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Author |
Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: How long will the water stay good in my fresh water tank
I sanitize in the spring, then top off the water tank all season long without draining or re-sanitizing.
Water seems fine all year. I use it for all purposes including drinking.
This is town water, slightly clorinated. May be different from a well. But I seem to recall my father did the same thing, and he had untreated well water. Never recall any funky smell or taste in his water either.
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solismaris
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05/16/12 08:16am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Prodigy Brake Controller Weakness (and good support)
David,
Thanks for sharing this info. I've got an 8 yr old Prodigy and have not noticed the issue you describe. Are you talking about the slide lever, or the blue knob on top to adjust voltage? Good to know Tekonsha stands behind their product.
The voltage adjustment knob on the top left of the unit.
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solismaris
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04/19/12 07:29am |
General RVing Issues
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Prodigy Brake Controller Weakness (and good support)
My Prodigy brake controller broke recently after 6 years. I was surprised and glad to discover that I have a lifetime warranty on it. So they sent me a new one!
How did it break? The shaft of the power control knob broke internally so it could not be adjusted. I always thought it felt flimsy. A google search revealed that several people have reported this problem.
When I got the new unit I was surprised that it appeared and felt very similar to the old unit. The knob and shaft still felt flimsy (I could feel some bending inside when the knob was adjusted to its limits.) I expected that after 6 years they would have redesigned it to be stronger, especially if they are continuing to offer a lifetime warranty (not sure about this).
So,I'll have to remember to be extra gentle adjusting the power, and especially when the knob reaches its mechanical limits. Just some advice, in case yours is like this too.
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solismaris
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04/19/12 06:44am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Plastic or vinyl propane tank covers, which do you prefer?
Why use any cover? It is bulky, gets in the way, makes it harder to change tanks, etc. And it's not like the cover is needed for protection.
I removed mine first day I bought the trailer - 6 years ago. No regrets.
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solismaris
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04/11/12 07:58am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Backfeed the power inverter?
That's pretty dangerous.
Why not just plug in your RV shore power cord into the inverter? Much safer.
Set your fridge to gas only, and turn off (or remove fuse) your converter when running off the inverter.
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solismaris
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03/29/12 10:02am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Should I have done something
It is quite possible they were just driving from the campground office to the site, which, though possibly still illegal, is nothing to be worried about and maybe fun for them.
Don't butt in.
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solismaris
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03/13/12 06:54am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: ocean front camping in the northeast
Some nice campgrounds were listed but in my opinion only one of these is truly "ocean front". My requirement is the site itself must be on the water, not the campground. I must be able walk to the water from my camper without crossing a road, another site, or anything else. And I should be able to look at the water from my window without looking over another camper or structure.
I know of only two: the KOA in Bar Harbor.And someplace in Lamoine ME whose name I cannot remember.
But I really want others. Does anyone know any others literally on the water, between Maine and North Carolina?
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solismaris
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03/06/12 04:59am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: Neutral and Ground bonded together in RV panel
Yes it is wrong, but won't normally hurt anything.
EXCEPT:
If you ever hardwire an inverter to the distribution panel, you may instantly destroy the inverter. I know this from personal experience. :(
Most cheap inverters (including most of those with normal outlets as opposed to connections intended for hardwiring) must not be connected to a load with neutral connected to ground. These inverters are not intended for hardwiring but because of the low cost some of us do it anyway. As long as neutral and ground are not connected there is no problem.
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solismaris
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12/29/11 05:47am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Different Tire Blowout Question
I seem to remember reading that when a radial tire blows out it causes a lot more damage than a bias tire because of the continuous metal bands. So maybe that's it; there were fewer radial trailer tires back then?
If true, this would seem to be a big negative for radials, at least on the trailer where we don't get immediate feedback that it happened, and because trailer wheel wells are poorly constructed compared to on a typical car or truck.
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solismaris
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11/14/11 12:06pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: New TT and brakes
Go to a local auto parts store, buy yourself a brake spoon and then but a 10 ton bottle jack at someplace like Harbor Freight and do the job yourself. Takes about 15 minutes per wheel tops. It is not hard to do and really should be done a couple of times a season, depending on how many miles you travel. With a RV you have choices. Either pay someone else a fortune to do the work for you or learn how to do it yourself and pocket the money for camping trips. For 300 dollars you could go to your local community college and take a basic automotive course that will teach you a lot of what you should already know.
Sorry, I disagree that it is an easy 15-minute job. It SHOULD be; yes. But it never was for me.
Even after getting used to the feel of how to locate the star nut with the tool, without ever being able to see it, half the time the threads were corroded enough that they couldn't be turned with the tool. So instead of a 15-minute job it turned into over an hour per axle; removing the wheel, exposing the star nut to view, freeing it, regreasing it, reassambling, then adjusting. With all 4 wheels, that turned into an all-day job for me.
Not to mention that one of the times I managed to get grease on the drum, and ruined the brakes. Cleaning didn't help, so had to replace shoes! That cost more than the $300, for sure.
Your mileage may vary, but for me it is just not a do-it-myself job.
But the $300 you were quoted sounds ridiculous. I would shop around.
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solismaris
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10/12/11 07:44am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: inverter sizing for microwave
You might check the watts on the coffee grinder. (Might not be a problem or trade for an efficient one)
Consumer devices that work better with more power tend to be designed with 15a stick house circuits in mind.
That is why 2000w inverters are so popular among drycampers.
Coffee grinder is not a problem, it's only 160 watts and works fine with my 175 watt msw Xantrex.
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solismaris
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10/04/11 10:07am |
Tech Issues
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RE: inverter sizing for microwave
Kill-a-watt has power factor calculation yes? What did it measure?
I will report back on that. Although I have given up on a large enough inverter to run the microwave due to cost. My new plan is enough power to run tv, dvd, computer charger, coffee grinder, phone chargers, and drill charger, simultaneously. 600 watts should be more than adequate.
So in general, it is VA that drives the inverter requirements rather than watts?
Using my kill-a-watt monitor I found the most extreme case of difference between watts and VA that I have ever seen. It was a charger for a cordless drill: something like 40 watts but 250 WA (approx; from memory).
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solismaris
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10/04/11 06:01am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Wide track axels
I heard that they are very bad for tires. They cause much more scuffing in a turn. With trailer tires being as marginal as we know they are, it seems anything that puts more stress on them is a bad thing.
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solismaris
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10/03/11 11:56am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: I blew my inverter
Did you call Xantrex?
Not going to bother. I'm going to junk it. I was not happy with the modified sine wave output and I am committed to replacing with pure sine wave even if I have to go to lower power to afford it. No more worries about whether I am damaging my appliances with bad power.
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solismaris
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10/03/11 07:40am |
Tech Issues
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inverter sizing for microwave
Hi, can anyone give real-world-experience figures for size of inverter (pure sine wave) needed to reliably run a 1000-watt microwave?
Assume correct installation including ample batteries, short run heavy-duty battery cables, etc.
The inverter manufacturers state that startup requirements of some devices can be "up to 7" times continuous power but I assume that is worst case. By that rule I would need a 9800 watt inverter! So that is why I am asking for "real world" experience from someone who has done this.
The 1000 watt (output) microwave draws about 1400 watts input.
I am considering the AIMS brand of pure sine wave inverters. Is this a respected brand?
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solismaris
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10/03/11 07:34am |
Tech Issues
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RE: I blew my inverter
While cleaning my battery bank cables, I shorted out my inverter (Maxx 1000w). I took the cover off and found four 35amp blade fuses inside. All four were blown, so I replaced them and it works just fine now. You may get lucky, it's worth a try.
So I did look inside mine (old Xantrex 1500 watt MSW). There were several fuses. They were soldered in and not meant to be replaced. At least 2 were blown; I could not easily see the others to check. I replaced them and they blew immediately with no load connected. I would say this unit is ruined.
I think it's time for quality over quantity. I'll replace the 1500W MSW inverter with a 600 watt Pure Sine Wave unit.
On the neutral-to-ground connection: I corrected this mistake; thank you for pointing out that an RV is not a house!
But doesn't it still seem poor design that some inverters can apparently be destroyed by this? Why is this not treated as an overload, shutting down the inverter before damage can be done? Are all inverters like this?
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solismaris
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09/30/11 08:32am |
Tech Issues
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RE: I blew my inverter
No, the neutral and ground are not connected together in the rig. If they are it should not be.
Xantrax can repair some items.
Oops - that may be my fault. I may have wired something wrong in the distribution panel.
Really? Not connected together in the rig? That is different from a house's distribution panel is it not? I think my house's distribution panel does tie neutral and ground together (and I had nothing to do with that).
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solismaris
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09/28/11 07:40am |
Tech Issues
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I blew my inverter
This was a Xantrex XPower 1500. As an experiment I used a cheater cord to connect the output to my trailer's 120 volt system. Trailer was disconnected from shore power at the time. (Yes I know this is dangerous; this was an experiment and I intended to change to a transfer switch and "do it right" later.)
Anyway, when I did this I noticed that the inverter no longer worked. And I think (but am not sure) that I smelled an electrical burn odor at the inverter.
Reading the manual (should have done that first) I read a warning that it should not be used with any device that has its neutral and ground connected together. I expect that was the case; doesn't the trailer have neutral and ground connected together at the distribution panel?
Think that's what did it? Seems a rather harsh outcome; I would think that many appliances may have neutral and ground connected; no? How is one to know?
And, if so, is there a way to fix this unit?
And, what should I look for in a replacement unit that can be connected to trailer's 120v system without damage?
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solismaris
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09/28/11 07:18am |
Tech Issues
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RE: What DON'T you use??
I don't use the fiberglass propane tank conver that came with my trailer. The first time I needed to change tanks I realized what a pain it was, removed it, and never put it back. Just yesterday, after 5 years, I finally threw it out after having it hidden and unused behind my shed all these years.
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solismaris
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09/16/11 11:28am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Dead battery after four days parked- normal?
We picked up a brand new TT last Wednesday and parked it in the driveway. It's a Salem 29QBDS. Sat out in it for 20-30 minutes on Wednesday and Friday, but by Sunday evening the battery was dead. We didn't leave anything on that we know of - no lights or anything in the interior, except whichever CO and smoke detectors work off the battery. This is our first TT- is it normal for the battery to die so quickly without using it? Is there something that is draining the battery that we don't know of?
Thanks,
Ted
I can go several weeks with everything turned off except the propane detector and the electrical circuitry in the gas-powered fridge, with 2 group 27 batteries.
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solismaris
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07/05/11 07:25am |
Travel Trailers
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