Lenp
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Posts posted by Lenp
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Huffy,
I missed a decimal. Should be .13 x 22
that's a decimal in front of the 13
Lenp
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I suspect your 0.75 amp static load is normal. You have a high end coach that has many "features" that require constant current. My Winnebago draws close to the same. I agree it would be nice to determine exactly where each milliamp is going, I doubt you will be able to remove any of the draw.
Potential items that may/will draw a little power:
Any 12 volt powered radio (even if it is turned OFF)
Propane detector
Monitor panel
Any other "smart" options the coach may have
Great reason to have a solar panel on the roof!
Lenp
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Huffy,
Here is a copy of the spreadsheet I use to determine whether gas furnace or electric space heater. Should be easy to convert to apply to the frig. Forum won't let me upload the xls file.
Assumptions: 1 gallon Propane has 91, 000 BTU
1 KW of electricity has 3,414 BTU
Propane furnace is about 80% efficient
Electric heaters are near 100% efficient
At 80%, it will require 22 KW hours to equal one gallon of propane
Furnace pull about amps of electric or about 95 watts
Furnace running will require less than 2 cents per hour of electricity to run
essentially, Multiply the cost of electricity by 22 to see what the same amount of heat would cost for propane
If electric is 13 cents/KWH
13x22=$2.86
16 Enter Elec cost
3.52 Equivelent cost for Propane
Enter the cost per kilowatt where the cell where "16" is
and enter the formula "=B14*22/100" in the cell below that (assuming the "16" is in cell "B14".
Lenp
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For a bank of TWO (only two) batteries here is my opinion....
Typical 12 volt batteries ARE NOT deep cycle batteries! IF they have a "cranking amps" ratings they are really starting batteries. Most of the "deep cycle" 12 volt batteries are really starting batteries. To find a true deep cycle battery look for "amp hour" ratings versus "cranking amps". suggest Trojan T1275 for 12 volt or T105 for 6 volt.
Now for a little more technical pros and cons....
With two 12 volt batteries in parallel the charge and discharge current in each should be balanced equally between the two. Unfortunately, internal resistance of the batteries combined with (potentially) unequal cable and connection resistance will result in one battery getting charged and discharged more (or less) than the other. With two 6 volt batteries in series ALL of the charge or discharge current flows through both batteries ensuring (roughly) equal charge/discharge of each battery. Thus, 6 volts are preferred.
Now, if you have failure of one of your batteries...... with two 6 volt batteries you are simply without any batteries. However, with two 12 volt batteries you can simply remove the defective battery and continue on.
Please understand that the above only applies to a TWO battery system. For larger (4, 6, or more) batteries it gets a little more involved but the same concepts apply.
Personally I prefer a bank of four or six 6 volt batteries. Unfortunately, my current MH has room for only three house batteries so I have chosen three Trojan T1275 12 volt batteries to give me 450 amp hours of storage. Combined with 750 watts of solar and a Samsung residential 17 Cu Ft refer, we are able to dry camp for weeks with only limited generator use on cloudy (or shaded) days. Perhaps someday I will add more batteries in another compartment but for now we are good to go.
Lenp
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Depending on your engine, you better have a BIG pan to catch all the oil. Mine holds seven gallons - that is a big pan. Tried to do it with two five gallon pails but still had a mess to clean up!
Easier to take it to the truck shop and have them change the air dryer, oil filter, fuel filter and be done with it for another year.
Lenp
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What kind of faucet? Could be the cartridge if so equipped.
Lenp
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Wheelsnkeels,
When you say there is 12.5 volts at the "lugs" do you mean the battery terminal lugs for the inverter lugs? Was the measurement taken immediately after removing shore (or) generator power?
If the 12.5 was at the battery, there could well be a voltage loss between the batteries and the inverter. Check at the inverter to be absolutely sure the volts are getting to the inverter.
To get an accurate voltage level you MUST let the batteries dissipate any surface charge before making your measurement. Do do this, remove all shore and generator power and then turn on a 12 volt light for 10-15 minutes. Then turn the light off and make your measurement.
A reading of 12.5 volts (measured after surface charge is removed) indicates a battery at about 80% charge level.
Are you sure there are no heavy loads connected to the inverter? Water heater, frig on AC or even the inverter trying to power the converter (charge batteries)?
Lenp
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There is (most likely) a check valve in the outlet line of the water heater tank that could be plugged or defective. Also, make sure all bypass (winterizing) valves are completely closed (or open - depending on which valve).
Lenp
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Would you care to share the "why"?
Lenp
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Marvin,
When I had a little "incident" with a post with my Winnebago I was able to get new doors from an outfit in Eugene, Oregon. Company was called Trimetal.Parts. They had all of the Winnebago diagrams and were able to fabricate two new doors for me. Don't know if they have Beaver diagrams but might be worth a call. Google Trimetal, Eugene, Oregon for contact information.
Lenp
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Yes, those are all good solar installations, BUT, when your parked at an RV park, are you going to plug into their power outlet to run your AC? If so, then all that solar power is just sitting there doing nothing but charging your batteries (maybe - depending on charge controller settings and converter settings).
Lenp
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There not really ice cubes, just a slushy mass of pink.
lenp
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I installed a Samsung two years ago and also was concerned about winterizing. I ended up pumping antifreeze through the system and letting the frig make ice until it turned pink. We had 20 below temps that winter and all was well.
Also did the same with the washing machine (albeit, no ice got made there).
I think I used five gallons of antifreeze but that is a small price to pay for no frozen water lines.
Lenp
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Not really. You would need a lot of panels to run an AC unit - a 13500 BTU unit requires 1400 to 1700 watts. I have 750 watts of solar and it takes up nearly 150 square feet on the roof and there just isn't room for much more. My 750 watts wouldn't run half of one AC unit. Solar would help keep your batteries charged and assist all 12 volt use (lights and control boards) reducing your power requirements somewhat but not much - perhaps $5-10 a month - not really worth it.
Solar is only a viable option if you boondock a lot. However, if boondocking and you want AC, your going to have run a generator - solar WILL NOT do do it.
Some more sophisticated coaches have inverters that can use battery power (charged by solar) to assist running appliances like AC units but I am nor familiar with how they work. I think they just kick in when pedestal power is lacking so you wouldn't gain anything with that either. Perhaps someone else can chime in on that subject.
Lenp
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Without a voltmeter, you really don't know what the voltage is. Go get one ASAP and learn how to use it. Most valuable tool in the tool box!
Lenp
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Is this laminate flooring your taking up and replacing? I thought laminate flooring was a "floating" floor meaning it was not glued or nailed down. This allows it to expand and contract as needed with temperature changes.
Lenp
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I have had American Express Cash Rewards card for 6-8 years now. 5% on fuel, groceries and drug stores. NO annual fee. And no interest if you pay the balance every month!
Lenp
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Not sure about the Rand McNally but my Garmin allows me to select the type of vehicle I am using - all the way from hiking, bicycle, to RV. That makes a BIG difference. Additionally, Garmin has a PC based mapping program that allows you to plan your route in great detail (and then download it to the device) thus avoiding those parking lots and dirt roads. I also use "Low Clearance" GPS add-on data that alerts me if I am near a low clearance.
Lenp
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Could be the inverter input voltage (battery) is dropping below the allowable level when the compressor starts resulting in the inverter shutting down followed by an immediate restart. Could be as simple as a battery terminal needing to be cleaned or a bad ground connection causing excessive voltage drop between the batteries and the inverter. As noted by others, verify it works on shore power before proceeding. If is does then look for either battery or wiring issues.
My (self installed) Samsung had a similar problem that was fixed by changing the wiring between the batteries and the inverter from 2 gauge to 00 wire. When the compressor started the surge caused nearly one volt of loss in the 2 gauge wiring. Increasing to 00 wire solved this problem. I do have excessive length between my (dedicated) inverter and the batteries of about 15 feet (30 round trip) which is (was) a major contributor to the loss. Yes, I would like to mount the inverter closer to the batteries but there just is not a location suitable that is closer.
Lenp
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Just put a 40-60 watt light bulb in there. Might also prevent the frig from failing to cool when the outside temps drop down into the single digits.
Lenp
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I hate to be the negative one here but I think I would have gladly slowed down and let him come over when I saw (1) his blinker on and (2) the lane ending ahead. Common courtesy in my mind.
He was bigger than you and would have won the match if you had connected. Often safer to just let them have the lane.
Lenp
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Regardless of what route you take west, be sure to take a trip north of Lake Louise to the Columbia Ice Fields. Very scenic drive.
Lenp
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Doubtful that ANY of the breakers would have tripped. There was no excessive current - only excessive voltage. The excessive voltage undoubtedly damaged EVERY appliance that was connected. Inverter/converter/charger, refrigerator, microwave, Air conditioners (might be ok if they were not turned on but I would be suspect of them), coffee pot, TV, stereo (if powered by 120VAC). The 12 volt items (lights, furnace, etc,) MAY have been damaged IF the charger passed a surge but I would think the battery bank would have absorbed most of that, thus, the 12 volt side is probably ok.
You have not told us how the other wires in the "new" 50 amp outlet were connected.
Here is what it should look like with appropriate voltage readings:
If it was wired this way, nothing should have happened. But from your earlier post you noted the WHITE wire was connected to one of the dual breaker outputs. If the white wire was then connected to the outlet per the above illustration - you definitely had 240 across some appliances. However, if the "electrician" connected the white wire to one of the HOT terminals and the BLACK wire to the other HOT terminal, we have an entirely different situation. That is why I asked how everything was connected.
IF BLACK and WHITE were both hot (120 each to neutral and 240 across the two) and connected to the HOT1 and HOT2 terminals AND the NEUTRAL and GROUND terminals were connected to the appropriate (neutral & ground) at the distribution box, all was good. Electricity DOES NOT care what color the wire is - only that it is connected correctly.
Now, IF your "electrician" neglected to run a neutral line to the outlet, we have an entirely different problem called an OPEN NEUTRAL. This WILL cause a big problem in your RV. RVs do not have the neutral and ground wires bonded together in the RV linke they are in a house. Thus, when the neutral opens the two separate 120 circuits actually become one 240 volt circuit with most appliance seeing the full 240 volts.
Until you can tell us what the actual voltage readings are AT the plug, we are all really guessing at how bad your problem is.
I once helped a fellow camper who was on his second trip in a brand new fifth wheel. The connections in the rear of the 50 amp plug going into the trailer came loose. He took the plug apart and put it back together. Unfortunately, he crossed the neutral with one of the HOT leads and literally toasted every appliance in the rig (conveter, TV, stereo, microwave, water heater 120 element, and a few others). He had a good dealer and they got it all fixed under warranty.
Additionally, I had a neutral lead come loose at the pedestal end of the cord. Fortunately, I use a surge guard protector and it caught the fault and shut down power before it could do much damage. I did toast two surge protector outlet strips before I figured out what was wrong. Highly recommend getting a surge guard http://trci.net/products/surge-guard-rv/hardwires-portables/50a-portable-wlcd-display
Please, let us know what the voltages are on the plug if you can.
Feel free to PM me if you like. I can get a phone number to you if you want to discuss in detail.
Lenp
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Friend had a Bounder of the same vintage as yours. Problem with the generator not starting ended up being a bad fuel line (cracked and checked, thus leaking air). Had to drop the tank to replace the line.
Try connecting the generator fuel line to an external tank/can of fuel and see if it will start.
Lenp
Phantom Electrical Loads
in Electrical
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Your transfer switch should NOT be drawing any DC power - it should only draw AC power when it is available. I agree with Huffy on the "thunk" sound coming from shore power monitor.
Why are you concerned about such a small static drain of 0.75 amps? Assuming you have at least two batteries (probably more) with at least 200 amp hours of capacity you can go at least a week before getting too low on battery charge. If your storing the coach, disconnect the batteries.
If you were to check the parasitic drain on your car battery you will find somewhere around 50 milliamps being drawn. Consider the size and complexity of the 12 volt system on your coach, a 15 fold increase is not that much more.
Does your coach have a BIRD (bi-directional isolator Delay)http://www.intellitec.com/assets/pdf/1453-intellitec-pdf-template-53-01000-000.pdf? If so, it could be directing some of your house battery drain to the chassis battery.
Lenp