When the plumbing leaked in the RV the toilet also overflowed with water. I had read that the valve often breaks in newer Thetford toilets so I ordered the kit, watched a couple of YouTube videos and took the pedal off the old toilet to fix it.
Trying to fix the old Thetford toilet
The pedal was difficult to fit back on. It turned out the spring that opens the flap was misaligned and while I was working on the pedal it popped off. I looked up how to reattach it and that’s when I found that the plastic notch for the spring had worn off. That was impossible to fix. In retrospect I don’t think the valve was bad on the old toilet. I think the pedal slipped off the spring so it was not raising and shutting off the water flow. As I tried to reinstall the pedal the spring would not fit in the recess in the pedal. As I maneuvered it the spring popped off entirely. So I ordered a new toilet. We planned to go camping in a few days so I was in a hurry. I could not get one quickly on Amazon and the local Camping World was out of stock but one was available at a CW about 30 miles north of us. So I ordered it and drove up the next day. I had read good things about the Dometic 310 toilet. Mostly because it has a porcelain bowl and is still lightweight because it sits on a plastic pedestal. The porcelain is easier to clean, it doesn’t stain with age. The bowl wash is distributed under the rim so flushing is more complete. I was surprised to see that the round bowl is a bit smaller than the Thetford so it takes up less space.
New toilet set in place
The toilet included the bolts, caps and foam ring but I used the existing bolts. It fit over them exactly but the water supply hose connected at the back of the Thetford and to the right of the new Dometic. The hose was too short. So I cut another hole for the hose with a hole saw.
New hole for the toilet supply relocation
The best part about the smaller footprint is the extra floorspace between the door and the sink. I had the small bathroom heat duct removed to work under the drawer on the pex replacement. It has been replaced. The added floor space seems significant. The new toilet can use a regular toilet seat and it came with a wooden one.
Toilet has porcelain bowl
When finishing up the install I used the old nut covers because they were smaller and easier to fit on the old bolts. It is a nice upgrade even though it was not planned.
I installed a pressure tank next to the water pump in the wiring and plumbing bay under the bed. I had winterized the system before I did the installation when we returned from Arizona in March. When I was getting ready for my birthday camping trip in May I found out the pipe was leaking badly. The new winterizing bypass valve also had a bad crimp fitting. I had not de-winterized in time to find the leaks and even though I spent a couple of hours connecting the pipes without the tank the system was still leaking. We dumped all the fresh water and we had no running water in the RV that trip. Luckily our campsite was right across the road from a nice running water bathroom.
Towards the end of June I needed to get ready for our post July 4th camping trip. We have the older set of grandkids visiting and I wanted them to be in the mountains again while they are here. I reconnected the pressure tank and redid the crimp fittings for the winterizing connection and when I turned on the water one of the hoses just shot out water.
Leaking connection
I’m not sure if the hose was stretched at this point, the fitting was out of round, or if the crimp wasn’t tight enough but I could not stop this leak. Unfortunately the connection between this hose and the pex was back under some other equipment so I could not reach it to extend the pipe and eliminate the leaking hose.
Pex to hose connection
I shared this dilemma with a Class C RV support group and someone suggested I replace the whole pipe under the floor. Since I have plenty of pex that seemed like a good option. The pex from the equipment bay extended under the floor to the wiring, plumbing, and heating duct area below a large drawer on the kitchen side of the RV.
Before replacement
Access to the area required removing the drawer and reaching into a confined space to cut off the crimp fittings and replace the pipe. I bought a new tool that had both the crimping and a cutting function. Unfortunately it required the cutter to be perpendicular to the crimp ring so I could not remove them in place and had to cut out the entire tee fitting. Pulling out the old pex and inserting a new piece through the channel under the floor was not difficult. It slid right through.
New longer green pex pipe
However I thought it would be easier to replace the crimp fittings with sharkbite fittings. This did not prove to be true. I clicked on the fittings and tapped them with a hammer but they leaked profusely when I turned on the water pump.
Failed sharkbite connections
Then the real struggle was trying to remove the fittings. I could not get them to come off so I eventually just cut the pipe again to get them out. This effort resulted in several bruises and scrapes on my arms.
Once the sharkbite fittings were cut out. I had to figure out how to reconnect the pipes and tie them together with crimp fittings instead. The crimp fitting on the valve had to be pried off which took another battle with vice grips and a screwdriver and more battle scars on my arms. I disconnected the heating ducts to move them out of the way while I was working in the tight space.
Then the pex was a bit difficult to align with the tee fitting and the valve. I fitted all the pipe together before I started crimping.
Replacing sharkbites with crimp fittings
The new crimping tool had slightly shorter arms so it fit better in the confined space. I was able to get the crimper fixed over each ring and I used the sides of the cabinet to start the ratchet function to close the crimps. Holding everything together was difficult but slowly the crimps were made and the plumbing was fixed.
New crimped fittings
It was a minor miracle that none of the crimped fittings leaked. In the storage bay under the bed the sharkbite fitting worked fine to connect the output hose to the new pex. The other hose connected directly to the pump.
Hoses connect the pressure tank
We were able to have running water with no leaks in the RV during our July trip to the mountains. We had a few nice days but the last one rained and we got graupel when driving through Rocky Mountain National Park so the kids were ready to get home and we skipped the last night of camping.
After observing the cool outdoor shades John Avenson installed on the exterior of his passive solar wall, I wanted to add solar shades to the Trombe wall to prevent it from heating up in the summer. I priced automatic shades and came up with a pretty high total expenditure. Then I researched DIY. The tried and true DIY shade motors were Rollerhouse sold through Amazon. I researched the pulling strength of the motors and decided on 24v since the secondhand cracked solar panel on the front wall is 24v. I happened to have a Grape Solar 12/24 volt solar controller. I purchased two 12v 10ah deep cycle LiFePO4 batteries to power the shades. Each shade uses a very small amount of power-about 1 amp. The specifications allow for 12 lbs of lift and I weighed a full shade at about 5 lbs.
Rollerhouse 25mm 24 volt specifications
I have several bolts of vinyl from a Repurposed Materials auction. It seemed a shame not to use it to make my own shades. I cut approximately 9 ft of material and washed each piece of vinyl in the washing machine with cold water. Then it dried in the sun. I bought 1 1/4 inch galvanized conduit for the shades roller size I purchased. Actual internal size of the 1 1/4” conduit is about 1 1/2”. Then I cut the width of both the vinyl and the pipe to fit the block wall section.
Rollers mounted on cedar board
In order to attach the rollers to the underside of the overhang in front of the wall I bought 1×4 cedar boards and installed the shade hangers. Then I screwed the board to the overhang. The roller motor rubber grips had to be shaved a little to slip into the pipe. I attached the shade with 2 sided 3m tape and a layer of outdoor waterproof tape. The tricky part was being sure the shade was square on the pipe and square at the bottom. I used my industrial Sailrite sewing machine to stitch a small hem at the bottom. I used 1/2” aluminum or zinc rods slipped into the hem to weigh them down. But apparently there is a shortage of these rods. I bought three Home Depot had in stock and ordered one at ridiculous expense from Amazon. I thought I was getting three. Read the fine print don’t go by the pictured item.
Lining up the shade
The shades have to be programmed to the remotes that come with each shade. I wanted to control them all with one device so I also bought the 15 shade remote.
Shade remote receiver
After the initial pairing of the remote the top and bottom limits can be set. For one shade I could not get the top and bottom set. So I contacted support but they just suggested I reprogram from the start and do the erase remote signals three times to be sure it was a fresh start. I finally boxed it up and returned it as malfunctioning even though I had trimmed the rubber roller to fit the pipe. I ordered a replacement.
I assembled the west wall of shades and programmed them to rise and fall the right amount but one kept getting off track. So I removed it and re-squared the material on the pipe.
West wall shades
The batteries were working great but the solar controller seemed to have a broken load connection. I was not getting any power there. I temporarily tried another older controller and got power. So I looked up the problem and the manual indicated it could be a programming issue. I could not figure it out so I just used the battery connection instead. I lined the black battery box with styrofoam to keep the batteries cool and will cover it with white vinyl.
Batteries and temporary controller
As I wired the shades I realized that the bare wiring was not going to be sustainable. The connections needed to be waterproof. I ordered 1/2” flex conduit and waterproof electrical boxes to contain the wires.
Electrical boxes and conduit
The wiring is tiny. Maybe 20 gauge. I wired them in series because there was enough wiring to run from box to box. I have plenty of old 2 wire thermostat wire so I will use that to reach the Southeast wall.
Each time I work on these I make a huge tool mess on the kitchen table. Although after 4 of them I’ve streamlined the work a little bit more.
Kitchen table workbench
I have two more to assemble. The third panel on the Southeast wall is under the window so I don’t think I’ll use a shade there.
Of course May is crazy for everyone with it being the last month of the school year here. I also have a tradition of spending a weekend camping near my birthday. This year we did it the weekend before and we were lucky it was not snowing. We drove three hours to Lathrop State Park as I was told it had a beautiful lake. The lake was lovely but it was too cold to take out the boat. The kids enjoyed the lakeside playground. The family was with us one night but because of the rain the parents and Clementine went home Saturday. By Sunday afternoon it was dry again.
Beautiful campsite
I was pretty busy before we left so a few things were at the last minute. The bathroom door was stuck shut with a broken door handle that I removed and replaced with our used lever handles that I have not yet complete replacement of all the handles in the house but I have a lot of handles. The handles are meant for thicker doors so I had to shim it with a rubber washer. I also had to cut the edge to fit the strike plate and lower the jamb hole a little. Not a short job.
Replaced broken bathroom door handle
New handle
I also hung a customized clock. I saw an inexpensive clock at IKEA and could not resist cutting a Cricut vinyl project for the RV.
Getting ready for my birthday campout
But finding and repairing the electrical problem took the longest. On our February trip to Mesa we discovered our tv and cell signal booster 12v outlets were not getting power. I checked the fuses and that was not the problem. I checked power at the fuse box and it was good. Eventually I cut the wire that fed the outlets from the water tank compartment and that wire was dead. Since I could not isolate the wire connection to the fuse I added a fuse in the last slot on the panel and ran a new wire to the cut wire. I had completely disassembled the outlets and some of the connectors fell off when I pulled them so I had to redo several of them. And I needed to do a better job of crimping them.
Checkinge RV fuses
Fixed dead 12v outlets with new wire
The water was leaking profusely at the pump outlet and had to be redone. That meant removing the pressure tank I had installed but had not pressurized the system to see if there was a leak. With the time crunch the easiest thing was to remove it. Then I had to dig into my plumbing stash to redo the connections. It seemed that I had stopped the leak but when we were underway water was in the bathroom and hallway. It turned out the toilet valve that lets water into the toilet was stuck open. So we didn’t have running water for the weekend which was not so bad since our campsite was right across from the bathrooms.
Pressure tank
Leaking winterization valve
Of course the leaks were worse than I expected so it took awhile to fix them.
April is a busy month. Both our grandson Leonidas and his mom Haewon have birthdays and we prepped for an early 5th birthday party for Clementine and our 50th anniversary cruise to Alaska. Plus there were a couple of new projects on the RV and at home.
We were excited to see our grandson, Wolfgang, perform in a first grade musical. He was the boy who called Wolf in a series of three fables with acting and songs at the first grade program at Westwoods Elementary.
Wolfie as boy who cried wolf
Animated stage presence
Then we had the April birthdays. Leo wanted Monster Trucks for his third birthday party.
Leo prepares for his Monster Truck birthday
Dave and I prepped for his party. Dave made cardboard racing ramps and each child got a Monster Jam monster truck. I labeled paper party favor sacks with monster trucks and his birthday banner. Dave made trophies for the race winners. Eventually everyone won!
Party prep bags and trophies
Racing monster trucks
We hung monster truck wall stickers in the basement staircase. As an activity the kids ran through an obstacle course. They were supposed to be pretending they were monster trucks.
Hall of Monster trucks
Obstacle course station
Celebrating becoming 3.
The next April birthday was for his mom. We had a nice sushi dinner and cake afterwards.
Haiwon’s birthday sushi
Birthday cake!
Although Clementine’s birthday is in June she has a party a month early for her friends since she and her mom and siblings spend the summer in Korea. Clementine’s theme was Frozen as she wanted to be Elsa. So her mom bought her the formal Elsa costume and her great aunt Jean bought her a school and playtime Elsa costume and she loved both!
Clementine’s play Elsa dress for her party
Plates and napkins, banners and balloons, and hallway stickers were Frozen themed. I also used the cricut to make my first layered vinyl design.
Her parents were also Frozen! And the partygoers seemed to be happy even though Grandma and Grandpa (both sets!) we’re away on an Alaskan cruise.
A layered vinyl Elsa my first cricut color layer project
Clementine’s party
Preparation for the cruise just included laundry and packing and making our matching shirts for the big day.
We always have a wonderful time visiting our daughter’s family in Germany. This year they met us at the Frankfurt train station to tour a few German cities. We walked to our hotel in Frankfort and the next day we visited Goethe’s childhood home.
Goethe’s childhood library
I
The house and gardens were lovely and the family was obviously wealthy. Although they moved from this early home while Goethe was young. I’m always fascinated by the restored period kitchens. This one had an interesting fire place with an iron top. And there was a well under the house so a gravity pump was installed right in the kitchen.
Plate rack and cookstove
The finest antiques were original furnishings. This clock belonged to an uncle but it was the kind of thing that was fascinating and beautiful. The three faces indicated the position of the stars, the time, and the moon phase. An animated bear in the middle will lie down when the clock needs to be rewound. The very top dial showed the year and the date which is amazing all these years later!
Amazing clock belonged to an uncle
It was interesting to see the same families come up again as we visited Hamburg next. We took the train from Frankfurt to Hamburg.
Train station in Hamburg
Our first evening we went to see the Elbephilharmonie. It is a new building for the symphony that has an amazing top floor to view the city and the river.
Elbephilharmonie
Long escalator in Elbephilharmonie
We spent over an hour up on the top just enjoying the view and waiting for sunset over the water. It was worth the wait!
Rob and Clare at sunset
Sunset from viewing deck Elbephilharmonie
We walked around Hamburg viewing the beautiful city. We all liked Hamburg and it is the city that Clare’s employment has been based so she visits often even though she works from home.
Clare’s former office
Clare’s current office
We experienced a lot of Hamburg in a short time. We were within walking distance to the City Hall and the large square it is located on. And we saw it from the pinnacle of the bombed church building.
Rathaus Hamburg
Hamburg plaza
As part of the public transportation system, we took a relaxing ferry ride down and back up the Elbe, viewing towns and industry along the harbor way.
Clare admires the view
Picturesque river town
St. Nicholi church was bombed during WWII. Only the tower remained and it has been preserved as a memorial to all those who died in the bombing. The lower level also survived and it has been converted to a museum commemorating the tragedy of war.
St Nicholai Church tower and ruins
Bells of St. Nicholai
The museum was a tribute to the losses of the bombing and also recreated the church wine cellar.
Confetti dropped to confuse radar
Wine pressing and storage
We also visited the Lutheran Church of St. Michael which was all white inside and found a quaint alley with a bookstore that sold the famous children’s book Struwellpeter about difficult children written in early 1800’s that was re-written as a parody of the bad Adolf Hitler. We bought a translation by Mark Twain and Rob found one written in Korean for the Dibble grandkids.
White rounded Lutheran church.
Struwwelpeter rewritten to mock Hitler
We took the train back to Aachen to stop at home for Easter. Rob prepared his traditional hot cross buns for Easter.
Rob’s hot cross buns
The next day we took the train to Bonn to visit Beethovan’s birthplace home. It was another lovely house with loads of Beethoven memorabilia. As his hearing declined he tried every medical intervention they had at the time, even shock treatments, but none were successful. There was an assortment of the ear trumpets he had to amplify tone. And a recording of what tones he had lost so what the fifth symphony sounded like to him. Writing that was an amazing accomplishment.
Favorite portrait of Beethoven holding music
Ear Trumpets
We walked to see the streets covered in cherry trees. The blossoms were just beginning to emerge but they were pretty. There was some shopping to be done which meant patient hanging out by some
Cherry blossoms
Enjoying a sit down
We woke on Easter morning to a bonanza of treats from the Easter bunny and the bakery. And of course a large feast was prepared for the family. Alice did the beer pours of good German beer to accompany our meal.
Easter morning treats
Easter Dinner
One last evening at the fire pit with the family having snacks and enjoying the fire. The next day we hiked in the nearby forest and were jealous of their early spring. We would return to Denver with still more snowy days before the green started showing.
I wanted to sew a “designer dress” for my 12 year old granddaughter’s birthday. Spoonflower sells specially designed material in hundreds of patterns that are printed on a variety of materials. I successfully bought Spoonflower organic cotton material and sewed a butterfly patterned dress for my daughter-in-law’s rehearsal dinner and it fit her well.
Rehearsal dress (unhemmed)
I had my granddaughter also pick a material design for her dress and she picked a bold diamond pattern.
Bold material
For comfort and flow I bought her material in polyester jersey knit. I also bought a white jersey lining material at JoAnne Fabrics in polyester that had a similar stretch. I lined the entire dress with this white material and it seemed to brighten the dress.
White jersey lining
Before I cut and sewed the red and black dress I decided to sew a sample dress for sizing. My daughter’s family lives in Germany so I had to have them measure my granddaughter. They did a good job except when it came to the neck to waist measurement. I had a striped jersey knit from the early 70’s that I never used. Since what goes around comes around again, it looked as bold as some of today’s materials. I had enough for a sample dress but not quite enough to make the skirt full and gathered so I bought another pattern for a flared skirt.
Flare skirt pattern
I have learned to trace patterns onto interfacing so that the tissue paper pattern does not get ruined especially if alterations are required.
Sample dress cutout
I needed to practice sewing jersey with my Singer 9966 machine and bought special ball point needles for the work. It turned out that these needles dulled quickly and when the material began to catch in the feed plate I knew I had to throw out the needle and replace it. I decided to sew a winter style with long sleeves and a cowl neck that was not part of the pattern. Sewing the collar horizontally gave the dress some dimension with the sash the pattern called for.
Designing a cowl collar
I purchased the mannequin for the wedding rehearsal dress and it’s a great addition to my sewing tools. Setting it up for body measurements is relatively easy despite the multiple adjustment wheels. The one problem with the neck to waist measurement they sent was that it was way too long. So I cut to the pattern waistline instead. When they visited at Christmas the waist was still too long so I measured again and was able to shorten the waist to fit.
Long waisted dress
Altered dress
The next step was tackling the new expensive material. With the bold pattern it was important to match the diamonds. I also chose to make this skirt very full like the rehearsal dress.
Matching the pattern
But she wanted a v neck which made sense with the material so I bought another pattern so the neck would be properly proportioned. Fortunately some patterns are sold at less than retail on EBay and Amazon.
V neck pattern
Unfortunately I failed to take into account the dart for the bust so I made the first bodice about an inch too short.
First bodice too short
It was obvious on the model after I had stitched it together so I cut a longer bodice. But while I was sewing it I blindly followed the pattern steps and mistakenly sewed sleeveless seams into it. She wanted short sleeves! Luckily I had barely enough material and lining to cut and sew a third bodice. When the bodice was complete I gathered and basted the skirt and sewed it to the bodice. The first try had uneven gathers on the right.
Sewing the gathered waist
I decided I could not live with it so I ripped out the seam and sewed the waist again. I used bias tape to cover the multiple layers of material in the waist.
Uneven gathers in front
Belted finished dress with repaired gathers
This full skirt would be difficult and time consuming to hem by hand. I hemmed the butterfly dress by hand but it was an easier material to work with. For this dress I hemmed both the lining skirt and the outer skirt by machine. That made the stitches very even.
Machine stitched hem
We visited Germany for spring break at Easter so I brought out both dresses. Alice tried them on but did not remove her pants!
Trying on the striped dress
The altered waist now fit her.
Despite the addition of an invisible zipper in back of the dress, she was able to get the stretch jersey over her upper body without opening it.
Invisible zipper
And the dress she wanted fit her! She even twirled in the wide skirt.
Trying on the bold patterned dress
The big question is after I spent the better part of two months sewing these dresses and the expensive Spoonflower material ($120) and other supplies, will she ever wear either dress? I hope so!
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RV trips seem to require a lot of accessories. Or at least most RVers love accessories. We recently went on one such trip where I’ve noticed the use of the RV cubbies and shelves had become a matter of interest to RV groups on the internet. So I decided to inventory ours. I started with storage ideas as soon as we purchased the newer 2018 Minnie Winnie 25b in March of 2021.
It’s been two years and our RV is kept mostly packed up and ready for the next trip. Of course we pack new food and appropriate clothing for each trip. We use the cabinet over the rear bed for our clothes, usually in duffle bags.
Clothes duffles in cabinet over the bed
Many of the first space arrangements we made for the RV are still the same. The bathroom is unchanged except for under the sink which is usually now a space for a hamper or a small extra electric heater.
Each trip is a little different depending on the season. We left in mid February again this year and we finally realized why some people have heated water hoses. I have added one to our supplies hoping to leave more often in winter.
The items in the large storage area also change depending on the trip. This time we packed a new “clam” type of screen shelter that one person can put up and 4 foldable camp chairs plus the outdoor mat. In the summer we would also bring the inflatable boat and it’s floor if camping near a lake and life jackets. With the grandkids along we bring more chairs. We store camping stuff in an outdoor shed so we can vary the equipment.
RV setup with popup shelter
We also brought the gas fire ring for chilly nights, the 5 lb aluminum propane gas tank and a roll up metal camp table. We had the grill and an armful of commercial firewood but didn’t use them. I carry fire starter sticks and packing paper rolled into mini-logs too.
Gas fire ring, chairs and table
I have a small electric battery heating pad to protect the water pump on cold nights and it stays in the water and solar bay and of course the small dryer is in the rear storage area too.
Washing clothes in the RV
The large inside closet holds the washing machine. I think it is very much worth the storage space it uses. I have a rimmed baking tray with a silicone liner under the machine to catch drips and keep the machine stable. I hung a shoe storage bag for a closet over the hanger bar and it holds our cleaning supplies. We don’t usually take an iron. That was for our son’s wedding but I use the rack to hold the washer supply and drain hoses.
Kitchen items take up most of our midcabin food preparation space. The pull out pantry has been particularly useful for trip food.
Filled slide out pantry shelves
Next to the pantry is the refrigerator and freezer stocked with fresh food and drinks. And across from them is the laundry closet and two large kitchen drawers. Our pots and pans include a small 12v crockpot, a stainless saucepan, a larger stainless pot used for pasta, a stainless bowl, a cast iron skillet and an old aluminum double boiler that can be used on campfire grills. The extra aluminum drip pan liners and the pan for our Weber 100 grill are also in this drawer. The narrow drawer has pantry items like salt and sugar in a jar and spices. Food storage bags and foil, instant coffee and cocoa packages, tea and coffee filters.
Kitchen drawer pots and pans
Kitchen drawer with staples and storage bags
Over the kitchen sink there is an extra shelf that we bolted to the above cabinet and screwed to the sides and back. We substituted a small air fryer for the toaster that was on one side. The other side still holds our coffee pot and coffee. The dishes and other small appliances like a blender and coffee grinder are in the cabinet over the sink. I use our old camping dishes which are lexan plastic and hard to find these days. I have a lexan coffee press and a hand grinder just in case we need them while boondocking, plus a few extra plastic bowls and crushable silicone bowl and strainers. We carry several water bottles for hiking.
Over the sink shelves with air fryer and coffee pot
Dishes and some small appliances over sink
The stove gained a lid early in our ownership but we also added a large cutting board for extra counter top use. While underway we usually have to move the cutting board to the floor or it flies off the stove.
There is a small shelf over the microwave that we use for fruit and extra food storage containers. Tension rods for the cabinet shelves are essential. Our RV sways too much to keep untethered stuff on the shelves.
Small storage area over microwave
Two small drawers beside the sink hold utensils and the important expanding marshmallow roasting sticks. The bottom drawer holds standard kitchenware, a can opener, potato peeler, ice cream scoop, silicone serving spoon and spatula, pancake flipper and large tongs, an extra sharp knife and a couple of fire starters. We also lay the potholders on top of the kitchenware.
Cooking utensils
Lexan-ware and Silverware
It seems we have a large amount of just in case items in our forward living/dining storage areas. Two cabinets over the dining table hold two sets of small drawers. One has stationery items, scissors, pens, pencils, a note pad etc. Also a small screwdriver. Another drawer has batteries and electrical stuff like the multimeter. A drawer for fuses and extra led light panels. Another for 3m tabs and rv goop and glue. One has extra child protectors and magnets for the doors though we have not had one swing open wildly in a long time. Even though these are loosely organized I generally have to take them out one at a time to find what I need. The other side has the propane coffee pot which we seldom use unless we have a crowd. Same story with the spotting scope. But we keep it in the RV. All of the smaller boxes with DVDs and our small portable dvd player/viewer are on the left. The 12v fan, a battery powered tent fan/light, a rechargeable bug zapper, and several small led lanterns.
Right cabinet over table
Left cabinet over table
Over the couch we use plastic shoe bins in the corners. There are two on the left and six on the right. The left ones are buried so we only have spare solar plugs and other not very necessary items. In front of those is a magazine holder for a light extension cord. Next are two long narrow bins for linens. One has extra beach towels and the other extra sheets and pillow cases.There is a large bin of other stuff too. I know the air pumps are in there, the binoculars and the nylon kites. we have an extra water bladder for hiking and a folding nylon backpack. Then we have a thick Winnebago paperwork organizer that is practically full of all the product manuals and an extra general rv repair book. The six shoe size boxes on the right are also organized. One holds a few plumbing parts especially sharkbite caps just in case, one has generator parts, one has 12v wiring, like extra plugs and a 12v extension cord. The easiest one to grab has art supplies for the kids.
Cabinet over jackknife sofa
Winnebago and add ons manuals and service receipts
I keep the water hoses under the couch and a bin for extra drink cans and bulky food items. And it seems to be the best place for the heavy metal toolbox.
Under bench storage with lift cover
Under couch storage bin and tool box.
There are two large bins under the benches. On the left I have a set of foldable Coleman aluminum tables and a Coleman expandable grill table on the bottom. Then the small canister vacuum I’ve had for years and the tool bags for a hammer drill and an impact wrench. A separate socket set for small sockets and a variable battery charger. I also have a small toolbox filled with bungee cords as they are often needed on the road. In the right side bin the inverter is installed very close to the batteries in the step. We took the Mr. Buddy propane heater though it wasn’t needed. We carry a Senco air compressor and hoses and a lithium battery box that we mostly use for the trolling motor.
Under bench tools and tables
Under bench inverter, compressor, heater, and battery box
I needed to find a spot for the toaster. It has a very short cord. So getting it close enough to the outlet over the dinette table was a challenge. I installed a narrow shoe stand between the table and the window valence. It has adjustable legs so I tightened it and it does not rattle. I had to cut part of the top of it off and I put cork pieces on the raw metal ends. It would have to be removed to fold the dinette into a bed but we don’t do that often.
Newest shelving unit on table
The toaster is on the top shelf with some styrofoam and small bungees to help keep it attached, the King WiFi extender is on the next shelf and I have a small bin with miscellaneous napkins and other small items like chapstick that clutter our space. And there is room for a box of Kleenex. Finally the doorway is home to a couple of file folder racks that we thought we would use for our shoes. But instead we have hats and slippers and flashlights an sunscreen there. The grandkids can fit their shoes in the lower bins. We keep our extra shoes in a bin that turns into a bench under the refrigerator. Our current pair gets kicked into the step well.
Hats, slippers, canvas grocery bags etc
The bin over the door holds coloring books, loose paper, and umbrellas plus fly swatters and chargers. I have an extra can of butane up there too. There is a file folder bin to keep stuff from falling out.
Over the door shelf
We don’t use the overcab bed for storage except in the winter when our sheets and pillows and blankets are stored in plastic shrink bags. I do carry the inside and outside front windshield shades up there and I set up a small storage area for personal items under the TV. The corner shelf is screwed to the wall and the large mattress fits under it. The 3” memory foam futon mattress that we make up for sleeping up there is shorter than the cushion so I use the small dividers to help keep the mattress in place.
Corner shelf installed horizontally
I have some small storage boxes between the shelves to drop in a wallet or keys or hold small toys for the kids. The loft ladder is stored on the other side of the bed. That’s the approximate list of stuff we carry in the RV.
We like to visit our son in Arizona at least once a year. Last year was exciting because he and his fiancée got married at a beautiful outdoor wedding in late February. This year we are visiting again in February. We left home during balmy winter temperatures in the 50’s but drove all day to escape the approaching snowstorm. When we finally arrived in Bernadillo, New Mexico we were a day early so paid for two nights. There we found that the 12 volt water pump connected to the indoor water tank was not working. It tried to pump but just ran with no water going through.
Shurflo 4008 water pump
The pump is known to have a problem with water flow when the internal check valve freezes so I disconnected it to see if it could be fixed.
DC power connection
The pump was held to the floor by 4 screws and connected to DC with a wiring clip so it was easy to remove.
Pump removed
Once it was out I watched a video describing the repair. There were eight screws that held the pump together.
Removed casing screws
It would have been easier to hold the pump to remove the screws with the filter taken off. But I didn’t realize that until I got into the disassembly.
Removed the filter attachment
The pump had three layers inside: the cover, the diaphragm and the casing.
Separating pump
Internal pump
Pump diaphragm
As expected the check valve inside was stuck. But unlike the video I could not get the inner part loose. I removed the screws that held the part and popped off the check valve but I was unable to get the pieces apart.
Stuck check valve
I pounded on the inner part with a screwdriver and hammer and I found a plastic knob that fit so that I could distribute the force evenly to the inner part and hammered on that but it would not budge.
I even soaked the part in Pepsi hoping that the acid would dissolve whatever was holding it together but even that did not work.
Soaking check valve in Pepsi
We drove to Albuquerque to buy a new pump so we didn’t spend the second night at Bernadillo after all. We would be going in the wrong direction away from our route so we might as well keep on driving from Albuquerque. Instead we stopped at Caballo Lake near Las Cruces, New Mexico where I installed the new pump. I had to clip the old pump wires and connecting clip to install on the new pump. Fortunately Amazon carried the check valve for the 4008 pump for only $15. So I had it sent to my son’s house and I will be able to repair it and have a spare pump.
When I realized the boiler’s condensate filter was gunked up it was reasonable to clean it out and replace the filter medium. I was mistaken to believe the filter used plain limestone. When it came as a powder I had to return it and order the brand name filler from Supplyhouse.
Dirty filter
The condensate had disintegrated the medium and clogged the drain. It was very black and the plastic filter needed scrubbing. I didn’t scrub the pipe but ran hot water and dish soap through it.
Dumping the old medium
The original stuff was stone-like but the new improved stuff is round balls.
Cleaned filter ready for new medium
The old medium was very old. I had never changed it since it was installed about 10 years ago. The new stuff said it should be changed yearly. I tested the ph of the draining condensate in the pail and it was not very acidic. About 6-7 on the scale. That is almost neutral. So that is probably why it lasted as long as it did. It is meant to keep acidic water out of the drains. I have it draining into the sump hole that is sealed from radon gas intrusion. I never have to pump it out. It gets absorbed by the soil.
New medium loaded
I don’t think I’ll have to replace it every year but I better keep an eye on it. Don’t want a clog to back CO gas into the house. I’ll watch for the media turning black again. It is tucked behind the other boiler pipes so I need to pay better attention.
Filter back in drain line
Nice to know our CO alarms are working well though.
We woke up after a below zero night to the carbon monoxide alarms in the morning. Even though it was below zero I turned off the boiler function and opened the back door to let in fresh air. The alarms turned off. We were able to keep the hot water function on without the carbon monoxide leak. Last time this happened I was able to clean out the condensate trap and lower the water pressure and the problem went away for a couple of weeks. That was a spell of below zero weather too. So there seems to be an issue only when the boiler is running close to capacity. Sometime this season the fan began to whine when the boiler was running to provide heat. So my guess was that the fan is not operating fully to keep up with the exhaust that is created. We checked the flue and that is not blocked and I checked the power to the fan and that was correct. But when I turned the boiler on the #5 error flashed.
Boiler Error #5
This error says the condensate is blocked or the gas pressure is not correct. Since I got it after I cleaned out the condensate trap again and since the gas pressure has no other issues in the house I was even more convinced it was the fan. I spent a lot of the day trying to decide whether to replace the fan or the entire boiler. The fan costs over $500. The existing boiler cost about $2800 in 11/2012 but I didn’t install it until about 3/2013. I have read that a condensing gas boiler has a service life of about 7-10 years. So we may be close to the end of this one’s operating years. But we don’t run it very hard with the lovely passive solar windows and Trombe wall.
Operating with cover off
Of course I want the latest clean energy and efficiency for a replacement. I first researched cold weather hydronic heat pumps. The newest technology uses carbon dioxide as the refrigerant. Trane Mitsubishi released a combi CO2 version last year but it is labeled commercial and the smallest version is 150,000 btu. I can’t tell if it is sold anywhere. I could buy a SanCO2 hot water heater from ECO2 in Michigan that uses CO2 for about $5500. It has a 40 gallon tank with a air to hydronic heat pump hot water heater that can deliver 69 gallons of 145° water in the first hour. But it is rated at 15,000 btu/hr which is pretty undersized for a boiler. Even if I could figure out the heat exchange piping.
SunCO2 heat pump hot water system.
My conclusion was that the air to hydronic technology would have to use R410 refrigerant. I didn’t find much that didn’t need an electric heat strip for really cold weather. And these heat pumps don’t operate well for temporary loads. Despite the problems with gas pollution I’m reluctant to switch to electric heat. Maybe I need to do more research.
In the meantime I could purchase one of several other small combi gas boiler/water heaters. There is a Rheem at Home Depot but it is twice the depth of our current Triangle Tube which is no longer made. There are models by Noritz, Weil-MacLain, Lochinvar, and Bosch, Rinaii, and Laars. All available from Supplyhouse where I bought the Challenger. They are all at least 95% efficient.
The Bosch 4000 is 82,000 btu for heat and 150,000 btu for hot water for 4 g/m at 67° rise. Has internal primary pump. The box is 18.1“ x 27.6” x 11.6“. The Bosch Greenstar 100 is 83,000 btu/hr and 2.6 g/m and advertises 96% efficient up to 98% for low fire although its still rated 95%. About 17“ x 33” x 14”. The Weil-McClain AB-120 delivers 111,000 btu/hr and 3 gal per minute at 70° rise in temperature. With an internal primary pump, it’s box is x 16.54”x 27.56”x 12.60”. Laars FT is 129,000 btu/hr and 3.2 g/m at 70° rise. Probably too much heat for us, it’s 17 3/8”x 29” x 15 1/2”. Lochinvar Noble is 102,000 btu/hr and has two pumps. Delivers 2.6 g/m at 77° rise. It’s big at 17 1/4” x 32.5” x 18”. Another option is the Noritz 180, 100,000 btu/hr and 4.9 g/m at 70° rise. 18.5”x 27” x 12.8” There are several Viessman and Rinaii models on back order or out if stock too. The Rheem at Home Depot is the cheapest at $1800. Rated at 100,000 btu and 4.6 g/m at 70° rise. No internal pump and 17.3”x 28.7”x 14.8”.
Bosch Greenstar Internal Diagram
The models I’m considering in order of cost are the Rheem, Noritz, Weil-McClain, Bosch 4000 and Bosch Greenstar 100. Our current boiler is 17 1/4” x 25” x 9 3/8”. It is the CC105 model rated at 92,000 btu at 94% efficiency. Hot water production is about 2.7 g/m at 70° rise. It has always been large enough for our use. I’m concerned about the larger boxes. Although it appears most of these eliminate my primary loop and pump with an internal pump. If I just replace the fan I can put off this decision with so many variables.
But wait! I was saved from making this decision by realizing it was the condensate neutralizer filter that was clogged! I disconnected the drain hose and used a bucket to collect the condensate. Although it was not below zero the boiler did not release CO while running. I tested it with an electronic gas detector. I was surprised by how much condensate drained from the heater. The bucket filled to the pipe in just two days during colder weather.
Condensate bucket
I ordered new filter media from Supplyhouse. I added another project to get the free shipping. I need to isolate the fireplace boiler from the gas boiler because I found that with the gas boiler off the warm water did not circulate through the primary loop and I didn’t have this emergency source of radiant heat although the ambient heat still helped.
Fireplace boiler for temporary hot water heat
Maybe by the time we actually need a replacement for the Triangle Tube Challenger Combi boiler there will be better heat pump options on the market.
Even before I gave up on the old dishwasher I started shopping for a replacement. I was even considering a drawer dishwasher like the one I once installed for my son and his wife in California. The kitchen counter we have is shallow because the rear is connected with logs. It only has about 18” of clear space in front of the logs and only 12” of clearance between the two horizontal rear logs. There is not enough room to install a 24” deep dishwasher unless I cut into a support log. Plus I would have to build the cabinet around it. I liked that this model is energy efficient at only 151 kWh a year and very quiet at 45db but the 7 place setting space could have been too small for us since we are used to two layers. The cost was $900 and the install seemed too difficult. Our broken SPT was an 18” portable that I had altered to connect directly to water and drain. We bought it used in 2014. A replacement SPT in stainless had a little better Energy Star estimate than our old one at 265 kWh a year vs 295 kWh a year. But it cost just over $700. I did not have the option of waiting for a Craigslist bargain either. I almost ordered a GE portable for about $70 less until I realized it was too tall to fit under our counter. The built in units would fit better, were more reasonably priced and had a wider selection. But they had insulation over the top and sides requiring a cabinet of some kind. Unlike the others though the Avanti had enclosed sides. It had a little better Energy Star rating than a couple of the others at 250 kWh vs 265 kWh and a sound rating of 53db just one db less. But it cost $150 less and I would not have to void the warranty by cutting off the portable hose. Plus it was less than 33” tall and would fit under the counter.
Avanti with sides but no top
The dishwasher did not have easily adjustable legs so I decided to mount it on a small platform. I had an old cabinet door that was just the right height with the oak veneer shelf from the tv cabinet as a top. These gave a nice tight fit under the cabinet to stay level and not rock while running.
Old cabinet door underneath
Old tv cabinet shelf
The install was practically the same except the supply hose was the size of a washing machine hose which I had on hand. That replaced the sharkbite and pex connections from the water softener. I got the new dishwasher installed the day before we left for a winter vacation in Florida visiting my brother and his wife.
New 18” built in dishwasher
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I ordered a new pump and it was not the right fit but it had the same type of magnetic motor. The motor on the original pump slipped right off but the new one was enclosed in plastic. So I cut off the motor. Then slipped it on the old housing and it worked!
Removing the motor
New motor on old pump
Then I put the machine back together. A rinse cycle with the new pump showed the repair worked.
Reassembled with new clamps
Unfortunately water leaked heavily from under the machine. I took off the bottom again and tightened all the new clamps and made sure the original pump was tight. The problem seemed to be the sump assembly. The machine leaked water if I just poured it into the sump area. So I ordered a new sump gasket which was a Danby part but hard to find. Shipping cost more than the part.
Leaking dishwasher
In the meantime I put it back together again and tried to run it again. It seemed the leak was better at least. But it would not run. Instead the dreaded flashing 888 indicated something was wrong with the control board. It could just have been a fuse but it could mean more expensive parts with no guarantee it would be fixed.
We came home from vacation to no heat. The boiler was firing but the Grundflos secondary pump was not running to distribute it through the radiant pipes. The first thing I did was turn off the heat function of the boiler so it would not overheat the primary pump. I had changed the wiring for the pumps several times. I tried wiring both the primary and secondary pumps to come on separately, but I had pressure issues and I burned out the secondary Taco 011 pump so I wired them in series for the valve controller to turn them both on at once. When I replaced the Taco with the Grundflos pump they were wired separately again. The final wiring that seemed to work was to install an outlet that only came on when the valve controller called for heat. That separated the wiring for the pumps and connected the secondary pump to its own electrical box.
When I saw the pump was not displaying information and it did not respond to pressing buttons, I assumed it was burned out. I tested the outlet and saw there was power so I was set to order a replacement when I decided to plug it in another outlet. It came right on. So the pump was fine but the outlet was having a problem. One side was dead but the other was OK. I plugged the pump back in but the outlet gave a pop and blew the circuit. I was too tired to investigate further so we had no heat overnight. Luckily we are solar heated so our inside temperature stayed comfortable.
It was cloudy and cold the next day so the house was getting chilly. I let the pump run since the pipes were warm but the valve controller is connected to the blown circuit and I could not just disconnect the wiring to turn it back on. The boiler was not getting a call for heat from the non-functioning zone controller. So I opened the outlet box and looked for the problem.
Shorted ground wire in box
It was obvious that the ground wire had shorted! There was too much ground wire in the box and it was a piece of old wire I had reused so the ground was not insulated. I solved the problem by cutting the ground shorter and not grounding it to the box. The shorter wire was pushed to the rear of the box. I’m not sure why the wiring was loose enough for the outlet to move and touch the wire. But it obviously happened especially when I blew the circuit by pushing on the outlet with the pump plug.
Once I got the wiring properly out of the way I reinstalled the outlet and reconnected it to the valve controller. The first time one of the white wires was loose on the valve controller and I was getting only 54 volts at the outlet. I switched off the breaker again and found the loose wire. Finally when I reconnected that wire and reset the circuit the power to the valve controller was restored. The boiler was getting a signal when there was a call for heat. I plugged in the Grundfos pump and everything worked again. We had the house nice and toasty in a couple of hours.
We took a trip to our grandson’s birthday celebration at Wolf Lodge in Colorado Springs. The place was fully booked. I found out they have 300 rooms! We were in one of 42 suites with kid cabin a darling section of the room with bunk bed cots for the kids with their own TV. They loved it. We really enjoyed the swim park. Their favorite activity was swimming underwater! (And the slides of course) They are fish! We all had a great time.
My underwater granddaughter
We went from the first to the third of January and came home to a broken dishwasher and the secondary boiler pump not working. The dishwasher had an E1 error code but even though the manual says it means not enough water flow it is one of only two possible error codes so can mean anything. At first I assumed it was the water inlet valve again. So I just ordered one without looking at the machine. But no it was letting water in, just not pumping it out. I tried the rinse cycle without the food filter in case that was blocking it but the water stayed in the bottom after the motor ran to pump water out with no success and the E1 code displayed. The first troubleshooting step for draining problems was to check that the drain pipe was not clogged. Of course having modified the dishwasher from portable to installed I had several pipes to disconnect to check it. Naturally the drains I put together in the utility room for the dishwasher, the flush water from the water treatment and the utility sink are complex. I used a couple of dishwasher drain pipes one on each side of the main pipe and the trap for the utility sink also drains plus there is an air admittance valve and an air gap for the dishwasher drain.
Complicated drain
Air gap for dishwasher
I tried separating the pipes behind the utility sink but nothing budged. I had to disconnect the sink and move it out of the way enough to step behind it. Then I had to cut off the pipe and reconnect it after draining it. The entire system is held up by the tub drain and air gap so it all fell apart and I had to reconnect all of them. They are put together with screw-on compression waste fittings. Getting the pipes apart and reconnecting them just to find they were not clogged was difficult. Of course I ended up with dirty trap water in my face too. At least the hot water heater was working for my shower!
Utility sink
Obviously the next step was to replace the drain pump. I saw that I could order a new one quite cheaply so the next day I disconnected the dishwasher and took off the rear panel. Then we turned it upside down. It was too heavy to do it by myself so Dave helped. A bottom cover was held on by four small screws and it came off easily. I had to remove the pump to match it to the new order.
I watched a few you tube videos. One that specifically covered the SPT dishwasher. Although it was labeled pump removal it was actually showing the removal of the motor. I figured that out after I found the pump on ours. Another helpful resource was a repair manual for Frigidaire portable dishwashers. The Frigidaire has more error codes and even a service mode to help troubleshoot. But I found the information about the layout of parts and replacing the pump very helpful.
Description of Dishwasher parts
Remove dishwasher pump
In our dishwasher the parts were laid out a bit differently but basically were the same.
SPT dishwasher parts
I noted the power connections with a photo. Then took off the motor to the pump. I wanted to be sure they were reconnected properly.
Black pump with white motor
Power connections to the pump motor
The motor was connected with two plastic clamps so it was easy to remove. The pump was connected with two bolts and I had trouble figuring that out. After seeing the video of the motor removal I went ahead and disconnected the clamps that held the sump with the pump connected to it. After removing the hoses and an electrical connection, the sump twisted off. I figured it was a good thing to check to see how it operated with the drain filters which were already removed from the inside. After I removed the sump it was easy to get to the bolt underneath the pump and disconnect it.
Sump removed
I could not find the exact pump of course. The dishwasher is old enough that the pump has been replaced with newer models. So I had to measure it to find the closest match I could on Amazon. Fortunately there is a great deal of description for these pumps. I was not able to find a .5 amp pump though so the closest in size was a .8 amp pump. I’m going to assume that it will work until I find out differently.
Removed dishwasher pump
Replacement dishwasher pump
Until the pump arrives in a couple of days, the dishwasher sits upside down in the kitchen and all dishes have to be washed by hand.
We were jarred awake by our carbon monoxide alarms when the temperature was eighteen below zero. We immediately opened a living room and back hall door and let fresh air flow. We tried leaving the boiler on but when the alarm went off again I turned off the boiler completely. Of course our house is so warm the loss of the boiler was not too impactful. Even opening the doors did not reduce the inside temperature by much. That is the benefit of solar and lots of thermal mass. I learned another advantage to the combination water heater and boiler. The boiler on the Challenger can easily be set to be off while the water heater is still on. Later in the day I set it to domestic hot water only. The water heater did not leak carbon monoxide. I tested the boiler with a gas sensor that I have for the RV.
I inspected the boiler later in the day and realized the condensate drain was pretty dirty. The troubleshooting chart said to be sure the exhaust and the exhaust fans were working which seemed to be the case. The boiler fan is making a whining noise when the boiler temperature is very high. The modulating temperature setting will react to really cold weather by heating the water more. I changed the top water temperature to 170 degrees from the default 186. The default water heater temperature is 140 degrees but the pump stops running at 120 degrees plus we have a whole house temperature regulator.
When I removed the boiler cover which only requires removing two screws, I cleaned the inside of the boiler and blew on the fan motor, then disassembled the condensate pan and cleaned it thoroughly and reinstalled the pan. This is the process that I go through when starting the boiler each winter. But apparently the condensate had built up more char than previous years. I unplugged the fan motor and ensured that it was getting appropriate power too.
When I put it back together there was an E5 error message. The error chart says to check the condensate vent and gas valve. I had just cleaned the condensate drain and tested to be sure the drain pipe was clear. So that error confused me and I did a lot of online research regarding malfunctions and fixes. These were all copied from internet help sites.
Triangle Tube Challenger Troubleshooting
Blower replacement check power inputs 120v and 20-32 v Dc. Blue and red wires to check DC, Black and white for 120v.
Check flue back pressure switch
The unit was failing because it wasn’t getting spark, (you should see spark thru the flame window or you can hear it clicking) It would spark properly when the boiler was cool, but after warm up it failed to provide spark and would display error # 4, let it cool off and it would spark as it should. This is why the boiler would seem to work well on low demand days in the beginning of the season, but would fail during high demand days. Changed the ignition transformer assembly #CCRKIT28 (which provides the spark) unit seems to be fine.
E-04 Failure to Ignite After Five Trials?
This will break down into three categories. 1) Is there fire occurring, but not proving? 2) Is the unit not producing fire at all? 3) Fire is established but after a short time (30 seconds)
If we are producing fire but not proving, this is a condition of lacking ground or a defective flame signal. The unit MUST have a dedicated power supply from the incoming distribution electrical panel, with a full sized uninterrupted ground. Be sure to remove the igniter and clean it. If more than 2 years old it would be prudent to replace it. Also check the condition of the orange ignition wire, make sure it has good connections on both the igniter and the ignition transformer. Insure that the wire is not touching any metal. The flame signal is determined by the ignition transformer. Since we cannot establish a flame, we cannot read the flame signal; therefore check the ignition transformer once again being sure of the condition of the connector on the wires.
If we are not producing any flame, then we are missing one of the three ingredients needed for fire. Ignition, Fuel, and Oxygen. We will attach our manometer to the inlet port on the gas valve; we should have Approximately 6” of pressure for Nat. gas, Approximately 11” for L.P. We should be able to see the spark generated when the unit goes into ignition through the inspection mirror attached to the left side of the heat exchanger. It is normally very visible. Removing the exhaust pipe from the condensate pan to increase the airflow from the blower. If we ignite then, we are restricted either in the exhaust pipe, or in the heat exchanger. Examine the exhaust pipe and remove the plate from the aluminum block and examine the flue ways for cleanliness. During the testing with the exhaust pipe there should be a strong order of gas coming from the outlet, if not, with the unit re-assembled, place your manometer on the outlet port of the gas valve. During pre-purge there should be a ½ inch of negative pressure developed. When the ignition cycle begins, the negative pressure should disappear, if it does not it is a defective gas valve.
If the unit lights, proves but when the blower begins to slow, the burner goes out. There we have a combustion issue that will require the use of the combustion analyzer. Make sure that at a forced high fire, we have an O2 level of 4.3% and when forced to low fire does not change more than 0.2%.
After all this research which took a couple of hours. I was prepared to open the boiler again and troubleshoot. However it was such a simple fix that I could have forgone the research. Much of it did not really apply to the problem the boiler was having. I also watched videos about replacing the fan in case the fan was not operating at full potential so I know what to look for if the fan breaks.
Removing the condensate pan and water filter requires loosening the vent pipe and turning the pan enough for it to get free from the bottom of the boiler casing. Although it is not shown here reassembly means locking the pan back into place and retightening the vent pipe retaining ring. When I opened the boiler case I immediately saw that I had neglected to retighten the ring. It was leaking and that was the error. While it was open I also noted that the fan was operating when the boiler was on.
Challenger Condensate Pan Assembly
As a side note the next night the Kidde Fire/Carbon Monoxide alarm woke us with a low battery alarm. We had sleeping guests so the alarm was very annoying and new batteries did not stop it. I ended up removing the whole alarm but reconnecting the red wire that links the alarms together. The next morning checking the glitch in the battery replacement I learned that the alarm has to be disconnected from power either by unplugging or shutting off the breaker, the alarm status removed by holding down the reset button and then the new batteries inserted and power restored. Nice to know if I remember it next time. I do replace the batteries about once a year and have seen battery replacement issues before but somehow the alarm sounding seemed to use up the batteries in that unit faster.
The machine is their LZ-1 model and the original motor was strong enough but the speed control was fast and faster. For heavy materials it was difficult to sew slowly enough to keep stitches even. Sailrite started offering an upgraded motor about a year ago. I was reluctant to purchase a $325 motor for the machine that already cost about $1000. But a Black Friday sale for $50 less got me. I ordered and installed the new WorkerB motor and it provides a wonderful control that was lacking before.
WorkerB motor and assembly
The new motor is larger than the old and came with an adjustable high speed control box. So the top speed can be set to about halfway or anywhere in between and limit the machine speed to less than its potential. The pulley sizes are different so there is a new flywheel and belt. There are instructions on the Sailrite website for the install and a very helpful video. It took less than an hour to remove the old motor and install the new. Once the motor and pulleys are on the belt tension is adjusted. This part uses judgement but there was a very clear example in the video for setting the correct tension.
Pulleys and covers installed
I also purchased the extra light that plugs into the control and is mounted inside the foot mechanism’s cover. I had an led strip attached to the underside of the machine but the light directly over the needle is a good idea.
To test out the new motor I quickly sewed together a simple cover for the machine. I used some drapery material that came with the header boards of the window shades I bought through Craigslist. The material actually washed in the washing machine just fine. The patterning was a bit slipshod. I wrapped the material over the top and cut that shape and around the machine for length. One seam in the side and sewn around the top. I used the half flat fell seam that Sailrite demonstrates and I used on the grill cover.
Reused upholstery fabric cover
I didn’t add piping or handles or a pocket like the Sailrite example. This made it a quick project and enough to be happy I added the new motor upgrade.
Here’s a twist for my blog topics. I have never been much of a crafter. I’m more likely to build something or even sew something. But my sister gave me a Cricut Explore machine and I have been learning how to use it. She visited for the holiday so I wanted to create a project with the machine. I’ve been buying reusable napkins for celebrations like birthday parties. It may not be much of a reduction in materials but at least uses fewer throw away paper products. All of the materials for these napkins I already had on hand. I was using up some scraps and materials that I purchased for former projects. There are some tricks to the tools the Cricut has for creating designs. I pretty much mastered lettering for birthday party and holiday iron ons. A text box comes in with all the letters in a group but in order to move each letter the text must be selected and ungrouped. In a script font it’s best for each letter to touch the next. Then once the letters are perfectly placed they are grouped again by selecting them all with a box drawn by the cursor and the weld tool will make the letters flow together and uneditable so it stays together. In this case I wanted the T attached to the rest of the word so I used hearts to combine them. The other two hearts were for balance.
Thankful script
A page of these words was created in the Design Space application to cut out a dozen from iron on Cricut material. I learned that once the page layout is created it is best to select them all and use the attach tool otherwise the Cricut may move them all over the cut page.
I have a heat press for the iron on material. When transferring to multiple items it works better than an iron. The correct temperature can be set and a timer stops the heat after the necessary duration.
Iron on heat press
We made a dozen napkins for our dinner then thought about custom napkin rings. I had never used the Cricut drawing pen function before. The Cricut allows for layers in an image to be treated differently. Normally svg type files are used for this but I have been unsuccessful saving png to svg’s that work in layers on the Cricut. It occurred to me that I could use the same image twice. One as just the outline to be cut and the other on top of it to be drawn. I erased the inside lines on one image to create just the outline to be cut and imported both images.
Turkey clip art
Turkey outline
Selecting each image as a layer in the Cricut design space allowed me to mark one as Draw and the other as Cut. Then I put several on one page and used off white card stock to draw them and cut them out.
We cut the inner roll from the Cricut iron on material into 1/2″ rounds to attach the ribbon and turkeys. I have glue dots which work better for easy stick ons than hot glue. Cricut makes these projects fun and relatively easy and there is always something more to learn to use on the machine. We had these customized napkins for our Thanksgiving dinner.
Napkins with Cricut turkey and ribbon holders
We did a second Cricut craft while my sister was visiting. She suggested I make a luggage tag for each member of our family who will be visiting during the Christmas vacation. We are taking a short trip together and it will be fun to have a small memento. We found some simple ornaments at Target for $1 each and I labeled them with Cricut adhesive vinyl cut outs. I didn’t keep the letters even when sticking them onto the metal. I should have used the vinyl transfer paper that Cricut suggests for projects like this. Next time I may remember.
Some of the plastic lattice trim around the Trombe wall glazing has been curling away from the house from the intense heat from the sun. I don’t think I used enough nails to tie it to the boards behind it. More nails seem to take care of the gaps. Although I was working on a siding project at the back door, I thought I would just use the nail gun to tack the trim down a little more. Of course I had just tacked the side of a window making sure the gun was pointed away from the glass. But when I moved down to the next window I did not alter the angle of the nails. I heard it before I saw it. Crack and the entire window broke into a million tiny pieces which is what tempered glass does. In minutes most of the window fell to the ground.
Tempered glass shatters the whole paneMinimal glass left in the frame
Being distracted in this way of course just led to more repairs. The snow has come and the back door siding did not get finished. But the glass was replaced while the weather was still favorable. I cleared all the glass out of the channel with a flat head screwdriver. It fell out easily when poked. Dave swept most of the glass from below where it had fallen.
Broken glass cleared away
Then I removed the side and bottom pieces of the frame from the wall. They were stuck on with black butyl tape which in the heat of the sun was not that difficult to pry away from the wall and scrape off. I had hoped I could slide the new pane into the top and side frame pieces but the hooks at the bottom were in the way. I just decided to remove the hooks. Then it was still too tight a fit with the center trim piece so we removed that too. It was just nailed in and after those nails were pulled from the trim piece we could reuse it. That gave us enough space on one side and the bottom to reinstall the glass.
New glass installed
However without the hooks at the bottom of the frame the window has to be held from slipping down by spacers underneath. I used scrap 2×4 and longer pieces as levers. But will have to replace those with plastic wood that will not rot. I was just really happy that we were able to replace the broken glass. The decision to use just one pane of the old double pane glass meant we had several panes left over to replace broken ones. I don’t have firm numbers but the glazing on the Trombe wall has increased the heat we are experiencing inside. As the temperatures are in the 20’s and 30’s the heat set to 60 nighttime and 65 daytime is not turning on. While the windows were still open and I could run a temp sensor to this inside meter the temperature under the glass got hot immediately with temps up to 130°. The inside wall heated up above the room’s temperature. It actually rose into the 80’s. As the room temperature fell with the outdoor temperatures the wall lost very little heat. I need a wireless temperature sensor to record what is happening now that it is cold outside.
Right meter inside temps left meter under Trombe glass
We were on the Metro Denver Green Homes Tour this year! We had a nice crowd visiting the house and while I showed them around inside, Dave showed them the Tesla roof and his greenhouses and urbanite retaining walls outside. We had some great volunteers who helped us greet visitors and participate in the tour too.
We had been on the tour in 2017 and any repeat visitors were glad to see the progress we have made since then. I had saved all the signs from the 2017 tour and made several more to point out new features. There were over 75 labeled features and over 30 signs to explain the energy saving ideas that we have used. All the signs helped people just go through themselves instead of waiting for my explanations. These were a few of the signs.
Net Zero
Floating Walls and Radon Mitigation
Radiant Heat and Boiler/Water Heater
Wifi Monitoring and Insulation Composition
ERV Air Flow
Whisper Green Bath Fan and Hydrostat
We were excited to see people who were interested in many of the ideas we had implemented. When I explained the Trombe wall and the fireplace boiler I realized these were not likely to be copied by anyone except if they were pursuing an Earthship. Today the Passive House movement really emphasizes tight construction and lots of insulation instead. The program from USGBC that I followed (LEED) currently has a larger implementation worldwide and emphasizes a whole house approach with points for healthy living features like fresh air, transportation, neighborhood amenities, water conservation, and energy efficiency as well as tightness and insulation standards.
Dave points out the solar roof (Photo by Dave Bowen)
By the end of the day I had a scratchy throat due to constant talking. But a little lemonade at the expo later that evening really helped. I visited the vendor tables and enjoyed listening to the experts in installation and design. Especially this radiant heat expert.
Radiant Heat expert at the Expo (Photo by Dave Bowen)
This year the home owners were thanks with Sustainability plaques or glass globes etched with the earth. A nice thank-you from New Energy Colorado.
Green Homes Tour Plaque
I really enjoyed sharing our home and I’m looking forward to seeing more houses next year.
