to come in out of the cold need to do it.

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