index

Putting it all together...

This section will combine all the other specific pages, and show the actual operation of the RV.



I will start with "ice".
In the past my wife would place ice trays full of water in the freezer, then wait a couple of hours. My freezer typically runs at 10F degrees.

I am beginning to think that, in an RV, this is not the most cost effective procedure: What does it cost to place a bag of ice already made into the freezer?

Many times my wife and I have bought and placed a small bag of ice in the freezer, and found that it does not melt. My freezer runs at 10 degrees, and of course it is not going to melt. I had to fight a phycological impression that it is a waist of money; goes back to the days of camping, and camping with a stupid ice chest. It melts! In the days of my Tent Trailer, buying ice was ultimately futile, a stubborn artifact in my head.


I am reaching for the calculator...
A small bag of ice in the grocery store weighs 10 lbs, that is 4.54 kg.
I will calculate the latent energy in three stages:

1) From room temperature down to freezing. Heat Capacity of water from 73 degrees down to 32 degrees.
2) The freezing transition. This is where most of the energy is: in the actual making of ice.
3)Heat Capacity of ice, from 32 to 10 degrees.

All these are different energies.

1: Specific Heat Capacity of water: 4.279 kJ/Tkg. 73F-32F is 23c-0c The energy is 446.8 kJ.
2: Latent Heat of fusion: Latent heat of water-ice transition is 333.4 kJ/kg. To crystalize the bag is 1514 kJ.
3: Specific Heat Capacity of ice is 2.093 kJ/ckg. From 0c to -12.2c, energy is 115.9 kJ

So the total energy is (446.8+1514+115.9)=2076.7 kJoules, which is 1968.3 BTU

Now comes the question of how efficient is my RV refrigerator?
But first I will figure the minimum on how much does it cost the manufacturer to make the ice.

My PGE is 12 cents per kWh. A watt hour is 3600 Joules. 2076.7 kJoules is 6.922 cents, at 100% efficiency.
6.922 cents. That is for my electricity, at 100% efficiency, regardless of compressor type, or absorption type.
And for my gas: I pay $25 for 30 lb propane or 7.25gal. Total BTU is 649,980 BTU in the bottle.
So, to make the ice using gas, is 1968.3 BTU, or 7.57 cents.
7.57 cents. That is for my gas, at 100% efficiency, regardless of compressor type, or absorption type.


So if the manufacturer has a 50% efficiency as a guess, then the cost to make the bag of ice is ruffly 14 cents. Actually, it does not matter how much it cost the manufacturer to make the ice. What matters is how much I paid for the ice. I paid about $2.25.


Now, to get to efficiency...
My RV has a Dometic absorbtion gas-electric refrigerator DM2652. How much BTU do I need to take from the propane bottle and put into the refrigerator, to successfully get 1968.3 BTU into the water? Evidently, Dometic does not want that information out there. It does not exist in the public domain, that I can see. But it does not matter. I told my wife wrong. I suggested that it might be cheaper to buy ice. What I should say is that it is more convenient to buy ice. We use a 10 lb bag about every week. Otherwise, we have to refill ice trays every day. It is a pain. So, it is more convenient to buy ice - not cheaper. Especially considering ice does not melt. Just maintain the temperature. You do not have to make the ice from scratch.

One further comment on store bought ice...
The absorbtion refrigerator is dangerous. Lines will fatigue crack; causing a fire! The stupid refrigerator is the leading cause of fire in an RV! And the last time I cleaned my refrig, I found two small leaves near the burning chamber. For these reasons you should not travel with the refrig on. You should buy a bag of ice before traveling to either bring the initial temperature down, or maintain temperature. Compressor refrigerators far exceed absorbtion types in both efficiency and safety. Only compressor types should be used in any RV!




After several years, the old sewer hose has a rip. I got by this time, by rotating the rip to the top.


Here is the old hose next to the new hose. The new connectors are larger and do not fit in a standard 4 inch channel. This information is not disclosed by the manufacturer. I still purchased the hose because a reviewer said it would fit a standard 4 inch. It does not fit. At least it does not fit my Keystone 4 inch back bumper.







To see who made the mistake, Keystone or Camco manufacturer, I took a measurement of the Keystone back bumper Channel. The measurement is 4 inches outside, not inside ID. I still do not know who is at fault with a confusion factor of inside or outside dimensions.

So a couple of options: One, I could torch off the 4 inch OD Keystone tube, and weld on a 5 inch back bumper. Which is an inch overkill, and adds a huge amount of extra weight. And the weight would be at the ass end to promote sway.
Never add any weight to the rear end of a travel trailer; No bike racks, no tool boxes, no luggage racks.

Or two, I could file down the hose ends to fit, risking mechanical strength in the connectors.





So, I took a belt sander to the new hose, shaved both ends down about an 1/8 inch. It now fits! After the grinding, I thought I would need to use a stick from the other direction to get it back out. But no... It can be pulled from this end. And it pulls easily. I have been blessed.




And here is where I store another part, and it diffenitly will not go into the back bumper. A 90 degree elbo that actually contacts the sewer where dozens of people have frequented. Or, perhaps I should say "hide" it here. It goes behind the spare tire on the bumper, and just fits over a 2by2. Simple. I used to have a screw also secure it. But in many years it has not jumped off yet. The bottom line is that I have a superior way of storage than the multimillion coaches that store this stuff in an internal bay. I can eat out of my bays, and refuse to have an oily generator or sewer hoses in any of my bays. That is disgusting. And that is called dirty camping. The idea is to get away from the bad. Get out in the fresh air, and healthy invironment; not bring the crap with you.


Linda says she wanted a shelf in the RV. Ya, I made one! Got it varnished too. Can do it in my sleep.




Here is a video in the RV. The time is about 15:58. The reason I know is that the clock announces the day of the week exactly on the hour, to second. This time is synced with Fort Collins in Colorado. I designed everything.

You can also see the two LeadAcid controllers. I invented and designed those too. I built everything in the RV. I believe you can see part of the Lithium Controller.

You can hear the noise of a solar panel as I turn up a knob. Panels are very noisy devices, and that is all you can hear at the moment.

You can also see a test of all the panels for short circuit current. Each goes to about 3 amps at the moment. I think the moment is at Fort Bragg in overcast fog.

A tour of the RV


The Solar Hot water is controled by a microprocessor. If the temperature of the Hot Water on the roof is hotter than the Fresh Water 60 gal Tank by a certain amount, then the circulator is turned on, and warm water is circulated into the Fresh Tank. All my microprocessors are capable of talking to humans, and do talk. Here you can here that the Hot Water is turned off.


Solar Hot Water turned off





Finished the refrigerator modification to fix a factory defect on Dometic's DM2652 of no temperature regulation. Installed a switch to kill 120VAC to the refrigerator. Installed a red LED indicating when there is a fire suppling heat. This is in the Gas Mode. Installed a green LED to indicate when 120VAC is supplying heat. Installed speech to vocalize these two events. NEVER MORE will I not know when the damn thing is, or is not, regulating! I have visual indications and vocals. I describe over in the Refrigerator Section how I do not tax or burden any of Dometic's native circuits.

Shown in the picture is the refrigerator operating 120VAC. It pulls about 28 amps at 120vac whether on Inverter or Shore. Now, besides knowing when the frig is running, I have good temperature regulation. No more refrigerator running all the time. Dometic never recalled these refrigerators loosing temperature control when running in the "Manual" mode. Forget the recall; Dometic never even publically told anyone!




I installed two acrylic towel rods and one small towel holder in the bathroom. The top acrylic rod replaces the original plastic coated steel rod from 10 years ago. The rod was rolled steel and it had split half way down the seam. The rod had rusted, and the plastic was cracking off. Keystone evidently did not know about moisture in an RV bathroom, nor of rusting properties of cheap steel. I could write them a letter, but executives would have to find someone that could read. Instead, I will continue to repair and modify their mistakes. I should not be so hard on an RV manufacturer because, after all, their rod lasted several years. My acrylic rods are clear and look like glass and will last thousands of years. But my towel clamps will not clamp on something so big around: They are 1 inch thick. So, as yet, I can not use them. I am only able to clamp stuff on the small dowel, in the middle. Otherwise, towels will not stay in place with all the rocking and rolling of the RV. The plus is that you know where to find them: They are behind the toilet.





I made the end holders for one of the rods out of a cedar board. Cut two concentric circles. So simple! The inside one is a one inch hole. Made the razor holder also, but it is not a razor holder. Just someplace to put it.


I store my heat lamp on the top rod. Perhaps not the best place because someone could accidently turn on the lamp. When stored like this it is touching the wall. And when boondocking, the inverter can run the lamps, as well as shore power. I am afraid this accident is ready to happen. I got to think about this...
I can not pick on Keystone for a rusted out towel rod, when my mistake could burn down the trailer. Kinda changes the perspective... The switch that controls the heat lamp is just to the right of the blue towels. Easy to click!

When not stored, and when no one is taking a shower, the heat lamp is suspended on the shower curtain rod over the tub. It is safe there, and is kinda like another stored position. The heat lamp is naturally pointed at the commode, and has a hidden purpose. The heat lamp is used at night to warm the pot. Surprisingly, out in the rough and wild, I take care of my tush comforts in the RV better than in a house. I don't take to camping very well, and to keep people from thinking that I am a lush, I tell people the heat lamp heats the intire bathroom. Seat fetishes is something that people do not need to know about.


I replaced the ball last year. Now the ball seal is going. I should have replaced it when I did the ball. But it is supper easy to replace; just need a screwdriver and some silicone past. The toilet just splits in half, and the seal just sits on there. That is what is nice about the RV: There is nothing that the average man or woman can not fix. Super fun, and super simple.




For as many years that these valves have been used, they are holding up. There are two: an inch and half for the Grey, and this three inch for the Black that I got off of Amazon. For the last week this valve has been leaking just a tiny bit. Just enough to leave a surprise behind the end cap. I was thinking it must be an undigested piece of toilet paper that got caught in the slide action. But no... It did not clear or get better. So the valve is coming out. And its simple to replace, not much more than an after thought. There is more to the "prep" than to taking out the four bolts, which takes less than 20 seconds with a socket adaptor on your drill. The prep involves one of two things: When you dump, prior to this work, you need a few degrees RV tilt to the left. If your dump is perfectly level, then instead, when you do the work, tilt the RV to the right with the levelers (gently), or jack the RV, or the easiest; drive up on block levelers.


The valve itself is sandwiched between the two sides, and secured with 4 bolts. The little Woofer thinks she smells something, and she is in my way. If it smells bad, she always wants to help. She thinks she can help with her sniffer. I guess my valves have been doing good to get 10 years from when they were new. This new valve should go longer, as I have lubricated it well with silicone paste.


...And to fix the "surprise" thing, I bought this see through clear End Cap. When a valve is going bad, I want to know about it ahead of time.

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. Albert Einstein

To wonder at the mysterious; what is behind the cap?


Installed draining valves on the two Accumulators. Now I have complete draining (or recharging) of the accumulators. They had not been draining completely with the underbelly hot and cold drains. Recharging is what my Dad would do when our pump tank would become "water logged". In a nuclear sub it is called "going solid", and a solid accumulator (pressurizer) can kill the sub. And in a nuclear power plant the accumulator is much more involved, and is called a pressurizer. I really can not compare an inverted wine bottle to one of these.

The plastic bag looking thing is a Cool Pack. And commonly used in generic applications of keeping things cold in a passive ice chest. It has a high heat capacity, and in this application can prevent the glass bottle from freezing. There are two 12 watt incandescent lamps at the base held on with yellow tie wraps. All heating lamps come on automatically if the RV inside air temperature gets down to 33 degrees, and lamps go off at 37 degrees. The accumulator is see through, and is mounted to the right of the soap dispenser. The bottom of the sink is on the left. The mounting is not so pretty but it has been working great for about 8 years. And that is a lot of vibration.

Slowly over the years, I have been replacing the Reflectix with styrofoam with a reflective side. It is a much better conductive insulator, with the same IR reflective insulation.


Update:
Replaced the reflectix with styrofoam.
Made an actual wooden bracket for the accumulator.
Installed a green LED behind the bottle. I do not know why. Just did it for no reason.

Does not take any power from the batteries. It runs off waisted or rejected solar power. A lot of things in the RV use this power as choice-one; the prefered choice if available. I am also the inventer of this technology in general. And specifically, my RV is the first in the world to have it.


The AC shroud has had it after 10 years. I bought the RV new as a repo in 2009. You would assume that the shroud is 10 years old; But in looking at the writing on the underside of the shroud, apparently the shroud is a 2006. The mounting screw holes begin cracking out in only 6 years from flexing, leaving the shroud to dismount somewhere along the road.

Evidently the RV industry has not figured out how to manufacture anything that will be exposed to the outside weather. RV Shrouds and RV awnings can never be exposed to the sun, heat or ozone. RV rubber roofs are only guaranteed for 5 years. Airstreams can be used in the outside weather, and many are still on the road after 50 years. I probably have the only RV in the world that is like an Airstream; roof coated in aluminum metal. I invented it. We will see how it works.


Here is the Temperature Sensor for the inside cabinet air for water lines. The sensor in blue epoxy is a LM34. It feeds a microprocessor. It has three lines: a 5 volt, a ground, and a signal line. When inside temperatures drop to 33 degrees, all little incandescent heat lamps come on throughout the trailer. Around water filters, water lines, accumulators, water pumps, etc. The 12 volt lamps are wired in pairs. Each two are wired in series to reduce the voltage to 6 volts. This way the lamps should practically never burn out.

I needed a way to test all of my incandescent lamps. It is best to test the intire chain of events of the system, not just the lamps, or the relays, or the code. I wired a mini micro switch to cut the signal wire. This will test everything. With the LM34 disabled, the microprocessor thinks it is freezing cold, now reads zero degrees, and consequently will turn on all lamps.


All the heat lamps come on, and the event is vocalised throughout the trailer. The event is announced in spoken words.


Throwing the Test Switch to simulate freezing cold movie

You will hear the "Speaker" clearing its throat, as well as "spitting" to identify the end of the vocal sentence. I did not invent phonetic punctuation (Victor Borge), but I invented the cards that speak it. I invented these in the early 1990's at the broadcast stations: KHSL-TV and KNVN-TV. Also, I was the first person in the world to actually use phonetic punctuation in synthesized speech.

I should point out that there are no dangling wires in an RV, as you see in the video. The constant motion will always break any wire; It is just a matter of time.


Sleeping at the Home Depot in Yuba City.

The refrigerator works good; regulates its temperature and works good now. While boondocking, works on AC or Propane.

The HomeDepot is in the same mall complex as the Walmart. No problems...

We have slept at the Walmart in Yuba City before. No problems...
A woman asked if I wanted to buy a fake rose for my wife. She bared me her leg with a fake scar. I have seen scars, bare legs, and roses before. I was not impressed. No thank you. A few homeless walking around, despite signs of No Loitering.

No problems at Kohls either. Less noise. Of course, Linda bought stuff at all these places. I did not buy a thing, as I already have everything that I need in life.


And eating at the Sizzler...
While boondocking, can not unhitch. Got to take the rig with us. No problem. It is only 21 feet overall, and don't mind dragging it around. Presented my VA ID and got a free steak on Veterans Day. Perfect steak, great jester. Thank you Sizzler.





Heading out to Black Butte to test out some of these changes...


I did not plan to measure the insulation of the RV. But it has been years sense I looked at it. To get a measurement, the outside air temperature should be a constant. It was not.

But maybe I can get an estimate:
The day before the outside ambient air temperature got down below freezing, 31.6 degrees. Everything was working great: fans were coming on with the furnace, and the warm fresh water tank was being circulated up on the roof to prevent freezing. The next day the winds picked up and came off the lake. Cold all day, about 55 degrees. Then in the evening about 19:00 put the reflectix and styrofoam in the windows and began some work on the computer. Furnace was shut off. Never reactivated the "oven heater" which is vented to the outside. The vent was located on the right side of the RV, the same side as the 35 mile an hour winds from the lake. That very efficient heater can not be used in those conditions. It does not matter, I was out of propane anyway, on the one bottle, and was too lazy to go out in the cold and switch over.

At 19:30 the outside temperature was 46 degrees and in the high winds felt like 30 below. Inside temperature was 69 degrees. The 69 degrees felt warmer than what it was because the storm was slightly rocking the RV and making sounds. The high winds suddenly stopped at about 23:00 and a full moon came out. At 03:00 Callie had to go pee. I was apprehensive because the ranger had came by earlier to tell me of a BobCat sighting in the campgrounds. I know that Coyotes can wait under your trailer to ambush your dog. My Callie would not stand a chance against either. Anyway, a lot of cold air was let into the RV before we both jumped back in bed. The next morning the inside temperature was about 50 degrees and the outside temperature was 36. Braved the cold to turn the propane back on. It was still dark, about 06:00. The RV was back up to a warm 70 degrees in about 10 minutes.


So, to get a measure on the nights activity, I start with the basic notion of Thermal Entropy.
That is: The change in Temperature (or Energy) per time is proportional to the amount of temperature difference.
This first equation has no end points, no starting temperature, no Initial conditions; just a notion of trend in general.
We are talking specifically about Temperature here, but I designate temperature as "E" Energy, which it is.
And state that the rate of temperature change is proportional to the amount of temperature.
If a substance, in this case the walls of the RV, have a huge amount of temperature difference across them, then the temperature change per sec will be large, and things will change rapidly.

The second equation brings the energy term on the right side to the left side to obtain the log form when integrated.
The integration gives us a constant, an initial condition. As worked down, I could not remember how to interpret the integration constants C11 and C22. So, I skipped ahead and used my own interpretation because I know how it ends up.

The real problem is that the equation was understood, and set up, to have the night temperature a Constant. It certainly was not! It certainly was cold, but not a constant. There was nothing constant about it, and the winds were howling. But, perhaps I can still manage a crude estimate. Perhaps, I can get an "average", and still make the equation work. The "average" will not be an simple arithmetic average; instead it is more asymtotic with more time spent on the lower end.

I am shocked that the value is almost exactly the same as the old value of a couple of years ago. If I had to guess, I would say the insulation, and behavior, is about the same. I can not believe my fans are not storing more energy during the warm day.


Removed the microwave oven. It was too heavy for RV use. And the weight was high up near the celling. Not good for the center of gravity.

With the microwave gone...
Bought a 4 ft Popular board at 12 inches wide. Great pattern, lots of character. Last board of this size at HomeDepot. Nobody wanted it. This is real wood, something unheard of in a Springdale. Perfect size, just cut it in two, and edged it. Put marine varnish on a little too thick and it wrinkled. More character, I guess...




Put magnetic latches with already closing hinges. Installed the electrical: Two magnetic switches, wired so that either door open lights the interior. Everything is perfect, even those varnish wrinkles. Perfect!

One problem:
Don't know what to put in here. At present there is just my, well lit up, drill. But that is not where that goes. At present the back wall only has Reflectix. That will change to reflective Styrofoam real soon. Hopefully, the problem of empty space will resolve itself in time, and further down the road. In an RV, empty space succumbs to time.





I do not know if anyone has thought of this before...
HandRails for the inside of an RV!
Even someone young and spry, needs to get in and out of an RV with greater safety and comfort. I am 74 years old, but I can still swing from poles like a monkey. I do not need to have these because of old age. Of course, Linda says that I am in denial. She says something else about me, but I can not remember what it was. The hand rails are a wonderful aid; And not because I need them.


I went to HomeDepot and purchased a 6 foot length of 1 and 3/8 wooden dowel. I cut it into two sections, one for the left side and one for the right. I dyed, not stained, it yellow. And I dry fitted everything together. It is strong: Three screws in every mount, and all into the studs. I have a reason for the yellow. Yellow was the only dye color that I had, and I refuse to use stains anymore, after I discovered dyes.


It takes awhile to cut these braces. Had to throw away two.


Now, I need to sand and varnish. Linda says the hand rails will get a lot of use. Yes, from me too. Darn right, these are great! Wow, Linda likes them so that she does not care what color they are. And she is a girl!

The outside conventional handle found on all RVs, is great when entering. But now on the right, the new large hand rail is even greater, and it is for the right hand too.
On exiting the door, both the left hand rail and the right are convenient. Your choice, I will use both equally.
Or, if you do not want to exit, you can stick your head out - way out - and look either to the left or right with good support.

These are not the main reasons. You will never guess one of the main reasons for building these...
This has happened to me countless times, so I built these rails. If there is any wind, or even if there is not, that damn door can get away from you. Many times I have unlatched the door, only to have it nearly ripped out of my hands from a gust of wind. I have always been fast and agile, and I have never been thrown out the door and tossed down on the ground, while trying to prevent a slamming door. But others may not have my superb abilities and fast reflexes. Because every time, I still could have used a little extra place to grab onto. Something more substantial than a coffee pot.

I fixed the problem, even though it is yellow.


Actually, there is one more tiny reason for this mod. We may be staying over, or using, a parking lot. In such a case, I never put down the steps. If a patron of Walmart gets hurt on my extended steps, it could be the end of RVs at that particular Walmart, depending on the mood of the manager.
So don't look at me; I never do it!

I have just thought of this invention, as already invented, but not for an RV. I have seen chrome poles at staired entrances of public busses, trollies, and airport shuttles. But I am still the first, of course; because they do not have yellow.




No RV manufacturers have figured out where to put your shoes. Especially with RVs, you can not wear shoes inside. Obviously, dirt is everywhere with an RV, it is the nature of RVing, and thus a challenge to keep the RV playground dirt out of the RV itself. So sad and barbaric to see fishermen, hunters, and campers give up on keeping a clean floor. It does not have to be that way! More progressive RVers have solutions.
Here is mine...
A small rack on the screen door. It must be as small as possible. Must be vented at the bottom to release the mud, dirt, and rocks. Also, it must be somewhat elevated so that your toes do not hit it. Indeed, I can stand at the door without my toes hitting the rack. Viewed from the end, it is a trapezoidal shape, with the smallest dimension at the toes, gradually growing to fit the tongue and strings area of the top of the shoe.


My shoes are big, and Linda's shoes are small. So, I made two sections. And is it fast! I can put two shoes in at the same time, and with two fingers. I carry the shoes by the heels with two fingers. I can put them in the same way: In or out with two fingers. And it makes me feel good to have thought of it, and to have thought of it before anyone else, and to have built it myself.

The Corona Virus is keeping me from trying out the holder. But I expect the debris to fall out of the bottom of the holder, and accumulate at the edge of the door. Not quite out the door, but next to the door. Actually, if I bang on the door, with the door open, the dirt should fall down to the ground automatically. But I will not know until we can get to a beautiful lake or ocean, with a good view, and good temperatures. Being an Engineer, I can not overstate the value of testing.


Orange color everywhere...
Got to get out of here...


Friends driveway...
Lake Almanor, in the mountains. Some relief from smoke.
Only a couple of clearance inches on both sides. Some needles gently touching the back glass. Bottom line; If I fit, I get to stay. Spent several days near the lake, and all free.


Mountains are good, but ocean is best.
Caspar Beach, near Fort Bragg.
Linda's daughter bought us several nights here, as a friendly gift, and can't turn that down. And besides, we were going to the ocean anyway, free or not. I can not take the smoke back in Chico. There, I was starting to feel a little sensation of "panic". Good time to leave.

I know what the sensation can become!
Several years ago in heavy smoke, with ash on everything, I woke up in a breathing panic. Does not feel good, and there is nothing that you can do about it except leave. Threw the dog into the van, and one box of clothes, and went directly to the ocean. Felt good to breath the crisp, clean salt air.

Here, my RV is in full shade in the afternoon, and some shade in the morning. We only had two sunny days, and five days of fog. So actually, the fog makes the shade a mute point. But, thanks to Becky we have park electric. In the fog, solar was only 10% at best. Without park electric we could go only a couple of days in our boondocking style. Got it made now, because I love the fog, and I love electricity. Got both.

I presented a recommendation to park management:
I normally like camp fire smoke, in a proper setting. However, during this trip while talking to many campers I found many where fire victims. Now the setting is different. My suggestion was that camp fires should be temporarily halted due to the influx of smoke victims. At the present time, there is both the physicological and physical effects for this group. They liked the idea, or at least had merrit, and would take it up at the staff meeting.




While at Caspar, we occasionally smelled something strange burning. But it was hard to tell with all the campfires burning out side. Maybe our imagination. But an odor, especially a chemical or specifically a plastic odor, can spell a potential fire, and a disaster. I have fuses all over the RV, but that is no guarantee. Finally, I found a warm DPDT Toggle Switch. The switch was used to switch back and forth from Shore Power or Internal Inverter Power. Upon further investigation, I could see that at one time, the switch had been much hotter. I surmised that when too much stuff came on, like the 6 gal hot water tank, and the refrigerator, the switch was overloaded.


So, I ordered this three phase cam switch from Amazon. I could have ordered a two phase, which also will work in an RV, but I do not mind an unused set of contacts. This switch does not have to be used for three phase work; generically, it is a three pole, double throw switch; 3PDt.

I have been an electrical engineer for over 35 years with a lot of work on industrial three phase, two phase, and single phase systems. And an RV is not wired the same as a house. An RV does not have the Ground and Neutral tied together, and nowhere internal to the RV, can they be. I should note that Canada does employ a similar system around explosives. It is a split phase, balanced system called a "CTE" system. There are two Hots at 55 volts and a Neutral, the same as for my RV. All 120 volt equipment can not tell the difference, and function exactly the same, whether in a balanced Canadian or in a dual phase RV system. There are differences: Canadian regulations require two circuit breakers, one for each Hot. Small RVs do not. That is because RV manufacturers assume RVs will only be used at an RV park, where only 120 volt single phase is exclusively used. They are keen to save money. And they can get away with it, because dual ended inverters monitor both hot lines. Of course, big motorhomes that have two air conditioners, and washer driers etc, and that use the 50 amp RV plug, use the 240 volt system, which is two 120 volt systems 180 degrees out. They use a ganged, or double, circuit breaker. I have not seen any inverter that can supply this kind of voltage and current, and excludes big motorhomes from boondocking with green energy.

As far as I know, no one has officially named this system. It has simply been the way high efficiency inverters work. While running, each line is assigned. They will change every half cycle. The old Hot wire will function as the Neutral wire, and then vice versa. The function of the lines flip back and forth. And there is no Neutral. An output transformer is not required, and thus 99% efficiencies can be obtained. I prefer the system. And voltages are only 60 volts, which is less lethal. I am the only RVer running around championing the system, so perhaps I should name it. It can not be a balanced system because balanced systems have zero current on the Neutral. This system does not even have a static neutral. It is not a Split Phase, as Split Phases come from a center tapped transformer, and have voltages centered around ground: 55 volts up and -55 volts down. So, I don't know what to call it... Perhaps the "Plus 60 System". Or "P60" system.


Anyway, a switch must be used to convert ALL outlets to one system or the other. They are not compatible.

This is a "Snap", or Preloaded, switch. A fast consistent large contact pressure; I like it. This helps with arching; if by accident, you change the selection while the switch is passing current.

One gang, or pole, will be used to select the "Hot" and another will select the "Neutral", which is not a Neutral; It is another Hot in this application. The third gang will not be used.

Ok, now I will look at another criteria...
The refrigerator is 420 watts.
WaterHeater has a 1000 watt element.
Air Conditioner is 1500 watts, 5000 watts start (Was not used while at Caspar.)
Design criteria: Total RV expectation is about between 3000 watts to 5000 watts.


The manufacturer does not state the wattage.
But the switch could be rated at 4800 watts if 40 amps is shared for all three poles. In looking and handling the switch, I would guess this is reasonable.

Also, the manufacturer fails to supply the VA, VoltAmps, or a reference to what voltage the 40 amps was tested with.

All in all, I like the switch. I am an Engineer with other senses, and don't need the specks; I can smell it! Smells like it should be a great switch.


One of the problems with power selectors, is that always you have to have a "Break" before a "Make". In looking across at the contacts, you can see daylight.

First, this is bad because it means that this switch is an Open Air design. Dust and contamination can get between the contacts and cause a fire and failure. I will have to inclose it.

Second, and this is good, there are four contact surfaces for every throw. It is a bar with contacts at each end. Probably a four lobed cam will always break one end or the other, before the "Make" lobe forces both ends up. But I do not know for sure.

All in all, the switch still smells real good.




Here is the switch installed.

I can only select two things with this power selector.
It can also be called a small Transfer switch.
Ideal would be several selections:
Shore Power
Generator
Inverter low power 600W
Inverter high power 3KW





I have selected an outlet:
The selector switch is on "two", service from the RV sinewave inverter.
The cyan probe is on the Left, which is Neutral on the outlet.
The Yellow probe is on the Right, which is Hot on the outlet.
The oscilloscope itself is plugged into the outlet, and receiving power.




P60 service, inverter service.
The cyan probe is on the Neutral, which is a Hot in this application. And the Yellow probe is also on a Hot.
Purple is Ch2-Ch1. It is the same as Ch1-Ch2. I have moved it up on the display, out of the way.
Waveshape looks good. Smooth and sinusoidal. This is what any equipment will see, the voltage difference between the left and right pins.
Peak to Peak is 17.2 volts x 10x prob.
Effective 172/sq2 = 121.6 volts AC. Close to the ideal of 120 vac. The wall meter reads 117 vac.
The individual cyan and red waveshapes are not identical, but still yeld a good waveform in purple.
The cyan and Yellow are about 17 volts peak, 10x probe.
They are both 170 vpp above ground for a half period, both in the positive direction.
Yellow and cyan each have an effective voltage of 170.2/2/sq2 = 60.2 vac. Ideal would be 60 volts vac.
Either wire carries a voltage of 60 vac.




Here is the selector switch on position "1"; "Shore Power". Shore power is different, and has the Neutral connected to Ground at the Pedestal. Similar to House Current with the Neutral grounded at the Entry Point.

Here is the 120 volt Pedestal Shore Power Service.
Prob is only on the right pin.
Peak to Peak is 17.4 (x10) volts.
Effective is 123 volts AC. 120 volts AC would be ideal.
87 volts peak above and below ground.
61 volts AC above and below ground.
This is ONE wire, and carries 120 vac.


Here I added meters, one to each side. These little round meters indicate when the power source is ready. Originally, I wanted indicator lights. Bright lights. Bright lights to tell when power was up and ready. But what I got was very dim lights, and a reading that is way off. It says 111 volts when, in reality, it is 118 vac. So, it would probably be better just to have a bright indicator light. Oh well...





I lengthened the wires on the back side. When the panel is laid out on the floor, I have plenty of room to access the wires. Before, I could not remove the panel, and had reach behind behind in a contorted position to access anything.

The red switch on the left, turns onn the inverter from the A and B battery banks. At the present time, they are lead acid. The switch is not a remote switch, and can handle only 30 amps. But the switch for the lithium battery to the inverter is a remote switch capable of a 100 amps. So the one inverter can be fed from different batteries.

The inverter lights the green side, on the right. AC Shore power lights the red light, on the left.

The two PC boards above, in a white case, one with a bright green light onn, are Coach Power Regulators. I believe that I am the only RVer that has these. I invented them myself, in every detail. I put these in a couple of years ago, because of a nagging problem: After a few years of use, led lights would grow dim. The problem was that Coach voltages could go from 11.5 vdc to 15 vdc. Finally, I had enough. This could not be tolerated. The refrigerator and furnace were being fed with dangerously high voltages, not to mention the lights. So, I designed these regulators to give a constant 12.00 to 12.06 vdc all the time, all over, for a Coach Voltage. One small problem is that they operate at 8kHz. And 8kHz is audible. I can hear them squeel in the Solar Audio Sensor, when it is turned up to full volume.





I got a problem: Particularly at night, I do not like any of my windows open. There can be people lurking around. But I like fresh air. I usually crack my window right near my head in the bed room. This bothers me. Wild animals are no problem at all. It is the other type of animals that are a problem: the Creepers. Also, if we unhitch and go into town, a window may be unlocked. Also, if I have paint fumes or odors, I do not want to remember to have a window open, and especially open and unlocked. I pride myself in that my RV has no cooking odors, no bathroom odors, and no musty odors, and I want to keep it that way.

Also, there are odorless gasses. At the top of the list is NO2, nitrous oxide. It is dangerous.
There is also Carbon Monoxide. It is dangerous.
The same goes for Propane. There is also Carbon dioxide from breathing. There is also outgassing of formaldehyde from the new mattress.

Inside an RV, as well as a house, can be hazardous to your health with poor air quality.

I should point out that, although I have fantastic fan, it is ineffective, in either direction, if there is no return path. I have a very tight RV.


Now for some fresh air. I took a couple of 3/4 inch PVC pipes, and drilled tiny holes, all over, so that ants could not get in. Painted black. Fitted into a Tee. Drilled hole into floor, and inserted up through. The styrofoam insulation prevented me from locating the floor joists from below. That would have been a piece of cake, to feel through the soft fiberglass insulation and located the joists. I managed to drill three test probing holes from above that probably did not damage the joists too much.




This is the second of this type of fan that I bought. The other is installed in range hood of the stove. There, it is an Oven-Heater vent. Both fans are very quiet. This one is inaudible. The Oven-Heater Vent has multicolored wires; This one has black wires. Both have a bright blue label on the intake side. Pictured is the exhaust side.




The inclosure must be air tight. The PVC will go into the inclosure, were the fan will be located, and from there, blow fresh air into the room. Here, I am glueing and clamping a box inclosure together made of Popular, that I later dyed yellow and varnished. This box will inclose the fan, and will be a reservoir of fresh air supplied by the PVC pipe.




The PVC comes up out of the floor, and with a "90", hugs the side. Originally, I hit part of a stud, and had to move over about an inch. I originally hoped the pipe would be totally out of the way. It is not. I wanted the pipe to come up through the flat trim board. But no. That is exactly were the joist runs. So darn, I am out a couple of inches out inside the inclosure, and have to angle back along side the paneling.


Preparing to dry fit the box...
Also, - and very important - I taped down all wires. All over the RV, not just here, one must remember to have no wires that are free to move or jiggle. Wires will break due to flexing in a few years during a time that is not convenient. It is a fact of physics; Wires lay in wait, and pay attention to the mood of people. They know when to break.


On the outside of the storage, this is what you see. A fan, at present without a face guard, and two switches and two red LEDs. Installed a switch to manually turn on fan. Also installed an LED to indicated when the fan is onn. You can not hear the fan running. Also, while I was at it, installed an LED to indicate when the Under the Seat Storage is lit with strip lighting. You can not see inside the storage area if it is closed up.


Here is the vent installed and running. Nice air flow. One problem: the air is so cold. It is fresh, that is what I wanted. But it is sure feels cold too. One of the problems and questions when opening a window; Do you want "fresh" or do you want "cold"? When running either the Vented Oven Heater, or the Furnace, they both suck the coldest air from the floor area for heating. The Vented Oven Heater actually consumes the coldest air, and expellees it to the outside. And it definitely requires a return vent. This newly installed fan satisfies that requirement. No longer do I need to crack a window, or open the bathroom vent.

The Central Heat Furnace, as well as the Infrared Heat Lamps both actually heat the floor by accident. The duct work of the Furnace runs in the floor, and consequently heats the floor. So, this may not be the coldest air at the floor. The floor can feel warm to bare feet or feet in socks. Feels good. To have more than the air warm, feels good.

The Infrared Lamps make objects, including the floor, warm. Then those objects actually warm the air. So, I should not say that the coldest air is at the floor.
Installed two wooden rails to help block careless feet from damaging the fan. The wooden sticks are Popular with black rot. No one else wanted to buy these, but the black character was perfect for me. Guess I am attracted to the odd stuff. Dispite the yellow stain, when I stand back and look at it, I am kinda impressed.






There was water damage from an extremely small leak of about one drop per hour. But this had been going on for months. It was no more than from sweating. The damage made a small "mound" or bulge under the old lamenate. I could not live with it. I removed the intire top. It was made of particle board and of course fatal. Particle board will expand with the smallest of moisture.




I removed the Accumulator that was above, and also was the source of the tiny leak. The old tubular Accumulator was also an Indicator of water pressure. The reading of water level was an indication of pressure. It ran between 1 atmosphere and two atmosphers. It actually was too sensitive, as ampiant temperature played a major role. For about a month I had been looking for a leak of about a drop every hour. I began to think it was my imagination because the temperature would vary the pressure reading wildly. It was too hard to tell. But when I could feel and see the bump next to where the water line whent through the particle board I knew I had found the leak. Too late, but found. When I put the old tubular Accumulator in about a year ago, I suppose that I should have applied 3 or 4 atmosperes of pressure to search for leaks after my work. But this is too dangerous to the pex connectors as the RV was not designed for pressures above 50 lbs. I have had two leaks to pex lines when I first purchased the RV at 50 lbs. Also it is dangerous because, in an attempt to look for a tiny drip, the leak could be explosive and throw water all over my RV. I have an external pressure switch that shuts off the pump at exactly two attmosphers, aproximatly 30 lbs. And the accumulators keep water vibration to a minimum. So it is safe. And I do not care to test.

I installed a new smaller Accumulator as a wine bottle to replace the long Accumulator. The bottle is the green thing. There is a large white capacitor to the right. I had to damage the cabinit a little in disasimbling the top. No other way as it was stapled and glued on. Had to clamp a loose wooden support on the right to repair several areas.

Installed lights in the cabinat. Two colored LED strips behind the Accumulator to see the water level. Over time it will loose more and more air. Designed the top to be removable. i do not want to store too much in here as it has wire and the back of the radio. But I still want access to it.

I put a magnetic switch to turn on the lights when the top is lifted off. It fits securely.




I replaced the particle board with plywood and applied a fake white marble laminate. Looks much better.


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