hunter_rv
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Re: Afraid of Mice
I agree with all of the ideas and do them all, it is a war. My rig is out in a pasture field and I intend to kill'em all. The only additional level of protection that I added was MouseFree. I put that on the undercarriage and wheels of the camper. Expensive, but so is wiring replacement and complaints from the wife. Kill as many outside first. but, be worried about some cats, they are weak. A mean old nasty farm cat or even better, a bobcat, will do the trick.526Views0likes0CommentsConvert King Bed space into Flex Bed?
2016 Montana 5th wheel slide out has a king 80X80. Wife has issues crawling into/out of bed since it is also pretty tight to the side walls. Looking at some of the small diesel class C, I see a flex bed system (such as the Winnebago Fuse 24V). I am exploring the possibility of ripping out the king and putting in this type of flex bed system. 2 @ 32X80 beds with a walkway in the middle about at the hip point. If I am smart, I can make a filler piece that can convert it back to a king if desired. Has anyone done such a project? I can't find anything on the google. Thanks,1.1KViews0likes1CommentRe: Inverter placement position. Basement OK?
OP here. Thanks so much for everyone's feedback. I'll have to research a bit more on the AGM and ventilation. Safety is the biggest priority of course. Perhaps I can still keep the batteries in heated/cooled basement and vent them in a reasonable manner. I choose to go 24v because my panel array is about 30 feet removed from 5th wheel and on a pivot mount. I was trying to consider line loss. I really wanted 48v, but the equipment gets pricing in that range. Right now, I plan on using the 24v only to run inverter and leaving the existing 12v alone to power those 12v systems. This is on my land and I plan to use the 24v inverter to send 120V power to my own RV Park power pedestal which I will plug into. Ideally, like everybody else, I want to go 100% solar powered,except for the a/c needs during which I will run generator. I am 100% off the grid. I plan on removing my converter and charging the 12v with either 1) a standalone 12v solar panel (I already have this working) or 2) DC to DC step down converter. -editing post to add more info.... The 12V and 24V systems are separate and have their own set of batteries. I am using the existing 12V paralleled battery set that came with the coach and added the separate batteries in a 24V series for my solar park power concept. There is nothing keeping me from removing the 24V completely outside the camper. I like the security, temperature, humidity and critter control the basement provides. Sorry, I know this was a bit off the original topic but wanted to explain my 24V concept. I know it's weird, but it also adds value to the land itself having some type of power supply.621Views0likes0CommentsInverter placement position. Basement OK?
Hello, I am going to be starting my inverter install in my 5th wheel and believe I have the location figured out. I was running through the flow with an electrician (neither of us have never installed inverters before)and had a question about inverter placement and heat concerns. I was going to install the charge controller, AGM batteries and inverter inside the basement. That is a nice lockable location, somewhat insulated and has an existing heat duct. This allows for a more friendly cold weather use of this equipment. The electrician is concerned that having the inverter in the basement will cause too much heat and I should only use it with the basement doors open so air can flow through. Most of the videos that I have seen do have them mounted in the basement. Is this a valid concern? If I must have the doors open for airflow, I would rather mount the inverter in the front generator bay to prevent any critters from crawling in. Anyone seen any concerns about mounting all this equipment (including the inverter) inside the basement? Equipment: Inverter - AIMS 24V 4000W pure sine wave inverter/charger Inverter remote- AIMS REMOTELF for above unit with battery temp monitor Batteries - SunXtender 12V 258AH AGM Batteries (2 in series for 24V) Charge Controller = Renogy Commander 40amp MPPT (capable of 24V) Charge Controller remote - Renogy MT50 (I think it also has battery temp monitor) Solar Panels = 4 12V Renogy 150 Watt (4 panels-series and in parallel. So 300watts @ 24V)5.1KViews0likes15CommentsRe: Worried about "break ins"
I installed a few "video surveillance" signs up at the gate and also have a spartan go trail camera on a verizon service plan (From amazon). It takes time and motion photos and send them via email. The plan cost about $20 - $28 a month. It takes 12 AA batteries and I replace twice per year (because of cold weather). Besides taking pics of people/license plates, it's good to see after a storm that everything initially appears ok. Interesting to see all the critters that are around the location.456Views0likes0Comments24/48V Power with Inverter feeding Camper with Shore Cord
Hello, To begin with, I am not planning on using anything but 12V to the camper components. In fact, what I am trying to accomplish is to add this off grid power outside of the camper. I want to set up 600 watts (4 panels X 150 watts) of solar on a stand alone mount, set up for 24/48v and store it a 24/48V voltage battery bank (4 or 8 6V batteries) and feed it through an 24/48V inverter into the shore cord. I have never done solar, but this forum and google has warned of the inefficiencies of charging my coach batteries from the inverter power. I plan to address this by using a different stand-alone 12V solar panel that feeds my Montana 10amp Furrion Solar Plug in and that should keep that charged up. So, I am thinking 1 12V Solar Panel, to keep the 12V coach batteries charged up, then use the larger solar 600w array to charge a large battery bank wired to an inverter and plugged into the shore power cord to supply the 120V Why? This is a private land and the camper is used as a cabin and in the future, this power system may feed a small cabin or a different camper. This is mostly a weekend get-away but there once or twice a year, it may see a week of continuous use. So, I know this is unique set up, but you guys are most likely some of the most experienced group of folks for small solar setups and using them in RVs. Would like to get your thoughts and concerns that I need to overcome. ...editing post to add more info. As far as running AC unit goes, I most definitely will run a generator (Honda eu7000i). I have a electrician who will wire me up a pedestal for this inverter/charger to be wired to. It is my thoughts to plug the shore power cord to either this pedestal (battery power) or the generator unit. Last year, the generator's meter recording my usage for what I would consider normal 120V use, TVs/DVRs/charging gadgets, running a fan, parasitic draws and it was at about 400 watts. Thanks1.2KViews0likes2CommentsAny experiences with portable AC units?
I am completely off grid and currently have 2 generators (Honda 2000i and 7000i). I only want to bring out the out the big one for prolong cooling periods and also don't want put the hours on the big one unless absolutely necessary. Researching the possibly of using one of these portable ac units (between 8.8 -12 amps) as an occasional use ac unit, instead of the 12.5/15k BTU units on the 5th wheel. Does any one have any experience with this units and also describe how you are venting the unit? ...editing for additional info this is private land and I do use this as a camp. I am just now starting into solar/wind, but based on info I learned on this site and YouTube, I need a large size set up just for this small size portable unit. So I want to use the small honda 2000 up until the time I really need the run the 15k BTU unit-then I haul the 7000 in. Since it is so big and expensive, it is kept at my house and loaded up on a Kawasaki mule for the transport on the back of the pickup truck. I want to keep the hours low to ensure that this lasts many, many years. The power company quoted we 35k to run power to the site due to the distance and terrain- so I use generators until I can build up solar/wind. Ideally, I think I can by with a small portable unit 8k BTU, 8.8 amp draw for the bedroom space only. Thank you.5.5KViews0likes13CommentsSolar -trying to take first baby step
Hello, I am trying to take the first baby step for a supplemented solar set up for an off grid set up. I have a 2015 Montana than has a 2 pin solar input recptacle that states 10A. I bought 1 150watt panel that has the MC4 connectors. I am having a hard time finding the MC4 to this 2 pin adapter. Am I going down a wrong road here? Should I just give up that path and go to a new charge controller directly to my coach batteries? If so, what purposes does this 2 pin connector serve that came on the coach? I understand that it could not handle a massive solar array, but jeepers, I'm only talking 1 panel here. What is the first step here? Thanks1.6KViews0likes4CommentsRe: Permanent campsite in the woods
I have a set up that is used for this purpose as well. I have a 5th wheel with a L-shape elevated deck built around the side and back that makes it very nice to hide gear/brush cutter deck under as a garage of sorts. I use generators (big one for AC needs, small one for other use), but looking to add some solar this year, I added a septic holding tank (tank only, not system) to direct dump into. I added a cellular trail camera that takes a 4 pictures a day + any motion and send to my email. (about $27 a month fee - Spartan GoCam) As far as pests, I put standard mouse traps on the outside parameter, fresh cab in the inside (not the best experience - but another layer of protection) and sprayed mouse-free on the undercarriage (better experience - but expensive). I still put some traps inside the basement to make sure nothing is getting inside... also I have a local bobcat that is helping in the effort.591Views0likes0Comments
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