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I also watched Pippi’s video on cleaning her AC unit and had a bit of a safety issue that i’ll go into later. When an AC unit freezes up it means that the evaporator (I think) is clogged up enough that it is not permitting sufficient air flow. You can take a toothbrush or other fine brush and clean it (that’s what I did with my dehumidifier when it started freezing up after 5 seasons of use). You do have to be careful to keep the metal fins straight as bending them blocks air flow. What Pippi shows us to do in her video should prevent freeze-ups and have your unit last longer.
My safety issue with Pippi’s video regards the wasp nests she found when removing her AC cover. I was lawn mowing once and began to be stung by a bunch of wasps and my only thought was to get the heck away and if I had been on an RV roof likely would have gone over the edge. Before going up on the roof I would watch from a ladder for awhile to see if any flying critters are coming and going from the AC unit. If none I would then take a long broom handle or the like and bang lightly on the cover of the AC to see if that stirs anything up. I’m not in an area subject to killer bees but extra precautions would be wanted where there is a chance of them being in your RV.
CheersHello Frank,
As you mention there are other opinions out there and many are that corn-based ethanol is not good for the environment nor for engines (it’s claimed they may not last as long) and I don’t have knowledge of the latter but the former seems iron clad. There are cleaner burning fuels out there. Compressed natural gas (CNG) would be best but is not commonly available so not much of an option now. However a fuel that RV’ers are used to is available at many gas stations and that is propane. It definitely burns cleaner and oil changes do not have to done as often and it is claimed that engines will last longer and it certainly makes sense that they would. A friend of mine had his landscaping truck converted over to propane and the truck had more power and he was saving money. The only drawback was that he had to fill up more often compared to gas. One motorhome I saw was on propane and had 2 100# tanks with one connected only to the engine and the other connected to the house appliances as well as to the engine. The tanks could be operated separately or in tandem with a valve between them. No need for the smaller portable tanks for house appliances with that setup. Apart from any immediate $ savings due to propane being cheaper than gas and the longer term savings due to less maintenance costs and longer lasting engines there is the environmental benefit as well as another benefit that you may or may not agree with. We have loads of natural gas in North America and most propane comes along with that production (some comes as a result of oil production as well but mostly natural gas). Oil can be transported in tankers and is currently in large volumes so can be exported if North America has enough to do so and it looks right now like that is the case. Natural gas on the other hand is not so readily transported over water. It has to be liquefied which is very energy intensive and so is in many respects kind of landlocked for now. So if you switch to propane you are using a cleaner burning fuel than gas and also supporting North American producers (which was an issue raised by Frank as regards to corn-based ethanol). This as opposed to many of the despotic regimes around the world who seem to have so much oil and to whom vast financial rewards have accrued. This is just my opinion here but the less money some of these regimes have the safer I feel the world will be. Give some of these regimes a million dollars and then spend millions to counteract what they do with it. Not wise in my less than humble opinion.
You can have a motor that is dual fuel but given propane’s benefits it might be best to go 100% propane. Conversions cost and for those who do not drive many miles it may not make financial sense but if you do travel a lot give it a look.
Cheers,
MikeHi Pippi and rlcross,
Yes that is the main link regarding inverters at HandyBob and i did a lousy job of trying to be concise in getting what i wanted to say in the long post. What i did not want to happen is someone who is currently using an inverter brand that Bob does not recommend deciding that Bob doesn’t know what he’s talking about because their inverter works fine. The explanation for that lies elsewhere in that in his opinion most rv solar setups are not working properly and are not charging at a high enough voltage to get the most of your system and to properly charge your batteries for optimum performance and longevity. His Battery Charging Puzzle goes over these issues and flooded deep cycle batteries are supposed to be equalized once a month or so and this is done at >16V for a short period of time but it is long enough to have inverters trip off given that the models Bob does not like have a 15V limit. Bob started off with a lousy RV system and his first set of batteries lasted he and his wife 2 years. With all he has learned the hard way over the years now his batteries last him a decade. Big difference and as you that have purchased them know that batteries are expensive. If treating your batteries properly and getting the most out of your solar panels means that you have to switch inverter brands then i think it would be worth it long term. Bob, Pippi, and others who have ‘walked the walk’ on various issues in the RV world are graciously offering their knowledge to us and we’re lucky for that. Who wants to replace flooring one year after just doing it? Nobody that’s sane so we can learn from Pippi who did hers and upped it to YouTube and also wrote an article about flooring types.
On backwoodssolar.com they mention not to mix batteries of more than a year’s difference. They also mention not to mix different years of solar panels as there is some degradation and it appears with panels and batteries that you get only the production from the weakest link in the setup and not the average. I may be in error here as i am learning and do not have first hand knowledge.
Cheers,
MikeHi Pippi,
First a disclaimer from HandyBob that he cannot keep up with every modification to brands and models of equipment some of which is not even documented. Also he has proved some companies play fast and loose with data, even with the displays on their equipment. Some manufacturers are honest and some do things like fudge with emission readings on their diesel engines which is why he likes to test things using meters, hydrometers and the like. ~3 years ago he came to the conclusion that there were only 2 brands of inverters to be trusted. The rest, including Xantrex, were shutting down when the input was >15VDC which state is often reached during colder weather. A person could use such inverters by setting the charge controller to a lower voltage but then you are not properly charging your batteries and not getting all you can get out of your solar setup. This info I relate I give 100% credit to HandyBob for and my main reason for trusting him so much is that he advises us firstly to get a meter (and hydrometer if you will be using flooded batteries as he recommends). Dishonest types don’t want us to be informed, which is why many regimes try to suppress media. People like HandyBob and Pippi want to help us learn which is why they make the effort with their websites. The inverters that shut off at 15VDC will likely work with most systems as the controllers are not even pushing the 14.8V recommended, let alone any boost needed for colder days. I would guess that the inverter models that shut off at 15V will work fine for those who are on shore power and in warmer climes. Perhaps a first inexpensive test would be to test your batteries if the flooded variety with a hydrometer (read and heed safety precautions as to WHEN you can and protect skin and eyes). HandyBob claims the converter/charger built into most RVs does not fully charge batteries even if the RV is not being used and you can test this yourself. To summarize HandyBob’s contention is that the vast majority of RVs are not having their house batteries properly charged no matter what the input power source is and so the many brands of inverters that shut down at 15V will likely work for them. They won’t work for RBuzz who started this thread though as he/she has a setup that allows them to enjoy their coffee in the morning without starting up a generator while boondocking. I realize RV parks have their place but got a chuckle when someone mentioned that listening to generators running and having a view out their window of a sewer hose wasn’t their cup of tea.Hi Pippi,
While browsing used RV dealers some said they were not taking 5th wheels in trade nor on consignment due to lack of demand. It’s odd because many on forums have said that they would never go back to towing a trailer even with sway control after trying out towing a 5th wheel. I can’t think of any reason why any type of RV would have more issues with leaky roofs in comparison to others although I have read that slide-outs can have leak issues and that they are a common reason for repair bills. I read that you consider them to be a must but as another person posted they add weight. These things are all a balancing act and it’s nice that we have options. Another option for osetoast might be a popup camper as I read some of the HiLo’s had good headroom. If one is looking at RV’ing it would be nice to be able to trade in some of one’s height as there are far more options when a person is 5’5″ instead of osetoast’s 6’5″. Making an RV ‘taller’ adds weight, makes the centre of gravity higher, and makes it more susceptible to wind issues while travelling all of which are negatives. A friend told me that he purchased a travel trailer, left the dealer and drove ~30 min, turned around and went back and traded it in on an Airstream due to how uncomfortable he felt when towing the other type. Pictures of jackknifed trailers scare the heck out of me, and it can happen with 5th wheels as well although apparently much less frequently.
Thanks for this site Pippi and your YouTube videos!
Cheers,
MikeHello osetoast,
Jam your head once or twice and ending up with neck pain and headaches no fun!
I looked at an RV buying catalog and noticed some folding trailers named Chalet and Aliner both of which had several models. These fold down to ~6′ off the ground for travel but set up quickly (i watched a YouTube video showing it) and some have close to 11′ headroom in the middle. I’m new to researching this subject though and these types of trailers may not have enough insulation to be appropriate for full-timing (especially up here in Canada where we never need air conditioning according to a certain poster on this site – wink!). In the catalog some Class Cs seemed to have 6’9″ headroom but that may be the maximum and if you may not get that under the air conditioner. I read on one RV forum that 5th wheels were best for taller people and they seem to be in some disfavor these days which can lead to lower prices.
Good Luck!
MikeHello all again,
I just posted something about solar in the RV Utilities thread but will comment here as well. I am not an RV’er yet but am researching and came across a blog written by a guy named Bob who was renamed by some people he helped to become – HandyBob. As i wrote elsewhere here he does not have Pippi’s sunny disposition but he has become a DIY’er for his solar needs on he and his wife’s RV and rural house. His blog takes a long time to slog through and he’s an opinionated cuss but well worth reading. He may just save you many $ and much frustration. He found out as RBuzz did that his solar system was not fully charging his batteries and that once he was able to optimize his system that there was no need for 6 6V batteries (who needs the extra expense and especially more weight added to your setup plus the loss of storage space). Somewhere on his site he mentions about not mixing old and new batteries which Pippi wondered about. Pippi is quite remarkable in being such a DIY’er but HandyBob would not take a Xantrex if you gave it to him for free (as in the giveaway contest). A complete aside here but i used to see white shirts with DIY in big black capital letters a lot ~35 years ago but that was due to the Peter Gabriel song.
Cheers,
MikeHello all,
I’m not an RV’er yet but am researching (and there’s a lot to learn). I came across a blog written by a guy named Bob who was renamed HandyBob by some of the people he helped with their under-performing solar systems. He is an opinionated cuss but has his reasons and there’s a lot to read on his site but well worth the hours needed to read it all as it may save you many $ and headaches. He has learned over the years that most batteries in RVs are not being charged properly. He has become very cynical about the installation industry in the RV solar world and makes a good case (maybe he’s just realistic). He does not have Pippi’s sunny disposition but both she and HandyBob have hands-on advice to give (in other words real world hard knocks kind of knowledge). I’m no expert here but what he writes makes sense to me in a been there, done that kind of way and anyone considering doing anything with solar would be well repaid for their time reading his words.
Cheers,
Mike
