Geronimo John

I'm impressed! I love diversity of power supply for sure. When I was installing our Lithiums and DC to DC and solar suit case I asked the forum if they could all play together at the same time. Got zero response back then. Looks like with your DC to DC Charger + Solar Panel on TV Bed Cover + Oliver Solar + Portable Panel = You seem to know how to do it. Would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions. Sorry in advance for hijackings my own thread! 🙂 GJ

If I recall, it was John Davies that first posted the idea. A primary purpose was to facilitate the use of an IR temperature sensor at rest stops to periodically check the hub temperature directly. This I do as well.

One approach to moving air, as the above dozens of posts have discussed, is to duct it. Another way is to not duct it and use pressure differentials to move the air. SO, if you are not a "ductor", think about this concept: The basement is sort of a sealed compartment. With a little bit of effort it could become closer to being one. Then add a computer fan at the curb side under bed bulkhead to slightly pressurize the basement area with warmer air. To get this warmer air to the shower/fresh/city port areas, you'll need to open up a passage way between them and the basement and a vent to the street side under bed area. Hypothetically, at this point convectional air movement (Warm air rises, cool air falls) may be enough to freeze proof the area. If not, add a second 2 watt mini fan. Worst case is you will be pulling about 4 watts of power (two fans) vs. 300 watts of electrical resistance heating. GJ

Spray Foam it. GJ

Question: Would opening the "Optional" hatch into the rear basement storage area help keep the outside shower/city & fresh water ports from freezing in extreme temperatures? GJ

I guess that they would then become "Never Adjust". Not to be confused with "Manual Adjust". Or does my brain need an adjustment? Is there a tool for that? LOL GJ

And the magical brass punch/race remover! I have not seen one of those in decades. Sweet. Who did you order it from?

When we purchased our OE2 in 2018, we passed on the solar kit due to cost and my obsession with not messing with the aerodynamics of the super smooth OE2. As expected the costs of solar panels are more reasonable now, but the commercialization of flat thin flexible panels has taken awhile. I don't know if these panels will flex enough for full roof coverage, but a combination of the slim and rectangular thin panels may suffice for great aerodynamics. Should that be the case, with thin connections it may be the ticket. Anybody tried this out yet? GJ

David: Nice install! I may get a couple of your straps for my battery compartment. Two thoughts: To keep the batteries in place requires a significant amount of tension. Hence your heavy duty straps. When in motion, energy pulses from the suspension system imparts to the frame, and then to the metal plate that supports the battery bay. Fortunately with EZ Flex and four shocks, these pulses are significantly reduced... but not eliminated. The result is varying tension of the straps. Higher pressure when the pulses are up, and lower when they are down. In essence your cables will be acting like super strong springs between the straps and the AGM's. That over time, the spring movement (Cables) will impact the crimped connections and possibly effectiveness of the system itself. In short, I recommend running the straps under the battery cables. Thus forces of the straps on the batteries will not have nearly as much on the cables and connections. Secondly, if you do not already have a Master Battery Switch, I would certainly suggest your getting one. BlueSeas 350 amp is a great one that many of us use. GJ

David: Is this the InstaCrate you are using under the front dinette set? I'm been looking high and low for something like this. Thanks GJ

Art: Great effort. Down the road June likely will need the same set-up. Some questions: How do you raise the mast? What kind of speed does the system generally provide in "city" and while "remote"? Any wag on the equipment and accessories cost (not counting your time which is priceless of course?). About what does the monthly cost run? Thanks GJ

To do so, you would also have to have the gray line valve (next to the toilet) in the travel (closed) position. Or, you could drop a lit M-80 in the toilet... that for sure would do the trick. Not recommended.

A picture would be grand! I'll be back in Texas first week of February for the Texas Rodeo Salt Grass Trail Ride. Working as a gopher to help out. Should have some down time during the day to work this. So, not a huge rush. Many thanks for taking the time to explain how you fixed this. I can remember my first encounter with a massive Alaska corduroy road hump that likely got my microwave. It sure got my attention, and I changed the interstate driving style to much more of an off road style... and speed as a result. GJ

JD and Rivernerd: It only took me 40 years to digest using a di-electric (Insulating Grease) on electrical connections that we want to not be insulated. My head aches are back! just kidding. But seriously, for what applications does one use DC 4 vs. DC5? GJ

Yes, descale HWH with vinegar. But dump it. Keep it isolated from any bleach. Use the hot water isolation valve to do so. When done, then button up the HWH open the isolation valve and flow fresh water through it to purge all vinegar and scale out of the HWH. I have attached my water systems checklists. It has several processes with detailed steps that a new owner could follow easily. Once you have done them a few times, it will come natural. But I do understand not knowing for sure what you think you may not. Each use I find ways to improve them. So If you or others see errors or ways to improve them, please PM me and I'll update. Mahalo, GJ 2024 WATER SYSTEMS SERVICE AND SANITIZATION (Updated 2024 Version).docx

Sherrill: Absent signature block info about your trailer and TV, one can get and give really bad info. Here is your profile info: If you don't have a hard sided camper, then I would never recommend boondocking for a trans Alaska trip. Just too many opportunities for wildlife to ruin your day. GJ

Ditto. Also need to add that protecting the front of your trailer is ESSENTIAL. Below is a picture I lifted from Sherry's post link. Mud flaps near the rear and front tires plus bigger flaps at the bumper is not enough. But they are the first and second line of defense. There are posts on our forum of several ways and materials to do the protection. But I like hers the best personally. GJ

Bill: Would you please share the info for your container? Maybe a pic of it in place too! thanks JPR

I was 100% in agreement for Dewdev's post, up to the word storage. Beyond that and assumptions can come into play and bias the discussion. Recommend you advise your battery mfg if your rig will or will not need to be used during extreme conditions. Then just ask the question as modified above. Some battery mfg's have no problem with their Litho's freezing hard so long as there is zero draw or charging happening until well after they thaw. If you bias the discussion, you may not get their "Full Monte" of understanding the specifics for your batteries in your location during worst case events. GJ

Bill: Thanks for the get back. Helpful for sure. I did about 20 searches on "Microwave" and other words to describe it's tendency to migrate. One of them resulted in a thread on our forum that had your picture. With the understanding of the wood box that the microwave inhabits, I'm planning on doing the "Weggie" approach you pioneered. Follow-up questions: About how much "slop" is there side to side and up and down? (Basically am I talking about Popsicle Sticks, Paint Sticks or 2" x 4"s?) Using this approach do you seen any benefit of drilling holes and screwing into the microwave cabinet? Sure has potential for causing a real problem with the function of the unit. Is it feasible to have the SS Microwave Trim Piece rewelded or must it be replaced? thanks GJ

The obvious most important warning is not to mix those chemicals in your living space. More than a few folks trying to unclog/clean a sink/toilet have done so to their peril. So good reminder. But for this discussion (Tank and Fresh Water Line Cleaning), the solution to your process is not to mix the Pine-Sol that you put into the black/gray tanks with the the Vinegar you put into the hot and cold water lines to sanitize. How? Raise your trailer tongue at a dump station or camp site where you have full hook-up and open the black and gray valves to drain them after your tank cleaning. Then flush the water lines first with a bunch of clean water to flow water through the water and they drain into the tanks to remove any Pine-Sol residue. Then introduce the bleach water into the hot and cold water lines and complete the sanitization process. Flush the tanks some more and close the valves. Always remember to bypass your hot water tank. You don't want bleach in it. GJ

Art and I are both using the same solar panel and have connected them up this past summer using the Z-amp 10 AWG Solar Panel Connection as shown in his picture. Down the road when I get past all the Priority A and B mods, I'll likely remove the Solar Charge Controller and make it portable as John D. did several years ago (See his post for details.) Short version is he sits it on top of his street side tire and runs a short cord into the batteries. But with just using the Solar Suitcase as stock, it's not a high priority. However, if you want to extend the (10') stock cable, then the JD upgrade mod would be more beneficial (B Level Mod). My only regret is that I purchased the single 200-watt solar suitcase vs. two each 100-watt solar suitcases. For my purposes, the smaller ones would transport better in my short bed TV. They would also be easier to move around and get out of the TV bed. This may require some smarts for connecting two of them up to a single charge controller. But likely Renogy already has this covered. GJ

Frankly not enough to get out 1/2" of black electrical tape. But when I did the Lithium project, I moved it to below the bed rail so I could put the Victron 712 smart in it's place. Under the bed rail it for sure does not bother us. More often though, I have seen it mounted on the StreetSide rear tire fender facing the "hallway".

My typo. I have edited my quoted post. The main battery cable to Inverter should be 4/0. This will allow for reuse for either 2,000 or 3,000 watt inverters. Also be sure to add a second auto transfer switch dedicated to the A/C. See John Davies post on this topic for info. Doing so allows you full capability of a 3,000 watt converter to power up the A/C and most other loads.

Our 2018 readout is mounted on the street side wall, to the right of the pantry, above the Fresh/Gray/Black/LP sensor readout.