RE: Antique furnace.....replace?
One diode on the 12 volt dc line will reduce the blower motor noise so you can sleep.
This will work good with a furnace that doesn't have forced combustion air.
A unit with forced combustion air will have a sail switch to make sure there is enough airflow. If the airflow slows down, gas will be cut off by the control board.
The probability of this problem goes up as the battery goes down, so it is looking for trouble to use a diode if you boondock a lot. However, a diode with a switch across it, so it could be shorted out easily in the middle of the night might work! I think I'll try this and see how it works. I suspect it will still be too noisy to sleep through, but every little bit helps.
The furnace is also pretty thirsty (it will suck down the battery in 2 days), so I'll have to find a power diode in the old parts box... Where did I put that furnace spec?
RE: Trade in for another Bigfoot?
To offer a different opinion:
The factory warranty is only useful if you live next door to the factory. A decent dealer will address reasonable issues in the first year anyway. Of course, if you're travelling a long way, that's not helpful either. Look it over carefully, and if it's a new unit, factor the small amount of risk into the deal. Somebody handy (like you obviously are) would likely find it more convenient to fix minor things himself anyway.
I have no idea what you have now, but Bigfoot is a fantastic fully fiberglass unit. Perhaps a bit on the heavy side, but well appointed and quality stuff. If you like the unit and have the truck to haul it - go for it! I think prices are starting to creep up again, so the timing for the best deal might already be past. We'll see how the Christmas buying season goes...
RE: Antique furnace.....replace?
Modern furnaces suck your battery down incredibly fast, and sound like a jet engine while you're trying to sleep. If it's old enough that it does not require electricity, I'd recommend getting it checked out for safety and, if it passes, keep it. In a small camper, you'll be happy with the heat output, and the peace and quiet more than make up for the hassle of lighting the pilot.
RE: 12 volt or 120 volt televisions power draw
Great discussion about power factor in this thread, but why should you care? Relative to overall capacities, the amount is trivial and besides - it's not real power! Sure it needs delivery, but you get it back in a half cycle...
I'm not trying to be a smart Alec, I'm just trying to understand what you think the issue is.
It's the reason you can't run some electronics on small inverters.
Even though their rated Wattage is lower than the inverters output.
Are you suggesting that small switched mode power supplies, typically used for laptop AC to DC converters, may demand current from their AC source out of phase with the voltage peaks of that source, and some inverters are not able to deal with that demand?
RE: 12 volt or 120 volt televisions power draw
Great discussion about power factor in this thread, but why should you care? Relative to overall capacities, the amount is trivial and besides - it's not real power! Sure it needs delivery, but you get it back in a half cycle...
I'm not trying to be a smart Alec, I'm just trying to understand what you think the issue is.
RE: Winterizing camper
btggraphix - here are links to the system pieces - understand away :-)
Delta six dual flow pump / faucet
Gravity water hatch Note the air vent making pressurizing almost impossible.
The tanks are on the next couple pages. There is also a check valve in the ling about 6 inches below the "dual flow" to keep it primed.
I think this system is pretty common in non-shower units.
RE: Winterizing camper
The tank has a drain and the tank is emptied after every outing.
When winterizing, the pump is run until no more water comes out, and the hand pump is used to get the last of the water out of the line. But, there is a check valve, located a few inches below the faucet, that provides an airlock on the water line, so the lines are not completely drained.
I tried the way you suggest the first year, and I replaced the faucet and check valve the following spring. So now it's pink stuff until I find out how to blow out this system.
RE: Winterizing camper
One thing not addressed in any of these threads (that I can find) is how to deal with the onboard water tank system. My system is never hooked up to a city or campground water supply. I have no shower or hot water tank.
I do have an onboard fresh water tank filled via a different physical location from the hookup connection, and water is pumped to a sink either electrically, or by hand. The "faucet / hand pump" has 2 independent sections controlled by the same lever, so that it can be hooked to a city water supply or hand pumped, without the 2 water sources flowing into each other. It also has a check valve on the line from the fresh water tank.
The fresh water tank is vented near the outside filling point, making presurizing it almost impossible. We use pink stuff, and despite multiple flushes in the spring we taste it until about August - then put it back in in September.
I'd love to find a way to blow out this system, and given it should be standard on most of the non-shower units, somebody has likely solved it. But the answer is not to blow air in the city hookup line - that's simply not connected to the tank.
RE: Deep Cycle battery question: amps up voltage down....
I'll add one more guess to the list. The voltage drop after a period of time suggests the battery charge is getting low. The volt drop causes the inverter to suck higher current until the voltage gets so low your inverter won't work.
To be completely sure what's going on, try to isolate each part of the problem. For example, to eliminate the possibility that the AC does not like the inverter, load it up with a more well behaved load like 10 100W light bulbs or a 1000W electric heater. If it still craps out, the problem is either the inverter or the batteries not holding sufficient charge.
You don't mention the inverter's continuous current rating - do you know what that is?
RE: What's on your pick-up when the campers not?
FYI - The "Knock-off" is actually the Trifecta. It's made by Extang and branded "Freedom" for CTC. The only difference is warranty. I think it's 1 year on the Freedom and 3 on the Extang. Also price... the Freedom is on sale for $100 off several times a year, while the Extang never seems to be.
Of course, getting CTC to find the one for your truck is the big challenge. I gave up after several calls and just bought the Trifecta. Even though I actually had the correct part number, it seems their computer did not.
RE: Electronic equipment OK to freeze?
The only items that might be at risk of damage would be those with LCDs. Not all LCDs are equal in tolerating and surviving really cold temperatures. Most should be just fine down to about 0 to -10 deg C. For temperatures much colder than that I would check the environmental specs of the device or just play it safe and store in a warmer area.
Jim
Not quite true. How do you think they get LCD tv's to the store in the winter? They don't stop shipping cause it's cold out. Mine has been in my 5er for 4 years and is just fine.
Everything electronic has a minimum operating temperature AND a minimum storage temperature. The original comment is absolutely correct, and depending on where you live, there may be risk of exceeding the minimum storage temperature. Check the specs, and if you can't find them, decide if avoiding the bit of work to take it in the house is worth the risk. These things are pretty cheap to replace now, so maybe it's no big deal if it dies. Note that older sets are typically higher risk.
Also as mentioned, make sure you bring it up to the minimum operating temperature before turning it on - there is more risk of damage with this one. The "L" in LCD is for liquid. It does not do well as a solid.
RE: If you don't like noob questions and long posts, skip this.
I'm not sure what's causing the humour attacks - must be a spill-over from all the school hazing going on this time of year.
What you are looking for can be achieved, but there are lots of compromises to make and you might want to poke a bit more in the forum history before posting some very specific questions. The only specific question I can dig out of your post is "can you have heating and air conditioning without a generator?". The awswer is heating - yes on virtually every camper, air conditioning - no, I have yet to see a good solution for AC on DC (groan-sorry)
The other questions were too general to tackle. There might be something around truck range, or used vs. new, but I'm not sure.
Anyway, welcome to the forum and hang in there - the beatings should stop any time.
RE: starting out
Bikercamper - if you are not interested in a shower, then there are several hard sides that will work fine for you. I'm using a Sun-Lite 690 on a Dakota with no mods other than Rancho adjustable shocks. Fridge, stove, water tank, sink, electric lights, furnace, queen sized bed, 1240 lbs, and no setup. If you're sick of the tent trailer, don't go for a pop-up as they have basically all the same issues. If you do your research, and watch weight, you don't need chassis mods. Caution though: there are lots of heavy pigs when it comes to campers. Also, despite what others have said, short bed might be better. A short bed camper is lighter, as is a short box - unless Chevvy reduced the ratings for a short box? (Being a Dodge guy I have no idea)
RE: Anyone tried a windmill generator on their slidein camper
When you get into it, you'll find:
1) Solar is much more cost effective per watt.
2) With solar you have no storage problem. Where do you propose to store the windmill, mounting pole, etc., while traveling?
3) Solar has no moving parts to maintain or break.
4) Solar makes no noise.
5) Solar requires no setup/take down.
Solar is the answer. Hands down.
I agreee with your points except number 1. I'm not sure where you made your price comparisons, but when I compared the costs, wind generated power was less than 1/2 the cost of solar per watt.
Wind power should not be eliminated on cost, but on availability of the energy source - as others have said, if you always camp by the ocean where there's a stiff breeze, go for it! In most locations solar makes at least a little and usually a lot of power every day but wind does not.
I strongly support point 5. In my opinion set up and take down would get old really fast. For me, the best part of a truck camper is that when you wake up to bad weather on the day you need to go home, you start the engine and drive away. I'm not missing the days of foul weather tearing down and packing up gear and wet tents to dry out at home.
RE: Smaller tire = better gas mileage?
Taller will help a bit if your foot is not too heavy, but narrower will help more. Harder rubber will help even more. You can judge how hard it is by the wear rating (100,000 miles rated should give better fuel economy than 50,000 miles rated tires with a similar pattern) Inflation impacts mileage too - Check them often and run at the correct value.
These are general guidelines, based on personal experience. How you drive will impact more than the tires.
RE: Lightning
Wow! There's plenty of half right information and fanciful opinion on this thread! My turn to try to clear the air (or stir the pot a bit).
Lightning happens when a huge electrostatic charge builds up in the clouds. The attraction of that charge actually causes an opposite charge to build in the earth located where it is electrically closest to the cloud charge. When the voltage get high enough the air breaks down and conducts electricity until most of the charge is dissipated. That voltage can approach a billion volts (not 50,000 as somebody said)
You are reasonably safe in a metal vehicle because if forms a Faraday cage around you and the electricity flows through the metal to ground - it basically makes the path about 6 feet shorter. The metal will sustain damage, but you won't. This is the same effect as the safety equipment used by folks that work on live high tension lines. Tires make no difference, in fact the car might have less damage without them. The same is true for jacks, water lines, electrical connections, and voodoo incantations. (O.K. I'm not 100% positive on the last one) You are more likely to get hurt while trying to raise or disconnect them, and you are actually making things just a little worse.
Now to the original question - fibreglass instead of metal. The risk is a little higher, but not much. That's because the rain that almost always accompanies lightning, when mixed with dust and dirt, makes a better conductor than the dry air inside the camper, and so you've got another Faraday cage. Not quite as good, but it should keep you alive, unless you have a pacemaker.
In fact, in any strike that close to you, your electronic devices are likely turned to boat anchors despite the cage. I'd be O.K. with that as I prefer breathing to TV, despite what my wife says.
If you are really worried about getting hit, because you frequently camp on the highest point of land for miles, and far from any trees or anything else taller than the camper, either climb into the truck cab whenever the skies turn cloudy or put up a lightning rod beside the camper.
By the way, you can make the lightning rod more effective by using the base of it as a urinal - just not recommended during a storm.
RE: LP Holder for Home Built Camper
I don't think there are many options beyond those you suggest for the tank location. A single 20 lb tank will be plenty. Mounting it high will be a pain for refilling. You might even consider smaller than 20 lb tanks to make lifting easier.
By the way, the roof height change would be a deal breaker for me. I've had too many years trying to get dressed in a small tent to accept anything where you're bent over all the time. I can't imagine cooking anything in there, unless you're the sort of cook that needs prayer to avoid burning things so that you're already on your knees anyway.
Maybe you should forget the stove, since you will have to cook outside anyway - get a Tundra fridge, and simply leave a 5 lb propane tank on the floor when you are going to use the heater.
RE: Just Upgraded our TC tonight! Have a few questions
The first of your pictures is the correct spot for the battery on my 690 model - your 850 likely won't be too different. I don't think that water pump is factory installed, and whoever put it in was not thinking about other uses for the space.
On mine there is enough room in front of the water tank for a battery (the side closest to the middle of the camper)and I use the space where your water pump is located for both my water pump and the porta-pottie as the 690 does not have a bath.
A deep cycle marine battery will work fine for this application. A search will find lots of threads about this subject in the forum.
RE: LP and CO detectors
My propane detector will flatten the house battery in a weekend with nothing else turned on, so I replaced it with an energy efficient model - my nose. I'll reconnect it if I ever sell the unit in case the person buying does not have a nose, or is unsure how to use one. The smoke detector might be next - I am sleeping near the ceiling in a tiny box on wheels, surely the nose would work there too. The smoke detector's redeeming quality is it take a 9V battery so it's no concern to have it - I put fresh batteries in it every year. The CO detector... why do I need this? I know you can't smell CO, but I don't use a cat heater, don't cook while I'm asleep and generally have a window cracked in winter to help with condensation. Seems like just another load to flatten the battery. By the way, these things make sense on a stick house and mine is equiped with all 3 - propane, CO, and multiple smoke detectors. But it's also equipped with more than one room. And yes, I'm O.K. with having "his battery was full" on my tombstone if removing these power leaches ever gets me killed :-) If having the detectors makes you more comfortable, by all means make sure they're functional, but in my opinion, the only value they provide in a truck camper is to the person that sells them.
