CARBON MONOXIDE, PROPANE, AND SMOKE DETECTORS

  Roadtrek installs detectors to protect you inside the Roadtrek from three dangers - carbon monoxide poisoning, a propane gas leak, and fire by detecting smoke.  Two of these detector units are hardwired to your 12 volt DC house battery(ies). One is powered by a common 9 volt DC battery or with the latest technology in detection devices, a 10 year battery built into the unit - and that is the smoke detector.

There are a few things to be aware of with each of these detectors - and also the history of what detectors Roadtrek has used or is currently using.  We will start with that first and then look at the different detectors. Prior to 2012/2013 Roadtrek used an individual carbon monoxide detector and an individual propane detector. Around 2012/2013 Roadtrek started using a combination carbon monoxide detector and propane detector- both functions in one unit. Roadtrek has and still uses an individual smoke detector. 

THE CO DETECTOR

CO (Carbon Monoxide) Detector alarms will go off when CO gas - engine exhaust, gasoline motor exhaust - either from your Roadtrek or your Roadtrek's generator - OR from another motor home that is running its engine or generator closed to your Roadtrek. CO gas will first cause dizziness, then will knock you out, and then without it being cleared, will kill you,  The CO Detector is hardwired to your house 12 volt battery(ies) as a safety precaution - and should never be replaced with a battery run home detector (for this and another reason). How does the gas come in?  It comes in from an open or partially open window, through the vent over your cargo doors for the A/C unit, from an open ceiling fan,  from a leak in your muffler or exhaust pipe, or from another close by RV with those problems. These units last just five years.  When they are about to expire in one month  (they have expiration dates), they will go off intermittently - without any CO present. This is to warn you that the CO detector must be replaced.  In the last month of its life span, it goes off continually - if it has not been replaced - to tell you that you absolutely MUST replace the unit NOW!  If you do not you will not be protected. If you pull the fuse to stop it - it will go off but you are NOT protected!  There is one other reason why these go off when there is no CO present - they monitor the voltage in your house battery(ies) and if the battery voltage is LOW the CO alarm goes off. This is to warn you that with a low house battery(ies) you are NOT PROTECTED from CO poisoning.  The CO Detector comes on with your Roadtrek battery switch and there will be a green light on the front of the detector indicating it is on and working. There is also a push button test button to push in and sound the alarm for you to test that it is working. The other reason why a CO Detector should not be replaced with a home detector but always with an RV CO Detector is that the operating temperature range of the RV CO detector is much wider a range from a home detector - it will work in much higher temperatures and much lower temperatures (the home detectors are made for inside a house where the temperatures are more controlled and not as hot and not as cold as the inside of an RV can get.

CARBON MONOXIDE IS LIGHTER THAN AIR AND FLOATS TO THE CEILING.

For this reason the CO Detector is installed by Roadtrek near the ceiling of the Roadtrek in the rear (usually on the passenger side). 

 

In this photo you are looking up from the bed to the ceiling - the CO Detector is just above the thermostat panel. 

THE PROPANE DETECTOR 

The Propane detector alarm will go off when propane gas is leaking into the inside of the Roadtrek. For many Roadtreks, your stove, your hot water heater, your three way refrigerator, and your furnace use propane gas that is located in a propane tank under the chassis of your Roadtrek. Any break or crack in a propane pipe, pipe joint, pipe connection, the propane tank - or any one of the appliances that use propane can put Propane gas into your Roadtrek.  Propane is EXPLOSIVE.  A propane fire does not go out until all of the propane gas is burned off. Propane fires have been known to burn an RV to its shell. Propane explosions can level a house. You only have to see a propane fire or a propane explosion once - either in person or in a photo or video to know the massive destruction it can cause. THIS is why you have a propane detector to warn you with enough time to get out and away from the RV.  Like the CO Detector, the propane detector has a five year lifespan and it will do the same thing that the CO Detector does. One month before its expiration date it will intermittently go off to warn you to replace it. In the expiration month it will go off constantly telling you that you were warned to replace it and now you MUST replace it NOW. Also it will go off if the house battery(ies) are low voltage. There are a few other things that will set off the propane alarm - any aerosol can sprayed near the propane detector will set off its alarm. Your dog passing gas next to the propane detector will set off the alarm. (I supposed a person doing the same can have the same result.)  The way to test a propane alarm is to use a cigarette gas lighter. Put the lighter next to the propane detector - close to it - and push down the button that releases the gas from the lighter - Do Not flick the wheel on the lighter - you do not want a flame. The propane detector should go off immediately. There is a light on the front of the propane detector to show you it is working. It is still advisable to do a test with a lighter.

 PROPANE IS HEAVIER THAN AIR AND SINKS TO NEAR THE FLOOR 

For this reason Roadtrek installed the individual propane detector near the floor under the bed to the aisle wall of the passenger side floor cabinet.

This is the propane detector that Roadtrek used before 2012/2013. This company has become a one man operation who is making them in his basement - and my experience with him and the replacement I bought from him was a terrible.

 

 

 

This is the Safe-T-Alert Propane Detector that I got to replace the original after the fiasco with the replacement for the original. 

THE COMBINATION CARBON MONOXIDE AND PROPANE DETECTOR

As said in 2012/2013 Roadtrek started using a combined in a single unit propane and CO detector. It does both jobs and protects you from both. Again - a five year life span with the same alarms going off as with the individual unit when it come to the month before its lifespan expires.  I have seen some Roadtrek photos were this is installed about halfway between the floor and ceiling. I asked for a photo of one of the combination detectors in a Roadtrek and this photo was kindly shared by Susan Howell. Here is a photo of the unit in her 2013 190 Popular Chevy chassis Roadtrek. You will see that is is installed near the floor.  Since this is an early year with the "new" combo detector Roadtrek may have moved it higher in later model years. There are videos showing mounting these mid-way. This is not up for debate - where yours is mounted in your Roadtrek is where it should be.  

 

THE SMOKE DETECTOR - FIRE ALARM  

 

The smoke detector that is in your Roadtrek is a regular house smoke detector. It is not hard wired to house battery(ies). It  is either run by a 9 volt DC put in the back battery or with newer replaced smoke detectors it has a 10 year never needs replacing until it dies in 10 years battery. The smoke detector is located in just about the worst place a smoke detector is to be placed -  in the front of the Roadtrek just across the aisle from the stove. If you buy a new smoke detector for your house it will have in its installation instructions that it should not be placed in a kitchen but at least 20 feet from your stove or cooking appliances. Of course, 20 feet in a Roadtrek in any direction is outside Roadtrek. So as a result the smoke detector will go off when you are cooking on the stove using an electric cooking appliance on the kitchen counter, etc.  Contrary to a belief I have heard from some (I say laughing), the smoke detector is not there to tell you that dinner is done cooking when the smoke alarm goes off. 😀

I have to share that we were heating a can of soup on the Roadtrek stove, the smoke detector went off. There was no smoke - just steam and not further than just above the pot. We tried using a two slice toaster on the kitchen counter and the smoke detector went off.  And to get it to go off we had to take if off the wall and take it outside and wave it around and then had to take the batteries out.  Even the ceiling fan exhausting out the invisible smoke did not shut the smoke alarm off.  It is important to have -  it can be funny at times but an electrical short that starts a fire  and it goes off it can save your life and your Roadtrek. But for this reason when it came time to replace the original in my Roadtrek and I found out that in this state stores are only allowed to sell 10 year smoke detectors - and you cannot take the battery out of it if it will not go off (the way you can with a 9 volt battery operated smoke detector alarm - I waited until we were on a trip in the Roadtrek and bought one in Pennsylvania, where both types can be sold, that uses a 9 volt battery.   With the 9 volt battery detectors - just like at home - if you hear it chirping and that does not stop - it needs a new 9 volt battery. And as is advised every New Year's Day - replace the battery in the 9 volt battery smoke detectors. 

REPLACING THE CO DETECTOR AND THE PROPANE DETECTOR

These two articles have been on this site for a long time. One is how to replace the individual CO Detector and the other is how to replace the individual propane detector.  When I replaced each I made some simple modifications to the wiring to make it easy to replace each when the time came again. The modifications make an easy job even easier! 

REPLACING THE CO DETECTOR 

 

REPLACING THE PROPANE DETECTOR 

(The propane alarm article details what went wrong when I tried to use an exact replacement of the original and what I finally had to do with a different one.) 

 

So that is it. Seems simple - is simple!  Obvious to all?  You might think so - but apparently not...

THE GENERATOR SEEMS DEAD - THE GENERATOR RUNS BUT THERE IS NO POWER IN MY ROADTREK!

This article applies to Roadtreks with the Onan gasoline powered generator Microlite 2800 models up to the KY model that came out mid to late 2012. It applies to the KV model that is the model before the KY and should apply to earlier Onan's.  I DO NOT KNOW if it applies to the newest Onan Microlite 2800 model as that has a very different motor.

 

The Onan Microlite 2800 gasoline  generator in the Roadtrek will at times not start - it does not try to start and stop. When the start switch is pressed - either on the wall or inside the generator itself - the motor seems to be DEAD! This could be a mechanical issue inside the Onan but the first thing to check is the FUSE inside the Onan.  Early Roadtreks had the Onan in a compartment on the outside of the van on the side wall.  These are easy to work with inside the generator. Later Roadtrek moved the generator under the chassis of the van.  Look under the rear bumper toward the driver's side and you will see it hanging down.  The FUSE is inside the generator case. The fuse is between the Roadtrek battery(ies) and the ignition of the generator motor and this goes through the generator's control panel. 

 

 

Sometimes the generator starts just fine - and runs perfectly but there is no 120 volts of AC power coming out of the generator.  You turn on the A/C and nothing happens! You turn on the microwave and nothing happens! The first thing to check is the CIRCUIT BREAKER inside the Onan! The internal Onan CIRCUIT BREAKER is between the Onan's output and the Roadtrek! 

As you can see in the illustration above - the breaker and the fuse are near each other. 

 Getting to the Onan when it is under the chassis -  

I should not have to say this but before going to the generator SHUT THE GENERATOR OFF!

 Sorry to say, you have to crawl under the back of the van's rear bumper on the driver's side either on your back or on your belly. When you get close enough it will be above your head - and it is a pain to work on it propping yourself up on your elbows or reaching up on your back looking at it upside down. 

You then have to remove the access panel on the front of the Onan's case by pushing up on the two buttons - shown in the first illustration - at the same time and then pull forward and down on the panel to take it off.  Once the panel is off you will see an  open space in the middle - as shown in the second illustration.  In the picture here it is easy to see. Looking inside the Onan upside down or trying to look up at it - it is not so easy to see.  You might not see it all all.  if that is the case you are going to have to rely on touch.  

 FOR THE FUSE - PUT TWO FINGERS IN AND FEEL FOR IT - it is a regular automotive blade type fuse - 5 amps. Get hold of it with two fingers and pull it out (try not to drop it). Look into the center of the top of the fuse and see if the metal connection inside is broken. If so the fuse is blown and must be replaced - and when you do so the generator will start right up - if this was what the problem is. 

FOR THE CIRCUIT BREAKER -  PUT A FINGER DOWN AND FEEL FOR THE LITTLE BLACK HANDLE THAT POINTS TO THE PASSENGER SIDE.  Once you find it push it DOWN TO RESET IT and then with a finger under it PULL IT UP TO SET IT. It will click into place and stay there.    

 If you want to wait to put the access panel door back on and go and try the generator to see if all is well, then there is no problem leaving it off until you go inside and turn on the generator and if it was the fuse make sure it starts and if it was the circuit breaker to make sure you now have power.  Then crawl under again and put the access panel back on.    You have to push up the two buttons again and put the top in first and swing the bottom into the Onan to close the panel - once set in let go of the buttons  and if they don't want to go on their own - push them down to lock the panel on. 

IF you changed the fuse and want to start the generator with the internal start switch - shown above - you can BUT the generator when it starts is going to vibrate and you do not want to have your hands or your head anywhere close to it. I don't recommend it having done it. 

 WHY DID THE FUSE BLOW?  The generator may have overloaded when starting.  When the generator is being difficult to start - do not just keep holding onto the start switch inside the Roadtrek. Let off the switch - wait a half minute and then push the button again. After several attempts to start it - let is sit for ten minutes and then try again.   

 WHY DID THE CIRCUIT BREAKER TRIP? This can happen if a load over 2800 watts is put on the Onan - A/C turned on and then the Microwave is turned on at the same time. AC is running and a hair dryer is plugged into an RT outlet and turned on.   

BUT IT IS VERY COMMON FOR THE BREAKER TO BE SHUT OFF WHEN ANYONE - PRO OR OWNER DOES ANYTHING INSIDE THE ONAN - INCLUDING JUST CHECKING THE OIL.                                                    

What happens is the set breaker handle is located close enough to the top of the open space that hands easily hit it down and turn it off. I have been at an Onan shop and when they told me it was ready and aI went inside to turn it on and make sure - and the Onan is running - great! - BUT the microwave display is dark (this is a quick place to look to see that you have power as when plugged in or running the Onan the display is lit - even though the microwave is not turned on. I turned on the A/C just to make sure - A/C - it did not start - just like it was dead - which it is without any 110/120 volt electricity. I called the service tech back over and told him to go under again and put the breaker back on - as he obviously hit it when he was working inside. He was not happy. They hate going under to work on it also. 

WHAT IF NEITHER OF THESE WORK TO FIX IT?    

The least expensive thing to have happened is a connection from either the fuse or the breaker came off of the Control Board. This happened to me - found by an Onan service tech - we both thought it was the breaker but a wire from the breaker came loose on the control board inside the Onan.  Worst case is there is something much bigger wrong with the Onan.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                ======================  

The last time I had my Onan in for service I watched the service tech go under in a different way to work on the Onan. He rolled under on a mechanic's creeper from behind the driver's rear tire from the driver's side of the Roadtrek. He was not on the ground. The mechanic's creeper lifted him up high enough to more easily look inside and get inside of the Onan. Every so often Harbor Freight stores put a nice creeper on sale for less than $30. (No I don't work for Harbor Freight and I get nothing from them for mentioning their store! (I wish I did 😉!) 

The two illustrations are from the Onan KV manual.  If you do not have an Onan manual, EMAIL US! and I have a KV and a KY manual that I will email you the one you need. I also have a KV service manual which is very thick in pages. I can email that to you if  you ask for it - it is for the KV but the basics will apply to the KY. Be sure to tell me in the email if your Onan is a KV or KY so that you get the correct manual.  These are no longer easy to find on the Cummins/Onan website.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

                                                                                                                                                                                                      

TWO BATTERY CHARGING SYSTEMS IN A STANDARD CHEVY ROADTREK ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

 

This article gets into some very technical explanations which I have tried to simplify as best as I can!

 There are two key components of the battery charging system in the Chevy Roadtreks. The two components in some cases work independent of the other. In other cases they work together. The equipment for these two components also vary by year and model of the Roadtrek.

One of these components charge the Roadtrek battery or batteries (which also depends on year and model) when the engine is running. The other of these components charges the Roadtrek battery or batteries when the Roadtrek is plugged in or running the generator.

 Before we go any further – none of what is in this article applies to Roadtreks that have the optional electric system components that began to make their appearance in late 2013 and beyond. These are – Roadtrek designed Ecotrek lithium ion batteries, solar panels, the underhood generator, and a system Roadtrek designed called VoltStart.  (Voltstart monitored the coach batteries voltage and when the voltage dropped automatically started the Chevy engine to run the optional underhood generator to recharge the batteries. There was also an option to get Voltstart which would start the Onan generator when the battery voltage dropped and the battery (batteries) needed to be recharged.) Also any modification to the Chevy Roadtrek’s electrical system by an owner to include lithium ion batteries, solar panels,  a DC to DC charger, replacement of the TrippLite inverter/converter/charger, etc makes anything in this article not apply to your Chevy based Roadtrek.  Any of these options and owner modifications changes what needs to be on when, what does what, and how things work in regard to the electrical system.

 What Roadtreks does this article apply to - any Roadtrek with the standard basic electrical system – and though this article we will talk about what that consists of.

 This article is not going to be broken down in parts – it will be one article with everything in it – and, therefore, it may be long.  So let’s get started.

 First we are going to look at how driving the Chevy based  Roadtrek or running the Chevy Roadtrek’s engine charges the batteries (battery). 

 Year and model effects this.  Chevy Roadtrek 170, 190, 210 and Chevy Roadtrek Simplicity models and Ranger Models (the Chevy based Simplicity was a scaled down 170 or 190 – Roadtrek later names a non-Chevy based Roadtrek the Simplicity – and that is not included here. The Ranger was also a scaled down Chevy based 170 or 190 with options to include some of the features of the regular 170 and 190.  Both the Simplicity (which was short-lived) and the Ranger were an attempt to reduce the price of a Roadtrek to make it more affordable). Year determines also what electrical components Roadtrek is installing.

 Early Roadtreks and into the mid 2000s for the Chevy based Roadtreks have a battery isolator installed by Roadtrek in the engine compartment.  The battery isolator connects the engine battery with the Roadtrek coach battery(ies). A cable is run from the coach battery(ies) to the engine and is connected to a battery cable connection on the battery isolator. Between the cable and the isolator Roadtrek installs a self-resetting circuit breaker. A cable connected to the engine battery is also brought to the battery isolator and also has a self-resetting circuit breaker between the cable and the connection to the isolator.  There is a ground cable also attached. Here is a photo of a Roadtrek battery isolator – under the hood against the back engine wall.

THIS PHOTO COMES FROM RED ROVER

 The battery isolator works in only one direction – from the engine battery to the Roadtrek battery(ies) and only charges the Roadtrek coach battery(ies). Of course, the engine battery is charged normally by the van alternator.  So why mention this  -  when you are plugged in to shore power or running the Roadtrek generator – if you have one – the engine battery is NOT charged by the battery isolator.

 This continues in the Roadtrek standard electrical system until 2007 later year built Chevy Roadtreks and then 2008 and beyond – with the standard electrical system.  According to the creator of the Roadtrek Electrical Simulator in his written NOTES that accompany the Simulator, in 2008 Roadtrek changes from a battery isolator to a battery separator as at this point Roadtrek found that the isolator was not working as it should when compared to a TrippLite 750 inverter/converter/charger.  (The 2005s have a TrippLite 600 inverter/converter/charger. Per the Roadtrek brochures for 2006 and 2007, they have the TrippLite 750 but they do not change over to the battery separator for these years and remain with the battery isolator though some later built in 2007 Roadtreks may have the battery separator. This is a photo of the battery separator, Notice the simpler and fewer connections.

 

What is the difference between the two?

The battery separator does the same thing as the battery isolator but in a different way electronically. They are connected the same way. They both charge the Roadtrek coach battery(ies) when you drive but it has an added feature – it is bidirectional – which means not only does it charge the coach batteries when the engine is running but it also charges the engine battery WHEN THE ROADTREK IS PLUGGED IN OR RUNNING THE GENERATOR! 

I can best explain how the battery separator works as I am most familiar with that.  The battery separator monitors the battery voltage – the separator monitors both sides – the engine battery voltage and the Roadtrek coach battery voltage. The battery separator used by Roadtrek is the Sure Power 1315-200 (BIDIRECTIONAL) 12 VOLT 200 AMP BATTERY SEPARATOR.  There are two voltages that the battery separator looks for.  When either battery – the engine battery or the Roadtrek battery(ies) is below the “disconnect threshold” (which is 12.8 volts DC) the relay is opened connecting the two sides – engine battery to Roadtrek battery(ies). This starts charging of one or the other of the two sides.  Which? If the engine is running the engine battery is charging the Roadtrek battery(ies).  IF you are plugged into SHORE POWER OR RUNNING THE GENERATOR then the Roadtrek battery(ies) are charging the engine battery at the same time the TrippLite is charging the Roadtrek battery(ies).  When the “connect threshold” voltage (which is 13.2 volts DC) of the battery(ies) being charged is reached the battery separator shuts off charging.  The battery separator is designed when it is off to preserve the engine battery at 12.8 volts – which is 100% of the engine battery’s capacity to start the engine.

 This is very confusing to most and is from the Sure Power documentation for the battery separator. These voltage numbers to most of us are not important – BUT if a mechanic needs to test the battery separator (or a battery isolator – he needs these numbers to make it connect and disconnect. While we are paused for the moment, I want to explain simply about 12 volt battery voltage.  It would seem that when a 12  volt battery is fully charged, if you read the voltage of the battery it would read 12 volts. That is not what it will read. If it is fully charged it will read between 12.7 and 12.8 volts. Between 12.2 and 12.4 volts the battery is half charged. At 12 volts it is one quarter charged.  At 11.9 volts it is DISCHARGED!  Deep cycle batteries should not be allowed to go below half charge. On the Roadtrek monitor panel half charge is the two bottom LEDs lit – on the digital panel that would be the bottom two indicators. AT THIS POINT THE ROADTREK BATTERY(IES) NEED TO BE RECHARGED! GOING BELOW THIS POINT THE BATTERIES WILL LOSE CHARGING CYCLES - HOW MANY TIMES A BATTERY CAN BE CHARGED TO FULL.

 Back to the battery separator – when you plug in the Roadtrek to shore power and have someone stand next to the front driver’s side of the hood of the van you will hear a CLICK. That click is the battery separator connecting the batteries together on each side – engine and Roadtrek sides connected – and charging!

 When you start the engine, IF YOU LISTEN VERY CLOSLY, you will hear a faint CLICK. The battery separator just connected the batteries and they are charging. Want to be sure – go to the monitor panel on the wall and turn on the battery switch and press the test button – the battery column will be lit top to bottom – top LED or indicator is labeled C for CHARGING!  The Roadtrek battery(ies) are being charged by the engine separator.

 

A QUESTION THAT OFTEN IS ASKED:

DOES THE BATTERY WALL SWITCH NEED TO BE ON WHEN THE ENGINE IS RUNNING TO CHARGE THE ROADTREK BATTERY(IES)?  THE ANSWER IS A SOLID NO!  THE BATTERY(IES) WHEN THE ENGINE IS RUNNING WILL STILL CHARGE WHEN THE BATTERY WALL SWITCH IS OFF!  CAN THE BATTERY SWITCH BE ON IF YOU WANT IT TO BE ON – AS FOR RUNNING THE FRIDGE ON DC WHILE DRIVING? YES, OF COURSE! THIS IS YOUR CHOICE AND EVERY THING WORKS AS IT SHOULD.

 

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE BATTERY SEPARATOR OR A BATTERY ISOLATOR GOES BAD?

Things happen on either the engine side or the Roadtrek side of the electrical system that cannot be explained by any logical reason.  The engine battery could be drained dead. The Roadtrek battery(ies) could be drained dead. Both could be drained dead. Electrical things start happening that just do not make sense!

When this happens take the Roadtrek to either an RV shop or a vehicle mechanic who understands battery separators or battery isolators.  These units are common in food trucks, refrigerated trucks, etc.  Any vehicle where there is a battery for the engine that needs to be connected to a battery for the coach that gets charged by the engine battery when the engine is running. The mechanic who works on my Roadtrek surprised me when I bought my Roadtrek to him because the coach batteries were not charging and draining fast. He tested the battery separator - I gave him the two documents from Sure Power that have all that is needed to test it – and he tested the two self-resetting circuit breakers.  The diagnosis – the battery separator was not putting out any power to the Roadtrek side. The battery separator needed to be replaced.  That time I was lucky because a week before I decided to order a new Sure Power Battery Separator to carry in the Roadtrek just in case and it arrived the day before. I brought it to him and he removed the old one and installed the new one. It was very easy – simple swap of wires and attach to the wall into the same screw holes that held the original.  I highly suggest that you get one to carry as a spare.  They are not found locally – I had to order that one on the other side of the USA. 

 

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A SPARE AND IT IS DRAINING THE ENGINE BATTERY AND YOU ARE STUCK!

First make sure a mechanic has told you that the battery separator is not working correctly. Ask the mechanic to remove the cables from the Roadtrek battery(ies) and the Engine battery from the Separator (or isolator).  Ask them to secure these cables and wrap the ends with electrical tape so that they do not short out under the hood – also to label them to which goes where.  (The BIDIRECTIONAL Sure Power does not matter which battery cable goes on which side) The battery isolator matters and the correct cables need to be connected to the correct connections.  This should take the battery separator or isolator out of the system and allow the battery sides to work independently of the other. This does mean THE ROADTREK BATTERIES WILL NOT CHARGE AS YOU DRIVE OR RUN THE ENGINE. THEY WILL STILL CHARGE WHEN YOU PLUG IN OR RUN THE GENERATOR. WITH THE BATTERY SEPARATOR YOUR ENGINE BATTERY WILL NOT CHARGE WHEN YOU PLUG IN OR RUN THE GENERATOR.  IT WILL CHARGE NORMALY WITH THE VAN ALTERNATOR LIKE ANY OTHER CAR OR VAN.

 

This will get you home or to your destination. If you are on a long term trip try to find the battery separator on the Internet and have it shipped to the location you will be at within the delivery time – and then you can have it installed and all put back together.

 There are two PDF documents that I cannot attach to this article. Both are documents for the Sure Power battery separator written about here.  They are worth having and being able to share with any mechanic if your battery separator needs to be tested. Use the EMAIL US! Link on the right column of this article and ask me to email it to you. I will do so as soon as I see your email!

 

 MOVING ON AND IT GETS A LITTLE EASIER TO UNDERSTAND!

 The second charging component in a Roadtrek!  

 This is also dependent on year and model of your Chevy Roadtrek. To charge your coach battery(ies) when you are plugged in or running the generator (if you have a generator) your standard electrical system Roadtrek either has a CONVERTER/CHARGER or a TRIPPLITE INVERTER/CONVERTER/CHARGER. Roadtreks 2004 or earlier have a Converter/Charger. (Someone with a 2004 is going to say I HAVE ONE!!! – you may – how come – Roadtrek starts putting newly adapted equipment sometimes in a late year built Roadtrek so sure it is possible that someone will have a 2004 with a TrippLite! But according to the 2004 brochure – you have a converter/charger).  Roadtrek started offering a stand alone inverter to the Roadtreks that only have a converter/charger as an option. Some will have it and some will not.

In 2005 Roadtrek installs the TrippLite 600 watt inverter/converter/charger into each of the 2005 Chevy based Roadtrek models. In 2006 Roadtrek installs an upgraded TrippLite 750 watt inverter/converter/charger. The main difference between the two is that the 600 has 150 watts less of inverter wattage from the 750. Right here we need to clarify something very important.  Many refer to the TrippLite – either 600 or 750 – as “the inverter”.  The inverter is JUST ONE of the functions of the TrippLite.  The other two functions is that it is a converter and a charger. By calling it “the inverter” it makes it very confusing trying to determine what a problem with it one is referring to. Some one asks  – “Do I put the inverter on?”  -  is that do I put the inverter function wall switch on or do I put the TrippLite on? Well, most of the time the TrippLite is always on – (we will get deeper into that as we go along) – and it is supposed to be. All the wall switch that says INVERTER on it does is start the inverter function working.

 

THE TRIPPLITE

THE INVERTER FUNCTION WALL SWITCH

If you have a 2005 – you do not have an inverter wall switch. The connection for it is on your TrippLite 600 but Roadtrek chose for some reason not to connect it.  This means that it is always has the inverter function on which can drain your Roadtrek coach battery(ies). To stop this there is a slide switch on the TrippLite that needs to be changed – more about this coming.

Ok – what does the inverter function do?   

The inverter function changes 12 volt DC power into 110 volt AC power.  600 watts and 750 watts is not a lot of wattage and will not power a lot. Because of the limitation Roadtrek only connects three or four outlets to the inverter function on the TrippLite. These outlets also work normally when plugged in or running the generator. But if you have cannot plug in or run the generator (lots of campsites have noise restrictions after a specified hour at night) and you want AC power to watch TV – plug in your laptop, charge your cell phone – you can turn on the inverter wall switch and plug in. The outlets most commonly connected to this are the outlet the TV and home entertainment center is plugged into, the outlet over the kitchen counter, and the outlet the optional coffee maker is plugged into or would have been plugged into. They all work on DC. Roadtrek put this sticker above or next to the outlets connected to the inverter function in my 2011 190 Popular.

 

What does the Converter function do?

The converter is the opposite of an inverter. It changes 110 volts AC into 12 volts DC. Plugged in or running the generator and you have lights, the water pump, the furnace, the hot water heater, etc. working!

 

What does the Charger function do?  

 

The charger charges your coach battery(ies) when you are plugged in or running the generator.  It us putting 12 volts DC into the battery(ies) to charge them.

 The TrippLite wants the battery switch on BEFORE you plug in or run the generator. In Roadtrek put a sticker saying this in some Roadtreks.

 

So, before you plug in, turn on the battery switch.  You need the battery switch on anyway to start the generator.

 

The TrippLite has a cooling fan on the front. When the TrippLite needs to cool itself down so that it does not overheat – the fan starts. The question so many new Roadtrek owners ask – and I asked also – What is that humming noise coming from below the bed? Getting the answer is like being accepted into the ‘club’! It IS the FAN running when it has to. It is not constant. It is intermittent. Over time in the Roadtrek you will get so used to it you will not even notice it. Can it be turned off – NO! It will turn itself off when it is cooled down. I asked a service tech at the dealer I bought the Roadtrek at new – he laughed and said, “Every one asks that! – and he laughed. He told me the answer and smiled. Now, you know the answer too!  I am not familiar with the converter/charger Roadtrek used before the TrippLite but I suspect it too has a fan.

 

Where is the TrippLite – it generally is close to where the battery(ies) is/are outside. Mine is behind the passenger side cargo door.  Rather than go through the story of my search for it – I will link that article here. 

https://roadtrek190popular.blogspot.com/2013/02/in-search-of-elusive-roadtrek-inverter.html

 On the front of the TrippLite there is a slide switch on the upper right front.  There are three positions – left – AUTO/REMOTE --- center – DC OFF -  right – CHARGE ONLY.

 

AUTO/REMOTE - Enables the inverter function switch on the wall to work. By turning the wall switch on when it is enabled the inverter function puts 110 volts into the outlets it is connected to. In this position the battery(ies) do charge – just as they would in Charge only.

 

DC OFF – This position disconnects the TrippLite from the coach battery(ies). This is how to turn off the TrippLite if you want to. The batteries are directly connected to the TrippLite and the TrippLite bypasses the battery wall switch. More about this later. In DC OFF – when plugged in or running the generator THE BATTERY(IES) DO NOT CHARGE. 

 

THIS IS SURE TO RAISE THIS QUESTION – IF IT IS IN DC OFF WILL MY COACH BATTERY(IES) CHARGE WHEN DRIVING AND THE ENGINE IS RUNNING.  YES – YES, THEY WILL STILL CHARGE- It is the battery separator or battery isolator that is charging them when you are running the engine or driving.

 

IF YOU ARE REMOVING THE ROADTREK COACH BATTERY(IES) OR REPLACEING TRIPPLITE SAYS TO DISCONNECT IT FROM THE BATTERY(IES) – PUTTING IT IN DC OFF ELECTRONICALLY DOES THIS! THIS IS SIMPLER THAN REMOVING THE BATTERY CABLES FROM THE TRIPPLITE. ONCE THE BATTERY(IES) ARE BACK IN PLACE AND INSTALLED –  TAKE THE TRIPPLITE OUT OF DC OFF!

 

CHARGE ONLY – Disables the inverter function wall switch. If you put the TrippLite into this setting the inverter wall switch NO LONGER WORKS until you set the slide switch back to Auto/Remote. Why would you want to do this?  If you forgot to turn the inverter wall switch OFF the inverter outlets are LIVE – and even with the battery switch off and nothing plugged into any of the inverter function outlets – the batteries in the Roadtrek will drain as if something was plugged in using the inverter function. If you tend to put that switch on by accident – in some Roadtreks (like mine) the porch light switch is below it – your coach battery(ies) will drain. If you have a 2005 this is how you can turn off the inverter function when you have no remote inverter function switch on the wall.

 

Back to DC OFF - The TrippLite has a small consistent drain on the Roadtrek coach battery(ies).  I had the mechanic who works on my Roadtrek check this and confirmed that yes there is a drain. I then put my TrippLite into DC OFF and had him check for a drain again – NO DRAIN!  When I got my Roadtrek new I was finding the coach batteries were down to half charge in 30 day. I then would plug in and recharge the batteries regularly at the end of each month. Over the years and the batteries got older,  the time between needing to charge was becoming less and less – to about half a month or less.  When I got new coach batteries I decided to keep the TrippLite in DC OFF while it sat on the driveway. When I need to plug in or run the generator I first go to the TrippLite and slide the switch over to Auto/Remote – so that the batteries will charge. Then once the TrippLite is on I put on the battery switch and plug in or start the generator. After we are done doing whatever we are doing inside the Roadtrek or outside the Roadtrek on the driveway DC OFF is turned on again.  When we are leaving on a trip – I put the TrippLite to Auto/Remote and it stays on that the entire trip.  TO BE SURE I DO NOT FORGET TO SET IT TO AUTO/REMOTE WHEN IT NEEDS TO BE IN THAT SETTING I MADE A LABEL AND  PUT IT UNDER MY BATTERY SWITCH TO REMIND ME.

 

SLIDE SWITCH IS ON THE UPPER RIGHT

Looking at the above photo you can see the label below that says Auto/Remote, DC OFF, and Charge Only. When you slide the switch into one of these positions it should CLICK into place - listen for the click. If you do not hear it then the switch is between two positions - even if it looks like it is where it is supposed to be. 

You also see in this photo the blue plug cable. This is the cable that runs through the walls of the Roadtrek to the front passenger side to the Inverter Function Wall Switch. The back of that switch is a matching socket with a matching plug in it. The cable is the same as used for wired computer networks - called a LAN cable.

The TrippLite has a variety of settings.  All of these settings were set in by Roadtrek when it left the Roadtrek factory to where they should be. The most common setting to change is Battery Type. If your Roadtrek came with wet cell deep cycle batteries the battery type DIP Switch is set to wet cell (there are no labels for the DIP switches – all needs to be looked up in the TrippLite manual). If you change to AGM batteries you must change the battery type DIP switch to AGM – the manual says this setting is for GEL batteries – TrippLite has confirmed that the same position applies to AGM batteries.

 

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A TRIPPLITE MANUAL – AGAIN, CONTACT ME BY EMAIL WITH THE EMAIL US!  LINK ON THE RIGHT COLUMN NEXT TO THIS ARTICLE AND I WILL EMAIL THE MANUAL I HAVE TO YOU. IT IS A 750 MANUAL BUT THE 600 HAS THE SAME SETTINGS AND POSITIONS.

 The manual is very good to have as the LEDs on the front of the TrippLite can be used to troubleshoot electrical problems and how to reset the TrippLite if it overloads.

 

It is also important to know is that the TrippLite does not like being plugged into shore power in a GFCI outdoor or indoor outlet. This applies to plugging the Roadtrek at home. I have never had a problem plugging into any 30 amp outlet at a campground – I have never come across one that was obviously GFCI so either they are not or the GFCI reset is not visible.  While building codes frown on it – change the outlet you plug the Roadtrek into at home to a standard home non-GFCI outlet.

As we are on GFCI outlets - the outlets that Roadtrek connected to the TrippLite’s inverter function are all on one shared GFCI circuit. One of the outlets has the TEST and RESET buttons on it. Often this is the outlet that the TV is plugged into – inside the cabinet over the TV in my Roadtrek.  If you plug into one of these outlets – whether on the inverter function OR plugged in or running the generator does not work – then all of the inverter function outlets do not work. Find the outlet with the reset button – press the TEST button first and then press and hold the RESET button and let go to reset the GFCI circuit. Then all of the outlets on that circuit will work! THIS MUST BE DONE WITH ELECTRICITY IN THE SYSTEM – PLUG IN IF YOU CAN.  YOU PROBABLY COULD DO THIS IF THE INVERTER FUNCTION WALL SWITCH IS ON. IF THERE IS NO AC POWER IN THE OUTLETS THE RESET WILL NOT WORK!

 

WHAT CAN GO WRONG WITH THE TRIPPLITE?

 

I have not had problems with the TrippLite and we bought our 2011 new. When we had problems with the new batteries we bought – which I have written about – and I took it to the Roadtrek dealer we bought the Roadtrek from because I can trust them – they did check the TrippLite thoroughly and found no problems with it (what they found was one of the new batteries was defective and had to be replaced – which they handled under warranty for me – even though I did not get the batteries from them (I should have!)

 Like any piece of technology there can be problems but I have found that in must cases that I am told about or read about, it is due to some change done in the Roadtrek that was not followed with changes to the settings on the TrippLite or some wiring issue, etc. Or trying to match the TrippLite with lithium ion batteries (same with the battery separator). There is no mention at all about Lithium Ion batteries in the TrippLite manual. Some claim there are things to do to make it work – but hook up to lithium ion batteries and thinking the TrippLite is just going to work and then get surprised that it doesn’t. In my experience with the company, I have found when I did contact TrippLite to ask them a question was that the company responded to my email request quickly and were very responsive.

 SOMETHING TO BE AWARE OF WITH THE TRIPPLITE:

The TrippLite has a problem with being plugged into a GFCI shore power outlet. It will trip the GFCI switches on that outlet cutting off all power from that outlet. For example- you plug the Roadtrek's shore power cord into a home outdoor GFCI outlet using a 30 amp socket to 15/20 amp plug adapter and what will happen is the GFCI circuit in the outlet will TRIP and there will be no AC voltage power going into the Roadtrek.  If you push the RESET switch on the GFCI outlet with the Roadtrek still plugged into it - it will NOT RESET.  This mostly happens with home outdoor outlets which commonly are GFCI outlets. We have never had this problem plugging the Roadtrek into a campground outlet. We have never come across a 30 amp campground outlet that is GFCI with test and reset switches on the outlet. There may be a central GFCI circuit for that outlet that is common to that and other campsite power outlets  - but none have ever failed to provide voltage to our shore power cord and the Roadtrek.  So what do you do?  The simplest solution is to replace that home outside outlet with a standard 15 or 20 amp home outlet with no GFCI on it. This has been found to be so by many Roadtrek owners who have the TrippLite inverter/converter/charger.  "SOME" have said that if they turned the inverter function switch on the wall in the Roadtrek on FIRST before plugging the Roadtrek's shore power cord into the GFCI outlet, the GFCI did not trip.  I cannot say if this is true or not. When we first plugged the Roadtrek into our home outside outlet that was a GFCI outlet and the GFCI tripped in the outlet, we replaced that outdoor outlet with a standard 20 amp home outlet - the breaker in the house connected to that outlet is 20 amps.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER!  

 

The only interconnection between the battery separator system and the TrippLite is with the Bidirectional Sure Power Battery Separator when the TrippLite and the coach battery(ies) with the Roadtrek plugged in and running the generator. 

 There are clearly two charging systems in the standard Chevy based Roadtrek models and years. The two are designed to interact with each other.  

 Even with all that I know about these systems – I still have some questions myself. This article has been in the planning since 2018.  Every time I thought to sit down and start writing it, those questions kept me from writing.  Back in 2018 my Roadtrek was having some problems and I was not sure if it all did not come down to the battery separator. I contacted two Roadtrek/Internet friends who have a lot more understanding of this type of technology than I did at the time.  The three of us went back and forth over email figuring this all out - together.  Well this article is written now. I have written so much of this article so many times in answer to questions I get by email and by questions asked to all in Facebook Roadtrek Chevy groups and on forums. It was time to put it all down an in one place so I can refer back to this article when questions come.

Thanks for reading the whole thing and getting down to here.  I am always happy to answer questions that get emailed to me. I have mentioned the Email Us! link on the column to the right of this page. As soon as I see the email I tend to just respond to it right then.  Be patient – I am not online all day - though sometimes it feels like I am, but that is OK! And if you take anything away from this article I hope that it is that you will no longer refer to the TrippLite as "the inverter".

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chevy Express Van Tire Pressure and some things to know about the Roadtrek tires

 This article applies only to Roadtreks that are built on the Chevy Express van chassis. This does not apply to Dodge, Sprinter, Dodge Pro Master or any other chassis that Roadtrek has built an RV on.

When I got my 2011 190 Popular built on the Chevy Express 3500 van new from the factory, I had questions about what the best tire pressure would be for the van.  There is a sticker on the driver's door frame toward the bottom that says the tire pressure should be 50 psi in the front tires and 80 psi in the rear tires, but I was reading in the various RV forums that other Chevy Roadtrek owners were varying the front tire pressure.  I contacted Roadtrek's customer service at the time and was able to speak with a Roadtrek factory service technician.  I asked him what the best tire pressure was and why would owners be varying the front tire pressure.  

His answer was this - 

The rear tire pressure must always be filled cold (meaning before the Roadtrek has been driven for that day) to exactly 80 psi as shown on the door sticker, BUT the front tires can be varied. He explained that by varying the front tires in 5 psi increments from the suggested 50 psi that is shown on the sticker, the feel of the ride of the Roadtrek can be changed.  Each change again needs to be done when the Roadtrek has not been driven. 

1)  Start with the two front tires at 50 psi and drive the Roadtrek and evaluate for yourself the feel of how the van drives.

2) Next day  or days later  increase the psi in the two front tires to 55 psi (again when cold).  Again go for a drive and evaluate and compare the feel of the drive to what it was like when the tires were at 50 psi in the front.

3) Next day or days later increase the psi in the two front tires to 60 psi (again when cold).  Again go for a drive and evaluate and compare the feel of the drive to what it was like when the tires were at 50 psi  and at 55 psi in the front.

4) Next day or days later increase the psi in the two front tires to 65 psi (again when cold).  Again go for a drive and evaluate and compare the feel of the drive to what it was like when the tires were at 50 psi  and at 55 psi and 60 psi in the front.

5) STOP the process.  Do not increase the tire pressure in the front tires over 65 psi as he explained that over 65 psi the ride of the Roadtrek's feel will start to degrade. 

6) Decide which psi you liked the ride at most after having driven at each of these psi for the two front tires. 

7) Put the tire pressure of the two front tires (filled cold) at the psi you liked the best. That is the pressure they should be kept at for that feel of the ride you preferred. 

We liked the feel of the front tires at 60 psi and have kept that from when we did this evaluation to today. I have read others say that they also like 60 psi front. This does not mean that you will like 60 psi front - you may like one of the other increments of 5 psi over 50 psi - or you might like the 50 psi that Roadtrek starts you off at for the front tires.

+++++++++++++++++++++

Some things about the Roadtrek tires -    

As you are driving all vehicle tires get hot from friction against the road and the psi increases in the tires in this process. This is normal and the tires are made to be able to hold that increase in tire pressure.  The Roadtrek tires are no different and the tire size and designation that Roadtrek puts on the Roadtreks are made to accommodate these changes in pressure as you drive.  The tires on the Roadtrek Chevy Express van are light truck tires.  They also need to have an "E" rating - not all tires do.  This is what allows the tires to be filled at high pressure to start with.  The tire size that came with my Roadtrek 2011 190 Popular is LT245/75R16/E.  LT - light truck     R- Speed rating     /E - what I have just referred to.

These are tires for a commercial light truck - a vehicle heavier than a car or regular van. This tire size is not limited to any one make of tires. What is important to know is if you go to a tire retailer's website and are looking at tires  - they often ask you fill in what year, make and  model is the van - in my case that would be a 2011 Chevy Express 3500 van.  Then they ask what tire size you want - and I put in LT245/75R16/E - as that is the size that was on my Roadtrek coming from the Roadtrek factory - and the correct tire for the Roadtrek.  What will come up on the tire website is "THAT TIRE IS NOT FOR THIS VEHICLE" and if I was buying tires for a regular, not a Roadtrek, Chevy 3500 or 2500 passenger or cargo van that would be correct. BUT we do not have a regular, passenger or cargo van - we have a converted Chevy 3500 or 2500 van that is now a Class B motorhome. And this size tire with all of its designations is what the Roadtrek needs to have. 

Now just to make this a little more confusing - (don't ya just hate when that happens?) - when I put in the size including the /E at the end - some tires came up with the right size BUT WITHOUT THE /E! So I had to make doubly sure that the tires I was looking to select and buy had the /E on the end. 

Everyone has their preferences about what brand of tires they like and I am not going to get into what brand I like and why - or why this one is better than that one. So I leave brand up to you! The other decision to make when looking at these tires in this size is some are "All Season" tires - and they are good in different weather conditions - rain, snow, ice.   Other tires in this size are "All Terrain" tires - these are tires that are made for off road driving and may or may not be best when it comes to different weather conditions - some are and some may not be. When I was looking to get new tires for my Roadtrek I found a tire that I liked that was All Terrain - and since in the mud the Roadtrek is heavy and can sink (don't ask), I thought it would be a good idea to have that type of tire.  When I went to buy the tires and I was speaking with the tire shop manager and said I was interested in those tires he asked me how much off road driving do you do - and do you do more highway driving than off road driving.  Well, honestly, the extent of off road driving my Roadtrek has done is driving on gravel roads in campgrounds and onto gravel campsites, and an occasional grass field - which I will no longer drive onto if it has been recently raining. I told him 95% of the driving my Roadtrek does is on paved roads and highways. His advice was buy the All Weather tires instead of the All Terrain tire because the All Terrain tire will be a rough ride on a paved road and the All Season tire will be a much smoother ride.  There was a model of the tire I was looking at that was All Season - and less money - and that is what I bought and had put on. So far they have been good. 

The other thing to know about the Roadtrek tires is that the two front tires MUST be the same PSI.  We found out about this when we got our Roadtrek home from the dealer we bought it at two states away.   When we picked up the Roadtrek at the dealer we drove our car to the dealer and when we got the Roadtrek and were coming home (a day later)  Meryl wanted to drive - and that was fine with me. Meryl has been driving our passenger vans for years and she has no problem driving the Roadtrek - so I followed her in the Roadtrek in our car going home.  When we got home she asked me if I felt the Roadtrek was pulling to the right when driving it. I had been driving it locally the night before while we stayed close by to the dealer just in case anything was wrong with the Roadtrek - which there was - but that is in a very early article- and on the small farm roads I was driving it on I had not noticed. So the next day we got into the Roadtrek and I drove it on a local limited access expressway to see if it was pulling - not that I did not believe Meryl - and, of course, it was pulling to the right. (Meryl is always right and I do mean that.) So now we had to find out what to do. We called Roadtrek at the factory and they said call Chevy. We called Chevy and when we told Chevy it was converted to a Class B RV they sent us back to Roadtrek - who contacted Chevy corporate and Chevy said to bring it to the local Chevy dealer's service and they would do an alignment under warranty. (This little tale becomes an epic. 😏 ) So we went to the Chevy dealer's service and they said "we don't do alignments we send them out to a local alignment shop and they are expecting you and we went there. At the chain company alignment shop they looked at the Roadtrek and said - we don't have a rack or the height in our shop to do an alignment on a van that is that tall and that heavy - and recommended a truck shop. The service tech could see I was more than a little disappointed and said wait let me see something. He went over to the Roadtrek with a tire gauge and asked me what way was it pulling - "to the right" I said- and he got out his tire gauge and checked the right front tire. He then went to the left front tire and checked that tire. The right tire was a LOT less psi than the left front tire.  He filled the right front equal to the left - and said drive around for awhile before you go to the truck shop to get an alignment and see if it still pulling to the right - or anywhere.  We went right over to the expressway and drove - the Roadtrek drove straight as an arrow! And it still does.  The unfortunate part of this story is that to deliver the Roadtrek from the factory in Canada to the Roadtrek dealer in Pennsylvania, it was driven by a Roadtrek driver. A driver who never said anything to the Roadtrek dealer that is was pulling - as when we spoke to the dealer about all of this they were surprised. This was the state of Roadtrek in 2011 - which is another story that I have not written about.

Anyway - the moral of the tale is if your Roadtrek is pulling when you are driving check the two front tires and make sure they are the same psi! 

One last thing -   I keep the Roadtrek's spare tire at 80 psi. If a tire had to be changed and the spare put on, it is easier to take the 80 down to 60 for a front tire replacement than to have to fill from 60 to 80 for a back tire. When you check the air in the tires - don't forget to check the spare!  

If you have any questions contact us by using the Email Us!  link on the right column of this page!

THE COOL CAT AIR CONDITIONER AND HEAT PUMP

 Early Chevy and Dodge Roadtreks had a home air conditioner installed.  Roadtrek then in the Chevy - and some later Dodge models changed to using the Dometic Cool Cat air conditioner and heat pump instead. The Cool Cat shares a thermostat and controls with the Furnace and this is a separate panel on the passenger side wall near the Cool Cat near the rear of the Roadtrek.  Some refer to the Cool Cat just as a "heat pump" but the Cool Cat is a combination A/C and heat pump.  The Cool Cat is 10.5 K BTUs of cooling. 

For the size of the interior of the Roadtrek this should be more than enough as there are room air conditioners that cool a room and more with 10.5K BTUs. The difference in a Roadtrek, however, is a room in a house is much better insulated that the walls and roof of the Roadtrek. 

The COOL CAT and is Cool and Heat Pump functions to work, the Roadtrek MUST be plugged into SHORE POWER OR have the GENERATOR RUNNING.  It will not work on the inverter. It will not work on battery(ies). It will not work on Solar. IF YOU ARE RUNNING THE A/C on the generator and you run the microwave at the same time it is going to overload the electrical system in the Roadtrek which will shut down to not result in damage.

Here is a photo of the Cool Cat --- 

Notice that there are no controls on the unit - they are on the thermostat panel on the wall. The three round vents on the front above the grill turn around and you can point the slots in each grill up, down, to the left and to the right and at any angle. They may feel stiff to turn. Turn them, they will turn and stay where you put them. 

Under the Cool Cat above the bed on the lowered ceiling over the bed there are also vents. These vents have two knurled round wheels to direct the air from the Cool Cat where you want it coming down on the bed.  Turn the wheels with the Cool Cat running and you will find what turn of the wheels and combination of the turn of the wheels direct the air where.  These vents are black in color - some don't are not even aware that they are there. 

 

This is the analog thermostat panel for the Cool Cat - and the furnace. Newer Cool Cats will have a digital panel on the wall. 

Take a look at the switches and slides.  These turn on and turn off the Cool Cat - AND the furnace. 

Here is what the newer digital thermostat and control panel looks like -  

Both the analog and the digital control panels have the exact same functions and settings. 

Using the analog panel - 

COOL - turns on the Air Conditioner in the Cool Cat.

OFF - shuts off the Air Conditioner, the Heat Pump, and the Furnace.

FURNACE - The Roadtrek furnace is turned on (this runs on propane - there is no propane used for any other function on this panel.

HEAT PUMP - This turns the HEAT PUMP on inside the Cool Cat. (I will get into what that is later in this article.)

UNDER the word FAN - The ON and AUTO slide switch. This is an important switch. If you turn the Cool Cat on Cool or Heat Pump - and set that switch to ON- all the Cool Cat will do is blow room temperature air at you - all you have done is turn on the FAN inside the Cool Cat when the function slide switch is set to COOL  - NO COLD AIR COMES OUT!  For COLD AIR to come out of the Cool Cat - this must be in AUTO!  The same for the Heat pump in the Cool Cat -  Set the function slide witch to Heat Pump and with this set to ON - no heat comes out of the Cool Cat.  And also as with Cool - this Fan switch must be set to AUTO.  AUTO also acts like a power saver on a home A/C - on AUTO - when the set temperature is reached the compressor of the Cool Cat goes off and the Cool Cat goes to "sleep" waiting for the temp to get warm and then the A/C compressor comes back on and starts blowing cold again.  This same thing happens with the Heat Pump - and the FURNACE.  Often owners of Roadtreks with the Cool Cat will say it keeps going on and off. This is why. (More about this coming later.)

BELOW On/Auto is the speed of the blower in the Cool Cat - HI and LO - obviously HI - fast - LO - slow. 

The thermostat setting is on the right slide up for 90 degrees and above - that is the temp that is coming OUT of the Cool Cat  - NOT the temperature you are trying to cool down or heat up from. Slide down for down to 40 degrees.  NOTE - Fahrenheit settings on the right side and Celsius settings on the left side.  

HOW TO TURN ON THE AIR CONDITIONER FUNCTION OF THE COOL CAT - 

This is the best way to get the COOL CAT A/C blowing COLD! 

1)  FAN SWITCH ON AUTO.

2/ FAN SPEED ON HI.

3) SET THERMOSTAT SLIDE TO COLDER THAN YOU WANT IT TO BE INSIDE THE ROADTREK -  BELOW 60 UNLESS THE TEMP INSIDE IS NEAR 60 - IF SO, THEN COLDER!

4) SLIDE THE FUNCTION TO COOL. 

 The Cool Cat should come on. It will NOT blow cold right away and how long it will take to feel cold will depend on how hot it is inside the Roadtrek. If the inside of the Roadtrek is 100 F or above, it is going to take a little while for you to start feeling cook air coming out and then blow cold.  This could take 15 minutes maybe.  If the temp inside is 80F it will take less time to feel cold air coming out. 

 I recently ran the A/C with the inside of the RT in the upper 90s - it took 30 minutes to bring the inside of the Roadtrek to 80 degrees - standing in front of the A/C I felt cold. (My thermometer is near the driver's end of the kitchen counter.) In an hour it was 70 degrees inside.  We have been in the RT sitting at night in the front seats swiveled to watch the TV in the rear with the Cool Cat blowing cold and get too cold in the front. 

5) When the temp inside is near where you want it - turn the thermostat down to the temperature you want it to be. Let it run and enjoy the cold. 

6) When you want to shut off the Cool Cat A/C  slide the function switch down to OFF. 

THE HEAT PUMP  

The heat pump is an electric heater that is built into the Cool Cat. This is becoming popular  in home A/Cs.  The important thing to know about the heat pump is that it DOES NOT WORK if the temperature inside the RT or outside the RT at 40F degrees or lower (I have also found it not go on at 45F inside.) This is how it is designed - it is not a defect. It is meant to be used when it is cool inside the Roadtrek - not COLD inside the Roadtrek. When it is cold - 40 or just above - turn on the FURNACE instead. It works in the Spring and the early Fall - I had it on in early Spring - and it was cool at night and just enough to want a little heat. It got cold overnight and I was awakened by COLD air hitting me from the Cool Cat.  I jumped up to get to the panel and start the furnace.  It is so limited that we rarely use it. 

STARTING THE HEAT PUMP  

1)  FAN SWITCH ON AUTO.

2) FAN SPEED ON HI.

3) SET THERMOSTAT SLIDE TO WARMER THAN YOU WANT IT TO BE INSIDE THE ROADTREK -  ABOVE 80. 

4) SLIDE THE FUNCTION TO HEAT PUMP - NOTE - FURNACE IS ABOVE HEAT PUMP - DO NOT PAUSE WHEN YOU GO PAST FURNACE GETTING TO HEAT PUMP -  THE FURNACE WILL START (OR TRY TO START IF PROPANE IS NOT TURNED ON IN YOUR ROADTREK) When the furnace starts when you don't want it, it is a pain to get it off as it must cylce though trying to ignite the furnace and at the same time turn on the furnace's fan which keeps running (as it is supposed to) when the furnace is turned on. 

5) When it is warm enough for you inside the Roadtrek slide the thermostat to the temp you want it to stay at. 

PROBLEMS THAT CAN HAPPEN WITH THE COOL CAT THAT ARE NOT THE COOL CAT'S FAULT!

 Here are two photos - First is the location of the Thermostat panel --- 

Notice how close it is to the Cool Cat just above and to the right! 

This is the photo of the Cool Cat we started with! Look closely at the left round vent! What direction is it pointing in? DOWN AND TO THE RIGHT! And what is down and to the right in the photo above -  the thermostat!   As I had said - the Cool Cat shuts down when the thermostat  temperature is reached. The thermostat gets COLDER before any other place inside the Roadtrek - so the Cool Cat shuts down waiting for it to get hot inside again - at the thermostat! The Cool Cat keeps going ON and OFF!

Roadtrek has a few design flaws and this is one of them!  The thermostat should NOT be next to the air conditioner! 

SO WHAT DO YOU DO ABOUT THIS?!    

Simple - 

TURN THE LEFT VENT AWAY FROM THE LEFT SIDE OF THE VAN. 

It can be pointed up to the ceiling - or straight ahead with a little slant to the right.  

ANOTHER PROBLEM THAT CAN HAPPEN!  

When we first got our Roadtrek new, I did not know about setting the Fan speed to HI. I did not want it blowing heavy on us so I would set it to LO.  Makes sense, right? Well we got the RT in early Spring. I would run the A/C because it was warm enough inside the RT to need it - but outside it was not that warm.  I started hearing a noise coming from the Cool Cat when it was running like marbles in a can being shaken around. It turned out that the noise was ice balls forming inside the Cool Cat and hitting the fan inside and bouncing around.  I did not know at the time that this was what was happening. 

We took a trip that year in late September and it was warm enough for the A/C at night and it was running when we went to bed.  Early that morning I woke up hearing a loud bang - coming from the Cool Cat!  And it stopped working and would not turn on again. As it turned out, we were an hour and a half from the dealer we bought the Roadtrek at - it was a weekday and I called them when they opened that morning. They said bring it right now and we will look at it. We did  - and they did. They found inside the Cool Cat it was solid ice!  They put down a tarp and melted the ice. When they told us it was ready - they said never put the fan speed on LO.  If it had been on HI this would not have happened. Lesson learned - I was sure the Cool Cat was a goner - it was fine once the ice was gone.  I keep it on HI from then on! 

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You should know that there are no accessible parts inside the Cool Cat while it is mounted in the Roadtrek other than the filter. If you remove the front grill - held in place with Robertson screws (square hole screws) - there is nothing you can get at inside that is mechanical. The  Cool Cat must be removed from the Roadtrek - not a job you want to even consider unless you have a great deal of hands on experience in RV repairs - for any repairs. There is also no built in way to recharge its coolant - that is a closed system. I am told that if the Cool Cat is out a professional A/C shop MAY be able to cut in a port-  which does require the Cool Cat to be removed from the Roadtrek - and unless this pro A/C shop is not a RV service shop they are not going to take the Cool Cat out and reinstall it! 

What you can do yourself and is easy is change the filter and this does not involve removing a single screw. Here is a link to our article on how to change the Cool Cat filter. 

https://roadtrek190popular.blogspot.com/2024/04/removing-filter-from-cool-cat-air.html

 As is our new policy - if you have any questions - use the Email Us! link on the right column of the page.