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mossemi

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Posts posted by mossemi

    AGM Battery Mount Problem

    in Mechanical & Technical Tips

    Posted

    16 minutes ago, Mike and Carol said:

    Question for all the electrically smart folks out there.  Would anyone be interested in doing an “How To” for swapping out batteries in an Oliver?  What not to do, what to do... disconnect solar controller?, turn anything else off?, which cables to disconnect first?, what to look for as far as cable serviceability?, rookie mistakes?

    I will help in any way possible, but I am a little too ADHD to write an “How To" on this subject.  But I would suggest that you purchase this book to start with.  And while you are waiting for it to arrive, watch some of Will Prowse's YouTube videos.

    I will suggest that you approach it slowly.  And as Sherry suggested, remove the bad battery pair and take your AZ trip with the remaining 200+ Ah's of batteries and your generator.  Who knows, you may find a great battery deal in Quartzite.

    By all means, disconnect the solar panels.  You can cover the panels with blankets or disconnect them from the rooftop port.  And trip the flag circuit breaker under the street side bed.  I believe you should follow Overland's suggestion of eliminating most of the wiring in the battery box by using Buss bars inside.  I am down to 3 wires/cables from the battery box to the inside, 1 battery +, 1 battery - and a battery temperature lead.

    Mossey

    • Like 2

    I messed up

    in Towing an Oliver

    Posted

    1 hour ago, SeaDawg said:

    Everything really is bigger in Texas, right?

    We rented a class C RV in Alaska in 1999.  We spent 20 days touring state and even though it rained 19 of those days, we still had a great time.  My brother had worked on the Trans-Alaska pipeline, so seeing the pipeline was a little special for me.  We toured the oil storage facility in Valdez which is where the pipeline ended.  While on the bus tour, the guide told a story about the inspection of the pipeline before it went into service.  As the story goes, they used a mechanical device called a pig to inspect the welding on the inside of the pipeline.  During the inspection, they found an anomaly on the inside wall of the pipe.  So they sent a more sophisticated pig, capable of high quality pictures through the pipe.  And when they reviewed the pictures, they found that someone had welded the outline of the state of Texas on the inside of the pipe.  Now this caused the Texans on the bus to roar their approval.  And then the tour guide noted that they could cut Alaska in half and make Texas the third largest state in America.

    So if everything is bigger in Texas, I guess everything is biggest in Alaska.

    😂😂😂😂😂😂

    Mossey

    • Like 1
    • Haha 4

    Lagun table mount

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I think I understand your question, but maybe not.  The battery box and the pantry base has an air space around it that is about 1" to 2" in various locations.  I don’t think a backing plate it the battery box would work because of that space, it would compress too much.  The backing plate would need to be between the inner and outer hulls.  I have gotten my hand up in the area between the bed and pantry to replace a cable gland.  It was a struggle, but persistence paid off.  So if you are trying to place the Lagun mount in the aisle, you would need to work from the access cover under the bed and see if you can get you hand and arm up in that area to hold the backing plate, washers and nuts in place while inserting a bolt through the table mount.  
    My inverter would be in the way of accessing that area so I would remove it to increase the work area.  It’s doable, just not as easy as the nightstand or under the bed overhang areas.

    Although I haven’t worked with the 8020 equipment, it seems that you are only limited by your imagination.

    Mossey

    • Thanks 1
    • Like 1

    Change the Zamp panel connection from parallel to series? Any easy way?

    in Ollie Modifications

    Posted

    JD, I saw a statement today indicating that MC4 connectors should never be used inside a vehicle.  They did not elaborate on their point of view, but it made me think about your desire to eliminate the Zamp roof cap SAE connections.  I think you could replace the SAE port with a stainless fender washer and gasket and mount a bulkhead MC4 connector to it.  Just thinking out loud!

    Mossey

    CD39B971-6839-444B-9339-4FD0C5FE8B18.thumb.jpeg.04bdaae00bfb2a1153e6fad908065edf.jpeg

    • Thanks 1

    Dometic AC/furnace question.

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Mcb, I know you are visiting Florida and being a native I can tell you from experience, we sometimes run the heat in the morning and the A/C in the afternoon, so it seems like you’ve figured out the solution.😅😅  

    My thermostat has the words "heat strip" after "furnace" in the bottom left corner that I see when running through the mode selector.

    Mossey

    • Thanks 1

    Battle Born

    in Ollie Modifications

    Posted

    I have always wondered about  Amazon's fluctuating prices.  They must have reduced inventory to an manageable level.  

    And I followed DavidS's advice from a couple years back and created price drop alerts for Amazon products at this website.

    Mossey

     

    • Like 1

    Reverse Wire Under Tire Cover?

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by mossemi

    My 2017 LE2 has factory wiring for a front camera because it was an option available at that time.  I am not sure which years it was offered.  If you open the port hole in the upper cabinet above the microwave you will find a rats nest of wiring for the panel at the front door.  I found the front camera wiring labeled and taped to the wall above the switch panel.  The wires are running towards the front of the trailer between the ceiling and the roof.

    And speaking of the rats nest, I like it because it makes finding and pulling wires a little easier for me.  
     

    Mossey

    Change the Zamp panel connection from parallel to series? Any easy way?

    in Ollie Modifications

    Posted

    11 minutes ago, Overland said:

    Well you’ve definitely gotten me interested and thinking about this again. I would definitely like to get more out of my solar panels, especially in the winter. This past trip was a bit painful being in full sun and seeing at most about half of the rated capacity. I know that the most effective modification would be to make my panels tiltable, but I always seem to plant the trailer on a north south axis for some reason. 

    Did you use your suitcase panels on this trip?  Didn’t you have plans to wire the portables in series?  Wasn’t it your intention to add another MPPT CC for the suitcase panels?  Am I making you feel lazy by reminding you of all the projects you are neglecting while you mess around with duct work?

    Mossey

    • Thanks 1
    • Haha 2

    Reverse Wire Under Tire Cover?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    14 hours ago, GAP said:

    While on the subject, does anyone have the rear view option that comes with the trailer.  We went that way and, as we have not yet done our pick up, I'm wondering if it is wired into the back up lights or is always on?  Hoping it's the latter.

    Gerry

    My 2017 LE2 has a switch inside the door which turns the rear camera on/off.

    Mossey

    Change the Zamp panel connection from parallel to series? Any easy way?

    in Ollie Modifications

    Posted · Edited by mossemi

    Note:  I started this post this morning and then got busy with Christmas decorations, so if there are additional posts on this subject that I have not read, I apologize for being redundant.
     

    It's time I add more information from my point of view to my question.  I have already acquired the following equipment for my solar replacement, which I do plan to claim for a tax credit.

    3 - Battle Born BB 10012 batteries. 1 of my original lead acid batteries failed which led to the lithium upgrade.

    2 - Zamp 90 Watt Long Solar Panels B Stock  These panels are considered seconds, sold by Zamp through Amazon.  A solar panel is required for the solar tax credit but these are sold in pairs.

    1 - Victron SmartSolar MPPT 150/45 Tr.  Why not take advantage of the tax credit?

    1 - Xantrex PROWatt 2000 Inverter.  Original failed.

    Associated cable, connectors, mounts, switches and bits and pieces.

    So, I have put a little thought into this project.  But I have never read anything about Victron MPPT CC's requiring 24v inputs.  I do know they support multiple voltages.  I think a 24v input would make sense if you needed to run new cable from the roof to the CC anywhere in the cabin or lower hull, but you have already indicated that you are going to use the existing Zamp cable run. The smaller cable requirements of higher voltage would certainly ease any new cable runs.

    When I run my panel numbers using the method at this website Sherry posted, I would waste 128 watts of solar energy with my panels is series.  

    And I don’t believe that Zamp PWM CC's are junk, they just aren’t as efficient as any quality MPPT CC.  All of my Zamp equipment has provided good service for 3 years and I can’t think of any Zamp problems mentioned on this forum, but maybe I have forgotten them.

    Mossey

    • Like 1

    Change the Zamp panel connection from parallel to series? Any easy way?

    in Ollie Modifications

    Posted · Edited by mossemi
    Clarification 😎

    11 hours ago, John E Davies said:

    I am replacing my controller with an MPPT Victron unit which requires the panels to be in series (higher voltage instead of battery voltage).

     

    JD,

    Ok!  I found a 3rd post asking if anyone had replaced the Zamp CC with a Victron and you referenced the 150/35 which supports 12v.  So why the change to 24v?

    Which Victron charge controller are referring to that requires PV panels in a series configuration?  Changing to 24v would make sense for the portable panels and your long 10 AWG extension cord runs.  You could add a small 24v charge controller under the bed or dinette using your existing Furrion port and not have to change out your roof port and connectors.

    Maybe you are talking about 2 different projects, but the two topics you created have confused me, which is easily done these days.

    Mossey

    Battle Born Black Friday Sales Today (11/27/2020)

    in Mechanical & Technical Tips

    Posted

    19 hours ago, Starshine said:

    Can the Battle Born batteries be used as a direct replacement for the AGM batteries in the Elite?  Do you have to modify the solar charge controller?

    Audrey & Vincent

    I have an LE2 so I can’t answer definitively.  Direct replacement depends on the battery tray and battery dimensions.  I can say that the Zamp Solar charge controller does support lithium batteries and the Progressive Dynamics Power Distribution may or may not support the lithium batteries.  You should contact Progressive support and provide your model and serial number and they will guide you.
    See this post: 

    Mossey

     

     

     

    • Like 1
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