ALLOY
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Posts posted by ALLOY
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4 hours ago, Sehc said:
Glenn, You could go high end.; https://marinehowto.com/shore-power-cords-smartplug-vs-1938/
I had a Smartplug on our trailer. The cords are fantastic even at 15F.
The issue had was working with dogbone adapters. I never wanted to buy the expensive Smartplug male cord ends so I would drag out the 50' Smart cord then plug the dogbone into it.
Smartplugs are great for boats where the shore plugs are the No.1 cause of fires but I haven't heard of the issue with RVs
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When I added a 2nd 50A I found the SS shore power receptacles to be $$$ but the guts were the same as the plastic ones. I used the plastic one.
Also went with a KISS manual transfer switch.
https://www.bluesea.com/products/9019/AC_Rotary_Switch_-_OFF_%2B_2_Positions_240V_AC_65A
On both receptacles I installed a 50A GFCI breaker.
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On 9/3/2019 at 8:15 PM, Vladimir said:
I need to buy new tires for the one-ton Dodge Ram.
In the past, I had Goodyear Wranglers.....I really liked them. The did delaminate after seven years and did some damage to the rig. I also think they are only made in China these days.
Les Schwab....Open Country All-Terrain Tires...bought these from Schwab and in Canada from a independent tire dealer. Ok, tires, but wore out quickly.
Michelin.....LTX M/S....These came standard on the Dodge. Good tires....really liked them. They went to 70,000 miles. So I bought the same tires from Costco 40,000 miles later they are toast.
So any advice on tires....given the two I liked?? Thanks.On 3 sets of Michelin tires we ended up with 1/2 to 2/3 of the warrantied tread life. Each time Michelin authorized the dealer to give us 20% off but only if we bought Michelin tires. The 3rd set of Michelins were replaced with BF Goodrich KO2.
The 4th set of Michelin that came from the factory on our truck are down to 2-4/32" after 20,000 towing miles. These will replaced with TOYO AT2 for summer use. The KO2 will continue to be used in the winter as they've proven to be an excellent tire when towing in the snow. I know a couple of people that run the KO2 all year but not for towing.
I don't notice any difference in tire noise because of the diesel engine in the truck.
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On 4/14/2019 at 8:04 AM, rebar said:
Good morning people!
I was wondering if there is a better tandem set up then I'm about to mention, short of independent suspension.
I want to install 7k 8 lug straight axles (to use trailer spare for both trailer and truck) but use 4000# leaf springs because the trailer is only 7x16 and might weigh 8K wet. I'm envisioning crossing many washed out ruts and gullies, creek crossings and baby head size boulder's along the way in colorado, so I need to prepare both axles to see the majority of the weight when one axle drops into a low spot. The equalizer will be important and the best Ive found so far is the morryde CRE3000, but I doubt any equalizer will prevent loading one axle with most of the weight traveling on forest service roads. And then venturing off to find a secluded camp spot.
Does this sound like a good plan?
Suggestions?
Thanks!
Just read this.
We've traveled somewhere between 600 and 800 miles on FSR this year.
The trailer has IS. On 1 road we bent 1/4" plates supporting the airbags on the truck. No damage to the trailer.
I'm wondering if 4k suspension has enough travel.
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Thanks Chad and John.
At this time of year we consume +/- 65Ah (845Wh) from dusk to dawn. Our solar will then bring the batteries into float around 10:00AM. One could say the power for the rest of the day is being wasted. Better to waste it keeping thing quiet.
I was looking at line losses. Ten guage wire will carry 10 amps of 120V for 200' with a 5% loss. I'm thinking this might run a 40A battery charger/converter.
Didn't think of the portable solar. In our last trailer a LED light caught fire close to a Victron 150/100 controller. Insurane wrote the controller it off due to smoke damage but the electronics are sealed and it still works. We already carry portable panels.
This may work!
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We are drycamping at beautiful site next to a lake.
The only thing wrong with the site is the people that pulled in 3 days ago are running a generator (Champion) for 4 hours either morning, afternoon or evening.
The generator is not being loaded which makes me think it is only used to charge batteries.
This situation has me thinking about how a solar system could be used to charge the battries in another trailer that is 200'-300' away.
I'm thinking 110v extension cords from an inverter to a battery charger or the shore power plug in the other trailer.
Ideas?
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On 3/22/2019 at 4:21 AM, ARGO said:
Tks! I'd love to get it sprayed, but I think the cost/benefit would kill it. I put a 1/2" layer of pink styro in a boat overhead & that helped the A/C a lot.
Just to be clear XPS isn't Urethane Spray Foam.
You don't want to use spray foam in an RV unless there is a properly installed / 100% sealed vapor barrier. I've seen mold around the staple holes in a vapor barrier.
Even the best foam spayed under ideal conditions is 5% open cell which means the foam will absorb 5% moisture/condensation.
Also avoid ISO Board. ISO Board works great to insulate against heat (sun) but not cold. It contains a gas that when cold turn to liquid thus reducing the R rating.
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Best insulation (but not the easiest to install) in a RV roof is XPS (extruded polystyrene). It should be fit as tight (cut the pcs 1/32" oversize) as possible and then caulk any gaps so there is no air flow around it.
If you want more insulation adding another layer of 1/4" or 1/2" foam will reduce the thermal bridging.
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The ideal solution would be to take the weight off the tires and suspension.
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1 hour ago, rogo88 said:
Thank you for the prompt replies.
I am familiar with the standard methods of performing this function, but would like to try the chlorine beads used in pool maintenance. Seems much simpler...simply add to the tank and fill with water. I believe this method is in use and thot' I'd find someone who utilized it.
Thanks again for the replies.
Ron
Chlorine pucks for pools are slow release......I wouldn't used them in a FW tank.
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Remember reading somewhere that Honda use a pure sine wave inverter.
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9 minutes ago, lockmup68 said:
I now have a line on a Chevy Volt batt pack. So now I have to start overthinking 48v. You guys are spending my money too fast.....
so the Victron has dual AC inputs, so this means built-in ATS, right? it also looks like the 3000w models are only 12/24 volt. To get 48v, have to go 5000w model? the price of the 3000w's are about half of the 5000w, so maybe 2-3000w? Still only 24v? So is 24v better than 12v, better than 48v? Prob more work to do 24 v banks from the Chevy Volt battery? Too many questions again.....
For a 50am service Victron uses a inverter on each 50 amp leg
This may be of interest.
Before choosing the voltage take look at solar for a 48V bank..a MPPT controller needs 80V min input to charge a 48V bank. The panels that made the best use of the space on my trailer are 70Voc. Running 2 of these in series meant a jump up to a 200V $$ controller. I started to look at micro inverters for the panels and pass though inverters....similar to battery (Tesla) back up.
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4 hours ago, OldMan said:
Way too rich for my blood. I'm building a scalable system with room for more power, but inverters like that are overkill for my system. Oh, and I'll never afford any inverter mentioned in this thread.
I'm also sourcing the panels and controller from China. Bang for your buck, man. Where do you think Renogy and SunPower get their panels? Heck, Sunpower is a Chinese company with sales offices in the states.So I cut out the middleman and get better prices. I have a longer blog post I've written and saved as a text file if anyone wants to read my whole rationale.
My buddy was looking for 4 LED lights for his truck. He got such a deal on Aliexpress that he was able to buy 6 for the cost of 1 Rigid (also made in China) LED. A year later 2 were working, brackets were rusted, powder coat was peeling. Then he bought 4 Bright Source LED (made in China) from a local supplier who flies to China to check quality at 1/2 the cost of Rigid. Once these warm (have to let LED warm up to test Lumen output) up the light output is a less than Rigid because the control board is not as good but 2 years later all are still running and look good.
There's a moral to the story but I can't think of one.
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10 hours ago, GlennWest said:
I question that. It has a residential range, all electric, electric water heater 30 gallon. 2 15k dometic heat pumps, fireplace. Stated he had never tripped a beaker. I don't believe that statement but must not have a problem. We pay for electrical here also.
Residential range , as in 230VAC residential? HW tank? ....230v would make balancing the loads easier.
What about a generator? Transfer switches would be interesting.
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I know people that have painting done in Mexico. They send someone from here that knows how to do the work to keep an eye on things. The work is good......seen allot worse up here........a high end 5th I looked at had so much orange peel that it look like it was sprayed with gravel guard......people were happy with it though.
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- Champion uses 192cc @ 3100w
- Honda uses 163cc @ 2600w , 196CC @ 2800w , 270cc @ 3500w
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I had an after thought....a larger generator makes sense if it has 230V output.
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X2 on Honda/Yamaha and linking 2 x 2000w...ever since we picked up 2 x 2000w our Honda 3000 hasn't been used.
Extended run fuel caps are a good addition.
I don't run propane because I like to to keep the generators away from the trailer.
Advantage of propane is it easier on the engine and it doesn't go sour like gas. Regular gas that has ethanol will go sour in 2-3 months. Premium grade gas here doesn't have ethanol in it. I left premium gas in an engine for a year and didn't have a problem...not something I'd try again though.
We keep a container of fuel stabilizer in the trailer for the times that premium gas is not available
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1 hour ago, TXiceman said:
The 6.7l Ford has a lot of injector noise. Ford is zero help and I have bonded everything to everything. With about $120 of ferrite chokes on the wiring harnesses, I got the noise down to an acceptable level on my Yaesu FT 857D. The radio and Turbo Tuner are mounted under the passenger seat and the control head is on the center console.
Ken
Thank you TX appreciate the input......$120 that's allot of ferrite. What type and locations have you installed the ferrite?
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There isn't much room for anything. We have the center console on our F350. When I was looking at installing radios I wanted it to be quick disconnect to prevent theft but I didn't go any further once we started looking a bigger trucks.
I had these pages bookmarked
http://www.havis.com/products/BASE_VMT_HDM_F250_2017_F150_15_17-123765-84.html
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Kirk & John T This is a good read on troubleshooting a heater.
On another forum I read that rust from the heater exchange can foul the propane jet.
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One setup carries 1/2psi propane same as in the trailer.
The other setup carries 300psi propane....didn't think I'd could turn the tank off before propane spaying out of a leaking hose at 300psi caught fire so I went the 1/2lb route.
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When we started winter camping we wouldn't use the water system because of flushing and refilling antifreeze in lines.
We changed the system so the water lines are sloped toward the low point drains, the HW tank and back to the FW tanks. Setup/take down for winter trips takes 10-15 min.
Installed one of these frost free valves on each side of the trailer which are great for the shoulder seasons.
http://www.woodfordmfg.com/woodford/Wall_Faucet_Pages/Model-22.html
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You'll want to check out:
- Low point drains. If the valves are outside the heated area of the trailer these will freeze and transfer cold up inside the trailer possibly freezing water lines in the trailer.
- Go under the trailer and see if you can feel any of the water lines through the belly wrap. Sometime the water lines are outside the (heated space) insulation
- Any inside water lines that are close to outside walls or inside the cabinets......pipe insulation, leaving a cabinet door open and removing access panels is an easy fix.
- If the trailer has alum framing the alum tube will transfer the cold through to the point that condensation and then ice may form on the inside.
- Shower faucet.....is it in an outside wall or an inside wall
- A way to shut and drain the water to the outside faucet so the rest of the water system can be used.
- Is the water line coming off the bottom of the tank is insulated.
- If you are on hook ups you'll want to invest in some 110v heat tape or leave a tap running.
- Grey/black tank valves in heated space
- Airflow (heat transfer) through the heater increases efficiency.......blocking air ducts to redirect warm air reduced the efficiency.
People use ductless propane heaters but when used with the proper window opening the heat gain is minimal while increasing the humidity. The ($10) CO detectors in trailers are designed to alarm at the short (24hr) exposure level not the long term (WHIMIS) exposure level.
Humidity/condensation is the enemy of any trailer or house.......keeping a vent open is a good way to reduce humidity but a dehumidifier is the best.
These are great heaters.....5 year warranty.....an anti-freeze setting and 600w allows 2 heaters (safely) on a single breaker.
http://www.caframolifestylesolutions.com/product/comfort-solutions/true-north/
adding a 50 amp recepticle
in Technical Tips and Tricks
Posted · Edited by ALLOY
Make sure to leave room around it for the 6/8ga wiring and getting a screw driver to the terminals top and bottom.
The switch below has 2-50 (6ga) amp and 1- 30 (10ga) amp inputs. I was able to cut the hole in the PVC box to rotate the switch and be able to cover it with the face plate.
The LED indicator lights on the BSS switch interfered with the Progressive EMS so the LEDs were disconnected.
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