Forum Replies Created

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  • DON

    Member
    November 17, 2021 at 10:24 am in reply to: what did you do to your Bus Today

    put it in winter mode till after newyear…All tucked in!!!

  • DON

    Member
    November 16, 2021 at 5:25 pm in reply to: Change from Lifelines to Lithiums ??

    Don,

    The SOB’s use this BIM.

  • DON

    Member
    November 16, 2021 at 10:08 am in reply to: Change from Lifelines to Lithiums ??

    The gen battery is connected to the current house 12vdc AGM batteries via either a combiner (voltage controlled relay) or an isolator (diode block) so it gets charged via the alternator while driving or via the house AGM charger while on shore or gen power. The combiner or isolator will prevent current from flowing from the gen battery to the house agms.

    if you split the house battery bank so the remaining AGMs power only the 12vdc loads and the new Li bank powers only the 120vac loads through the inverter/charger the gen battery will still get charged as it always has been. You will add a BtoB charger to charge the new Li bank from the alternator while driving and you will add a conventional RV converter/charger to charge the remaining house AGMs and that gen battery while on shore or gen power.

    On most Webasto hydronic heating systems there is a setting for automatically keeping your water and holding tanks from freezing in low temps. That will also keep your new Li batteries warm during cold spells. Or, you can mount your new Li batteries in the living area (as I did).

    Either way, having Li batteries that only power the high current draw 120vac loads through your inverter(s) and leaving some AGMs to handle only the 12vdc loads will allow the AGMs to live far longer than they will being hammered by those high draw inverter loads which are ideal to be handled by the Li batteries.

    Splitting the house bank like this is easy, fast, very reliable and requires little in the way of new components or re-engineering. Another Bus Conversion magazine article is coming out soon that shows how you can even add a second Li bank tsp a separate Li bank powers each of the existing 2800 inverter/chargers. I now have 300 available amp hours of Li capacity to handle the 120vac loads on the passenger side where my residential refer and basement refer are located and 400 available amp hours to handle the 120vac loads on the drivers side where my kitchen and AV appliances are located. I kept 200 available amp hours of AGMs to handle the very light 12vdc loads which for me are just LED lights and a few fans and pumps. Any time I wish I can move any of those over to either Li bank if I ever want to shed even more AGM weight. So far, no need.

    Everything is automatic and all three banks stay fully charged while driving, or while parked on shore/gen power, with no need for intervention on my part.

    ‘Jerry

  • DON

    Member
    November 16, 2021 at 9:52 am in reply to: Roof air install ’01 H3 2 slide

    Mmmmmmmmm-pressive!!!!

  • DON

    Member
    November 16, 2021 at 8:35 am in reply to: Change from Lifelines to Lithiums ??

    No. The gen battery is separated via an isolator so it can get charged via the house batteries, but a set of house batteries will not get current from the gen battery.

    If the house Li batteries go into shut down you will need to start the bus to get current flowing into the house batteries, and then gen or shore power can recharge them. I know this because I did a lot of testing on my systems to determine actual length of time I had from fully charged to shut down.

  • DON

    Member
    November 15, 2021 at 2:50 pm in reply to: Change from Lifelines to Lithiums ??

    In a Liberty like Don’s dealing with the cold is an easy process. Add a wall between the batteries and the Cruisairs and aux compressor. Insulate it a little. In the rear of the rear wall of the entertainment center mount a small 200 watt heater in the battery area, use the 120V outlet in the entertainment center rear wall for power to the heaters. Add a thermostat control for the heater (mine is on at 40 degrees, off at 50) and problem solved. The power to maintain the heat comes from the Li batteries via the inverters so you may want to consider the small current draw in doing you evaluations. Simple, automatic and never exposes the Li batteries to any risk of charging in cold temps.

  • DON

    Member
    November 14, 2021 at 7:14 am in reply to: Alaska Convoy

    At an average of 330 miles/day for 39 days I would be exhausted and unable to remember where we were yesterday! That sounds like a great 90 day trip.

  • DON

    Member
    November 12, 2021 at 9:28 am in reply to: Alaska Convoy

    We went to Alaska in 2014. We made it almost to Alaska without any issues… right as we entered Tok we got a chip in the windshield from rock truck going the other way. In 2014 Destruction Bay to Tok was mostly one lane with a pilot car at times as long as you went slow it was fine. Well worth the the risk of damage in our opinion. My wife and I plan to return again. We spent about 6 weeks and then took the ferry from Haines to Bellingham. Biggest tip would be to go slow!

    Bill

  • DON

    Member
    November 12, 2021 at 7:48 am in reply to: Am I a Traitor to this Website

    Dan…… huh……. about that check…………received it but the edges are severely chewed…….looks like it went through a Combine or something.

    Hope to see you both this season!

    Mark

  • DON

    Member
    November 5, 2021 at 1:12 pm in reply to: Dash lights at night

    Matthew Valentine (matt@prevostLEDupgrade.com)

  • DON

    Member
    November 4, 2021 at 2:33 pm in reply to: Garmin Navigation

    Was the link posted?

  • DON

    Member
    November 1, 2021 at 7:49 am in reply to: What is strange raised floor box in closet

    Harry is missing. Put out a APB. Ole Harry kept saying He was coming to see me in Texas but couldn’t keep His XL running long enough to get down here.

  • DON

    Member
    October 25, 2021 at 11:49 am in reply to: Aux Air Compressor Cycling Every 2.5 hours

    LARRY. i too have chased aux air leaks on the house marathon system for three years. finally fixed. one leak was the step slide ram bypassing, put an electric air switch in fixed. next one was forever to find. the bed lift ram were bypassing. but only and the down setting and could not find it till a pulled the head panel under the bed platform, put my leak detector probe under the platform and lowered it and big leak out of the mac exhaust port. rams obsolete found some on ebay replaced them now 3 weeks no air loss. hope this helps another member if not you maybe someone. wish i had read this one 3 years ago.

  • DON

    Member
    October 25, 2021 at 11:09 am in reply to: Aux Air Compressor Cycling Every 2.5 hours

    It looks like this would be a good time to replace the 3 belts with 1 triple belt. Other have posted displeasure over this setup but I found it to be awesome in my 8V92 for 20 years and I replaced the existing 3 belts on this Series 60 and remain very happy. I got it from Amazon DD Power Drive 3/A74 banded V belt for $33.56.

    https://www.amazon.com/PowerDrive-A74-Banded-Belt/dp/B06WWG99QP/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=3%2FA74+banded+V+belt&qid=1635174845&sr=8-3

  • DON

    Member
    October 23, 2021 at 9:03 am in reply to: Aux Air Compressor Cycling Every 2.5 hours

    Tom, that reminds me, I had exactly that problem when i first got my Bus. I added a 5 Micron auto release water trap at the exit of the Aux compressor. See the picture attached, you can see some moisture in the bowl, this is after a 48 hour cycle of the compressor running at 100 PSI kick on and 120 PSI kick off. Temps were 85 degrees during the day and 65 degrees at night. I also have an Aux air water trap in the steering bay that i replaced to an Auto drain. Mine was original to the Bus, the filter was a spool of thread and not auto drain.

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