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offgrid 
Senior Member 
Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
 Topic: 3rd 180 mod - furnace heat deflectorPosted: 14 Nov 2020 at 8:55am |
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I just wanted to point out that the deflector doesn't really make the furnace more efficient or heat the trailer any better.
I agree that without a deflector the space under the bed will be warmer than the rest of the trailer, so for some that could be a disadvantage. For myself, I like that space being warmer. If its wet out I can put my boots or other wet stuff under there and it will dry overnight. Might be a bit stinky though
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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GlueGuy
Senior Member
Joined: 15 May 2017 Location: N. California Online Status: Offline Posts: 2663 |
Posted: 14 Nov 2020 at 11:04am |
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Yah. I prefer that the stuff under the bed not get heated. I would imagine that heat gets into the air of the trailer faster with the deflector.
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bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Posted: 14 Nov 2020 at 11:26am |
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Faster by a minute or two when first running the furnace but not more efficient over time. Might even be more efficient to heat via warming the area under the bed because that will allow the furnace to operate on a slower duty cycle. Short cycling kills efficiency plus the fan coming on and off is annoying. I keep some bottled drinking water under there which adds thermal mass to retain heat and likely slows down the duty cycle even more, although I haven't tested that.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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voisj
Senior Member
Joined: 19 Jul 2016 Location: San Luis Obispo Online Status: Offline Posts: 471 |
Posted: 15 Nov 2020 at 10:47am |
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Stephan,
What DC to DC charger do you have? I just got a dometic elec cooler and added a battery under the truck shell in my bed and would like it to charge while driving. rgds John |
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kickhead70
Newbie 
Joined: 19 Jul 2020 Location: Livermore Online Status: Offline Posts: 16 |
Posted: 15 Nov 2020 at 11:32am |
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Wondering about trying this with 1/8 or 1/4 inch plywood, with the insulating tape ont the inside. Think it would work? How might it be attached?
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Wrangler Unlimitied 75th Anniv. Ed.
2017 R-Pod RP180 |
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp
Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Online Posts: 6330 |
Posted: 15 Nov 2020 at 2:29pm |
There is a 15% off coupon listed on the site. How long that will last is a question. I also added a dedicated charging circuit with a battery isolator relay to power it. If the battery you put in the bed of your truck is the same type as your truck's battery (e.g. flooded Pb-Acid or AGM), then you could just put in a battery isolator circuit. You would not need the DC to DC charger. The battery isolator will prevent the cooler from running down the vehicle's start battery when the engine is off. I needed the charger because the charging requirements for LiFePO4 are different than for flooded or AGM Pb-Acid batteries. Check out this search on Amazon for some ideas of what is available.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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voisj
Senior Member
Joined: 19 Jul 2016 Location: San Luis Obispo Online Status: Offline Posts: 471 |
Posted: 15 Nov 2020 at 3:15pm |
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Stephan,
I did set it up first with a battery isolator, But when driving and charging the second battery when it was low and running the cooler my truck (2013 F150) display throws an electrical overcurrent error code. The truck has SOC sensors that have to be disconnected to kill the code but then the check engine light stays on I have an optima agm for my main truck battery, and a napa legend agm for the second. I'm told a 12v to 12v charger does the job. Thanks for the recommendation. Rgds John
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Posted: 15 Nov 2020 at 4:37pm |
Be sure to get a boost dc/dc converter, not a buck converter. But you might still get the charging overcurrent error code, indeed you might get it more frequently because you could end up charging the second battery faster than before. There are two ways to prevent that, one of which you can try with your existing isolator setup. Option 1: reduce the gauge of the conductors running to the second battery. That will limit the current that can flow through that circuit. Of course, you will need to have the appropriate fuse in the circuit to protect the smaller wire. 10 gauge might be a good choice. Option2: Try to find out what the current limit is that triggers the code and where that is being measured, and get a dc/dc converter that is rated less than that, or less than the total of that plus the tow vehicle current demand if the current is being measured at the alternator output. You might want to pick up a dc clamp on ammeter if you don;t have one already.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp
Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Online Posts: 6330 |
Posted: 15 Nov 2020 at 6:10pm |
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I had not noticed any errors with the Frontier. On mine, the wire goes direct from the positive battery post to the solenoid, and then to the back connector. The trigger wire goes from the fuse box under the hood to the activator connection and then the ground for that goes to where I saw other wires connected for ground. I hear it trip on when I start the Frontier and trip off when I stop it. I hope you get it figured out. I second the suggestion for a clamp--on meter. I have the Southwire 21050T AC/DC TRMS Clamp Meter. I chose this model because it can read both AC and DC Amperes. It was also reasonable in price.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Posted: 16 Nov 2020 at 7:07am |
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It sounded to me like the F150 error was for excessively high alternator current.
Here's a multimeter that looks like it can do it all, including temp, non contact voltage, and capacitance as well as ac and dc current. Professionally I always used meters from high end companies like Fluke and they were robust and reliable for constant use. But for RV and homeowners' very occasional usage I think the new inexpensive Chinese meters offer a great value and work fine. All dc current clamp on meters work via the Hall effect and tend to drift and be susceptible to stray magnetic fields, so its best to find an isolated location when you can clamp on the meter, zero it, and then leave it alone for the duration of your testing. https://www.amazon.com/Proster-Auto-Ranging-Capacitance-Temperature-Non-Contact/dp/B075Z1GH5L/ref=asc_df_B075Z1GH5L/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=242124331408&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7794690562045420987&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9008704&hvtargid=pla-570396598205&psc=1 |
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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3rd 180 mod - furnace heat deflector