So what did you do to your Truck Camper today?

Loaded up the TC and headed for Hayak snow play park with the kidos in the morning!Just got my Discover pass today and I'm already to go:)

I went outside last night while it was about zero out and 55 inside and used my IR thermometer to measure temps at a bunch of different places to get an idea regarding insulation needs. It was interesting for sure. One interesting find was that for both the walls and the ceiling showed about a 12 degree difference between the locations where the aluminum frame members run. You can see it on the outside when things are very very cold and frost has formed....the frame members show up clear as day. Same thing on the inside where you see a bit of dust along all the frame members from condensation. But it was interesting to see a solid 12 degree difference! Makes me wonder if instead of putting a whole layer of paneling or something there'd be something you could tape/mount JUST to where the frame members are.... It would look bad of course. Made me think a little about putting pen to paper and calculating how much energy is transferred through the aluminum as compared to the open walls. Not sure how easily it could be done but it should be possible. It's possible to be losing more heat through the frame members than the rest of the walls.

The other not surprising spot where a lot of heat was escaping was around the lower part of the service bay where the dump valves are....the walls of that is sheet metal and plastic depending on where, and both are letting out a lot of heat. I was surprised to find that the city water inlet right at the wall was 37 degrees....but of course I have two furnace ducts pointing right in there on all the lines. I just need to insulate that box a lot better and make a cover for the external water connections there.

Silverbullet - congrats on getting the camper - I am sure you can find somewhere to go. :) We are going this weekend to the upper Arkansas Valley....it's supposed to be 9 for a low so we are planning on a nice big bonfire Saturday night. My solar panel connection on the roof did something similar and got a bit mangled by branches or something. Lance replaced the plug for me when I was there and if I remember right, used a right-angle connector so the wires didn't stick up so high in the air to catch on stuff. Yours is at least protected under the panels, but access is a pain.

silverbullet02 wrote:
It was 3 days ago, but I finally got mine back! It's been sitting in Ohio for a year in my parents yard. Finally have everything straightened out and brought it down to TN the other day. Now to find somewhere to go, haha!



Oh, the other thing I've been doing, and this does count for today, I've been trying to figure out why my solar isn't working and believe I have tracked it down to what I hope is a bad connection up at the panel on the roof. Down side is that it's cold and I have to un-goop the screws and pull it off the roof to get to the plug, so that will have to wait for a warmer day. This pic was from this morning to keep in the spirit of the thread :)

I would definirely secure that plug better so you wont have to pull off that panel again. Both my solar panels are over the cabover area and not over the factory plug.I have the plug area covered over with Eternabond tape. That might be a way for you to secute your plug. Great looking combo. We love our AF.

It was 3 days ago, but I finally got mine back! It's been sitting in Ohio for a year in my parents yard. Finally have everything straightened out and brought it down to TN the other day. Now to find somewhere to go, haha!



Oh, the other thing I've been doing, and this does count for today, I've been trying to figure out why my solar isn't working and believe I have tracked it down to what I hope is a bad connection up at the panel on the roof. Down side is that it's cold and I have to un-goop the screws and pull it off the roof to get to the plug, so that will have to wait for a warmer day. This pic was from this morning to keep in the spirit of the thread :)

Removed the Blue Sky 3024 controller and replaced the program chip and then reinstalled it in the kitchen cabinet and reconnected the solar panels. Will know in a couple days if going back to an earlier rev level of 3.20 fixed the operating problems. Now need for the rain to letup and some sun to shine on the panels.

Like the idea of the mother-in-law hideout. I can see where the concept could be easily expanded upon.

Removed the Blue Sky 3024 controller and replaced the program chip and then reinstalled it in the kitchen cabinet and reconnected the solar panels. Will know in a couple days if going back to an earlier rev level of 3.20 fixed the operating problems. Now need for the rain to letup and some sun to shine on the panels.

Like the idea of the mother-in-law hideout. I can see where the concept could be easily expanded upon.

billyray50 wrote:
Hey What brand heated bed pad did you purchase? Happy Holidays!

Soft Heat, I bought this one because it is more efficient and I do a lot of boonduck without shore power. This unit works with AC power and uses an AC/DC transformer. The transformer take 110 volt AC and put out 19 volt DC to the heating pad. This pad uses less energy than the normal AC heating pad, DC is safer than AC, and you do not have the negative effect of AC electricity, so is said on the advertizing.

I think most heating pad uses AC power, so when no shore power is available, you need an inverter. With the soft Heat, and no shore power, you still need an inverter to make it work because it must transform AC to DC. So this Soft heat pad is more efficient, but without shore power you will need tow devices, one inverter to make AC power, then the unit device that take AC to DC. You end up using two devices to make the DC power which I think uses more power than a straight AC power pad.

So.... to make this thing work with straight DC without the use of an inverter, I just cut the wires to the transformer and connected a DC/DC converter to uptake 12 volt to 19 volt and connected the system to a 12 volt outlet of the camper. A DC/DC converter is supposed to be more efficient than an inverter. This way I have the best of two world, I think anyway, I use an efficient pad with one efficient device.


http://www.amazon.com/Soft-Heat-Waterproof-Repellant-Low-Voltage/dp/B004FPXYOU/ref=pd_sim_hg_4

Just finished winterizing... I am going to be gone for a month or so for work. I am already looking forward to early spring so I can load up and head out on my next journey!

Hey What brand heated bed pad did you purchase? Happy Holidays!

Just came back from camping, 11F this morning and everything was nice and coozy in the camper, especially with the heated bed pad. That pad makes a big difference at night. I let the temp go down to 55 and just keep the pad running all night. It does not seem to take much energy, it comes on for a while then after warm up, it just flickers on and off.