Peanut lives on!

[bkahler]

Sunday we got the window and steps installed. We ended up using Olympic rivets because of the amount of work it would have taken to remove all of the interior panels to allow for bucking. We tried removing some panels but the overhead bin really complicated things.

Still need to shave the rivets and then polish the window. I expect he will be working on those tasks in a week or two. I want the Trempro used to seal the rivets to set up for a while before shaving them.











Brad

[martin300662]

Originally Posted by bkahler

Actually Peanut will have to follow me......Martin's to used to driving on the wrong side of the road so he will need someone to make sure he stays in the correct lane....

[martin300662]

Well as the US still has the 'closed' sign up (actually it has gotten even tighter as previously 'justified business' trips were OK, now only those with residence/humanitarian reasons can enter from Europe), means I am collecting parts and 'tinkering' remotely.

Couple of small projects.... 'stick built' galley to test out the cook top, sink, and mini-oven.



This has shown the fridge can also be accommodated in the same cabinet run, freeing up space on the opposite galley.

Second is more unusual.... picked up a Seaflo marine macerator toilet (https://www.seaflo-uk.com/seaflo-ele...me-19194-p.asp) which uses a 1" waste direct to a 'blue boy' type external/portable tank.



Again have it setup and working, just 3500miles away from where it is needed!

[bkahler]

[martin300662]

Originally Posted by bkahler

Attachment 398063

I guess I need to explain 'to the viewers'..........

Brad and Ernie had put in a ton of work the remove the old roof top AC, build a frame to house and then install the new one.

Now at this point I have to say I am not an advocate of 'form over function' and to me good function that is well designed is by far my preference. However the current (especially non-low profile) AC units are anything but that. Every time I look at a photo of Peanut with the new AC fitted it reminds me of this....




It is just 'plane wrong'.

So with great trepidation I approached Brad and asked if, once his MH is backed out of the workshop, we could 'borrow' his gantry system to remove the brand new, installed after a load of hassle, AC and fit two new MaxxAir Deluxe (you need the Deluxe model to be able to set one up to suck, and one to blow). I than sat worrying, expecting to hear the 'explosion' from the UK.

Well....turns out Brad agrees with me, but that just triggered an additional frustrating activity. Due to COVID/Suez Canal blockage supply chains have collapsed. No one had the fans, Brad found two in stock and placed an order, then got a note saying they were on back order with no delivery date so he cancelled that order. I could get US spec fans in UK (but could not get EU spec fans because of supply and demand - the inner shroud is a different size), but would then have to ship. So we decided to play the long game and wait (as we had time before Brad's unit would live his workshop). So I have been scanning US markets waiting for them to come in stock. That happened last week; Brad ordered from Amazon, and they arrived - hence the photo.

However, what to do with the old, new unit? This is still to be confirm, but it appears Brad knows of a guy, who helps him with mowing etc, who may want the AC, so we could generate some Good Karma by donating to him (assuming he wants it) - lets see how that part works out.

[PeterH-350LE]

Originally Posted by martin300662

I guess I need to explain 'to the viewers'..........

Martin, for us Southerners the thought of no AC is nothing but torture, well unless 120 F is what you would call a pleasant temperature to hang out in during day, with sleeping temps in the 90's

[martin300662]

Point well made Peter....

But long before that point Denise would have had us checking into a hotel with a pool!

[martin300662]

Actually I do have a plan B if needed. The Cruise N Comfort systems are becoming very popular with the stealth camper crowd and the 8K unit is much more powerful than the Climate Right unit we have in Bella. So if needed I may get a couple of those, one for Peanut and one to update Bella's.



Both Dometic and Truma do 'under the counter' units now, but both are designed for mains voltages, the Cruise N Comfort unit is designed for marine/12v systems and functions like a mini-split.

[PeterH-350LE]

Originally Posted by martin300662

Actually I do have a plan B if needed. The Cruise N Comfort systems are becoming very popular with the stealth camper crowd and the 8K unit is much more powerful than the Climate Right unit we have in Bella. So if needed I may get a couple of those, one for Peanut and one to update Bella's.

Attachment 398180

Both Dometic and Truma do 'under the counter' units now, but both are designed for mains voltages, the Cruise N Comfort unit is designed for marine/12v systems and functions like a mini-split.

interesting and that along with a bank of Lithium batteries. Still lacking a bit on the BTU side for the bigger rigs. But expensive
Where does the fan get mounted?

[martin300662]

The Cruise N Comfort units actually have a condenser/fan combo that needs mounting just like a dash AC (actually they are derived from dash AC systems and the even do a version that replaces that as well).



Bella's current Climate Right is a 7K unit.

The Dometic and Truma units are around $2K in the UK, but then a typical roof top AC is the same, around double the cost in the US.

[PeterH-350LE]

Originally Posted by martin300662

The Cruise N Comfort units actually have a condenser/fan combo that needs mounting just like a dash AC (actually they are derived from dash AC systems and the even do a version that replaces that as well).

Attachment 398181

Bella's current Climate Right is a 7K unit.

The Dometic and Truma units are around $2K in the UK, but then a typical roof top AC is the same, around double the cost in the US.

Interesting mounting location, indicating that drive wind is not what is required for these units, like it is for the typical AC condenser?

[martin300662]

No doubt a location in drive air would be better Peter.

I have sent in a couple of enquires to the company and got zero response so far, so its a good job it is just a plan B!

[Foiled Again]

Now this kind of A/C looks very interesting - especially to trailer folks with a 30 amp service and one air conditioner. I think it deserves a free standing thread all on its own.

If I had a vintage moho or trailer I would wonder if this might not be better than a roof unit or a traditional split system. And I bet anyone with a 27 foot through a 33 footer who has only one air conditioner wouldn't be interested.... not having to rewire the whole trailer.... even isolating it and running it off of a 20 amp extension cord seems like a real possibility.

I was talking to a guy with a 28" yesterday who was thinking of trading his in just for a second air conditioner. I went from a 13,500 BTU to A 15,000 BTU and am content, but can see the advantage of more even distribution of the cooling.

[PeterH-350LE]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

Now this kind of A/C looks very interesting - especially to trailer folks with a 30 amp service and one air conditioner. I think it deserves a free standing thread all on its own.

If I had a vintage moho or trailer I would wonder if this might not be better than a roof unit or a traditional split system. And I bet anyone with a 27 foot through a 33 footer who has only one air conditioner wouldn't be interested.... not having to rewire the whole trailer.... even isolating it and running it off of a 20 amp extension cord seems like a real possibility.

I was talking to a guy with a 28" yesterday who was thinking of trading his in just for a second air conditioner. I went from a 13,500 BTU to A 15,000 BTU and am content, but can see the advantage of more even distribution of the cooling.

Yes, I think it is very interesting, as well as a promising alternative for the conventional cooling, especially in a vintage Motorhome.

I am looking for driven comfort without using massive amounts of energy. (generator to run roof AC's) The 35-45 amp requirement is quite a burden on the alternator and would require an upgrade. Thats why the stand alone system with 7-8 hour range on 4 100amp Lithium batteries is what intrigues me. We rarely travel more than that per day and the overnight stays at campgrounds could recharge the Batteries. no need for the additional solar panels with so limited space on the roof.
Good point on starting a new thread about, just need to make sure it just covers this topic and not get consumed by the Lithium/massive inverter world

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJDwKfJX_3E

[martin300662]

The really attractive thing for Peanut is the Cruise N Comfort AC and a 7.5kWh battery pack can (just) fit in the existing generator compartment. It wouldn't be too crazy to modify that so the back half is accessible from inside the coach (for the battery pack), but keep the front half accessible from the outside for the AC.

During this discussion I have realized one issue with my plan(s) though

The original furnace was removed because the Duo-Therm has a heat pump, dropping the AC now means no heat! Guess I need to look for a small replacement furnace as well.

[martin300662]

Jarrod Tocci, has posted several videos on his YouTube channel covering how to install of the Cruise N Comfort unit

https://youtu.be/Oa7HCFwlwVo

https://youtu.be/Fs_WX4wJ0kg

https://youtu.be/fiDNlp_FJQM

[PeterH-350LE]

Originally Posted by martin300662

Jarrod Tocci, has posted several videos on his YouTube channel covering how to install of the Cruise N Comfort unit

https://youtu.be/Oa7HCFwlwVo

https://youtu.be/Fs_WX4wJ0kg

https://youtu.be/fiDNlp_FJQM

Martin, awesome videos. Explains a lot and answers questions I had. Still concerned about mud and dirt clogging up the condenser. Sure is a big investment in all the components plus the time to modify the mounting for your needs. A new conventional Generator at 6k doesn't seem all that expensive anymore.

[martin300662]

Originally Posted by PeterH-350LE

Martin, awesome videos. Explains a lot and answers questions I had. Still concerned about mud and dirt clogging up the condenser. Sure is a big investment in all the components plus the time to modify the mounting for your needs. A new conventional Generator at 6k doesn't seem all that expensive anymore.

I've been trying to rationalize the cost of these units and failing.

You can buy a 'truck sleeper' bolt on AC (it is basically a R134a automotive AC system with a 12v/24v inverter compressor/condenser/fan that bolts to the back of the cab) for under $1000. The inverter compressor itself is a few hundred dollars, so where does the other $4000 come from (OK $3000 at the current disconnected price)?



I'm thinking of buying one of the truck sleeper kits to see if it could be adapted to work.

[martin300662]

What do you do if you are travelling for work and have a day off?

Well in my case I show up (like a bad penny) at Brad's place with the intention to make a plan so to what still needs doing to Peanut.

First on the list was to try and get him started as he has been hibernating for a couple of years. Brad had already installed a new starter battery, but Peanut still wasn't playing ball.

I need to explain that some of the 12v systems in Peanut are at least 'interesting', for example a self taping screw inserted into the main positive battery cable to attach a ring lug for a power feed. But what we didn't expect was, with the house battery removed, when Peanut did try and spring into life, the house 12v lines became energized and to run to short resulting in smoke, a far amount of it.

After some rapid disconnection of the new starter battery, and just about all the high amp leads, which did include cutting some of those leads, we were able to get everything under control.

Having reconnected the starter battery, we now had nothing. Turns out the starter battery positive cable had been connected to the house 12v and so fed back to the disconnected coach battery leads making them 'live' and able to be shorted. Easy to rectify, apart from, that was one of the leads which had to be cut free during the frantic disconnection. This of course then triggered turning Brad's workshop upside down to look for a 50mm terminal and his hydraulic crimper.

OK now the power was safe, we could get back to why Peanut would not start/stay running. We have fuel to the filter, but not to the carb, so the main suspect is the fuel pump (an old mechanical pump), and the decision to fit an electric pump replacement, but that requires fabricating some brackets etc and so is a job for another day.

I bet Brad is really happy I had a day off, and came visit....I created him a ton of work and tried to burn his house down (Peanut is parked outside)!

[mayco]

With friends like you Martin, …..
…….., you get the picture