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ADKCamper

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Posts posted by ADKCamper

  1. We have the bulldog coupler lock from Proven Industries. It is an impressive lock. We did not, however, purchase the puck lock from Proven Industries. Instead we chose an Abloy Protec2 PL-975 hardened steel puck lock from Security Snobs:

    https://securitysnobs.com/Abloy-Protec2-PL-975-Hardened-Steel-Puck-Padlock.html

    Its pricey at about $160, depending on keying options. Its possible to configure other Abloy locks to be keyed-alike with your puck lock with a little planning...

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  2. I am a WAGO connector fan for circuits within their approved rating; properly sized crimp connectors and binding posts for bigger stuff.

    Clamps or cable ties where possible to limit vibration. I also wrap 2 turns of trimmed-down black tape around the Wago "levers" after making and inspecting the connection to keep those little levers from getting caught on something and opening up when folded back into their junction box.

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  3. Just to help narrow-down the timeframe for when the switch was made from the older 5,000 lb BD to the 7,000 lb BD on the LE-I model, our LE-I (#409, mfg in Nov 2018) has the 7,000 lb Class 4 coupler with the gusset and the correct label to match...

    • Thanks 1
  4. Thanks, Dave! Appreciate all of the research/experiments with your Elite... its earlier and slightly different from ours, but much more similar heating-wise than the Elite II's discussed in other "keep the plumbing warm" threads!

    Camp on 😎

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  5. 14 hours ago, ScubaRx said:

    You can do that with what you already have.

    Not sure how to do that, other than to take the total charge current (from the smart shunt via the Victron app) and subtract (in my head... I hate to do that LOL) the present solar charge current (again, from the Victron app) to compute the converter charge current... assuming there are no 12v loads active at the same time (which would result in 2 unknowns in the equation SolarChargecurrent + ConverterChargeCurrent -Active12vloadCurrent = TotalChargeCurrent).

  6. Thanks, Dave for posting your experiment results!

    It would be interesting to see how the new/improved under-floor airflow performs at some lower outside sub-freezing temperatures, and whether there's any need to attempt to "balance" the under-floor airflow to obtain equal warming in the 4 primary under-floor locations of interest (water pump, outdoor shower, galley sink area and bathroom sink/toilet area).

    Your proposed mod is pretty easy to implement if it performs well in all locations in lower temperatures.

    Some have expressed concern in earlier posts about too much suction in the under-floor area bringing in cold/damp air through the under-floor drain scuppers. I have no idea how much under-floor suction you might need before this becomes a significant issue...

    I have been thinking about pressurizing the under-floor area with a fan in each of the 2 rear corner locations where you would have the new vents, and allowing that air to return via vents from under the bathroom sink area into either the bathroom or the adjacent closet area. Your approach is a little cleaner in that my fans would require routing 12v to the fans and providing an on/off switch mechanism (either manual or via a temp sensor or sensors under the floor)...

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  7. Thanks for the link... my PD converter does not have the LI/LA switch. I could replace it with one that does. I've been debating whether it makes sense to move the converter out of the fuse/breaker panel to a separate device. This *might* be something like a Victron Phoenix Smart IP43 Charger so that I could control & monitor converter-based charging activity with the Victron app.

    Apologies for the thread creep...

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  8. Not sure if this helps in your situation, but I will describe our experience with a 20A GFCI outlet at our home.

    When plugging in our 2018 Elite to a GFCI'd outlet in our garage (using an adapter as OP has described), it sometimes but not always trips the GFCI. By the process of elimination we have deduced that this behavior is somehow related to the Progressive Dynamics charger/converter mounted in the fuse/breaker panel under the side dinette. If we turn off the breaker corresponding to the charger/converter, the GFCI no longer trips.

    I don't know if this behavior is related to some issue within the converter module itself, or if there's some "sneak current path" elsewhere in the trailer that is enabled when the converter is powered up.

    This issue does not arise when plugged into a 30A shorepower source as these are typically not GFCI'd (but may be at some point in the future as newer NEC changes related to RV shorepower connections come into effect).

    Our plan is to wait until our existing AGM batteries need to be replaced, when we will change to lithium batteries and replace the converter with a lithium-capable one.

  9. We have a 2018 Elite with the same Cooper 235/65R16C tires as Golfnut, above. Spare is the same size. I don't have any actual measurements on the inside dimension of the spare tire cover. My recollection from the one time I had the spare tire cover off is that it fit fairly snug... unclear if it will tolerate a larger diameter tire without more careful inside measurements.

    I'm not ready to replace tires just yet, but a quick look-around suggests that most tires that support at least a 2500lb max load (each; +10% safety margin = 2750 lb max load each) are larger by about an inch, and sometimes more, than the above Coopers. I'm worried about wheel-well clearance and having to run a high psi to support the weight (which gives a *rough* ride).

    I don't have a good replacement plan yet...

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  10. We have similar issues with our late 2018 Elite I, with two differences from most of the Elite II configurations being discussed on the forum:

    1. There is very little clearance between the 2 hulls of the Elite I to route flex or solid ducting
    2. The furnace is under the forward side dinette seat, with one outlet blowing directly into the aisle (towards the refrigerator & entrance door) and the second outlet going through the adjacent wall into the bathroom low and to the left of the toilet. The return vent to the furnace is on the face of the forward dinette seat facing the space under the dinette table.

    I have read most of the referenced threads and have a tentative game plan that I will begin to implement over the winter:

    1. Install remote temp sensors in both rear corners near the water pump and the outside shower plumbing, and also low in the vanity area under the bathroom sink. My current temp monitoring system only has 3 remotes, but I might try to find & place a 4th of some kind under the sink near the kitchen plumbing.
    2. Add some vents with 12v fans on each side of the aisle under the rear dinette/bed, pushing some heated cabin air into these two plumbing spaces
    3. Add a return air vent (shielded against spray intrusion) from the bathroom into the space under the sink (which, with the bathroom door closed, should funnel some heated air from the bathroom into the space under the sink)
    4. Maybe add a return air vent from the space under the bathroom sink into the adjacent closet
    5. Add 2 vents to the closet, one high and one low as referenced elsewhere.
    6. Consider partially opening one of the kitchen drawers to allow some return air flow out from the space under the sink.

    We do have a small electric space heater, which helps save propane when we have shore power available, but the airflow is a little different from when the propane furnace is running.

    We are from upstate NY and don't usually camp in the winter any more (we used to do so in a tent), but we do encounter sub-freezing temps in the western states in the spring and fall "shoulder" seasons; especially at altitude.

    It seems like a little fine tuning of the airflow (which is almost non-existent now) should make a difference 🙂

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  11. +1

    My wife has (2-3 year old) Oticon hearing aids with a USB-A charging plug, which works fine with the Blue Sea 2x USB-A outlets that Oliver was installing back in late 2018. I'm not familiar with what they're installing now. I'm not surprised that Oticon has likely upgraded to USB-C charging since then as its becoming much more universal.

    We also have several Anker 12V USB-A/C adapter plugs similar to the one Steve Morris has shown above, and second his recommendation for Anker USB products.

    I did a quick survey on the Blue Sea website, and could not find any USB-C flush-mount outlets from Blue Sea available yet. Those outlets are not difficult to swap out if you can find one from a quality manufacturer that has the same form factor as the factory installed units (thus eliminating the need to use the separate USB adaptor plug...).

    A USB-A to USB-C adapter would also work as Mike has suggested.

    • Thanks 1
  12. I use the same "augmented" diagram and valve configuration table as shown above. I have found it useful to label the valves with their corresponding numbers from the table, as they are not physically located exactly as the diagrams are typically drawn.

    The photo below shows my labeled valves (#1 thru #6) for a late 2018 Elite I configuration. Other years/models may vary.

    WaterValves(normalmode)IMG_7468.thumb.jpg.195950d8e9492573fd830166c1f5f37b.jpg

     

     

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  13. We have stayed at the Hampton Inn in Franklin a couple of times when visiting Hohenwald, and it worked out well for us...

    Local tourist attractions are very personal choices. We have enjoyed the following:

    • Cascade Hollow Distilling Co (home of George Dickel Tennessee Whisky). Small outfit, a little different from the Bourbon Distilleries in KY (have also toured several of those). Tasting afterwards. Tour guide was great 🙂
    • Kentucky Cooperage (ISC) tour, Lebanon KY - barrel making. Note the time zone change when driving there from Franklin.
    • Mammoth Cave NP (as a day trip out of Franklin.)
    • Nashville (Broadway) - we just did our own walking tour up & down Broadway, nice lunch with live music in one of the honky tonks (Rippy's in our case)
    • Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum - Nashville, just off Broadway
    • "Historic RCA Studio B" tour (runs out of the Country Music Hall of Fame... kind of run down, but interesting if you're an avid Elvis fan or interested in country music history
    • National Corvette Museum (this is where the sink hole opened up & damaged several corvettes back in 2014
    • Natchez Trace - historic/peaceful/scenic drive as far as you want to go. There's also a few historic buildings with interpretive signs near the Meriwether Lewis Campground. You can walk on a section of the original Natchez Trace
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  14. Thanks for all the great wildlife photos! Sometimes we get lucky, and other times we'll go an entire trip without either seeing anything, or not being prepared to take a photo in a hurry...

    Mountain Goats seen from the Needles Highway in SD

    1497450510_05-18aNeedlesHighwaySDDSC_0125MtnGoat-a.thumb.jpg.19b219d97778671179739ae2e4499408.jpg

     

    1881907228_05-18aNeedlesHighwaySDDSC_0130MtnGoat-a.thumb.jpg.7fad83bd733393932cf28ef4162bd6a0.jpg

     

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  15. If  you can't get the 45-degree zerks to cooperate, something like the following 90-degree adapters on the end of your straight grease gun hose/fitting might work for you...

    https://locknlube.com/collections/greasing-accessories/products/locknlube-90-degree-grease-coupler-adapter#

    or

    https://locknlube.com/products/locknlube-simple-90-coupler?variant=8158561206327

    Of course they're also available on Amazon 🙂

    LNL120-Coupler-Adaptor-Illustration-AMZ_200x_crop_center.jpg.af78559aa430b24fde1b61bebc894458.jpg  LNL129-Simple-90-upright_1400_200x_crop_center.webp.fd20f7f3bcd1778675b0dab23c785794.webp

    The width at the business end of the first adapter is about 1-3/16". The width of the 2nd "simple 90" adapter is about 2-1/16".

    The Locknlube site wants $16.99 for the first (left photo), and $10.99 for the second (right photo).

     

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  16. Galley drawers - we added a strap to retain our drawers... very similar to what JD describes. It works great.

    We also added a strap across the bathroom door; it would work its latch loose in transit and swing back and forth. We initially jammed a seat cushion between the refrigerator and the bathroom door when traveling, but the strap across the door about 1/2 way up (near the latch) does the trick.

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