Snackchaser

Wiring used by manufactures for trailer brakes may seem ugly or brittle, but it has properties and insulation appropriate for the application and harsh environment where it can exposed to water, oil, chemicals, constant vibration, and abrasion. Please use caution using extension cords for brake wiring because they could have inferior wire that looks good, but with insulation that could deteriorate and fail over time. Trailer brake wire is readily available for this purpose, and it's a better and proven choice. Cheers! Geoff

Hey Bob, If you’re pressed for time and it doesn’t re-set, then you might be better off trying to fix it yourself because Truma service could be inconvienient, untimely and expensive. I’d check for a degraded pump, or a debris jam thats causing excessive current draw as the error code indicates. The year warranty is probably expired so it could be worth a try. If the WH operates at all before the error code shuts it down, then listen for unusual pump noise and/or measure the current draw. It normally runs just long enough to fill the reserve tank with hot water, and a DC clamp-on amp probe can be used to measure the current from the front panel. AC/DC amp probes are readily available and you can use the wiring schematic in the Truma Manuel to identify the pump’s wires where they enter the control board in front. Just separate one of the pump wires from the bundle, and clamp the probe over it. The pump is rated to draw less than 2.5 amps when pumping. If the error code is preventing it from running, then you'll have to remove the WH and take the pump out for testing. It takes a little time but it’s not difficult. Drain it through the front flip down drain before disconnecting the plumbing. Disconnect the propane line and unplug the control wire from inside the unit, cut the DC power at the splice in the back by the water connections. Carefully use a heat gun, spray solvent such as Goo Be Gone, and plastic putty knife to break the outside seal, and have some butyl tape and outdoor caulking on hand to reinstall it. Once out, connect a standard 1/2" NPT residential faucet hose to the pump's intake, prime it, and put the other end in a bucket of water. Connect it to a 12V battery with jumper cables and use stiff wire or paper clips to connect to the pumps plug. It should pump with good pressure and <2.5 amps. If the pump is okay, then unfortunately you're back to control board issues and probably going to the Truma dealer for diagnostics. But you will only be out of your own time for trying. The pumps are pricey at around $250 when I last checked. Only buy one from a reputable dealer because I saw a fake site advertising them for $55. I hope this helps! Good luck! Geoff

JD, This is unfortunately one of the drawbacks to the Victron inverters, but supposedly you can switch it to charger only mode to allow shore-power pass-through with the inverter off, with less standby power used. Bit of a pain though! However, a clever and handy guy such as yourself could install an external by-pass switch that would be easier than the App. Victron makes an inexpensive 30 amp beauty for switching between a generator and shore-power. I've seen them for $45. This can be wired so that you can switch the inverter off and still have shore-power. It's a great solution that might get you some extra sleep! 🥱 Cheers! Geoff

Bob, I was using the specs of my Xantrex Freedom 2000 model to make a point about power consumption in standby mode, without any AC load. Different models will vary. The newer Xantrex models have a "No-load detection" feature that reduces the standby current by 25%, or to about 60 AH. This is similar to the Victron's power saving modes. Be sure to check your settings, because this feature is usually turned off in the default settings. However, I don't know the minimum current for the No-load detection off-hand, so it's possible that ghost loads like the microwave LED clock could defeat its value. And your assumption is right, this applies to any type of batteries. Hope that helps! Cheers! Geoff

David that's very cool and clever! Sounds like you know the maker! Do you think you could get the slicer file from him, or have him put it on Thingiverse? Is it made from PLA filament? BTW, I never mentioned it, but the rubber weather cap that comes with the Rj45 socket can be used under Furrion cap. Mine has disappeared though! Thanks, Geoff

While preparing for an upcoming trip, where I’ll probably need to run a generator for AC, I decided to utilize some unused space in the dog house to store my RotoPax 2 gallon gas can. I used to carry it in the tongue tray with the generator, but now I’ll always carry it for emergency fuel. I made a rectangular box that's sized so there is just enough friction to hold the gas can snugly in place without needing a strap, and narrow enough to fit between the propane tanks and the front of the doghouse. The tank can’t come out anyway because of the doghouse cover. I measured the can after leaving it in the sun for a while to account for any expansion. The fuel can holder is made from 1/2” void free plywood (baltic birch), and it’s put together with glue and screws. It was rattle can painted with primer and plenty of white gloss, then attached to the frame with self drilling 1/4” screws, like the ones holding the propane tank tray. It can be locked through the handle if desired. The RotoPax gas cans were originally made for off-roaders, and they are pricey at around $85 each. But they are practically indestructible, and they come in different colors for diesel or water. I’ve had mine for around 7 years and it’s never leaked a drop. There are knock-offs available on AZ for about half the price, but I can't vouch for their quality. From the plywood scraps, I also made a little box for the luggage scale that I use for weighing the propane tanks. It was made in the same way with magnets to hold the hinged lid closed. It was mounted in the doghouse in front of the propane tanks. Hope someone finds this useful. Cheers! Geoff

Nice work Don, very creative and well documented! Being such a handy guy, you might also like my post "Turning on the rear camera automatically." It sure beats always having to remember to flip the camera switch on and off every time. Cheers! Geoff

Just an FYI. If the digital rear view fails, it still acts like a normal mirror. It has to, because the camera doesn't work well in the dark.

A friend of ours rented a private trailer this summer, but he had not slid his receiver hitch fully in, and the retainer pin missed the hole in the shank. A dip in the road caused the receiver to slide out, and both safety chains broke. The violent snap caused the propane to break free and hit the windshield of a following car, causing a minor eye injury from glass particles. He said the chains were "hefty." It would be hard to determine the force put on those safety chains, but it must have been considerable! Just sayin, a chain is only as strong as the weakest link!

Good on you for your perseverance and skill at getting the Norcold fixed! Thanks for providing part numbers and giving hope that problems with these, now obsolete, refrigerators can still be repaired. I think it would be great if you explained how to remove the front panel right here on the forum. I'm sure others would benefit . . if not now, then later. Congrats! Geoff

Those are parking places to keep dirt and water out of the cables. One is for the DC to DC charger cable made by Trailer Vision. They also make the plug covers and receptacles for Anderson connectors. The other one is for the 7-pin cable (AP Products Plug Guard.) Cheers! Geoff

Camera is through bolted with nylock nuts as to not to chip the fiberglass, like happens with sheet metal screws. The very tip of a step drill works well for making holes in the fiberglass because it doesn't grab and chip like a twist drill. Cheers! Geoff

Thanks JD. Yes, if you disconnect the grounds the LEDs won’t work, but switches will still work. Also, if you want the blue lights, then you can replace your switches with LED types available at AZ. i like the blue lights, just not so bright! Geoff

I like our 2022 RAM 2500 gasser a lot! Some of the many notable features that we like include Apple Car Play. It always synchronizes seamlessly, without the frustration we've had with other cars including our old 2016 Ram. We frequently use it to display full screen Google maps from the phone, and we can toggle back and forth to the RAM GPS which offers nice features too, like a side bar that shows upcoming rest stops, gas stations, etc.. My absolute favorite feature is the digital rear view mirror camera option. It's a high resolution and wide angle view that is way better than the standard mirror. Best of all, it has an auxiliary camera for mounting on a trailer, and the resolution is just as good. I think it's a fantastic towing safety feature, where you have an excellent wide angle view of directly behind and side lanes where there is normally blind spots. There is an outlet in the rear bumper for the trailer camera, and a cord garage for the trailer during storage. My camera is mounted on the spare tire cover. It also has a 5-camera outlet for a trailer surround and interior views, but we don't use those. Other features I like, are the side mirror sensors that warn of vehicles in side lanes. This can be adjusted for your trailer length. The self adjusting steering aggressiveness for highway and town is just right, and the lane departure steering correction is very suttle, even better than our Tesla that can startle you with aggressive corrections. I'm sure that other trucks have similar features, but I also have a personal preference for the RAM dashboard layout and controls. That my two cents worth! Cheers, Geoff

Sounds like click bait, but it’s true! During a recent trip, the master switch on the main panel started flickering on and off, and that caused the blue LED indicator lights for other switches to flash. It turns out that one of the spade terminals for the switch had loosened from the strain of the tangled mass of wires that were tightly stuffed in behind the switches. Many of the wires were individual grounds for the LED switch indicators, and there just isn’t enough room for all of them. The wires are oversized and stiff, and they used bulky splices to connect them all together. So I cut the mass of yellow wires out and replaced them with a single smaller wire that was daisy chained to each switch. That space is much less tangled now, and there is more room and less strain on the switches. Now I have room for a new switch for a future project. While I was in there, I decided to address another peeve. I’ve always thought that those blue LED’s were too bright, so I soldered a 47K ohm resistor on the termination end of the new LED ground jumper. This dimmed the LEDs by about 50%. . . so much better! If anyone’s interested in doing this, Amazon carries a 525 piece resistor assortment for $8 so you can experiment with various levels of dimness. Only one resistor is needed for all the switches, so you could do a little twisted resistor art with the leftovers. I hope that someone finds this useful. Cheers! Geoff