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RE: Post Your 'B' Sightings Here
https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=0dbada26f7&view=att&th=1291a9dce09924d3&attid=0.21&disp=inline&realattid=f_ga7k9rtn20&zw
Padre Island National Seashore at the cut. 60 miles down with nothing but sand and surf.
I'm the bum drinking my beer under the umbrella.
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LarryJRogers
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06/09/10 08:03pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Battry Charging
I believe I found the issue. As I said earlier, I found it strange the inverter was connected on the right side of the relay versus the left side. I went ahead and reconnected as the schematic showed.
Testing the shore power, I had 14v at the inverter. Checked the batteries and they were at 14v. as soon as the batteries were charged, the inverter voltage dropped to 2v. The batteries showed a full charge of 13.53v.
I discharged the batteries 25% and tested again with the generator. Again I had a good 14v both at the inverter and the batteries, dropping to 2v and the batteries at 13.53v.
I tested all 12v and 120v power draws. Everything looks good.
Thank you so much for your input and suggestions.
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LarryJRogers
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03/29/10 03:40pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Battry Charging
I think I found the confusion. The owners manual refers to a completely discharged battery shutting down the charging section of the inverter. Then the battery will not charge when connecting to shore power.
This is indicated as either completely dark monitor panel or as a flashing red LED on the inverter.
I my case I have full 12v service as indicated on the monitor panel and as referred to by the tripplite troubleshooting steps of having 14v (charging voltage)at the inverter battery connection.
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LarryJRogers
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03/28/10 07:05pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Battry Charging
My owners manual for the 2006 190 just says battery charging is automatic for both shore power and the generator. Nothing about turning on the master switch before connecting shore power. In fact the 12v service light at the monitor panel comes on automatically when plugged in and you cannot turn it off.
I checked the tripplite website for the 750UL and they state charging is automatic.
I took the advice and tried switching 12v power on before plugging in and got the same results. The inverter did show a charge voltage of 14v. but still 11 volts at the battery.
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LarryJRogers
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03/28/10 06:57pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Battry Charging
amacrae
I dont see any reference to a battery master. Al I have is main power which cuts power to everything. I dont have any other switches that I know of away from my Elect. Dist. Power.
Can you elaborate?
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LarryJRogers
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03/28/10 05:19pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Battry Charging
the plot thickens. You need to refer to your roadtrek 190 electrical schematic to understand what I'm talking about.
Refer to the relay. It has the positive from the battery and the positive of the inverter on the left hand side of the relay. 12V load is on the right hand side of the relay. Purple to I and black to S.
Mine is routed exactly the same except the positive from the inverter. It is not connected to left hand side with the battery but on the right hand side with the 12V load.
So would this be cause of the problem, still providing 12V service but not charging my batteries? Or am I chasing an insignificant issue? Will the charge still reach the batteries via the relay although it's on the downstream side?
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LarryJRogers
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03/28/10 04:32pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Battry Charging
The inverter will provide 120V when I have enough battery power.
Not sure if it charged the old batteries or not. When they died I assumed it was the age. Had a dead cell in each.
I keep looking over the schematic provided by roadtrek but each circuit breaker open seams to indicate I would have no power from the effected source. This is what is blowing my mind, I have power from each of the sources, both 120 and 12v.
I have been focusing on the relay but each time I think I got it, the open should prevent me from having power from that source.
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LarryJRogers
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03/28/10 03:32pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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Battry Charging
Looking for some help from the great minds out there. Having some issues with my 2006 Roadtrek 190.
Just realized my brand new batteries were not being charged by the shore power or the charger. I can see 14 volts at the battery terminal of the inverter but the batteries still show the discharged voltage.
When running off the the vehicle alternator, I see the 14 volts at the batteries. This explains why I am always fully charged when I reach my destination.
I've checked all breakers and fuses. Plus I have 120 and 12v on any of the power sources.
Can anyone tell me what I am overlooking?
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LarryJRogers
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03/28/10 02:08pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Step one. Bought the van.
great work, both on the van and your pictures.
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LarryJRogers
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02/08/10 04:21pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: House Battery Change
Thanks for the ideas on the qwik-fill. Anything to keep from picking those heavy b----rds multiple times. Don't know about the mineral oil though. You sure you can do that? I think of oil, sparks, flames, me pulling a Richard Pryor act.....
The batteries are sealed wet cell. Supposedly maintenance free. Right.
I wanted AGM but funds are too tight right now. I thought about moving my lifelines from the DYI van but not up to another project venting the old girls battery box. Too bad she isn't 4x4, she has held up so well considering the abuse I put her through.
The cabling is still stock for now. Not sure what it is, maybe #04? #0000 sounds nice but would be fun trying to route around the chassis. You sure were a glutten for punishment. That or you walk around telling Arnold he's a "girley man"
I have about 20' of #02 left from what I used in the DYI van I may use in the future. Anything to squeeze a bit more out, right?
The rain has come down heavy today. A bit of thunder. Great sleeping weather. Turned on the news. Gee, possible snow next week. I so miss the coast.
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LarryJRogers
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02/08/10 04:01pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: House Battery Change
Unfortunately I did. I'm not a real big football fan but I like watching a good game. Who figured the blowout would turn into a real contest.
All the good stuff happened on my multiple trips to Walmart. :-(
The good side is I beat the heavy rain.
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LarryJRogers
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02/08/10 06:40am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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House Battery Change
How a mistake turns into a blessing
I started having issues with my house batteries and decided it was finally time to replace them. They lasted almost 4 years and in Texas that is a long time.
I ran to Walmart to buy batteries when I came across a couple of 125 AH batteries. I got so excited I didn't bother to check the measurements. After all the battery trays were slightly larger than the original batteries. Should fit right?
I get home and spend about an hour trying to pull the battery trays out. I don't know about you all but I am not exactly enamored with the Roadtrek battery tray design. I go to a lot of places with sand and this tends to accumulate in the battery compartments. Especially the rear compartment. This jams up the slides. Greasing the slides makes things even worse because the sand simply gets captured by the grease.
I finally get the trays out, remove the batteries and go to place the new one in place. You got it - slightly too big for the tray. I was a bit perturbed at myself at not "measuring twice, cutting once" and the thought of having to load up and driving to Walmart for the exchange.
Then that Gremlin "What If" started talking in the back of my brain. You know, that little guy that sits just on top of our primordial brain and only steps aside for food and chasing the opposite sex? Most women dont understand it but almost all of them have experienced it when it takes over their significant other. That singular focus us guys get when we just know better than the engineers who made the thing. Hell or high water, we are damn well going to improve it!
For you guys out there that just know your going to do this even better than I did, let me give you a list of tools and supplies ahead of time so you dont have to take the 3 or 4 trips to the store I ended up doing. Would of been easier to simply trade out the batteries for the right size ones.
7/8 box end wrench
small square bit
ratchet with 7/8 socket
flat head screw driver
Drill with 5/8 drill bit
Mallet
blow torch (for that rounded out nut that just wont budge)
WD-40 (try this first!)
A couple packages of universal automotive battery tray hooks, prefer L Hooks, not J.
package of 1/4 fender washers.
battery terminal spray.
Rubber battery terminal covers
Bottle of Crown (for you, not the van. Should wait to celebrate the job well done but in my case I used it to figure out what the hell I was doing)
Spray all bolts and nuts with WD-40. Remove the batteries. I like to wrap the cable ends with electric tape before I move on to the next cable. Sparks just don't thrill me.
The rear battery tray is riveted to the compartment. Pull the tray all the way out and you will see a couple of rail stops on the side of the rails.
http://i50.tinypic.com/23m97gk.jpg
Push the stops in with the screw driver and the tray will come out from the main rail. Dont worry about the main rail as it is not in the way.
http://i47.tinypic.com/f20pqx.jpg
The front tray is bolted to the bottom of the compartment. Use the ratchet and box end to remove the rear bolts and the square bit to remove front two screws. This is where I had to use the torch to get a rusted nut off. Be careful, fiber glass burns.
http://i45.tinypic.com/e0law7.jpg
http://i47.tinypic.com/2a0dpar.jpg
Drill two holes in each compartment. Each compartment is 14 inches wide so center is at 7 inches. The on the back of the rear compartment I drilled just inside of the overlapping lip. The front hole is 7 inches from the rear hole.
http://i46.tinypic.com/2cz7dk9.jpg
The front tray I drilled the front hole in 2 1/2 inches to clear the rubber stops and the tab for the door lock. Fom here I drilled the rear hole 7 inches. Remember the center width is also 7 inches.
In the rear tray, insert a L hook in the rear hole. I used a rubber grommet inside the battery compartment to prevent the L Hook from slipping out of the hole when I let go. At the top of the rear L Hook I mounted a nut, screwed down 1/2 inch, placed the battery strap and topped with another nut. This maintains the height for the strap without you fighting with it.
Slide the partially battery in. Make sure you have the battery in the right direction for mounting the battery cables to the right terminal. It's a tight fit. You'll have to hold it with your leg. Doing this starts you thinking this wasn't so smart after all. slide a runner terminal cover over the cable ends and attach the battery cables. Spray with terminal spray and cover with the rubber covers. Slide the battery all the way in. Here you get the first clue of an issue in the future.
Insert a L hook into the front hole and the battery strap. Make sure the L is away from the front lip so you can remount the body panel. tighten the nut for the battery strap and make sure you have no play.
The front battery tray is essentially the same but here you want to use the fender washers on the L portion outside of the battery box. This box is fiber glass and I think the hook would eventually eat into the fiberglass, giving slack for your battery to bound around.
The front battery box isn't much of an issue when you need to pull the battery out in the future. But the rear is a tight fit. This is the issue I was referring to earlier. On my box it had two 1" holes in the rear back side. I used a dowel to push the battery forward until I had enough to grab the front with my hands.
Batteries are heavy and the trays certainly have their advantages. But in my case they are more of a hassle. This mod allowed me to get rid of problems with the trays and gave me another day boondocking without the generator.
http://i50.tinypic.com/212aezd.jpg
If you have any of that Crown left over after this, call me. I still have muscles hurting.
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LarryJRogers
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02/07/10 08:20pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Breaking news on inflatable canoe/kayak
I have to agree with the previous post on Sea Eagle. For 299 I got a fully equipped kayak for 2 that I've used on class III rapids, on calm lakes and the surf. I have had it 3 years and still no patches although the bottom is scrapped pretty bad. Used it for fishing, bird watching and remote site camping. Less than 50lbs and in a ruck sack when deflated. fits well in the back storage area.
It's not one of the larger inflatables provided by Sea Eagle but it has proven extremely useful and enjoyable.
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LarryJRogers
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02/03/10 11:50am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Rear Door Ladder
Just about any RV store carries these. I got mine online for my van for less than 100.00
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LarryJRogers
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12/30/09 12:25pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Renting a CamperVan (Class B)
Hi Promises
PM me, I have a van I customized that may work for you.
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LarryJRogers
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12/22/09 11:47am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: What Did You Name Your 'B' And Why?
Mine was named for me. The response from everyone so far seeing the 36" wheels and 6" inch lift, is "What a beast!"
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LarryJRogers
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09/29/09 10:51am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Commode Issues
Thanks for the replies.
The commode issue is the valve on the back. THAT was a wet experiment!
Yes, the fridge is auto switching but I turned that off to ensure something wasn't up. When you first start up, it has a tendency to select DC instead of gas. The freezer is definitely cold but the fridge area is warm.
LP is almost full. it is definitely lit, mostly blue flame. I read somewhere about the flow control and cleaning it out. Not sure if I have the guts to start removing parts.
Hey Jim, my parents live in Ashville, Actually Candler. We're looking at driving up this year for the holidays. If you want to take a close look, give me a holler. Actually managed to get it stuck at the PINS past this past weekend. Fortunately it didnt take much to get out. Towing that far down is around 2k.
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LarryJRogers
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09/23/09 03:37pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Where to put the scooter
I bought an enclosed aerodynamic trailer for my motorcycle. Dont even know it's there when towing. It also holds all the extra stuff I like to take such as lawn chairs, foldable kayak, etc not placed in the van. I feel more comfortable than having an open trailer or a device sitting on the van when I'm running around without the bike in tow.
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LarryJRogers
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09/14/09 10:33pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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Commode Issues
This weekend took the van out for a nice long remote trip. A 2006 4x4 190 Popular. A few problems cropped up. Any advice would be appreciated.
The water has stopped flowing when you try to flush the commode. I have water and the water pump comes on when you run the sink. But nothing during the flush. Had been working all weekend. I have no idea where to start.
Another weird one, my house batteries don't charge on the generator. I had to run the engine to recharge them. I didnt see any fuses blown in the panel.
Third and not least, my fridge doesnt cool on propane. Froze my water bottles on 12dc but the on propane, the clicking starts, I get a blue flame if started with a lighter, no check light, gas light is on. everything looks good inside but no cooling. Had to run on dc but then no batteries...
Made the weekend even more exciting. A lot in one post I know but I see a lot smart people on here that could probably list in their sleep what I did wrong. Care to educate me?
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LarryJRogers
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09/14/09 10:27pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: GeoCaching
I know the Garmin vehicle GPS will work, although they are a bit difficult getting you really close to the cache. I used my Zumo for a while but I would have to walk around more to locate the cache.
Which isnt saying much since the inaccuracies of GPS could be up to 50 ft and people have a tendency to move the caches. This weekend spent 30 minutes looking for a cache at a location obviously destroyed, an old log. Found it 40 ft away placed in the leg of a metal beach sign. Guess they need to change the "old knobby" name!
Found a great cache this weekend. Log book full of peoples pictures and names from all around the world.
While I was parked on the beach to find the cache, a group of people had gathered around my B, admiring it. Turns out several of them were there to not only find the same cache I was looking for but were logging my van - It's a mobile cache.
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LarryJRogers
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09/14/09 10:04pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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