joelabq
Explorer III
Joined 20 years ago
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Re: Thinking of leaving
Honestly, while i was disappointed in the traffic the last 3-5 years... this change has made the site entirely useless. I say that as someone who embraces change, especially in tech, such as web design. I have no idea why someone would design a forum that only included the only date displayed as the original posters date completely omitting the date of the last post on the topic. This one 'feature' alone helps chisel in the final words on the headstone of RV.net forums... but lets not stop there... Instead, we will redesign the main forum display page in a top-left-to-bottom-right 'avatar' display of the forums that so many of us don't care about. At least from the default redirect from the rv.net/forum/index.cfm redirect. Case in point, I come here for tech issues, repairs, and occasionally the rest. Lets face it, fixing or improving an RV is the most common need. But, you can't find that on the ridiculous main display, but instead one has to find it in the drop down as if to do everything but completely hide it. Lets not mention the the 'groups' the are displayed are, at least in my opinion, not the popular forums to begin with with a few exceptions. Also, did you know that the southwest exists? Seems southeast, Pacific Northwest, and western is a thing... but southwest...yeah whats that and who cares? I guess more space for me as far as camping... well, nevermind, no one comes here anyway for camping related information anyway no less for the southwest. The Main page doesn't help you find much, unless you like mindlessly clicking on the 'newest post' which, at the time of writing this was from SEPT 2023! well, except that we only display the original poster's date not the latest. Very well thought out. If you can get passed that, you basically get a random feed of whatever you might or might not care about. Me, I want to know about whose doing what to their RVs, others might be wondering the best way to cook with the latest gadget.. but good LUCK! scroll and scroll. Also, no ads, so why bother with that infamous trick? I have no doubt that the old coldfusion-based forum was in need of replacement, but incinerating its essence and replacing it with this abomination was akin to taping the explosives on and, without ransom or any demands, hitting the detonator. So many of us are looking for something other then Facebook or reddit for our subject-specific information and the rv.net domain was a goldmine. Very disappointed. Good luck with the smoldering ash left here.1.2KViews1like0CommentsRe: 2020 Silverado 2500
I am using the Standard B&W non-slider on my 2020 Silverado 2500. I left it configured straight up instead of adding the extra 2", and I can do near 90 degrees on unlevel terrain. Coming from a long bed I was concerned, but I do not feel its a problem with this longer short bed.931Views0likes0CommentsRe: MORryde Step Above Steps
I dealt with this last year as I had to replace steps and hated the factory ones. We have a wall on the door side of our backyard access. I believe it is around 3.5ft to deploy, and then it's ~2ft to the last step. I can take better measurements for you tomorrow as I simply forgot what it is. Honestly, they are pretty awesome steps and didn't require as much space as I thought. I pretty much just rolled the dice... That said, first trip out of state with them we ended up in an RV park in Anaheim, CA that had weird pads that almost made any step impossible. For a standard step you could likely just leave them in as the slab was almost to the door. With these MORryde it's deploy or you stay out of the camper. We just had them move us to something standard. never seen that before or since. I'll try and get measurements of my 4 step version tomorrow for you.895Views0likes0CommentsRe: Atwood Air- any problems?
Doug, I wasn't aware that Airxcel had two motors in the AC/HP. They do not advertise it nor can I find any install/service manuals that reflect that in their line-up. I did not look through all of them as they have a lot of different products. I don't know if it's industry standard (I don't work on this stuff for a living), but my Atwood came with a QA sheet that was hand-written with my specific unit's power consumption in amps for the various speeds/modes. Nice touch. Joel322Views0likes0CommentsRe: Atwood Air- any problems?
When my Dometic died I researched and replaced it with an AirCommand 15k by Atwood. I misunderstood the instructions (actually, I decided I was smarter than the wiring diagram included and paid the price) and fried the control board. I ordered it through Atwood direct, no hassle, and replaced without issue. I've had limited use of it but I do like it better. It's much more quiet, cools better then the 13.5k I pulled off (which it better!)and the heat pump feature is a bonus. Additionally, it's more generator friendly. My 13.5k struggled at my home at 5500ft asl on a Yamaha 2400ishc. I installed the same hard start cap on this 15k that I had on the 13.5k. Not only does it barely bother my Generator, I am able to start the A/C and run it from my Prowatt 2000 (3k surge) inverter. The design is better, in my opinion, and shows that someone with some HVAC engineering experience might have got their a but more with the accounting department. It uses two ECM motors instead of a single PSC motor like all other RV A/C units do for the condenser and blower fans. The insulation had an appearance of a better install, and the control system is more "high-tech". The shroud attaches better than my original unit with four stout screws vs the 1+ million tiny screws of the previous unit. The unit is noticeably more quiet then the old Dometic unit on the outside of the RV as well, as the compressor and fan combo hums at a more pleasant frequency. What I don't like: 1. The fan runs 100% of the time in A/C mode as the compressor cycles off. It does select low speed fan mode, and it's not horribly loud, but I would like it if it would just turn off. 2. The thermostat uses a special communication protocol making it the only thermostat you can use with this unit. The interface is kinda big, and not my favorite. 3. The shroud design looks kinda old/goofy to me when up close to it. On the ground looking up you don't really care and doesn't look out of place. 4. Like most heat pumps, don't rely on it in super cold weather. I've not been able to get it to fire at less then about 45F. Not really a show stopper for me, but the manual doesn't specify what the lowest operational temp is for the heat pump. I was pleasantly suprised at how warm the air is when it is running. All that said, only had the unit since August, so time will tell. Joel322Views0likes0CommentsRe: Can I get help with battery math...batteries-inverter-coffee
I have a commercial B45 Keurig I picked up for free, and 4 GC2s w/ a Xantrex Prowatt 2Kw Inverter. Wiring is very short and 000. I also have a Victron Ammeter. I also just ran this a week ago to see the draw on the batteries. The b45 is a little slower to warm up then the other consumer grade versions, but this model draws 115amps for about five minutes, and then every minute or so will draw 115amps for about 3-5 seconds. I wouldn't leave it running while you aren't actively making coffee due to the fact that it's power hungry just keeping the water ready. However, with my setup it will work fine for us, but I am not sure it's worth it. You can get a Presto MyJo (there are other brands too) which is like a coffee press but will take Kcups. I have one and may just use it instead of wasting my time/effort recharging batteries more often.688Views0likes0CommentsRe: Best Air Conditioners? Driving myself crazy.
I replaced my Dometic (died in 2 years) with an Atwood. I even had to buy a new control board since I hooked it up wrong and was able to get parts no problem. The unit is much more quiet, the 15k comes with a heat pump too. The fan doesn't turn off (that turns some people off), but goes to such a low speed that it doesn't bother us. Power usage is way better, I can even run it off of a Xantrex Prosine 2000 on my 4 Golf carts for an hour after installing a Hard start cap I had put in the Dometic. I am not sure how the insides of a Dometic or RVP/Coleman that aren't "builder grade" look, but the Atwood had insulated linesets, the duct insulation appeared much higher quality and better engineered, and it came with two seperate fan motors for the Condensor and blower unlike the Dometic and colemans I've owned/seen. I did upgrade from a 13.5k btu to a 15k when I bought the Atwood, but I feel it cools better than if I would have just bought a Dometic 15k. No data to back it up though. Joel464Views0likes0CommentsRe: Adjustable Voltage Converter ( Brag)
My Errin provieded 100Amp adjustable Maxes out my Yamaha 2400ishc. The adjustable voltage feature makes for the best charges even when at high-altitude and the 2400ishc can't keep up for more than a few minutes at 94+amps. I marked mine when I first got it based on a recommendation I read in a previous thread of yours. Love these converters. Joel317Views0likes0Comments
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