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Old 08-03-2020, 07:30 AM   #61
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Gulliver72's Avatar
 
2015 25' FB Flying Cloud
Barnstable , Massachusetts
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 139
Quote:
Originally Posted by mkaiseraz View Post
I'm sure I'm going to offend some of you, but I really have read the threads. Yes, I'm new, just bought a 2020 Globetrotter 30. We've been out there for about six weeks now, hooked up in parks and learning about our rig.



We're currently in a KOA park, "enjoying" the constant sounds of young families and their enthusiastic children. We get it, we knew (at some level) what to expect. But . . . we're going to be boondocking.



Our goal is to head out to Alaska next summer. We know we're new to this. But we think we have realistic expectations. Time will tell.



So far we're ok with the comfort level of the 30 foot trailer. The queen bed is small but do-able. It's just Karen and me and Baxter, our 8-pound toy mini Schnauzer. We can do this. If we are willing to maximize the power and water resources available to us.



I'm looking for suggestions about how to upgrade our rig to give us the best chance to maximize our off-grid time. I know we're talking about adding more solar, upgrading and adding batteries, upgrading our inverter, etc.



I also know everyone is going to ask us to describe what our power and water usage will be.



Well, I can't be specific, I'll just say we understand we won't be using air condioning while off the grid (we hope to be traveling in cool climates) and we'll do what we can to minimize lighting. As for gray water, I'm willing to shower outdoors (within reason). Karen? I'm not so sure.



Let me start with specific questions we have so far . . .



We expect to run the fridge all the time. Our 2020 Globetrotter has an AC/DC refrigerator. It doesn't run on propane. As I understand it, the Norcold installed in the 2020 Globetrotter is a compressor unit, so it doesn't suffer the historical problems of high power consumption or needing to be level. What I don't understand it how much DC power it consumes.



So far, we have been mostly connected up to full hookups in RV camps. But when we have been traveling, towing the trailer with our Ford F-150, I've noticed that the battery has been drawing down--even while presumably being charged from the 7-pin power and the two solar panels on the roof.



For example, when we begin a day of driving, I see that the batteries are shown as 100% and the 13.3 volts. But after a couple of hours of driving, with full sun, they show 80% and 12.6. This doesn't seem right.



The only power I believe I have on is the fridge. I have disconnected all the USB ports and the electric water heater is off. All the lights are off, as are all the other switches I can think of.



What else should I be looking at, which could be draining the batteries? We expected the batteries would continue to be full while driving.



Meanwhile, I'm open to suggestions about how best to prepare for next summer. How can we maximize our future power and water boondocking potential? Within reason.



Again, I believe I've read the other threads on this subject. That said, feel free to point me to what I may have missed. I'm not asking anyone to cover old news.



Thanks.



Mike


Mike-I’m an engineer, and have transformed our 25’ FC to the intimate Boondocking machine. If you would like some help/advice PM me and we can talk by phone ☎️. I’d be happy to help

Gulliver
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Old 08-03-2020, 08:22 AM   #62
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2015 28' Land Yacht
Chapel Hill , North Carolina
Join Date: Oct 2018
Posts: 24
Blog Entries: 1
What we have done to max power and limit water use

Hi, Mike,
We are relatively new to the camping and boondocking bit, but have learned some lessons I'm happy to share that will likely echo other's comments. We can comfortably boondock for about a week until needing to supplement our water supply - about a 40 gallon fresh water tank. Others may go longer.


1. Water Conservation.
a. We use a bucket for the sink and bathroom. I use the following for the bathroom (shower and sink): UST FlexWare Collapsible Bucket and UST FlexWare Collapsible Sink with 2.25 Gal Wash Basin for kitchen sink. You will need to check the dimensions of your sink to see if it fits. The extra water left over generally is used to help with the toilet. The bucket is used in the shower to first capture water as it gets tolerably warm and then any excess while showering. I soak dishes and then wash in the sink bucket. Sometimes I use a paper towel to wipe the dishes first, if needed.
b. Shower head is an efficient one with great cut off valve.
c. military showers of course and generally only shower when I've gotten sweaty. Otherwise, I use a washcloth and water from the bathroom sink to wash my face and, well, where else I may need to quickly wash.
d. we installed a pump to move water from grey tank into black tank

2. Portable, large water jugs to fill fresh water tank.

3. Campfires are put out with the sink water.

4. Using the outdoor shower together is not only fun, but a good way to save on grey space. Need a good, efficient showerhead there, too.

5. Energy. We upfitted with 800 watts of solar panels and 600 AH of lithium battery storage. Highly recommend the work of Cameron Belscher at Off the Grid Camper. He travels around the country doing installations and his work is stellar. His partner, Jacqui, helps design the installation. They set us up right! Needless to say, the only time we had an energy issue is when the camper was at the dealer (getting a bit of work) inside a warehouse and not plugged in. We were traveling to the Olympic National Forest... not a lot of sunlight to recharge. It took us a few days to get back to normal.
a. we don't mind warm weather, so have only used the air conditioning once when camping in Tucson in June (over 100 degrees). We have a small fan that works off a USB port to help.

6. We do have a dometic frig that works off both propane and AC/DC. When sun is plentiful during the day, we take it off gas.

Apps that might help:
Mopeka. An app that monitors your propane levels and lets you know when you are running low. It’s kinda finicky, but for those campers whose propane tanks are under covers or hard to access, it’s a nice product. You attach a sending unit to the bottom of your propane tank(s) and pair with the Mopeka app. Pretty simple, but they are very sensitive to placement.

RV Whisperer. This is a fairly new addition to our electronic smorgasborg. But Matt is a big fan. I think it’s a small business because if you call their tech support, the head honcho actually answers the phone. Basically the RV Whisperer is a wonderful product that links all sorts of sensors to your WiFi system and pipes it up to the internet. They sell many of the sensors but also will communicate with 3rd party products. Like the Mopeka tank sensors (so now you can determine if your fridge or heat still has some juice to keep running while you are grocery shopping, or away from the camper for weeks). Temperature sensors for inside, outside, fridge, freezer. Voltage. Door proximity sensors. All viewable while lying in the camper in bed, or from thousands of miles away while the camper is in storage. Their App is basic but works nicely and provides historical charts if you really want to know whether the eggs in your fridge got too warm. Or it can send alerts to let you know something is out of tolerance. Minor nit-pick is that you can’t view any of the information unless you are connected to the internet. So no internet means no information and you can’t actually see the fridge temp from bed. While it’s nice that it stores information in the cloud, I wish it would allow view access to current results using the LAN connection if there was no internet connection.

We also have apps related to our solar production and battery storage (Victron products – very nice stuff) as well tire pressure monitoring for the trailer (I think that is critical information). Again, this is Matt’s nerdy territory, so if you want more information, ping us.

Lastly, if you want some ideas on where to boondock, I use freecampsites.net often. And you can look at our routes and places stayed... www.happycampertravels.com

Enjoy!
Bobbi Hapgood
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Old 08-03-2020, 08:55 AM   #63
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2020 16' Nest
Boise , Idaho
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 16
So Many Solutions!

We're also first time travel trailer owners having purchased a 2020 Nest this summer. Living in Idaho the majority of our camping will likely be off grid; so far we've had it out twice, once in a CG with no hookups but with water and outhouse and once boon docking. I won't try to offer much advice as there are already numerous great points made. I will comment on our experience and decisions thus far. First on the fully electric refrigerator. Swapping it out for a propane/electric fridge would be no simple task as it would require creating a vent to be added for the combustion of propane and running a propane line to it. I believe anything can be done if willing to spend enough money but not sure would be worth it. The fridge does not run constantly so while it's a fairly big draw on power we have found it fairly efficient. Ours has a "nighttime" setting and I have used this overnight assuming it cycles less often when you're not opening and using and sun is not out. We have been out 3 days before the stock lead acid batteries start to wane. We've quickly made the decision to replace these batteries with two 6 volt AGM's which will give us more amp hours and require less maintenance. Considered Lithium but this change would also require changing the converter so cost much more substantial and just not ready for that investment though at some point maybe. I note that for 2021 AS is not including batteries so will be able to decide right up front what batteries best suit one's use. Also getting a portable Zamp 180 watt suitcase solar panel which the Nest is pre-wired for. We have no intention of trying to use our AC or Microwave while off grid so at this point trying to avoid any generator. Our goal is to have 5 days off grid capability right now. Beyond that many other factors around water and waste become factors. I envision longer trips than that but not in such remote places that interspersing a stay at a CG with hookups and periodic dumping at an actual dump station will be possible. One thing I've noted very early on but I don't think has been commented on in this thread is the issue of how little ground clearance AS's have (except maybe the Basecamp) and I see there is a 3 inch lift kit available which I potentially see in our future as so many of the dirt/gravel roads and campsites really require a bit more clearance. Lastly just a comment on AS quality. We chose AS because of a perceived reputation for quality but thus far we are not impressed. A regulator in the water heater leaking before we picked up; the large window in front not properly sealed allowing rainwater to get in and ruin all the bedding noted the day we picked it up; a completely under engineered screen door with both handles failing after only two trips; improperly adjusted cabinet hinges and other minor stuff. Not having owned any other TT before I can't comment on how this experience compares but certainly disappointing. But in the end we have enjoyed our first two short trips and still optimistic about enjoying many great adventures.
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Old 08-03-2020, 05:13 PM   #64
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2020 30’ Globetrotter
Phoenix , Arizona
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 53
Blog Entries: 1
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill M. View Post
You can, and should, in my opinion, add a DC to DC converter so that the batteries of the trailer are actually charged while you are hooked up and driving. Probably $150 if you use the 20 amp one and run through the 7 way plug. More if you get a higher rated unit and run a separate wire for it. Your poor charging experience does seem right to me. We get no useful charge from our Dodge while driving. The DC to DC converter fixes that cheaply and easily. Ought to be a factory item with a DC fridge in my opinion,
Bill (or anyone), can you point me to some discussion of which DC to DC converter is "best" and how to connect it? It does seem like that's a no-brainer, especially since it uses the existing 7-pin wiring. I'm thinking I'll go ahead with the 20-amp right now, then include a higher-amperage solution when I add more solar and go lithium.

Mike
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Old 08-06-2020, 11:50 AM   #65
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2011 20' Flying Cloud
Lemont , Illinois
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 114
Images: 4
1 Factory "Interstate" batteries are garbage - replace them ASAP with either lithium batteries or, as I did, two six volt golf cart batteries wired in series.

2 Verify that you have a multi-stage battery charger in the Airstream. Some models (like mine) came with a charger that always worked full-on and quickly overcharged (and ruined) the original batteries. This can be self installed if you're handy.

3 You CAN use air conditioning off grid. You'll need a small generator, preferably Honda EU2200i, and an "Easy Start" module that will need to be installed in your rooftop AC unit. I installed mine myself. For 2 AC units, 2 Easy Starts and two generators wired in parallel.

Even without using the generator for air conditioning, taking one along is nice for recharging the camper batteries and powering things like an Instant Pot, or a microwave. Many people convert their generators to propane so they don't have to deal with gasoline, and so they're not limited by the short run-time of the small fuel tank in the generator.

4 Make sure your Airstream has a reverse-osmosis water filter for the kitchen sink. Mine came with one and I love it. There's a separate tap and knob for filtered drinking water.

I wouldn't want to drink raw water, especially well water, that's been sitting for days in the Airstream tank. Mine has a user-replaceable filter cartridge that I replace annually.

Happy camping!

Glenn T
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Old 08-06-2020, 02:47 PM   #66
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2020 30’ Globetrotter
Phoenix , Arizona
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 53
Blog Entries: 1
Thank you, Glenn T. Succinct and to the point. I hear you.

Mike
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Old 08-09-2020, 09:00 AM   #67
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2004 22' Safari
Albuquerque , New Mexico
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 374
Solution to Gray Water Tank Limitations.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mkaiseraz View Post
I'm sure I'm going to offend some of you, but I really have read the threads. Yes, I'm new, just bought a 2020 Globetrotter 30. We've been out there for about six weeks now, hooked up in parks and learning about our rig.

We're currently in a KOA park, "enjoying" the constant sounds of young families and their enthusiastic children. We get it, we knew (at some level) what to expect. But . . . we're going to be boondocking.

Our goal is to head out to Alaska next summer. We know we're new to this. But we think we have realistic expectations. Time will tell.

So far we're ok with the comfort level of the 30 foot trailer. The queen bed is small but do-able. It's just Karen and me and Baxter, our 8-pound toy mini Schnauzer. We can do this. If we are willing to maximize the power and water resources available to us.

I'm looking for suggestions about how to upgrade our rig to give us the best chance to maximize our off-grid time. I know we're talking about adding more solar, upgrading and adding batteries, upgrading our inverter, etc.

I also know everyone is going to ask us to describe what our power and water usage will be.

Well, I can't be specific, I'll just say we understand we won't be using air condioning while off the grid (we hope to be traveling in cool climates) and we'll do what we can to minimize lighting. As for gray water, I'm willing to shower outdoors (within reason). Karen? I'm not so sure.

Let me start with specific questions we have so far . . .

We expect to run the fridge all the time. Our 2020 Globetrotter has an AC/DC refrigerator. It doesn't run on propane. As I understand it, the Norcold installed in the 2020 Globetrotter is a compressor unit, so it doesn't suffer the historical problems of high power consumption or needing to be level. What I don't understand it how much DC power it consumes.

So far, we have been mostly connected up to full hookups in RV camps. But when we have been traveling, towing the trailer with our Ford F-150, I've noticed that the battery has been drawing down--even while presumably being charged from the 7-pin power and the two solar panels on the roof.

For example, when we begin a day of driving, I see that the batteries are shown as 100% and the 13.3 volts. But after a couple of hours of driving, with full sun, they show 80% and 12.6. This doesn't seem right.

The only power I believe I have on is the fridge. I have disconnected all the USB ports and the electric water heater is off. All the lights are off, as are all the other switches I can think of.

What else should I be looking at, which could be draining the batteries? We expected the batteries would continue to be full while driving.

Meanwhile, I'm open to suggestions about how best to prepare for next summer. How can we maximize our future power and water boondocking potential? Within reason.

Again, I believe I've read the other threads on this subject. That said, feel free to point me to what I may have missed. I'm not asking anyone to cover old news.

Thanks.

Mike
I will try again. See

https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Release...NsaWNrPXRydWU=


This is a shurflo macerator pump. It hooks directly to your sewer outlet and is powered by 12 volts. I use a portable power source similar to

https://www.amazon.com/Duracell-Port...984351&sr=8-18

I got mine from Amazon but it has an AC capability too.

I spent 14 days at Yellowstone's Mammoth Campground. No showers and no dump station.

I used two ten gallon "blue boys" to transfer gray water to the flush toilets (no showers though). Blue boys come in all colors and several manufacturers but the originals were blue plastic.

https://www.amazon.com/Barker-31342-...6984666&sr=8-9

Put the blue boy (S) on the tailgate of your tow vehicle and pump gray water into them. (the macerator will pump uphill) Then take the macerator to the pit toilet/flush toilet/ or friendly tree, and pump it from your tailgate to the place where you feel comfortable dumping it.

I took showers every day in my 22 foot Airstream with a small gray water tank and moved the gray water 200 yards to their flush toilets and didn't lose a drop. The alternative was to take the water to a dump station outside of the park down a steep hill and dump it at an RV dump station for $15 a crack plus the time and effort to move the trailer ever other day;

This macerator can be used for black water too, but the gray water transfer is clean and painless.

Try it.
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Old 08-09-2020, 10:28 AM   #68
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Myrtle Point , OR
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 55
Quote:
Originally Posted by Janet H View Post
Gray water has always been the limiting factor for me. Living w/o a shower for a few days is not such an issue imo - you can sponge off but water in the kitchen sink is a bigger problem.

The single most useful item in my trailer is a wide mouthed but short-ish painters bucket that holds 6 quarts of water. It lives in the kitchen sink and is almost as wide as the sink basin. The bucket has a bail and we use it to catch wash water and ferry it out the door. While this isn't allowed in some places, in others it seems to be acceptable. The 6 quart delivery system is lower impact than opening your valves and the bail on the bucket makes handling the bucket easier than a dish pan.

You can use several gallons of water each day washing coffee cups and bowls and hauling it out the door extends your tank capacity a LOT.

IMO - these buckets should come as a stock item
We have a couple of Seattle Sports collapsible containers - one larger sink basin (5 gal.) and a smaller bucket (3 gal). I like that they are compact when stored.

https://www.seattlesportsco.com/camp...anization.html
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Old 11-25-2020, 02:06 PM   #69
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1976 Argosy 24
1961 28' Ambassador
1968 26' Overlander
Lakewood , Colorado
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 407
Hi, lot's of good advice so far...just finished up a complete redo of our '68 Overlander, made some big changes... Dometic CRX110 compressor fridge, light weight, under 36" tall, big enough for us. Measured with Victron BMV 712 3.2 amp draw when compressor running. Does make noise where propane is silent. Performance is good including altitude and hot weather. If interested could say more.
Solar, designed my own, 2X200 watt deployable for 20 amps max and ability to expand. Victron 100/30 charge controller and BMV712. 2X250 Ah 6v AGM. Runs everything we want as long as sun cooperates which it does 90% plus in Colo and the west. We do sometimes carry the old Coleman powermate 1850 but it's loud and smelly but dependable and cheap.
Water... we love our Berkey filter.
Heat... tried Wave 6 wasn't enough. New furnace draws 2.85 amps, kind of noisy.
Safe travels... Mark D
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