MrJoelieC
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Re: Solar Charger/On-Board Charger question?
Thanks for the replies.. The LEDs are already on order.. I was planing on a portable 120 watt panel set to start... I'm leary of adding large expensive panels permanently to the top of the RV for Reasons: 1) Live in New Hampshire.. 2) Because I live in New Hampshire I have many trees in my yard. 3) Because I live in New Hampshire with many trees - Ice tends to build up on said trees and cause limbs of said trees to fall onto things... Thus I figured I would either buy a portable set or 2 and thus I would also have option to set camper in a space in shade and move panels into sun with judicious beer drinking and panel moving to track sun for maximum efficiency.. (Eerrrr-uhm Hopefully the beer-drinking wont hinder that process too much.) I figured it would be fine But I thought I would just double check...267Views0likes0CommentsRe: Adding a second battery?
This Topic is extremely helpful thanks for the same question I had and the good responses! I think that since I will probably not Boondock for more than a long weekend I think 2 12 volts are in my future. Mostly based on Price and availability. For now I will see how the single 12 volt does and if needed I can quickly turn the truck around and throw a charge on until I can get a 120 watt Solar.. I have the LED lights on order already so hopefully that will help..679Views0likes0CommentsRe: TPMS. Necessary or just peace of mind?
MotorPro wrote: Some people make it sound like if you don't have one you committing suicide. The fact is people drove and towed for over 100 years with out one. A majority of 18 weelers don't have them.With out one you should check your tires before every trip. Are they nesseary? No,but they do make life easier and give that extra peace of mind. This just made me laugh out loud..... You sir are sooooo correct! I think there are people out there that are amazed we survived the 20th century without: cell phones, GPS, Internet, and now apparently: TPMS... LOL294Views0likes0CommentsRe: Need Help with my tv
This might be a dumb question? But you specified the Trailer is 1999... I assume you are using a brand new HD Digital TV? As standard broadcast no longer occurs in many areas... Therefore: if you are using an older TV that does not have a digital tuner you wont get much if anything... As I used to sell antennas for Radio Shack in the 90's "Digital ready" antenna is a crock... As Digital signal can be received by just about any Television antenna.. The only other thing to possibly check... As the Trailer is "Close" to 20 years old you may want to check/replace the connection on the cable up on the roof.. Hope that helps. Cheers! MrJoelieC263Views0likes0CommentsSolar Charger/On-Board Charger question?
This may sound like a really dumb question. So Here it goes feel free to ridicule the noob.. I'm thinking about Solar charging to extend Boondocking.. As I just know my Kids will forget to turn off a light or leave a charger plugged in for their electronics.. I'm thinking about hardwiring the charger in thus I only need to plug panels in... My Question is: if you hook up to AC power that then charges battery are the Solar chargers OK with Charge coming back? Do you have to put an isolation switch in? Cheers! MrJoelieC1.6KViews0likes7CommentsNew to RV'ing Kind of with a Hybrid
Greetings all, I have been lurking on the forums for a bit and decided that now that I officially have an RV I should register and introduce myself, my family and my RV. I'm Joel I work in IT.. I was born in 1971 and survived through the 80's with minimal issues. I have been married for almost 18 years and we have 3 kids My oldest son is 12 and I have 2 girls one is 8 and the other is 3. We have had Pop-up Campers as my Back could no longer tolerate bare ground for extended stays (Although my son in Boy Scouts has forced me to return to the ground at times.) My Wife and I like to Vacation when we can but found that trips to hotels at 1500-2000 bucks a week is too prohibitive. Our Foray into RV'ing started with a free pop-up from craigslist that was covered in pollen and moss and mold. extensive scrubbing and powerwashing inside and out with a pressure washer (Very carefully inside) brought this free coleman camper back to life and we had it for 2 years when we realized we needed bigger... (I still regret selling that camper for 200 bucks and we watched our friends enjoy it for 2 more years when they sold it for 200 bucks...) In becoming used to the coleman and it's solid plastic/fiberglass top I surfed craigslist and found a coachman uber large pop up that I should have paid way more intention to the roof... ON our first camping trip with it the cables let loose and in a frustrated foray of spending 4 hours with limited tools to dismantle in order to fold it back up to get home it sat in my back yard for 2 years and became home to a rabid bunch of squirrels.... We went to camping and RV shows and while my wife wanted a bunkhouse trailer I wanted something that was not so big that the kids would only want to spend time inside with their Nintendos and tablets. I looked at a few campers on craigslist but my last RV craigslist purchase still kind of stung... I surfed our local RV dealership Campers Inn in Merrimack and became their online stalker and figured I would watch their Used sections but on a whim I decided to drive the motorcycle in and sneak in and look at the used lot and use my phone to photo the stock number and look online at prices. I never even saw the one we ended up buying as it was a 2012 parked next to the brand new 2013s and thus I mistook it for brand new. I dragged the wife kicking and screaming to look at the 3 used Hybrids they had and the sales man took me into the one we ended up with.. It was love at first sight... We ended up with a coachman Freedom Express 21TQX.. 3 queen beds under 4000lbs but with plenty of cargo capacity and perfect fit behind my Yukon XL to pull it with. My Initial mods are to replace all the inside bulbs with LEDs and a few additional shelves. The 2 oldest kids and I just spent the night out in the Yard and we are planning a trip out the week of the 4th of July but we may try a state park trip one of these June weekends. Ironicly and old friend from work after my post about this purchase on facebook let me know he will be signing on the purchase of an RV camp in Northern NH so we may check that out... I'm looking at solar panels maybe just a set of pratable ones to help lengthen battery life while Boondocking as You guys call it.. My decision to buy this camper stemmed on my realization that My Son and Daughter are at "That Perfect Age" and If didn't pull the trigger I would never get this time back.... So here's to hoping for some good advice from these forums and for some good memories with the Kids and Wife around a campfire...1.4KViews0likes4Comments
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