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From what I have read, I "think" some solar panel controllers can charge a 12 volt system from a 24 or 36 volt solar array. So look into this, if you have more than one panel. I think you "might" get more power from your panels if they are wired in series. Just something to look into. I need to...

You can learn a little more by looking at the real battery voltage than you can by looking at a few LEDs but not a whole lot. Once the battery is near full capacity, and the panel(s) are getting sun, the voltage to the battery will go up to over 14 volts. The LED solution will not indicate this...

I just replaced my stock 6 amp Morningstar controller with the SS-MPPT-15L. I graphed the charge voltage on the battery with the old controller as well as the new controller and did not see much difference. Well, I did not see any difference but I only get about three hours of sun where my Hawk...

Removing the inside knob for the deadbolt might be a good idea! I do worry about theft some but also, the inside deadbolt knob has scratched a circle on the clear plastic slide in the screen door. I know this was white plastic on older doors but is clear on my screen door. I too only use the...

Yup, they are not aligned with each other. I tried to measure the distance between each latch and the rubber and got maybe 1 centimeter on the door latch and something like .6 or .7 cm on the deadbolt. In my case, by grinding/sanding back the plate, the lock worked much better because the plate...

Nice work captainphx. I like it! I have spilled my coffee twice in my Hawk. You would think I would have learned the first time but continue to put the coffee on the bench seat next to me in the morning. Mike (friend and Hawk owner) and I, while camping, have brainstormed ideas that would...

The metal of the plate was so wide between the hole in the plate and the front of the plate, before I sanded it down, that the front of the plate pushed against the door. Remember that the door has a rubber seal and the metal door is behind the seal. If I move the plate back, the deadbolt would...

Steve do you think the plate was put on reversed? Looks like the "lip" should have been turned 180'. But your fix has worked.Frank No, the plate is positioned correctly. Although it is not needed on the deadbolt, the lip that I removed curved out and away (from photo perspective). It was the...

I did not see any posts about this so I figured I would post it. To lock the deadbolt on my Hawk camper, I really had to lean into the door to get the key to turn all the way in the lock position. I had tried to determine exactly what the problem was a number of times and finally think I...

Got back yesterday from Glacier NP and the drive home via the Oregon Coast. Good time although the high elevation hikes had too much snow and a few wet days. And I have more to learn about battery charging so chime in and help if I am off track. So, after upgrading the wires between the truck...

I will try to get a few voltage measurements when I stop after a long drive and quickly turn the refrigerator to gas. I leave Wednesday of next week for Glacier NP. Exactly 1000 miles (will take three days to get there) from the house to the park entrance. I won't even try and guess what the...

Quick current measurement. After leaving the refrigerator on DC for about 2 hours, the batteries had dropped down to about 12 volts under the refrigerator load and they were at about 12.4 volts when I turned the refrigerator off after the electrical current measurement. The current going from...

Thanks again to everyone who gave me direction on this project. I made my changes to the camper today. Things are much better but I really need to go for a drive and see how well things are working. My daughter and I leave for Glacier NP next week so that will give me time to see how things are...

Sounds silly but it has got me with the kitchen sink. The back of the shower head does have a on/off so it could have been near the off position. I guess I need to try my shower sometime and make sure it works! Never have had a chance to try it. Steve

Cool Idea K7MDL. That is something I figured I would try sometime. I have driven in warm weather where the refrigerator creeps up to 50 degrees. It was on a trip to Texas about a month back. 75MPH in hot weather. The Blue Ice would be a great way to assist the system on those hot days. Glad...

Hey pods8, The 3-way refrigerator was installed by FWC. FWC used #10 wire from the camper battery to the fuse box and then from the fuse box to the refrigerator. There was a little more of a voltage drop than I wanted between the camper battery and the refrigerator when the refrigerator was...

I am not against running the refrigerator on gas while driving. If I am worried about the level of charge on my batteries, I will run the refrigerator on gas. It is not that big of a deal. I just see some room for improvement with my particular configuration. I think, once I have increased the...

Thanks pods8, The refrigerator runs great on DC. As I mentioned in another post, I ran #8 wire directly from the battery to the refrigerator. I am pleased with those results. Since the refrigerator now gets close to 13 volts while driving, I figure the refrigerator heating element is now...

You are right White Dog about 12 versus 24 volts. That is one of the many things I have just learned. I have always loved to play with electronics most all of my life but, since getting my Hawk camper, I now realize how little I know about 12 volt systems in cars and RVs. I am learning more...

Thanks White Dog for taking the time to work out those numbers. And thanks for the voltage drop calculator. Great stuff! And, as much as I hate to say it. I am probably wasting my time trying to make things much better by making the wire between the truck battery and camper bigger. Yeah, I will...

Not much more information than has already been said. Yes, to make sure you get the most out of the heater heat, the fan remains on for some specified amount of time after the thermostat tells it to turn off. Even if you just accidentally turn it on and right back off. But, it does seem like...

Thanks pods8, I am not sure why I missed the link. Sorry about that. That wire also looks like a great choice. I plan to hit a couple of local stores tomorrow or Friday. I want to look at the physical size of 4 and 6 AWG wire to make sure I know what I will be dealing with. Mostly to take a...

Currently, the Anderson connectors look great. The 120 amp connector can use different wire size contacts which will accept #4 or #6 wire. It is good to know the different color connectors are keyed differently. The Ancor Marine wire looks expensive ($120+ for my wire run) but you do get both...

I had hit two auto stores near my home and did not have any luck with wire. I have to admit that I have not looked at plugs at any of those two stores. I see a NAPA store pretty close to me and will see how well they are stocked. The hose idea for the wires sound great. Just need to make sure...

I have been following the Multiple Charge Sources thread, among others, and am pretty sure I want to run larger wire from the truck battery to the truck bed connector. First, I have a 100 amp alternator, two 75 AH batteries in the camper, I have a solar panel (80 watt? factory installed)and I...