Show Power

Yesterday I went to the Boston RV show with a few camper buddies. I knew going in that Scamp would not be an exhibitor, I was there to tag along as one couple decided whether and when to upgrade their own RV, and to see some parts dealers. I had a shopping list, but was disappointed to find only one parts dealer at the show. Also disappointed to see that his prices were not so show special. I wanted to purchase a 15 gallon Barker waste water tote. He had it at $126.00 plus Mass' 6.25% sales tax. I have found them online for as low as $94.00 including shipping...tax free.

For a while now I have been on the fence about which power converter to buy. I need to start assembling the pieces required to rebuild the 12v system in my Scamp. As we were touring through the RVs on display I began to notice that almost all of them used WFCO converters. I have had my eye on one on eBay for some time, so this morning I went ahead and purchased it. The WFCO 8712.

 

The WFCO8712 features

30-amp main AC breaker and a total of up to three 20-amp branch AC circuits can be installed (breakers not included). DC circuits include LED lights that illuminate to indicate open circuits.

Warranty Period : UL® and cUL®-Listed.  FCC Class B Two Year Limited Product Warranty Output Power : 12 amps DC output

I'm pretty sure 30Amps AC will be more than enough to power my 10 foot Scamp. Currently (current-ly, get it) it has a 15Amp main breaker. I have been told by some that 12Amps DC is quite enough, and not enough by others. So far I will be powering 4 LED dome lights, a standard car radio, (this will be discussed in an upcoming post), an exhaust fan, and possibly a TV/DVD player. I will have 12v plugs for people to visit with their Game-Boys, or iPads, and when I am not on shore power I will have 110V from the 400watt converter mentioned in an earlier post.

Somewhere out there is an electrical wizard that may be able to tell me if 12amps (DC) will be enough, but for now I'm satisfied just by the sheer number of manufacturers that use it, that the WFCO brand is the way to go.

addendum 2/10

I just received the WFCO 8712. Nice looking, well built unit, but the manual is lacking. For example it states that on the AC side the 8712 supports a 30 amp main and up to three branch circuits. Not so much. The box only has room for two breakers. Sure I could take one of those spots and install a double breaker, but the other? Is it for the mains power? Is it another branch? Is it both?... Somewhere out there someone has published a better manual. I saw it, I just didn't bookmark it at the time.