Morning Cup Of Coffee And Weather

We pulled the autobrake fuse underneath the controller which was mounted on the aft wall of the lower right galley area. Disabling it made a huge difference on the parasite draw from the battery. Much easier than trying to disconnect the wiring harness.

 

It really surprises me that Autowbrake doesn't have a better management than this. Horse trailers, boats, and 'big rigs' are often left sitting for longer periods of time away from shore power. My concessions trailer from years ago would sit for 2 weeks at a time routinely, and that only had a tiny little lawn mower battery, not the sizable group 24.

It seems like a really huge oversight....

 

Thanks brother!

Ya, earlier I confessed to killing my one year old AGM by being an idiot putting it up for two months with one of the overhead cabin lights on, apparently turned way down...in a rush, or something.

I was actually able to recover it from 7.0v indicated to 11.5 after several days of solar only, but no further so that is one day-ed bat-tree.

Live and learn.
But a good excuse to get the upgrade yay!
Now fussing with stuffing it all in...

I may upgrade my shore charger from the NOCO5 I put in myself after much on the phone and email help from Cary and Craig...

if I were spending more time plugged into a campground, as it charges faster but I see the Victron shore charger that Seth and David used is even faster at 15a and also BT app capable so MOAR DATA!

The NOCO10 has a multistage charge cycle including some desulfidation IIRC. Is that what you ordered, or something newer?

Btw, I keep the Dometic in the TV and run an extension line to the campground power vs the CI plug. And use the Coleman fresh veggies etc kept cool by and using the Dometic for freezing the yeti blocks, and plastic bottles of water, frozen meat and DWs ice cream- glamping essentials!

Its What Cary called "The Postman method" after another CI owner awhile back...helps extend the "shoulder season"...

So far this works good to avoid making trips to the store with ice but keeping the Dometic running 24 hrs while parked off grid is the challenge...anything warmer than 90 degrees ambient and the Dometic needs its own power supply fed by at least 200w solar for MOAR POWAH!

Or a gasoline genny...

So more experimentation continues...
with the new LiON.

 

I assume you are using the yetti in the trailer - which model? I'm tight on space in the tow vehicle with the dog & what not, but thinking about this --- what you are doing makes sense.

 

We keep our Dometic in our tow vehicle and power it with the 12v plug until we have AC at a campground. An extension cord through the side window with a garbage bag draped in and over the upper door channel before closing in case of a rain shower. We use the CI cooler in the galley for all our unrefrigerated foods.

 

Same. I have the silver Coleman that CampInn sells.
Its kept cool as a veggie/fresh food cooler by rotating in big yeti blocks and a few water bottles frozen once a day, the melted ones going back in Dometic that I set at 15 degrees for frozen meat for me, ice cream for DW.

Note the Dometic just gets too hot carried in the galley hatch down in any kind of desert heat as there just is not enough space for circulation for the condenser. (The owners manual stipulates at least two inches all sides)

I've even tried carrying it strapped down inside the cabin of the CI plugged in and powered by the battery/roof solar sharing the load with the CTEK charging from alternator- works brilliantly but once the car goes off and the sun goes down the Dometic will drain the CI lead acid overnight (in freezer mode). Plus humping it in and out is a hassle.

So its easier to just keep it strapped down in the tow vehicle, parked in shade where it has more airflow around it and if needed I can turn on the car and run AC to further help the Dometic condenser work with cooler ambient air.

So ya need a genny for extended boondocking to use the Dometic as a freezer 24/7 in hot ambient temps on cloudy days or parked in shade. You could run the car in idle but its not a very efficient generator...

I've also experimented with a separate sogen in car supplied with separate solar to feed the Dometic. My rough analysis is you need at least 100ah lion bat-tree and 200w solar panel to feed it...similar to the CI lion and solar roof, feeding lights, fan, recharging iphone, tablet, CPAP etc depending on total devices/how long.

I'm a max powah user (Dometic in freezer mode in desert ambient air consumes much more than one in cooler mode in cooler temps) and
I am deliberately pushing the envelope, so I can stay out dispersed camping several days...including shoulder seasons.

The Experiments continue!

 

That is really interesting --- I have boondocked several times for a weekend trip with my CF35 (CFF35 has the same "guts") and a battery lasted me from Friday night until Sunday mid-day, both in my 2021 as well as my 2012. With a 200 watt solar panel, I suspect I'd have a full battery by mid-afternoon or earlier if there is sun. Worst case, I do have a honda 2200.

The airflow around the fridge is important. The CFF35 seems a lot more sensitive to that than my CF35 was. We traveled with the CF35 in the galley across the country and it never was that bad. The CFF35 though --- it definitely is pickier.

But, If a yeti or similar can keep ice blocks for a couple days, this might not be a bad solution. I need a way to move meat around safely. Usually quite a bit of it. We eat mostly carnivore when camping, and meat above 40 degrees -- yah, not a good combination. I have been told the Yeti and knockoffs handle this pretty well.

I had a Coleman cooler, but it died a horrible death. It never worked that well for us -- the lid was too loose. For a beer and ice chest, the coleman was great. But I have doubts for meat, and suspect the rubber straps would be far more reliable.

 

I had a big Yeti too large to fit the CI that would keep ice good for three+ days in careful use, inside a tent or popup in shade. The walls are twice as thick as the Coleman which is a good enough cooler but even with the cover cant handle high desert temps for long, never mind sitting in the sun...ice tends to melt in a day, soaking things so thats why I use yeti freezer blocks and water bottles frozen by the Dometic- which of course uses lots more power at 10 degrees to freeze water overnite vs 35 just to keep things cool.

The Dometic also seems better insulated and so far so good in use in my car on DC and on AC on the campground power post...broke the tip of the cigarrete lighter style connector once from being jammed up on something- kind of a PITA to find a replacement for the fused end but thats the only weak spot so far.

If I was just going on two or 3 day trips to campgrounds I'd ditch the Coleman and load the Dometic with pre frozen blocks, and run it like a cooler,
And again with no melted water soaking out on the counter and getting down inside the cabin, when you bump the drain loose...humping it in and out, like on a Coleman or Yeti. Ask me how I know...

(Of course I have now just jinxed myself...

 

I jinx myself all the time Whatever I get, I want to ride in the camper --- that spot is perfect for it. I just wish the Coleman latched better. Maybe I had a bad one, I don't know. Like most things -- made in China as cheaply as possible. I have nothing against the Chinese people, they are pawns -- but I can not stand totalitarian governments.

 

Yep that galley recess is just right for either the Colrman or the Dometic dimensions and weight balance...Does Yeti make one that size that would work better than the Coleman?

I'm reminded CampInn also makes a wooden box that can hold a genny in there too...in case you carry your cooler(s) in the TV....hmmm.

Speaking of coffee I'm on my fourth Costco brand keurig bold... not too bad, up early to spread tarps on some dirtwork and forms for a delayed concrete pour...

Big rain today on the Left Coast, speaking of totalitarian govts...(nyuk nyuk see how I snuck that in there?)

Stunning Satellite Swirl Of Storm Aiming At California - Videos from The Weather Channel

 

We are storing a yeti 35 in the galley for highly perishable stuff, and a larger cooler in the TV for veggies & beverages. The yeti easily runs 4+ days on a bag of ice, and doesn’t seem to mind traveling under the hatch. In the PNW.

This has worked great. I’m very miserly with power, no refrigerator! We will be camping soon with family who use a deluxe sprinter with a separate fridge and freezer. I will once again humbly request ice cream sandwiches…

 

That's too bad; I grew up at my grandfather's virtually never-ending cookout, where one of these was always well stocked. I'd love to be able to recreate that vibe. Being a good German family man, you can rest assured a good pilz was always available. I'm not sure how old the one he had was.

That storm looks pretty ugly -- especially if it sits there and spins; it looks like you could have a couple of days there....but it will fill the reservoirs, which is always a good thing. Maybe even bring the Salton Sea up a couple of inches.

And there you go, the Yeti 35. Keeps the stove secured well I assume?

90% of our trips are just weekenders, I need to keep a few shrimp and a couple steaks cold, and perhaps a beverage or two. Our summers are hot enough I'm almost always at a place with power, so I don' have to be too miserly. If I was in PNW or a cooler climate, this would likely change the forums. But here --- Air Conditioning is a MUST in july.

 

Very nice. I'm not a sentimental person by nature, but I have to say I wish I had some of these family heirlooms today.

I have a severely broken American Flyer train from my Grandpa, a baby blanket my Grandma knitted for me, and maybe a power tool or two...but that's about it.

When they passed, everything was scattered and lost over time leaving only fond memories sparked by conversations like this.

 

I’m planning a two week trip from Wisconsin to Arizona in April. I’ll take my Fort Transit which was concerto be a party van. And I’ll pull my 550. I’ll be traveling with three women and they will stay in a motel each night and I’ll sleep in the trailer and shower in the room.
For the most part this will be a road trip and not camping.

 

We'll be traveling a similar road! Possibly at the same time. My route and departure date has much to do with things I can't control, nor is there a plan. Just going to do seat of my pants trip.

I'd love to have been in Quartzsite for the big tent event, but there was just no way...and with as cold as it has been there, it may be better I couldn't!

 

I could never get into Lionel --- that 3'rd rail always breaks the illusion for me but Lionel has the big advantage that they 'won' the train war, I can't say that about the 'flyer.

When I was growing up, I remember it was set up in the basement of my grandparents. It wasn't big, just an oval with a couple switches, and a very cool whistle that was disguised behind a billboard. Probably 5 rolling stock. If I ever want to time travel, all I need to do is find the oil that made the smoke. I was at a toy show and smelled it a few years ago --- The scent will transport me 51 years back in time immediately.