Chinook Renovation
A couple of days ago I installed the Progressive Dynamic’s 4645V 45 Amp Converter/Charger Upgrade, and subsequently further researched the installation and realize I made a mistake. Also, several online sources suggested that a converter/charger upgrade warrants an upgrade of the wiring gauge leading from the charger to the batteries via the low-voltage disconnect (LVD) device. So I pulled the entire install out and checked the wiring. It appears that one of the previous owners cut the factory wiring and installed new wiring with a shortcut that led out the back of the cabinet and along the driver-side wall behind the now-removed couch to the LVD. They spliced the new wire to the old wire just prior to the connection at the charger fuse panel. I don’t quite understand why they just didn’t attach the new wire directly to the fuse panel? Also, the new wire runs directly over the hot water heater and isn’t tied down at any point. Do you really want a wire sitting on the hot water heater? It just seems like a fairly shoddy job. I will need to correct this by protecting the wire and terminating it directly to the fuse panel.
I reinstalled the converter/charger upgrade correct this time.
I removed the old batteries and set the two (2) new Lifeline GPL-31XT Deep Cycle 125 Amp AGM Batteries in the battery tray, and they fit! While I was pretty sure how the wiring was originally configured on the old batteries (I should have taken a picture), I did some quick research to make sure that I reconnected the wires appropriately. The good news is that the 12 V system began working right away as evidenced by the lights coming on inside.
I plugged the Chinook back into shore power and made sure I had a fire extinguisher nearby. All systems appear to be working – I tested the 120 V system using one of the outlets. The converter/charger was blinking a green light indicating that it was in “boost” mode and charging the batteries. Nice work!
Using my multimeter I tested the voltage at the converter/charger fuse panel (13.58 V) and at the low-voltage disconnect (13.45 bolts) resulting in a net loss of 0.13 V, or 1% voltage drop over that wire run.
Chinook Renovation
All attached by screws and sealant
I picked up mineral spirits and a scraper at Home Depot and started to work on getting the old, crusted sealant off of the roof. The job was easier than expected and very satisfying.
I cut out a cardboard template the size of my proposed solar panel and set it on the roof. There will be a 2 inch overhang on the lateral side of the panel. I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.
I spoke with Roger at AM Solar to design a solar system. He was very informative. I didn’t realize the refrigerator would be drawing so many amps even while running in propane mode. The CO monitor and smoke detectors will be drawing 24 hours. He thinks I can get away with 2-100W panels but thought I should go back to my cardboard templates to see if I could fit another 100W panel on the roof. There is a smaller 100W panel (more expensive) that might facilitate a third panel. Looks like I need to cut another (smaller) template and play around with the positioning. I’m not sold on the third panel but I’d like to look at all options.
Roger also explained that some MPPT solar chargers discharge radio interference that might adversely affect my plans for a ham radio install. There may be ways to shield the charger or use distance to my advantage. I might get the radio and play around with it after the solar system is installed. If all else fails, I could set the radio up as a mobile station in a box. While I’m not much of a survivalist, after living through Hurricane Katrina I recognize the importance of “low tech” communication in a disaster situation.
Chinook Renovation
Good times!
After some scratching of the chin, I removed the batwing antenna, the solar panel, and both ceiling fans. It took a lot of scraping of old crusted sealant off of the screw heads and a little crowbar action.
I ordered two new Fantastic fans on Amazon at $221 a piece to replace the old ones. I got some butyl seal tape and Dicor lap sealant too.
I ordered two new Interstate GPL-31XT batteries for $368 apiece from Powerstride.com. They have 125 amp hours of capacity. This would give me a total of 250 amp hours of reserve capacity and approximately 125 amp hours of actual capacity.
Chinook Renovation - December 1
Thinking Out Loud
- So far I have removed the jackknife sofa, the dinette, and most of the carpet. I will be replacing the jackknife sofa with a pullout, slat sofa that will be sufficiently sized for two to sleep. I will hinge the sofa near the wall so I can lift the sofa up to access storage and all the goodies underneath, like the freshwater tank and water pump.
- I have removed most of the carpet. Fun times. I will be replacing the carpet with laminate or vinyl flooring. In the driving area, I will also be replacing the carpet with some sort of pre-cut vinyl flooring available for the Ford E-350 chassis.
- The Chinook has two radios, neither of which has USB connections or Bluetooth capabilities. Although this is not a priority, I’m going to change these out eventually.
- I am not sure what I will be doing with the dinette area. I may build cabinets on top of the furnace for additional storage, put the passenger seat on the swivel so I can turn it around facing the living area, and place a small chair in the space opposite the furnace (nearer to the kitchen).
- Regarding the electrical system, I will replace the tired, worn out old batteries with 2-12V AGM sealed batteries with a targeted capacity of 200 to 300 amp hours. I will remove the batwing television antenna (leaving a hole in the roof for solar cabling) and the existing 50 W solar panel and install two 100 W panels in their place.
- Based on my reading, the stock charger/converter could stand an upgrade. It looks like quite a few people have had good fortune using upgrade packages via bestconverter.com. The install seems straightforward.
- And while I’m upgrading things, I will go ahead and upgrade the solar charger and monitoring system. I’m thinking about the SunRunner Victron MPPT 30A.
- And while there’s a hole in the roof after removing the batwing TV antenna, I might as well wire it for a cellular boost system and a ham radio antenna. I have already removed the VCR and television. We will watch content via downloaded videos when Wi-Fi is unavailable.
- Speaking of holes in the roof, I’m planning on removing both of the ceiling vent fans (one in the main living area and one in the bathroom) and replacing them with new Fantastic Fans.
- I’m not sure whether I’m going to remove the microwave. We hardly use the one at home. Would be some good storage space.
- I’m also thinking about painting the cabinets a version of white.
- And then there’s the low voltage disconnect hiding behind the driver’s seat. Is that thing necessary? I’m not sure I’m going to mess with it.
Chinook Renovation
I finished cutting the carpet out and focused on removing the edging and cutting close to the areas near the closets. This is tedious work.
Feeling the need to clean my canvas, I vacuumed up the Chinook with my new mini-shop vacuum.
Removing the dinette revealed 2-3 inch seat belt bolts attaching the seat belts securely to the chassis. S showed me how cut the seat belt bolts off with a grinder. Sparks were flying. Satisfying.
After cutting cardboard templates, S and I cut down the mini wall to fit the little wall next to the stove. Previously, the wall stuck out another foot into the hallway area. This opened up the space a bunch.
I guess the theme of this renovation thus far has been to open the space up. Frankly, while the dinette seats 4 people, I can’t image too often having 4 people in the Chinook. And that’s why it had to go.
Chinook Renovation
Jerry’s RV replaced the rusted 19 gallon propane tank with a 14 gallon tank by the same manufacturer (Manchester) costing around $900 cost and labor. Yikes! They also performed a systems check throughout the RV and said everything else seems to be in working order.
After scratching my head over whether to try to salvage the dinette, I decided to go ahead and pull it all out. It was not an easy task. There always seems to be one or two screws that are rusted and stripped. The most helpful tools thus far have been the small sledgehammer and crowbar. Removing the dinette bench closer to the passenger seat revealed the Suburban propane furnace underneath. I tested it out and it seems to work fine.
After charging the house batteries overnight it is clear that they do not hold a charge even when running only the overhead lights. The batteries will need to be replaced.
I started pulling up the big sections of carpet using a utility knife and elbow grease. There’s a pad underneath the carpet that I’m keeping for now since it may prove useful with the new flooring, of which I’ve not really decided the direction (vinyl versus laminate).
Chinook Renovation
S has agreed to let us “rent” space on his property to store the Chinook. He even offered to put it in his RV garage over the winter while I work on it. Big bonus and thanks to S.
My first act of courage: I removed the jackknife sofa bed. The sofa frame is attached to the floor and the bolts and nuts had rusted underneath the Chinook, thus complicating the removal of the bed frame. I watched some YouTube videos on removing rusted bolts and tried what I could. After nearly busting a nut straining to unscrew the rusted bolt, I think I’m going to need a nut splitter.
Underneath the sofa is the water tank, the water pump, and the hot water heater. I’m going to remove the water tank and water pump so that I could tear out all the carpet which was installed below.
I’m heading to Astoria, OR for two weeks of work so the project will be on pause for a bit.
Chinook Renovation
Robin and I drove two hours down to Oakridge, Oregon to pick up the 2003 Chinook Concourse from Gail. We purchased the Chinook for $20,000. Older models with more miles are listed on Craigslist for closer to $30,000. Quite a deal!
I drove straight over to the DMV to register the Chinook. The paperwork was in order and the whole thing took about 10 minutes, including the wait.
I drove over to Wiesner’s Automotive repair shop to drop off the Chinook for a mechanical assessment. The folks over there seem honest and nice. I hope they’re good to.
I made an appointment at Jerry’s RV to replace the old rusted propane tank.
Click, click, click. There's no place like home.
Daily Summary
May 19
Day 37
Start Fallen Leaf Campground in South Lake Tahoe, CA
Finish Home in Bend, OR
Today’s Miles 448.2
Trip Time 10:16:32
Moving Average 55.4 mph
Speed Max 73.3 mph
Time Moving 08:33:27
Odometer 2510.7
Highlights/Lowlights
Once we make up our mind we’re doing something, we get very focused on completing the goal. In this case, the decision to head home was the first domino to topple. And so we drove 450 miles home. And while it was a long day, we were glad to be home. We parked in the underground garage and unloaded only the essentials. The rest will have to wait until tomorrow. And then we luxuriated in our hot shower and high speed internet. And we drank a toast to ourselves.
The totals:
Adventure days: 37
Adventure miles: 2,511
Adventure memories: too many to count
Our Teardrop is a Poikilotherm
Daily Summary
Day 35
Start Gull Lake National Forest Campground near June Lake, CA
Finish Gull Lake National Forest Campground near June Lake, CA
Highlights/Lowlights
So while we are enjoying the good weather at Gull Lake, 10-day forecasts are showing a large weather pattern bringing freezing temperatures and possibly snow later this week. Here’s the lowlight: this weather pattern spans from the Sierras all the way up to the Oregon Cascades. So there’s no escaping the cold. We remind ourselves that this trip was initially conceived to head south into California to ESCAPE the winter for a month or so. Oops! We have had many more cold days than warm.
We are declaring our trip an overwhelming success and now it’ time to wrap up. Our plan is to begin to head home to Bend arriving around Saturday.
Back to the highlights: pie in a jar. Who knew? We stopped at Mimi’s Cookie Bar yesterday while running errands in Mammoth Lakes. We bought a jar of Sweet Banana Caramel Cream Pie and Mammoth Mud Pie. And they were oh so good!