One of the Niagara toilets would not fill but just kept running so Dave took it apart.
Toilet disassembled
Dave figured out the problem. He said most internet sites dealing with the tank not filling blame the flow valve. This (fixable) problem was in the dual flush mechanism.
In its normal, closed position, the push cap is up waiting for the command to flush. The middle piston connected to the lower piston/valve is down. When the flush button is pushed, the push cap goes down, raising the middle piston and the lower piston/valve. The lower valve opening allows the water to go out and flush. When the button is released, the top piston, attached to the lower valve, depends on gravity to have it drop and close the valve.
Mechanism closed
Mechanism open
Unfortunately there was mineral build up in the valve preventing the top piston’s fall. The valve stayed open and the tank could not fill.
Mechanism stuck
The fix was to soak the assembly in vinegar to clear out deposits that were keeping the valve from falling into place.
Vinegar soak
Quite a bit of mineral buildup was cleared from the valve.
Mineral deposits in the vinegar
Once the valve was fully cleared and slid up and down freely the problem was fixed and Dave reassembled the toilet.
This is a nice drawing of the RV power systems and what they run. It leaves out solar which has its own controller/charger that delivers solar power to the batteries. But it shows the function and position of an inverter. In the Class C RV the DC fuse panel and AC breaker box are in the same location but the functions are separate as in the drawing. There can actually be two transfer switches. There is a power cord in an exterior cabinet that is either using shore power, i.e.plugged into a grid power outlet, or the generator to supply 120 volt power. In most Class C RV’s this transfer is manual. The power cord is either used at an outlet or plugged into the internal outlet powered from the generator. But it could be an automatic switch that senses which device is providing the power and automatically switches between them.
Transfer switch locations
The second transfer switch senses whether power is coming from shore/generator or from the inverter. It is wired to provide power to the charger if it’s grid or generator sourced but not if it’s inverter sourced. That prevents a loop from battery to inverter to charger back to battery; the attempt to charge the batteries with their own power. In this transfer box both options are wired with AC type wiring, in this case #12/3 wire including a positive, negative, and ground.
Transfer switch wiring
This drawing shows how the wires are connected. Incoming power is either at 5/6 or 7/8. The charger/converter (from AC to DC) gets power if 5/6 are hot. The switch also provides power directly to the AC breaker box. If AC power is coming from the inverter at 7/8, the power still goes to the AC breaker box but not the charger. DC is provided directly from the batteries. The 120 AC output from the inverter is wired to this transfer switch. AC wire does not lose current like DC wire does so regular household wiring is used. In this case #12 gauge. The inverter’s top output is 25 amps but the circuits it feeds are no more than 20 amps.
Go Power Transfer Switch
DC wire does lose current over distance so very thick wires are used to connect the batteries to the inverter. And distances should be as short as possible.
Inverter DC wire specification.
For distances from 3 to 10 ft the minimum wire size is #4/0. That is 0000 wire. The inverter is about 18”x 10”.
Inverter measurements
The closest storage area to the battery compartment in the RV that is large enough for the inverter was the dinette bench. There was already a wiring hole in the floor here because several DC wires feed the switches on the other side of the dinette bench.
Wires from battery box for inverter
I was not sure how much wire I needed to reach the battery compartment so I bought 10 ft of black and red. This was expensive wire, about $100. I opened the hole in the floor which was patched with spray foam and ran the wires to the battery compartment. The distance was only about 4’ so I needed far less wire. I mounted the inverter in the dinette seat. There was not much room for the wires on each side so I removed it to wire the DC posts and the AC box and replaced it on the outside wall. It does not sit on the floor but has about an inch of clearance beneath it for cooling.
Samlex inverter in dinette bench close to batteries
The ventilation for the inverter might need extra air and if I get temperature errors I will cut vents in the seat walls. The battery box is getting very crowded at this point and the shunt post is just about full.
Thick 4/0 wire for alternator
I brought the negative wire in from the opposite side from the positive and all the other wires to have more space for the connections. The inverter has very little room in the dinette seat compartment so the separate remote was an excellent addition.
Samlex inverter remote control
This remote turns the inverter on and off. It also has a display for the battery volts etc. It is wired from the inverter. I ran the wire through an existing hole under the refrigerator and up the stairwell side so it is conveniently near the door. Sometimes it is needed for the outside outlets. We only turn on the inverter if we need it. I patched the floor holes with stainless steel wool that I used to close spaces in the siding to keep mice out. Then covered the steel wool with spray foam both above and under the RV. These RV power systems have been completed.
An inverter converts DC battery power to AC power. The RV uses 120 volt power to charge a computer, run small appliances like the microwave or the refrigerator instead of using gas. If the batteries have enough power an inverter can be used to supply 120v wattage to several of these appliances. If the batteries are not going to be recharged soon it may not be a good idea to start the inverter as it will run batteries down very quickly. Lithium batteries hold more power to run down as they can be discharged to about 10% power while lead acid batteries should only be discharged to 50%.
Capacity of lead acid vs lithium
I installed 210 ah of lithium batteries. When fully charged they should provide 2200 watt hours of electricity before the voltage drops too low to run the inverter. I wanted an inverter capable of running the microwave for a few minutes. I decided on a Samlex as the brand is used for many RV’s and it was less expensive than the Victron. It is a pure sine inverter which is the best for electronic equipment.
Samlex PST 3000 Pure Sine Wave Inverter
Although our microwave delivers 900 watts of power, it takes a little more than double that to run. The inverter is about 85% efficient so loses some watts converting 12 volt DC to 120 volt AC electricity. That 2200 watts minus 15% is 1870 watts that could possibly run the microwave for about an hour.
RV microwave
We don’t run the microwave that long so we can get plenty of warm up microwave time from a full battery bank. We also run the coffee pot and toaster in the morning. These two use about 1000 and 1200 watts. But they could be added to the microwave for 10 to 15 minutes before the battery voltage drops too far. The advantage to adding an inverter to the electrical system is that these appliances can be run silently without the use of the generator. Later in the morning we can start the generator or let the solar panels recharge the batteries. Another device that is necessary when adding an inverter is a transfer switch. This switch turns off power to the charger when the inverter is running. It lets the batteries run the 120 volt system without also trying to charge the batteries with the battery power. A waste of power and possibly dangerous.
Go Power Transfer Switch
The switch goes between the power to the charger on one line with the inverter on the other. It automatically switches depending on whether the 120 volt power is originating, either the generator/plug in or the inverter.
Once the rack was finished and the panels installed I had to figure out the wiring from the roof to the equipment inside. One benefit of the Solarland panels is that they use thicker wire. They come with the MC4 solar connectors so I ordered #8 wire to attach to the solar controller. I had planned to use a combiner box on the roof to bring one wire down to the controller but I found Y connectors and wire that I used instead.
8 AWG wire with MC4 connectors
Panels wired with connectors
I had two panels instead of three but these connectors functioned the same as a combiner box allowing each panel to connect directly to the breaker box in parallel. Parallel connections double the wattage of the two panels, while connecting them to each other and then to the breaker box would double the voltage. The controller could accept either but I decided on parallel connections to increase the delivered wattage to 360 watts. The common method for bringing the wires down into the RV is to snake them through the refrigerator vent. In order to get the vent lid to fit after I drilled a hole in the underlying screening I had to chop off what was the front and turn the cover around to have the cut off side face the rear. I patched the opening in the screen with eternabond tape. I ended up with the wires in the refrigerator vent compartment. They were not difficult to snake through the vent.
Wires in refrigerator vent cabinet
Once there I had to figure out how to get them to the rear compartment where I planned to install the equipment. The problem with drilling into the floor is that the fresh water tank is directly under the refrigerator. Luckily there was about an inch space between the tank and the wall.
Refrigerator vent compartment floor
I used a back scratcher to pull the wires into the compartment since my fingers didn’t fit.
Fishing wires from behind the water tank
But I had another issue with the breaker box. The small box is designed for two wires to be pulled into the box through one opening on each side. But I had increased the size of the battery wire to 2AWG. So I had to use a reducer to connect to the breaker and that took up the entire hole. My solution was to drill extra holes in the box. I drilled these on the side through the cover as I didn’t think there was enough room on the top and bottom. The breaker box was very full.
Fitting wires in breaker box
Victron Solar controller and Midnight solar baby box
The #2 wire was also too thick for the controller so I used some jumper wires with shrink wrapped butt connectors. The breaker box wiring was time consuming. And the equipment was installed in a small space.
Equipment install in fresh water tank cabinet
To connect the wires to the batteries, I had to snake the wire past the front of the water tank to the floor under the refrigerator where I drilled another hole to accommodate the black and red wires. These joined the others in the battery compartment. I used thicker wire because of the distance between the controller and the batteries. Normally #4 wire is used to connect the controller to the batteries but the DC current drop over the distance is less using thicker wire
Wires to and from the solar controller
The wiring of the breaker box and solar controller to the batteries was relatively straightforward. I just had to reason out the diagram. I had a 15 amp and 40 amp breaker. The 15 amp went on the panel side since my panels are rated at about 5 amps each. The 40 is on the 30 amp solar controller side. Northern Arizona Sun and Wind recommended these two breaker sizes for the smaller RV system.
Solar controller and breaker box wiring
Our first time camping with solar was in a lovely federal campground at Shadow Mountain Lake near Granby, Colorado. What a luxury to have power to charge the batteries without using the generator.
I had always wanted to install solar panels on our old RV but instead we used a portable 50 watt panel to boost the batteries when camping. I had the panel strapped behind the storage box we had at the rear of the RV. A bumpy road and incomplete strapping yielded a destroyed panel that we heard dragging behind the moving RV. I purchased a 200 watt portable system but it did not seem to operate correctly. I never tracked down the problem. But with the new RV and the updated electrical system I was determined to add solar. First I had to decide how to use the rooftop space and determine what would be the best fit. I looked at several 100 amp panels for their size but I was unsure about the typical tape and screws installation on the new roof. I turned to the experts at Northern Arizona Sun and Wind to help research the choices. This company has been around for decades, I bought our first small system from them by stopping by their store in Prescott. It was a heady experience to run into experts who were so enthusiastic. They have always carried panels and equipment that held to their high standards. Plus they were having a sale. The panels in their RV kit were too large for my roof. I believe it was a 300 watt system but they have switched now to the Solarland 180 watt panels I bought instead. I also purchased the equipment in the kit but not the wiring. Now their kit matches the system I put together. The PERC solar technology helps to increase the efficiency of the panels. Just by adding an extra layer to the cells this “rear cell” panel is 1% more efficient and produces 25% more electricity. Although solar degradation or the initial loss of rated power is a bigger issue with PERC the technology has improved that problem so these panels are taking over the market. I also looked at Renogy and NewPowa monocrystaline 200 watt panels but at 65 inches long I didn’t think I had enough room for them. The Solarland panels are 60 inches long and about the same width. I was not comfortable putting 12 screws per panel in the roof of the RV so I looked at various racking systems. Most were not wide enough to span the RV roof and were costly so I designed my own. The Winnebago RV build has a metal cage that supports the roof and siding.
Winnebago superstructure
The strongest part of the cage is the upper side rails. These are also reinforced with roof gutters attached to the top to catch rainwater from the roof.
Rack construction
I took advantage of these side rails to hold the stainless steel T and L brackets. I used galvanized angle steel with plenty of bolt holes to fasten the z brackets that hold the solar panels. I used stainless steel bolts and washers and locking nuts at all the attachment points. The stainless screws for the sides came with the z brackets. The eight foot angle was not quite wide enough for the RV roof so the l brackets on each side were 3×6 with the longer end on top. There was enough flex in the mounted panel rack that I sought answers on the rv.net forum. There was a recommendation for wood blocks covered with carpet so I browsed Amazon for bed risers or similar and found bolt on adjustable furniture legs. These were just the right height with just the right amount of adjustment.
Solar panels in place
Because I used the racks horizontally I would have been able to fit longer panels. But it’s nice to have some space to step around them.
No air was coming through the vents. I noticed it getting stuffy when we kept the house closed up because of smoke from the huge wildfires in the west. I thought the filters just had to be replaced and the screens cleaned and it would work again. But it didn’t work! So I bought an air flow meter and tested the air coming out and going into the ERV. Although I am not sure the meter is accurate it appears to be exchanging air at 500 cfm which is what the manual would expect.
Meter Reading
I took apart the ductwork where it had misaligned and reconnected it using screws and tape. I had used flex for some of the joints and the flex had allowed the unit to move about half past direct airflow. I realized that the large 10” tee was drooping and I could not lift it back into position. So I decided to remove it. I’m in a very cramped space to get this done and the attic is hot. But I was able to remove the duct screws and tape and the large duct tee.
Offset ERV Duct Tee Location
Air was coming out of the duct just fine so it occurred to me to shorten the duct and see if I got airflow. I needed to purchase an 8” elbow and I also bought an 8” tee thinking it was shorter and I might be able to get it lined up better with the long duct but I did not end up using it. But first I wanted to try the elbow alone. That meant I had to extend the existing duct about 12”. I couldn’t stretch it but after I attached a new collar and the elbow and I screwed on the 10” to 8” adapter I was using the original flexible duct was long enough. Screwing all those pieces together and taping them in that tiny space was time consuming. I tested the airflow and it looks reasonable although seems like a lot of CFM loss for the approximately 8′ duct. The lower duct is about 14′.
Closest Duct Airflow
Furthest Duct Airflow
I’m not sure if the airflow has slowed or if the filter pads and ductwork are more clogged but at least now ERV filtered air is cycling into the house again if not all the way to our bedroom.
I decided to purchase new air filters to replace some of the old ones I had been washing in the washing machine to clean them. But when I attempted to get in contact with the Ultimate Air company in Ohio the 800 number was disconnected and the direct number not taking voicemail.
I asked my original vendor, Todd Collins from AE Building Systems and he said sadly production was shut down due to Covid and he was not sure they would resume. The website does not say they are not available but the “contact us” forms yield no information. My info email was not answered. This is a really unhappy situation. It’s bad when a small United States manufacturer has to stop production and maybe even go out of business.
Since the new roof was going on it was time to put the hole in for the second radon fan. All this time the fan was in the garage but I was reluctant to try to cut a hole in the roof. I had the exhaust pipe capped in the attic. With the solar tiles going on it was now or never. I had been working in the attic anyway to figure out the poor performance of the ERV so I thought that is better get that pipe in. In my mind it was a simple matter of continuing the 4” pvc radon pipe out the roof. Of course that was impossible because I hit a rafter going straight up. So I moved over a bit and hit another rafter. There were two rafters close together at the gable edge. I had to go to the store and get two 45° elbows to move the hole over to the other side. By the time I had those ready the roofers had torn off the old shingles. That was great but I had to have the hole ready for the membrane crew. I luckily was able to get the third hole in the right place and drilled through with a long bit. Then I went up on the roof to finish the hole and one of the roofers drilled it for me. He even borrowed a better drill to do it. Then I stuck the pipe through the roof and of course it was slanted. I had glued the 2 45° elbows to go straight up through the roof. It didn’t occur to me that the pipe would exit at the angle of the roof. One of the roofers asked if I would straighten it and I said no. I don’t even know how. He said I had to hold a level up to it going through the roof. But then the hole saw would not have been large enough and anyway they fixed it or at least hid it with the vents they used.
White pvc pipe radon vent at an angle
I had to pull down a section of drywall to get the new hole drilled but that was easy since the drywall was overlapping at this point. Poor job up here because they didn’t want to do it.
Second radon fan installation
I had barely enough room to install the fan inside instead of over the roof. The first fan was installed outside. Because the pipe was too close to the roof to fit the fan. Although a bit hard to see in this photo the crew painted the first fan and pipe black to match the roof. The fan is on the right next to the man working on the roof.
First radon fan is exterior. Painted to match roof.
There are two Tesla vents on this section of roof. One is for the ERV exhaust and the other for the second radon fan.
Vents covered with Tesla materials
The second radon fan is installed and wired. I designed the system based on some pretty comprehensive research and a case study so waiting so long for the second fan was probably not such a great idea. But there seems to be much disagreement about the dangers of in-home radon so at least we have had a partial system the whole time.
The solar roof was originally scheduled to start on Sept 7th but the manager called and asked if they could start earlier and I said, “Sure!”. The first day another company tore off the old roof. I asked if they would quote a price to put on a rubber roof on the flat roof portion but they have not gotten back to me yet. In the meantime the old roof came off very cleanly with the original deck still in quite good condition.
Old roofing scraped off
I chose to remove the aging skylights. They would have needed new trim to waterproof them and they were pretty much inoperable for ventilation and not screened.
Removing old skylights
It was also the opportunity to get rid of the old chimney and vents we were no longer using.
Old chimney was also removed.
We thought it would be easiest to put the debris truck in the back but they preferred the front so they could toss the old roofing in from above.
Roof discarded in dump truck
As soon as the roof was off the Tesla crew began to put on the waterproof membrane layer.
Tesla underlayment on garage
A Tesla installation supervisor told me the underlayment was another Tesla product that was amazing as it can withstand stretching and shrinking. Plus being water and windproof. The membrane had an adhesive backing that was removed to place it. But it was also forgiving so it could be repositioned to help make it lay flat.
Underlayment has adhesive backing that peels off
By the end of the day the roof was completely “dried in”. So much was accomplished in one day.
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We were preparing for guests. That always helps make a dent in the to do list. The front patio was concrete that was jacked out when the house slab was removed. It had also heaved and settled so that it was badly cracked. After we cleared away the leftovers from deconstruction we spread gravel in the area.
Commercial Landscape Fabric
Gravel on Patio
There were two deals that determined what I would eventually do with that patio area. One was a craigslist offer for 1200 rubber octagon tiles for a very reasonable cost. I offered $200 and they were mine.
Landscape Rubber Stepping Stones
Rubber tiles in wood shed
The other helpful acquisition was from a Repurposed Materials auction. I purchased 4 barrels of ground recycled rubber for $40. Unfortunately the rubber was so heavy that the barrels upended when we drug them off the truck.
Repurposed Ground Rubber Ad
Barrels of Ground Recycled Rubber
My strong son helped me move and spread the ground rubber and had there been enough it would have been the perfect underlayment. But we were a bit short and some of the gravel was still uncovered. We laid the large driveway membrane which is a large plastic mesh tarp that allows water to pass through.
Driveway membrane
Then I dry laid the tile. The instructions called for gluing it down with a special caulk. I have the caulk but I didn’t want to glue it in case it had to be relaid.
Laying the tile
Although they seemed heavy I’m sure they were much lighter than any other type of tile. They were relatively easy to push close together. It only took me a couple of days to complete the main area. Because the guests were arriving soon I did not try to finish by cutting the edges to size. I’m not even sure how to cut the tiles.
Edges not cut to size
So we placed the patio furniture on the rubber tiles and got ready for our guests. Some of the tiles are uneven due to gravel sticking up through the membrane but it is not so uneven to cause tripping.
Patio set up for guests
Some of the patio furniture had not survived the winter so it went on the burn pile in back. What was left made a pleasant sitting area under the pergola and the big ash tree. And we enjoyed our guests. It’s a nice spot for a summer barbecue. There is a lot of space there and we can host a pretty big group.
Party time
I noticed one benefit for my toddler grandson. He fell on the tile and got right back up completely uninjured. I like the new patio.
Tesla finally called to schedule the solar roof installation. I was very excited. We have been working with Tesla since April of last year and I have been on the waiting list since June 1, 2017, the day President Trump announced we had to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement and I was appalled. The project seems to be well managed with both a design contact and an installation contact. Another roofing company is managing the tear off but they are well coordinated with Tesla. Today the installation team arrived to uninstall the Tesla panels that were installed in 2018.
Existing Solar Panels
Tesla trucks arrive
Unfortunately it started to rain just as the trucks arrived and when the workers were starting the removal it began to storm. There was marble sized hail and even a tornado warning. But the work went on.
Workers starting to uninstall
Hail and thunderstorm
Soon they were finished with all the panels safely removed and stored until we reinstall them at a later time. My son is interested in them so perhaps he will install them at his house.
Panels removed
Stored panels in tin shed
The next step is the asphalt roof tear-off that should start August 25th, next Wednesday. I also asked the roof tear off company to quote a waterproof roof for the flat roof replacement. They do white EPDM and that is a synthetic rubber that will allow for a green roof installation some time in the future.
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We finally completed the third section of the foundation insulation on the south “Trombe wall”side of the house. Another project completed due to guests arriving. This was the third section and it was a bit more complicated due to the foundation underpinning that the previous owners had installed. More modern supports are turned like screws but these were pushed in with a hydraulic ram.
Push Piers
Pier Support
This type of underpinning is to shore up a sinking foundation and was an “expert’s” solution to the sinking slab. Of course I later found that the slab damage was due to the heaving soil inside the foundation and the foundation itself was a sturdy cassion type. So the steel posts did not solve the problem even though they were probably expensive. The first part of this section of the foundation was finished in December before it got cold. The second part had the trench dug but there it sat for six months waiting for us to get back to the task. Preparing for our guests made it essential to smooth out the dirt piles in front of the house.
Piecing foundation insulation
That meant digging out any dirt that had slid back into the hole and cutting more XPS blue board to replace the damaged insulation. On the far right is a bit of the wall that was already finished. The foundation had 2 layers of XPS so we just had to cut and fit the missing pieces. The 4” of XPS would be an R value of about 10 plus the foundation now has 2 inches of interior XPS and 8” of concrete for a total R value of about 16. The insulation had to be pieced between the metal posts so it took some time to get it all cut. My son came over to help with the project which made the work go faster. Once it was all pieced together it was time to cut the fiberglass corners for the cap. The fiberglass is recycled from the brewery where they were used to reinforce the corners of pallets of beer. I purchased them at an auction at my favorite recycle center Repurposed Materials.
Added fiberglass corner cap
I had to cut the fiberglass to span the metal flat tops of the posts in the ground. I used a handheld circular saw to cut the fiberglass. The caps had a bit cut from the edge too so that the fit against the top of the concrete wall and over the insulation protecting it from damage and creating a nice curb at the foundation edge. Finally the dirt that had been piled up for months in front of the house filled in the trench and was smoothed out on front of the house.
Foundation trench refilled
The next step is cleaning up the wall and repairing the metal membrane. The wood may need another coat of matte black enamel paint. Then we will replace the Trombe wall glass.
I’ve always had trouble with sealed lead acid coach batteries dying after a season or two. The new RV came with two wet lead acid 67 AH marine batteries that were pretty much shot. So I did some research and decided to make the expensive jump to lithium batteries.
This project required a lot of new equipment. Not only the two 105 AH LION Safari lithium batteries with the built in BMS but the new charger/converter, the DC to DC charger, a 30 amp transfer switch, a surge protector, and then for good measure a 3000 watt inverter.
I bought the LION batteries because two of them fit in the under stair battery compartment. Many 100 amp lithium batteries are 13 inches long and the compartment is only 12 inches. I saw these were for sale previous years at Costco but they were not being offered when I looked. I ordered them from another company but it turned out they were not in stock and they were waiting for a shipment from the manufacturer. In the meantime they came back to Costco so I cancelled the first order and bought the two with the special price of $799 each for two. They arrived almost immediately and I started buying the other components.
After much research on rv.net and other sites I decided to buy the new Progressive Dynamics 60 amp converter/charger to replace the WFCO 55 amp that came with the unit. This is the new version from the company and it has two stages, a bulk stage of 14.6 appropriate for lithium batteries and a float stage for when the batteries read full.
Progressive Dynamics 9160L
I removed the WFCO under the distribution panel but I installed a Progressive Industries surge protector there instead and installed the charger closer to the batteries. The refrigerator is located next to the entry in this 25b and the batteries are in the entry step. I learned there was enough space under the refrigerator by reading the answers to someone’s question about the location of the water tank. Of course using this area was no easy task with the tiny spaces to run wiring and place the new unit. I put it in and took it out multiple times before I was able to close it up and install the ventilation grate. In fact I completely installed the first unit only to have it not operate. It was an Amazon warehouse item and I think it was broken. So I returned it and bought a new one that did work.
Removing old WFCO charger
Surge protector in old charger space
Wiring the Progressive Dynamics 9160L
Placing the new charger under the refrigerator
Finished with vent and Battery Monitor
The charger is wired with #2 wire and I bought the flexible type because I had to run them under the RV through a hole I drilled in the floor and over to the battery box. The charger connections are for #4 wire. I thought I would have to use pigtails between the #4 and #2 but someone on rv.net suggested wire reducers that clamped the wire to a rigid connector that fit in the #4 clamp on the charger. You can see them in the charger wiring photo. The battery monitor wiring and the ground for the whole unit also go through that hole in the floor. I was out of room for the inverter remote wires and had to drill a new hole next to the first one. I also decided to go up the wall between the entry and the refrigerator for the wired remote so I would not have to bend over to turn on the inverter. I started a hole under the refrigerator and hit styrofoam so I moved it over to the wood.
Wiring for Inverter remote also battery monitor
The two new batteries were shorter than the battery box so I had enough room for the wiring and the DC to DC charger that is supposed to provide the correct voltage to the batteries while also protecting the truck alternator from burning out. Although most commentors say burning out a modern inverter is unlikely, the DC to DC charger still modulates the charge to the lithiums so that they get the proper charge routine.
Wiring for DC to DC charger
The solenoid and incoming power are connected in the smaller box in the step. I had to drill a hole through the metal to insert the positive wire and connect it to the ANL fuse. I also had to run a wire (yellow) from the solenoid ignition signal connection to the charger as this tells the charger to operate. It won’t run without this signal. In this photo the battery studs are clearly visible. I removed the battery tie down and replaced it with the battery shipping foam.
It took me several weeks to figure out the components and how they should be wired. I downloaded several articles and diagrams to help me understand what was going on. In the beginning I used this one to get a general idea of the system.
Concept Drawing of System
The diagram is missing a DC to DC charger but it seems it might be a lead acid system. It also helped to download the Winnebago wiring diagrams so I could tell which wires were performing which tasks. In the battery box I had to figure out which connection was the incoming power to attach the DC to DC wiring and where the solenoid got the signal from the ignition to turn on alternator charging.
Winnebago battery wiring
The instructions for the devices were pretty straightforward although I watched You Tube videos of people discussing a new charger install and took screen shots of the steps to remind me of the process.
After finishing the wiring for the chargers, the next step was installing the inverter. When I had all the recommended #00/2 wiring installed, the first inverter I ordered was damaged. I tried Amazon Warehouse again to save money but it was not a tested unit and just looked good to the eye. I had to spring for a full price unit and send that one back. Maybe I have learned my lesson about used electronics.
DC to DC charger with 00/2 wiring for the inverter
The battery wiring is rather crowded with the 00/2 gauge wiring on the smart shunt and the battery. The smart shunt is a Victron bluetooth battery monitor so it is not such a big deal that the monitor is below the refrigerator, I can connect to it with my smart phone. I put the inverter remote control in a higher position. The inverter is in the dinette seat literally next to the battery box in the step. The wired remote is in the entry at eye level from the steps.
Inverter installed
Inverter remote control at entry
After I had all the new equipment wired I installed a Renogy 30 amp transfer switch. Luckily there was room for the transfer switch in the basement compartment where there is other wiring and plumbing. It is right next to the distribution box under the bed. I already had a hole drilled through the distribution box into this compartment for the charger wiring. When I put in the transfer switch I had to remove the wiring in the distribution box and lengthen the wire from the surge protector to reach the new transfer switch. I also had to rewire the extension cord that I used to plug in the new charger/converter to the transfer switch. Because the switch connector only took one wire, I cut a short pigtail for the charger cord. Then the transfer switch was wired back into the the main power breaker. This removed the charger from its normal breaker and essentially put it on the main breaker. Now the refrigerator is on the old breaker by itself.
Surge protector wiring
I had a difficult time understanding how the switch would work for the inverter instead of working between the generator and shore power which is one of the main applications. I have always used the manual method to make this switch. When we unplug from shore power we plug into the generator power outlet in the external power compartment. I could put in a separate transfer switch for this but I don’t think we need it.
This diagram helped me understand how to wire the transfer switch for the inverter. Both the shore power which is also the generator and the charger power are on the same side of the switch. This means that the charger will only run when getting power from either source. When the inverter runs it should not also be trying to charge the batteries. That is an endless loop that won’t go anywhere. It will deplete the batteries rather than charge them.
Transfer switch wiring
Figuring this out was rather complicated but it was also fun to read the manuals, study the diagrams and then look at my notes to digest the information and understand it. I’m hoping this equipment lasts for the life of the RV.
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We have decided to clean up our property and empty our attached two car garage by building a large RV garage to the side of the house. We thought we had a contractor willing to build it but he changed his business emphasis and is no longer interested. I contacted a garage building company and I was supposed to have an onsite visit but they stood me up and did not call to reschedule.
On the advice of our first contractor, I had engineering plans drawn by a local certified engineer. It was a bit of a struggle to get completed plans from the vendor. I sent money and waited asking several times for the drawings. I understood there were to be drawings sufficient to get a building permit, however, that was not the case. He only did structural engineering.
The first set of plans seemed to be copied straight from a generic document, even stating that the garage was attached to the house. I was very disappointed. I pointed out the errors and the plans were redrawn, but I had to pay more money as the first arrangement was only for the foundation apparently and I wanted a plan for the entire building.
Redlined Garage Foundation Plan 2020
I waited again and eventually got plans that did not represent the sketches I had sent for the building measurements. Again I made corrections and waited and waited for the plans. When I got them the walls were limited to 10 ft tall. Of course that was incorrect since they needed to be tall enough to support a 12′ high garage door. That meant back to the drawing board and additional time to change the taller structure to engineered studs.
Dibble 10 ft garage wall
I didn’t hear anything for a month and then after some prodding and excuses that the original plans were lost in a software upgrade. Really? Then that pdf’s had to be created. Yes, print as pdf and save? I was a bit annoyed. In the end after five months of struggle I did receive a pdf of a structural plan for a garage and I still had to draw my own architectural plan.
However by this time lumber had quadruped in cost. It hit a peak in May, 2021 and although the wholesale cost has dropped, boards are still much more expensive than last year when I started this project. So for now I can’t find anyone to build it and it may be much more expensive than original estimates.
I decided to look into metal garages in the same general layout. First I contacted a local company in Denver but they don’t erect the buildings and they could not provide a shed design. I also drew up plans on another site that appears to both manufacture and put together these barns/garages. I have not pursued it by contacting the company. We are too busy right now.
We took the new RV to Indiana in early April to meet the buyers and enjoy our friends and a final work session on the house. The early April weather is very changeable and there was a late snow across Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. It was not the most pleasant driving but the new RV performed well on the road. And the extra bed in the back made for a comfy trip with plenty of napping to keep on the road for a long haul. We drove 12 hours the first day and 8 the second.
Driving in snow
We arrived at the house just before the snow started. It was amazing. The house was warm and none of the plumbing leaked. We were able to turn on the refrigerator and water and make the bed and get a nice long rest. Indiana is gorgeous in April. The redbuds and dogwoods were in bloom and the green was bursting from the woods and meadows. The snow came and dulled it for a little while but it melted and didn’t even destroy the flowering trees.
Arrival photo
An hour later
Our biggest project was replacing windows. We had purchased the windows during our last visit but ran out of time to install them. So the window area was blocked with old insulation and drywall and left for the winter. The new windows were about a half inch taller than the old so the side trim did not fit well. Did not have time to get new boards so the new owners will fix that. Also didn’t finish some trim. There are always unfinished projects there.
Before replacement
New windows installed
Friends came to visit us since it was a goodbye to the homestead for the last time. We hiked up past the pond to the corner mark on the property. These marks were redone by the loggers just a few years ago. Of course we had to apply a good coating of DEET insect repellent for the hike to ward off the many ticks and chiggers and other nasty bugs in the woods.
We say goodbye to the land
We spent two weeks going through the last of our possessions there and recycling lots of memories, discarding trash, and sending some items to Goodwill. We sanded drywall, painted and fixed a problem with the new furnace drainage. And had lovely visits with our Indiana friends, promising that we would visit again even without the farm to return to. Then it was over and time to come home. I stuffed the RV with items I wanted to keep. We took it a bit easier on the way home. Stopped to see my second cousin and visited Hermann, MO a very pretty town on the Missouri river and stopped near Kansas City for a visit with a high school friend who I had not seen in 30 years. Then we booked it home in 8 hours. It was a great trip despite its rather sad goodbyes. The two weeks in Indiana had added lots more green to the landscape.
Goodbye Indiana Home
So ends the chapter of all the wonderful years building that house and developing that homestead. It’s time. We are entering our 7th decade and have to be able to let go of some things. Our mini homestead in Colorado provides us plenty of projects. And we have grandchildren nearby to watch as they grow. We are so fortunate.
I’m not sure how to transition the blog from working on the house to working on other projects. I guess not working on the house either means no posts or off topic posts.
One step in the LEED certification process is an evaluation of the built home. Of course the original plans really don’t include the energy efficient upgrades because the architect did not specify them. So I’m not sure if EnergyLogic has enough information to do the analysis. They think that the architect’s plans will help but I only have pdf copies and a printed copy. They emailed the architect asking for the plan files. But I have not heard whether they received them. I sent details about the floor and walls and windows but I have not heard whether that information was helpful or not.
Instead of working on the house as the spring winter weather dragged on I planned a huge RV project. At least it seems like that now. After the battery test and the good performance, we went camping and tried it out on the new trolling motor and inflatable boat.
Trolling motor
We went out several times using the lithium batteries and they stayed at 100% the entire time. Of course lithium batteries are designed to stay at full power for most of discharge. They can be used to 80% or about 10.5 volts without damage or reducing their life. Still witnessing the performance during our outing was exciting. And the boating was a nice addition to our camping outing.
It was awkward to have the battery box so close to the motor though. I am going to extend the battery cables from the motor so the box can go in the middle or at the bow. Although it made a nice seat for a 2 year old. Using a motor is much more fun than rowing.
Learning to steer the boat
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I was told that the advertised amp hours on a lithium battery was a bit of a stretch and that the batteries would not deliver what they were rated for. So this called for a test. My son found a testing strategy and I employed it on the batteries in the new trolling motor battery box.
Battery Test Setup
I used a 75 watt light bulb plugged into a small inverter with a clock radio plugged into the same circuit. The batteries started at 13.4 amps and ran the inverter until they registered 10.9 amps. That took about 19 hours. I tested the draw at about 2.5 amps.
The three lithium batteries in the box are rated at 20 amp hours each. If I was drawing a full 60 amp hours at 2.5 amps it should have taken about 24 hours of power. I must assume that some power is lost in the wiring too. So I got 47.5 amp hours from my battery box. That is about 80% of the rated power. I need to recharge the batteries to completely full and test again. It appears they would still run the 40 amp trolling motor for at least an hour out on the water.
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My son got an unexpected vacation from work and the family really wanted to visit the beach. I floated the idea of staying at a Fort Myers beach so we could visit my brother and my cousin and my aunt who is now the only living sibling of my mother. We had a fantastic time even though we were sad to learn our other set of in-laws could not join us due to a sick pet. We had rented a 3 bedroom cottage using airbnb and rented a tricycle for the week and a pontoon boat for one day. The weather was perfect all week too.
Sunny skies
We spent many mornings and afternoons at the beach. For a spring break week it was not crowded down by the mid-island housing area. We practically had the beach to ourselves!
Sand play
My brother and family joined us for the boating day and it was so much fun to visit and chug over to the Lover’s Key beach together. Our street shared a boat dock so we were able to stop there to have a bbq.
Boat dock
Driving the boat
The family took some side trips too. We stopped at the Ding Darling nature preserve on Sanibel Island and learned about three types of Mangroves that establish new islands in the bays. We also took in a little local wildlife admiring several small lizards there. My granddaughter was fascinated with the pink flamingos so we stopped at the Everglades Wonder Garden in Bonita Springs on our last day. They were magnificent and the alligators were fun to feed too.
Lizard at Sanibel
Flamingos
Despite all the fun around us the kids were able to enjoy the simple pleasure of a packing box.
Fun with a box
We also connected with a friend from long ago and she was the same in so many ways. Time does not really change us! This family time was precious and lovely. We returned exhausted though. After a day of rest we were ready to get back to our projects.
Over the last two weeks I’ve spent a lot of time moving the camping equipment from the old RV to the new one and installing storage upgrades to fit the family. It has been so much fun to set up a new RV! The first project was installing a Closet Maid double shelf under the kitchen cabinet. The new RV has no counter space to keep these appliances so I installed this. It barely clears the faucet but its securely screwed into the closet wall, the back and later I bolted the top to the cabinet. The RV moves a lot so it needs to be secure. Bungie cords attached to hooks in the back and pieces of styrofoam hold the appliances in place. The paper towel holder is a special type that doesn’t unroll during travel.
Cabinet over sink
The new RV has quite a bit more wall space than the old one. So I thought of ways to use it for storage. When we walk in the door this line of hooks will hold backpacks and jackets. We also needed a place to store shoes. Hiking and beach wear can be messy. Its best to keep shoes at the door. I needed to find something narrower than a standard shoe rack and these file folder systems fit perfectly. The baskets can even be labeled. There are two sets, each screwed at the top and bottom to keep them from moving. Notice there are two file folders in the open shelf above the door. This is a good spot for items needed when leaving the RV like keys, umbrellas, maps, etc. The baskets will keep items in place. Not in the photo but the broom is now clamped next to the fire extinguisher and handy for cleaning the all vinyl floor which is so much nicer than the carpet in the old RV.
Hooks for coats and backpacks
File rack shoe holder
My grandson noticed right away that there were no cup holders in the new RV. I said don’t worry I already ordered them. The table doesn’t have built in holders so I put two there and one at each end of the couch.
Foldable cup holders
I decided to keep our practically brand new 12/120 volt RV TV. Hookups for another TV were already located in the bedroom area. I just needed to buy a locking articulating arm as a mount for it. I also bought several of the narrow file folder baskets and added one here for the remote and extra movie storage.
Locking TV mount and file folder basket
In the overhead bed there are a few changes too. Normally if I sleep up there I charge my phone so I added a USB outlet light combination in place of the light up there.
Wiring a new USB Charging overhead light
New light installed
I was also worried about sleeping feet and the TV on the wall so I placed a corner cabinet sideways against the wall. I had to trim the last two boards to fit under the TV. I’m less sure about this mod. It should help to keep the mattress topper from shifting under the TV but the spaces are a bit small for storage needs. Maybe it’s a mini book shelf.
Corner cabinet to protect TV
Mattress topper in overhead
It was interesting that the former owners did not need many of the daily accessories of life. They must have traveled much lighter than we do. There was a lack of usable cabinet space. I added storage to several areas. In the bathroom cabinet I used clear acrylic shelves with small lips to hold in the items during travel.
Bathroom cabinet with tall shelves
Bathroom cabinet with extra shelves
In the bathroom a wine bottle holder provides storage for extra towels. It is hung over the shower wall but also velcroed to the glass so it holds steady when we are under way. One of the file folders is under the mirror for our toiletry boxes. Unfortunately I hit the mirror when I was driving the screw holder into the wall and cracked it. Later I might replace it with a mirrored medicine cabinet.
Wine rack for bathroom towels and toiletry basket
I converted the shirt cabinet next to the refrigerator into a pantry with a roll out shelving unit that will work well for dry food containers and canned items. The system is mounted on double 2 x 4’s screwed into the bottom of the cabinet because the lip was so deep. But there is still room on the side for long skinny items like cookie sheets or a cutting board.
Narrow cabinet pull out installed
Narrow cabinet pull out
There was no towel bar in the bathroom or kitchen. I found out that the bathroom wall space was limited by the shower door needing enough clearance to open, but an 18″ bar fit there. The kitchen bar mounted inside the under sink cabinet door is similar to the one in the old RV.
Bathroom towel bar
Kitchen towel bar
I had to find a new spot for the hat storage ribbon from the old RV where the closet door is longer and wider than this one. So I moved it to the bathroom door. I just velcroed the bottom since its not long enough for the full door. These hooks can store flip flops too if necessary. Some sturdy bamboo corner shelves were added to the kitchen cabinet. I moved the tension rods from the old RV.
Hat storage from old RV
Extra kitchen cabinet shelves
In the kitchen we like to cook in a 12 volt crock pot while we are traveling so I wired an extra 12 volt/usb outlet under the kitchen cabinet pig tailing off the light over the sink.
Wiring for 12 volt/USB outlet
New kitchen 12 volt/USB outlet
The new stove top did not have a cover. I think the original cover was glass according to the specifications and it probably got broken so I ordered a metal one like in the old RV. I looks great and gives us some working space when the stove is not being used. Notice the new cup holder next to the couch too. The sinks in the new RV are equal in size while our old sinks had one larger and one smaller. The old dish drainer fit the larger one so I hunted and hunted for a stainless steel dish drainer to fit the new sink. This is a partial sink dish drainer with a collapsible colander underneath for extra cups etc.
New stove cover
Cover opened
Sink dish drainer
I have several more projects I’d like to finish before we take it on its maiden voyage. I think we will drive to Indiana later in April. Sadly we may have sold the farm there and we need to meet with the potential buyers.
Before we moved to Colorado and started remodeling the new house for LEED certification we bought a 2002 Itasca 22E Class C recreational vehicle. We acquired it and the very end of 2009 as it’s third owner. We had so many wonderful trips in the old RV, visiting parks, getting away to hike on weekends when we were still employed, and taking grandkids around the country.
But now that we have three growing grandkids and two older ones who visit occasionally it seemed to be time to replace our older unit with a newer one. I did plenty of research on various models and found that it is unusual to have both a couch and dinette in a shorter RV model. This layout has served us well allowing for several passengers and sleeping spaces. In fact the Itasca model we own has a different layout from the new one of the same size.
I also wanted the Winnebago quality roof since they use domed fiberglass instead of TPO or rubber. Some other brands use fiberglass and some Winnie’s now come without the fiberglass roof but the model I narrowed my search to was the Minnie Winnie or Itasca 25B with the fiberglass roof. This unit has a couch and dinette and overhead bed just like our Itasca. But it also has a corner bed in the back. It adds 4 feet to the length at 26’2″ instead of 22′. That seemed like a good trade off for more sleeping and storage space for the family. We were absolutely not interested in slide outs that add space while parked. They can be difficult to maintain and are heavy so they limit passengers and gear. This unit has the smaller, E350 chassis just like our old RV but it is not hesitant on the road as the Ford engine is legendary for its longevity and performance.
2003 Itasca Floorplan
2018 Minnie Winnie Floorplan
I had half heartedly looked at Craigslist and RV Trader for this model thinking the purchase was in some distant future but sometimes there is serendipity in life. I happened to look at RV Trader and a seller in Colorado Springs about 90 minutes from here had posted for sale just one day before, a newer model for a price we were willing to consider.
The next day I drove down to look at the rig and it was immaculate inside. A couple had it for a little over two years and although it had over 50,000 miles on it and our old Itasca only has 58,000, I was sure it was what we were looking for. We are the RV’s third owner. I found out from its documentation that it was manufactured for Apollo, an RV rental agency which is the reason it has more than the average number of miles for its age. The owners bought it with almost 35,000 miles which is a common sale mileage for some rental equipment dealers.
I could have held out for a few more options. We are tired of the time it takes to level when we camp so thought our next RV would have auto leveling and this one does not. I was actually hoping for a protected dump valve not one that is just under the sidewall and this model doesn’t have that. Not the kind of thing you learn from a brochure. A full fiberglass cap is an option that this one does not have and they are nice for reducing exterior caulking maintenance.
I offered to buy it on the spot and they asked for a little more so it was sold. The couple was very accommodating and in order to transfer title at our bank with the check in hand they drove it all the way up here for us. I’m absolutely thrilled to have the newer bigger RV. As soon as I organize the storage for all the equipment from the older RV I will clean it up and put it on Craigslist. I’m guessing it will sell quickly.
2018 Winnie 25b Exterior
The new RV will probably have a few things that don’t work correctly and there are several useful modifications that I will want to make but the basic unit is exactly what we need for our growing family; a wonderful distraction.
All of the documentation on our LEED project so far has been to fulfill the requirements of LEED for Homes 2009. Although I have another year to qualify under the old system, I’ve contacted Energy Logic to finish up the project this year and Aaron, my new rater has recommended we work through 4.1 instead. Some of the qualifications have changed but several stay the same.
It is overwhelming in some sense to move to a new certification because all of my documentation is aligned to the old standards. Some credits have changed radically and some of the items on the old checklist have been dropped completely.
I’m working on a new documentation page to align this project to the newest LEED requirements and point system. I found a great course at the Green Home Institute website. The introductory course is free just click on the modules about mid page.
There is a resource page that is helpful for USGBC publications that can also help. I’m still reading the USGBC documents about the newer versions. Luckily the first part of the checklist is very similar to the old list; starting with the Design Charrette. The category name has changed from Integrated Project Design to Integrative Process. The charrette is a full day program to combine the talents and ideas of at least three building professionals. The requirement for a LEED AP was moved to a different category.
Training of the installation contractor has been moved to this category and I hope my training will be sufficient to gain this point. I know I had to watch the contractors I hired to maintain thermal envelope integrity as they were mostly unable to fathom why the interior air barrier could not be cut. I also trained with HVAC professionals for the installation of our Challenger Combo boiler/instant hot water heater.
So for the Integrative Process category it looks like we earn 2 points out of 3 in the new version. Solar orientation, durability management, and innovation and regional priorities have all been moved to other sections. The points compilation has changed drastically. I believe it is supposed to be a more simplified system. There were 11 points available when this was a larger category.
