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RE: Recharging Computer Batteries while boondocking
Unless your solar panel can deliver over 20VDC for several hours, I would suggest against it. My laptop at work requires a minimum of 19.5VDC input to charge the battery or run the laptop without the battery.
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Sportsman Matt
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11/14/09 07:58pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Norcold N300 Fridge Problem
Manufactured 5/2008
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Sportsman Matt
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11/14/09 03:10pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Building my own looks....
Appreciate the offer for the aluminum, but I'm sticking with the good ol wood frame system on this one. Easier for me to work on, easier to repair seeing I know where the pieces are and how I put them together.
Lots of folks talk about doing this and get fustrated or feel like they can't due to budgetary issues. Heck we've all been there, living paycheck to paycheck or Unemployment check to bottle and can return money. First, you need to set a budget. I set mine at $50.00 a paycheck to start. I figured $50.00 is about what I would spend over a couple weeks eating out in a fancy restaurant. So by not going out to eat one or two less meals a week (I eat out atleast 6 days a week, sometimes all 7) I can afford to build this without going broke or having less money to spend for emergencies like car repairs or doctor's visits.
I sat down with my cost sheet (list of prices from the local lumber yard)
I figured about $50.00 a paycheck for materials over the winter.
I need to buy about $200.00 worth of stuff to complete the lower box and side wings. My goal is to have these lower sections subassembled and ready by mid January.
So I took a logical approach. Paycheck 23 will allow me to buy...
2 1x10-8' Pine boards to rip into 1x2 stock
1 1/2" sheet of CDX Plywood for the floor inside
1 box of #8x1" Deck Screws
1 tube of Liquid Nails Adhesive
Paycheck 24 will allow me to buy....
1 2x4-8' KD Spruce
1 1/4" sheet of Pressure Treated Plywood for the sacraficial bottom
2 1 1/2" 2'x8' pieces of foam insulation for the floor
1 more tube of Liquid Nails
Paycheck 25 will then pay for...
2 3/8" sheets of CDX plywood for the exterior sidewalls and sidewings of the box
Then after I'm done with the above, Paycheck 26 will buy sheets of interior paneling to seal the sidewalls, and maybe a piece of linoleum for the floor.
As I need to build more I'm staying with the $50.00 a paycheck and not overbuying. If I need to I can always wait a couple weeks to get the extra $$$ to make that larger purchase or only purchase part of my list one week and 2 weeks later get the rest of the parts I didn't get 2 weeks earlier. Not impossible, but takes time. And by taking my time, I'm bound not to make mistakes in my cuts or rush something and mess it up. One nice part is that by doing this I can work on it as I have time, and by taking 2 weeks a secton, I can take time to look at each part and if I need to change something I can do it now rather than when it's time to assemble the sub assemblies.
Will have more pics up later next week as I get rolling along with more stuff.
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Sportsman Matt
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11/13/09 08:31pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Norcold N300 Fridge Problem
The propane shuts off and the flame meter goes over to the left if there isn't 12V present. How I found this out was I was running off the batteries and didn't want to have the batteries go low due to anything running in the camper. I figured that the Norcold should run on Propane only, turns out as soon as I hit the switch for the 12V, the flame detector went back to the left, and on inspection of the flame chamber it was out. When I tried to relight it, without the 12V, there was spark from the lighter but no propane. As soon as I turned the 12V on and retried to light it, it lit first time. It appears that Norcold has been installing a gas shutoff valve in their refrigerators, which requires 12volts to keep the valve open (along with the flame sensing ignitor)
No 12V or No flame, the valve shuts.
One other thing. Some manufacturers wired up Small 12V solar panels with jumpers to the refrigerator and the battery in older campers. This was so the refrigerator would still run during the day if the battery wasn't able to keep up. Sometimes when troubleshooting a fridge, you would show 12V that was coming from the panel, not the battery. Of course the technician testing would be out in a dealer's parking lot, no trees around, and it would be working "Problem solved". Then when they got home and parked in the shade it wouldn't work because the solar panel was not putting out 12v but only 6 volts (not enough to charge anything). They would call and complain, and after a service call to the owner's home, then the truth of why the fridge wouldn't run on propane would be revealed (along with the fact that the tech didn't check the 12V correctly)
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Sportsman Matt
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11/13/09 08:04pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Furnace Noise
Sounds like either the bushing on the motor or the fan is loose. Have it on my current camper, just learned to live with it as it's more of a PIA to get the heater out than it's worth.
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Sportsman Matt
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11/13/09 07:42pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Norcold N300 Fridge Problem
Then explain why the safety valve for the propane portion won't open unless there is 12VDC to the 12VDC terminals on Norcold N300?
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Sportsman Matt
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11/13/09 11:47am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Building my own looks....
Good news is that all the pieces are made smaller than the doorway, even when the floor is assembled with the plywood it's only 4'6" x 7'11" and all the other pieces are either less than 2'x8' or the large piece is 7' wide by 6'1" tall, still small enough to ge out the doorway.
Only snag tonight was the girlfriend saw the pic of the frame, asked why it was in the living room of the apartment.
So I had to explain the 50/50 rule. I am utilizing my 50% of the living room floorspace to build my camper until I can move it to the "larger building facility" within a short (translate to sometime before spring 2011) time period.
(Waiting to see what she say's about that one)
Still having fun, one thing I found was that if you do start this project, be prepared to have at least $4,000 to spend on the essentials, like the roof and siding materials, plus the door, wiring, insulation, jacks, and propane comartment. You can always cut in the windows, vents, cabinets, sink, stove, fridge at a later time (just make sure the open door is wider than the refrigerator's narrowest width)
So far the quote for siding, rubber roof, and door is just over $1500 plus shipping. Propane box with door was just under $110. The Jacks should be about $800 (Manual Atwood corner jacks 2000 lb)
Lumber is cheap, about $1100 depending on which lumber yard I use, and miscellaneous hardware will probably cost me another $200.
Right now I'm picking up parts as I need them, and not going all out buying everything at once, keeping within the budget and my paycheck.
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Sportsman Matt
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11/12/09 09:18pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Building my own looks....
I will gladly accept new tools, feel free to bring them over. Cash is also appeciated.
As for a picture...
Here's the floor layout, not glued or doweled yet.
http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr319/SportsmanMatt/IMG00078-20091112-1315.jpg
Tomorrow is a doweling jig day, then Saturday if time permits I'll have the frame glued and ready for the plywood.
So far I'm about on schedule, I planned to make one sub assembly section every other weekend over the winter (corresponding with bi-weekly payday), and then in the spring I can assemble the sub assemblies over a weekend or two and get it sealed up and weatherproof by mid summer.
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Sportsman Matt
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11/12/09 04:29pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Norcold N300 Fridge Problem
Correction to the last post. The Norcold N300 requires 12VDC when running on propane to keep the gas valve open and the flame sense circuit working. Found that out the hard way on my last trip, turned off the 12VDC Main Switch in the camper and couldn't get the Fridge to light on Propane. On 110VAC the 12V controls the thermostat which runs a relay that is either on or off to the 110VAC Heater Element which is in a tube in the chimney near the flame chamber.
My guess would be to make sure you have 12VDC and 110VAC at the terminals. You can tell if the 110VAC is working after several hours the chimney will be warm to touch, the heater element will be very hot (can caouse a burn). If you run the propane first, don't try switching and seeing if the 110VAC works until the whole system has been off for a while, as the only waay to check the 110 to see if it's running is to check for heat, which if you were running on propane, will give a false heat sense, making you think it actually works when it may actually be burned out.
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Sportsman Matt
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11/12/09 04:05pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Building my own looks....
I fully agree with you on that, problem is I live on a first floor apartment 4 feet above street level with no outside storage, no inside storage (tucking materials behind the furnature and under beds right now) and no outside electricity. So I'm going to stick with the 18V cordless for now, only need to rip a couple more boards over the next few weeks, then the fun stuff, like moving the whole project to my father's place after the beginning of the year (plus the expanded interior semi heated workspace.
Ran into a little snag on the blueprints, think Glen L missed it, the floor frame is 95" long, and calls for a 96" piece of plywood. Doesn't mention cutting the plywood down, but in the documentation, it shows the rear wall outside the floor, and the front wall flush with the floor's front edge. I'm guessing they forgot to change the 96" to 95" on the plywood, seeing everything else corresponds to the 95" floor length.
So far can't wait to rip that last board and start assembling.
One other downfall is living in an apartment building, I can't work on it when I get home after midnight from work, so I have to work on it before I leave for work in the morning.
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Sportsman Matt
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11/11/09 07:44pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Building my own looks....
The only fustrating part is I only get to rip 14 feet per battery pack, and the recharge takes about 90 to 120 minutes depending on how quickly I discharged the packs. I like the saw concept, especially being able to work outside without having to run a 100 foot extension cord out the window of the apartment to my truck out on the street.
As for the renovations, check out Truck Camper University, loads of customizing projects there, plus JoeChiOki has a bunch he's done here on the forum.
Also search water damage, there is plenty of posts and pics about repairs to older units.
I'm building my own, based on the fact that everything in my price range is either
A) Overpriced and poor construction quality
B) Overpriced and junk
C) Priced accordingly, and not worth fixing
D) Priced low enough that you can afford the book of matches and a gallon of premium unleaded to put it out of it's misery
E) Plain and simple, Someone Else's Junk due to lack of upkeep.
With that said, I've got to rip one board 2 more feet and then I can start cutting the 2x2 stock to length and start making the floor framework, probably get it ready to glue by Saturday morning if I don't run into any problems.
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Sportsman Matt
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11/11/09 03:33pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Building my own looks....
Update...
The most fustrating time trying to rip a 2"x14" into 2"x2"s, I found that I can cut 2 8' 2"x2" boards with my Ryobi 18V saw, and then I need to put the batteries in the fridge to cool them off before charging or else the charger gives a false full charge indicator due to the thermal protection built into the battery. So far 4 2"x2"x96" cut, need a couple more to cut down and start the bottom frame, probably by Friday morning I'll have the framework ready for glue and plywood.
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Sportsman Matt
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11/11/09 10:29am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Building my own looks....
Well the weekend is over, got nothing done due to the girlfriend being sick with the flu since Thursday Night. Did go to Lowes, didn't like the lumber they had in stock, lot of ratty looking 2x12's with lots of pine pitch oozing out of their "Premium Kiln Dried" lumber. I'll hit Home Depot tomorrow morning for dowel pins and a couple 2"x12"s to rip down. On the plus side I did pick up a couple things, a rip guide for my Ryobi Cordless Saw, a doweling jig, and a new item, the Plate Vise by Tri-Vise. The plate vise is cool, will make cutting the ends of the 1x and 2x stock easier without worrying about the material shifting out from underhand.
So one more week, looks like I'll be catching up next week, flu permitting.
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Sportsman Matt
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11/08/09 08:20pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: And now, the rest of the story
I've seen this story before, one fellow thinking that everyone is trying to steal from him because he got one and they didn't.
Worse is when you actually catch someone trying to tag a fresh kill with their own tag, even though they didn't even fire a shot.
I've pretty much given up on hunting, heck even the fishing is getting bad in some areas due to drunk and abusive fishermen, pretty soon we'll all have to be packing heat just to sit on the beach the way society is going.
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Sportsman Matt
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11/07/09 08:43pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Headache (sick) Every Morning
I was thinking about the sign at the campground in the movie RV as they were leaving quickly...
Antenna...v Down
Awning....> In
Steps.....^ UP
Wife......!!!!
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Sportsman Matt
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11/06/09 08:12pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Building my own looks....
Problem with self tappers is depending on the matrerial being secured to. I've had self tapping screws strip out before seating due to hsrder steel than the screw, or stripped out holes due to the screw stripping the metal due to weaker metal.
I'm going for 2 dowel pins, one pocket screw, and plenty of glue. Should hold everything.
I've got my prices, looks like I'll be building this for less than $6000 to have it structurally sound and useable, probably spend total around $8000 with all the fun stuff installed.
The siding, rubber roof, and rear door are going to cost $1500 plus shipping (another $300) not too unreasonable.
Starting this weekend weather permitting.
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Sportsman Matt
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11/02/09 02:37pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Winterizing camper
Btggraphics, reason I use the pink stuff is you never get all of the water out of the system with air alone, and some pink stuff does sit in the low spots and mixes with the water if any is left. Just my way of extra protection for the system, and that's the same proceedure that the rv dealer I worked for uses, and they never had to repair a line that they winterized. I do remember getting people coming in in the spring with broken fittings and waterlines due to water being trapped in low points, made the dealer happy (plus very rich) to do out of warranty work because the owner didn't bother to get the water out.
So far I've never lost a line and in the spring I need to run fresh water to flush the lines for a couple minutes, versus the 20-30 minutes if the pink stuff is left in the lines over the winter (plus no aftertaste of antifreeze 2 months later).
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Sportsman Matt
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11/01/09 12:08pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Building my own looks....
I'm looking at the pocket holes jigs, and the dowel pins are easier to install than the biscuits, plus I don't need any specialized tools to do it, as to install dowel pins I already have the tools (other than the doweling jig) to do the work. The biscuit technique looks good, but the cost for me to set up to do biscuits cost far more than what it would cost me to do dowel pins. The pocket screw jig looks like a good idea, got to do some more research into how well it would work as far as structural losses, although the frame is reinforced by design with the paneling and glue also.
As for the pics, I need to figure out my password to my Flickr and Photoshop accounts. Then I can start on the pics again.
I looked at the steel frame idea on the other camper design (the non cabover) but the idea of having to drill every hole in the steel and use screws and nuts to secure panels and flooring to it looks like a lot more work than it's worth, especially when you need to loctite everything and over time you still need to get in and retighten everything due to vibrations from travel.
Looks like I'm starting on November 6th weather permitting (need to bring the lumber home in an open truck bed and don't want it soaked or water damaged)
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Sportsman Matt
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10/31/09 12:08pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Winterizing camper
It's easy, apply no more than 50 PSI to the city water fill and open one drain at a time until no more water comes out of all of them. This may take opening and closing the valve to the toilet and faucets several times after you have pulled the plug and drained the hot water heater if so equipped. (note you may have to reinstall the plug on the hot water heater to pressurize the rest of the system after draining. also you may get wet, so be prepared for it) Disconnect the air pressure before starting the next pRT.
Turn the bypass on the hotwater heater, run the pink stuff through the winterizing hose attached to the waterpump, draw just enough to get flow to all the faucets and toilet. Shut off the water pump, then blow out the lines again. after getting all the pink stuff out, open all the valves, disconnect the air pressure, removethe plug for the hot water heater. Dump the remaining 1/2 gallon of antifreeze down the traps in the sinks. Wipe up any excess pink stuff, and your done. In the spring, close all the valves, faucets, etc. Put the plug in the hot water heater, and hook up to a city water source and flush the lines for about 5 minutes, fill the tanks and your ready to go.
DO not put the pink stuff in the freshwater holding tank of your camper unless you like the residual taste of antifreeze in your water, also blowing out the antifreeze after running it through prevents the residue from building in your water lines of your camper also, making the spring flushing of the lines easier.
If you are in doubt about doing this I would recommend seeking a RV Service Center to do the winterizing for yo.
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Sportsman Matt
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10/30/09 05:15pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: When Animals Attack!
Yes I did read what you posted, but didn't answer the question. This has no relevance other than it was outdoors where all campers go, not just truck campers, and my question is very specific, what does this have to do with truck campers?
Coyotes are everywhere, they run in small groups or packs. I've picked off my share working for local farmers. I've also camped in areas where there are much bigger and nastier animals that can kill you in a few seconds if they have the advantage. (By camping, before the truck camper I used to just get a small 10'x10' tarp and a sleeping bag on the ground, nothing between me and mother nature's animals other than some insulation from a sleeping bag and fresh air, plus at least a 5+ mile hike back to the truck)
In the 30+ years I have camped out, I never had to carry anything for protection, never had a concern about animals, and on the times I ran into the animals that could do something, they would look at you and scurry off, not even taking a second look to see if I was worth the trouble. But I also camped smart, used hanging food sacks, cooked away from my sleeping area, and changed clothing to prevent the food odors from attracting attention while I slept.
Problem is people think that animals are like the ones on TV that Disney draws to entertain children. The parents enforce it by not allowing the kids to see what was really happens in nature when a predator meets it's prey. And if you ask most people what is the top of the food chain, they get it wrong as we are not the top of the food chain when out in the woods, which is what false pretense people have been taught over the years, and then it's a tradgedy when someone gets mauled or killed by something higher on the real food chain.
In my opinion this isn't a specific truck camper related thread, and probably should be moved to another section of the forum.
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Sportsman Matt
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10/30/09 04:56pm |
Truck Campers
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