I purchased a 1986 22' LD a couple of months ago. I have not had much time to spend on understanding all of the operating systems yet. I finally have some time off from work and am going to try to get to know my rig a little better. I do have the Owner's Manual, but have found something on the RV that is not mentioned in the manual. There is a toggle switch to the right of the steering column. It is marked LPG on one side and 12V on the other. I am wondering if I need to switch the toggle to LPG in order to fire up the furnace and water heater. I have not yet tested either. I am a complete RV luddite.
Older LDs had three-way refrigerators They could be powered by 120-VAC, 12-VDC or propane.
Some prefer to run on 12-volts when driving, using the alternator to power the refrigerator.
Be careful not to leave the switch in the 12-volt position, after arriving. Leaving the refrigerator on 12-volts can kill the battery in just a few hours, as it draws between 22-25-amps.
You might want to ignore the 12-volt position and run only on propane, while traveling. This allows the alternator to charge the battery quicker and eliminates the possibility of accidentally killing the battery.
LD discontinued using 3-way refrigerators several years ago, switching to 2-way refrigerators, deleting the 12-volt option.
Larry
'86 Blaze,
The 1986-1988?? manual has some fairly extensive instructions on the AES(Automatic Energy S??) Dometic 3 way refrigerator use, including a 20-30 minute time delay for propane ignition on the cooling unit. This could be a problem if delayed refueling occurs. My '88 MB on the Ford Chassis does not appear to have this switch and I usually shut off the propane at the tank while traveling.
Interesting, I don't recall seeing that toggle switch on my old '85. Maybe I just forgot, lol!
Neither did our '83, but there was manual switching on the fridge control panel. There was also a relay in the 12V circuit to cut it off except when the ignition was on. Perhaps the switch on the dash is to substitute for the relay.
Steve
Steve,
The '86 LD manual always talked of the Chevy truck. and mine was a '88 Ford. I thought the 12V /Propane switch was a Chevy thing. The relay through the ignition switch would do the same thing without thought, and light off the refrigerator's propane burner 20 minutes after the key was turned off if propane is present at the refer.
Rodney
'88MB
Steve,
The '86 LD manual always talked of the Chevy truck. and mine was a '88 Ford. I thought the 12V /Propane switch was a Chevy thing. The relay through the ignition switch would do the same thing without thought, and light off the refrigerator's propane burner 20 minutes after the key was turned off if propane is present at the refer.
Rodney
'88MB
My '85 was on the Chevy chassis and I think Steve's was as well. Steve? Now I'm wondering if the switch was a user mod?
"My '85 was on the Chevy chassis and I think Steve's was as well. Steve? Now I'm wondering if the switch was a user mod?"
I'm pretty sure we had that switch on our Chevy '85 TK. Didn't know what it was at first because we bought it at six years old, and there was no manual that I recall. I think we figured it out eventually, but never used it for all the reasons stated.
Virtual hugs,
Judie
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This is not a Ford vs. Chevy issue, as neither manufacturer installed refrigerators in their chassis. The switch was put in by Lazy Daze to facilitate use of 12 VDC-capable refrigerators in their coaches.
Andy,
You are so correct.
LD or Dometic must have changed to an ignition controlled relay by '88.
I was just too wordy. The operators/ owners just need to make sure all appliances are off while refueling.
Again, our '83 had the ignition-controlled relay. While a convenience, it failed - the contacts welded shut. Constantly fighting a dead coach battery prompted me to find the problem. I fixed it, but I suspect similar issues caused the factory to substitute a switch in later models. The other issue was poor alternator belt routing in the Chevy, allowing slippage on the pulley of the undersized alternator when the fridge and lights were on. The Ford did not have this issue.
Steve