Thursday, August 21, 2008

I Can See!

No pictures tonight, but I'll have lots and lots next time I go to Miranda!

Unfortunately, Mr. Wonderful and his son ran out of time and weren't able to install a second battery since they would have needed to run a load test on the first one. But that's no biggie, really, since they explained to me how to install the second one. It's something I know I can do myself since it's no different than is using jumper cables.

The back up camera is unbelievable. I bought it on eBay on the recommendation of several RVers. The seller is interceptinc and I strongly recommend him. The system was a bargain price and is of very high quality. It included absolutely everything you need to get set up, except mounting screws for the camera. I have a huge colour monitor that can even be hooked up to a DVD player and it has sound and a remote control. I can see almost two full car lengths behind the coach and the tip of the tow bar is evident so I know how far to backup. What a difference this is going to make!

The solar panel mounted beautifully. It's flush with the coach, so I won't be able to angle it to catch the maximum number of rays, but I knew that going in (the gimbled mounts are pricey!). There is a new controller on the wall that tells me whether the solar panel is charging or not, and if the battery is full.

Finally, the inverter was mounted onto the bookcase between the two arm chairs. Unfortunately, I'll need to run an extension cord from it to the back of the coach, so my setup isn't ideal, but it's the best that could be done with the time and resources available. I'm satisfied and thrilled with the quality of the work that was done.

Since I can't tow yet, Mr. Wonderful's son had to follow me behind the coach all the way to North Gower so that he could bring me back to my car (we did the reverse on Tuesday). Tonight was such a nice night, he decided to use his motorcycle. So, I got my first motorcycle ride! It was an absolutely exhilarating experience!!! I must have made quite the picture in my giant sunglasses, helmet, leather chaps, and biker jacket! That experience alone made the financial outlay on the electrical work worthwhile. I'm still grinning from the thrill of it.

5 comments:

Croft said...

At some time in the future Rae you could drill a hole in the floor under the inverter and run a good quality outdoor extension cord to the rear of the coach and then up into a closet or some other convenient place near your desk. It would save having an extension cord running over the floor.

Croft said...

The extension cord would be run under the rig and tie wrapped to something other than the drive shaft or exhaust pipe. ;) I used a convenient water pipe when I did mine.

Rae said...

Thanks for stopping in! I had a notion that I could do something like that, but I'm loathe to make even more holes in the shell of my coach. I'm going to start by trying to run it as non-obstrusively as possible up and down walls and across the ceiling.

Duly noted: avoid the drive shaft and exhaust pipe. LOL!

Croft said...

Good Morning Rae. One question for you. Was it this $250 backup camera system you bought?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/7-COLOR-REAR-VIEW-BACKUP-CAMERA-SYSTEM-CAMERAS-SYSTEMS_W0QQitemZ250284446532QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item250284446532&_trkparms=39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A2%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14

Rae said...

Yes, that's it!