RE: Battery question
Well.... How hard is it to inspect and add water?
I ask because in life there are many trade-offs.. If you can easily maintain the "Maintenance required" battery, then it's a lot cheaper per unit power than the "Maintenance free"
On the other hand if the batteries are some place that convinces you the jerk who designed your rig is a dedicated follower of the marquis de sade... Well... Then go with Maintenance free
RE: Fuel additive
Sta-bil if a gas rig or Seafoam. you are sitting for any length of time. Or Seafoam for diesels
If it's a diesel add anti-gel agent (I think seafoam is) or add some of the other grade (I forget which is low-temp grade)
If your rig is a gasser the difference is the vapor temp.. If it is fuel injected it may run a bit rough till it warms up, so let it warm up a minute or two. (no more) If it's carbarated it may be hard tostart, HEAT (on the carb) from a lamp will help.
If it's diesel the difference is anti-gel. you can add that.
RE: TSW Inverter running A/C
The problem with running an Air Conditioner on the inverter is you need a lot of battery, Common A/C's are over 1,000 watts or more, one pair of U-2200's (Standard golf car batteries) hold about 1,000 watts, at 12 volt's with losses figurd in that's 100 amps EACH (or more)
So you need a very heavy duty alternator, 200 amps or more, to be safe Plus most alternators don't like running full load for extended periods of time
Better to use the generator
RE: What is your opinion on this quote??
I think the numbers are "out of thin air"
but I also think that by a "Million" he meant "A whole lot", I do not think he intended it to be an accurate count.
RE: Hughes tripod dealer
Where are you.. I might be pursuaded to part. however there are some unpaid fees (We will settle that at the time) I'm considering lower cost alternatives when I get back on the road)
RE: Diesel fuel dumb question of the Decade
There are two grades of Diesel, 1 and 2, one is better for Winter in the great frozen areas, the other has more "Oomph" to it but can jell in the winter.
What Wall Mart sells I truly don't know but check the pump.. It should say either #1 Diesel or #2 diesel
If it's the same as the pump at the truck stop, then baring quality control it's the same as the pump at the truck stop.
That said. I know that in the gasoline market some brands put additives in their fuel.. Marathon, for example, adds STP fuel additive, Mobile adds detergents to clean your fuel system, I do not know if BP has continued the practice of adding gas line antifreeze in the winter (However since most stations add 10 percent ethanol, which is gas line antifreeze... That's not sucha big thing)
It may be that the brand name truck stop has additives the brand name truck stop on the other side of the road does not.. I do not know.
RE: GFCI
Ok, thanks, wanted to be sure of that.. There is a lot of confusion about GFCI's and I see now that the GFCI has nothing to do with it.. IT's the breaker.. (in this case the confusion was MINE you see)
Often there are other things on that line already.. Some rigs the fridge is on the GFCI loop, some the converter.. A fridge is around a 3-5 amp load, a converter a 1-20, add in the 12-15 amp load of the heater and yes, It is going to overload.
On my coach, in a cubbord next to the frige, is plumbing and wiring for a washer/dryer including a genuine 20 amp dedicated line outlet.
That is my where I plug in my big heater.. The little heater goes on a shared line but there is nothing else on that line most of the time (one single cup coffee pot) Winters the whole rig only eats 20 amps tops (That's where the "pedistal" breaker trips)
Just got done feeding it internet though.. Amazing thing.. I put one plug on each end of the cable one time... Never done that before!!!
RE: reverse osmosis
The biggest problem I have with R/0 systems is that for every gallon of water delivered to your tank you will be sucking nearly five gallons (more or less depending on the system) from the supply... That's right take 5 gallons "Fresh" water to get one gallon of R/0 purified water. At least on the systems I've looked at.
There are very few places where I need that grade of filtering and in all of them to date water was scarce.. Thus making R/O filtering "Counter productive"
A good multi-stage filter will deliver 1/1 or at least 0.99999999999/1
I would suggest one of them instead. I use a Camco CX-90, but am thinking about changing to one of the others (Flow rate issues)
RE: Inverter Question
Yes to all the above.
When you need 120 volt AC you have 3 choices,, Shore power, Generator or Inverter
Now if you need a LOT of electricity (IE: Electric heat (Water or room) Air Conditioning) inverters are a poor choice.. Shore power or generator are required. However in most rigs with an inverter the inverter runs the Televisions, and possibly the GFCI loop and the Microwave. (How much it runs depends on how big your inverter is)
The inverter is also handy when you want to watch (or record) television and don't wish to run the generator... For example.. If I'm Boondocking. No shore power, and the place has "Quiet hours" where I can not run my generator (Common at FMCA rallies in fact) then I can still watch TV for an hour or two after I kill the generator by using the inverter.. I can heat a cup of water to make tea (or coffee) I can, as you suggested, run my laptop.
As for will the batteries still charge... That's a function of load v/s supply. Running your laptop is low power, the engine alternator can provide much more power than your laptop needs so the batteries will charge.
Same for the Television
The microwave, however, will draw more power than the alternator can provide in most cases (That is if the inverter can run the microwave)
RE: Chevy Volt - towable? How about AC & Heat?
I'm not sure what the Volt does for heat, but the A/C runs off an electric motor from every thing I have read.
As for it being a Hybrid, it's not a true Hybrid in the sense we know them now. The small gas engine installed is simply to re-charge the batteries while driving, if needed, extending the range to a reported 300 miles.
GM is still working with the EPA on a mileage rating, however it looks as the Volt may be the first car to market with a 100 MPG rating. For what it's worth, that would be an awesome marketing feat.
Interesting.... I suggested an all electric with an on-board generator to recharge many years ago, back before GM came out with the Saturn line in fact...
Heat can be provided either by the generator engine or by a seperate fuel heater.. AC can be powered by the generator as well or by the batteries (At the cost of range)
RE: wind generator alternative
I have seen a number of portable wind systems for RV use, however most of 'em require at least 10MPH to do much of anything and over 25 to hit full output.
That's a lot of wind
If you see awnings out, the Wind Generators are likely not up to speed.
RE: Problem with ice maker in Norcold refer
I will describe the ice maker cycle.. NOTE that there are two types of ice makers, I'll cover them both Suspects in UPPER CASE
Starting with the tray full of water the water freezes, A THERMOSTAT closes, and starts the cycle Note that if the freezer is not COLD ENOUGH the T-stat won't close and the cycle won't start
Now a motor starts to run, as the motor runs a cam, or cams, turn lifting the arm, and closing a switch that bypasses the Thermostat, also on one type a HEATER ELEMENT starts heating
Depending on the type a set of plastic fingers then rotates around pushing the ice crescents out of the ice tray (That's the kind with the heater) or the plastic ice tray is "Torqued" by a finger causing it to release the ice (Type without a heater) as rotation continues the cam(s) close an 2nd switch that opens the water valve re-filling the tray. This switch is adjustable
If the arm falls all the way down this cycle continues.. If the arm is blocked (Because the ice bucket is full perhaps) a SWITCH is held open preventing the cycle from starting
My guess is the "FULL" switch is open and replacing the arm will fix it
RE: GFCI
You said "The sink breaker trips" First GFCI's are not breakers.. Breakers are located elsewhere
As used here in the forum (and in common use far as I know) a "Breaker" is a device that responds to excess CURRENT flow, it's normally housed in the breaker box or panel, next to all it's kin (Other breakers) and usually looks like a switch.
The GFCI could care less about the amount of current that is flowing, What it cares about is if the total current in the "Hot" and "neutral" leads adds up to zero. (Since the current in those two wires should be equal and oppisite the sum should always be zero) Any imbalance will trip it.
That said... RV wiring is not, by my standards, that good as a rule.. A common way to hook things up is to poke a wire in a hole,, That's ok at 1 or 2 amps but at 12-15 that your electric heater pulls that can cause the connection to over heat.
I would replace the GFCI that's tripping, carefully bending the wire around a screw and not sticking it in a hole (Or joining wires properly depending on the GFCI unit)
You might wish to check the other GFCI outelets in the rig as well.. Pay special attention to the outside outlet.. Often that gets wet and bad things happen GFCI wise.
RE: fluorescent light - Odd issue with all of them
The "Ballast" on a 12 volt florescent light is either a DC/DC converter or an Inverter (Without looking closer I'm not sure which) It is not a ballast as used on 120vac lamps (Which is mostly and inductor)
The O/P said: "Battery shows good but can't get a voltage reading from it"
In theory, when you are on shore power, the battery (ies) should always show "GOOD" on the panel display, cause it's reading the converter
If you can't get a voltage reading on the battery itself.. You have a problem
1: The battery is DISCONNECTED
2: IT is DEADer than a door nail
RE: Factory Recalls
I agree Doug.. And it's also a good reason to keep current on forum posts.
That's how I found out about the fuel clip recall and a few others (Which do not apply to my rig) and to the Dometic Fridge recall (Which does)
RE: Electrical service for large class A...220 or 110?
This may sound strange but the answer to the original question is "yes"
It is 110-120 or 220-240 or more precisely "Both"
There are 4 wires on a 50 amp plug, 3 flat one "round" or "U" shaped
The "odd" pin is safety ground
The other three, measured to the center pin are
120-0-120
And measured side to side are 240 volts
This is a standard 240 volt hook up for a dryer or other dual voltage applance
Welders and big motors do not use the neutral
Make sure all 3 of those main wires are the same size That is don't use, for example, 6 ga for the "HOT" wires and 12 for the neutral If you use 6 for the hots, use 6 for the neutral as well.
And make sure you test before you plug in
120-0-120 with respect to the center flat pin 240 side to side
RE: fluorescent light - Odd issue with all of them
Now this may sound strange.. but What converter do you have in that rig?
Explanaiton:
There are several converers. Some of them are very very very good, some good, some.... Well... Some you are almost better off without
And if the voltage goes too high it will cause the "Ballast" on the lights to overheat
Also, hang a digital volt meter on
1: a fresh "D" cell battery (you can try smaller if you have not a "D" handy
Note the reading and then
2: Hang it on the power lead to the light.. And note the reading
3: Post your notes
RE: No 12 volts lights
Could this be anything other than the converter?
Fuses, Broken wires (includes bad connections) , Tripped circuit breakers, plug not in socket.. Shall I continue the list
