Sofa Covers:
My mother and her partner sewed these for me. The fabric ties in the colours of all the various woodwork in the coach, the green of the curtains, etc., and the gold of the trim while still being rustic enough in theme for me to feel that it reflects my style. You would think that I spent weeks looking for the perfect fabric instead of about five minutes of poking around the bargain section of a single fabric store! This fabric was just 3$ a metre! The big brown cushion was one my mother's partner no longer had any use for and it matches the fabric perfectly. The other cushion with the arm rests belonged to my dad and will ensure cozy nights lying there reading or watching movies.
Solar Panel:
Yes, I'm on the roof taking a picture of my solar panel. Want proof?
Here's what Pomette the toad looks like from up there:
Controller:
The solar panel is hooked up to this gadget that makes sure the battery isn't over charged. Right now, the light says 'charging.' It also tells me if the battery is fully charged.
What is that wooden thing on the wall by it?
Night Table:
More parts cannibalized from the useless bar! The tray slides under the mattress when not in use. Simple in its brilliance. My mother is such a genius.
Inverter:
Plugged directly into the battery, this inverter gives me 400W of 120V power. I can't believe that makes sense to me.
Camera:
The camera is a lot more discreet than I thought it would be.
Remote Control:
For the monitor. A useless picture, but it'll remind me that I need to find a more useful cab console for storing stuff.
Monitor:
I was going to provide a pic of what I see out the monitor, but you'll have to stay tuned for that. I got to Miranda today to find her engine battery dead. I have a theory why, but need to have it confirmed. By the time the excitement of giving her a boost (an advantage of having two engines!), the thought of getting a picture of the picture flew right of of my head.
Today, I brought a carload of stuff to the coach and actually put things away as best as I could. I wanted the empty boxes and I also needed to make room for next Saturday's onslaught. Two things I discovered are that the huge basement pass through is full (woe is me) and that my suitcase doesn't fit where I thought it would fit and I have no idea where else to put it (WOE is me).
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9 comments:
Rae, I suspect there is a push button on the dash near the driver's seat that allows the engine to be started using the coach battery. My 94 Tioga had one as does my 05. I believe they are fairly standard. Have a look.
Really?!
I'll have to look more closely next time.
And figure out what the big yellow knob is for.
What a learning curve....
Rae, how many watts is your solar panel?
Kevin, I have no idea!!!
I need to do some more research on it.
Looking at the picture, I think you have a 15 watt panel. I've been following your story since the beginning and I don't think that's going to be enough.
Rae, we started out last October living in our RV full time. I knew NOTHING about RV's, so I understand what you're going through. However, I did have a lot of mechanical/electrical experience with cars and houses, so I did have a bit of an advantage. But I am totally admiring what you are doing!
On the solar panel, 15W will be enough to recharge your batteries if you one light in the evening and maybe an hour or two of computer use. It's not very much.
We boondocked in Mexico for as much as 9 days at a time without any solar panels at all. We would start up our generator and let the charger try and charge up the batteries (yes, the built in charger that is junk). But because we didn't understand that you shouldn't let your batteries go below 12.2 resting volts, we quickly wore out our new batteries. They still worked but they didn't hold a new charge for very long.
Long story short, if you plan on being plugged in most of the time, your solar panel will be fine. But any boondocking longer than 2 days and your batteries will run down, even with that 15W panel. Seriously, 15W is very small.
I was wanting an 80W panel because we have friends who can boodock for days on end with just an 80W panel.
But we found a deal on 160W RV kit for $979 at costco.ca. Check my latest posts on escapees.
This will enable us to run lights in the evening, run about 5 hours a day or more of laptop, and maybe even watch some TV or a movie on the laptop in the evening.
If you want to chat, my wife and I are in the Ottawa area for the next 6 weeks or so. Send me an email if you're interested. Lee can vouch for us...we've met.
Kevin
Kevin, you're probably right about the 15W. At this point, I just wanted to have installed the gear that came with the coach. I'll take the month of September to do a proper energy audit and figure out my needs.
But I have no intention at this time to increase my solar capacity. I have no idea if I'll be doing this for more than a year or not. So, I'm just glad to have something to supplement the generator. For me, the generator is going to be more cost effective than installing a fantastic solar system for which I'll might never get a return on my investment.
I will be plugged in most of the winter anyway.
I have read your post at Escapees and was thinking that we (as in you, your wife, and myself) should get together for a mini SKPs meeting!
Rae, if you have a camera with macro capabilities, take a couple of shots (including a close-up)of that "Yellow Button" and post them on the Blog. After that ask the Escapees Forum to have a look at the Blog photos and offer an opinion on what it is for. I bet you will get the answer from one of them on there. You would not believe the amount of expertise and experience there that is waiting to be tapped!
I know that the yellow button somehow interrupts power to the coach battery. I know this because when the coach arrived for its inspection, none of the 12V systems were working and the yellow button wound up being the culprit. I don't remember how or why, though.
I'll take pictures tomorrow, thanks!
Kevin, it is indeed a 15W panel!
http://www.invertershop.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=116
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