MOTORHOME MODIFICATIONS - *I* Isolator and Inverter plus Ice Storm

I am going to start off the new year with posting some of our motorhome modifications, a few at a time. I will post repairs, modifications, or neato things we have found for RVing.  I have lots of pics in my files so I will do them in alphabetical order.

Underneath that stuff, I will post my regular daily stuff..... kinda sorta fun, eh?

So here it goes, we are up to the letter I now!

MOTORHOME MODIFICATIONS 

STARTING WITH THE LETTER I

Isolator:

When we were having alternator troubles, along with our inverter fluctuating up and down, it was not good.  We were told by the alternator rebuilder guy to check our isolator... because *something* was backfeeding into our electrical system and burning out the alternators! (we burned out 3 inverters in less than a year).

That had me really worried, because it was harming our inverter (a device that changes 12v DC power to 110V AC power) we use it to run things like our tv's, some of the lights, our coffee maker and grinder, curling iron etc.  We can do without them, but it makes it much more comfortable to have them on board.  Replacing the 2000 watt inverter would be a hit to the pocketbook as well, ACK!

We tested our isolator with a voltage meter and detected some inconsistencies between the posts. It was not isolating the charges correctly and seemed to be bleeding between posts inside somewhere and not working right.

Sooooooooo  We ordered a new one! 

The mail-lady brought Steveio his nice big box with his isolator!   

This is a Happy Man! 

The isolator has to be larger than the alternator's amp output.

So even if the old isolator had been good, we would have had to change it anyhow

to meet the higher output from the new alternator we had just installed.

Here is the old isolator... it is mounted on the wall in the engine compartment which is open to the dusty road and dirty diesel engine.  That is probably 22 years of accumulated dirt on it. LOL... If there was a better spot to relocate it to, Steve will think about it.  For now, he would just mount it where the old one is and use the same cables and wires.

 He held the new one over the area where it would go...

 just so I could take a pic! 

Imagine that.. a man reading INSTRUCTIONS! 

He doesn't do that too often.  

But he had to be sure or else ruin both the isolator and alternator,

and probably our inverter too? 

 He hooked up the wires and double checked and triple checked each one....

•  2 wires on the left are to the chassis batteries and solenoid boost switch on the dash...
•  (next post is skipped)
•  the center post is the alternator and the engine clock. 
• The far right post is for the chassis (house) batteries.

Steve then took out his voltage meter and tested while I fired up the engine. 

I was ready to turn it off if anything was wrong or arcing or heating up. 

Soooo we fired it up

and all systems are GO! 

What a beautiful sight on our
computerized VMspec Silverleaf readout display.!!!

Everything is working properly!  

Whatever was back-feeding with the old isolator is now corrected.
Now our batteries will charge from the alternator while driving again.

But sadly, we discovered that the damage was done to our inverter as well.  We ended up replacing that!  Here is from that blog post: 

~~~~~~~~

An inverter takes the 12 volt DC current power from our batteries (which is mostly derived from our 500 watts of solar panels on the roof) and inverts it into AC current to run items that are in the motorhome.

Items such as TVs, coffee maker, hair curling iron, microwave, and chargers for laptops and cellphones. Many of our light fixtures in the rig are already DC 12 volt, but some of them are AC 120v fixtures. The inverter gives us more comfortable RV living when we are out and about, especially in campgrounds without power pedestals. Or while boondocking out in the desert, or overnighting in a Walmart lot.

When we went out to the rig last summer to install our oven, we noticed our light bulbs in the AC fixtures were browning out really low, and then flared up really high to 180 plus volts! Then our Progressive Industries EMS electrical management system protection shut it down for good. I am so glad we didn't have a fire!

Being that our old inverter was at least twenty-two years old,
 it died a sad death after many years of faithful service.

When we turned things on and noticed our lights were dimming down and browning out. That's not a good sign. Our power management system, a hard-wired Progressive Industries EMS kicked us out every time. Just like it is supposed to. Here is my blog post about when we installed it:

 Motorhome Modifications - PROGRESSIVE INDUSTRIES EMS SURGE PROTECTOR

We would wait for it to reset, turn on one thing, even a small thing. like a light. Again it would kick us out as soon as we drew any power.

First of course we checked the normal things like the shore power coming from the cord, we checked the transfer switch, we checked all of the GFCI outlets.

We decided to unplug from shore power and just ran the generator and see what happened then. Same thing. Brown out and kick off by any thing running through the inverter was not holding up to snuff. Any type of a draw and the Progressive Industries EMS would kick it out.

I am happy to say at least our Progressive Industries EMS power management system was doing the correct thing by kicking out and not letting us harm our electronics.

So now we concentrated on the inverter. We checked the two circuit breakers on the inverter. Yes, I know the upper left white input button is broke, it has been broken off for a long time but still operates.

We checked all of the breakers in the power panel box.  

We plugged back in ---  oh NO!  

NOW things everything was running over bright and and buzzing and ready to burn out! It was like a power surge within our rig from the inverter! The last reading we got off the kilowatt device was 180+ volts! We shut it down and decided that was enough of that!!!

This is a Kilowatt device that helps monitor power output at outlets.

I know the screen is blank, we shut down too quick

 for me to take a pic of 180+ watt reading...

We were not about to destroy anything by letting it continue to run or start a fire. Now it was time to do some diagnosis. Steve hauled out his Fluke meter and we started researching diagrams and schematics.

With all of our testing throughout the complete line of power from our house to the power cord to supply to transfer switch, we realized our inverter was not operating properly.

Everything was fine up to it and everything was fine beyond it --- so the bad link was the Xantrax Freedom20D 2000 watt inverter itself.  ACKKK!  Those run about $1,000-2,000 to replace with a similar size.

Steve carefully removed the inverter cover. Inside it was brown all around the top of the main section and curled back plastic surface like it had overheated...  DANG!

I think we narrowly avoided 

a big dangerous fire situation!!!

Steve removed the entire inverter and temporarily reconnected the AC lines together and capped off the DC hot line. Both Steve's Fluke meter and the kilowatt device are measuring the correct power. Whew! Now it is safe until we get a new inverter installed.

Steve did some research for a week or so, reading about new inverters. Our old one was 2000 watts and we really didn't need one quite that big. So we decided on a 1500 watt. Pure sine wave is nice, but we chose a modified sine wave instead, mostly for our budget. Our last inverter was modified sine wave and our two TVs, computers, tablets and other household appliances worked well, so we did not feel the need to upgrade to pure sine.

We also needed one with a transfer switch pass through, 3-stage charging system, hard-wired unit, and also a remote cord to a panel inside the rig to turn it on and off from the comfort of indoors. Sure beats having to go outside to open a compartment door to turn it off. I give all the specific details for the techie type readers at the end of this blog post.

We ordered the inverter from CompSource and it came quickly in the mail in just three or four days.

And here he goes.....  

A man reading instructions again!

I am SO PROUD of him. 

Yes, that big huge thing by his feet is the inverter.  I took care of the registration online and we both went over all of the details and the instructions before going out to start the installation.

Of course, I am the tool getter, gopher runner, and photographer for the blog.  Steve gathered all of his tools and started wiring all the wires into the inverter in their correct holes on the bar.

Steve is very cautious with electricity, and of course all of the power was removed from both the DC and AC power feeds. Steve had gone to tech school for electrical training and also handled a lot of wiring in his job for the last 38 years. Not to mention building houses and remodeling, so electricity is nothing new to him. But it is never something to be taken likely, or done in a haphazard manner. Every connection was double and triple checked before we powered things up.

Once everything was connected in the inverter compartment, next he had to attach this big huge 250amp fuse. It comes in a nifty plastic housing to keep out the moisture, dirt and dust. It needs to be mounted within 18 inches of the batteries on the positive battery cable. Our inverter compartment is located on the opposite side of the rig, so Steve attached the fuse in the compartment underneath our bed, against the engine wall near our isolator unit.

He also ran the thermal sensor wire over to the batteries that tells the inverter in case things are overheating, it will shut down. I didn't get a picture of him doing that.

The last item to install is what's called the remote panel. It's mounted inside of the motorhome so we can turn the inverter on and off. We have been hoping the previous one from the Heart Interface 2000 inverter would work with it. But no, we had to order the one that corresponds with the Tripp Lite system. The plug ends were even different so we needed to order the correct one. For now we can operate it from outside with the on and off switch on the inverter itself.

Okay, here it is! All installed and mounted into place. Every connection is double checked and triple checked. We fired everything up from running it either via batteries, via generator, or from the shore power plug. Steve carefully measured the current flow with his voltmeter. Everything is operating properly as it should!

Here are the costs of what we purchased:

RV TRIPP LITE 1500W 12V DC TO AC INVERTER ISOBAR  

 pn: RV1512UL   

$411.86 plus SHIPPING/HANDLING $38.00  

T o t a l : $449.86

REMOTE PANEL: Tripp Lite APSRM4 Remote Control Module for RV-

TOTAL $88 W/FREE SHIPPING

FUSE: InstallGear 1/0 Gauge AWG In-Line ANL Fuse Holder with 250 Amp Fuse 

$12.55 FREE SHIPPING

Here are the specs of the inverter from their website:

APS PowerVerter RV RV1512UL Power Inverter With Charger

1500 W Continuous Power / 3000 W Peak Power

Power Description:
Input Voltage	12 V DC 120 V AC
Input Voltage Range	10 to 15 V DC
Output Voltage	120 V AC ±5% Nominal 12 V DC Nominal
Frequency	60 Hz ±0.3Hz
Input Current	145 A @ 12 V DC 35 A @ 120 V AC
Load Capacity	1500 W Continuous Power / 3000 W Peak Power
Waveform Type	Pulse-width Modulated Sine Wave
Switching Time	6 ms
Environmental Conditions:
Temperature	32°F (0°C) to 104°F (40°C) Operating
Humidity	0% to 95% Non-condensing Relative Humidity Operating
Physical Characteristics:
Color	Gray
Height	7.3"
Width	8.5"
Depth	17"
Weight (Approximate)	40.20 lb

• AC Output: 120 VAC nominal
• DC Charger Output: 12 VDC nominal
• DC Input: Requires 12 VDC input source capable of delivering 145 A
• AC Input: 120 VAC
• AC Input connection type: Hardwire
• DC Input connection type: Set of 2 DC bolt-down terminals
• AC surge suppression: 450 joules AC
• Cooling method: Fan
• Low voltage transfer to battery power: User configurable to 75V, 85V, 95V & 105V
• High voltage transfer to battery power: User configurable to 135V, 145V
• Moisture-resistant components for marine use or wet climates
• Temperature-sensitive charging and automatic generator-start capabilities
• Advanced 3-stage battery charger and selector switch for gel or wet cell batteries
• Allows unlimited runtime capability by allowing the use any number of user-supplied batteries
• Overload protection: Includes 25 A input breaker dedicated to the charging system and 20 A output load breaker

We can now turn it on and off from inside the motorhome. Also, Steve long ago installed a timer (similar to a hot tub timer) that we can set to turn it on and then it shuts off automatically after a period of time. 

Handy for setting it on for watching tv in bed at night and falling asleep (my bad habit) and then the inverter shuts off and does not run all night.

~~~~~~~~~

I am so happy that Steve is able to do these repair and replacement projects on our motorhome. I shudder to think what it would cost if we had to bring it in somewhere to an RV dealer. Chances are, an RV dealer is not even experienced in how to install one of these. I guess I would almost look to a fleet installation company for inverters on things like ambulances or specialized delivery trucks or even sound system experts to install one.

~~~~~~~~~

We woke up to glazed roads and sidewalks. Schools were called off and traffic was pretty meager on the State Highway that runs past our house in town.  Steve slipped and slided his way out to retrieve our trash cans after the garbage truck went through.  He grabbed the neighbor lady's too. He is sweet like that. 

He didn't have to drive for the county today, so we stayed home and cleaned house. Fun eh?  By about 11 am the roads were clearing up and the temps rose.  We were able to get to the post office and ship out the rug I had ready for a customer.  

Then we headed over to the city hall to VOTE.....  it's a Wisconsin Judicial Primary today, and we did our thing.  It feels good. 

MOTORHOME MODIFICATION - *E* - ExtendAStay, Electrical Modifications and Lasagna

I am going to start off the new year with posting some of our motorhome modifications, a few at a time. I will post repairs, modifications, or neato things we have found for RVing.  I have lots of pics in my files so I will do them in alphabetical order.

Underneath that stuff, I will post my regular daily stuff..... kinda sorta fun, eh?

MOTORHOME MODIFICATIONS 

STARTING WITH THE LETTER E

Extend-A-Stay:

Our motorhome has a big 50 gal built in propane tank.  It does not have smaller BBQ type tanks you can remove and haul off to be refilled.  Soooo that means you have to pull up stakes and drive it somewhere to get the big tank filled (usually on a business day and searching to find bulk filling/home delivery places that will fill it for you)

A few years ago, we discussed about putting on an Extend-A-Stay unit.  This allows you to run all of your propane items from an extra external tank if need be.  Then you do not have to move the motorhome to get more propane if you are settled in a campsite for long term. Steve wanted to set our rig up with one, even though I don't ever see us staying in one spot that long. Oh well... another toy for the boy.  LOL

I saw a new one for sale on Ebay.  It was going to end within the hour. The funny thing is that as I was bidding, but someone else was bidding against me. It kept creeping up a dollar at a time.  It turned out to be STEVE!!!  I was down in my studio on my laptop bidding... and he was up in the livingroom on his laptop bidding!!!  LOL LOL ... we paid a few dollars more, but still got a good deal. We got it for only $17.00 plus shipping.  They run in the $50-60 range.

It was pretty easy to install, and Steve had it done in no time flat with the easy instructions. I didn't even have time to get out there with the camera to take the pics!   Be sure to use piping tape around the threads that is rated for propane.  Now not only can we use it to extend a stay as the name implies, but it also has port that we could run an external item like a grill or lantern off it with an extension hose.

We have done a lot of little electrical additions and modifications to our motorhome... mostly to make it easier to boondock (camp out in the woods without hookups to power or water)  These are some of my most favorite ones:


Electric Timer on Water Heater:

Did this ever happen to you???

In the dark of the night:

"Honey?"

"Hmmmmmm?"

"Did you turn off the water heater after your shower?"

"uh oh.. don't think so....."

(crawling out of bed to walk back up to the kitchen area of our motorhome and fumble in the dark to turn off the propane water heater and then back to bed again)

And so it goes!   

We usually DO turn the switch off after using the propane water heater in our motorhome.  But sometimes we forget. "Why turn it off?", you ask?  Because in a motorhome, it doesn't make sense to keep it going 24/7 and waste propane.   People living in a stix-n-brix house don't think about having to refill a propane tank, as they usually have piped in natural gas and pay the bill at the end of the month or a big bulk tank in the yard that gets filled a couple times a year.

Why waste propane by heating water all night long, when it only takes 10 minutes in the morning to get a hot tank for a shower if you just turn it on prior to using it? Why waste propane by heating water all day long if you are only going to do dishes after supper at 6 or 7 pm?

We do find that we sometimes forget to turn it off;  only to remember it once we are snuggled into bed at night.  That means whoever left it on, has to get outta bed and turn it off!  LOL

Guess who usually forgets???

it's not ME

Soooooo  that brainy guy came up with a solution.  Although the water heater is a propane fired one, it is operated by an electrical switch on the panel over our doorway in control center of our motorhome.

(before) 

He bought an electric timer, the kind used on hot tubs or saunas etc.  He planned to wire it in near the switch for the water heater, then we will be able to just turn the dial to ignite the heater. Once the timer runs out, the water heater won't ignite again until we turn the timer on again. We can override it by using the original switch if we wish to keep it on constantly. (but we don't).

First Steveio pulled out the water heater switch to locate the wires and be sure he wasn't going to drill into anything important.  LOL    He pre-drilled four pilot holes to the measurements of the back of the timer device.

Next he used a small jig saw and carefully cut away the wood (not a very clean cut, but it will be hidden by the face plate)

He made all the proper connections, and put dialectic grease on all contacts, and then wire nutted each one securely to hold tight, even with all the jiggles and bumps in a house moving down the road at 60 mph.  He put the switches back into place, and added the face plate.   Although it's kinda ugly silver, it works and that is what he wanted.   We tested it out and it works great!  We know that 9-10 minutes fully heats up our 10 gallon water tank, and we can set it for that and let it run.

Now we never have to worry about turning it off anymore!

Electric Timer on Inverter:

We put a timer switch like this on our inverter too.  That way I can play the TV for an hour or so at night before falling asleep and not have to get back up out of bed to turn the inverter off for overnight.  Of course I can set the sleep timer on the tv, but that doesn't turn off the inverter.   We don't waste precious battery power by leaving the inverter on overnight, as it takes a draw all by itself.    

(for the non-RVers reading my blog: an inverter changes DC power to AC power.... 
so the 12 DC power from our solar panels and battery bank is inverted 
over to 120V AC power to run household type appliances and lights. 
 The more battery power we accidently drain and waste, 
the more we have to re-charge again the next day) 

Sometimes we use this small inverter to run little things instead of firing up the big one.  Or if we are in the car and I want to use something 120v AC like my curling iron!

~~~~~~~~

The huge storm heading to Chicago/Detroit area today is going to miss us. We are a bit further north than that. Instead we have soft fluffy flakes coming down this morning, with only a few inches expected. It sure looks pretty!  

Last night for supper, I made some 

Chicken Alfredo Lasagna.....

I pre-cook boneless skinless chicken breasts, usually 6 or 8 at a time in my electric pressure cooker. Then I shred it up into quart zip lock freezer bags. Perfect to have on hand for meals like this, or chicken salad, or toss into soups etc. So I pulled out a bag and let it thaw while I gathered the other ingredients.

I simmered 6 lasagna noodles in a flat plan 

so they could cook without getting 

all bent and curled up. 

I only cook them to about halfway, 

so they don't rip or tear when handled. 

While the noodles were cooling in ice water in the sink, 

I will explain the next part. 

A number of years ago, I happened to flick channels (I hate cooking shows) to Cooking With Amy of local Fox 11. She showed how to fill lasagna noodles while laying flat and roll them up to set in the pan!  Never saw that before.  Well, she did it on a flat tray. I have done it her way a number of times, but sometimes the filling falls out the side during the rolling.  I had a brain storm and started using a draw-divider organizing container to do my roll-ups! 

Lay down a half cooked noodle in the container

Dollop on three gobs of canned alfredo sauce 

(or make your own) 

then sprinkle some shredded chicken,

shredded mozzarella cheese and a shake of parmesan cheese

Roll it up, kinda lifting and helping it along

to keep the filling inside the noodle edges

Transfer it carefully to a baking dish,

which has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray.

On Amy's show, she set them upright like a coil,

with the rippled edges facing up and down on the bottom. 

I decided to change them flat like the recipe above also says. 

Here are three rolls done! 

This is a smaller Anchor Hocking pan, 

only 8x10 so they are not as huge as it looks in the pic.

The pan holds six rolled up noodles

Now cover up the rolls with the rest of the jar of sauce,

then more mozzarella cheese

This next one is a trick from buying Stouffer's Vegetable Lasagna...

(they put bread crumbs on top of the cheese for more flavor and color)

I add some Italian Seasoning, some Garlic Powder and 

Parmesan Cheese to top it off.

I cover it up with tin foil and set the glass pan on an extra cookie tray.

That prevents spillovers in the oven, 

and it's also easier to reach in and pull it out by the tray 

instead of reaching with hot pads on the

sloped sides of the very hot casserole dish.

I bake it covered for about 30 minutes at 350,

then about 10-15 more uncovered. 

During the last ten minutes, I toss in a couple unbaked garlic knot rolls. We get them from the bakery department in Walmart, and they are made to bake the whole bag at a time. I only bake 2 at a time and freeze the rest. They are almost like the Italian cornetti bread of my childhood.

VOILA! 

Dinner is done, along with a salad.

This dish is so easy to serve up a roll at a time,

No need to let it "settle" like traditional pan lasagna.

Of course, you can also do this recipe with normal tomato and meat sauce and roll the noodles up as well.  What I like about this method of rolling, is that it makes serving sizes easier to plan, one noodle at a time as a serving.  Leftovers freeze well when put into small containers in the freezer.  Just reheat and eat for a quick lunch. 

Steve is gone now for his handicapped job of the Old Fart Party Bus.  I am going to get back up to the sewing room and find out why my sewing machine is skipping stitches all of a sudden. I changed the needle, cleaned out the lint around the bobbin and rethreaded the machine. If that doesn't do it, I will take a sledgehammer to it next!