Helpful modifications

[DonTom]

I would like to discuss helpful modifications people have made to anything, RV related or not.

I just came up with this question when I was working on my Y2K RV about an hour ago. I wanted to run the genny, but not even a click. I did the basic troubleshooting, and it took me about five minutes to test, prove defective and remove the Onan starter solenoid. The relay coil is drawing four amps, no click, no continuity between the large posts, and gets warm. I now find the same as I test it indoors, as I expected.

Price from Onan: $73.00 I am not a big believer in OEM parts when other stuff is available. I have found countless cases where much cheaper aftermarket part was MUCH better designed than the OEM that broke.

Price on Amazon for the same ratings, $14.00. I just now purchased a couple to have a spare. Two for less than half the price of one from Onan with the same specs.

Anybody who is familiar with an Onan 4K, still installed in a motorhome will say that is not even possible to remove the solenoid in a few minutes, as I just now did. IIRC, it takes perhaps more than an hour to remove the solenoid that took me a few minutes to remove today.

But the time I removed my genny from my Y2K motorhome, four years ago, I made many modifications. One of them was to mount the solenoid outside the genny cabinet, where it will be easy to get to, but still have reasonable weather protection. Other things I did at that time was to move the Onan fuel pump and control board so I can troubleshoot or replace them in minutes as well. But that stuff is still in the Onan genny cabinet, but in such a way that it only takes seconds to remove and replace.

For non-RV stuff, on my 1984 Venture motorcycle, it normally takes a good day's worth of work to get to the ignition control module. I also moved it to right under the seat, I can change it in one minute, if necessary. That will save me from calling a tow truck because I carry a spare. And makes the entire bike much easier to troubleshoot.

What handy modifications have others made here to help save time for later? RV related or not?

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[bigb56]

We just finished a kitchen and laundry remodel. The dual fuel range backs up to the gas clothes dryer so instead of stubbing out the gas and drywalling over everything I framed an opening and put in a tee with a gas valve to each appliance The back of the range can now be accessed from the laundry room. This helped a great deal when pushing the range into place as I was able to neatly coil the supply line as well as plug in the 240V plug from the laundry room as we maneuvered the range into place. Also, if we ever need to shut the gas valve off it's a lot easier to move the clothes dryer.

The metal part that you see above the gas line is a recessed dryer box which allows room for the 4" flex and allows the dryer to get pushed up flush to the wall.

 

[House Husband]

We have two 50 gallon waste tanks in our motorhome. That wasn't thought out very well, as the gray tank fills much quicker than the black tank.
We boon dock a lot, so to off set the problem, I installed a transfer pump to pump gray water to the black tank.
Now we can use all the water in our 100 gallon fresh water tank, before having to head to a dump station.

Richard

 

[NY_Dutch]

We have two 50 gallon waste tanks in our motorhome. That wasn't thought out very well, as the gray tank fills much quicker than the black tank.
We boon dock a lot, so to off set the problem, I installed a transfer pump to pump gray water to the black tank.
Now we can use all the water in our 100 gallon fresh water tank, before having to head to a dump station.

Richard

I accomplished pretty much the same thing by installing a third twist-on waste valve. Simply opening the grey and black valves with the third valve closed effectively combines the capacity of the two tanks.

 

[Firstime RVer]

We removed the dinette and replaced it with a credenze and drop leaf table arrangement. We added a couple of reclining office chairs and have a much more flexible use of the indoor space. It really worked out great for us.

 

[CharlesinGA]

Older RV's do not have USB charging capability. Generally you would want it in a place where you can lay your devices down and plug them in easily, plus have ports near the bed(s). I bought a number of different USB chargers from Amazon that fit the standard 30mm hole, and some housings that the Chinese refer to as "tents".

I mounted a two position "tent" on either side of the dinette, with a charger and on/off switch on one, and a charger and power port (aka "lighter socket) on the other. I found the chargers all have phantom current draws, so the on/off switch was installed as a positive shutoff. Near the bed I installed another two position tent with a charger and on/off switch. The chargers are QC3 certified and two of the three have USB C PD ports in them. The power socket allows for plugging in a 12v power supply brick for a laptop or just about anything else you might want to plug into it.

Charles

 

[DonTom]

Older RV's do not have USB charging capability.

IMAO, older RVs do it better! No USB, so plug your own USB adapter into your 12-volt slot. For a 500 ma USB adapter, it will cost you a whole $1.25 at a Dollar Store.

One of the first things I did to this 165K$ motorhome was to remove all the USB ports and throw them in the trashcan. Now, I can use either 12volt outlets or any current USB adapter from any of those locations.

IMAO, it is incredibly stupid to supply USB ports on ANY vehicle for charging, yet it is very common these days. You cannot convert USB low current 5VDC to anything useful for 12 volts, but USB ports are all wired with 12-volts input which you can use as 12-volts or put in your own adapter at a higher USB charge current capacity.

No disadvantages of the 12-volt outlets, it's 100% advantages only.

-Don- Redcrest, CA

 

[Firstime RVer]

Adding these ELFA shelf/drawer systems to our pantry worked out really well.

Safe travels and all the best.

 

[Domo]

Removed three TVs. Threw out original sound system. Removed inflatable bed plus jack-knife bed and installed two powered theater seats and fireplace credenza with TV lift and side storage. Added silverware drawer on top of side cabinet where one TV used to be (and impossible to watch without a strained neck looking sideways). Installed shelves in bedroom TV nook for clothing/etc. in baskets. Made DIY venturi for boon docking to channel the noise and smell of the genny. Added grab bar to escape window so you just need to hold on and slither out the small window instead of land your head (or your wife is she goes out first).