Travel Trailer Upgrades - Grey Wolf 26DJSE - My List so far
- Thread starter ctechbob
- Start date
MSCH
Well-known member
yeah, RVing is fun.. and expensive. Keeps you busy too, just owning one.
for instance when we were on our summer trip I started getting rain water coming in thru my rear AC.
Common knowledge as a RV gets older the AC unit needs to be tightened up as the gasket between the roof and AC unit will settle and lose its seal. So I already did that climb on the roof routine and tighten the rear AC while travelling.
But I didn't deal with the front.
So I dealt with the front AC yesterday.
also been washing the trailer. seems they get dirty just sitting.
funny how fast spiders can find a place to build a web ( the ladder on the back).
then notice the cheapo plastic fender trim is showing some hairline cracks
so took one fendertrim off, used duct tape and some clear RTV on the backside of fender to reinforce
and installed the fender again.
gotta do the other side.. probably today.
first time in about a month where it is cloudy, so it is a bonus as I'm in FLA
and I hate working in the direct sun.
for instance when we were on our summer trip I started getting rain water coming in thru my rear AC.
Common knowledge as a RV gets older the AC unit needs to be tightened up as the gasket between the roof and AC unit will settle and lose its seal. So I already did that climb on the roof routine and tighten the rear AC while travelling.
But I didn't deal with the front.
So I dealt with the front AC yesterday.
also been washing the trailer. seems they get dirty just sitting.
funny how fast spiders can find a place to build a web ( the ladder on the back).
then notice the cheapo plastic fender trim is showing some hairline cracks
so took one fendertrim off, used duct tape and some clear RTV on the backside of fender to reinforce
and installed the fender again.
gotta do the other side.. probably today.
first time in about a month where it is cloudy, so it is a bonus as I'm in FLA
and I hate working in the direct sun.
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ctechbob
Well-known member
Update to the heater install. It was about 50 degrees overnight here at our site. I had the front two windows open and the maxxair on 2 of 4 overnight . Heater kept up and cycled on and off with a temp setting of 73. Perfectly comfortable in here and if I needed it to get warmer quicker I would turn off the vent fan and close the windows. The air blowing from the vents is just a bit warmer than the air that comes out of my heat pump vents at home.
Best thing, no space heaters sitting around and better temp control with the wall mounted thermostat. I'd consider this a necessary upgrade if your roof AC supports it. (All Coleman Mach 8/10's do)
As lazy as RV manufacturers are, I'd say most all campers will come with extra thermostat wires already installed since they will probably use t-stat wiring withe extra conductors, so the install will be pretty easy if you are comfortable working around 120v and low voltage wiring.
Best thing, no space heaters sitting around and better temp control with the wall mounted thermostat. I'd consider this a necessary upgrade if your roof AC supports it. (All Coleman Mach 8/10's do)
As lazy as RV manufacturers are, I'd say most all campers will come with extra thermostat wires already installed since they will probably use t-stat wiring withe extra conductors, so the install will be pretty easy if you are comfortable working around 120v and low voltage wiring.
MSCH
Well-known member
we used to have an electric heating pad on the bed in the RV... I actually prefer it over heat,,, sleep in the cold air on a warm bed..
ctechbob
Well-known member
That's sortof the reason I leave the window open at the head of the bed and the fan on. I like the cold air hitting me in the face.
ctechbob
Well-known member
Update after using both the electric and the gas furnace this weekend (due to a wiring issue).
I 100% prefer the heat from the electric element to the furnace. The furnace has an outlet that sits just behind the fan that I have blowing on me and when that thing kicks on it is like sitting in front of a blowtorch when I'm sleeping.
The electric is just a much more 'gentle' heat. It takes longer to come up to temp, but the furnace cranks out so much heat it is actually a bit uncomfortable until it reaches the set temp.
I 100% prefer the heat from the electric element to the furnace. The furnace has an outlet that sits just behind the fan that I have blowing on me and when that thing kicks on it is like sitting in front of a blowtorch when I'm sleeping.
The electric is just a much more 'gentle' heat. It takes longer to come up to temp, but the furnace cranks out so much heat it is actually a bit uncomfortable until it reaches the set temp.
We totally agree. Electric has much less noticeable temperature swings.
MSCH
Well-known member
when yall mention electric heat, are you meaning an electric fireplace?
my RV has an electric fireplace which heats the "salon" but really doesn't heat the bedroom..
so if it is cold insideand I want to take a shower or something I might turn on the furnace just to keep from freezing while doing that.. but don't leave the furnace on.
my RV has an electric fireplace which heats the "salon" but really doesn't heat the bedroom..
so if it is cold insideand I want to take a shower or something I might turn on the furnace just to keep from freezing while doing that.. but don't leave the furnace on.
@ctechbob was talking about this in-duct heater he added:
Travel Trailer Upgrades - Grey Wolf 26DJSE - My List so far
Hi all. Wayne invited me over here. I thought I'd registered a while ago, but apparently not. Posting up a writeup I did over on BITOG about some modifications and additions I did to our 2022 Cherokee Grey Wolf 26DJSE. The trailer: Cherokee Grey Wolf 26DJSE 'Stick and Tin' Construction (IE...
rvthe.us
I'm talking about the fireplace heater.
We set a 8" fan on in the doorway of the bedroom pointing toward the salon. It pulls cool air out of the bedroom and warm air returns along the ceiling to the bed room. The electric heater in the fireplace can heat the trailer down to about 40F.my RV has an electric fireplace which heats the "salon" but really doesn't heat the bedroom..
ctechbob
Well-known member
when yall mention electric heat, are you meaning an electric fireplace?
my RV has an electric fireplace which heats the "salon" but really doesn't heat the bedroom..
Yep, what Wayne said. For me it is a heating element in the air handler so the same fan that blows AC through the ducts in the RV blows the heat.
Ends up being a really 'soft' (my term for it) heat, similar to what my heat pump in the house blows out, it runs longer than the furnace, but the temp swings are much more mild.
The furnace runs, bakes you, and then shuts off.
ctechbob
Well-known member
Ok, just completed this one tonight.
The two clothes closets up front near the master bed are pretty dark inside, so lets add some lights. Picked up a couple of motion activated lights from Amazon for $15. They mount with magnets and are rechargeable. I'm not a big fan of having to pull them out and recharge them, and there is 12v available pretty close by as there is a light right over the bed. A couple of holes, 2 USB-C cords, and a twin output USB charger tucked just above the light and now whenever the battery is on in the camper, the lights will charge.
These things work great. They come on when you open the door, and go off in about 30-60 seconds after you close it. Plenty bright as well.
Lights used.
Amazon product ASIN B0CDBSRL1D
Charger used.
Amazon product ASIN B0B9NDQXC1
I just stripped the case off of the charger and poked the bare circuit board up behind the light. There's no metal up there so there's nothing for it to short out on and it doesn't make much heat, so that won't be an issue either.
After the first of the year there will be a big mod done that I've already started planning for. The upper rear bunk is getting split. Everyone turns them into shelves, which is what ours will be, but I have a plan to allow me to place the section back in should we need the bunk to be functional again.
The two clothes closets up front near the master bed are pretty dark inside, so lets add some lights. Picked up a couple of motion activated lights from Amazon for $15. They mount with magnets and are rechargeable. I'm not a big fan of having to pull them out and recharge them, and there is 12v available pretty close by as there is a light right over the bed. A couple of holes, 2 USB-C cords, and a twin output USB charger tucked just above the light and now whenever the battery is on in the camper, the lights will charge.
These things work great. They come on when you open the door, and go off in about 30-60 seconds after you close it. Plenty bright as well.
Lights used.
Amazon product ASIN B0CDBSRL1D
Charger used.
Amazon product ASIN B0B9NDQXC1
I just stripped the case off of the charger and poked the bare circuit board up behind the light. There's no metal up there so there's nothing for it to short out on and it doesn't make much heat, so that won't be an issue either.
After the first of the year there will be a big mod done that I've already started planning for. The upper rear bunk is getting split. Everyone turns them into shelves, which is what ours will be, but I have a plan to allow me to place the section back in should we need the bunk to be functional again.
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This is a pretty cool mod! It's handy that there was 12v close by.
Our closet came with lighting, but there are a few places that are a bit dark. I've thought about putting some of the stick-up lights from Amazon in those places, but didn't want to have to replace batteries. Bringing nearby 12v to the lights with a USB cable is a home-run idea.
ctechbob
Well-known member
Yep, I was going to just shoot 12v over there and reuse some of the lights I kept after I replaced a bunch of the OEM ones with dimmable models, but I thought I would try something automatic first. Pushing buttons is hard. And I wasn't going to have something I would have to stay on top of charging either, so it was hardwired or nothing. For $15 they are cheap enough that if the batts die an early life I won't be too bothered.
ctechbob
Well-known member
As an update to the closet light thread.
If you decide to buy the exact same light and wire it like I did, you will have to perform one modification to the lights.
Turns out, the green LED they use to denote a fully charged battery is entirely too bright and positioned in way that shines the light into the PIR sensor on the light. Meaning, when the light is fully charged and plugged in, the sensor will not sense light like it should and won't turn on. It is a simple matter of 4 screws and covering the green led with a piece of black tape. Then everything will work like you want it to.
If you decide to buy the exact same light and wire it like I did, you will have to perform one modification to the lights.
Turns out, the green LED they use to denote a fully charged battery is entirely too bright and positioned in way that shines the light into the PIR sensor on the light. Meaning, when the light is fully charged and plugged in, the sensor will not sense light like it should and won't turn on. It is a simple matter of 4 screws and covering the green led with a piece of black tape. Then everything will work like you want it to.
When I traveled a lot for work, I would carry a roll of black electrical tape with me for this exact purpose. Cover up annoying flashing LEDs that my eyes couldn't stop seeing in the hotel room.