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RE: coach battery issue ?
I found a manual for your Fridge here.
According to the chart on page 11 it draws 12.5 Amps. in DC mode. Note that DC mode is for holding temperature only and should not be used to cool things down.
Your battery specs can be found here. battery
It is a group 24 rated at 84 Amp Hours. Half of that is 42 AH, the deepest you should discharge it.
Running that fridge continuously for a little over 3 hours brings your battery to 50%
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Canadian Rainbirds
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06/07/13 08:15pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: coach battery issue ?
What model is the Dometic fridge? Do you know what the DC current draw is when on DC? Most RV fridges don't operate on DC (except to power the control board when on propane)
DC absorption fridges draw a LOT of amps. That could by your killer. Also, often automotive alternators don't provide a lot of charging current to deep cycle batteries.
11.99 volts is awfully close to dead. Try not to let the no-load voltage drop below 12.2 Volts.
I just Googled Dometic AC/DC refrigerators and found that current Portable fridges draw from 2.75 to 4.5 amps depending on the model.. Running continuously for 10 hours would take 27.5 to 45 Amp Hours from your battery.
I assume that you have one of the portables.
I forgot to ask what the coach battery is. I am guessing a group 27 Marine/Deep Cycle which will give you roughly 100 AH to completely dead, so 50 AH or so to 50% (12.2V)
Also remember you have to put a few more AH into the battery than you took out.
You MAY have a battery problem, you MAY have a charging problem or you MAY have a usage problem, or a combination any two or all three. A little detective work should sort it out.
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Canadian Rainbirds
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06/07/13 04:21pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: New to RVing
Hi Mike
Welcome to the world of RVing. While I know that it is not right for everyone it does provide a lot of fun for many of us. In fact it can br addictive. From your message I believe that you are wanting a travel trailer. Not sure if you mean the type that attaches to the bed of a pick up truch wich is a fifth wheel. If you want one that attaches to the bumper of your vehicle it is a travel trailer. You have posted on the thread that is for self contained motorhomes. If you are interested in a travel traier or fifteh wheel you need to post on one of those threads. There is a lot to pick up from RV.net. One thing that I would personally recommend is go to an RV show which are nation wide. Look at everything there and then decide what direction you really want to go. It will also give you an idea of cost. One word of caution is don't move to fast and buy to quickly. Also if you are looking at a fifth wheel or travel trailer make sure that you buy the correct tow vehicle. Don't get this information from as salesman as they will tell you whatever you want to hear. There are a lot hear that will be able to work you through your decision process. Once again we are glad to have you here.
Thanks Bob and Ann for your response. You are correct! I did not mean to post in Class A, but Travel Trailers. As soon as I figure out how to move or delete my post I will. You were kind to steer me in the right direction
You can ask the Moderator to move your post. Click on the Notify Moderator area top right of your post.
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Canadian Rainbirds
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06/06/13 07:00pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Jacks don't go up??
What make are they? Hydraulic? Electric?
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Canadian Rainbirds
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06/06/13 06:45pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: allison tranny
I'm not sure that all Allisons have a Grade Brake as such. Our 2002 DP does not have anything marked as such.
In order for it to shift down on a downgrade we must have have the cruise control engaged. This works well for most gentle hills. We switch on the exhaust brake and if cruise is selected it does add more speed control to the transmission on the hills, but the exhaust brake itself will not engage until we touch the service brake pedal. This of course turns the cruise control off.
You need to use the service brake to get you down to a speed where the exhaust brake and transmission will hold you at steady speed. We have descended many very long 6% grades an not touched the service brake after the first few times.
Our exhaust brake sets the transmission to select 2ng gear (it is a 6 speed Allison) but of course second gear will not engage if we are going too fast for it, which is of course the case at highway speeds. Normally it selects 3rd or 4th. If the speed gets too high for engine RPM the transmission will shift up. Hence the need for using the service brake to find the right speed to descend the hill.
A little practice and it will soon become second nature.
We love our Allion and Exhaust break. So much easier to drive in mountainous country than the gasser we had before.
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Canadian Rainbirds
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06/06/13 10:31am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: What did you do to your Class A MH today???
Had my plumber come out to do some house repairs and also install
my new RV kitchen tap cause other one cracked.
1. Taps are Totally not accessible because of narrow cupboard access area and a built in
shelf in the way.
2. Had to remove the sink to gain access and the rear of sink has screwed supports !!!
He managed it. But geesh they don't make RV's with consideration that anyone will be doing any replacement or upgrades it seems.
3. Hoses were capped off and not marked so he had to figure out which was which
by playing detective... (not an RV guy) which he then did mark for me for future.
Hoses are a different size than the tap connectors so he had to put together
an adaptor to connect (not something I could have done that quickly for sure).
4. When he turned on the hot water to run through the new tap (which looks so great)
this horrible smell of sulphur happened.
I had run bleach through the system but of course didn't run the hot water and he said
the stink is from there...
5. Not wishing any problems this weekend at yet another dog show, I thought I would be very wise and add bleach and run it through using hot water to cleanse the hot water tank..
6. The smell for sure disappeared... phew... then I thought I would empty the final rinse
though all the taps... ...and I got distracted...
I came back out to the rig and tank was empty, water pump running full blast...
and a flood in the rear of the RV because I forgot to open my grey water tank !!!!
there is a metal tray thing next to the water pump that I realized is a channel for all the
hoses to the bathroom and that kept filling all evening only to a point...
so I had the shop vac to it for hours off and on
and blew a fan at the access area under the shower stall.
Today 24 hours later it is finally drying out...
I did fill some water back into the tank so I could have some water back in the
grey water tank (read this is a good thing) and the pump ran just fine no leaks...
PHEW>..
however wondering if getting a spare pump and hoses might be a wise
thing at this point... (knock on wood won't need)...
Wow my first RV is a huge learning curve for sure...
We have all done similar things. Most just won't admit it.
Couple of points: to really help dry things out run the AC as much as possible. That will pull a lot of humidity from the air.
Most if not all RV fresh water pumps are designed to run dry so you likely didn't damage it. That being said, depending where you RV as spare can be handy.
We use our spare to boost the extremely low (gravity feed)at many Mexican campgrounds. We fitted it with hose connections and power it from a 12V connection at the trailer socket at the back. A 2 foot hose to the tap and a longer one to the tank fill allows us to fill in 10 or 15 minutes rather than 2 or three hours!
We too travel with a couple of dogs. Good luck at the dog shows.
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Canadian Rainbirds
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06/06/13 10:12am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: RV.org rating question-snowbirding vs. fulltiming
Honestly I wonder about RV.org recommendations. I think all they are doing is figuring FT'ing is 12 months vs 6 months or less of living in a RV and the wear and tear on the inside due to it. Theory being the more costly units will stand up to the wear and tear better.
IMO, it's not the RV, but the owners of the RV that will determine the longevity and answer what you're asking that makes a good unit.
X2
X3
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Canadian Rainbirds
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06/05/13 09:15am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: House batteries
1st: what kind of converter do you have? Make, Model
What size and how many batteries do you have?
What are you using to measure the voltage and at what point are you taking that reading?
Using a smart charger or converter you batteries should get up to around 14.4 then slowly taper down to 13.2 t 13.8 When charger is off they will slowly continue to fall to 12.7 or 12.7 if there is no load on them.
12.6-12.7 is 100% charged
12.2 is 50% or less.
11.7 is dead.
Disconnect the batteries from the rig
check the electrolyte. It needs to be above the plates and just up the the ring.
Charge with a smart charger for as long as it takes--may well take many hours.
Then let us know what you find.
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Canadian Rainbirds
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06/04/13 09:22pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Porch Light
We bought an LED flat panel for ours but haven't got around to putting it in yet. :S
Thanks for the reminder!.
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Canadian Rainbirds
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06/03/13 06:45pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Diesel pusher lite switches
In our 2002 Itasca Horizon the main "lounge" lights have 2 way switches; one on the galley wall and the other at the the front entry door.
No complaint on any of the other switch placement either.
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Canadian Rainbirds
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06/03/13 06:43pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: If you have stayed in Rancho Bougainvillea?
No the ;ocatopn and owners were special. We now boondock on the way south at San Juan de Alima.
Care to share? we usually drive north up the coast in the spring.
Ranch B was perfectly situated between Zihuatanejo and Puerto Vallarta to allow a two day trip instead of three.
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Canadian Rainbirds
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06/02/13 03:27pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Very Pleasing Test Run!
Graydon beat me to the tope comment! I'm sure we have done a lot of damage to the rig over the years. Last season we replaced the basement heatpump which had failed due to cracked line then had a broken injector line. Both likely due to 10+ years of vibration and uncountable topes.
Congratulations on the new rig. Hope to run into you guys somewhere SOB
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Canadian Rainbirds
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06/02/13 03:23pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Solar Charger
Hi,
The 140 watt is a no brainer from my point of view.
Ditto
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Canadian Rainbirds
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06/02/13 03:12pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Having a problem with my tow bar
Hi Bill,
Here is a link to the manual.
We have had a similar problem with our Stowmaster All Terrain. Similar to your but is mounted on the tow vehicle.
The problem is likely dirt or eve a little corrosion in the arm It deeds to be cleaned and possibly polished.
First however, pour Simple Green into the tubes from one end and or around the levers. Work the bar in and out for a while then flush with clean water. It may take a while and several applications and flushings to get it clean.
Spray the inner bar with Silicone spray. DO NOT USE SOLVENTS, OIL, WD40 OR GREASE.
If it still sticks you may have to remove the inner arm from the outer (not as difficult as it may look--Once you have disconnected both ends the parts should slide out.)
Clean and the inside of the bushing. DON'T remove much material! I used 2000 grit wet or dry paper which I happened to have. Probably finer than needed. I taped a piece to a deep socket and used and electric drill. Keep the paper wet. A also cleaned and polished nicks and dents from the inner arm. The inner arm should slide easily through the bushing but should not be sloppy.
The problem with mine was scratches and dents from gravel (from Alaska) and road tar from road repairs. Due the to tar I had to use a little solvent but was positively paranoid about removing all traces of the solvent before reassembling. It has worked flawlessly for many months since.
Make careful notes as you take thing apart. A digital camera is useful!
Roadmaster Tech support is also very helpful. Give them a phone call if you get stuck.
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Canadian Rainbirds
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06/01/13 04:24pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Generator Exhaust Pipe
Rather then drilling holes to mount brackets go to harbor fright and get some large suction cups, no need to drill holes.
X2
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Canadian Rainbirds
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06/01/13 04:15pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Laundry Chute
Last year, my wife finely got fed up, with stepping over the dirty cloth bag on her side of bed & asked what we could do to solve the problem. Can we build some type of hamper or trap door she asked.
I didnt say anything for a short while & then, YEAH, got an idea what we can do, real serious like.
There is nothing on the walls on either side of our bed, so we can just cut a hole in the wall, make a flush mount door with hinge at the bottom & just tip it in & drop the cloths in. She says. ok lets do that then, thanks sug, then after awhile she says, now if we do that wont the cloth just drop out onto the ground ?.
I said yeah, but at least you wont have to keep stepping over them every time you move around on your side of the bed.
For some reason she's not mentioned that idea again.
I'm still thinking about doing something & the drop into a compartment sounds like a good idea.
Neil
Neil, DW says the the easiest solution would be to move the clothes bag to your side of the bed. :B
Our DP had a pull out drawer in the bathroom that acts like a laundry chute but rather than drop the clothes into the basement it contains a laundry bag. When the bag is full I know that it's time for me to had to the laundromat.
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Canadian Rainbirds
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06/01/13 01:32pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Solar Charger
What size and how many batteries? How much will you discharge the batteries?
45 watts should be fine for maintaining battery charge but could be hard pressed to recharge one that is much discharged. At 14.4 volts you'll only get about 3 amps.
If you just want to keep the battery from discharging during storage you will be fine.
An inexpensive PWM controller will keep it from overcharging the batteries.
If you think that you might add panels later you might as well make sure the wire that you install now will be adequate for more current.
I'm sure you will get a lot more comments here. There are some very knowledgeable people on this board.
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Canadian Rainbirds
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06/01/13 01:24pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Does your home jurisdiction require air brake endorsement?
Yep in Alberta. Easy and informative day and a half. Would recommend it to anybody.
BC Also. X2 the J&As comments.
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Canadian Rainbirds
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06/01/13 12:55pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Advice for bypassing Skagit River Bridge?
There will be a clearly marked Detour! Yes it will add some time to Your trip!
don't sweat it!
Rob: How do you take your bus from the Island to the mainland? What Ferry terminal. To Anacortes looks damn expensive.
To and from Mexico from Vancouver Island ( the last 11 years) we use the MV Coho between Port Angeles and Victoria. Down the 101 from Port Angeles puts you onto the I 5 south of Olympia which avoids a huge amount of I 5 traffic.
Cost is about the same or a little less than the BC Ferry route.
The Sidney-Anacourtes route used to have special fares for RVs sometimes, don't know if they still do. Haven't used it in decades as that route is less convienient for us.
These ferries don't have a lot of crossings; The Coho has only one in the winter, 2 spring and fall and three (from each side) in the summer.
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Canadian Rainbirds
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05/31/13 09:23am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: What did you do to your Class A MH today???
Took it into the shop to have a new shower pan installed as well as a new toilet. While everything is out they will check the floor for water damage. Keeping fingers crossed!.
Got a phone call from the shop today to come and have a look at the bathroom floor before they carry on. The floor is OK! The base of the wall behind the shower is another story. Some rot along the plate and a short distance up the wall. The owner, Bob (whom I have known for decades) pointed out: "Why would they put a union behind the shower?"
From the floor, the plastic pipes for hot and cold go up for about three feet where each one had a union, go up another three feet to an elbow connection!!??? Just asking for a leak. He'll replace them with single piece lines. Bob has been building and rebuilding custom campers for 30 years or more. I trust his workmanship. Be nice to have it all done right.
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Canadian Rainbirds
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05/30/13 10:19pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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