Fixed sink drain... final prep for Friday Camping trip!

Tonight after work was all about getting the final stuff reloaded into the camper for this weekends camping trip,... the first one of the 2013 Season, and also finishing the repair to the flexible sink drain line.  As shown in my last post, the flexible line was kinked between the upper galley and cabinet below which caused it to crack and have pin-holes in the side wall of the tubing.  After some hunting around this weekend, I was able to pick up some replacement hose of the proper diameter and actually a nicer product too at Fretz RV Center in Souderton.

Cracked original hose from being pinched

I elongated the slot in the bottom of the upper galley with my dremel tool and sanded the edges smooth.  This helped reduce the back bending that the drain has to do before heading towards the trap that may have contributed to the pinching of the first hose.  I test fit the new hose, and trimmed the length just a little so that after the initial bend it has a straight shot to the trap without any additional sag or dip. 

Nice clean sweep from the sink above down to the trap

Now that Madie is 3 and needs her own space to sleep, we picked up an additional crib mattress on Free-Cycle.  We will have to figure out the sleeping situation this weekend, but at least this way she isn't keeping the older girls up.  Of course, popups aren't made with a lot of extra space to store such a thing,.. but then,... they haven't met me..... The Tetris Playing Car and Camper Packing Master!

Forward Area... carefully orchestrated

After some studying,.... the grey water tank goes under the one table area with the outdoor grill (black bag).  Then the back cushions and one seat cushion go on top of that table along with the outdoor table, outdoor rack for the grill, indoor table, and the step we made for the upper bed.  Then, on the other side (photo below), you have only the small pillows left which secure the mattress in place so it doesn't move, with the two other cushions stacked on top of one another to the left.  Two curved corner cushions on the floor, and our additional pantry rack, still fully assembled, lays on the floor.  BAM!  Beds still slide in with 3/4" - 1" clearance to spare!

And thus, the checklist is complete with the exception of two items that I forgot at the house.  Time to go Camping!
 

Sink Drain and Gray Water Tank

So, as I posted before when we were doing some spring modifications, I noticed that the sink drain line was kinked and has a pin-hole in it.  At first it didn't seem so bad, as no RV Antifreeze was on the floor or on the outside of the cabinet, but I did find that it was absorbed into the wood of the upper galley.  Not noticeable from the outside or when in position, but still something I have to try and see if I can clean up.

Kink in flex drain and the RV Antifreeze Stain :-(

So, Madie and I went around looking for replacement hose today and couldn't find the same stuff or something as flexible as this is at the RV stores.  I did get a section of what they recommended, but I'll have to see how that compares when I get to open this up and try to tackle this project.  While I was at the RV Store, I did pick up a new Gray Water tank with rubber wheels,... yes, no more straining my back trying to tote ours in and out of the camper at the dump station at the end of the camping weekend.  I decided to go with a 11 gallon version, as we only have the sink feeding into it and that will be good for the weekend and extended weekend trips.

Clyde waiting for me to open the box so he can play in it.....

Now that I have a proper Gray water tank with a sewer bayonet,... it is time to Modify!

Say goodbye to the garden hose of a drain!  Now everything is going to be 1 1/4" diameter all the way to the tank,... combined with the vent,.. the sink is going to go Whooosh!  So we bought an extra bayonet fitting and then headed to Lowes Home Improvement store.  Back in the plumbing aisle we found a few things, but then we asked for some help to cut a hose we liked and the guy suggested looking at the sump pump parts.  Went over there, and wow, lots of parts and a nice hose for cheap!

Parts List:
1 1/4" diameter sump pump hose with press fit ends and hose clamps
1 1/2" threaded fitting to 1 1/2" slip on PVC coupler
1 - Bayonet Sewer Cap
1 - Metal electrical conduit lock washer
1 - PVC Conduit end open end cap

Tools:
Dremel, Utility Knife, Wire Cutter

Bayonet with 1 1/4" Conduit nut on the inside

 Dremel out the bayonet cap to permit the sump pump fitting to slide in.  Add the metal locking washer to the fitting, then silicone the inside and screw on the open end cap.  Nice and clean installation for under $6.00 in parts.

Metal Conduit lock washer on the top, and the rest of the 1 1/4" fitting

My helper holding the vented drain we made with the new sump pump hose

1 1/4" line directly connected to the Gray water tank

Dump Position, with sewer hose connection, Open the vent, and Dump!

I bought a 10' section of sewer hose (shortest and cheapest they had) and attached it to the sewer bayonet.  It was a tight fit, but after 30-45 seconds of soaking the end of the vinyl sewer hose in hot water, it slipped over the fitting a lot easier.  I then cut the 10' section in half with the utility knife and wire cutter.  Since it isn't stretched out, it will work well and gives me a nice short section to place into the dump station.

Best part is, I now should have enough sump pump hose to try and fix the sink drain too.  The sump pump hose is the proper diameter for the sink and nice and flexible.  I think the hose that the RV stores sell is nicer, but does seem stiff.  I'll have to check it out and compare with the drain line installed in the camper now.

Safety Post

This weekend, I'm not going over to open and restock the camper, but rather working on the restock items and checking them for this season.  What are they?  Well, big one is the First Aid Kit.  Followed by the fishing gear, batteries, flashlights, and then the pots/pans/linens.

Last year we were fortunate enough to only need band-aids and minor things with the girls.  However, on the weekends we were not camping, it seemed that we had more accidents, including two trips to the E.R. since the big ones happened to occur on Sundays when the doctors office is closed.  So, we pulled out the first aid bin and went thru the contents, made a shopping list, and then went to Wal-mart.  Even though they didn't have everything we were looking for, it gave us a good start and saved us some money I'm sure.

Bella Didn't have RED duct tape, so we used Pink :-)

 Instead of a clamping lid storage container, we elected to purchase a cheap plastic fishing tackle box for this year and use that to organize our items.  Mainly, right upon opening it we have the variety of band-aids and ointments that would more likely be all we would need for the minor things the girls often complain about.

If the accident requires further cleaning, repair, or splinting, then we open the tackle box and Presto!  We have a mini doctors office at our disposal.

When I arrive to the campsite I also check the 30amp Shore power for proper polarity and voltage.  I had been doing this test by holding open the lid of the panel and checking with my multi-meter.  This can be a clumsy situation sometimes, especially if the power box has a lid that you have to hold up.  Why is this important?  Well, you want to be certain that you have the proper grounding for your hook up, as well as that your power is within the proper range to operate the equipment.  In the middle of July and August the power grid at the campground can be taxed for voltage if everyone is running their AC or equipment.  Having a low voltage condition can cause damage to the Air Conditioner operation, Microwaves, etc.  See this LINK for additional information.

So, I found a 30amp Male to 15 amp Female adapter for only $8.  I also found a combination Voltage tester and polarity Tester on Amazon.  Now, with one plug assembly, I can read the voltage at the shore power post and check polarity.  And, I can plug this into an outlet inside my camper to occasionally monitor the voltage.

The fishing tackle was also looked at and cleaned up, along with each of the kids rods and reels inspected.  Our first camping trip has a Trout Derby on Saturday for the kids, so we are hoping to start off the season by catching some big ones!  Now they can be taken over to the camper and stored in our slide out rod holder.

Now to get the batteries ready for the smoke detector, flash lights, and spares too!

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!

Preparing for Spring Mods to the Camper

So,.. you know what happens when you read great ideas on Camping forums like Popup Portal? ... You end up getting a lot of stuff in the mail and talking to your IT department guy at work to scab some old PC computer fans from his pile of parts !

So, here's a few things that arrived today and that I've recently done.

1) As a Pilot, I like checklists.  Yes, a little nerdy, but hey, I'm also an Engineer!  So I took our Winterizing list I made last year and typed it up, then made a spring list,... and then had them hard laminated at Staples.  Funny, when you sit and take a moment to think about it and what you have to do, you remember things like the 9V battery in the smoke detector, checking the first aid kit, and other little things.  (note, the photo only shows the front, ... back side is filled too!)

2) LED replacement bulbs arrived today for the inside 921 wedge bulbs, as well as for the exterior step light.  Pretty good quality looking construction from what I can see.

3) Mud Flaps!  Yes, I'm going to put mud flaps on the camper.  This will cut down on the road grime and mud getting up on the rear stabilizer screws.  These are the right width, 12", and 1/4" thick of heavy rubber.  Simply cut, bolt on to the frame, and possibly add a reflector to the bottom of them and we'll be keeping the camper bottom clean in no time!

4) And, while stopping in to check the camper and take measurements, I found that the heavy wind took advantage of our cover wrapping around the tongue and decided to tear it thru.  So,.. when I get the camper out to work on these mods I'll have the cover off and take it home to the sewing machine to fix it up and reinforce with some old khaki pant material or jean material.

Planning ahead....

Well, time to get out that winterizing list and look it over for the tasks ahead!  As April quickly approaches and you sense the daylight getting longer each day, it's getting that much closer to camping season.  There are a lot of RV Shows and Vendors in the area and we hope to get to a local show next weekend at the Oaks Expo Center off 422.   Looks like a good show, and not to bad on the admission price.

Last weekend we made a trip to Cabela's to get some camping goodies. (Fishing rod, Fishing Net, Table Game)  I also purchased a new cooler that has a drain, and a better seal, to keep all our stuff cold during transport and in the summer heat.  Hopefully this new cooler will help me save some money on buying as much ice this year.  Speaking of ice,... you can get nearly FREE ice if you have an ice maker built into your freezer at home.  Lucky for us, we have a full standup freezer in the basement and I've begun filling a bag of ice from our bin every once in a while and taking it downstairs to the big freezer.

Last year, Madison was in diapers and we had to deal with the changing and carrying those essentials.  This year, she is doing well potty training and we hope that by the time camping season comes she is nearly 100% on the potty, so it was a good idea for us to get a Porta Potti.  After some online research, we settled on the Thetford Porta Potti Curve, which we were able to order and have set aside for us at Cabela's.  This has some nice features for me, the guy who has to clean it, and also for the kids and the wife who have to use it.  Battery powered for the flush, should be nice and easy for even Madie to use with little assistance.

So, what's on our list to upgrade/improve this year?.... Hmm,.. well, here it is so far.

1. Upgrade interior lighting and step light to LEDs
2. Install 18W LED Flood lights for the rear, to help on those evening back in's
3. Install rubber mud flaps to save the crud from getting on the rear stabilizers
4. Add 12V cooling fans to refrigerator coil side, to aid air movement and cooling
5. Sink cover to increase counter space
6. Move COAX cable plug from the side of cabinet to the top (allows storage access when the TV is plugged in)

And, since camping is nearly upon us, we have also been booking and looking at our schedule.  So far we have booked the following:

• Trout Derby Weekend at Colonial Woods
• Memorial Weekend at Colonial Woods
• Disney Princess Weekend at Frontier Town - Maryland

Campsite Review Summary

Well, winter is almost officially here.  Today is 12/12/12,... close to 12/21/12 for the winter solstice and the cold weather is moving in with the morning lows regularly below freezing lately. 

Today, I was walking our toddler Madison to school to pick up the twins and she asked if we were going camping tomorrow?!  As much as I would have like to say "Yes", I explained to her that we will go camping again when the trees have green leaves on them.  She then began to point out that all the trees around us didn't have any leaves,... "Except that one over there Daddy, that has leaves, but they aren't green"... as she pointed across the street to a tree with a few crinkled brown leaves remaining.  Anyway, maybe this weekend I"ll go over and check the camper, make sure the tire pressures are still holding good and things look in good shape. 

One item I said in an earlier post I would do is rank our camping trips and campsites.  I have a Camping Log that I fill out with the campsite information, amenities, conditions, weather, surroundings, things to do, etc.  After each trip I tally the miles for the trip on the sheet and also ask Becky to help rate the categories.  I have a row of Smilies next to each category, 1-5 of them.  We circle the total number we think suits, with 5 being the best.   Here is a summary of those.

Places Camped:

5 Smilies --- Colonial Woods Campground, Upper Black Eddy, PA
5 Smilies --- Little Red Barn Campground, Quakertown, PA
4 Smilies --- Lake Glory Campground, Catawissa, PA
4 Smilies --- Warwick Woods Campground, St. Peter, PA
3 Smilies --- Quakerwoods Campground, Quakertown, PA

Bathroom Condition & Cleanliness:  In Ranking Order (#1 being best)

1.  Little Red Barn 
2. Lake Glory
3. Warwick Woods
4. Colonial Woods
5. Quakerwoods

All in all, every place had great services.  Colonial Woods has small stalls and the showers are only at the main lodge bathrooms and not at the one close to the campsite.  Little Red Barn has nice bathrooms, but a walk if you are on the back circle of camping spots, so you need time to get there, but overall, Becky and I were most impressed with those.  Lake Glory Campground is setup to handle the high volume of campers as it is a campground affiliated with Knoebels Amusement park.

All places had solid electric service for us to use at 30 amp.  I test each site pole for proper wiring, ground, and voltage before I hook up our camper.  All were in the typical specs for voltage and we didn't have any issues when operating the AC unit this summer.  Lake Glory and Quakerwoods each offered the 30Amp and the 15Amp outlets with individual breakers at the power box, which is nice to have the exterior lights for the canopy controlled separate from running thru/off the camper outlet.

Kids Activities and Kid Friendly Atmosphere:

1. Colonial Woods
2. Warwick Wood
3. Little Red Barn
4. Lake Glory
5. Quakerwoods

Definitely the best place was Colonial Woods, we even went there twice this year!  Nice planned activities, nicest playground, and fishing pond.  The pool and scheduled events really kept the kids busy and tired them out!  Worst,... Quakerwoods.  No grass near the campsites, poor playground condition,..... not bad for a late season get away, but not someplace we will frequent for a long weekend.

Campsite Access, Levelness, Size:

1. Colonial Woods
2. Lake Glory
3. Warwick Woods
4. Quakerwoods
5. Little Red Barn

 Colonial woods has very nice sites and in general, all are really close to level where you will be parking your camper for the weekend.  Condition of the sites is well maintained with little obstruction to get in or out.  Lake Glory has lots of great sites for the big rigs all the way down to the tents, and now we have them marked on the map so we know which to look for next season.  Warwick woods gave me the most trouble backing in for the site we had, and it took all the blocks I had to get us level in both directions.  Other sites off the top of the hill looked better though, so this one ranks here as the site pad was the best prepared out of the last on the list. Quakerwoods sites are good in size and level, but have the sewer hookup in a bad spot for most uses.  Little Red Barn has the smallest sites around, as apparently they were tent sites in the past.  Water and Electric hookups, while new, were not thought out in advance for campers.  Our particular site we had to jack the camper in diagonally so we could just reach the electric on one side of the site, and then the water on the other.  I was fully extended with 25' leads in both directions to make it work.  The people beside us had the same issue and had to use a 30Amp extension cord.  Best sites here are the field sites that have the electric hookup, get a few friends together and it would be a lot of fun.