I own an Escape 5.0 TA with two lithium batteries, inverter, and GoPower Solar Controller. On are last trip we unintentionally drained are batteries on the first night out.
The trailer had been in storage for 7 weeks in July/August with temps averaging 100 degrees F. We drove 200 miles to are camping location on a partly cloudy and rainy day and the battery showed it was at 97% that evening. The trailer was very level based on the two leveling bubbles on the rear and side of the trailer. We turned on the propane and the refrigerator fired right up and appeared to be operating correctly. Both propane tanks were filled before the trip.
That evening we used the lights around the dinette table, the fan over the stove, and the water pump. When we went to bed around 11 pm. We left the water pump on and ran one (1) CPAP. I was up at 3 am and everything was running perfectly. I woke up at 7 am in the morning when my CPAP stopped functioning and realized that we had lost all power.
We have previously camped about 10 days using the same equipment each night for electricity and never saw this much battery loss from the CPAP.
We came home early and when we hooked the 7 pin connector to the pickup truck it took two hours of driving to raise the battery to 13%.
My questions are:
1. Can the refrigerator switch to DC if it has problems with the propane supply or some other issue? If so how could this happen and is there some further investigation that I need to do. I think it is the main culprit for draining the battery.
2. A Forest Service employee was trying to assist me and he recommend just pulling the electrical plug to the fridge when I arrive at camp so this would not happen again. I have attached a picture to the electrical plug on the outside of the refrigerator that he identified. Is this a safe way to operate the fridge off propane and would this work? I would rather have had the fridge switch off completely than go to DC and drain the battery.
3. The Forest Service employee lent me his Honda 1000 generator to try to provide power (outstanding public service!). All I was trying to do was get power in the trailer so I could get the solar panels charging again. It did not work and I had zero power from the generator. The message that I received on the shore power panel was low power and no ground. Was there something special that I needed to do to run a generator? If I am in a similar situation, what should I be asking for information on the generator before trying to operate it and is there anything special I need to do to operate a generator when it is plugged into the Escape?
4. Are there any other tips and tricks that I should know if I lose 100% of my battery power. I have now tested that my two jacks can be manually raised and lowered. Could I have just plugged the 7-pin connector in and ran the truck to charge battery for several hours?
I am thinking about trying to reduplicate the conditions while the trailer is sitting in front of my house and see what the outcomes are.