Handbasket
Asheville, NC
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Joined: 01/17/2003
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crawford wrote:...I guess I didn't under stand about ref if your running on gas and it's not working was it out of gas?
Dunno about his, but some of the newer Dometics require a small amount of 12V power to the control board & self-igniter, even on gas. My '06 2354 auto-switcher does.
Jim, I've taken a vow of poverty. To annoy me, send money."
'06 Tiger CX 'C Minus' on a Silverado 2500HD 4x4, 8.1 & Allison ('Loafer's Glory'); '07 Forester 2.5 ( the 'HANDBSKT'); '95 Toyota SR5 V-6 4x4 pickup, ARB locker, Bilsteins, Warn hubs & M8000, etc;
'94 968, M030 swaybars ('DOPPLER')
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ron.dittmer
Near Chicago
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Joined: 02/26/2007
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I loved reading through everyone's comments. Here are my responses.
Yes I am picky about my coffee when the accomodations allow me to be. I love "Freshly" brewed coffee, not nearly as much when sitting hot for 1.5 hours in the electric coffee maker. I did suggest to the princess to brew only enough coffee for herself, then turn off the pot.
A gas stove top brewer would take care of that particular problem completely, but my wife would only find another way to drain the batteries. I expect to have a hair iron lecture next. We do enjoy brewing coffee while driving. The coffee maker mounts to the inside cabinet door which allows that to work well. A stove-top coffee maker would be redundant, and we can't afford redundancy in our scaled-down RV.
THE CULPRIT
I did consider a solar panel a year ago but concluded it wasn't going to meet my wife's needs. My roof isn't big enough to hold that many panels.
One day I may consider two 6V batteries, but that day will come after my our 12v batteries are through.
We could resort to star gazing in place of a movie, but when the rain is coming down, even a camp fire is hopeless.
There are many options out there for managing 110v needs. Like one said, in the park we stayed where generators are not allowed, I could run the main V10 Ford engine. But I can't watch over my girl with both eyes shut.
Had my wife been aware of the consequences with the coffee maker, the batteries would have been just fine, TV movie, coffee maker for brewing only, her lap top plugged in to play Peeble for that 1.5 hours, a weekend of 12v opperations and all.
I did buy This Smart Charger from Walmart to help me recover better during limited generator run times.
Bought new in June 2007, Phoenix Cruiser-2350
Fits inside our garage.
Dingy towing a red Toyota MR2 Spyder
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Gene in NE
Omaha
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Joined: 09/15/2003
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ron.dittmer - Sounds to me like you have the situation completely figured out. 
Your approach is so much better than another guy I know. I would meet up with him at many different motorcycle rallies. One year I noticed that he had a female following him around the campground. I confronted him and questioned him, told him I thought he had told me his wife did not ride. His answer - She didn't, got me a new wife. 
2002 Trail-Lite Model 211-S w/5.7 Chevy
Gene
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kendall69
Palm Springs California
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Joined: 05/02/2004
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Get a french press coffee maker. Makes fresh coffee by the cup or two no need to keep it warm.
Boil water ( no electricity using gas ) pour the hot water over the french press coffee maker and you're good to go.
Also solar panels or the smaller solar battery charger will save you some grief.
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Finally Fulltiming
Summer: Finger Lakes, NY; Winter: Somewhere warm
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Joined: 12/08/2003
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Good Sam RV Club
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Astro quote: "I do 90% of the cooking and wash all the dishes as she just uses too much water if I let her do it."
Smart wife!!!!
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southernkilowatt
North Carolina
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Joined: 11/13/2007
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Them wives are great! 18 years of bliss here. Only two more years of payments and she is mine. 
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AstroRig57
near Tehachapi, CA
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Joined: 01/15/2009
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Finally Fulltiming wrote:Astro quote: "I do 90% of the cooking and wash all the dishes as she just uses too much water if I let her do it."
Smart wife!!!!
I agree...and she is very smart. RN/BSN, highly trained specialist and a hard working professional. When we go out in the RV, I'm treating her to a vacation plus...it's a "manly machine" and pretty much my domain (though she's making the new valences and curtains.)
2005 31' Coachmen Freelander 3150SS, Stargazer II - Mobile Astronomy Unit
Do you remember when the sky was dark, and the stars were bright?
The International Dark-Sky Association
American by birth...Scottish by the Grace Of God.
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corglet
Colorful Colorado
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Joined: 07/16/2008
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The french press coffee is way better than machine coffee. Make fresh right before you want it, or warm up any leftover when you wake up after your sleep-in!
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Dakzuki
Carnation, Wa, USA
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Joined: 11/01/2002
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I have managed to convince the significant other to conserve when we are dry camping. So far it's working and she is doing really well. We have no TV and drink tea which must help.....especially with a single house battery.
95 Chinook Premier
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pnichols
Santa Cruz Mountains
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Joined: 04/26/2005
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"However; you could idle the motor-home engine. The Ford V10 will supply 70 amps each hour at idle and is very quiet, and will recharge chassis and house-batteries."
That's what we do when needed. That's maybe a best kept secret of at least the later Ford V10's .... they are QUIET and VIBRATION-FREE at idle. We also idle the V10 and keep the whole coach cool (small 24 foot Class C) by running the dash A/C at times when our (fairly quiet) built-in Onan might be too load. Although the V10 uses about 0.7 gal per hr when idling, sometimes the convenience is priceless.
Phil, 2005 E450 Itasca 324V Spirit
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