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RE: Let’s talk biscuits
Ideally I make biscuits in a Dutch Oven out side with charcoal. Super easy to get the heat right and does a much nicer job. But.......when I have to cook inside with the oven....there is a pizza stone on the diffuser that the burner is mounted to. I cook them at 400 degrees on the bottome shelf for 10 minutes, top shelf for another 10....then to brown them slide them under the broiler/burner(the absolute bottom of the oven)and baby them to brown them....and by "baby" I mean you need to be there with a hot pad rotating the pan hear and there around the bottom to evenly brown them.....but you don't walk away or carry on a conversation when browning..........
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Vintage465
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04/23/23 08:49am |
Camp Cooks and Connoisseurs
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RE: School Me on Solar Panels
I recent started a thread about lifepo4 battery configurations, 12v/24v/etc. I think I'm settling on four 230 AH batteries, and will likely keep them in a 12v config.
Now I want to figure out the solar. I am mounting the panels in a permanent position on the roof with no adjusting for best sun.
I see lots of systems where they are very close to the roof and wonder about that. Panels get hot. My intention is to run tracks the length of the roof and mount on them, maybe keeping the panels 4-6 inches off the roof. That will provide good ventilation and even shade for the RV. It will also reduce shadows on the panels from other stuff on the roof.
Now my questions:
I'm not familiar with current wiring methodology. Are they all the same now? I hear people mention MC4 connectors. Is that the standard? Do I need to worry about that or will all the hardware be compatible right out of the box?
What about the panels themselves? I've understood that monocrystalline is superior to poly for RV use. Is that still the case? It sounds like most panels are manufactured with shade tolerant diodes built in now. What other considerations are there?
I'm not a fan of MC4 connectors. I think most people like them because that's what most panels come with and there are many branch connectors and thins to tie the panels together. Personally I think thers a lot of fittings to get stuff connected that you can just do with a combiner box, lugs and water proof crimp connectors. I just think it's a lot cleaner, tidy-er and less joints for things to go sideways.
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Vintage465
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04/11/23 05:21pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: The Bacon Thread
I make my own bacon from pork belly's and from the fat end of Pork Butt's. So Bacon is my thing. My best bacon is made with Cure #1, salt, honey, molasses, dry mustard and picking spice. Brine for 1 week then smoke for 12 hours. I sometimes do Canadian Bacon in the same brine Also amazing. For the most part I always cook bacon in a pan in the oven @ 375 degrees. It's easier to manage the temp and not chance burning it due to the honey and molasses is more burnable compared to dextrose use commercial bacon. Far as recipes go, I'm pretty straight up liking it with eggs. I'll chop it into "Eggs Erroneous" as my brother calls it, basically scrambled eggs with everything in it. Bacon on a burger....or a favorite of my sons and mine, chicken livers wrapped in bacon.
Now here is exotic bacon I made called Shinkenspek. This recipe for Shinkenspeck is from Rytek Kutas sausage and meat curing book. He calls regular bacon "poor mans bacon" compared to this. Not sure I agree with that but this is real fun. It's a cured boneless sirloin and wrapped tightly with a cured belly then lightly smoked. Dried Juniper Berrys in the brine. Slice off a 1/2" slices and fry. It will bulge up so a bacon press is good to keep it flat on the skillet.
https://i.imgur.com/i9Hqv31l.jpg
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Vintage465
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04/03/23 09:13pm |
Camp Cooks and Connoisseurs
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RE: Oh,Oh, Soft Floor !
It's under the window, on the passenger side .It goes from the pantry(it was a closet once) to the hatch.You're lucky, I think your 20FQ is aluminum framed. Our trailer might be the last year of wood framed Creeksides. Once 50 years ago I watched a prototype class C being built.We were still building the addition. The main structural wood was the inside 1/4" paneling, so on a stick and tin, you peel the aluminum and work from the outside. But here the interior paneling is only 1/8 ", so I doubt it provides much strength.
So to start with, I'd remove all the lower aluminum trim, the hatch and prolly the fender area trim and see what that affords you. You may be able to gently use a heat gun to see if the glass/board laminant will let go of the studs and plate. On our coach under the dinette they used fiberglass/styrofoam cut out's from the doors and window for the base. What I was thinking if you wanted to do a test is take one of those and apply a little heat to it ans see if it lets go. Otherwise I think you're going to have to cut some paneling on the inside and do the dirty deed from there. You may be able to get somd of that corner tape that matches the paneling to patch it back up.
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Vintage465
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03/30/23 01:29pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Oh,Oh, Soft Floor !
I've got a problem, I can deal with the the rotten chipboard, simply replace with pressure treated plywood . But I think there is rot in the wall. Our TT is an early OutdoorRV, a 2012 build. It's a hybrid, standard stud walls with fiberglass coated hardboard . The bottom plate looks like I'll have to replace it. A stick and tin would be easy, peel the aluminum and splice in Douglas fir. How do you deal with that fiberglass hardboard ?
I would think they would have used construction adhesive ? At least they should have.
We love the floorplan , a Creekside 20FQ. From the factory it came with a reinforced double frame. I've done a fair bit of work on it, repairing, modifying and replacing.
As Mr Spock would say, "a picture could help my analysis". But all Spockisms aside, glass is going to be more challenging to sneek a piece of wood away from. My first thought is obviously remove as much of the trim as possible for more stretchabilty. Think about maybe a heat gun used very.....very carefully and see if it loosens the adhesive. Or...maybe there is an option to remove it from the inside of the coach or at least get some help from there. I have a 2015 20fq, assuming the floor plan is the same if I knew where your issue is I could go scope mine out and check out options.
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Vintage465
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03/29/23 09:40pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Water saver for shower.
It seems obvious that there will never be any sort of universal agreement or even understanding on this topic. There are just too many differences between the rigs we have, the type of camping we do and the access to water where we camp. Someone who has a big rig with a 100 gallons of water, or who takes short trips, or has ready access to water, is not going to understand camping in remote areas for many days with a small FW tank. I have seen plenty of people camping in van conversions or other small rigs and getting by for days with 10 gallons of water or less.
So exceedingly correct! I used to boon dock for a week, on what I believe was a 35-45 gallon tank. Showering was out of the question. We'd be looking for water after 5 conservative days. Now-a-days, we have 60 gallons and we pretty easily go 12 day's and take a shower or two each. Buying 10 each one gallons of drinking water to make coffee and have for drinking really helps keep the water in the tank. All kinds of ways to make it work and it's neat to see other campers ideas.
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Vintage465
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03/24/23 01:30pm |
Do It Yourself Modifications and Upgrades (DIY)
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RE: Water saver for shower.
I carry lots of water because I eat on real dishes, take daily showers and I don't want my black tank clogging up.
That black tank clogging up thing......I've found that sometimes in our efforts to save water boondocking we starve the black tank for water it needs to do it's job. Now-a-days I use a plastic dish pan in the sink in the kitchen and pour some of that left over water in the black tank to mitigate that. All bueno now.
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Vintage465
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03/24/23 08:30am |
Do It Yourself Modifications and Upgrades (DIY)
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RE: Water saver for shower.
While I had the belly down once I ran a recirculation line and connected a high heat, food grade, 12v recirculating pump to it. Caught the water at the tub/shower hot inlet, ran it to the cold inlet of the water heater. Pump in between obviously. I bootlegged a wall mount mounted bathroom light switch to turn the pump on when ever I want to use the pump. I run the pump for 30 seconds or so and turn it off. I have instant hot water at the shower.
https://i.imgur.com/YXcsUPHl.jpg
I replaced the valve you see with a shark bite check valve.
https://i.imgur.com/4s7tcZVl.jpg
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Vintage465
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03/24/23 08:25am |
Do It Yourself Modifications and Upgrades (DIY)
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RE: How long should a battery last?
You should use an electric site when camping. If you keep running the battery down you will have nothing working in your trailer.
That is my goal, an electric site. However, it would be nice to boon dock for a weekend without another battery or generator, or wall of solar panels.
Well, I've not read the rest of the post yet, but with a 12v fridge, you're not going to boon dock for a weekend(well, not successfully)with one group 24 battery and no solar and no genny...........
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Vintage465
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03/24/23 07:43am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Bearings packed
Well, this has been fun......I've packed my bearings all my RV life and during the time I worked at my dad's RV shop. I think it takes about 45 minutes to an hour a hub to:
1. Jack it up and place safety stands
2. Remove wheel, hub, bearings and clean.
3. Grease and reassemble w/new seals
4. Adjust play and remove jack and stands.
I'd say it's a 1/2 day job. I've alwasy had a place to do this type work, so I can. Not everyone has this option so, to find someone you trust to do a good job that charges a c-note per wheel doesn't really seem that out of line.
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Vintage465
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03/03/23 07:23am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Favorite Cooking Quotes
Don't eat what went over the fence last........
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Vintage465
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02/21/23 06:58am |
Camp Cooks and Connoisseurs
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RE: Can the grid keep up with EV use?
“As a person that has worked it both Gas and Electric construction and maintenance for a utility, I can tell you there is currently not enough generation in California to support this....we all knew that”…..
Well, where do we go to find the non-politicized, non-subsidy seeking, non-virtue signaling, rational individuals (independent of Gov’t Grant moola $$, and trendy popular narratives…) capable of saving us from this self-imposed day of reckoning??…Why are sentient minority voices of concern (the Socratic method = critical thinking…) being utterly dismissed??…The sage wisdom of Sir Winston Churchill comes to mind, “With each generation, a new world begins” - Just thinking about the future…
3 tons
Hey now.........I don't have those answers....I just had a view from the inside. At my age....I'm just going to know what I know. I hate to sound like "that guy", but as I said, I worked 40+ years to get where I am, looking forward to living the retirement I planned........and so far it's working out, I didn't plan on $7.00 a gallon Diesel, but I'm going live my retirement anyway. I won't say I'm not concerned about the one sided direction this is going, I just figure I have limited time on this earth, and taking on this at my age isn't something I'm interested in. But I will support any legislation and groups that support sensible solutions to our future. Of the three "Green" energy generation, Hydro, Solar and Wind, they are't as green as the envo's say they are. Everything has a footprint in my mind, and the site of those wind 'copters and solar sprawling across my view isn't something I enjoy seeing. Hydro is not as bad and truth is I think since it's been around forever, I think the majority of us see Hydro as part of the American Fabric of our nation. And I'm not saying wind 'copters and solar are bad, I'm just tired of hearing people say how great it is because it not part of the carbon foot print. But it is part of ecological foot print. The is the group that truly believes since they have a battery they have zero carbon or ecological impact.........OK.....so you got me started.......sorry for the rant and hopefully didn't offend anyones
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Vintage465
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02/19/23 10:37am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Can the grid keep up with EV use?
As a person that has worked it both Gas and Electric construction and maintenance for a utility, I can tell you there is currently not enough generation in California to support this....we all knew that. If there was enough generation in Cali, there isn't the infrasturcture to support it. In Cali, the Pot Farms have stressed the system already. EV's are just that much more. Due to the fires, much of the infrastructure is being replaced, upgraded and hardened. Not sure I can say much of it, but some of it is being undergrounded and it is likely including charging stations for EV's. EV's are likely going to be the future, and I think in time(beyond my time)the system will catch up to the charging needs generated by EV's and it is likely that by then the EV's will be more logical from all aspects. But for me, I didn't work 40 years to figure out a new way to travel. I plan on being Diesel to the dying day.
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Vintage465
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02/19/23 08:50am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Harvesting Solar
Please see signature for list of equipment installed and in use.
We are currently sitting for 2 weeks in a RV Park in Goodyear, AZ with included electric. I was curious about just how much solar power I could harvest for a mostly sunny day in February. So I unplugged after breakfast and while the solar charger was still in bulk charge mode. I don't recall exactly, but I think we were at about 96% SOC or down about 40 ah. While unplugged, electric water was on and DW did 2 loads of laundry, plus 20cf res fridge, microwave, TV etc were consuming battery/solar power.
Solar charger stayed in bulk charge all day and finished 5 ah shy of full charge. The Victron SmartSolar app showed the panels provided 4.97 kwh of energy for the day with a max of 1014 watts. Based on a reference of 13.5 VDC, that is 368 ah that could go to the batteries if no loads were present.
Unfortunately, that is not enough energy to permit us to boondock strictly off solar for more than a few days at this time of year.
I'm not sure where you're going with this other than "information". Normally, if one wants to boon dock for any real length of time you not only set your coach of with a robust solar, you fit the coach with appliances that minimize the use of 12v power Surely with the loads you have boon docking for any amount of thime will take more power or less load. We have a totally different set up than you. 450w of solar, four 6v Golf Cart batteries, absorption fridge and zero 120v appliances, so no inverter. And obviously since we have such a small draw we can go weeks at a time off our solar and battery bank.....but we will run out of water with in 2 weeks........and ironically the holding tanks are about full when we run out of water:S
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Vintage465
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02/15/23 07:51am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Propane smell inside oven
I had the same thing going on and it was a real small fuzz leak where the tube tightened into the pilot assembly. Tightened, smell gone.
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Vintage465
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02/09/23 07:59am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Are the new WFCO's as bad as the old ones?
My thinking......and My Opinion. A P.D. retrofit is a relatively inexensive way to address the WFCO. I installed one on mine when the WFCO conked out. Went in very textbook perfect. The other thing is, most companys(companies?)use #8 or #6 wire from the converter/chargers to the batteries and they are installed at the factory as far from the batteries as possible...sometimes in the next county. There is lot of Charge Voltage loss in that distance. I ran a #2 wire from my batteries to the coverter/charger location to minimize voltage/charge loss. Result is, with my four 6v batteries, I can charge from 12.1 volts to 13.2 volts(float)in about an hour.
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Vintage465
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02/03/23 08:37am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Why consider 12v fridge for boondocking?
when it comes to power usage, a 12V is not near as energy efficient (battery power wise) as an adsorbition fridge. you will need much more battery capacity and solar or a generator if you switch to 12V compressor.
In terms of BTU or KWH needed to cool, compressor driven fridges are much more efficient than a absorption fridge. Generally you can get about 3x the input BTU used in cooling BTU from a compressor driven fridge. No it doesn't violate any laws of physics, it's the energy needed to move heat from one place to another.
By contrast an absoprtion fridge is much less efficient COP is on the order of 0.7 or less vs 3 or more for compressor fridges.
But in terms of how the energy is stored to use the fridge, propane in BTU/gallon or BTU/weight or BTU/volume FAR FAR FAR exceeds any battery for the same volume or weight.
And ultimately this is my point, and why I still use an Absorption unit: "But in terms of how the energy is stored to use the fridge, propane in BTU/gallon or BTU/weight or BTU/volume FAR FAR FAR exceeds any battery for the same volume or weight."
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Vintage465
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01/04/23 11:36pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: 12 volt fridges and boondocking?
We have a 07 27' Komfort trailer, I put 480 watts of panels on the roof, we have a 600 watt inverter for the Sat TV and 2 GC batteries. The only time we need to fire up the genny is after 2 or 3 days of rain. We only boondock, never have hookups.
I'm on the ORV Facebook group and people there seem to have lotsa money to upgrade their new expensive trailers. 3000 watt inverters, lithium batteries and 12 volt fridges are all the rage.
So now I've found a 2019 ORV with 2 - 100 Ah Lithium batteries, a 12 volt fridge, 600 watts of solar and an automatic sat dish on the roof for sale at (what I think is) a great price. I think the owners travel a lot in the US with full hookups.
It also unfortunately has a Schwintek slide, so I've been researching that but also I'm unsure if the 600 watts of solar would be enough for us when boondocking for 3 or 4 weeks at a time.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks and Merry Christmas
Will
I have 480 watts in my 5th and four 6v batteries, so simular set up except I can go a bit longer before I worrie about power.
for you two LPF batteries will give you twice the usable amount of power asuming your 6V are around that 200AH mark. with two of them for max life you should only use about 50% of the capacity so that gives you 100AH to use. with the two LFP you have 200 usable AH to get the rated life, if you want more you can use less of it, but you don't need to set that up as right now if you can go three days with out sunlight with 600 watts of solar you will be shallow discharging anyways and can go longer without charge before it draws the battery down.
the only issue I see is how were the batteries treated, did he use a normal charge profile and just keep them up all the time, did he store them properly, is the converter and solare charger a proper LFP one so the profile is proper for charging and so on.. for me I would rather the guy take a healty chunk off the price and keep thoes batteries and purchase new ones if I had any suspisions about them.
I would definatly find out if he change the converter and solar charger to ones that are LI compatable at the very least.
I am not a fan of 12V fridges, I would probably trade it to some one with a good propane fridge if it would work, but it probably wouldn't haha.., but thats because I mostly boondock and using power for a fridge is a waist to me when propane lasts forever and does a good job. most I have looked at have a 5am draw when running, when I cam in the summer the temps are pretty warm (around 40C) so that would probably work out to a 50 to 60% duty cycle so that would use up 60 to 72AH in a 24hour period. right now running my 40 foot 5th wheel I only use 80AH in 24 hours and that is the very early spring or lait fall when I am running the furnace 24/7. in the summer I use 30 AH or less and that using the kureg in the morning and after supper and letting the kids watch a movie in the evening, if I had a 12V fridge it would take my daily use to 90ish AH in the summer and up to 150Ah in the winter..maybe less 130 to 140 as the duty cycle will drop a bit. the extra cost in batteries and panels to off set that over the cost to run the firdge on propane just doesnt make sense. now if you buy somthing with a 12V fridge you just have to make it work and in all likelyhood I would try grab that 3rd battery to give you the extra reserve capacity
Steve
This is the Way
https://i.imgur.com/xLMxJF5l.jpg
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Vintage465
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01/01/23 09:23am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Why consider 12v fridge for boondocking?
... The day will come when everything will be 12v compressor and we will all need to adjust and by that time the solar and batteries will surely be up to the task.
And on that note I'm looking for advice. I have a chance to buy a trailer with 600 watts of solar panels, 3 - 100 Ah Lithiums and a 12 volt Norcold fridge.
I'll be installing a small inverter to power the TV and sat dish but no coffee makers or toasters etc for us.
If we only boondock do you think this setup will work for us? Maybe if I add another 200 watt panel and another 100Ah of Lithium?
We only very rarely need to run the genny to charge batteries with our current rig in my signature.
Thx
I think you have a good start there, but I'm certainly not any kind of expert on 12v longevity from a power stand point. But based on what you have and are willing to add to it you should be able hold out. You may encounter some issues if you winter camp using that kind of energy.
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Vintage465
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12/31/22 05:07pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Why consider 12v fridge for boondocking?
Though I have enjoyed reading all the comments, I should have been more specific when I started this thread many months ago. I was only looking for an energy saving advantage use of a 12 compressor fridge over and absorption fridge......nothing else. We primarily boon dock. And as I think I have stated in some of the comments, I've read on many RV reviews...."it has a 12v compressor fridge making perfect for boon docking". Reading a phrase like that indicated to me that there could be an energy saving advantage to having a 12v fridge that I wasn't aware of. What many people saw was the opportunity to share thier "preference" reasons for using 12v compressor fridges.....which is fine, but not what I was looking for and occasionally gets under peoples skin when discussing the politics of why and why not to have one fridge vs another type. And incidently I've never had any issues with our Norcold absorption fridge keeping things cool at temps over 100 degrees or down to 7 degrees.
a compressor driven fridge is likely much more energy efficient than an absorption fridge in terms of watt/hrs needed. BUT the energy density/wt or volume for propane is orders of magnitude better than any current battery choice. So it takes way less area and wt to store the "fuel" supply for a propane fridge vs. compressor driven if your not hooked to a line power source.
And I guess this sums up me not being specific enough. I'm thinking
"on board" energy that is available to use for cooling purposes. In my mind, a coach with a built in solar array of say, 500w, four 6v batteries and two 7 gallon propane tanks is pretty normal for many boon dockers out there. Some have more, some have less. With a setup similar to this, take a compressor fridge vs an absorption fridge, I'm pretty sure that on all but the best day, the absorption will win. So I'm not necessarily interested in the energy invested in the cooling unit to create a btu drop. It may ulimately take less energy in a clinical setting to achieve sufficient cooling from a compressor unit, but having that energy available thru a large battery bank, solar and generator is far more cumbersom that a couple 7 gallon bottles of gas that is neatly and normally stowed away. And on those two bottles of gas I can easily make it 30 days in spring and fall. Winter time I'll need to fill up in a couple weeks. Anyway, just me....The day will come when everything will be 12v compressor and we will all need to adjust and by that time the solar and batteries will surely be up to the task.
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Vintage465
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12/31/22 10:00am |
Travel Trailers
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