Comments for ModMyRV

Comment on Mod #1: 6-Volt Battery Upgrade by Cliff Odell

Cliff Odell — Sun, 23 Feb 2020 19:21:00 +0000

Dale…
No problem.
12 Volt charger is what you want to use.
The two 6 volters in series is just a 12 volt “stack”.
Locate the cable that connects your 1st battery to your 2nd battery.
This is the “middle” of your 12 volt “stack”
Connect the 12 volt charger with Neg lead to the negative (-)terminal of the battery that has its positive (+) at the “middle”.
Connect the 12 volt charger Pos lead to the Positive terminal of the other battery.
This spans the stack.
+12 at the “Top”; -12 at the “Bottom”.

Comment on Mod #1: 6-Volt Battery Upgrade by Dale

Dale — Sun, 23 Feb 2020 01:08:51 +0000

I have a 31 ft TT. Bought a dual 6V battery box (that seemed to be harder to find than batteries). I want to swap up to 2 6V batteries. I understand the wiring diagram. Not complicated. My TT has your basic converter that comes with a Kodiak TT. I understand I don’t need to do anything else if I stop there.

That said, I read that I need a specific charger for the 6V. And, If I add a generator, I read that I will need to use the charger for the batteries if I spend a weekend+ without shore power. This part I am unsure of. I’m no idiot but I just bought the trailer a week ago and yours was the simplest piece to read and digest vs forum strings.

1. Do I need a specific charger for the 6V batteries and if so can I charge them both at the same time wired together? I doubt it.
2. Seems simple enough to connect a generator to a charger to a battery,
3. I should also buy a battery monitor and it will need to be wired in, throw in a new ammeter. I digress.

Lastly, If I continue to add batteries, 2 more, then I read that I’ll need a new inverter/converter especially if I add a small solar panel. That’s probably a longer answer

I appreciate this mod write up. It’s a jungle out there

Comment on Mod #83: DIY Water Accumulator by GH

GH — Sat, 14 Dec 2019 03:25:26 +0000

Rex, where did you get 8” from? I can’t think of where you would get 8” diameter pipe. The biggest diameter I saw on here was 4” and that does not compute. It would be 376 lbs of force at that size. At 50 psi you have 630 lbs of force. 4 in. PVC can take that much force. These accumulators really need to be at least a gallon or it doesn’t seem worth it. On a water well system it’s called a pressure tank. The accumulator is playing that role on a smaller scale. Using this will definitely increase the life of the pump.

Comment on Mod #82: Air Conditioner Hard Start Capacitor by Schluter1966

Schluter1966 — Sat, 04 May 2019 23:22:12 +0000

I purchased this mod only find out that I already had a hard start capacitor installed. I’m wondering if I installed dual capacitors if it would cause any issues or work better. Crazy i realize but there are enough plugs to connect it.
Has anyone done this?

Comment on Mod #65: Sliding Storage and Cargo Trays by Ken

Ken — Mon, 22 Apr 2019 14:49:36 +0000

All this is fine but remember the more storage you create the more weight you have to pull and stop ! Not to be negative but how many knick knacks do you really need, I have seen some pretty odd stuff people haul along.

Comment on Mod #17: Radio Replacement by Pastor Sammy Edwards

Pastor Sammy Edwards — Thu, 21 Mar 2019 00:30:58 +0000

What is the brand (name) of radio #17?

Comment on Mod #65: Sliding Storage and Cargo Trays by Jeffery Horn

Jeffery Horn — Thu, 07 Feb 2019 05:25:15 +0000

Step-by-step instructions would be nice to have when trying to make the DIY slide out tray’s

Comment on Mod #50: Electric Mattress Warming Pad by krbjmpr

krbjmpr — Fri, 03 Aug 2018 19:19:28 +0000

Most mattress pads and electric blankets regulate heat via cycling on and off, either using a switch (on/off) or using a pulse width modulation duty cycle waveform. The latter switches on/off very quickly, more even heating. I do not know what the SoftHeat pad uses, so lets look at worst case.

16.5vdc @ 3.5A = 57.75 Watts
A 3.5A current flow at 16.5vdc = 4.7 ohms of resistance.
At 12volts, this resistance will limit current flow to: 2.55 amps
At 13.8volts, current is limited to (13.8/4.7): 2.93 amps
At 12.8volts, battery fully charged (no converter): 2.72 Amps

If you were to apply battery voltage directly to the mattress pad, then you will have (using middle of range battery) V*A: 34.8 watts, or about 75% of original heat being generated. The bed will take a bit longer to warm up, approx 25% or so, but it will get warm. Applying power to the mattress pad all the time may cause it to overheat, depending on amount of blankets that you have on top.

There are a slew of PWM light dimmers on amazon for controlling 12vdc lighting. As long as you stay above 5Amps (safety factor), then you can use the controller to keep a constant power level to the pad. And of course, use a fuse (here I Would do a 3 or 5A).

You are also able to use a mechanical switch type of thermostat, have the probe extend down the middle of the bed. You will likely have same issues that I did, the relay switching in and out will drive you nuts.

If you are uncomfortable with modifying, take a look at the heated blankets and such found at Loves, Pilot, Flying J, etc. All 12volt. No Tstat.

Oh and just 1 more calculation, 2.7A current * 8 hours (assumed) sleep = 21.6 Amp Hours used off of batteries, requiring (for lead acid) approx 26AH to replace energy used.

Comment on Mod #50: Electric Mattress Warming Pad by djfrown

djfrown — Thu, 02 Aug 2018 19:09:51 +0000

Has anyone used a 12v to 19v DC/DC converter with a SoftHeat mattress pad? My queen pad works fine through my inverter or when hooked up. The pad takes 120v AC and provides 16.5v +/- 10% @ 3.5A DC power through a “brick”. This wastes a lot of power (heat and inverter overhead). I’m considering bypassing the brick by using a 10A DC/DC converter. Any comments?

Comment on Mod #2: 12-Volt Outlet by Sherry Roach

Sherry Roach — Thu, 26 Jul 2018 16:50:59 +0000

I removed the stove hood from my travel trailer. We don’t cook inside on the stove. I would like to add an outlet in its place. The closest one is on the other side of the sink. Can I use the 12v wiring from the hood? Or do I have to extend the power from the other outlet? Any help is appreciated. Sherry