Finally! Spring is here!

This weekend the campgrounds opened!  But, we haven't had a chance to get the camper out and cleaned up until today.  This weekend has really nice weather (sunny and low 60's today) and our schedule was empty from other things so I was able to dedicate most of the day to the camper and some modifications.

1)  Mounting our fuse block and waterproof switches

In order to add some control and power to our system, I elected to add a waterproof box to contain a new fuse block terminal.  This protects our new accessories as well as our main system.  Waterproof toggle switches are mounted in the face plate of this casing and the fuse block is inside.  The wires run thru the side and are secured / waterproofed by sealing with clear silicone adhesive.

Soldering and preparing the terminal box in the basement

Mounted, and being wired in place

 The switches will activate the reverse flood lighting (left) and the auxiliary cooling fans in the refrigerator compartment (center).  The right switch is not yet assigned, but I'm sure we'll find a good idea sooner or later!

TJ helping run wires below the camper to the two destinations

 Parking on the asphalt made things much better.  We were able to use a creeper to get around underneath the camper to run the wiring and also to clean up the existing wiring with some new plastic cable sheathing.  This will protect our wiring system from road grime and the elements.

2) Rear LED Flood Lights

As you can see in the photos below, the camper is opened for the first time in 2013!  Everything operated well, but I still need to lubricate some of the lift system for this year.  Anyway, there are times when I can't leave work to early and we are arriving to a campsite in the later afternoon or evening.  Being in the woods, many of the times it may be helpful to have some extra light in the back for me to see where we are heading and to also see my wife's signals.  I found these 18W 6-LED flood lights on Ebay.  They only draw about 2.1 amps combined, and are as bright as the 55W H3 Halogens I have on my motorcycles.  I'll adjust the beams some evening, but I can adjust their up/down angle as well as the direction they are pointed with some minor adjustment of the mounting bolts.  A great buy, and I'm pleased with the installation.

Two LED flood Lights mounted and harness secured

Holy Brightness Batman!

3) Fridge Fan Modification

Last summer we camped in August at Knoebels and were unfortunate enough to have a site in the middle of the field.  95* plus outside, and the side of the camper baking as well where the fridge was.  After reading online at the PopupPortal and other forums, it was apparent that even from the Dometic manufacturer's manuals that a baffle should be installed.  What's a baffle you ask?  It is a board or sheet of metal that closes off the open air space to direct the air circulation over the fins of the refrigerator coil.  See the first photo below, there is about 3" of open space in front of the fins to the vent side.  As the fridge heats up, the air is supposed to be naturally drawn in the bottom vent and over these fins, then out the top.  Having this much space is very inefficient, especially when the hot and humid summer days are upon us.

Open space in the fridge compartment

To correct this, a sheet metal baffle is mounted to close off this open space and only leave the space at the fins available for the air to passively move over the fins and then out the top vent.  Well, sometimes the laws of thermodynamics don't work so well and this passive venting situation needs some help.  Enter, the computer fans.  These 4" diameter 40CFM computer fans are super quiet and only draw 1/2 Amp combined.  So on those hot humid days when the fridge is having trouble keeping the temp down inside, I flip the switch and these guys turn on.  It is always better to draw air out of a space than to try and force it in, so having these mounted behind the upper vent pulling air outward is going to make a nice improvement to the air flow and help the fridge work more efficiently.

I have enough wire if I want to add a thermal snap disk switch in the future.  Some people add these to the fins to detect when the fridge can use the additional help.  Open at 85* and closed at 110* or so, it helps regulate the use of the fans.  Drawing so little though, and since we connect to shore power, I don't see the need for it now.

4) Mud Flaps

Who likes road grime on their rear stabilizer jacks or jack screws?..... Bueler,... Bueler,... Bueler,....

Ok,.. so no one I guess.  Just thinking about that grinding sound it makes as the sand and junk is grinding away as you crank down the jack makes me cringe as I type this.  So, a pair of Mud Flaps on Amazon for a great deal, and 6 bolts later, we have mud flaps!

5) LED Replacement Bulbs

I commented last season about how hot the 12V lighting is and how I was concerned about the heat.  So, this year, we will be saving Amps and using LED bulbs.  The interior 921 wedge bulbs have been replaced with Warm White LED's of similar lumen ratings, and the step light has been replaced as well with an Amber LED assembly.  Now we can run the step light more often for the kids.

Step light LED replacement

6) General Cleanup and Checks

Also, it was time to check the camper overall.  The fabric and tenting was very clean and spotless, just like I left it last fall.  The storage areas and all the cushions look good, and all the windows were clean and clear.  The tires held the air pressure great, being at 44 and 46 psi, down from 50.  The spare was a little lower than 40 too.  All of them were reset to 50 psi.

TJ cracking a joke and having a good time, Thanks Buddy!

One thing I did find is that the drain for the sink has a flexible section of hose so  you can raise and lower the galley.  This section was pinched, and there is a small pinhole in it.  Luckily, non of the RV Antifreeze leached out all over, but a small build up of pink color was on the hose.  I'll pick up a section of replacement hose sometime this week or next to fix this when I come back.

All open and airing out.  Getting ready for another fun season!

In summary, today was fantastic and with the help of a good friend, I had a lot of laughs and made a lot of progress.  The remaining tasks I'll tackle as the season begins and as we make our first few camping trips.  I'm sure that once we start camping we will add a few more items to the list too!