Replacement is pretty straightforward, just unscrew the old hose and the showerhead then attach the new ones in place. I just made one minor modification to the new showerhead by drilling a bigger hole into the water saver valve (located on the water inlet of the showerhead) as the water flow is weak and restricted by the smaller hole.
Friday, March 4, 2016
RV Exterior Hand Held Hose/ Showerhead Replacement with Magnetic Pin Mount
I finally replaced my bulky, leaky, hard to store exterior showerhead and hose attachment. Found a small showerhead with built-in shut-off lever on Amazon along with a very flexible stainless steel hose, a shower pin wall mount (optional) and a pin mount swivel connector. Actually, the pin wall mount/ swivel connector was salvaged from an old showerhead I had, but it is available on Amazon (clickable Amazon links above).
Replacement is pretty straightforward, just unscrew the old hose and the showerhead then attach the new ones in place. I just made one minor modification to the new showerhead by drilling a bigger hole into the water saver valve (located on the water inlet of the showerhead) as the water flow is weak and restricted by the smaller hole.
Replacement is pretty straightforward, just unscrew the old hose and the showerhead then attach the new ones in place. I just made one minor modification to the new showerhead by drilling a bigger hole into the water saver valve (located on the water inlet of the showerhead) as the water flow is weak and restricted by the smaller hole.
The new hose is very flexible and really easy to store, unlike the factory hose which is a pain to store into the storage compartment, just coil the new hose about 3x and the door will close with ease.
Monday, December 14, 2015
Battery Separator Upgrade to Blue Sea ML-ACR 7622 Automatic Charging Relay
My Roadtrek originally came equipped with the Sure Power Battery Separator Model 1315-200, a 200-amp solenoid version. While the separator functioned properly, it drew approximately 1.5 amps when the solenoid was energized, resulting in a significant loss of solar energy.
I decided to replace it with the Blue Sea ML-ACR Model 7622, a 500-amp magnetic latching (bi-stable) automatic charging relay featuring manual and remote control capabilities. Although it comes with a higher price tag of around $200 USD, the investment has proven worthwhile for me. According to the manufacturer, it draws very low current (<40mA to monitor terminal voltage) in both the "ON" and "OFF" states, with a moderate current draw for a very short duration during state transitions.
The Blue Sea ML-ACR is dual-sensing, detecting charge levels on both batteries. It also includes a start and engine isolation feature, though I opted not to utilize those functionalities. With the addition of the remote switch, I can manually isolate and combine batteries from the driver's seat. Typically, I leave it in auto mode and only switch it off (isolate) when the house battery is charging from solar panels.
For most applications, the more affordable 120-amp continuous rated Blue Sea SI-ACR should suffice for alternator charging.
The replacement process is quite straightforward, using the same wiring as the old Sure Power isolator. The ML-ACR terminal studs for the batteries are interchangeable, eliminating the need to trace which wire goes to the start battery or house battery. I only had to run three new wires (red remote, red [+], and yellow LED wire) to the remote switch, which I mounted on the dashboard next to the headlight selector switch. Additionally, I slightly enlarged the ring terminal holes on the [+] cables as the ML-ACR terminal studs are slightly larger (size 3/8") than the old isolator. If preferred, you can also change the ring terminals on the [+] cables at this point.
Blue Sea ML-ACR automatic charging relay wiring diagram.
Friday, December 4, 2015
Permanently Mounted Bullseye Level for RV Leveling
I bought an inexpensive bullseye level from eBay which I found to be pretty accurate comparing to my other levels and couple of Android apps. If you prefer, a T-level like this from Amazon (Camco 25543 T Level ) should also work ok. I decided to permanently mount the bullseye level on the driver seat base right uppermost corner. I picked this mounting location for easy visualization from the driver seat which makes it easy to instantly check RV "levelness" while parking or when finding a level ground on campsites and during RV leveling using my Andersen Camper levelers.
The bullseye level mounting bracket is fabricated from aluminum angle bar/ flat bar, and a recycled mini tripod head. With the tripod head, I can zero/recalibrate the level at my convenience. To zero the bullseye level, I use a second bullseye level placed on the bottom of the RV freezer compartment then drove the RV to a level ground, with the bubble level on the freezer reading zero, I adjusted the other level with the bubble at dead center.
The bullseye level mounting bracket is fabricated from aluminum angle bar/ flat bar, and a recycled mini tripod head. With the tripod head, I can zero/recalibrate the level at my convenience. To zero the bullseye level, I use a second bullseye level placed on the bottom of the RV freezer compartment then drove the RV to a level ground, with the bubble level on the freezer reading zero, I adjusted the other level with the bubble at dead center.
Thursday, December 3, 2015
DIY Rear Table Swivel Adapter/ Roadtrek Rear Table Modification
Getting in and out of the rear table has been a problem for us, there is barely enough room to move around it. You literally have to suck your guts in to squeeze through around the table. Moving the tabletop base further off-center is not an option for me as it will put too much strain on the tabletop, not to mention the modification needed for its storage. The tabletop also doubles a bed platform and cannot be modified or shortened.
My solution is to modify the table leg and adding a swiveling arm. The swivel arm will add 6-inches off-set of the tabletop from the center pole and allows the table to easily swivel out of the way if needed. It only needs few materials which are readily available at your local home improvement store but it does involve some metal welding/fabricating.
The rear table swing-away adapter.
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Wall Mounted Shoe Storage Rack for Roadtrek Agile
Finding a place to keep our shoes inside the Agile has always been a problem, it's either we keep them on the door mat by the sliding door entrance or in the rear storage compartment. Our shoes are always on the way and taking valuable storage space plus it looks untidy and unorganized.
The shower wall facing the cab is the perfect and convenient place to store our shoes. If shoes are placed vertically against the wall it would only take very little space and should not be on your way getting in and out the RV. The shoe storage rack is fabricated from 1/4 inch thick acrylic plastic sheet and tarp bungee cords to hold the shoes in place. The posts that holds the bungee cords are made from 1/2 inch thick acrylic plastic. The shoe rack was painted black to match the appliances trim colors. I use 3M VHB tape to attach the shoe rack on the wall. Make sure the shoe rack is resting against the floor when using double sided tape as fastener to prevent unnecessary vertical shear tension on the wall plastic veneer finish.
The shoe rack size dimensions are specifically made for our shoe sizes. If you have wider shoes, you might not be able to fit 2 pairs side by side as the shower wall width is limited. To save you the trouble, carefully measure everything before you start. Have fun building!
If DIY is not for you, Amazon has variety of "Wall Mounted Shoe Racks" products that might interest you.
The shower wall facing the cab is the perfect and convenient place to store our shoes. If shoes are placed vertically against the wall it would only take very little space and should not be on your way getting in and out the RV. The shoe storage rack is fabricated from 1/4 inch thick acrylic plastic sheet and tarp bungee cords to hold the shoes in place. The posts that holds the bungee cords are made from 1/2 inch thick acrylic plastic. The shoe rack was painted black to match the appliances trim colors. I use 3M VHB tape to attach the shoe rack on the wall. Make sure the shoe rack is resting against the floor when using double sided tape as fastener to prevent unnecessary vertical shear tension on the wall plastic veneer finish.
The shoe rack size dimensions are specifically made for our shoe sizes. If you have wider shoes, you might not be able to fit 2 pairs side by side as the shower wall width is limited. To save you the trouble, carefully measure everything before you start. Have fun building!
If DIY is not for you, Amazon has variety of "Wall Mounted Shoe Racks" products that might interest you.
Simple Showerhead Mod
Problem #1: During shower, Agile's showerhead spray pattern automatically reverts back to normal center aerated spray when the water is turned off. Most people including myself will turn the water off and on when showering to save water. An easy fix to prevent it from reverting to normal spray is to remove the spring from the spray selector button inside the showerhead as pictured below.
Monday, June 8, 2015
DIY Soda Can Organizer/ Dispenser
To save space in our tiny refrigerator, I made an acrylic soda can organizer/ dispenser. It holds 7 soda cans and is gravity feed. The dispenser base has a small channel that securely rest on the fridge divider railing to prevent it from sliding out during travel. Here's how it looks like.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Adding a Wireless Remote Control to the Macerator
Dumping the holding tanks with Roadtrek macerator system is pretty easy and
quick, although the switch location which activates the macerator pump is not
very ideal. The switch is located on the frame of the driver
seat facing the driver side door. To operate the macerator you have to open the
driver side door and reach for the red switch, and since it is momentary switch
you have to hold the switch the entire dumping process. It is a minor inconvenience, but leaving the driver side door open while dumping the holding tanks is an open invitation for
flies/ bugs to get in the RV not to mention when it is raining...I thought, there
could be a better solution.
At first I thought of replacing the momentary switch with an on/off rocker switch, but someone could accidentally flip the switch on and run the macerator dry causing early macerator failure. RT used a momentary switch there for a reason.
My solution is a wireless on/off momentary switch. Again I decided to go with a momentary switch on the wireless controller as for the above reason. The wireless controller and remote transmit/receives analog signals which is prone to radio wave interferences that could inadvertently activate the controller. Although I am using a separate switch to power the wireless controller, there is always a chance of forgetting to turn it off.
At first I thought of replacing the momentary switch with an on/off rocker switch, but someone could accidentally flip the switch on and run the macerator dry causing early macerator failure. RT used a momentary switch there for a reason.
My solution is a wireless on/off momentary switch. Again I decided to go with a momentary switch on the wireless controller as for the above reason. The wireless controller and remote transmit/receives analog signals which is prone to radio wave interferences that could inadvertently activate the controller. Although I am using a separate switch to power the wireless controller, there is always a chance of forgetting to turn it off.
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