Advice: Preping new camper

S

super doody

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San Mateo Coast
Hi All,

I'm taking delivery of our camper on the morning of the FWC Rally so our camper needs to be ready for use that day within hrs of installation. I wouldn't be as concern but we'll be camping with our 17 months daughter.

Furnace - I know its good to let it run for a bit to air out any bad fumes?
Water tank - Do I need to treat and clean the water tank prior to use?
Fridge - How long does it take to get cold? We probably go grocery shopping near Woodland on the way to Sugar loaf.
Electric consumption - I won't have time to install my own solar panel and controller so we'll be using the camper battery the whole weekend. With the fridge running and some furnace use, should I have enough battery power? I do have a brand new Honda EU2000 generator I can bring as a back up. I"m not really a generator guy. In fact, my FIL insisting on getting this generator for me. It wasn't my choice. If I have to use it, I'll definitely be respectful of neighbors.

Any other considerations or advice?

Thanks,

Jim
 
Yes, yes, depends on which one you have and probably. You're going to the Rally. Thats one place you can get ALL your questions answered. Have fun!
 
Furnace - Yes, run it for a while before your trip. Mine set off the smoke detector the first couple of times I used it. This gave me the impetus to learn how to shut it off.

Water tank - Fill and drain with a bleach solution is a good idea if you intend to drink the water from the tank untreated. I run the water through a Berkey water purifier/filter before drinking or cooking. Those Berkey filters are great. They remove virtually all contaminants. If you want to be really safe you can add bleach to the drinking water and the Berkey filter will remove the bleach.

Fridge - Should take no more than a couple of hours to cool depending on external temperature. If the fridge is two way you should plug into a shore power source for the initial cool down.

Any other considerations or advice? - Use paper plates to conserve water, time & labor. On my initial trip I discovered that I had forgotten to bring one essential piece of gear: a measuring cup. I went to Walmart and got a small plastic one with a handle which can serve double duty as a mug.
 
For your water tank I'd just flush it for a 2 fill cycle. Then it will be fine. I have well water so no treatment necessary... just pure water. No need for treatment unless you fill with city water which has chlorine in it and fluoride etc. Tap water is safe. My furnace smelled a little bit for 10 minutes then all clear... just open all roof vents, windows and back door for 10 minutes. done. hate generators too... you will be happy to get the solar and not worry ( I do have an Engle fridge which is low wattage) I have a 90 watt solar and it does the trick.
Your first camp trip keep a sense of humor and excitement and don't worry. You will be experiencing a wonderful feeling and the start of many more to come. Have fun! ( Lucky daughter! Lucky dad!)
 
For the refrigerator, I think it really depends on what's available and what type it is. If you can run it off propane, it'll do fine. I agree with others though, if you can cool it down via shore power, that's best.
 
Yep, definitely run the furnace first and see how it smells or smokes. Back in the 90's we were flying a Bell 407 helicopter back into Boise (brand new ship). It was getting chilly, so the pilot turned the heater and the cockpit filled with smoke in seconds. Hot line emergency landing at the Boise airport. Turned out there was some oil on the heater element and the flexlines to the vents. Had a good laugh about it later.
 
Taku said:
Yep, definitely run the furnace first and see how it smells or smokes. Back in the 90's we were flying a Bell 407 helicopter back into Boise (brand new ship). It was getting chilly, so the pilot turned the heater and the cockpit filled with smoke in seconds. Hot line emergency landing at the Boise airport. Turned out there was some oil on the heater element and the flexlines to the vents. Had a good laugh about it later.
Click to expand...
Happens sometimes after compressor washes too, if the mechanics don't do a good dry cycle. I've returned to base because my passengers thought there was a fire and didn't want to listen to my explanation.

Yes definitely run the furnace with everything open. My last camper set off the smoke detector the first 4-5 times out when I turned on the heat.
 
Super - Congrats on the new camper.

Sugarloaf is dry camping - no hookups


Fridge

I don't remember which one you purchased.
If you bought the Dometic compressor it draws about 4.5 amps per hour. One 80 amp hour battery with 40 usable amp hours will run the fridge ONLY for 9 hours ( 40 divided by 4.5 = 8.89 hours) Two batteries 18 hours engine off. Batteries will not last for 2.5 days ( 60 hours) engine off.

You will need some xtermall source to run the fridge and charge the battery.. The generator will run it during the day if you brought enough fuel...but not at night. ...And the battery(s) need to be close to 100% full to get those 9 hours.....Battery usage problem starts when engine is turned off.

Lights, fan and furnace blower also draw amps.

You might ask Four Wheel to pre-cool the fridge before you pick it up. The alternator will run it going down the road and trickle charge battery, however may not "top it off".

Trial and error has us recommending 2 solar panels on the roof to run the Dometic, furnace fan, lights, and Fantastic fan, and charge the batteies for night use, Consider the lightweight bendable ones as they don't use weigh more than 4 pounds each.

My 2 cents - keep your food in an ice chest for Sugarloaf trip since time will be short and you haven't had time for a shake down trip. FWC provides breakfast and lots of snacks plus there will be a lot of good food at the potluck, so you won't have to bring a lot of food for the adults.

It will take you a while to get used to the amp draw of your various devices.
 
All, thanks for the input :)

Jim, thanks for the detailed info. We got the 65L compressor fridge. I will definitely bring a cooler. Its mainly for my daughter's Milk
 
Your welcome.

The following amp usage chart I copied from Dr J's Post titled " Measured FWC power use" -click on the title to review the article:

Heater 2.5-3 amps per hour
Water pump 2.6-3.2 amps per hour
(depending on volume of water)
Old incandescent overhead lights 2.8 amps per side or 5.6 amps for both sides
New LED overhead lights 0.4 amps per side or 0.8 amps for both sides
LED floor lights 0.1 amps
LED flood lights 2.8 amps
Porch light 0.2 amps
(Replaced with LED)
Fantastic Fan
0.2 amps at 10% fan speed
0.5 amps at 50% fan speed
1.5 amps at 100% fan speed
FWC battery sensor, IOTA IQ4 smart charger less than 0.1 amps - not measureable.

You will probably be ok running the furnace a few hours at night. to keep the chill off.
Run your truck engine for an hour twice a day should keep everything close to topped off. Installing a Trimetric removes the gueswork with battery condition...You can buy that later.

I look forward to meeting you and your family. I'm the volunteer that registers everyone and hands out the "goodie bags"
 
Darn it! I just realize the camper battery system is an additional option and it was not on my order form. Now i have have to pay another 200$ to get it added :( You would think a $20K camper would came with a battery system. Can anyone clarify what additional wiring is part of the battery system? My truck is already wiring with a attwood plug on the truck bed with thermal breaker on the starting battery.
 
Did you get the solar wiring & connectors for roof and rear of camper? Good option if you plan to add solar later.

Paul
 
super doody said:
Hi All,

I'm taking delivery of our camper on the morning of the FWC Rally so our camper needs to be ready for use that day within hrs of installation. I wouldn't be as concern but we'll be camping with our 17 months daughter.

Furnace - I know its good to let it run for a bit to air out any bad fumes?
Water tank - Do I need to treat and clean the water tank prior to use?
Fridge - How long does it take to get cold? We probably go grocery shopping near Woodland on the way to Sugar loaf.
Electric consumption - I won't have time to install my own solar panel and controller so we'll be using the camper battery the whole weekend. With the fridge running and some furnace use, should I have enough battery power? I do have a brand new Honda EU2000 generator I can bring as a back up. I"m not really a generator guy. In fact, my FIL insisting on getting this generator for me. It wasn't my choice. If I have to use it, I'll definitely be respectful of neighbors.

Any other considerations or advice?

Thanks,

Jim
Click to expand...
Maybe goes without saying, but remember to fill the propane tanks. I didn't and we found ourselves camped in the Bighorn Mountains our first night with snow but no heat. Congrats on the new camper.
 
Call FWC this morning and add the "Aux" battery system with two batteries, Sure Power, their 20 amp solar controller includes the battery monitor I think ( you will need to confirm that). You have about a month before pickup so it is probably still in the building stage. Have FWC connect the solar wiring which will include the fuses between the controller and batteries....One less thing you have to do. (Will give you more time with your daughter)

Each battery produces maximum 9 hours running time(12- 14 hours darkness) at the Dometic amp draw of 4.5 (or more) amps per hour. Adding the furnace blower, fan, lights (couple hours at night) pushes average up to 5.5-6 amps per hour (decreases running time to 7 hours per night)

My recommendation - Buy two batteries.

When you add the solar go with 2ea 100 watt lightweight bendable solar panels on the roof.

Solar panel output Note:
100 watt panels output 5.8 amps max in June -August ( sun high in sky). In October - March output drops to around 60% - about 3.5 amps(sun low in the sky). Two solar panels in winter will output 6-7 amps an hour enough to run your Dometic and charge the battery. Camping off the grid in January will be a challenge though as running the furnace blower will have you using more amperage than the panels are producing.

Winter output drop off because roof mounted panels can't be tilted towards the sun. We carry a 60 watt portable panel in winter just in case. So far we haven't needed it (because our Engle fridge only draws 1.5 amps average per hour)
 
RC Pilot Jim said:
Call FWC this morning and add the "Aux" battery system with two batteries, Sure Power, their 20 amp solar controller includes the battery monitor I think ( you will need to confirm that). You have about a month before pickup so it is probably still in the building stage. Have FWC connect the solar wiring which will include the fuses between the controller and batteries....One less thing you have to do. (Will give you more time with your daughter)

Each battery produces maximum 9 hours running time(12- 14 hours darkness) at the Dometic amp draw of 4.5 (or more) amps per hour. Adding the furnace blower, fan, lights (couple hours at night) pushes average up to 5.5-6 amps per hour (decreases running time to 7 hours per night)

My recommendation - Buy two batteries.

When you add the solar go with 2ea 100 watt lightweight bendable solar panels on the roof.

Solar panel output Note:
100 watt panels output 5.8 amps max in June -August ( sun high in sky). In October - March output drops to around 60% - about 3.5 amps(sun low in the sky). Two solar panels in winter will output 6-7 amps an hour enough to run your Dometic and charge the battery. Camping off the grid in January will be a challenge though as running the furnace blower will have you using more amperage than the panels are producing.

Winter output drop off because roof mounted panels can't be tilted towards the sun. We carry a 60 watt portable panel in winter just in case. So far we haven't needed it (because our Engle fridge only draws 1.5 amps average per hour)
Click to expand...
Thanks Jim. I added another battery. I didn't ask about the solar controller but I doubt its part of the electrical panel.Solar panels are extremely economical right now. Based on my preliminary research I can probably added a controller and solar panel for around 300$
 
takesiteasy said:
Maybe goes without saying, but remember to fill the propane tanks. I didn't and we found ourselves camped in the Bighorn Mountains our first night with snow but no heat. Congrats on the new camper.
Click to expand...
Our previous camper was a shell so I never worried about propane tank. Thanks for the reminder.
 
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