Posts by SteveSS
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Less ready, fire, aim this time Like some others here, I have a Bogart Tri-Metric Monitor. I wouldn't say it's better, but it does provide a wide range of info. They have also been around a long time without upgrading the outward appearance, but the underlying tech is solid and settings are quite flexible. I haven't sprung for its phone app remote (@MsNomer has), so I don't know what it's capabilities are.
I agree, you can't use display values from individual components (MPPT, etc) as your battery monitor. You need a stand-alone monitor, with a dedicated shunt, to get the battery bank perspective. The display on my inverter-charger shows volts and amps only, not SOC. Volts track well with the Bogart, but amps are usually different. Even the tech support guy told me not to trust its display values.
By foot rest, do you mean a step extension installed behind the swivel seats? I sized ours as a compromise between ergonomics (foot/knee space) and lower cabinet space. The top of the step is about 9" above the metal cargo floor, and about 7-1/4" above the finish floor (1" polyiso+1/2" ply+1/4" vinyl). That left me 6-1/2" of free space under the step, which isn't enough for most batteries. I have my 2kW Chinese parking heater under there and shoe storage. I think those with batteries there ended up with taller foot rests.
The horizontal dimensions of our step extension are fairly minimal, which means comfortable foot/knee room in the rear swivelled position requires the seats be run as far forward as possible (toward the van front). The horizontal distance between the metal step edge and my driver-side lower cabinet is 22". That tapers to 15" behind the passenger seat, which leaves an 18" entryway beside the fridge cabinet in front of the slider. That sounds small, but it's totally fine since there is no overhead cabinet over the fridge.
Factory swivels only lock at 0 and 180, but they aren't too bad in between.
Yes, those are standard milk crates.
My 500Ah coach bank is over the rear axle, so I ran 2/0 welding cable from the Princess. It can carry 150A to the back of the van with minimal V drop, but it rarely sees even half that.
Yep, there is a limit to the pre-planning you can do before you have the van in hand.
I recently read about a new Canadian source for Truma products for the DIY market. Truma is the propane-fired combo air/water unit found in most European RVs.
I don't know about extra on-demand lag time, but for wasted water in general, there are two solutions: 1) install a recirculater circuit to divert initial flow back into fresh tank, or 2) don't worry about it if your faucet runs are short. I opted for the latter after my plumber son showed me the volume calculation from our IsoTemp to our kitchen faucet (shower run is less than half that).
1/2" PEX over a 4ft run = (0.25**2) x 3.1459 x 48 = 9.44 cu.in. = 0.65 cups !!
I can easily live with that much waste.
Just for reference, we have a 40gal fresh tank for everything but drinking. We both shower daily and normally go 3-4 days before taking on water. We take ship showers with a low-flow shower head that has a shut-off / volume control on the head. We could probably use a little less water showering, but that's no fun.
Since we don't drink from the fresh tank, our standards don't need to be that high. We have a separate 5gal tank and filtration system for potable.
Hey! Congrats on the long-awaited birth in Mexico!
I've been thinking about garage organizers myself. There has to be a way to use the space more efficiently, but I haven't figured it out yet. It all depends on what you plan to store back there. We have a mix of big and small stuff. The big stuff like chairs and table don't fit in boxes; I stand them up and bungee them to a side wall. We have 2-3 Rubbermaid toteboxes that stack. Those hold hook-up cables and hoses, and some other stuff. But there is always some loose stuff floating around. Semi-organized seems to be the limit without sacrificing flexibility.
I've been thinking about garage organizers myself. There has to be a way to use the space more efficiently, but I haven't figured it out yet. It all depends on what you plan to store back there. We have a mix of big and small stuff. The big stuff like chairs and table don't fit in boxes; I stand them up and bungee them to a side wall. We have 2-3 Rubbermaid toteboxes that stack. Those hold hook-up cables and hoses, and some other stuff. But there is always some loose stuff floating around. Semi-organized seems to be the limit without sacrificing flexibility.
Congrats, finally!! You picked a great day to bring it over! The swivels do take a little getting used to. When ours were new, the swivel release was very stiff, but it's fine now. However, the recline release will still fold you up like a taco if you're not careful. A shorepower connection was one of the first things I did, too. It really helps to have permanent power for heat and tools. Have you figured out why it has no spare? I see the tool kit, but can't tell if you have the winch/hoist for the spare.
Every battery chemistry has pros & cons. The BMS is there to protect the battery from extremes (temp, discharge, voltage, etc). I find I can easily manage those myself to the point the BMS has no need to intervene most of the time. In fact, I don't think it has ever had to. Lithium stays happy as long as you avoid extremes. In contrast, my old AGMs died because my system couldn't attain the necessary "extreme" voltage (100% SOC) often enough. The pros & cons of lithium meet my needs better, which means I'm more relaxed. YMMV, of course.
13.8V is at the high end for FLA (13.5-13.8V) but that should be OK, except maybe at high temps. Does your charger have temp compensation?
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