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Forum
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RE: RV Net Forums & Other Forums
I like the TC Forum and check it daily for trip reports and usually find other topics of interest. If I think I can contribute something helpful to a topic, I will. I'll check NATCOA and Expedition Portal too. Truck Camper Magazine has some good articles in it and RVLIFE digital magazine has good articles too but also lists events for cities in several western states and has been a good source for new things to see and do.
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Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli
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05/20/13 11:03pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Stolen Camper
As long as the TC is on the truck, it's easy to spot.
Wish you luck on the recovery.
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Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli
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05/20/13 10:30pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Trip report, part one: 2013 Overland Expo and the TC flood
Thanks JEFE.
Interesting post.
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Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli
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05/20/13 10:27pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Mt Adams Weekend
Looks like a nice trip. We are wanting to find a spot this weekend and of course reservations aren't available anywhere. We could do first come first serve but, seems like by the time we get to a campground, they are all taken! Fairly typical when in south eastern washington...takes a few hours to get to the mountains.
It gets tough once school is out. We go to places where people aren't like a lot of Forest Service sites in the mountains. The other thing to do is plan early and make reservations. Since you're in SE WA, you could try for one weekend at Maryhill SP. It's on the Columbia, there is a Stonehenge replica up the hill, the Maryhill Museum is half a mile west of that. After dark you can drive up to the Goldendale Observatory to see the stars. It's the largest telescope available for public viewing in the US.
There are places to stay. Many parks set aside non reservable sites that are first come first serve. There are several BLM sites along the I-90 corridor in east WA to check out. Good luck.
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Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli
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05/19/13 10:28am |
Truck Campers
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RE: It's been fun, but going to the "dark side"
It was so fun to follow your S&S rebuild.
You'll have a lot of good times ahead of you no matter what RV type you get.
Best wishes to y'all
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Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli
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05/17/13 09:04pm |
Truck Campers
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Mt Adams Weekend
Friday night (05/10/2013) we headed to the south side of Mt Adams WA. We usually try to go camp up on the mountain but the roads are still covered in snow. We drove I-5 south to Paradise Point SP where we stayed the night since I was getting tired. It was a clean park but close to the noise of I-5. We camped in site 47 which was open and level so we could sit outside for a while and stargaze. In the morning, we continued on toward Vancouver WA, then east on the Lewis and Clark Scenic Hwy 14 turning north on old Hwy 141, then up to a friends new farm where we camped in one of his forested fields. There's always something to do on a farm was a good time and toured the area a bit and tried to get some relaxation. Here'a a couple pictures.
https://pqew5w.bay.livefilestore.com/y2pLhKId0NTGkIT7br_8eqMzAiojKQ-AQHL31c2sgSNTEdQ1YeaIVdiB5iFpf1lvQ7dgCfbOYdkcDHzdFikmyl3U3CqqdycwkpLXA0v-3CtPdvoGv-kOF5qT2IZn6Y5ghPd/Daves%20new%20place%2005_13_2013%20002.JPG?psid=1 width=640
https://pqew5w.bay.livefilestore.com/y2p1YM0ZtvoMSQRV4Ds-N5Jl5DVMsNbyQ6U89_UoFn5F8e44Sibj_-W5syF1oTchOhPHGYpWNgast71BivLiIxmcgVQ3d7ViH9r9bLJjnwD6mndifwOIjEr2SJ8dW4NL11F/Daves%20new%20place%2005_13_2013%20009.JPG?psid=1 width=640
https://pqew5w.bay.livefilestore.com/y2p6JUyZsr3piJ7oAhys44EdtNWo0iu02y49JrHKSNjvFMv8ZjsAv-Fc7K7eFKl2lVw5JHQjD9TpaqCVLW3XuJLHH_F694_05tZUJ5Blxp4bHYVfzrJbDJXtXmN0kXLfD8p/Daves%20new%20place%2005_13_2013%20030.JPG?psid=1 width=640
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Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli
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05/15/13 01:26am |
Truck Campers
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RE: ?'s for the seasoned campers re roof top solar panels
I have a single 64 watt thin film US-64 panel and a Kyocera PWM controller capable of passing 16 amps. The setup is small but does provide recharging I would not otherwise have. A full day of sun will help keep the two big group 31 agm batteries topped up. 14.6 Volts x 3.5 Amps = 52.56 Watts is the best I've seen the system charge at. That's about a total of 32 amp hours charge restored to the batteries over the course of 8 hours on a clear, sunny summer day.
My system is about 14 years old now and the new solar system panels and MPPT controllers are better than what I have.
I would go for at least 1 140 watt Kyocera or equivalent Panel and an MPPT charge controller. Use big wire.
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Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli
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05/09/13 12:13am |
Truck Campers
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RE: New Lance, Refused Delivery; Your Opinions Please
A dealer and manufacturer should be embarrassed by this roof. It will leak!
Shame on the manufacturer for releasing a finished product with such an obvious error in construction and for sticking the dealer and in turn the customer with an inferior finished product.
Does the dealer and manufacturer really want to stick a customer with a seemingly finished, inspected, approved, and shipped product that will certainly be talked about and attentively watched for outcome by many potential future buyers. I would hope not.
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Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli
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05/08/13 11:37pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: A warning for my BBQ'ing friends
Came across this article and decided to bring this topic back up to share.
Root of teen’s mystery ailment: tiny wire from barbecue brush
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Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli
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05/08/13 10:59pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: beer and history - yep, another trip report
That does look like a nice weekend Rich.
Thanks for the pictures and story.
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Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli
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05/07/13 12:24am |
Truck Campers
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RE: cover for flooring in camper
We get a 6'x2' runner and a 4'x5' cheap area rug at Home Depot then pitch and replace as needed. There is usually a color or pattern that goes well with our décor. We have vinyl floor and the carpet feels warmer on the tootsies on those cold days.
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Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli
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05/03/13 09:35am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Batteries replaced for free, 22 months replacement remaining
Finished reading,
Lifeline
Best Converter
and
Odyssey
Manuals.
Lifeline says at 77 degrees F Absorption is at 14.3 volts and Float is at 13.3 volts.
Odyssey and Lifeline promote differing recommendations on how best to maintain their batteries. The Boondocker power supply appears to adhere more to the Lifeline standard.
A charger senses the state of charge the batteries have and will charge accordingly to the present state of charge. My charger has rarely gone into the bulk charge mode but has gone into the absorption mode, then dropped to the float mode. My solar panel provides daily bulk mode voltage of 14.6 but will only supply up to 3.6 amps current. As the state of charge of the battery comes up to the value of whatever state of charge mode the converter is operating in, the current will drop to the next lower mode as the voltages become equal. As the voltages become equal, the converter senses that and drops the charge mode to the next lower state. Bulk to absorption, absorption to float, then a steady state of float with an occasional 15.6 boost or equalization/desulfation mode charge, then a drop back to float.
Lifeline states an AGM is considered fully charged if the open circuit voltage is 12.8 volts or higher after a 4 hours rest from charging.
There are lots of voltage and current numbers being stated but the main objective is to keep from discharging your batteries too deeply, not exceeding a drop to 12.2 or 12.0 on occasion and then to restore batteries to full charge as quickly as possible after discharge. A discharged battery will not always require a bulk charge and the converter will sense that. The amount of charge is a function of the internal resistance of the battery and the state of charge voltage. The lower the battery voltage, the higher the charge current can be applied. The new smart electronics make all this automatic.
To recover a dead battery, you apply a 15.6 bulk charge for at least 8 hours or until the charge current drops to .5 amps then apply enough voltage to the battery to maintain a 5 amp charge current which will require a steady escalation of charge voltage to keep the current flow at 5 amps and you apply the 5 amps over charge voltage current over a 4 hour period keeping a safe temperature watch over the batteries undergoing the procedure.
The main thing is to achieve a static rest voltage of 12.8 or a little greater voltage and that means your AGMs are at 100% charge.
Jeff
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Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli
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04/29/13 11:35pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Batteries replaced for free, 22 months replacement remaining
Hi Jeff,
It's awesome that Sears was happy to replace the batteries for you under warranty. I often recommend the DieHard Platinums for exactly that reason (plus the nationwide availability).
However those EnerSys batteries are very hard to kill (I have been abusing mine for a long time!)... and based on the description you provided I suspect that root cause of the issue is related to the charging, and not the batteries themselves. In other words; I think that the batteries were simply discharged, not defective. For starters, your charger (and solar panel/controller) are small considering your 200Ah of AGM's. At the voltage you stated (13.2) the batteries would never have reached 100% SOC. They should have been absorption charged at 14.7V and should have been float charged at 13.6. In addition if they had been fully charged and then disconnected when you parked the TC for the winter those AGM's would have a storage life of more than 2 years.
The test that Sears conducted is so far outside of EnerSys's charge & testing protocol that it's laughable... and a 4 minute charge (regardless of current) is followed by a high current discharge is meaningless.
EnerSys has specific guidelines for charging deeply discharged batteries and states that a group 31 battery should be charged at 5A for 24 hours and the voltage should be allowed to rise to as much as 18.0V (the Boondocker can't do that)... then the batteries should have been removed from the charger for 18 hours before capacity testing.
Anyway, now that you have fresh batteries I suggest that you download the TECHNICAL MANUAL from EnerSys and review the information in the charging section. If you are hoping to get many years of service and high capacity from the Platinums, you may also want to consider a larger and more configurable battery charger and solar controller.
Cheers,
-Mark
Hi Mark,
I'll read through the manual.
I read the manual and it states to use a charging power supply capable of up to 18 volts but not to actually charge at that voltage. They imply to use an absorption charge at 14.7-15 volts, then let it drop to 13.6 volts, then to a float of 13.2 volts.
When I took the batteries in to SEARS, they had been charging for a while since the PNW Rally and the solar took them up to 14.6 volts each day at low current. I removed them and placed them in my truck where they sat a couple days. They measured 13.7 volts each a couple hours after removal. I did not measure the voltage again before testing and replacement at SEARS.
I read a bit about Lifeline and they recommended desulphation or restoration from deep discharge charging at 15.5 volts for 8 hours per battery. I did that and it seemed to help but the batteries still only lasted a couple hours before suddenly dropping to 10.2 volts. It seems to me that that is about the voltage of one bad cell in each battery giving out.
All my reading on AGM batteries so far suggests 14.6-14.8 volts absorption, 13.6 acceptance, and 13.2 float charging. I don't know that they require an infrequent equalization charge. When the TC is on the truck, I have 4 AWG wire directly from the alternator to the TC batteries usually charging between 13.2 and 13.8 volts but have measured 15.2 volts for a few minutes. The 45 amp boondocker is supposed to sense what the batteries need and apply that voltage. Since they had 12.9 volts off the shelf when I installed them today, the 13.2 volts the Boondocker applied seems correct to me. The solar panel and controller will apply up to 14.6 volts at up to 3.6 amps tomorrow. That should bring the batteries up to full by most standards I've read thus far. Applying a battery warmer blanket for optimal battery temperature and remote temperature sensors on the batteries would be the next step for accuracy in charging.
We'll see what happens.
J
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Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli
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04/28/13 12:28am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Batteries replaced for free, 22 months replacement remaining
You guys have been on here for years so no way you let them be connected for over the winter in parasitic discharge...??? Right?
I pull mine off and leave them on the charge they have when I leave them into the dark indoor storage they like.... they seem to work in the days later...
mike
The TC is always plugged in and the batteries maintained with 13.2V applied. There is also a 64watt solar panel with a PWM controller feeding the batteries up to 14.6 and up to 3.6 Amps and drops to no current when fully charged testing every 8seconds. The contoller has temp compensation in the controller not remote at the batteries.
So yes the batteries were maintained well. We keep the TC heated and stocked ready to go at all times.
It might have been a bad batch is my guess. The TC was plugged in all the time so there was no opportunity for a bad battery to ruin a good battery. I suppose there may have been a chance it could have happened during the times we did camp and the batteries dropped to 10.2 volts after only acouple hours of use and only about 5amps running.
Looking forward to camping and giving the system a good test.
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Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli
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04/27/13 10:18pm |
Truck Campers
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Batteries replaced for free, 22 months replacement remaining
My two, 1 year old SEARS Platinum PM-1 AGM Group 31 RV/Marine batteries gave out on me after less than a year. Both worked great over last summer but this spring I went out to check everything and they had lost their ability to supply sustained power for long periods of time with only about 5 amps running. They would charge up just fine but could not supply power for more than a couple hours. Took them into SEARS and they put them both on their battery diagnostic machine. The machine charged them for 4 minutes, switched to test mode and immediately registered replace and the result was the same for the second battery. SEARS held up their end and replaced both batteries on the spot free. I installed the new batteries in the TC, checked the gauges and they registered 12.9 volts off the shelf. The solar is hooked back up and the 45 amp Boondocker is charging at 13.2 volts. Going to spend some time working on the camper this weekend and get her ready to head out in a couple weeks. It will be so nice to have full power again.
I will say thanks to a couple companies that have treated us really well with the products we bought from them.
SEARS, Les Schwab, Torklift, Camping World, Costco, Wal-Mart.
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Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli
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04/27/13 05:55pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Just ordered a solar system for my TC
Refer to Sleepy's solar installation post in the truck camper university section.
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Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli
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04/26/13 08:30am |
Tech Issues
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RE: 7 Bros On The Mojave Road Trail,part1
Thanks for the TCTR and details.
A nicely done and memorable report.
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Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli
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04/26/13 01:36am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Truck Campers at Sydney Caravan/Camping Show
Some interesting innovative ideas.
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Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli
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04/26/13 01:25am |
Truck Campers
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RE: What really chaffs yer hide when TC'ing?
That page error was interesting resulting in a tripple post.
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Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli
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04/24/13 01:41am |
Truck Campers
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RE: What really chaffs yer hide when TC'ing?
Reaeat.
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Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli
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04/24/13 01:39am |
Truck Campers
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