-
Disable the Voltage meters and tank minder
Has anyone installed a 12VDC relay inline with the 120 VAC LED readout panel and the tank minder gauges on a Vantare conversion?
I am thinking about doing such an upgrade. I was thinking of installing a 12VDC relay such that the coil is driven by the panel light switch, I would then disconnect the +12VDC line going to both 120VAC read out panels and the tank minders and attach them to the normally open contacts on the relay. That way when I really want the gauges on or to see that status of my tanks, I just need to turn on the panel lights which will pass voltage to the gauges and tank minder.
I leave my coach plugged in all the time as I work at my shop every week and use the coach as a place to cool off, eat lunch, etc. So I dont want these gauges always powered.
-
4 Replies
-
The gauges should not draw any significant amps. So the relay is not really needed. Rather than running it off the panel lights I’d just install a switch to power the gauges. More flexibility that way
-
It can be done, but if you open up the “Upstairs breaker switch” panel within which the 120v AC meters are located, be extremely careful! Shorting out anything in that assembly can take out components in the bay that can no longer be replaced. The tank monitor is a different issue and a lot easier to accomplish, and that modification was done at customer request commonly. Both modifications can best be done in the DC Relay Panel in bay 2. I can help you out with the mod’s if you’d like. I am planning on being in Branson for the rally if you are going to attend as well, or if you are closeby in Florida.
Sincerely,
Ben Cummings
Parliament Motor Coach
ben@parliamentcoach.com
-
Ben, my primary wish is to disable the tank minders so they dont run all the time when the 12VDC battery main is on, which on my coach is most of the time. So the idea is to disable them so they only run when I switch them on. One Idea is to use one of the unused push button switches on the circuit breaker panel, the other was to just wire in a relay between the panel lights and the 12VDC source to the tank minder behind the panel above the circuit breaker panel where the tank minder panel is located.
I have not looked closely at the DC relay config (located in bay 2) on the schematics yet to see if there was an easy place to tie this functionality in. So if you have that knowledge, let me know what circuit to look for and I will hunt down that relay number and such on the schematics.
-
I do and will give you a line-out on that as soon as I get the chance to dig up the info.
Both can be done at the DC relay panel. The Vantare XL units made from 1998 -2001 in Oklahoma under Featherlite all had an On/Off switch next to the tank monitor panel to disable it, especially for those “quiet sleepers” out there lol, but for some reason we could never get the Sanford facility to follow suit.Sincerely,
Ben Cummings
Parliament Motor Coach
Log in to reply.