TV only works on AC power?

[Rimmer Family]

I have recently acquired a Keystone Laredo 29BHS 2009, used, and when inspecting made sure everything worked. At the time the trailer was plugged into an AC outlet.

Once we arrived at our destination, the TV would not turn on, running on battery. Entertainment unit had power and worked just fine. Spoke to the owner who informed me that the TV never worked unless the trailer was plugged into AC power.

Is this common or correct?

We will be camping in somewhat remote areas where there is no electricity other than a generator, which we were hoping not to use as I have a 30w solar panel to help charge the battery during the day.

Bottom line is we want to be able to run the TV even if only running off the battery.

Would appreciate some feedback from fellow Keystone owners on this issue.

Regards

Jeff

[Quad]

Yes the TV won't work on 12v power unless it is a 12v TV or you have an inverter installed. Otherwise it will only work on shore power or with the Gen on.


2005 Silverado 2500HD D/A
2013 Laredo 321BH

[eddarde]

We bought a 19" tv that has built in dvd player. it plugs into a/c power, but I noticed it had a trasformer and 12v power to the tv.I havent made or found a new cord yet. time for a trip to Radio Shack.

[GaryWT]

tv is just like at home, plugged into the wall. They do sell small tv's that are either, we use to have a little 9 inch that we would put in the car.

[Festus2]

We will be camping in somewhat remote areas where there is no electricity other than a generator, which we were hoping not to use as I have a 30w solar panel to help charge the battery during the day.

Bottom line is we want to be able to run the TV even if only running off the battery.

Would appreciate some feedback from fellow Keystone owners on this issue.

Regards

Jeff

Jeff -

Unless your present TV has 12DC capability which is not likely, then you are restricted to using the standard 110V AC power supply. If you plan on keeping your TV set and want to watch while dry camping, you have two options:
1) use a generator
2) install an inverter

If you chose option 2 then you will need to keep your batteries sufficiently charged. I see you have a 30w solar panel which, if it is operating under ideal conditions, might maintain a charge on your battery. If it is cloudy for part or most of the day, a 30w solar panel may be hard pressed to keep your battery fully charged for a few days of dry camping. This all depends of course on how much drain your battery will be subjected to.
You didn't say whether you have a single battery or two or what type they are --- 6v or 12v but the TV gets its "juice" from the inverter which in turn will draw from the battery.
If the TV set will be on for a few hours at a time, I'd keep a really close eye on the charge condition of the battery. The TV set plus running the water pump, lights, draw from the fridge, detectors, etc., will all take their toll on the battery.
On a side note, if you do a fair amount of dry camping and are still using incandescent lights, I would highly recommend that you switch them out for LED lights. They draw about 1/9 of the amps that incandescent lights require and really help reduce battery drain.

[theeyres]

We do have a TV that runs off the battery but it is totally impractical in that it will run the battery down in no time. Truth is a 12v TV isn't worth it unless you really get into generators, solar, battery banks, etc. Most TV in trailers are 120V. And a 30W solar panel will not do much more than keep a battery charged with minimal use. Sorry....

[Rimmer Family]

Well thank you everyone for your replies. I will definitely need to look into an inverter setup. I don't want to have to run my generator all the time.

For some reason I made an assumption that the trailer may have already had a built in inverter which was able to or already powering certain devices. Lack of research on my part for sure.

Great forum! Much appreciated.

[mazboy123]

make sure you get an inverter that is somewhere around double the wattage of TV.

here is a good start.

[bsmith0404]

Just a thought, have you considered other things that also need 110v. When we dry camp we always bring the generator. Have to start it for a bit in the morning to run the tv, coffee pot, toaster, etc. Then a few times throughout the day for the microwave. We tend to watch the tv a bit in the evening before turning in or if the weather is bad. Your batteries will run down quickly if you use 110v as often as we do. The other part that is nice about the generator....it charges the batteries.

[jsmith948]

We power our t.v. receptacle circuit with an inverter wired through an electronically switched DPDT switch. When shore power is present, the coil switches the circuit to the normal, 110v feed. When shore power is removed and the coil loses power, it is spring loaded to the inverter circuit. If you do a search on inverter mods, you will see several ideas on how to wire an inverter. Some folks simply run an extension cord, some have added a new 110v recptacle wired to the inverter. I borrowed the idea for our set-up from former member JohnnyFry. We run 2 - 6v batteries in series but still need to charge via generator if we camp for more than 2 0r 3 days.

[Gasmiser]

My. wife and I plan remote camping with solar. WE want to install 4 6v TRojan nT5 batteries in series gives over 400 AH hooked to 2oo watt solar with a 2000/3000 Inverter from Harbor FReight. 2 panels from Renogy 100 watts each Mono type. Cost for set up about $850."bouncey:

[chuckster57]

FYI, there are some high quality 12VDC televisions. I can't remember the brand right now, but they are like 30" LED and have an excellent picture. Installed in new ('14 )Sun Seeker class C.

[B-O-B'03]

FYI, there are some high quality 12VDC televisions. I can't remember the brand right now, but they are like 30" LED and have an excellent picture. Installed in new ('14 )Sun Seeker class C.

My friend bought a 32", 1080P, Samsung smart TV, for a few hundred bucks and it has what looks like a laptop power brick that connects to the back of the TV.

I did not notice the power specs of the brick, but I will the next time I go over for a visit.

-Brian