South America Trip

MikeJinCO wrote:
Third question, how does one handle the 220v power or just primarily depend on solar?

Thanks for the help.

If you have your solar/battter/inverter system set up correctly, you can run everything thru the inverter. Setting it up for 220 is usually just a switch or a remote program setting. On some of the older ones, you may have to change the taps on the input terminal board.

Mike, You could get a Macerator that fits on in place of 4" hose. I've connected 100' of 5/8" garden hose and pumped to out-houses and other sewer systems.

MikeJinCO wrote:
Third question, how does one handle the 220v power or just primarily depend on solar?

A 230v battery charger or converter is easily available to keep the battery charged. IOTA and WFCO available at bestconverter.com You would plug these in with a separate cord. I don't recommend adapting your existing main cord.

Running the other 120vac electric items will need an inverter. Air conditioning may not be practical.

RichieC wrote:
We saw RV's but don't know where they dumped.
First class busses have to dump somewhere and I suspect that they have a dump site in the main bus barn stations.
Good luck on your trip.

RichieC is correct, look for the bus barn in town. You can usually dump there, especially if you make it a cash transaction :B

We drank the water in Chile (Santiago and points south) and Patagonia.
Only one place in Argentina advised against drink tap water (a hotel).
We saw RV's but don't know where they dumped.
First class busses have to dump somewhere and I suspect that they have a dump site in the main bus barn stations.
Good luck on your trip.

I picked up our van from storage at AndeanRoads motorhomes a couple of days ago and their rigs are all fitted with cassette toilets. From my research it seems as if most "camping" down south is proper camping with tents and there are very few facilities for dealing with large holding tanks.

Some areas of Argentina have problems with water quality during the dry season and regardless of what the locals think of the water, you might have problems dealing with it just as sometimes happens back home. Chile claims to have good quality water everywhere.

We just use whatever water comes out of the taps and if there are doubts about contamination then we add small quantities of common bleach as we fill the tank. The only bottled water we buy is one gallon for emergencies and that invariably sits in the cupboard forever.

One group in the know is Dutch Duo Wildlife Photography, they traveled there in their TC for two years. They are now in Alaska.