Finally got it!

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by TimC

I understand that, but I’ve also been told that running an air conditioner below 60 degrees can damage it. I’m no HVAC expert so I’m not sure how accurate that is, but that’s why I didn’t even attempt to test the AC. This was something I was told by my house inspector back when my wife and I bought our first (and current) house about 8 years ago. He was pretty adamant that I make sure all breakers for the central air unit were off when it starts getting cold out to prevent accidentally kicking it on. I figured that’s easy enough, and I don’t need AC at those temps anyway, so I never really questioned it. Perhaps I should look into it more so I can test the AC unit. Or, maybe I’ll just wait until next month when I have it in FL.

Perhaps the "not using under 60° " was to warn you not to set the thermostate to 60° and let it run for hours. That could freeze the condenser coils on the inside. It would not cause harm to run it for a short time. BTW, when you turn on the windshield defrost in your vehichle it turns on the a/c and the airbox blends heated and a/c air together. This is done because the a/c will remove moisture from the air so the air blowing on the windshield is dry and warm.

[TimC]

Originally Posted by flybouy

Perhaps the "not using under 60° " was to warn you not to set the thermostate to 60° and let it run for hours. That could freeze the condenser coils on the inside. It would not cause harm to run it for a short time. BTW, when you turn on the windshield defrost in your vehichle it turns on the a/c and the airbox blends heated and a/c air together. This is done because the a/c will remove moisture from the air so the air blowing on the windshield is dry and warm.

No, he was pretty specific about the unit being damaged if ran when it was below 60 outside.

I did a quick Google search and seems this is pretty common advice. Multiple HVAC sites I read said the same thing, “Running below 60 will damage your unit.” Apparently has to do with lubricant and coils freezing up. But, some of those same articles also talked about how great it can be to use the AC as a heat pump in the winter. So, “It’ll damage your unit if you run in the winter!” and “It’s great to use it in the winter!” all in the same article. Seems to be a bit of conflicting advice. I’m sure there’s more to it, but I’m just going to go back to not caring because I’ve never had the urge to use my AC when it’s below 60, and I don’t think I have the heat pump option.

Here’s just one example of the information I was running across:
https://homeairadvisor.com/running-a...-cold-outside/

[TimC]

Originally Posted by KJJ

Congrats on the new TT! We picked up our new Passport 238ML this time of year and after taking it to FL from MI we discovered a roof leak due to a bead problem. MFTR, dealer, and the new owner all missed it. Ask your dealer to show you how to check it. Otherwise enjoy it!

Thanks KJJ.

I did get up on the roof and took a good look at the seals. It all looked pretty good. But, I’m not sure what you mean by a “bead” problem (bead of caulk??). Sounds like something worth looking into, but my dealer is closed another week for the holidays. Any chance you could explain that problem?

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by TimC

No, he was pretty specific about the unit being damaged if ran when it was below 60 outside.

I did a quick Google search and seems this is pretty common advice. Multiple HVAC sites I read said the same thing, “Running below 60 will damage your unit.” Apparently has to do with lubricant and coils freezing up. But, some of those same articles also talked about how great it can be to use the AC as a heat pump in the winter. So, “It’ll damage your unit if you run in the winter!” and “It’s great to use it in the winter!” all in the same article. Seems to be a bit of conflicting advice. I’m sure there’s more to it, but I’m just going to go back to not caring because I’ve never had the urge to use my AC when it’s below 60, and I don’t think I have the heat pump option.

Here’s just one example of the information I was running across:
https://homeairadvisor.com/running-a...-cold-outside/

If it makes you happy then follow that advice.

[TimC]

Originally Posted by flybouy

If it makes you happy then follow that advice.

Doesn’t really make me happy. I just don’t really have a reason to run my AC in colder temps.

I would imagine the heat pump on an AC is meant to run at temps colder than 60 (who needs heat above 60 anyway?). I just find those articles somewhat amusing. If anyone misconstrues my posting of it as an endorsement of that advice (or seems to think my thoughts on the subject even matter), then I apologize. If I really thought I needed to know for sure, I would research further. The simple fact that the article I posted (and quite a few others I ran across) are so conflicting in their advice makes me highly skeptical of it. I guess if I had a motivation to know for sure I’d reach out to some experts to ask some questions (manufacturers maybe).

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by TimC

Doesn’t really make me happy. I just don’t really have a reason to run my AC in colder temps.

I would imagine the heat pump on an AC is meant to run at temps colder than 60 (who needs heat above 60 anyway?). I just find those articles somewhat amusing. If anyone misconstrues my posting of it as an endorsement of that advice (or seems to think my thoughts on the subject even matter), then I apologize. If I really thought I needed to know for sure, I would research further. The simple fact that the article I posted (and quite a few others I ran across) are so conflicting in their advice makes me highly skeptical of it. I guess if I had a motivation to know for sure I’d reach out to some experts to ask some questions (manufacturers maybe).

No problem. The only reason I mention this is to hopefully spark a reader to investigate further. One of the downsides of social media is the propogation of "incorrect information". Some folks are under the assumption that if it's on the internet it must be true. I think it's a carryover from print media.

Here’s a simple example: During WWII the germans were perplexed at the accuracy of American bombers. The accuracy was a result of the highly top secret Norden bomb sight. When the press asked about the accuracy they were told it was the excellent eyesight of Americans because they eat carrots. Ask most anyone to this day the benefits of eating carrots and they will spead this myth.

As for the 60° outside air temp. "hard limit" or you'll do damage simply isn't true as a blanket statement. INSIDE AIR TEMP is a completly different story. That will cause the coils inside the air handler to freeze. With that said, air conditioners are manufactured differently. Some have "crank case heaters" to keep the oil viscosity low ( oil does not freeze") and some don't. Heat pumps are engineered to operate at cold temps but loose efficiancy. So there is no "one answer fits all" but I beleive 60° is quite a conservitive number for the vast majority of systems.

The "need to run an a/c unit below 60° ambient? Yes, the need can arise and has at our house before. An example: we used to host 30+ for Thanksgiving. The DW and DD's would start cooking and baking for many, many HOURS beforehand. With outside temps even in the 50's the kitchen and family room could reach the 80's. Between cooking and the early day direct sunlight pouring thru the windows cooling down the space woould be challenging. . Rather than open windows and cranking up fans we just turn on the a/c unit. The OAT was not an issue, it just made the A/C more efficient.

I apologize for the long winded post but just want to attempt an explination without getting too deep into a the theory of "how it works". Hope you have a wonderful Christmas.

[TimC]

Originally Posted by flybouy

No problem. The only reason I mention this is to hopefully spark a reader to investigate further. One of the downsides of social media is the propogation of "incorrect information". Some folks are under the assumption that if it's on the internet it must be true. I think it's a carryover from print media.

Those people clearly didn’t follow the advice of Abraham Lincoln when he said, “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.” One of my favorite memes.

But, just in case there is any confusion from anyone reading this. DON’T TAKE HVAC ADVICE FROM ME. I know very little about HVAC.

Originally Posted by flybouy

As for the 60° outside air temp. "hard limit" or you'll do damage simply isn't true as a blanket statement. INSIDE AIR TEMP is a completly different story. That will cause the coils inside the air handler to freeze. With that said, air conditioners are manufactured differently. Some have "crank case heaters" to keep the oil viscosity low ( oil does not freeze") and some don't. Heat pumps are engineered to operate at cold temps but loose efficiancy. So there is no "one answer fits all" but I beleive 60° is quite a conservitive number for the vast majority of systems.

Makes sense. Thanks for the insight.

Originally Posted by flybouy

The "need to run an a/c unit below 60° ambient? Yes, the need can arise and has at our house before. An example: we used to host 30+ for Thanksgiving. The DW and DD's would start cooking and baking for many, many HOURS beforehand. With outside temps even in the 50's the kitchen and family room could reach the 80's. Between cooking and the early day direct sunlight pouring thru the windows cooling down the space woould be challenging. . Rather than open windows and cranking up fans we just turn on the a/c unit. The OAT was not an issue, it just made the A/C more efficient.

I haven’t been in that situation before. But, it’s likely because I live in WI and during the holidays we’d have people over it is generally cold enough outside that opening a couple windows would cool off the house and remove humidity far faster than an AC. This year is a bit different. Here we are Christmas Eve and it’s 40 F outside with a high of 45 today. So, perhaps I would be in that situation this year if we had people over. But, this year it’s just me, the wife, the daughter, and the dogs. Should be a good one.

Originally Posted by flybouy

I apologize for the long winded post but just want to attempt an explination without getting too deep into a the theory of "how it works". Hope you have a wonderful Christmas.

No problem on the long winded post. As I’m sure you’ve noticed in my short time here I have the tendency to do long winded posts myself. So, I should probably be the last one you apologize to for that.

Hope your Christmas is wonderful as well!

[flybouy]

The DW and I stopped hosting holidays several years ago. Our oldest daughter and her husband bought a substantially sized house and they do the holidays. She loves to cook and she and their sons suffer food allergies so it's better for them. Her husband loves football and coaches HS team calls Thanksgiving her "Superbowl".

This year our youngest daughter is hosting Christmas in her new house. She divorced a little over 3 yrs ago and sold the marital home this year. So she's excited to celebrate the day with her 2 daughters in their new home.

It was a difficult transition for the DW at first but a welcome time now that health issue have become more challenging. For me, well I can eat anywhere! I typically smoke a bunch of meats for both holidaysbso it makes getting the timing down to factor in the travel but I've pretty much figured that out. Enjoy your family this holiday!

[TimC]

Originally Posted by flybouy

The DW and I stopped hosting holidays several years ago. Our oldest daughter and her husband bought a substantially sized house and they do the holidays. She loves to cook and she and their sons suffer food allergies so it's better for them. Her husband loves football and coaches HS team calls Thanksgiving her "Superbowl".

This year our youngest daughter is hosting Christmas in her new house. She divorced a little over 3 yrs ago and sold the marital home this year. So she's excited to celebrate the day with her 2 daughters in their new home.

It was a difficult transition for the DW at first but a welcome time now that health issue have become more challenging. For me, well I can eat anywhere! I typically smoke a bunch of meats for both holidaysbso it makes getting the timing down to factor in the travel but I've pretty much figured that out. Enjoy your family this holiday!

Sounds like you’re in for a great time with family. Merry Christmas!

[TimC]

For anyone curious, we got it pretty much fully loaded (except food and clothes) and tongue weight came in at 1,050 lbs. I haven’t run it across a CAT scale yet (need to finish some stuff before it’s road ready again), but I did do a quick test on my Shurline. Perhaps this doesn’t translate to precise accuracy at much higher weights, but I stood on it and it read my exact weight. So, it’s at least not grossly inaccurate. I’m surprised I was able to balance on it long enough.

I also got started on my electrical upgrades. In the storage compartment under the bed I now have two SOK batteries and a Victron multiplus ii (not yet wired to anything). I ran some 6awg wire into the little water pump enclosure next to the bed, through a hole to the underbelly and up another hole into the passthrough storage (talk about convenient placement of the holes!!). I was a bit surprised to find no 12v wires run for the “inverter prep” as this was where I planned to tie my new batteries in to the electrical system. I figured if it was prepped for a 2,000 watt inverter there’d need to be some substantial 12v wiring for it… nope! Thickest wire I could find was some 8awg for powering the auto level system. So, for now I’ve tied into that with an added 50 amp fuse to protect that 8 awg wire. Come spring I’ll drop the coroplast on the underbelly and run some thicker wire. Just needed to get the batteries hooked up for an upcoming trip.

As you can see in the picture, I’ve got the two SOKs stacked and it’s a perfect height. Still allows the bed to come down with no interference. For how, I just have some thick foam between the two to cushion the bouncing, but I plan to build a shelf for the upper battery to sit on rather than resting on the lower battery. Also, notice how much room is still available. Seems like I’ll have no problem fitting a few more batteries. 😊

[TimC]

The only other thing I’ve done so far is wiring in the Hughes Autoformer Power Watchdog. Turns out the 50 amp enters the rig right below the bathroom sink. Quick removal of the panel and I had easy access. Just cut the wire, stripped the ends, and wired into the watchdog. Hardest part of this one was getting the dang wires lined up to go in. That is some stiff wire!

Next things to come before the trip in a few weeks are strapping the batteries down, wiring the multiplus into the batteries, and installing a Victron Orion (and some thicker wire from the truck battery) for some charging while driving.

Then it’ll be a break from upgrades until spring when I’ll drop the coroplast to run some thicker gauge 12v cable, run the wiring to tie the multiplus into the 50 amp, and start planning the solar install.

For now that multiplus is just going to be wired into the batteries with a plug attached to the AC input. That way I can run an extension cord to the multiplus, turn the charging amps way down, and at least get the SOKs fully topped off. As of right now I have no other way to fully charge them, so that’s going to be my workaround to at least get them to 100% so I have a good starting point for the battery monitor.