Electrical System - Airstream 1980 Argosy Owner's Manual

Electrical System
The exclusive Airstream Univolt System
enables you to use the lights and appliances
whether operating on self-contained battery
power or hooked up to 120 volt city power.
This combination ur~it is designed for protection
from damage up to and including a dead short.
The 12 Volt light bulbs give off the same light
as regular house-hold bulbs, so that when
operating on self-contained battery power,
everything works normally except the 120 volt
convenience outlets and electrical operation of
the refrigerator.
Convenience outlets for 1 20 volts and 12
volts are located throughout the interior of the
trailer, see diagrams pages 92-1 00.
Exterior outlets for 120V are located on the
curbside exterior wall, between the wheels,
above the wheel well. (See Fig. 1 . ) (There is no
exterior outlet provided on 2 0 ' models.)
When operating with city power, make very
certain that the service is 120 volt and not 220
volt. Open the bumper storage compartment
lid, uncoil only the needed amount of cord and
plug it into the city power source. Before
closing the lid, carefully place the cord in the
opening provided for it.
The univolt system is a transformer designed to
maintain constant output voltages regardless of
-the variances that occur in city power systems.
The transformer design eliminates the need for
complex electronic sensing systems to charge
the battery, minimizing the possibility of failures
and greatly increasing ~ t s overall rel~ability.
When the three pronged plug can be used,
there will be no problems with proper
polarity or grounding. In some older parks
and other locations where three pronged
outlets are not available, certain precautions to
insure proper grounding and polarity must be
taken. These precautions are listed below:
1
.
Attach the three pronged plug to a two
pronged adapter. The third conductor line of
this adapter has a short wire lead which
must be grounded.
2. For proper grounding connect the short
ground lead to a grounded outlet box or to a
cold water pipe. When no water pipe is
available, drive a metal rod two feet into the
ground and attach the ground lug to it thus
providing the unit with proper grounding.
3. Check the polarity light (see Fig. 2). If it is
on, pull the plug, turn it over and reinsert.
The light will now be out.
The polarity warning light may occasionally
glow when the three wire system is in use, but
your trailer is properly grounded, and in this
case you may ignore the light.
To operate self-contained, simply
disconnect the power supply cable.
The stop and turn signal monitor, optional
on some models, is mounted on the front
roadside of the trailer. It monitors the functions
of the rear tail light, stop, and turn signal
lamps. The uppermost window is for curbside
and lower roadside. They light up if vehicle
lights are on, get brighter if the stop light is
operated, and flash if turn signal is working.
Fig. 1
-
120 Volt Exter~or Outlet
The monitor is not electrically operated. It is
connected to the respecitve lamp by means of
fiber optics.
When your trailer is hooked up to 120 volt A.C.
the univolt system automatically charges
the trailer batteries and, if it is hooked up,
your automobile battery as well. The speed and
degree of charge depends on how much power
is used for lights and appliances, as only the
surplus goes to charging the battery. (Please
refer to the specifications section for more
information on power consumption.) If you are
making an extended stay, then you should (if it
is available) keep your trailer hooked up to
120 volt current.