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Old 12-19-2016, 11:44 AM   #1
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29BHS Mod Projects and Repairs

I figured I would create a running thread on the various mods and repairs I've made so far to my 2006 29BHS. I'll start first with some of the simple ones. Let me know if you want to know anymore about anything I post about and I'll try to help.

First off is the new table I built. The original table was damaged so I bought some 5/8" furniture plywood and used the original as a template. Very happy with how it turned out.
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Old 12-19-2016, 11:54 AM   #2
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Tinted Skylight

While inspecting my roof a little while after purchase I noticed the skylight had a 2" crack in it. Decided to replace it with a darkly tinted Lexan skylight to reduce heat loading on sunny days.
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Old 12-19-2016, 12:02 PM   #3
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Indoor/Outdoor Temperature and Clock

Installed a clock with indoor/outdoor temperature and humidity. I put the outdoor sender on one of the homemade "x-chocks" so it doesn't get forgotten on departure. Though it has already been run over once, but miraculously survived unscathed. Due to the poor viewing angle on the LCD display, this has been moved to right next to the door and an analog clock with a sweeping second hand (no ticking to hear at night) has replaced it in this location.
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Old 12-19-2016, 12:07 PM   #4
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Freshwater Tank Vent Valves

Another very simple one. We were having the typical siphoning issue from our fresh water tank. Decided to put some valves on them to prevent this as we do a lot of dry camping and not losing our water in transit is kind of important.

These are actually meant for drip systems. Since this photo I have pushed them on a bit further and zip tied them together. If you do this just be sure you open them back up when filling or using your water, otherwise you may damage your tank. I put a reminder next to the water pump switch with my label maker that just says "VALVES OPEN?"
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Old 12-19-2016, 12:18 PM   #5
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Isolate Converter Power

When I went to start getting ready for solar (I'll cover that later) I realized that our utility converter (115AC-->12VDC) and normal outlets were on the same breaker.

I decided to use one of the empty spots in the power center and move the outlets to their own breaker so the power converter could be turned off while running on inverter. Otherwise we would have been trying to charge the batteries while running on an inverter that was using the batteries...and you can see how well that would work. We also have a spare 15A circuit for future use. Now when we are running on inverter I turn on the MAIN and "Outlets" leaving everything else turned off. In the future when I install a 2,000 watt inverter we can also turn on the breaker for the microwave on inverter power.
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Old 12-19-2016, 12:26 PM   #6
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Homemade "X-chocks"

Had some left over 4x4 when I was done installing the post for 30A service. Bought some all-thread and some nuts and washers and threw these together. Easy to make and work great. Just a little annoying to tighten with that drop in the fender skirts. I also put the outdoor temperature sender on the backside of one of these since you have to remove these to leave camp anyway and it keeps it out of the rain and/or direct sun.

At home we had a huge wind storm a few weeks ago that rocked the trailer pretty bad and blew the plastic chocks away and left the trailer rocking in the wind with no chocks (fortunately it was parked on a level grade), installed these in the middle of the wind storm, got a nice face full of sand a few times, and kept the trailer from rocking fore and aft anymore. I now have these and chocks installed while parked at home.
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Old 12-19-2016, 12:45 PM   #7
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Nice work on your mods. Keep them coming!

Here's a potential mod for one of your mods:
I had a few pipe clamps and some black pipe laying around so I used those for the tire chocks. Really makes things easy and no need for having a wrench and reaching in. You can put the hand crank on the top or bottom, whichever is easier to get at.

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Old 12-19-2016, 12:51 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dewey02 View Post
Nice work on your mods. Keep them coming!

Here's a potential mod for one of your mods:
I had a few pipe clamps and some black pipe laying around so I used those for the tire chocks. Really makes things easy and no need for having a wrench and reaching in. You can put the hand crank on the top or bottom, whichever is easier to get at.
Awesome idea, this is the kind of stuff that keeps me coming back. We are getting a Harbor Freight in our town in January and I know they sell pipe clamp stuff. I might have to modify those chocks. Besides, anyone who does any woodworking can tell you that there is no such thing as too many clamps.
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Old 12-19-2016, 12:56 PM   #9
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Screen Door Opener

Bought one of these Camco Screen Door Openers. Takes a bit to get used to, but it's nice not to have to open the screen door slider every time you want to walk outside.
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Old 12-19-2016, 01:56 PM   #10
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Removable Solar Lights

Doing a lot of dry camping we wanted some more light outside at night without running more wire or using more battery. My wife found these removable solar lights. The bracket is mounted on the wall and then the lights are removed while on the road or between trips.
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Old 12-19-2016, 02:04 PM   #11
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TV Mount

We were getting tired of having to lay the TV down every time the trailer was going to be moving. I decided to mount the TV on a pivoting arm that would let the TV fold flat against the cabinet and then pull out for viewing. It will also allow the TV to be seen from the rear dinette bench or from the kitchen depending on which way you turn it. When in the normal position it is in the perfect position to be viewed from the couch.

In order to mount the arm to the cabinet I had to re-enforce the backside of the partition wall as it was very thin luan. The plywood I used isn't as nice looking, but it will be hidden behind a cabinet door. The plywood was cut to size and then attached to the cabinet framing with pocket screws around the perimeter. The only thing left to be added is a couple of eyes for hooking a bungee to keep it from swinging out in transit.
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Old 12-19-2016, 02:25 PM   #12
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Portable Battery Monitor

Thanks to this thread:


http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f3...vel-32652.html


I bought this inexpensive monitor on Amazon. As my solar setup is still portable I made this portable as well. I had a spare flat-four trailer wiring kit so I hooked up the shunt and battery on what would normally be the tow vehicle side and wired this monitor on the long end that would normally run to the lights on a trailer.

The hookup now stays in the battery box while the monitor lives in my RV toolbox. When I setup the solar panels I hook this up as well and it allows me to monitor my charge or discharge depending on which way I position the DPDT switch. Eventually I will mount it permanently but this setup worked great over the summer. As obvious by the last picture, I still need to get my battery wiring more organized and install a permanent inverter.
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Old 12-19-2016, 02:36 PM   #13
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Suitcase Solar Kit

Didn't want to drill any holes in the roof quite yet, so I picked up a portable 120 watt solar kit. I've noticed a few pros and a few cons to having a portable solar kit.

CONS:
  1. Needs to be put away at night or when away from camp to prevent damage or theft.
  2. Possible damage from wind.
  3. Have to setup every morning and during the winter every minute of sunlight counts!
  4. Cords to trip over.
  5. Has to be stored somewhere at night and in transit to prevent damage.
  6. Cheap charge controller.

PROS:
  1. Can be moved to avoid shade.
  2. Can be aimed at the sun to increase wattage, very useful for winter camping.
  3. Safely inside while trailer is stored.
  4. No holes drilled in roof.
  5. Inexpensive (low price/watt)
After using it for a while I've decided to permanently mount the panels. The panels are already in standard frames (Just with hinges, latches, and handles) and will be easily mounted. I will also be upgrading the charge controller at that time. I don't' regret buying this kit and I think this kind of kit is great for initial entry into solar and those that may camp in very shady areas.
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Old 12-19-2016, 02:36 PM   #14
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Nice mods! One thing about the similar 28BHS I had is the TV viewing angle is just awful. I had to sit it on the dinette table for suitable viewing from the couch.
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Old 12-19-2016, 03:23 PM   #15
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Pass Through Partition and Insulation

This latest mod is still in work. This year of the 29BHS did not have a partition between the pass through and the rest of the under bed area. I am building a partition and then insulating the entire pass through area. I am also fixing the issue where stuff falls under the bed and into the pass through area. Hopefully this will keep out cold drafts during our winter camping trips and keep out warm air during out summer camping.
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pt6.jpg  
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Old 12-20-2016, 06:35 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by northwindone View Post
Doing a lot of dry camping we wanted some more light outside at night without running more wire or using more battery. My wife found these removable solar lights. The bracket is mounted on the wall and then the lights are removed while on the road or between trips.
These look like a great idea. Did you find them online? Could you provide a link?

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Old 12-21-2016, 08:59 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Elecchicken View Post
These look like a great idea. Did you find them online? Could you provide a link?

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Here you go:

https://www.amazon.com/Nekteck-Wirel...17JEST9CRW1Y4C
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Old 12-21-2016, 12:35 PM   #18
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Oxygenics Shower Head

Another easy mod, but one of the best IMO, was the installation of an Oxygenic shower head. We do mostly dry camping so conserving water is extremely important. The OEM shower head did an okay job, but was also lacking a cut off in order to take Navy showers. (Though I took longer showers in the Navy then I take while camping ...but I served on a nuclear carrier, so we had plenty of fresh water. When short showers were important was spending my summers as a teenager in the Alaska bush using a shower bag hanging from the ceiling. But that's a story for another time.)

Anyhow, the only thing that bugs me about these, at least the white ones, is the very stiff hose. I bought it in white as it matched our RV better than chrome. The shut off button works great though and I've used it both on hookups and off the water pump and it works great either way.

I don't have a picture of it installed, but it's a shower head and hose, so nothing exciting. I was able to reuse both screws and one of the screw holes from the exiting shower head bracket though. One screw is hidden under the mounting pivot and the other is hidden under a stick on Oxygenic sticker, so the install is very clean looking. Don't use the double sided tape, it will just fall off when your RV gets above 90 inside.

Click image for larger version

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Old 12-21-2016, 04:26 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by northwindone View Post
Didn't want to drill any holes in the roof quite yet, so I picked up a portable 120 watt solar kit. I've noticed a few pros and a few cons to having a portable solar kit.

CONS:
  1. Needs to be put away at night or when away from camp to prevent damage or theft.
  2. Possible damage from wind.
  3. Have to setup every morning and during the winter every minute of sunlight counts!
  4. Cords to trip over.
  5. Has to be stored somewhere at night and in transit to prevent damage.
  6. Cheap charge controller.

PROS:
  1. Can be moved to avoid shade.
  2. Can be aimed at the sun to increase wattage, very useful for winter camping.
  3. Safely inside while trailer is stored.
  4. No holes drilled in roof.
  5. Inexpensive (low price/watt)
After using it for a while I've decided to permanently mount the panels. The panels are already in standard frames (Just with hinges, latches, and handles) and will be easily mounted. I will also be upgrading the charge controller at that time. I don't' regret buying this kit and I think this kind of kit is great for initial entry into solar and those that may camp in very shady areas.
I did the same thing, although I just used normal panels in a portable fashion. Although I only put them away when we are packing up the trailer to leave. Maybe I'm oblivious, but I can't imagine someone stealing solar panels. I don't think the return and market is there like it would be for a generator.

I think I'm going to mount 200w of panels on the roof and keep my other 200 as portable. This will allow me to reach the sun if I am in the shade.
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Old 12-31-2016, 01:04 PM   #20
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Drawer Swap

Thought I would keep this going while also working on some very time consuming mods and repairs, which I will post here when finished.

Another extremely simple mod. The top drawer in our 29BHS was divided, which is very useful, however the divisions were very large and more suitable for large items and not silverware. Since I wanted silverware to go on top I simply swapped the top two drawers and put a standard silverware tray in the top drawer.

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(Excuse the mess, a few items get stored in here while not in use.)
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