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RE: microwave oven question
Why change breakers?
A 15A feed will happily power a 1500W device, let alone a 700W microwave.
Am I missing something?
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Chuck and Di
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01/26/12 02:54am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Auxiliary Battery, isolator, inverter, problem
This does not sound too bad.
One other thought... if you only want AC and have pretty much no use for 12 VDC, then put the inverter under the hood and run an extension cord back to the 'frig. This will be way cheaper than running heavy guage from the engine so you can convert in the back.
If you just need a little 12V, leave the existing wiring in place.
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Chuck and Di
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12/10/11 02:37pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Sun lite 690se Pros vs Cons
I've got an '03 690SE and love it. No leaks, no issues.
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Chuck and Di
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12/04/11 03:30am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Turnbuckle question...
I use chains. It was recommended by the manufacturer and the installer.
No issues in 8 years.
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Chuck and Di
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11/05/11 04:36am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Cant winterize
Note also that it's the transition from water to ice that causes damage through an expansion during the transition phase. This can happen at 31 degrees - you may already be in need of repairs.
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Chuck and Di
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11/04/11 12:51am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Controlling Condensation?
Sadly, electric heat won't help you reduce the condensation, in order to effectively reduce it without hauling along a large dehumidifier is to fire up that gas furnace.
My experience is completely different. Electric heat does not contribute moisture, and a 1500 W heater or better yet,two, will certainly provide enough heat (without the noise of the furnace) to keep a small popup comfortable, even with a roof vent cracked and a low window cracked to provide a convection path to remove warm moist air.
Cooking, showering, breathing, and catalytic heaters add moisture... furnaces, electric heaters and anything else that provides heat without venting inside will provide the energy to exchange the air for the dryer stuff outside while maintaining the temperature.
Too bad there is no way to install a small wood stove... they provide heat while pumping the moist air outside automatically!
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Chuck and Di
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10/06/11 05:52am |
Truck Campers
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RE: No power getting to camper
If it has a fixed cable, it did not come from the factory with it. That means somebody has been modifying things, so all bets are off. Best start tracing wires to see what goes where.
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Chuck and Di
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10/03/11 02:58am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Programable Thermostats:Which one do you recommend for TC's?
I could not find one I liked, so I built my own.
My furnace is really noisy, and wakes me up when it starts or stops, so I want it to kick in when it gets too cool (maybe 50 degrees) and then ramp the temperature up to about 70 degrees before stopping. Doing this, even if it's really cold outside, it only happens once or twice in the night.
During the day we are rarely inside, so the swing is set maybe from 50 to 60. Evenings, if we are inside, then maybe 60 to 70. I much prefer the wide swings to the jet engine sound in the corner. A 1-2 degree swing would drive me nuts - in fact, before building my thermostat, I used an old mechanical thermostat that I could re-adjust manually instantly, rather than reprogramming, to basically do what I described above.. and get a good night's sleep. YMMV
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Chuck and Di
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09/13/11 06:14am |
Truck Campers
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RE: European Vans used for US Truck Campers
I'm with Thierry. Here in Canada, with the current price of fuel (about $5.30/gal), it is now cheaper for me to take my small car and sleep in hotels on any vacation trip where I'm driving more than a couple hundred miles per day. If I could find an alternative to my Dodge with way better fuel economy, it would be gone in a minute.
Of course, you need to consider the total cost of ownership. If the savings in gas don't make up for the initial cost difference in 5-10 years, you are no further ahead. Import repairs tend to be more expensive too.
And there is no magic in imports - the big 3 could produce similar vehicles if they decided to. Consumers are simply not making fuel economy a priority yet.
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Chuck and Di
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09/08/11 04:10am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Best 4-season TC?
The feeling I'm starting to get is that most of the big names aren't that different from one another in terms of insulation/warmth and THAT is why it's more about features and not brand. Is that the bush we've been beating around?
(Just get something with a heated basement and reasonable propane capacity and take it from there with your own winterization mods no matter the brand?)
Yes. I think this was said several times in the thread already - just not with those exact words - so it's nice to hear you say it in the words that work for you :-) (By the way, I'm not grumpy.. sorry if it sounds that way)
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Chuck and Di
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09/06/11 03:46am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Best 4-season TC?
I was trying to find out if any unit would be a good starting point for what you wanted to do. I hear from a lot of people that have ideas that they want to pursue, they start down the path and then find out that they cannot get there from where they are at. Looking at all the points at once can change the question completely from what is the best 4 season camper, to can it even be done with what you are doing and where you are going to do it.
Hmm, so what are you saying? That if one was planning to live in a rig without moving and without electricity in consistent -20 lows it may not be possible with most TCs? I could accept that if that's what you think. (In that case, would *ANY* RV be possible?)
Aside from some scenario like that (say something warmer, something only semi-static), don't we come back to the original question of finding a good, warm rig? Maybe you're also hinting at whether or not I'd need a feature like the Arctic Fox has with two propane tanks (I don't know if other brands have this or not). What else are you thinking?
What he's saying is that truck campers are about trade-offs and compromise. If you are not moving it during the winter, then a slide might be possible for extra room if you don't have to retract it when it's covered in 6 inches of ice. You could also insulate and heat an area under the camper to allow you to have some limited water usage.
You are not getting a simple answer to your question because there is no simple answer. It's not just about insulation - it's about weight, mobility, usability, heating, features that make winter use - or any use - more pleasant. We are asking questions to try to understand which attributes are more important to you, because they are not the same for every user. Some might be comfortable with lower temps at night and showering at the gym as long as they can drive the unit around and consume the least gas to do it - others might want steady temperatures and room for a big screen TV.
Honestly, the best way to full time in winter in a truck camper is to drive it south. But if you are camping in cold weather, then it's all about matching features to your planned usage, not about brand loyalty. You might as well ask who makes the best truck for winter driving.
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Chuck and Di
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09/05/11 04:50am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Best 4-season TC?
Certainly any hardside, and most popups made in the last decade or two can be used all winter. There are options that make use more pleasant... "storm" windows to help reduce condensation, extra insulation, heat ducted to holding / water tanks, or tank heaters, and so on. If you are planning to live in it full time, these are important. If you only want to go skiing or snowmobiling a few weekends, then unless you have heated garage storage, you will need to winterize and not use the onboard water systems anyway, and the small extra amount of propane used with poor insulation isn't much of an issue. Finding a place to dump holding tanks in winter can be fun too, so you might not want to use those either. There are lots of threads discussing winter use if you search the forum.
For me the biggest issue is window condensation, but without expensive storm windows, the heat shrink plastic window insulator kits seem to solve it fine, or even a towel along the bottom of the window if I'm not using the camper too often. YMMV. Some members have build insulators from bubble wrap - again, a search will turn up some good ideas.
The bottom line is - get a handle on the attributes that make winter camping better for how you plan to use the camper. Most are options on most brands: If you are buying one not yet made, make sure these things are included, otherwise put them on the "nice to have" list rather than the "must have" list when you go shopping.
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Chuck and Di
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09/04/11 05:54am |
Truck Campers
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RE: LED Lights Upgrade
Hi Chuck and Di,
Can you be more specific with the link for Delphi Tech?
Hi Don - I'm not sure what you were asking. The link goes to www.delphitech.com Pretty much anything in their catalog will work for the application. I mounted LPR's beside my existing fixtures that got used a lot, and I put trackless projectors on the outside at the back corners to light up the stairs or a picnic table, since it only takes a second to re-aim them.
Nice to find something actually made in North America too.
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Chuck and Di
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07/28/11 06:00am |
Truck Campers
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RE: LED Lights Upgrade
I tried a few bulbs that looked bad and died quickly. Then I found these fixtures for the house: DelphiTech
It turns out the fixtures run on 12V, so I tried them in the camper too. They don't get brighter when the charger is on, or dimmer as the battery voltage drops off because of some kind of internal regulation.
As for colour, mine are 4000K, but you can get 3000K if you like closer to incandescent, or 5000K if you like fluorescent. They don't attract moths like my old bulbs did. They're a bit pricy, but should last 30 years and I'm going to keep them when I change campers, so I'll never have to buy them again - very impressive. They look pretty good on the stick house too.
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Chuck and Di
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07/26/11 02:53am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Inside of Camper Noisy
What sort of insulation does it have?
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Chuck and Di
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07/24/11 05:54am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Lance lighting issue/question
I don't have a Lance, but it sounds like you have the charge pin and the running lights pin swapped.
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Chuck and Di
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07/07/11 05:31am |
Truck Campers
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RE: reefer
To reconfirm, you said after 5 minutes the flames starts to get smaller, then goes out. If you relight it, the same thing happens. After this happens several times (4-5) it will stay lit. (I'm combining info from 2 posts)
You have not posted the make and model. If this is a simple unit, then a thermocouple is 95% probability, and an obstruction in the fuel path somewhere is about 5% probability. If it's one of the more complex units, there's a chance it's in the control board.
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Chuck and Di
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07/02/11 05:22am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Are electric jacks worth it if the TC never comes off truck?
I asked about electric jacks a while back and you guys sold me on them. But I do not plan to ever take the TC off unless it is needed for repairing or some emergency use. Should I (or would you)still go with electric jacks for this type of usage?
No. In fact no jacks make sense if it's not coming off. (less weight means better gas mileage)
But if I was never going to take it off the truck, I'd buy a Class "C" instead. Cheaper, more room, you can use the toilet or get a drink without going outside... lots of advantages.
The truck camper only makes sense if you take it off now and then. And electric jacks only make sense if you put it on and off a lot, or you have a physical disability. The manual jacks are not that hard for the average person to use.
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Chuck and Di
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06/29/11 05:51am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Glass top burners.
I guess if you never, never, camp without hook-ups. But for boondocking? That puppy will flatten your battery long before supper is done. IF you can find a big enough inverter. I suppose you could run a generator if it's big enough - most won't be.
It's great for the stick house, but for the camper it's a bad idea IMHO.
You also are not likely to find any propane glass tops - sorry.
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Chuck and Di
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06/29/11 05:39am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Propane questions...
Here's another thought... My camper has only a single propane tank. I thought about installing a "T" for the BBQ, but we usually use the BBQ more than a few feet away from the camper. It annoyed me to use the throw away 1 LB bottles, so I bought a small lightweight 5 LB refillable tank and short hose. Now I BBQ wherever it's convenient, it's easy to carry, and if one or the other tanks run out I can simply swap them to finish cooking or keep the beverages cold until I can get a propane refill. It's only happened once, but that saved me from cutting a trip short. Whatever works for you is best; fo me this was the right solution.
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Chuck and Di
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06/26/11 03:55am |
Truck Campers
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