The 23D thread

[GMFL]

Rob,
You catching any fish?

[Troutboy]

Hey everyone, looks like lots of action on the thread. Hope everyone is well. Had to disappear for a bit, but things are starting to settle down and get back to normal. Look forward to catching up and contributing again.

[RFP]

Originally Posted by GMFL

Rob,
You catching any fish?

I wish...

Actually, we were met here at Blue Spruce by two couples out of Houston... wonderful friends from our "Casita days." I brought enough gear to introduce them to the gentlemanly art of fly fishing, but it never happened... due, in part, to local rains turning my favorite " beginner water" into chocolate milk (no bueno for dry fly fishing). I'm sure I'll get out on the water soon (Our friends left yesterday). Probably have some fisherman lies to tell soon.

By the way, I'm not complaining about the rain... It's been glorious.

You back from The Keys?

[RFP]

Originally Posted by Troutboy

Hey everyone, looks like lots of action on the thread. Hope everyone is well. Had to disappear for a bit, but things are starting to settle down and get back to normal. Look forward to catching up and contributing again.

So glad you are back; it's not the same around here without you.

[switz]

Yes, the 1501iL is larger storage plus the freezer is a separate door. It comes supporting both 12Vdc & 120Vac because of a small inverter. We tapped into the 12Vdc power circuitry to power a relay that turns on our three exhaust fans in the upper hatch left over from the Dometic use. It cools down within 15 to 20 minutes and is quite. One does have to manually defrost on occasion. It is slightly narrower, so we did some creative wood work to match the other hickory accents we had already installed.

Have to run, but will post some images later today.

[Hoonanea]

I replaced my OEM Dometic with the Vitrifrigo DP150i and have no regrets. Specs indicate overall storage at 5.3 cu/ft. A full 1 cu/ft is for the freezer which is more than the Dometic but I do think it comes at a small expense of refrigerator space. I believe the Dometic was 5 cu/ft overall. I have no regrets at all. I do not use solar or boondock so the need for LP gas operation was easy to give up for better and MUCH faster cooling efficiency in the hot Florida’s weather. An empty refrigerator with an interior temperature in the 80’s will be cool to the point I can put cold food in it within 1 hour.

There were some minor cabinet modifications to make. The Vitrifrigo is a tad bit taller than the Dometic and it is narrower. About ¾ of an inch on each side (if I recall correctly) will need to be filled. It’s an easy job for someone with some very basic woodworking skills and tools.

I also worked on a more bug-proof seal of the rear vents because the air-lock to the interior living space that existed with the Dometic will be lost with the Vitrifrigo. Rear ventilation is still needed but there is the potential for bug/insect penetration into the living space if attention isn’t given to the rear vents.

I have some prior posts in this thread of the work I did including some pictures. I’m not sure what page they’re on now.

[Hoonanea]

Shoot — also meant to remark that there is no gallon storage in the Vitrifrigo. It’s an Italian company so “gallon” is not really their concept. I did purchase 3 glass 2-quart storage bottles with a rectangular shape and they all fit nicely in the door shelf. These are common and easy to find on Amazon. I like storing milk in glass anyway since it just seems colder to me. (It’s probably all in my head but don’t tell my head that and ruin a good thing.)

Because the refrigerator is meant for a marine application, each shelf has one of the vinyl coated bars/wires turned up 90 degrees in the front so that items won’t fall out on rough waters. This is great for keeping stuff where it belongs when you’re moving but it does add a small inconvenience when trying to get stuff out of the refrigerator.

[Fred L]

You had me in deep thought until here...

Originally Posted by Hoonanea

the need for LP gas operation was easy to give up

Anyone have thoughts regarding a good replacement fridge for the 23D that uses at a minimum 120ac and propane.

[GMFL]

Originally Posted by RFP

I wish...

Actually, we were met here at Blue Spruce by two couples out of Houston... wonderful friends from our "Casita days." I brought enough gear to introduce them to the gentlemanly art of fly fishing, but it never happened... due, in part, to local rains turning my favorite " beginner water" into chocolate milk (no bueno for dry fly fishing). I'm sure I'll get out on the water soon (Our friends left yesterday). Probably have some fisherman lies to tell soon.

By the way, I'm not complaining about the rain... It's been glorious.

You back from The Keys?

Yes we are back from the Keys. Headed to New York in the Morning without the Airstream. Mission Trip Jackson Heights area. We do a back to school bash every year there.

[bigweb2001]

Hey guys, sorry for the newb question but replaced the batteries on my 2012 23d with a pair of AGMs. The first picture is how the old batteries were hooked up:




So I hooked up the new ones the same:



Does that look right? I was watching a YT video that said in Parallel, I should have one positive terminal on one battery, then the negative on the other battery?

Thanks, John

[pcskier]

Originally Posted by bigweb2001

Hey guys, sorry for the newb question but replaced the batteries on my 2012 23d with a pair of AGMs. The first picture is how the old batteries were hooked up:

So I hooked up the new ones the same:

Does that look right? I was watching a YT video that said in Parallel, I should have one positive terminal on one battery, then the negative on the other battery?

Thanks, John

No apologies needed!
Your setup is OK, but as you mentioned it's advised to have the main NEG cable on one, and the main POS on the other battery, to equalize the draw and charging across both batteries. So, move one of the cables with the large clamp, either the POS or NEG, to the other battery. Doesn't matter which one. Obviously, be careful when turning the wrench on the POS connections that you don't let the wrench contact the center threaded rod/hand nut or the battery housing.

[bigweb2001]

Thanks! Love this forum, replies so fast that I still have the tools out to fix the job! PS I plan to put a 12v battery tender on (the Airstream is stored at my house), is that OK?

I have a 30a hookup at my house and burned up my lead acid batteries by leaving it plugged in too long, so I'll switch to the tender and just plug in when I want to run the AC....

[pcskier]

Originally Posted by bigweb2001

Thanks! Love this forum, replies so fast that I still have the tools out to fix the job! PS I plan to put a 12v battery tender on (the Airstream is stored at my house), is that OK?

I have a 30a hookup at my house and burned up my lead acid batteries by leaving it plugged in too long, so I'll switch to the tender and just plug in when I want to run the AC....

Unfortunately I'm sitting here looking at airforums and not out camping :-(

Battery Tender is a great way to go. Also hook that up across the batteries (i.e. POS on one and NEG on other.

For your next project, consider switching to a better charger/converter that will be kinder to your batteries, assuming you have a stock WFCO or Parallax unit. A Progressive Dynamics PD4655 is around $200.
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f449...es-162905.html

[bigweb2001]

Thanks, I wish I was camping too, next weekend. I'll order that PD4655 and pass on the battery tender, perfect. Cheers!

[Boog]

Just thought that I'd report that the mods that I did to my fridge (baffles, insulation and fans added) are working like a champ. My trailer has been sitting outside in full South Carolina sun and right now at 4PM, 96 degrees outside (and at least 96 degrees inside - no A/C) the fridge temp is 37 and -5 in the freezer. I do have the street side awning out and the upper fridge vent door open, the street side is to the south - full sun. It was a lot of extra work, but it paid off.

[GMFL]

Boog,
That’s great to hear. I setting on the a Manhattan bound R train right now. That’s about as far from camping as you can get. But I am monitoring the forum for questions I can help with.
Bigweb,
The new converter charger will work great for you. I have had one for 4 years and may batts do great on it.
Rich,
Hope you are well and not working to hard
Rob,
Hope you and your bride are enjoying yourselves.
Prayers to all and safe travels.

[Gopher John]

Since picking up our 23cb about 2 weeks ago, we’ve just been stocking it. We finally took it camping in northern Minnesota this weekend. We chose a campground near our friends cabin, so we weren’t really choosy about the campground facilities. It is very small and we haven’t figured out what to do with our dump tanks yet because the sewer inlet sits about 4 inches higher than the dump tank valve. We’re hoping they have a drive up dump station in addition to the ones at sites.

We had two big problems last night (both of which might be user error).
1) I left the power awning opened and untilted overnight and we had a rainstorm this morning. I woke up and tilted it and a ton of water poured off. I have since closed and opened it and luckily everything looks fine.
Any advice on drying it before we hit the road?
2) the front fantastic fan was left open, but the on/off switch with the picture of a fan was turned off. I’m not sure who did that 😠 But anyway, it rained in through the open vent for about 20 minutes. These vents seem to have two power switches plus the speed knob that you can switch to off. Why so many ways to turn on/off?

Some other general observations and questions:
- I don’t like the new bathroom door. It is very difficult to put into the large bathroom mode (especially with bedding on the bed). I wish we could switch to the previous diagonal door.
- why would anyone switch off the refrigerator fan switch?
- our blackwater monitor reads 0 even though four of us have been peeing (no pooping yet) for a day and a half.
- it seems like it would be way too easy to accidentally turn on the water heater switches without any water in the system.
- in general, switches are placed in an odd assortment of locations. Water pump in one place an water heater in a completely different place, etc.
- one of our windows opens much lower only in its lowest position than any of the other windows. I don’t think it was like that before our trip.

I know that was kind of a scattered brain dump, but any feedback would be appreciated.

[GMFL]

Wow, ok so here goes my best

1) I left the power awning opened and untilted overnight and we had a rainstorm this morning. I woke up and tilted it and a ton of water poured off. I have since closed and opened it and luckily everything looks fine.
Best to NEVER leave awning deployed unattended. Wind and rain are not your friend and believe me if you think you are safe you are not. It can cause major damage, fast. Awning should always be tilted when deployed to prevent rain from collecting and tearing the awning off the trailer.
Any advice on drying it before we hit the road?
Open it for as long as you can and then you will need to open it a dry it out once you get to your next stop or home.
2) the front fantastic fan was left open, but the on/off switch with the picture of a fan was turned off. I’m not sure who did that 😠 But anyway, it rained in through the open vent for about 20 minutes. These vents seem to have two power switches plus the speed knob that you can switch to off. Why so many ways to turn on/off?
I recommend the Fantasitc Fan covers for your fans, they allow you to leave your fans open during rain and also while going down the road.

Some other general observations and questions:
- I don’t like the new bathroom door. It is very difficult to put into the large bathroom mode (especially with bedding on the bed). I wish we could switch to the previous diagonal door.
Thanks for the update I wondered how that was going to work out in actual function.
- why would anyone switch off the refrigerator fan switch?
You should not need to cut them off and you are going to want to swap the fan out for a better system. Search Fridge fan upgrades on this forum.

- our blackwater monitor reads 0 even though four of us have been peeing (no pooping yet) for a day and a half.
The sensor for the black tank is positioned to give you the most accurate reading of the top of the tank. You may not pickup the bottom of the tank level right away. Best to play with this at home by adding water and watching the reading to see how much water you add before it starts reading. The main thing is to make sure the monitor reads 100% when the tank is almost full.
- it seems like it would be way too easy to accidentally turn on the water heater switches without any water in the system.
- in general, switches are placed in an odd assortment of locations. Water pump in one place an water heater in a completely different place, etc.
You will get use to the location of the switches. Water heater is by the bath sink so that you can turn on and off for shower use.
- one of our windows opens much lower only in its lowest position than any of the other windows. I don’t think it was like that before our trip.
Check and make sure that both support arms are locked to the holder bracket

[GMFL]

haven’t figured out what to do with our dump tanks yet because the sewer inlet sits about 4 inches higher than the dump tank valve. We’re hoping they have a drive up dump station in addition to the ones at sites.
This is always a fun one and you will run into it from time to time.
You can still hook up your hose and dump because the tanks are higher than the sewer inlet. Any “water” that is left in the hose wil need to be “milked out of the line by picking up the hose close to the trailer higher than the sewer opening allowing the “water” to run toward the sewer opening. This may need to be repeated multiple time in order to clean out the line.
Remember always dump black 1st and follow with lots of Gray.

[Gopher John]

GMFL, thanks for the response. Like most of life, everything has worked out just fine.

We just dropped the AS off at the dealer for a few minor fixes. I’m going to have them look at the fantastic fan, as it seems to be working inconsistently.

One more issue you (or someone) might be able to help me with. I am having a hard time getting the hitch to let go of the ball. It takes a lot of having my wife try to advance and reverse a centimeter at a time while I worry that this is putting too much strain on the hitch jack before it finally and slowly releases the ball.
Is this common? Is there an easy solution?

Thanks,
John