| |
Subject |
Author |
Date Posted |
Forum
|
 |
RE: another generator question
I would not have the genset near the RV. Have it out so that it has a good source of air movement.Is the carport open so that you have no chance of exhaust gas building up.
My carport is open on three sides and I do have a outside deck with a lot of room to put a unit under. I think I could locate it under the outside deck and well within reach of my 30 ft TT cord and still be under 20 feet from the inside fridge and freezer.
I probably would want to use it at a campground or around other campers so portability and noise would be an issue to consider. Would the Honda EU6500iS mentioned in this post be a reasonablely quiet unit? Does anyone know about how much it weighs?
Glenn
|
Glenn And Kitty
|
08/29/08 01:45pm |
Tech Issues
|
|
another generator question
I searched and found hundreds of generator post but I guess I'm a little slow and can't quite figure out what I really need. In hopes of not being called a complete idiot, here's my situation and question:
I want to prepare for a week long home power outage. I would want to park my 24 foot Trail Sport under my carport and run it as though it was plugged into shore power. It has a 13.5 A/C, a 1000w microwave, and I would probably watch a 12 inch flat screen TV and perhaps run a laptop computer at the same time.
In addition, I plan to run about a 15ft-20ft HD extention cord from my in home refrigerator/freezer and a small in home stand alone freezer to the generator to keep those going.
Can I get some suggestions about what size, what brand, and what kind (gas, diesel, propane) of generator I would need. I would want something reasonably quiet. What would I expect to spend?
Glenn
|
Glenn And Kitty
|
08/29/08 07:42am |
Tech Issues
|
|
RE: Stuck fuel gauge
I tired the "reboot" by taking off the negative cable for a while then reconnecting. No luck with the fuel gauge but I will have to re-program all the stations on my radio(LOL).
As for the wacking, I did that too but I was skeptical as I've driven Louisiana roads for about two hours and if something is not wacked by now, it sure missed a good chance.
Does anyone know if there is a "float" sending unit in the tank or is it all sensors?
Glenn
|
Glenn And Kitty
|
08/09/08 06:43pm |
Tow Vehicles
|
|
Stuck fuel gauge
I have a 2006 Ford F-250 gas truck. I went a little too far looking for cheaper gas and my low fuel light came on. I stopped and filled the tank up full but now the light stays on and the gauge is stuck on empty.
When I turn off the engine the needle on the gauge drops slightly. When I turn on the key it moves up a hair and then stays there. On this model Ford the "low fuel" indicator is where the odometer is displayed. I can push a selector button and see my milage but every time I turn off the engine and restart the "low fuel" shows up again.
Any suggestions?
|
Glenn And Kitty
|
08/09/08 05:04pm |
Tow Vehicles
|
|
RE: Refreshing Router
I also have a router problem and I was just about to post a question when I saw this topic. My connection is dropping about every fifteen minutes to two hours. It started a few days ago.
I have a Westel 327W router and it is a DSL connection. It is for wired or wireless connection. The strange thing is that all my wireless connections (three computers) work fine. The only dropped connections are the hard wired units (two computers).
I had a phone company guy over here Thursday and he couldn't figure it out. I'm supposed to call Monday, if it's still dropping connection, and have them come back.
What I'm learning is that it may have something to do with the Server refreshing the IP address and a recent Microsoft update is conflicting with that. If this is for real, it may have something to do with the other 'connection" problems mentioned in this topic.
Every time my connection is dropped I have to disconnect the power to my router for about 15 seconds, plug the power back in, wait a few seconds, and them I'm re-connected to the Internet.
My on-line connection time has run from two hours to less than five minutes for the last week. Interesting is the fact that my computer does not have to be on to loose connection. I can turn my computer off after having been connected and come back an hour later, start it up, and it won't be connected. I get the "webpage not displayed". I do the router power down then up thing and then I'm connected.
That seems to tell me that it's not my puter. By the way, the phone company guy installed a new router on Friday so I'm pretty sure it not the router either. This makes me think it is a "Server source problem" and perhaps gives credibility to the "Server and Microsoft update conflict" I heard and read about.
Sorry for being long winded but this is complicated. If anyone has a solution, please post it. If I get a resolution on Monday when I have another "expert" from the phone company come by, I'll post it as it may help resolve the other issues in this post. Even though the dropped connection issues posted are not nearly as frequent as what I'm experiencing the fix I obtain, if any, may work for those also.
Glenn
|
Glenn And Kitty
|
07/05/08 07:47am |
Technology Corner
|
|
RE: microwave problem
I found that the cooling fan was was not coming on. I removed the unit from the wall and pulled out the fan. The blades turned free but I couldn't make it work when powered up.
Does anyone have any idea where I might get a replacement fan assembly? It is a Sylvania microwave or that is what it says on the front of the door. I have a 2005 R-Vision Trail Sport.
Glenn
|
Glenn And Kitty
|
06/21/08 06:28am |
Tech Issues
|
|
RE: microwave problem
Couple of questions to prevent needless head scratching. Are you plugged into campground power, generator or inverter/battery? What do you mean, "all the lights, everything shuts off after 30 seconds and then comes back on for a bit" You mean just the microwave and its light or everything in the trailer, lights etc?
microwave only shuts down. I'm plugged into campground power and my power meter is well in the green even when trying to use the microwave.
It does sound like a stuck fan. Does anyone know if it (fan} is it accessable?
|
Glenn And Kitty
|
06/19/08 07:44pm |
Tech Issues
|
|
microwave problem
microwave comes on and gets things hot but cuts off after about 30 seconds. All lights, everything shuts off. It does not trip any breakers. After about 30 seconds to a minute, lights come back on and it will start to work again but only for a few seconds.
It hums like a fan or something is stuck.
Any suggestions
Glenn
|
Glenn And Kitty
|
06/19/08 07:16pm |
Tech Issues
|
|
RE: Need some XP Home installation help
You paid money for a junk computer with a bad 9.5GB HD ? Why ?
It has a 256 memory card and a 48x CD writer. At $20.00 I figured even with a bad drive I would be ok.
I forgot to mention, That I also received a monitor, keyboard, and mouse in the deal.
|
Glenn And Kitty
|
05/16/08 10:12am |
Technology Corner
|
|
RE: Need some XP Home installation help
Original poster here. After several days of working with this computer, I found that I had a bad hard drive. I located another hard drive out of another computer. It had an XP Professional OS on the drive and at first when I tried to install XP Home it wanted to partition the drive.
I didn't want a partitioned drive so I let the program run and formatted the drive from my XP Home disk.
I then stopped the process and started the reinstall again. At the partition phase I did a "D" then "L" and deleted all the partitions. I then continued and installed the XP Home OS.
All is fine except when the computer starts up a black screen comes up and it says:
Please select the operating system you want to start:
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Both options are the same. If I choose the first one Windows starts up and works fine however If I choose the second one I get and error window:
"Windows could not start because of a computer disk hardware problem.
Could not read from the selected boot disk hardware"
Questions:
1 - How can I make the "choices" go away and have it just start from the first option.
2 - Since I have "choices" does that mean my hard drive is still partitioned?
3 - Should I start over and reinstall again?
4 - Is there a way to format the entire hard drive and start from a totally clean hard drive. If so please be specific on the instructions.
Thanks for your input
Glenn
|
Glenn And Kitty
|
05/16/08 09:52am |
Technology Corner
|
|
Need some XP Home installation help
I bought a computer cheap at a garage sale. It's a Dell Optiplex GX150. 256 memory and 9.5 gig drive.
I bought a new XP Home Edition w/SP 2 program (A full version not an upgrade) and started to install it. All goes fine until it runs through the fomat process. It reaches a 100% format then it goes to a screen that says:
"Windows XP Home Edition Setup
Make sure the drive is switched on and properly connected to the computer. If the disk is a SCSI disk, make sure your SCSI devices are properly terminated. Consult your computer manual or SCSI adapter documentation for more information.
You must select a different partition fro Windows XP.
To continue, press ENTER"
If I press "ENTER" I go back to the page for formatting and it does the same thing all over again.
Any suggestions?
Glenn
PS: If this puter has an "SCSI disk" or "devices", I don't know what that is and/or how to "properly terminate".
|
Glenn And Kitty
|
05/06/08 01:33pm |
Technology Corner
|
|
RE: slow computer startup - different
Original poster again:
Thanks again for all the info. The puter is about four years old however the hard drive was replaced last November (6 months ago) the old one crashed. When I reloaded xp and all my regular programs start up was great. It is only in the last thirty days I've noticed the slow start up (haven't added any new stuff during that time).
Once it gets going I have no problems with operation speed. I do a lot of music stuff and it does fine. I have an air card and surfing the Internet is not a problem either. It never freezes or gives error messages, it just takes a while to get going.
I set the hibernate and that's working pretty cool. I'm just puzzled as to why it has gone into the "slow start up mode" over the last thirty days, even though I haven't changed or added any thing.
I think I'll try a reinstall of xp in the next few days when I have time and see what happens. If that does any good, I'll let every one know.
|
Glenn And Kitty
|
03/14/08 08:23pm |
Technology Corner
|
|
RE: slow computer startup - different
I am sure that your "60 gig RAM" is really the hard drive size.
You can get the how much memory your computer has by right clicking on My Computer and selecting properties.
Tom
You're right, my bad - my laptop memory is 248 mb.
|
Glenn And Kitty
|
03/14/08 11:04am |
Technology Corner
|
|
RE: slow computer startup - different
Original poster here:
Thanks for all the great input so far. Let me address a few points that were made and see if there's more to consider.
I have a 60 Gig RAM. It shows 71% free space. Only four startup programs: A mouse pad startup that is needed, AVG (anti-virus), hkcmd and ctfmon (both needed).
As for not shutting down, I use it in my truck and if I leave it on, even in standby, it kills my truck battery if I don't start the truck for a day or two.
Once again, no virus or hidden programs are detected.
|
Glenn And Kitty
|
03/14/08 09:31am |
Technology Corner
|
|
slow computer startup - different
I know this has been discussed but I've tried all the standard suggestions.
My xp laptop takes three to five minutes to startup. Once it's open it runs fine. Did the msconfig check and no un-needed programs are starting. I use AVG virus protection, ran a scan, no problems. I use a pc optimizer, do disk defrag, clean the temp folder, do disk clean up, and do a complete disk scan on a regular basis.
I uninstalled the AVG program and it helped a bit but it was still pretty slow starting (two to three minutes). The only thing I haven't done is reinstall XP Windows. Would that do anything?
What else should I try?
Glenn
|
Glenn And Kitty
|
03/14/08 07:16am |
Technology Corner
|
|
RE: Electrical question
Original poster here. Thanks for all the input. There are no codes/inspections where I live. Having said that, I want to do the right thing but try and not be wasteful also.
The point was made about the length of the run. As a matter of fact, if I had just a few more feet in this project it would call for #10 on the 20 amp breaker. For someone to assume that just because there is a #10 wire at the main panel on a 20 amp breaker that it can be switched to a 30 amp breaker is not too smart; I'm no electrician but I know that much.
I called an electrical supply company and I spoke with their on-site guy who is not a licensed electrician but makes all of there recommendations. He said a professional electrician wouldn't mix sizes if it were a paying customer he would probably go for it on a home project of his own. He suggested that I use the larger wire first to maintain the voltage in the longest part of the run and then use the #12 for short "branches" and try and end up with #12 at the connection points as it was much easier to work with.
Any additional thoughts or comments? I always respect and appreciate the opinions I get form this forum.
Glenn
|
Glenn And Kitty
|
02/24/08 12:20pm |
Tech Issues
|
|
Electrical question
I've been wiring a shop and an RV cover for lights and receptacles. I'm nearly finished but I want to run one or two more lights and a 110 receptacle. I'm going to install a 20 amp breaker in the main panel and run a new dedicated circuit from there for this "run". I have about 31 feet of #12-2 wire and about 22 feet of #10-2 wire left over from the other runs of the project. This new "run" will total about 45 to 50 feet.
My question:
Is it ok to mix the wire sizes? Perhaps start at the main panel with the #12 and then finish with the #10 or should I reverse that and start with the #10 at the main panel and finish with #12?
Glenn
|
Glenn And Kitty
|
02/23/08 04:29pm |
Tech Issues
|
|
RE: Rv plug wiring question
Original poster here with a few more thoughts. My reason for going with the #10 is that I have a metal building and I can buy #10 in "self-contained conduit" and easily run it through the building. If I go with #8 I have to buy separate conduit, put it in place, and then run the #8 through it.
I already have four 20 amp 110 outlets in the area so I don't need to add another one of those. In addition, I have plugged my RV into a 20 amp outlet and turned on the AC while monitoring the voltage with a meter. The "start up drop" was less than 112 volts and continuous run was always above 118 volts. I even turned on the micro wave and voltage did not drop below 112. My unit just does not use much current.
Using #8, my total cost will nearly double because of that size wire and the separate conduit, not to mention the added time and labor of that configuration. All things considered (and I'm talking 3 1/2 feet over the recommended format) it just seemed more practical to use #10, but I didn't want to be way out of line with what is acceptable.
Glenn
|
Glenn And Kitty
|
02/18/08 09:15am |
Tech Issues
|
|
Rv plug wiring question
I'm installing a receptacle for my 24ft Trail Sport. The exact length of wire I will use is 53 1/2 feet from the 30 amp breaker in my main electrical panel to the spot I will put the receptacle. I've been looking up the wire size for that run and most Internet sites call for #8 over 50 feet and #10 for under fifty feet.
I have nothing else that will run on that circuit. I expect the voltage drop for #10 wire on the 53 1/2 run will be about 3.2%. Since I'm so close to the "under 50 foot" mark and my small RV does not pull that much voltage would I be ok with the #10 and just fudge on the extra 3 1/2 feet? What do you think?
Glenn
|
Glenn And Kitty
|
02/18/08 07:24am |
Tech Issues
|
|
RE: light weight trolling moter battery
I've located a 12V 32AH Gel Cell lead acid battery that weighs 31 lbs. Do you think 32AH will provide the power I need to troll around and fish for half a day? I have a 105 AH and it last a week but the reason I don't like it is that it weighs 78 lbs.
Glenn
|
Glenn And Kitty
|
01/23/08 06:21pm |
Around the Campfire
|
