Archive - Aluminium Camper Forum

Quote from: @charliem" timestamp="1394137365" source="/post/21/thread[font size="3"][font face="arial"]Here's the SeeLevel tank level monitor installed in the 21RBS.







The power wire is tapped onto the TV Booster supply line in the cabinet. The sensor wire is run through the floor in the cabinet (careful not to drill into the fresh tank  ). The cable is then routed to the three tanks with generous use of zip ties.
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I wil try to talk to Dometic again. In my first series of calls to Dometic they indicated that it was not their product although the sticker on the window says Dometic. My dealer has also tried with Camplite and Dometic. I met another "Camplite person" and they indicated that they had difficulty finding the part. (This last comment is noteworthy because I did not need the part until the next day, and they had left.) Thank you for your response. Rich

[quote timestamp="1460597450" source="/post/20534/thread" author="@sandroad"]I suggest you call or email Dometic and rather than ask about window parts for LL campers, just give them the model number of the window with the broken latch. I suspect they can fix you right up. I looked at mine and the window number is on the Dometic sticker you mentioned.



From Dometic's web site:

Spare Parts for RV Products

You can order parts for your Dometic RV product(s) directly by calling the retail sales department at 1-800-544-4881. Please be sure to have your model number available so the correct parts list can be obtained.

If you are in need of any Dometic RV refrigerator, air conditioner or A&E awning parts you can also call us at 1-800-544-4881 or purchase from any RV Dealer or Camping World location.

If we can be of any future service do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you for choosing Dometic.

Dometic RV Products Customer Support
customersupportcenter@dometicusa.com
[/quote]

I broke two window larches. Camplite sent me to Dometic. Dometic said they did not make the window. I noted that the word Dometic appears on the window. Does any one know where replacement latches - ( the red ones the Pistons arrach to) - can be purchased??

thank you[attachment id="1326" thumbnail="1"]

This post outlines my experiences installing a SeeLevel Tank Monitoring System. Others may want to share there ideas, experiences and sugestions.
The The install was made on a 13QBB.

1) I powered the system from the power switch for the lights. I connected to the outgoing wire, splicing into the wire using connection pieces similar to the ones used by Camplite. I do not know what they are called, you can get them at an auto parts store, possible at a big box store. They allow you to splice into the line without cutting the line. When I turn the lights off, this disconnects the read out from the power supply. The readout does not like surges like the ones that may occur when you turn the power on. It is my understanding that the system will reset itself for two or three times and then you buy a new one.

2) I ran s separate ground through the cabinet and through the bed box  and out to the battery. I taped all lines down with silver duck tape. The direct line to the battery helps ensure that you will get an accurate battery voltage read. My test indicate that it is relatively accurate. I do not ground out to anything else. (This is my neutral line for the read out.)

3)  I dropped the receiving line out of the cabinet, being careful not to drill into the wheel well or any tank.

4) I tinned the wires where necessary. Some of my wire was stranded and it made some connections easier. Where possible I tried to use special crimps to connect wires to ensure a good connection.

5) On the fresh water tank I looked for the flattest wall I could find. None where flat. In addition, I tried to avoid coming into contact with metal. The strip was flexible enough to follow the warped surface.

6) The black and gray water tanks are odd shaped to help ensure that everything flows to the drain. In addition, there are "ribs" on two sides. This limits you to the side with the drain and the opposite side.

7) On the black water tank I used the side near the drain. This avoids getting a zero read while the tank fills to the level of the opposite wall. On the gray water tank I chose the opposite wall because I was real easy. In retrospect, I should have done them both on their drain side.

I followed the manufacture's directions for installing, including using painters tape to test the install BEFORE I glued them on.

9) I tucked the wires into the handy groves under the camper and tried, with limited success to foam them in. Where possible I used wire ties.

10) People use different techniques to protect the exposed reader strips. I was going to use undercoat (3M as discussed in the various online handouts), but decided to cover them using gasket material, held on with Gorilla tape. I then sprayed this with the undercoat. This should protect them from moisture and rocks.

11) As explained to me by their customer service staff, very few tanks are symmetrical. Consequently the read out may not accurately reflect the amount of fluid in the tank in percentage terms. It is only a measure of the percentage distribution of the fluid over the length of the strip. What I did was to  pore water into the tanks - keeping track of the amount pored in and the percentage read out.  I keep the table near the tank reader. I will try to attach the table at another time. Presently, I am having no luck. In any case, the tables are not linear.





 

[quote timestamp="1432607923" author="@sandroad" source="/post/11380/thread"]Having already dropped and messed with my grey tank, I know the tanks are hopelessly warped. What's the SeeLevel monitor story? That's on my to-do list next month and I have the parts ready to install. I think a drain plug on the bottom of the fresh tank at the lowest point is a good idea. It would be more sanitary to completely empty the tank after trips and it would make winterization easier. Check out plastic tank fittings at Tractor Supply Company. They have lots for farm tanks but I'm not sure they are ok for drinking water. More research needed on that issue. Glad to see you still have the 13QBB we saw you with at the factory last year! [/quote]I have leaned to accept the shape of the tanks. I will open a new thread on my experience with the SeeLevel monitoring system.

We had success at Ikea. I also increased the gas struts on the bead to lift the weight.

I have had similar experiences with the frig starting on Gas. It appears to be related to the gas lines filling. My dealer suggested the "starting the stove method" mentioned above. The other methods mentioned will achieve the same result, but the stove lets you see what is happening.

[quote source="/post/11166/thread" timestamp="1432215078" author="@mitch"]So mark this as a stupid question asked but how the heck do you easily return your spare tire to it's spot underneath the trailer?  I wanted to check my spare tire pressure and of course the valve stem is pointed up so you have to remove the tire from it's carrier.  The carrier just screws into a mount welded on the frame, once you've unscrewed it the tire falls to the ground.  To put it back up you. need three hands, 2 to lift the tire and one to screw the holder back in.  Other than sounding like the beginning of a bad joke how do people do this? I ended up having to use a jack to support one side of the tire and free up a hand but that seems like a lot of effort.[/quote]I  may have commented previously, if so please forgive me. As in the other post regarding how it is installed originally (see picture below) that is the answer I got when I called Camplite. I have addressed the problem two ways is the past, and have now added a third:

1) I purchased some ratchet straps. I place two of them across the tire and ratchet the tire up and install the bolt. It works well. Previously to this approach I tried using the knee approach described below and failed.

2) I had the tire dealer do it. It was even easier than the ratchet straps.

3) I have since purchase a truck. I travel light so I can just trow it in the back of the bed.

I like 2 the best

[quote source="/post/11347/thread" author="@brenda" timestamp="1432567705"][font size="3"]We keep our clothes in the compartment above the bed in our 21RBS, and of course in the closet on hangers.  But those over-bed compartments aren't ideal because--

1. They're deep and it's hard to reach all the way to the back.
2. They're awkward to get to, by either squeezing in next to, or climbing over the bed.
3. The doors don't stay up on their own so you have to use one hand to hold it open and one hand to rummage around, looking for that pair of pants you're sure you packed....somewhere.

Have any of you found a good solution? Or do you keep your clothes elsewhere?  

I'm thinking about using packing cubes to help keep it organized up there, but would love to hear your ideas.

Oh, and it works for us to keep our shoes in that cabinet below the pantry and socks/underwear in the bathroom cabinet above the sink.  (My husband built some shelves inside that bathroom cabinet to make it more functional - bless him!  Not sure why LL neglected to put any in there.)

Thoughts?  Thanks!


We have a 13QBB. My wife and I have given this a lot of thought and experimentation on trips that range from 20 to 40 days. Are approach is as follows:

 1) We go through our stuff each trip and identify what was not really needed. For use this has been the most important part of managing the storage problem
 
2) I replaced the pistons under the bed to hold it up with the stuff we put on the bed (e.g. better mattress, blandets, etc. In my case I doubled the strength of the pistons and my increase it further (they are cheap). I also added a cable to stop the bed from rising before it hits the window frame.

3) We went to the Container Store during a sale and bought enough water proof boxes to fill under the bed. (Water proof is important when traveling is very dusty environments). We did not choose the biggest boxes, we chose ones that we could lift when full of clothes,etc. We are vey careful not to place heavy things here as we do not want to introduce sway.

4) We put our clothes that we are using over the next 4 to 5 days in small baskets, plastic bins in the overheads. Basically we minimize the need to go under the bed.

5) We use 3M hooks to put hooks where we can hang things with out being too "cluttery".

6) We have an [span]absolutely silly closet For a while we used a hanging shoe bag to store odds and ends. It now stores the jack, the manuals and all of our dirty laundry.  

It is fun to read what people do to manage this issue. There are lots of creative ideas from people with varying needs. [/span]





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[quote source="/post/10991/thread" timestamp="1431906655" author="@sandroad"]We just got back from a 3 day trip and we tracked water usage to help with future trip planning. To calculate how much we had left in the freshwater tank, i ran the pump to draw the fresh water tank down to loss of suction and measured the amount that pumped out. As a part of the whole process, I looked at the freshwater tank after the pump lost suction and noticed the water remaining in the tank was twice as deep at the side away from the pump pickup (and not incidentally, also away from the drain outlet which is next to the pump pickup). I measured the water level in the tank and found it 3/4 inch deep on the drain side and 1 1/2 inches deep on the opposite side. Since the tank is supported by aluminum brackets, I'm debating whether it's worth the effort to reverse the brackets and have the low side be the drain/pickup side. I calculated there was about 6 gallons remaining in the tank, so we'd probably get another couple of gallons during use and it would be easier to drain for winterizing. It might be a safe bet the brackets are made with hangers slightly shorter on one side and that the installer at the factory reversed them. As it is now, we have only about 32 out of a 38 gallon tank available, or about 16% less capacity.[/quote]I have a 2013 13QBB. As a friend said about travel trailers in general, "They are not built like Cars"... meaning they have a different standard of construction. That being said. My fresh water tank does not drain completely when using the tank drain, even when I lower the front of the camper. I am thinking about putting in a plug in the bottom to drain it. This entails some risk obviously. I am concerned about the health aspects. (I bleach out the tank regularly, but would like to ensure that all of the residual material is drained out. I recently installed SeeLevel tank monitors. (This is another story.) The issue is the shape of the tanks. The fresh water tank is the only tank that by design is supposed to be a symmetric cube. It is however warped on all sides. They are just not built like Cars, and this applies to other manufactures also.

[quote source="/post/1888/thread" timestamp="1404679717" author="@tinkeringtechie"][quote source="/post/1881/thread" timestamp="1404656145" author="@funpilot"]I asked for the SeeLevel and they passed on that. John, is this panel by the door or next to the cooktop?  Either way, there could be room above or below that panel to install the SeeLevel monitor and just leave the other one to cover the hole.  That way you can use the wiring....? [/quote]If it's anything like the 21' models (looks like it is) then there's plenty of room on that wall for the SeeLevel. If you plan on using the SeeLevel instead of the probe monitor then I would have them leave the probe monitor off entirely. You'll save yourself a dozen holes in your tanks and you won't need to cover up the hole in the wall (or leave the disconnected monitor in the wall). The wires aren't very difficult to run for the SeeLevel. There's actually only one wire that has to go through the floor and it's shared by all three sensors. There are already a couple grommets on that kitchen partition that you could probably run that wire through. Other than that, it needs ground and 12V which could be shared with the "power station".[/quote]



Where did you connect the ground. It seem to need a ground to the battery and not to the frame or  converter. Any thoughts???

I am not sure steel wool is a good idea with aluminum. The foam should work.

As concerns rodents and bugs I follow the foillowing practice:

Leave no food in the camper unless it is in a can.

Leave out a bait trap. If the do get in they will probably die before they bread.

Spray around the doors with a home exterior bug spray. (Don not spray the doors or handles.) Spray the threasholds.  Any crawling bugs will not get far.  It also last for months. Note, if you have craing children around, live with the bugs.  

If you want to have fun, get a bug zapping racket. They are great for riding the camper of stray flying bugs like flies and mosquitoes. You can even make it s team event and keep score.

Quote from: @shortcircuit" source="/post/4710/thread" timestamp="1414873733Our 14DBS is now covered with an ADCO cover. Underneath, I found two openings in the flooring where cables, hoses, etc. come down through the flooring where some foam sealant was needed. So, great stuff was applied to:

The flooring opening at the rear of the camper, under the Dometic fridge in the compartment next to the Furnace - LP hose, 120 volt cable, 12 volt cable, H/C water lines
The flooring opening behind the power panel under sink cabinet where lots of cabling/hoses come through the floor. Accessed through the left side panel inside the lower right sink cabinet - needed extra sealant.

Just a thought about the steel wool. I am not using it, but if I were I would use copper wool scrubber stuff. It will not rust. An I don't think mice will like it either!

There are also openings at the ends of the aluminum framing in the wheel well area, and the rear of the center aluminum frame tube. However, those openings do not go anywhere into the camper.

Quote from: @antares4141" source="/post/4815/thread" timestamp="1415237419I wish home depot would sell those big plastic bait stations you see around hospitals and restaurants and what not. Must be some kind of liability issue with that.