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Forum
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RE: converter question
Your post (the original OP's) highlights some issues:
- Even though you are hooked up to power, some items in your rig are probably still 12 volt powered. You need your converter turned on so as to have 12 volts for these, unless you want to just run down your battery to run them even when hooked up.
- You say the converter's fan is running all the time. This means either you're using the converter (even though on hookups) a lot because it's 12 volt output is needed for things in your rig or, it's bad - or going bad. It could also mean that it's fan is on all the time because it's supplying heavy current trying to charge your coach battery - because your battery may have a bad cell or two.
If your converter is a "modern" one, such as a Parallax 7300 series, and is not going bad I wouldn't change it out. We get along just fine with our modern Parallax 7300 converter and I do constantly pay attention to our rig's electrical systems and how they are performing - especially since we dry camp (no hookups) a lot. However, we did have to replace our Parallax 7300 converter early-on under warranty due to an unusual performance problem,
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pnichols
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09/02/10 12:22pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Minnie 24W: Function of left switch over sink?
My 2005 Itasca has what Chris mentions in his Winnie.
One switch for the bathroom sink overhead light and another switch for a night light down near the floor under the refrigerator area. This same night light also can be turned on by another switch under the cabinet over the dinette seat close to the head end of the overhead cab bed. Hence, one can turn on the night light convenient to both main sleeping areas in case you want to get up in the middle of the night.
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pnichols
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09/02/10 11:53am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: 30 amp Motor Home
Wonder how they did that when a 30 amp outlet only has one hot leg?
One small FWIW clarification that has nothing to do with the OP's original topic.
My home emergency portable generator has a 30 amp outlet on it's panel that has four(4) connectors - ground, neutral, one 110V AC hot leg, and another 110V AC hot leg. These two legs from the generator feed into the home via it's two main power panel hot legs.
Of course the motorhome's 30 amp service has only three(3) connectors- ground, neutral, and one 110V AC hot.
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pnichols
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09/02/10 11:18am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Is this normal?...awning screws
Any other suggestion other than stainless?
Brass screws.
IMHO, painted/unpainted brass or stainless are the ONLY screw materials (well ... titanium is OK too) that belong on the exterior of an RV. Painted steel is no good over the long term either ... looks good at first but eventually rusts ... especially if you tighten them up once in awhile, which puts screwdriver nicks in the screw slots which then creates sites where the rust starts and then spreads from there.
(We even used stainless steel screws to attach the siding to our house.)
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pnichols
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09/02/10 10:07am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: 30 amp Motor Home
Well, it's possible to divide up the ONE hot feed in a 30A service so the smaller branch circuit breakers of say 15A don't trip so easily, there's still only 30A max available.
John (j-d) got it right above.
Exactly as I said, you better have your RV's incoming 30 amp power divided down via at least two breakers into at least two "branch circuits" inside your RV - if you're going to have a full 30 amps of power available inside your RV. This is of course because a 110V AC receptacle can be no greater than 20 amps (many are only 15 amps), so it will take at least two of them on their individual 15 amp or 20 amp breakers to get up to the total 30 amps available.
For example, my RV has five(5) breakers supplying five(5) distinct and separate 110V AC branch circuits inside the coach. Four(4) of these are 15 amp breakers and one(1) of these is a 20 amp breaker. Naturally all five of these branch circuits cannot ever be expected to at the same time supply the full amperage rating of their individual breakers - as this would total way more than 30 amps so the main incoming 30 amp breaker would trip.
BTW and FWIW ... I wired (including the incoming 200 amp, 240V AC service in an underground trench I dug that wound up in many branches), plumbed, centrally heated, and centrally air conditioned my own home that we built 31 years ago ... we really lucked out because everything is still working. ;)
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pnichols
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09/01/10 05:41pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Optima vs. Deep Cycle Batteries-which one for boondocking?
7 years and counting on my Lifeline AGM (fulltiming)
FWIW, I have a 90 amp hour Optima Yellow Top made by the Gylling Group of Scandinavia before Johnson Controls bought Optima. This 90 AH deep cycle Optima has not been available to the public for quite some time and I mine is at least 10 years old. I use it as a trolling battery and occasionally as a backup battery to our two Interstate AGM's in the motorhome. This Optima is still going strong and takes/holds a charge just fine. I recently started using a hand truck to move it around though - as it's about a 70 lb. Group 31 battery.
It seems to me that Optima batteries of today may not be what they were before JC bought the company - as is the case with so many products that were once world class.
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pnichols
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08/31/10 08:39pm |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: Vent Covering At Burning Man
If you have a good filter in the AC unit, you can run it while driving down the dusty road.
Yes, the cab A/C on "Normal" setting does draw air from the outside and try to push it into the interior ... thus creating pressure inside ... especially if all other openings in the RV are kept closed, as I said above in my post. (The cab A/C on "Max" does not do this ... it just recirculates interior air on this setting ... thus not serving to pressurize the interior of the RV.)
However, the problem with using the cab A/C to pressurize is that the outside opening/intake for the cab A/C is relatively low on the vehicle ... at about fender height. By using a roof vent fan in the coach area to pressuize the interior, it's outside air source is way up high on the roof and thus less likely to have dust particles in it. We especially like how the roof vent fan controls dust due to being located up high when we are behind someone on a dusty road! In this case, at least most of the dust is lower than the roof of the RV where the roof vent fan's intake is located.
Of course the OP's issue, I think, was keeping outside dust/silt from coming in when parked/camped at Burning Man. For this case, the reversible roof mounted vent fan set to try and blow air "IN", with all other RV openings closed, should work real well.
Reading about Burning Man and how hot Black Rock can be in late August/early September, IMHO one might need to rest/nap inside their RV during the heat of the day with their A/C and generator running. Positive pressure inside the RV may keep you from falling prey to your own carbon monoxide, in this case.
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pnichols
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08/31/10 08:21pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: GPS vs Atlas
Mine is over a foot on the diagonal and if I got a new "Wide Screen" laptop it would be bigger.
Yeah .... you're kinda right .... that USB plug-in real time satellite tracker option you can use with MS Streets & Trips is nice!
However, we have a 17" widescreen laptop but the bottom of it gets too warm on the DW's legs for her to use as a passenger navigating for me when going down the road. Those doggone Intel 2.X+ GHz energy-sucking multi-processors can warm up in!
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pnichols
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08/31/10 11:27am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: GPS vs Atlas
In today's world, I'll use a smartphone (iPhone or Android) or better yet an iPad than a standalone GPS if I am in cellphone reception range.
"if I am in cellphone reception range" ... that's a big one for those of us who go off the beaten track away from populated areas. GPS satellites can be accessed anywhere - cell towers cannot.
We also have a cellular signal long range amplification system in our MH that vastly extends our cellphone range, but using the Garmin is a lot more convenient and the screen is larger than smartphones. (However, soon they'll probably/finally get smartphone video "right" by having HDMI outputs on all of them along with small vehicle dash mountable screens in the 4" to 8" size range available to view their HDMI video on - for all of us with over 45 year old eyes.)
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pnichols
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08/31/10 10:19am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Ok- so I want the peace and quiet
There's one thing we don't care for in campgrounds way more than playin' kids ... the 20-30 year old macho loud talkin', loud rock musicin', too much drinkin', big fire all night long crowd. Usually male - but they always seem to have women and kids along too.
I wonder what carefully worded set of RV park "rules" can keep these types out?
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pnichols
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08/30/10 10:44pm |
RV Lifestyle
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RE: GPS vs Atlas
Well, as you might expect:
1) A GPS unit is no better than the maps and software in it. You gotta keep current the general maps in it (expensive), you gotta keep it's operating software updated (means messing around on the Internet and your computer often), and you gotta/should download a lot of custom locations information from user sites to make it more powerful than it was when the manufacturer shipped it. If your don't keep up with these things, your GPS unit becomes more and more dated and irrevelant.
2) Not all atlases are the same. This is by far the best we've found to both get to cities and boondock areas - in the same book. They're sold by state and we have one for each of several states. Needing one for each state should give a good idea on just how detailed and hence, useful, they are. You don't get them from Walmart for $9.95, though:
http://www.benchmarkmaps.com/titles.html
I use three ways to get anywhere - be it city or in the middle of nowhere: A) A Garmin 755T we keep pretty current, B) Several of the atlas books from the link above, and C) My DW's uncanny/unbelievable/above-reproach sense of direction that often trumps both the Garmin and the atlas.
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pnichols
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08/30/10 10:00pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Rubber roofs
Personally I would indeed turn down purchase of an otherwise excellent motorhome if it's roof material was not aircraft aluminum or fiberglass.
The roof material being just right is VERY IMPORTANT on all structures that sit out in the sun's ultra-violet rays. I wouldn't trust any soft material at all on any roof that has to stand up to the rigors of highway travel or camping in the blazing sun or driving rain or pounding hail or low hanging boondock branches ... expecially since I'm lazy and don't want to have to be messing with soft roof material maintenance doggone near annually or sooner.
The nice thing about a fiberglass (or aircraft aluminum) roof is that "field repairs" are super easy. A piece of Eternabond can quickly and conveniently stop a leak in a spot-cleaned, smooth, fiberglass (or aircraft aluminum) roof just about permanently right when it happens out in the middle of nowhere on any camping trip and in any weather.
(I don't care for Lazy Daze for other reasons ... but their aircraft grade alumimum roof they are using, or used to use, is superb.)
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pnichols
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08/30/10 03:00pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Vent Covering At Burning Man
Is your FF in the front or rear of your MH?
Our FF roof vent is in the front above the cabover bed.
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pnichols
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08/30/10 11:02am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Vent Covering At Burning Man
For BM dust, you might want to try what we do when driving down dusty roads.
We have a rooftop vent with a reversible fan in it. We close the other vent and all windows and doors. We set this fan on LOW so as to try and force air into the interior. Since all other RV openings are closed, the fan cannot actually bring any air into the interior. What happens is the interior winds up being under slight pressure from this fan trying to force air in. No dust can get in from any cracks or openings in your RV due to this internal pressure inside the RV. The dust sources outside the RV are most always low enough such that none can get forced into the interior from the roof vent fan mounted up on the highest point of the RV.
This works great for us when driving down dusty roads, and should work when parked at BM too. Our Fantastic Fan rooftop vent fan uses so little 12V battery power on LOW that it can run hours and hours when dry camping without killing the coach batteries.
It should work for you at BM. By the way, this trick works great for long built-in generator runs for air conditioning - when dry camping in hot weather - to prevent generator fumes and carbon monoxide from ever entering the coach. I assume BM conditions can be hot, as well as dusty?
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pnichols
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08/28/10 12:19am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Driveability Between Class C and Class B+
IMHO, the secret to a good handling and driving Class C is to keep it as small as possible (.. while still meeting your recreation and camping gear storage requirements). A lot of folks seem to shop the other way - looking for a big motorhome thinking that's what's needed to make their camping most enjoyable.
We have a 24 foot no-slide Class C with a permanent rear corner bed. Just myself and the DW travel in it, with occasional overnights with our two grandkids - they use the cab overhead bed. It's on the E450 chassis even though an E350 chassis is adequate for a 24 foot Class C's overall weight. The beefier chassis gives more side-to-side stability, better braking, better engine/transmission cooling, and lower rear differential gearing for better pulling up long grades. The basic small size also results in more efficient coach cooling and heating when camping.
Our Class C does "drive like a van" and it is not affected much at all by passing big rigs. For the two of us we have almost "too much storage" with our particular model, as we can throw in just about anything we want to bring along. The one thing that most makes us aware of it's size when traveling is strong highway cross-winds ... you can definitely feel these ... but the E450 chassis carrying a small rig keeps this under control too.
We have 5000 lbs. of towing capacity, and more than enough power for towing because the V10 is pulling a minimum base motorhome. Since our rear overhang is not too bad, you get a rear torsion bar plus front steering stabilizer - stock - with the E450 chassis, and since our front wheel alignment is good ... none of our driving is "white knuckle".
Just as a final comment, the 6-speed (5-6 variable) computer controlled Ford transmission you get from year 2005 onwards also helps with driveability when towing and when descending long grades.
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pnichols
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08/27/10 12:06pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Camping near the highway on BLM lands and police harassment?
....what makes you think I'm male?
I wonder why mileena (the OP) wonders why someone thought he/she was male? ;)
BTW, you gotta give the OP credit if the OP is not male .... a gal sneaking around looking to park/camp stealth. I guess I've watched one too many episodes of Criminal Minds and Law & Order Special Victims Unit. If I was a female by myself, no way would I trust the males of this world in lonely isolated places. IMHO .... it's just a matter of time before you know what - or worse.
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pnichols
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08/25/10 11:39am |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: 30 amp Motor Home
I have to shut one of the A/C off when using the microwave.
Hmmmm ..... your MW and A/C must be larger than what's in our 30 amp 24 foot Class C motorhome. Our A/C is 13.5 K and our MW is 1100 watts. Both appliances (plus more stuff) can easily be run at the same time with a 30 amp hookup, but our rig was wired internally by Winnebago so as to properly load-balance these circuits between the two 110V AC branches of a 30 amp hookup service.
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pnichols
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08/25/10 09:57am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: RK vs RB
.....but does your model have that huge basement compartment
Yes, we have one large basement steel lined and carpeted outside lockable compartment. Here's some of what's in it:
- Honda generator
- King sized folding lounge chair
- Three folding outside chair side tables
- 110V AC full power compressor (tankless)
- Two compact folding chairs
- Firelogs, firewood, and kindling
- Front window cover in it's case
- Large outside carpet rolled up
- Funnels for engine servicing
- Spare engine/generator oil
- Bucket for emptying grey water
- Miscellaneous repair and maintenance items
In addition, our 24 footer has five more smaller basement steel lined and carpeted outside lockable compartments. Two of these go transverse across the motorhome's width for long item storage such as shovels, fishing poles, beach umbrellas, etc.
A cube antenna should easily fit in our large outside compartment ... but along with only some of the other stuff shown above that we have in it.
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pnichols
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08/25/10 09:43am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: RK vs RB
Not an exact response to your question, but here's one of the shortest standard Class C (i.e. Not a Class B+ "Class C wannebe") motorhomes with a rear corner bed and dinette that I've been able to find:
http://coachmenrv.com/products/model/floorplan/detail/?ProductID=4&FloorplanID=300&SeriesID=10&Model=Class%20C%20Motorhomes&Series=Freelander
However, note that this floorplan gives up a lounge chair. We have the next length up (~24 foot) short Class C with a rear corner bed and dinette ... plus the lounge chair. We use the lounge chair a lot and couldn't get by without it.
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pnichols
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08/24/10 05:37pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: 30 amp Motor Home
Have an older Motor Home that is 30 amp ...
Just as an aside - it's not only an "older motorhome" that is 30 amps - it's small(er) motorhomes (even new ones) that have 30 amp systems because that's all that they require.
Our 2005 motorhome is 30 amps and we can run the microwave and air conditioner and incidental items (battery charger, TV, computer, etc.) - all at the same time. However if our hot water heater also had the 110V AC option, our motorhome's 30 amp service would not run the microwave, air conditioner, and water heater all at the same time.
By the way we carry 15 amp to 30 amp, 20 amp to 30 amp, and 50 amp to 30 amp adapters with us at all times, as we have run into all four types of hookup power at campsites. i.e. Just recently we were in a campsite with ONLY a 50 amp receptacle - good thing we had an adapter to make it 30 amp.
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pnichols
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08/24/10 05:24pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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