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RE: Battery Monitor Install
Hey SpeakEasy, good luck with your planned installation. Because you reference a "clean" installation (a man after my own heart) may I offer some additional information that may be helpful. If you plan to install it in an interior hollow wall as I did you may be able to cut the opening using a jig saw. However, when I tried this it worked fine at the beginning, but I discovered there was a wire inside the wall that was in danger of being cut. I switched to a utility knife for the remainder of the cut. The camper walls are so thin that I actually got a nice clean cut with no difficulty. The only additional recommendation I have is that you make the hole as accurately as you can to ensure a nice snug fit. There are little plastic tabs on each end of the monitor that will compress when you insert it and hold it in place. So a sloppy fit might not hold very well.
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ADK Camper
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09/25/20 11:40am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Battery Monitor Install
If you are considering installing one of these monitors, here is some information that may help.
Before you begin, disconnect shore power, and disconnect your battery. You can probably access all the necessary connections in the wiring behind your converter. So if you can access that area it is the place to start.
https://i.imgur.com/eqvPgghl.jpg
This is a picture of the back side of my converter. As you can see neatness is not a priority during factory assembly! Look for a bus bar that gangs many of the negative returns from various camper accessories (lights, fans, refrigerator etc.) One of these wires will return to the battery negative terminal and so carries all the current from all the camper's electrical systems. This is the wire to disconnect and connected to the shunt. You must supply another wire (8 gauge) between the other shunt terminal and the disconnected bus terminal. It might be tricky to find the correct wire to disconnect from the bus. In my case it was the only wire from the bus that went through the floor so that's something to look for. To verify you have the correct wire disconnected, reconnect your battery and check that no 12 volt accessory works.
The positive 12 volt connection should be easier to find. At the back lower left of my converter are a red and black wire. If you remove the converter front panel you will see these are tied together at a terminal labeled +12 volts.
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ADK Camper
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09/17/20 08:43am |
Travel Trailers
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Battery Monitor Install
I installed a battery monitor in our camper. It cost less than $20.00, and gives far more information than the OEM battery monitor. Among its various features is an alarm to indicate when the battery voltage drops below a set level.
https://i.imgur.com/X4pPmYzl.jpg
The monitor is mounted on an interior wall that is near the converter so I could access the necessary connections. It must be connected to the battery's positive terminal, and a shunt (included with the monitor) installed in series with the wire directly connected to the battery's negative terminal. The other end of the shunt also connects to the monitor. The shunt enables the it to determine the total current being supplied by the battery. I used telephone wire (remember when the phone was hardwired and bolted to the wall?) to connect the display. It requires a total of 4 light weight wires. Telephone wire is perfect because it conveniently consists of 4 color coded wires in a single cable and it only costs 19 cents a foot!
https://i.imgur.com/pUVl4D7l.jpg
The monitor displays the instantaneous battery voltage and current (amps). Form these values it calculates the instantaneous power (watts) and calculates the cumulative energy (watt-hours) used since the monitor was last reset. It has a switchable backlite to illuminate the display if needed. The picture was taken with everything OFF. The .2 amps therefore is the total of the parasitic loads (Propane/CO detector and radio).
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ADK Camper
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09/15/20 03:59pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: What's your battery setup on your travel trailer?
Ktmrfs said: And finally, the weakest link in most trailers isn't the battery, it's the WFCO charger which almost never will go to bulk charging mode so (1) batteries never get fully charged and (2) charging current limits to around 10A which means you can run the generator all day and not get the batteries charged. Solution is a Iota or Progressive dynamics converter.
I have found this to be true in my camper. I use an inexpensive manual battery charger to recharge my battery. Works faster than the WFCO OEM charger. But the reason for your battery discharging so quickly may be because of parasitic battery loads. If you have a Dometic fridge it may be that the door heater to control door condensation is always on. Some models have a switch to turn it off. But some models such as mine lack a switch. If yours is like mine you can install your own switch by cutting the heavier red wire inside the fridge interior light and installing a switch there. I did this and it extended the battery life by days.
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ADK Camper
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08/23/20 07:22pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: new RV purchase advice
Can't respond to all your questions, but for what it's worth I'll share some of my opinions. I've had a funfinder for 9 years. It's been relatively trouble free. Sounds like you're looking for a "couples camper" I suggest you Google that to get some ideas. I suggest giving priority to a walk around bed, and a sofa. If seating is limited to a dinette, I believe you'll find it uncomfortable for extended seating (think rainy day). A sofa AND dinette may be very hard to find in the size trailer you want unless you pick a floorplan with a Murphy bed. We do not have a dinette and don't find that to be a problem. We use a small gate leg table pulled up to the sofa, or sometimes we use folding chairs. Definitely insist on a slide: it will really open up your floorspace.
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ADK Camper
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06/10/20 08:29pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: cruiser MPG 2550RB
Just a thought on that layout if you like to watch the tv at all. That layout doesn’t have any comfortable positions to see it from. The sofa would be most comfortable but it’s at a 90 degree angle. Booth dinette seats aren’t usually comfortable and are also at an angle.
The TV may be attached with an articulated mount so that it can be pulled forward and turned towards the sofa. So comfortable viewing may not be a problem.
We have a 2011 FunFinder 210WBS. It's been a good camper with no significant problems. We're very satisfied with it.
I agree that this is a very nice floorplan. The dual bathroom sinks is a luxurious touch, but I wonder if it's practical. Is the room really big enough to accommodate two adults?
Slide out mounted refrigerators are somewhat less efficient because they vent through the sidewall rather than through the roof. Some are equiped with a fan to improve ventilation, but if boondocking battery drain may become an issue.
About the mattress. Most camper mattresses are of mediocre quality at best. Rather than replacing it try a memory foam topper. You need not buy one specifically for an RV; buy one anywhere and if necessary cut it to fit the campers mattress size.
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ADK Camper
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02/04/20 10:12am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Plumbing HELP..?
You may be able to borrow a crimping tool from a local independent building supply. One in our area is generally agreeable to lending hand tools. They charge full price for the tool with the understanding that you are going to use it and then return it for a full refund.
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ADK Camper
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11/19/19 04:56pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Battery storage
Related to my TT battery’s winterization, am I good just plugging in the TT? Will this keep the battery warm/charged?
Most campers have WFCO converters that are supposed to automatically switch to "float mode" to keep a battery topped off. Unfortunately most WFCO converters operate only in adsorption mode and NEVER switch to float mode. If your converter operates this way it could overcharge your battery if left connected for a long period. This may cause the water level to drop and damage the battery. I believe you would be better off using a dedicated float charger.
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ADK Camper
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11/07/19 02:42pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Organized Obie Installs
Using adhesive to attach something to a wall may not work for you. I attached a command hook to my wall to hang an umbrella by the door. It pulled the wallpaper off the wall. So the fact is that anything you "stick" to the wall is only as strong as the adhesive attaching the wall covering. A better idea might be to just use short screws into the wall. Here is an example from my camper.
https://i.imgur.com/MksU1O3l.jpg
This is a magazine rack I made and attached with small screws. It's been loaded (sometimes overloaded) with magazines , maps, etc. during travel and in eight years has stayed fast.
For maximum holding power, you could use "molly" bolts available at any hardware store. Use one designed for thin walls. But understand that a molly bolt is forever. Once installed you cannot remove it.
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ADK Camper
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10/09/19 06:57am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Murphy Bed vs. Separate Bedroom
I have no personal experience with a Murphy bed, but I talked to a couple who had one. I was told that it can be folded when completely made up, and deploying it and folding it was very easy. They seemed to like it.
I do have some experience with sofas and u shaped dinettes. U dinettes don't comfortably sit as many people as you might think. Two people sitting near a corner will be knocking knees. I suggest you sit all the people who will travel with you at any dinettes you are considering before you commit.
I would give high priority to a sofa. No matter how much time you intend to spend outside, you'll have to deal with an occasional rain day and a comfortable sofa will make a big difference. Dinettes are fine for a meal or playing game, but they're just not comfortable for reading or watching TV.
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ADK Camper
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10/05/19 03:55pm |
Travel Trailers
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