I am on my first of the year trip. I finally realized how to use the inverter. I had multiple water leak issues. So I headed back home. Water issues fixed. I headed out for another night. Sorry I did not see this video sooner.
Hi! Sorry took a bit to respond - have been traveling! Ugh - glad you got the water issues fixed - anything major? And yes - that inverter is a battery hog. I think we have used it less than 10 times so far in 4 years! Hopefully you had a good trip otherwise?
Now you got me thinking. We were only on our 2nd short trip this week and our outlets died. The gfci would not reset and we thought it was bad. Called for mobile service and he felt it could possibly be an issue with the wiring inside the walls somewhere as the volt from the breaker was good but not at the gfci. Needless to say we dropped it off at the service center today to wait for them to look at it. I just now came across your video. It did happen after I plugged in the little coffee maker and the electric heater was on. Never even thought about the inverter. I would think the service guy would but who knows. Hmmmm I'm going to call tomorrow and ask.
Yes - that does it every time! We have done it more than once early in the am lol. I would definitely call. We have found that many dealers/service people just aren’t as familiar with the inverters. You may want to try and reset it yourself if close by. Just need to reset the actual box - what unit / year do you have? The inverters are usually hidden behind or in something. Ours in the 19fbs is behind the panel in the closet (need a screwdriver) - at the bottom of the inverter is a toggle switch. If it is tripped, can switch it back on and everything should be good!
@@WinesPinesandCanines ps: We really enjoy your videos and learning all of your hacks. We made our "king size" bed and we love it! Still so much to learn. Thank you Troy and Linda
Great - it should be the same. If you can go by, you may want to take that panel in the closet off and you may find the button/toggle on the bottom of the inverter itself needs to be pushed. Let us know if it works!
Just bought the e-pro 19BH 2021 and took it out for the first time boon docking for three days last week. Couldn’t figure out why batteries were draining like crazy. I thought if you weren’t on shore power you left inverter on. Now I know better. Thank you. This makes so much sense.
Glad it was helpful. Hopefully dealers do a better job in the future during walk through - frustrating as a new owner!! Hope you are continuing to enjoy the new camper - safe travels!
Thanks for watching and glad you found it helpful! We do wish that Forest River would include a basic wiring/electrical outline. The app we talked about in one of our videos is pretty good but misses that component.
Dual refrigerator, when towing should not use propane, does power from the car go through the inverter? Does inverter need to be run while towing to power the refrigerator?
Hi! Sorry for the late reply! We have seen some owners say that if they turn the inverter on when they are towing, that it would run the fridge. It didn't work with ours. The fridge climbed temperature quickly. But ours is a 2019 so different years/models may be different.
We have a 2020 GeoPro 19BH. We have used the inverter quite a bit, primarily for powering the refrigerator. Prior to 2021 year models the refrigerators were dual gas and AC. Sometime in 2021 the refrigerators became 12V DC only but the solar panel was upgraded from 100w to 190w. So if you're pre-2021.5 and not on shore power and you want to run your refrigerator electrically, you need to have both the inverter and the battery turned on. That's what we do while driving or dry camping. It's not recommended to run the refrigerator on gas while driving because of the fire risk. My inverter will run when the battery is turned off at the battery disconnect switch. I assume the inverter bypasses the battery switch. However, even if the inverter is running the refrigerator will not come on unless the battery is on. The combination of the inverter and refrigerator running will run a lead acid battery down fairly quickly without a lot of sun on solar panel. I installed a second 100W solar panel and recently installed a 200ah Lithium in place of my two 12V lead acid batteries. So if you have a pre-2021.5 with the gas/ac refrigerator and want to run it on ac while not hooked to shore power, you should add that to your list of reasons why you would want to turn the inverter on. It's not just for the outlets inside the camper. The refrigerator is plugged into an outlet that's accessible from the panels on the outside of the refrigerator. I have never tripped the breaker on the inverter in over two years of use. Maybe that's because we rarely use the non-refrigerator outlets. If my battery is low when dry camping I switch the refrigerator to gas, typically at night. I wish I had a three-way (gas/AC/12V DC) refrigerator like I had in an old popup. Then I wouldn't have to use power on the inverter when I just wanted to run the refrigerator.
Hi - thanks for the tip! We have seen a few people experiment with this in the past so good to have some real world advice! We always cool the fridge prior and then add some ice to keep it cool while we travel but this could be a great option. Will try this on our next trip! One thing we like about the newer campers - not having to have that "propane on or off" debate! Agreed that a good battery set up would be required. Or a very sunny day. Wouldn't want to try on a cloudy / overcast day with a small battery bank. Thanks again for the watch and the tip!
Thanks for watching! Sorry to hear your tv isn't a 12V! Ours does plug into an outlet but also has a 12V plug in so works on shore power and boondocking. Safe travels!
Thank you for watching! The way these campers are set up with the inverter / electrical definitely takes some getting used to. Wish the dealers would do a better job informing people. Safe travels!
I’m not only impressed with the time and effort you obviously put into your videos, as they are so well done and informative, but that you reply to every comment! Looking forward to learning more from y’all. Take care and stay safe!
Thank you so much for the positive comment! We really do appreciate viewers taking the time to watch and comment and we try and reciprocate! Safe travels to you as well!
thank you i wondered why i came back to my trailer with only 89 percent battery life also my plugs would not work till i was plugged in so i must have tripped the inverter
Glad we could help! That inverter can be tricky and we have tripped it more than once - it always involves a heater and a coffee maker and early morning! Thanks for watching.
@@davidmontagpf5589 The answer is maybe? If you have a model year prior to the newest 2021's (2021.5) then you likely have a 2 way (propane and electric) which is what we have. It works on propane when boondocking and electric when hooked up. But some people have said that when driving, they have turned the inverter on and the fridge has cooled without turning propane on. But they had a really good battery setup - typically lithium and were only doing a short drive (around 3 hours) and the truck helped maintain the battery. We haven't tried it so can't verify that. But when boondocking you would want to run the fridge off propane and when hooked up to shore power, on auto (which will run off the electric). Now, if you have the newest model, those should have a 12v fridge with an upgraded solar panel and those run off the battery - should not need to run inverter. Also - some of the smaller models have had 3 way fridges so those would run off propane, electric and battery. Hope that helps some but if you have a further question please feel free to ask! If we know the answer we are happy to help!!
@@WinesPinesandCanines i appreciate it very much im a 19 model so no 12 volt just wondered since the outlets did not work when on battery since i got it so the dealer probably tripped the invertor checking everything thought maybe it would work any idea how long the propane will keep the fridge cold before needing to be replaced
Yes - it is possible the inverter was tripped by the dealer - so easy to do. If resetting doesn’t help, you may want to try the gfci if you haven’t already. Let us know if neither of those work and we will see if there are some other items to try. For us, one of those two have always fixed it. On the propane- haven’t used the fridge a lot on propane but when we have run it for 8 hours or so, we still had a good amount left. We have seen others mention that they can easily go a week on a tank with the fridge on. But that is an excellent question and we are going to add that to the items we cover in our upcoming boondocking videos!
I have a 2021 20BHS. Our 1st trip everything worked fine, the batteries died at home. We got the solar back up fine but now the refrigerator will not get cold. Hooked into shore power and still not cold, the fridge lights turn on bit no chill. Any suggestions on a fix?
@@WinesPinesandCanines 12v I was running on shore power 1st trip. Batteries went dead because I screwed up the solar panel with incorrect settings. Got that straightened out and it's on shore power now and I have electric to the fridge because the light comes on but no chill.
That is odd. We have the 2 way fridge (gas/electric) so our experience with the 12V is limited to what we have been reading. Did some reading this morning and don't see anything that directly resembles your issue. Is the freezer getting cold at all or both not working? Is it possible that a fuse blew on the last trip? And what is the dial set to?
Hi - thanks for watching! So we have been very happy with ours. A few things here and there needing repairs but overall we have gone about 20,000 miles in the camper and have spent about 6 months of nights in it. We will be putting out a video soon that compares our 2019 to the newest 2022 as well. Also, if you haven’t already and you use Facebook, there is a Rockwood Geo Pro owners group and a Flagstaff Epro owners group that are very helpful. Lots of info on there and people are quick to give responses and thoughts on their experiences as well!
About the only time I use my inverter is when making breakfast. I use it to run the toaster and the coffee maker (although not at the same time). I was able to find a drip coffee maker that draws less than 1000 watts at WalMart. The only drawback to it (and the reason is uses less than 1000 watts) is that it doesn't have a heating element under the carafe. I usually fill up my cup, then pour the rest into a steel travel mug to keep it warm.
@@WinesPinesandCanines BLACK+DECKER 4-in-1 5-Cup* Coffeemaker, Black, CM0750B $15.88 at Walmart (probably available in your local store, definitely on the website). Draws 675 watts
Hi. Off the top of my head, I don't remember the exact model. I will be at the camper (its in storage) this week, and will take a look and circle back. Thanks!
Our 2022 19FBS came with the WFCO-5110 1000-watt inverter. I am looking into upgrading to a Victron 12/2000. I like my Keurig as well but we're managing ok with a stovetop percolator from Cabela's.
@@WinesPinesandCanines yes. I just don't know why rockwood did that. they had the power to the microwave right there that is not going through the inverter. why the heck did they put the fridge on the inverter. It sucks when you forget and have it on auto and then you want to run your computer off the inverter and suck down the battery faster than you needed to because of the fridge. :-(
@@Thejohnnyoshow That is strange. We have always been careful to keep that inverter off when we are on shore power, and then the fridge just runs off the campground so we haven't had any issues. When boondocking, we just make sure it is on the gas selection. Hopefully the new 12v fridges work as they intended.
Thank you ! I have been watching your videos today I realized I hadn't subscribed , sorry. But know in the group! I am going to be taking possession of my 2021 Geo -Prp 19FBS end of April and cannot wait to jump on some of your tricks!
Thank you for watching and thank you for subscribing! We appreciate both. We haven't seen the new 2021's yet but are very jealous of some of the upgrades that are coming with them. We hope you will circle back and let us know your thoughts when you get it. Safe travels!
@@WinesPinesandCanines I will do a DM to you guys and we can talk about the upgrades and maybe I will do a video specifically for you guys use. I am doing some of my own mods to it as but my involved actual adding a couple of aluminum rails floor to ceiling just in front and left of bed through bolted into floor and ceiling structural ribbing to mount my as crazy as it sound , my 65" Smart TV. It was 37lbs but after discussing what I wanted to do with the TV an engineer, dude builds race cars and modifying anything to anything your mind can come up with , he said that it will definitely not affect the trailers integrity but would increase its strength and then I have also created a little wall that separated " bedroom" from rest of trailer. By the way after seeing the bathroom scene I so happy to be only 5'7". Lol. Have a good evening!
Sounds like i need to remove the factory inverter. To be able to blow the breaker just over a 1000w when the plugs should be able to handle 1500w during shore power hookups and the inverter off. Sounds like the plugs are wired through the inverters breaker and takes priority over the actual breaker box. Very bad design
Hi - thanks for watching! The only time we have had a problem tripping the inverter on shore power is if we go over the approx 1500 watts - like we forget and have an electric heater on and fire up the coffee maker! But we found that many people didn't know that in addition to checking GFCI's, the inverter also often needed to be reset to get the outlets working again.
@@WinesPinesandCanines I hear you but this is bad. The breakers on the breaker box or the GFI should have tripped. Not on a non powered inverter causing all plugs to be dead. We have a 15TB on it's way to us new. That inverter is mounted behind the microwave. You are not going to be able to reset that inverter fast, lol. I am an electrician so it will be removed so the real breakers take priority as they should.
@@leewarner9357 Agreed that mounted behind the microwave is definitely not ideal! Not sure why that would be the option they would choose. It is possible they have made some changes - ours is a 2019. Will be curious to know what you find out and how you make out rewiring. Congrats on the new camper!!
Basically the inverter GFCI also acts as an undocumented, inaccessible 9 amp circuit breaker that provides no visible indicator when it's tripped. It's a design blunder. I guess they had to give some engineering intern something to keep them busy.
Thank you so much for this! I've just ordered a 2021 Geo Pro 20FBS and am learning so much from you both! I had no idea what the inverter was or why it should be used. Now I understand!
Thank you for watching! The 20FBS looks great - bigger bathroom and walk around bed. Would love to hear how you like it when it arrives. If you have questions feel free to ask - will help if we can! Safe travels!
This is one of the better explanations of solar-inverter-shore power I've seen. Two questions though: Do you have the battery shut off switch on or off when towing down the road? And does the alternator in your truck charge the house batteries when the engine is running? Thanks!
Thank you! We usually keep it on as the solar will be charging the battery as we go down the road to offset any usage from things like the propane detector, radio. And when we stop for lunch everything is working and we don't have to remember to turn it on for lights.... But if we were traveling and were concerned about battery usage, would likely keep it off. Our truck does have a 7 pin but from what we have read - it really doesn't do much as far as charging the batteries - more along the lines of will give a slight charge but not enough to make a big difference. The solar panel on the top does the majority of the work.
@@WinesPinesandCanines Good to know! I wonder how hard it would be to rig it so the truck charges the house batteries. That could be handy in an emergency (like a week's worth of clouds and rain, lol)
Generator. Some of the newer models do have an upgrade option (fairly expensive) to go with an upgraded battery/inverter that allows you to run the ac for a short time. But if you already have one, and it doesn't have this upgraded package, a generator is your only option unfortunately.
Will put on the list! We are planning on doing videos on our current set up and then as we change/upgrade or add components as well. Thank you for the comment!
Yes - my current Tundra has the tow package with the 7 pin and it does keep them topped off while driving. My prior truck, I had to have it added. Usually when the truck is towing though, the solar has kept the battery at pretty much 100% so haven't had to determine how much it would help charge them.
Does the battery recharge when hooked up to shore power? So the master switch could stay on. I do that with my camper to keep the fridge cold and the battery charged ? I don’t have solar or inverter just a battery.
Thanks for the comment. The battery does recharge. We recommend keeping the inverter off (I think that is what you mean with leaving the switch on) because when hooked up to campground electric, it does nothing helpful (it only runs the outlets when off shore power). And if you unhook and don't turn that inverter off, it will run the battery down fairly quickly. So, the best thing to do with this inverter, is leave it off unless you need to use an outlet when boondocking. It is a helpful item but definitely has its limits. Thanks for watching!
Have you seen the Firefly group31 AGM (12v 110ah) batteries? I put them on our 45foot cruising sailboat and they were awesome. At $500 per, they were pricey but... they can be discharged to 10% or less and always come back without damage (like lithium), and don’t need special mppt/chargers (that lithium batteries need). This means when you are charging via your 7-pin there’s no mixing between charging your truck and the trailer batteries. They will all be happy, and your boondocking time will be increased without worrying about discharge.
Thought you might want to know that a Goldbely advertisement was played during your video. The advertisement had a person using numerous cuss words in the short amount of time it was on. I couldn’t find a way to report the ad but was able to block the advertiser. Just thought you might want to know since it was playing on your channel and you might not approve. I’m not a prude but often times watch your videos with my 11yo daughter
Hi! Thank you (and your daughter!) for being a viewer - truly appreciate. And thank you for letting us know. Unfortunately we have no say in what ads are played :( And believe they are different depending on what area of the country you are in. Not sure how UA-cam decides what is played where but have seen much larger channels mention as well that they have no say. Again - thank you for reaching out - we truly appreciate the watch and hope that you will continue to be a viewer!
@@WinesPinesandCanines Thank you for the reply. We’ll absolutely continue to watch your channel and understand that the adverts are beyond your control. Happy Camping!
Isn’t there a usb charging outlet behind the tv that runs off the batteries, basically for phone charging? Also the newest units come with 190 watt solar standard due to the 12v only fridge.
Yes - there are usb outlets that run off 12 volt that we use to charge our phones. Forgot about those! And yes - the newest versions do have 190 watt. They are a fixed panel as well - not the flexible panel that we have. Thanks for watching!
@bt4b4 So far we haven’t had a problem but they are only 2 years old. They actually held up very well in a hail storm though! I haven’t seen anyone complaining about having to replace on any of the Facebook groups we are members of either (for the GeoPro) but time will tell! Thanks for watching!
@@bt4b4 have not noticed but we really haven’t tested the solar/battery as we have almost always been hooked up. We are currently making plans to change that though and excited to find out what we will learn!
Not-yet-newbie question: When you are driving is your vehicle charging up your trailer battery? I noticed that the window blind was flapping in the background. I can definitely see that there will be times when it is desirable to have a window open and yet pull down the blind to manage glare, but a lowered blind can restrict airflow through said window. Now my brain in pondering how to create a brace to hold a lowered blind still and standing out a few inches from the wall, to keep managing glare while allowing more airflow. If you create such a brace please share the how-to in a future video!
Our truck does have the connector to keep the battery topped off. Typically when we get where we are headed, the battery will be fully charged. Our previous truck did not have so we had our mechanic add it. And that is a great point! You have us thinking now haha! Thanks for the suggestion.
Good Day Wines, Pines and Canines. My Trailer is 2018 19FBS, does not come with Factory/Dealer installed inverter. I have recently finished installation of a Renogy 2000 Watt fitted in the storage compartment and close to the batteries. Technical question... Does your setup have an AutoSwitch? a AC switch that switch between Shore batteries
Good morning Ben. To be honest - we have never confirmed this but from discussions from other owners on the online Forest River Forum regarding the GeoPros, it appears they likely do. But I haven't been able to directly confirm that to be true with Rockwood or a tech so wouldn't want to say absolutely. If you are a member of the Rockwood/Flagstaff GeoPro Facebook group, you may want to post this question - I believe there are a few others that have a 2018 that have upgraded to solar/inverter and may have the answer you need.
We are buying a Geo Pro and are totally confused on the "Solar Prep Ready Port". Does it need a separate controller, what panel can we use, etc. We like the idea of being able to use a portable panel to set in the sun in case we are in a heavy canopy area but are getting confused on what the prep has and what we need. HELP
Hi! Thanks for watching and congratulations on the new camper! We did a video where we unboxed a Renogy side solar panel and set it up - if you haven't seen that, it may help! But our camper does need a separate controller on the side panel (which this Renogy one has) and we haven't heard that it is any different on the newer models. There were a few other items we purchased as well and should all be listed in the description of that video. But if you have any questions after watching please reach out and we will help if we can!
@@WinesPinesandCanines thank you so much for the fast response! We have decided to add another solar panel on the top and hope that it will be enough to power the 12 volt refrigerator/freezer that the new ones come with.
Do you know what controller issues would be if the controller is set to the wrong battery type? I changed the controller to Lithium per Xantrex instructions 2 days ago and last night my lithium battery discharged completely. Any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Seems kind of weird that the inverter will trip even when off? One would think that only 110v fuses or panel would be involved when on 'shore power' in a campground, so you could run the AC, pop something in the microwave while making some dinner without tripping things.
It does seem counter intuitive that even off would need to be reset but for some reason, that is how its wired. We have had issues twice while on shore power but it wasn't related to AC or microwave - just the outlets which is what the inverter is tied to. Usually involving an electric heater and forgetting and using another high watt appliance such as a coffeemaker. Both times, resetting the inverter solved the problem. Now, if we are running our small electric heater, coffee pot, instant pot or hairdryer, we only run one at a time. Its all about getting to know the quirks of your camper haha! Thanks for watching.
Wondering if u have a gas line from the rv connected to your fire pit. I got a gas line to connect my Weber grill from the quick connect on the side of the rv but it does not produce enough pressure to run my weber grill. Apparently, the gas line on the rv for the gas grill has already been regulated to low pressure. Unfortunately I cannot run my weber grill because the regulator on the weber grill drops the pressure more. The cheap grill provided with the rv works because it does not have a gas regulator on the grill. Wondering if u can get a fire pit that can run from the quick connect on the RV.
Unfortunately I have heard that can be a problem with some of the grills - sorry yours is not working. We did find a gas fire pit that works though - its the outland firebowl 893. We are going to have it and the setup in one of our up coming videos. Thanks for watching.
There are videos on UA-cam about how to modify your grill to run off the camper's quick connect LP line. We modified our WeberQ 1200 grill and it's super convenient now.
All you have to do is unscrew the hose and regulator that come with the grill, fire pit, or whatever you want to run and replace it with a plain hose that has the same threads. Takes 5 minutes.
Yes - it was from Amazon and here is the link. It was very straightforward - about a 10 minute job and we love it. Being able to know what the temperature instead of guessing is a small thing that makes a big difference haha! www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008D7JDOG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Those items are not running off of 12v. They are running off of 120V (line voltage). The inverter is converting the 12V battery to 120V. If they were 12V items, you would fry them up when plugged into the campground 30A power supply.
Hi - thanks for watching! I am not sure which items you are speaking of? There are items that run off the battery as I mentioned, that do not need campground shore power (lights, tv, radio...).
@@WinesPinesandCanines I was referring to the items you said run off of 12V. In the beginning of the video (3:00 min mark) you stated the TV is 12V, the fan over the stove is 12V, the heater fan is 12V, etc... Those all run on 120V, not 12V. The inverter is converting the 12V to 120V, and that's what powering them. 12V is low voltage and is DC (direct current) and would never be enough power to turn them on. Those items are 120V AC (alternating current). Two completely different power supplies.
@Chris M Thanks for the clarification. But on the Forest River page for the Rockwood Geo Pros, it does say that the TV (for example) is a 12V TV in their description (which is why I called out the tv as such). And none of these items need the inverter on or campground shore power/generator to run. But I agree that the inverter does allow you to use the outlets by converting the 12v to 120v.
Great video about the inverter...when to use it and when not to. You mention you are using a 12v battery but would like to use two 6v battery next time you upgrade. I have the same trailer and I am using two 12-v batteries in parallel. That means my voltage will remain at 12 volts but the capacity (amperage) will double.
Thanks for the comment! I have been doing some research and have seen that as an option - did you install or did it come from the dealer with two 12V? Are you happy with the brand of battery?
Yes - no coffee is a no go for us as well! If we are on shore power, we have no problem with our keurig. The few times boondocking have been rough for us lol - have stocked up on cold coffee the night before! I haven't heard of anyone upgrading the factory installed, but I do know a few people that had the 2018 models that did not come with an inverter, have upgraded. I am sure it can be done but not sure of the cost. We are going to be doing more boondocking this year, and showing how we do with our batteries and solar but a small generator will likely be part of our package as well. Thanks for watching!
@@WinesPinesandCanines Boondocking is our plan as well. I am starting to think that the limiting factor might be the wiring gauge from the factory. Also think that since it trips the inverter/power when plugged to shore power, that they didn't run a switch for source power for some reason. Anyway, thanks for the response and videos! Subscribed.
@@krashnpa Thanks for subscribing! That could be an issue with upgrading which is maybe why the only people we see that have done it are those that started with no inverter. I think the tripping comes from us trying to run two many high watt appliances (coffee and electric heater) and therefore tripping the "breaker" that is the inverter lol. Too groggy in the mornings! We haven't had any trouble other than that combination. Happy camping and look forward to hearing how your boondocking goes!
A 1000 watt inverter is a joke basically. A 2000 would have cost Rockwood so little more it's disgusting. Not having 2 -12Volt AGM's is crippling, so little to upgrade. No real point having solar with one 12V battery and just a 1000 Watt inverter. The Geo Pro's main attraction is that it's made for dry camping.....sort of. The Renogy 1000 Pure Sine inverter is less than $200 on Amazon, a 2000 W Pure Sine Renogy is less than $300.00 The 2000W inverter should have been a Geo Pro standard. My plan is a bunkhouse model, taking out the bottom bunk creating a "power room" which will consist of a Victron MultiPlus 3000W Hybrid Inverter/Converter, 4 Battleborn Lithium Batteries, 400W in panels topside and a 200W on the ground suitcase to chase the sun........... Boondockers dream! If nothing else grab a couple of 6V AGM batteries at Sam's or Costco and upgrade to a Renogy or similar 2000W Inverter and you'll find yourselves boondocking more and saving a boatload of money!
That is a great boondocking plan! And agree - the GeoPro has so much potential but is being limited by the batteries the dealer installs. The inverter is a cool feature but it would be nice to have a 2000 watt option as well. We rarely use the outlets except for appliances like a coffeemaker or an instant pot that use over 1000 watts. We have read about owners of the oldest models before the inverter was standard putting in upgraded inverters. Definitely something to look into!
I am on my first of the year trip. I finally realized how to use the inverter. I had multiple water leak issues. So I headed back home. Water issues fixed. I headed out for another night. Sorry I did not see this video sooner.
Hi! Sorry took a bit to respond - have been traveling! Ugh - glad you got the water issues fixed - anything major? And yes - that inverter is a battery hog. I think we have used it less than 10 times so far in 4 years! Hopefully you had a good trip otherwise?
Great video!!
Thank you! Appreciate the watch. Have a great weekend!
You explained it WAY better than the dealer. Thanks.
Thank you - appreciate the watch! Hope you are enjoying your camper!
Now you got me thinking. We were only on our 2nd short trip this week and our outlets died. The gfci would not reset and we thought it was bad. Called for mobile service and he felt it could possibly be an issue with the wiring inside the walls somewhere as the volt from the breaker was good but not at the gfci. Needless to say we dropped it off at the service center today to wait for them to look at it. I just now came across your video. It did happen after I plugged in the little coffee maker and the electric heater was on. Never even thought about the inverter. I would think the service guy would but who knows. Hmmmm I'm going to call tomorrow and ask.
Yes - that does it every time! We have done it more than once early in the am lol. I would definitely call. We have found that many dealers/service people just aren’t as familiar with the inverters. You may want to try and reset it yourself if close by. Just need to reset the actual box - what unit / year do you have? The inverters are usually hidden behind or in something. Ours in the 19fbs is behind the panel in the closet (need a screwdriver) - at the bottom of the inverter is a toggle switch. If it is tripped, can switch it back on and everything should be good!
@@WinesPinesandCanines we have a 2021 19fbs epro.
@@WinesPinesandCanines ps: We really enjoy your videos and learning all of your hacks. We made our "king size" bed and we love it! Still so much to learn. Thank you Troy and Linda
Great - it should be the same. If you can go by, you may want to take that panel in the closet off and you may find the button/toggle on the bottom of the inverter itself needs to be pushed. Let us know if it works!
Thank you :). Glad you are enjoying them and that bed mod is one of our favorites as well!
good video
Thank you and thanks for watching!
Thank you sooo much!!! Legit just saved our camping trip!!! We couldn’t figure out why our outlets weren’t working!! Thank You!!
Thank you for watching! Glad we could help! Happy camping!
So grateful for your vid. I have a GeoPro. Had no clue about the inverter. Had no clue why my outlets weren’t working.
Thank you! Glad you found it helpful. Hope you are enjoying the camper!
This information was extremely helpful! Thank you very much!
Thank you for watching - glad it was helpful!
Just bought the e-pro 19BH 2021 and took it out for the first time boon docking for three days last week. Couldn’t figure out why batteries were draining like crazy. I thought if you weren’t on shore power you left inverter on. Now I know better. Thank you. This makes so much sense.
Glad it was helpful. Hopefully dealers do a better job in the future during walk through - frustrating as a new owner!! Hope you are continuing to enjoy the new camper - safe travels!
Didn't even know where my inverter was located lol. I've been hunting for a wiring diagram but to no avail. Great presentation.
Thanks for watching and glad you found it helpful! We do wish that Forest River would include a basic wiring/electrical outline. The app we talked about in one of our videos is pretty good but misses that component.
Wow, great info.... solved all issue with 2021 f150 power boost with 7.2 kw
Thank you for watching! Glad it was helpful. Safe travels!
Awesome video thank u
Thank you! And thanks for watching!
Thank you both. As a newbie this was very helpful. Subscribing
Thank you for watching! And for subscribing! Glad you found it helpful. Have a great week!
Dual refrigerator, when towing should not use propane, does power from the car go through the inverter? Does inverter need to be run while towing to power the refrigerator?
Hi! Sorry for the late reply! We have seen some owners say that if they turn the inverter on when they are towing, that it would run the fridge. It didn't work with ours. The fridge climbed temperature quickly. But ours is a 2019 so different years/models may be different.
We have a 2020 GeoPro 19BH. We have used the inverter quite a bit, primarily for powering the refrigerator. Prior to 2021 year models the refrigerators were dual gas and AC. Sometime in 2021 the refrigerators became 12V DC only but the solar panel was upgraded from 100w to 190w. So if you're pre-2021.5 and not on shore power and you want to run your refrigerator electrically, you need to have both the inverter and the battery turned on. That's what we do while driving or dry camping. It's not recommended to run the refrigerator on gas while driving because of the fire risk. My inverter will run when the battery is turned off at the battery disconnect switch. I assume the inverter bypasses the battery switch. However, even if the inverter is running the refrigerator will not come on unless the battery is on. The combination of the inverter and refrigerator running will run a lead acid battery down fairly quickly without a lot of sun on solar panel. I installed a second 100W solar panel and recently installed a 200ah Lithium in place of my two 12V lead acid batteries. So if you have a pre-2021.5 with the gas/ac refrigerator and want to run it on ac while not hooked to shore power, you should add that to your list of reasons why you would want to turn the inverter on. It's not just for the outlets inside the camper. The refrigerator is plugged into an outlet that's accessible from the panels on the outside of the refrigerator. I have never tripped the breaker on the inverter in over two years of use. Maybe that's because we rarely use the non-refrigerator outlets. If my battery is low when dry camping I switch the refrigerator to gas, typically at night. I wish I had a three-way (gas/AC/12V DC) refrigerator like I had in an old popup. Then I wouldn't have to use power on the inverter when I just wanted to run the refrigerator.
Hi - thanks for the tip! We have seen a few people experiment with this in the past so good to have some real world advice! We always cool the fridge prior and then add some ice to keep it cool while we travel but this could be a great option. Will try this on our next trip! One thing we like about the newer campers - not having to have that "propane on or off" debate!
Agreed that a good battery set up would be required. Or a very sunny day. Wouldn't want to try on a cloudy / overcast day with a small battery bank. Thanks again for the watch and the tip!
Thank you for making the video. Very helpful.
Thank you for watching!
TY
Thank you for watching!
tv doesn't work in boon docking mode since is plugged in an outlet . In my Rockwood mini lite doesn't even turn on
Thanks for watching! Sorry to hear your tv isn't a 12V! Ours does plug into an outlet but also has a 12V plug in so works on shore power and boondocking. Safe travels!
I will getting my 2021 Geo Pro FBS in March in Florida. I like your vids. Keep going.
Congratulations on the purchase - it is always so much fun trying out a new camper! And thank you for watching and the comment. Safe travels!
I really like your videos, very informative. Thank you!
Thank you and thanks for watching!
Wow you explained the inverter good enough for me to understand,thank you.
Thank you for watching! The way these campers are set up with the inverter / electrical definitely takes some getting used to. Wish the dealers would do a better job informing people. Safe travels!
I’m not only impressed with the time and effort you obviously put into your videos, as they are so well done and informative, but that you reply to every comment! Looking forward to learning more from y’all. Take care and stay safe!
Thank you so much for the positive comment! We really do appreciate viewers taking the time to watch and comment and we try and reciprocate! Safe travels to you as well!
What's the "pedestal"?
Hi - the pedestal is where the campground hookups are for shore power. Thanks for watching!
This was so informative and explained simply. Thank you!
Thank you! Glad it was helpful! Have a great week and happy camping!
thank you i wondered why i came back to my trailer with only 89 percent battery life also my plugs would not work till i was plugged in so i must have tripped the inverter
Glad we could help! That inverter can be tricky and we have tripped it more than once - it always involves a heater and a coffee maker and early morning! Thanks for watching.
@@WinesPinesandCanines sorry follow up question i was told the solar would power the fridge if my inverter is working is that true? thanks again
@@davidmontagpf5589 The answer is maybe? If you have a model year prior to the newest 2021's (2021.5) then you likely have a 2 way (propane and electric) which is what we have. It works on propane when boondocking and electric when hooked up. But some people have said that when driving, they have turned the inverter on and the fridge has cooled without turning propane on. But they had a really good battery setup - typically lithium and were only doing a short drive (around 3 hours) and the truck helped maintain the battery. We haven't tried it so can't verify that. But when boondocking you would want to run the fridge off propane and when hooked up to shore power, on auto (which will run off the electric). Now, if you have the newest model, those should have a 12v fridge with an upgraded solar panel and those run off the battery - should not need to run inverter. Also - some of the smaller models have had 3 way fridges so those would run off propane, electric and battery. Hope that helps some but if you have a further
question please feel free to ask! If we know the answer we are happy to help!!
@@WinesPinesandCanines i appreciate it very much im a 19 model so no 12 volt just wondered since the outlets did not work when on battery since i got it so the dealer probably tripped the invertor checking everything thought maybe it would work any idea how long the propane will keep the fridge cold before needing to be replaced
Yes - it is possible the inverter was tripped by the dealer - so easy to do. If resetting doesn’t help, you may want to try the gfci if you haven’t already. Let us know if neither of those work and we will see if there are some other items to try. For us, one of those two have always fixed it.
On the propane- haven’t used the fridge a lot on propane but when we have run it for 8 hours or so, we still had a good amount left. We have seen others mention that they can easily go a week on a tank with the fridge on. But that is an excellent question and we are going to add that to the items we cover in our upcoming boondocking videos!
I have a 2021 20BHS. Our 1st trip everything worked fine, the batteries died at home. We got the solar back up fine but now the refrigerator will not get cold. Hooked into shore power and still not cold, the fridge lights turn on bit no chill. Any suggestions on a fix?
Is it a propane / gas or the newer 12 Volt fridge? Were you running on the batteries or on shore power on the first trip?
@@WinesPinesandCanines 12v I was running on shore power 1st trip. Batteries went dead because I screwed up the solar panel with incorrect settings. Got that straightened out and it's on shore power now and I have electric to the fridge because the light comes on but no chill.
That is odd. We have the 2 way fridge (gas/electric) so our experience with the 12V is limited to what we have been reading. Did some reading this morning and don't see anything that directly resembles your issue. Is the freezer getting cold at all or both not working? Is it possible that a fuse blew on the last trip? And what is the dial set to?
@@WinesPinesandCanines checked all fuses and breakers, everything is fine. We have moved the dial once every day from 1 -7
Great job on explaining the systems on a Geo Pro.
Thank you. As most campers are - it’s always a learning experience! Thanks for watching and safe travels.
I always love learning more about the solar with campers. Good stuff
Thanks! The solar set up was all new to us so we are always learning.
So question? I'm looking at purchasing one of these campers and came across you video. Would you suggest to someone to buy these camper or not?
Hi - thanks for watching! So we have been very happy with ours. A few things here and there needing repairs but overall we have gone about 20,000 miles in the camper and have spent about 6 months of nights in it. We will be putting out a video soon that compares our 2019 to the newest 2022 as well. Also, if you haven’t already and you use Facebook, there is a Rockwood Geo Pro owners group and a Flagstaff Epro owners group that are very helpful. Lots of info on there and people are quick to give responses and thoughts on their experiences as well!
Great video! Enjoyed learning from your experience! Thanks!
Thanks! We have found we always have something to learn when it comes to camping haha!
About the only time I use my inverter is when making breakfast. I use it to run the toaster and the coffee maker (although not at the same time). I was able to find a drip coffee maker that draws less than 1000 watts at WalMart. The only drawback to it (and the reason is uses less than 1000 watts) is that it doesn't have a heating element under the carafe. I usually fill up my cup, then pour the rest into a steel travel mug to keep it warm.
We rarely use the inverter either but that 1000 watt coffeemaker is intriguing - what model is it? Thanks!
@@WinesPinesandCanines BLACK+DECKER 4-in-1 5-Cup* Coffeemaker, Black, CM0750B $15.88 at Walmart (probably available in your local store, definitely on the website). Draws 675 watts
Thanks!
What model is the inverter that Geo Pro uses?
Hi. Off the top of my head, I don't remember the exact model. I will be at the camper (its in storage) this week, and will take a look and circle back. Thanks!
Our 2022 19FBS came with the WFCO-5110 1000-watt inverter. I am looking into upgrading to a Victron 12/2000. I like my Keurig as well but we're managing ok with a stovetop percolator from Cabela's.
also, keep in mind if your inverter is on and your refrigerator is in auto mode it's running off the inverter, not propane.
Another reason to keep it off. I like having the option of the inverter but it definitely has limits!
@@WinesPinesandCanines yes. I just don't know why rockwood did that. they had the power to the microwave right there that is not going through the inverter. why the heck did they put the fridge on the inverter. It sucks when you forget and have it on auto and then you want to run your computer off the inverter and suck down the battery faster than you needed to because of the fridge. :-(
@@Thejohnnyoshow That is strange. We have always been careful to keep that inverter off when we are on shore power, and then the fridge just runs off the campground so we haven't had any issues. When boondocking, we just make sure it is on the gas selection. Hopefully the new 12v fridges work as they intended.
Thank you ! I have been watching your videos today I realized I hadn't subscribed , sorry. But know in the group! I am going to be taking possession of my 2021 Geo -Prp 19FBS end of April and cannot wait to jump on some of your tricks!
Thank you for watching and thank you for subscribing! We appreciate both. We haven't seen the new 2021's yet but are very jealous of some of the upgrades that are coming with them. We hope you will circle back and let us know your thoughts when you get it. Safe travels!
@@WinesPinesandCanines I will do a DM to you guys and we can talk about the upgrades and maybe I will do a video specifically for you guys use. I am doing some of my own mods to it as but my involved actual adding a couple of aluminum rails floor to ceiling just in front and left of bed through bolted into floor and ceiling structural ribbing to mount my as crazy as it sound , my 65" Smart TV. It was 37lbs but after discussing what I wanted to do with the TV an engineer, dude builds race cars and modifying anything to anything your mind can come up with , he said that it will definitely not affect the trailers integrity but would increase its strength and then I have also created a little wall that separated " bedroom" from rest of trailer. By the way after seeing the bathroom scene I so happy to be only 5'7". Lol. Have a good evening!
Those are some great and very ambitious mods! Would love to see them. A 65” tv would be wow lol! Please let us know how they turn out.
Sounds like i need to remove the factory inverter. To be able to blow the breaker just over a 1000w when the plugs should be able to handle 1500w during shore power hookups and the inverter off. Sounds like the plugs are wired through the inverters breaker and takes priority over the actual breaker box. Very bad design
Hi - thanks for watching! The only time we have had a problem tripping the inverter on shore power is if we go over the approx 1500 watts - like we forget and have an electric heater on and fire up the coffee maker! But we found that many people didn't know that in addition to checking GFCI's, the inverter also often needed to be reset to get the outlets working again.
@@WinesPinesandCanines I hear you but this is bad. The breakers on the breaker box or the GFI should have tripped. Not on a non powered inverter causing all plugs to be dead. We have a 15TB on it's way to us new. That inverter is mounted behind the microwave. You are not going to be able to reset that inverter fast, lol. I am an electrician so it will be removed so the real breakers take priority as they should.
@@leewarner9357 Agreed that mounted behind the microwave is definitely not ideal! Not sure why that would be the option they would choose. It is possible they have made some changes - ours is a 2019. Will be curious to know what you find out and how you make out rewiring. Congrats on the new camper!!
Basically the inverter GFCI also acts as an undocumented, inaccessible 9 amp circuit breaker that provides no visible indicator when it's tripped.
It's a design blunder. I guess they had to give some engineering intern something to keep them busy.
Thank you so much for this! I've just ordered a 2021 Geo Pro 20FBS and am learning so much from you both! I had no idea what the inverter was or why it should be used. Now I understand!
Thank you for watching! The 20FBS looks great - bigger bathroom and walk around bed. Would love to hear how you like it when it arrives. If you have questions feel free to ask - will help if we can! Safe travels!
This is one of the better explanations of solar-inverter-shore power I've seen. Two questions though: Do you have the battery shut off switch on or off when towing down the road? And does the alternator in your truck charge the house batteries when the engine is running? Thanks!
Thank you! We usually keep it on as the solar will be charging the battery as we go down the road to offset any usage from things like the propane detector, radio. And when we stop for lunch everything is working and we don't have to remember to turn it on for lights.... But if we were traveling and were concerned about battery usage, would likely keep it off.
Our truck does have a 7 pin but from what we have read - it really doesn't do much as far as charging the batteries - more along the lines of will give a slight charge but not enough to make a big difference. The solar panel on the top does the majority of the work.
@@WinesPinesandCanines Good to know! I wonder how hard it would be to rig it so the truck charges the house batteries. That could be handy in an emergency (like a week's worth of clouds and rain, lol)
Hmmmm - might have to look into this question!
What should do to run my ac while not plugged in to shore power
Generator. Some of the newer models do have an upgrade option (fairly expensive) to go with an upgraded battery/inverter that allows you to run the ac for a short time. But if you already have one, and it doesn't have this upgraded package, a generator is your only option unfortunately.
Can you do a solar video ? Amount of amps that Flex panel is producing ? Thanks for your time
Will put on the list! We are planning on doing videos on our current set up and then as we change/upgrade or add components as well. Thank you for the comment!
Troy, if you are pulling the Geo Pro, does the truck charge your battery thru the 7 pin connection?
Yes - my current Tundra has the tow package with the 7 pin and it does keep them topped off while driving. My prior truck, I had to have it added. Usually when the truck is towing though, the solar has kept the battery at pretty much 100% so haven't had to determine how much it would help charge them.
Does the battery recharge when hooked up to shore power? So the master switch could stay on. I do that with my camper to keep the fridge cold and the battery charged ?
I don’t have solar or inverter just a battery.
Thanks for the comment. The battery does recharge. We recommend keeping the inverter off (I think that is what you mean with leaving the switch on) because when hooked up to campground electric, it does nothing helpful (it only runs the outlets when off shore power). And if you unhook and don't turn that inverter off, it will run the battery down fairly quickly. So, the best thing to do with this inverter, is leave it off unless you need to use an outlet when boondocking. It is a helpful item but definitely has its limits. Thanks for watching!
Have you seen the Firefly group31 AGM (12v 110ah) batteries? I put them on our 45foot cruising sailboat and they were awesome. At $500 per, they were pricey but... they can be discharged to 10% or less and always come back without damage (like lithium), and don’t need special mppt/chargers (that lithium batteries need). This means when you are charging via your 7-pin there’s no mixing between charging your truck and the trailer batteries. They will all be happy, and your boondocking time will be increased without worrying about discharge.
Thanks! We had not seen those. We are still weighing our options on the battery upgrade so will check it out. Thanks for watching!
Thought you might want to know that a Goldbely advertisement was played during your video. The advertisement had a person using numerous cuss words in the short amount of time it was on. I couldn’t find a way to report the ad but was able to block the advertiser. Just thought you might want to know since it was playing on your channel and you might not approve. I’m not a prude but often times watch your videos with my 11yo daughter
Hi! Thank you (and your daughter!) for being a viewer - truly appreciate. And thank you for letting us know. Unfortunately we have no say in what ads are played :( And believe they are different depending on what area of the country you are in. Not sure how UA-cam decides what is played where but have seen much larger channels mention as well that they have no say. Again - thank you for reaching out - we truly appreciate the watch and hope that you will continue to be a viewer!
@@WinesPinesandCanines Thank you for the reply. We’ll absolutely continue to watch your channel and understand that the adverts are beyond your control. Happy Camping!
Happy camping to you as well!
Just a suggestion: I saw on the roof you have a black AC cover....switch to a white one, it will stay cooler and run better for you :0)
Thanks! That makes sense!!
Isn’t there a usb charging outlet behind the tv that runs off the batteries, basically for phone charging? Also the newest units come with 190 watt solar standard due to the 12v only fridge.
Yes - there are usb outlets that run off 12 volt that we use to charge our phones. Forgot about those! And yes - the newest versions do have 190 watt. They are a fixed panel as well - not the flexible panel that we have. Thanks for watching!
@@WinesPinesandCanines how are the Flex panels doing so far ? They tend to degrade faster than the ridged panels, is this true ?
@bt4b4 So far we haven’t had a problem but they are only 2 years old. They actually held up very well in a hail storm though! I haven’t seen anyone complaining about having to replace on any of the Facebook groups we are members of either (for the GeoPro) but time will tell! Thanks for watching!
@@WinesPinesandCanines nice. How about degrading output ?
@@bt4b4 have not noticed but we really haven’t tested the solar/battery as we have almost always been hooked up. We are currently making plans to change that though and excited to find out what we will learn!
Not-yet-newbie question: When you are driving is your vehicle charging up your trailer battery?
I noticed that the window blind was flapping in the background. I can definitely see that there will be times when it is desirable to have a window open and yet pull down the blind to manage glare, but a lowered blind can restrict airflow through said window. Now my brain in pondering how to create a brace to hold a lowered blind still and standing out a few inches from the wall, to keep managing glare while allowing more airflow. If you create such a brace please share the how-to in a future video!
Our truck does have the connector to keep the battery topped off. Typically when we get where we are headed, the battery will be fully charged. Our previous truck did not have so we had our mechanic add it.
And that is a great point! You have us thinking now haha! Thanks for the suggestion.
Good Day Wines, Pines and Canines. My Trailer is 2018 19FBS, does not come with Factory/Dealer installed inverter. I have recently finished installation of a Renogy 2000 Watt fitted in the storage compartment and close to the batteries. Technical question... Does your setup have an AutoSwitch? a AC switch that switch between Shore batteries
Good morning Ben. To be honest - we have never confirmed this but from discussions from other owners on the online Forest River Forum regarding the GeoPros, it appears they likely do. But I haven't been able to directly confirm that to be true with Rockwood or a tech so wouldn't want to say absolutely. If you are a member of the Rockwood/Flagstaff GeoPro Facebook group, you may want to post this question - I believe there are a few others that have a 2018 that have upgraded to solar/inverter and may have the answer you need.
We are buying a Geo Pro and are totally confused on the "Solar Prep Ready Port". Does it need a separate controller, what panel can we use, etc. We like the idea of being able to use a portable panel to set in the sun in case we are in a heavy canopy area but are getting confused on what the prep has and what we need. HELP
Hi! Thanks for watching and congratulations on the new camper! We did a video where we unboxed a Renogy side solar panel and set it up - if you haven't seen that, it may help! But our camper does need a separate controller on the side panel (which this Renogy one has) and we haven't heard that it is any different on the newer models. There were a few other items we purchased as well and should all be listed in the description of that video. But if you have any questions after watching please reach out and we will help if we can!
@@WinesPinesandCanines thank you so much for the fast response! We have decided to add another solar panel on the top and hope that it will be enough to power the 12 volt refrigerator/freezer that the new ones come with.
That will definitely help! We are thinking of adding another as well. Let us know when you get your camper and what you think!
Definitely will. Thank you again. 😊
Do you know what controller issues would be if the controller is set to the wrong battery type? I changed the controller to Lithium per Xantrex instructions 2 days ago and last night my lithium battery discharged completely. Any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Nice job again you two. I will be getting my 2021 FBS hopefully this spring and keep coming back to your vids. I will be doing solo so wish me luck.
Thank you! Congrats on the new camper - they are great for solo travelers. Good luck and reach out if you have any questions - will help if we can!
Seems kind of weird that the inverter will trip even when off? One would think that only 110v fuses or panel would be involved when on 'shore power' in a campground, so you could run the AC, pop something in the microwave while making some dinner without tripping things.
It does seem counter intuitive that even off would need to be reset but for some reason, that is how its wired. We have had issues twice while on shore power but it wasn't related to AC or microwave - just the outlets which is what the inverter is tied to. Usually involving an electric heater and forgetting and using another high watt appliance such as a coffeemaker. Both times, resetting the inverter solved the problem. Now, if we are running our small electric heater, coffee pot, instant pot or hairdryer, we only run one at a time. Its all about getting to know the quirks of your camper haha! Thanks for watching.
Wondering if u have a gas line from the rv connected to your fire pit. I got a gas line to connect my Weber grill from the quick connect on the side of the rv but it does not produce enough pressure to run my weber grill. Apparently, the gas line on the rv for the gas grill has already been regulated to low pressure. Unfortunately I cannot run my weber grill because the regulator on the weber grill drops the pressure more. The cheap grill provided with the rv works because it does not have a gas regulator on the grill. Wondering if u can get a fire pit that can run from the quick connect on the RV.
Unfortunately I have heard that can be a problem with some of the grills - sorry yours is not working. We did find a gas fire pit that works though - its the outland firebowl 893. We are going to have it and the setup in one of our up coming videos. Thanks for watching.
There are videos on UA-cam about how to modify your grill to run off the camper's quick connect LP line. We modified our WeberQ 1200 grill and it's super convenient now.
All you have to do is unscrew the hose and regulator that come with the grill, fire pit, or whatever you want to run and replace it with a plain hose that has the same threads. Takes 5 minutes.
@@jeffreygunn3530 Thanks.
During this video I noticed the updated thermostat you have for the heater. Do you by any chance have the link for that? Thanks!
Yes - it was from Amazon and here is the link. It was very straightforward - about a 10 minute job and we love it. Being able to know what the temperature instead of guessing is a small thing that makes a big difference haha!
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008D7JDOG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
@@WinesPinesandCanines Thank you again (and again and again)! You guys are the best!
Those items are not running off of 12v. They are running off of 120V (line voltage). The inverter is converting the 12V battery to 120V. If they were 12V items, you would fry them up when plugged into the campground 30A power supply.
Hi - thanks for watching! I am not sure which items you are speaking of? There are items that run off the battery as I mentioned, that do not need campground shore power (lights, tv, radio...).
@@WinesPinesandCanines I was referring to the items you said run off of 12V. In the beginning of the video (3:00 min mark) you stated the TV is 12V, the fan over the stove is 12V, the heater fan is 12V, etc... Those all run on 120V, not 12V. The inverter is converting the 12V to 120V, and that's what powering them. 12V is low voltage and is DC (direct current) and would never be enough power to turn them on. Those items are 120V AC (alternating current). Two completely different power supplies.
@Chris M Thanks for the clarification. But on the Forest River page for the Rockwood Geo Pros, it does say that the TV (for example) is a 12V TV in their description (which is why I called out the tv as such). And none of these items need the inverter on or campground shore power/generator to run. But I agree that the inverter does allow you to use the outlets by converting the 12v to 120v.
Great video about the inverter...when to use it and when not to. You mention you are using a 12v battery but would like to use two 6v battery next time you upgrade. I have the same trailer and I am using two 12-v batteries in parallel. That means my voltage will remain at 12 volts but the capacity (amperage) will double.
Thanks for the comment! I have been doing some research and have seen that as an option - did you install or did it come from the dealer with two 12V? Are you happy with the brand of battery?
Has anyone upgraded the inverter on these units? I'd need something for the coffee for sure!
Yes - no coffee is a no go for us as well! If we are on shore power, we have no problem with our keurig. The few times boondocking have been rough for us lol - have stocked up on cold coffee the night before! I haven't heard of anyone upgrading the factory installed, but I do know a few people that had the 2018 models that did not come with an inverter, have upgraded. I am sure it can be done but not sure of the cost. We are going to be doing more boondocking this year, and showing how we do with our batteries and solar but a small generator will likely be part of our package as well. Thanks for watching!
@@WinesPinesandCanines Boondocking is our plan as well. I am starting to think that the limiting factor might be the wiring gauge from the factory. Also think that since it trips the inverter/power when plugged to shore power, that they didn't run a switch for source power for some reason. Anyway, thanks for the response and videos! Subscribed.
@@krashnpa Thanks for subscribing! That could be an issue with upgrading which is maybe why the only people we see that have done it are those that started with no inverter. I think the tripping comes from us trying to run two many high watt appliances (coffee and electric heater) and therefore tripping the "breaker" that is the inverter lol. Too groggy in the mornings! We haven't had any trouble other than that combination. Happy camping and look forward to hearing how your boondocking goes!
Technically, you aren’t “running” off solar. You are running off the batteries, that’s being replenished by the solar. Great informative video though.
Thanks - and yes. Solar keeps the batteries charged which are running everything when you are off grid.
A 1000 watt inverter is a joke basically. A 2000 would have cost Rockwood so little more it's disgusting. Not having 2 -12Volt AGM's is crippling, so little to upgrade. No real point having solar with one 12V battery and just a 1000 Watt inverter. The Geo Pro's main attraction is that it's made for dry camping.....sort of. The Renogy 1000 Pure Sine inverter is less than $200 on Amazon, a 2000 W Pure Sine Renogy is less than $300.00 The 2000W inverter should have been a Geo Pro standard. My plan is a bunkhouse model, taking out the bottom bunk creating a "power room" which will consist of a Victron MultiPlus 3000W Hybrid Inverter/Converter, 4 Battleborn Lithium Batteries, 400W in panels topside and a 200W on the ground suitcase to chase the sun........... Boondockers dream! If nothing else grab a couple of 6V AGM batteries at Sam's or Costco and upgrade to a Renogy or similar 2000W Inverter and you'll find yourselves boondocking more and saving a boatload of money!
That is a great boondocking plan! And agree - the GeoPro has so much potential but is being limited by the batteries the dealer installs. The inverter is a cool feature but it would be nice to have a 2000 watt option as well. We rarely use the outlets except for appliances like a coffeemaker or an instant pot that use over 1000 watts. We have read about owners of the oldest models before the inverter was standard putting in upgraded inverters. Definitely something to look into!
Why you mention 6v batteries? Instead 12v?
Brain fart, corrected.@@John2022-i2q
cool? I think...LoL