2017 267BHSW Tinker Toy

[retroboy1989]

One of my favorite parts of owning an RV is all the tinkering opportunity. I purchased this one in March '22. We got 16 nights in last year and hope to come close to that this year.

My plan is to use this thread to keep track of upgrades.

Here is the week we brought it home:

[retroboy1989]

One of my first upgrades was the installation of a black tank flush kit. I went really simple with the install and used 1/2" sprinkler parts to locate the quick connect just behind the dump plumbing. The sprayer itself is in the middle of the tank, opposite the level sensors.

I learned the hard way that the sprayer that goes into the take is two pieces and it came from the factory loosely assembled. You will want to snug it down. I took it apart and used some Teflon tape on the threads.

I bought an orange camco hose that is used exclusively for this purpose and never gets mixed with my drinking water hoses.

[retroboy1989]

Another upgrade that I have really been happy with is tapping into the trailer's propane supply to fuel the camp chef. After a bit of research I learned that the regulated pressure is acceptable for the camp chef. The install itself was easy. I had an extra port in the propane distribution block under the trailer. I swapped the plug for a quick connect and everything worked without a problem. This was a major convenience upgrade.

[retroboy1989]

I have never liked the pull-out style power cord. I bought a retrofit kit to convert to the removable twist/lock type. The install is pretty clean. I ended up disconnecting the power cable at the junction box in the crawlspace and running a short length of 10/3 Romex to replace it. This gave me the maximum length 30 amp cable once I put the mating end on it.

[retroboy1989]

Solar:

I went with Renogy components. I have 300w with the ability to easily go to 400w.

The PV wires come in through a roof gland I added down into the cabinet above the kitchen. sink. I have DC breakers on both the PV and 12v sides of the controller.

The 12v wires run into the wall behind the microwave and come out below the range where my power distribution panel is.

I connected the +12v directly to the factory 6ga wire from the batteries. They share the post on the battery side of a new 300a battery cutoff switch installed through the cabinet next to the power panel. I can kill +12v to the entire trailer (except the tongue jack) without disrupting the solar controller. I generally leave the switch off when the trailer is not being used.

The mppt controller is mounted on the end of the cabinet with a somewhat tidy bundle of wires. I found the status lights are way too bright at night and shine directly into the bedroom so I covered all but the LED for error with electrical tape.

[retroboy1989]

Batteries:

I went with a pair of 6v golf cart batteries from Sam's club for $100 each. The camco dual box made for a clean install.

I quickly discovered that there was no protection of any kind on the main battery line. The 6ga wire was a straight shot from the batteries to a wire nut shared with the converter/distribution and the unprotected slide power.

I installed a 50a breaker just behind the batteries, got rid of the wire nuts for crimped ring terminals, and put the slide power source on an auto-reset breaker.

[retroboy1989]

My trailer didn't have any USB outlets, so I started by adding a 5 port unit, hardwired to 12v on the end of the lower cabinets. We use it to change devices at night. Works great.

Hardwiring meant taking apart the 12v plug and soldering lead wires for +/-. Those wires were tapped into some 12v wires running through the cabinet.

[85vf500rr]

Nice work!

[Marcm157]

I too love to improve on things. I have done so many upgrades to each of the campers we have owned but sadly never remember to document any of them.

One I will highly recommend to you and others is the MorRyde CRE 300 equalizer upgrade with wet bolts at the same time. The wet bolt kit comes with brass bushings and they make it so easy to keep the suspension lubricated.

[Randel J]

Very impressive mods!

[retroboy1989]

Thanks, All

I tried to go back and fix my typos but it seems that this forum doesn't really allow for edits. Oh well, I'd rather be tinkering than be spelling.

I do like posting my mods to give others help or ideas. Each one of these took internet research, some from this very forum to pull off.

I am finishing up the install of solar panel #4 this week. I have way more solar capacity than battery capacity, so maybe some battery upgrades are in the future. I've looked at going AGM and putting them under the master bed, but that's a lot of money when my two golf cart bats give us plenty of juice for now.

[retroboy1989]

Just found some additional pics of mods:

The only lock on the face of the earth that I could find to fit the underslung coupler on my rig:


Black tank flush:


Retrofit power connector in action:


50A breaker at the battery (unprotected before)


Propane for the Camp Chef:

[retroboy1989]

I think I am about caught up. Here is one more of my favorites. I added an accumulator tank to soften the pulses from the water pump. It also stores some pressure so the water pump never short cycles. Final benefit is a noticeably quieter pump. I also relocated the pump, suction bypass and made sure the Schrader valve on the accumulator could be accessed from below the sink without having to pull partitions out. Notice the brass check valve too. Shortly after this install I ended up replacing a bunch of the pex fittings with brass versions due to leaks. I guess I was pulling threads. It was tricky to say the least. I ended up having to pull a new 6 foot section of pex in because I couldnt get my crimp tool in there to salvage the old pex.





Not a mod TO the Jayco, but a mod FOR the Jayco. Secondary Aux cooler on the trans. The Tundra trans cooler is controlled by thermostat so no risk of over cooling. The down side of the thermostat is that the temp is always already around 200*, so I felt additional cooling capacity to keep it there was worth while. And an inline filter for good measure.

[retroboy1989]

Originally Posted by Marcm157

I too love to improve on things. I have done so many upgrades to each of the campers we have owned but sadly never remember to document any of them.

One I will highly recommend to you and others is the MorRyde CRE 300 equalizer upgrade with wet bolts at the same time. The wet bolt kit comes with brass bushings and they make it so easy to keep the suspension lubricated.

I'll have to check it out. Thanks!

[retroboy1989]

Another FOR the Jayco mod.

I found that trying to run the A/C, even on my 20 amp outdoor circuit, caused the GFCI in the garage to become warm to the touch. I found a legitimate 30amp receptacle box at lowes and set to work.

It involved some drywall repair in my basement, but running a 10/2 cable from the panel was worth it to have 30amps at the RV pad.

I can run my fridge and A/C while we load the trailer for a trip without issue now.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Eaton-30-Am...-Panel/3027569

[ChrisLoftis]

Originally Posted by retroboy1989

Another FOR the Jayco mod.

I found that trying to run the A/C, even on my 20 amp outdoor circuit, caused the GFCI in the garage to become warm to the touch. I found a legitimate 30amp receptacle box at lowes and set to work.

It involved some drywall repair in my basement, but running a 10/2 cable from the panel was worth it to have 30amps at the RV pad.

I can run my fridge and A/C while we load the trailer for a trip without issue now.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Eaton-30-Am...-Panel/3027569

Best non RV mod I have done to date. Having its own dedicated breaker and 30A plug has been awesome to me.

[retroboy1989]

Originally Posted by ChrisLoftis

Best non RV mod I have done to date. Having its own dedicated breaker and 30A plug has been awesome to me.

Benefits greatly outweigh the costs, especially if you can diy.

Someday when we build a new house, I'm going to make sure our builder runs one for us there too. Or I will just pull the 10/2 myself

We have some friends that had a sewer line plumbed in before their pad was poured. They don't have to stop on the way home, they just dump it as part of unloading and cleaning. Nice convenience!

[SkipperD]

Nice upgrades Retroboy1989.
I've got a 264BH and have done a few upgrades like yours, but you've given me a few more ideas to try!

[retroboy1989]

Finished a new upgrade.

Installed a Honeywell residential thermostat I had lying around. The benefit is a digital temperature reading and a digital setpoint. For A/C, it won't run the fan constantly, only when needed for cooling. And my wife cannot reach the knobs on the ceiling unit, now she can control the A/C just as you would at home.

I couldn't find any writeups I liked, so after lots of testing with a multimeter, I worked this out:

Furnace:

*My thermostat is a battery powered type. If the thermostat is looking for 24vac to power itself, it will not work for rv applications. "millivolt" on the thermostat paperwork, should mean it's capable of switching 12v triggers for RV hvac*

I started by using my inexpensive Honeywell it as a direct replacement for the 2 wire mechanical furnace thermostat. + (Red) to R and furnace relay (white) to W.

A/C:

I then researched controlling the A/C with the thermostat as well. I've seen many that install a relay on the 120v line for the A/C and have the thermostat control that relay, but I wanted the control to be more specific than that - fan and compressor. I also wanted to eliminate the surface control.

The A/C controls on my unit are very simple. I replaced the multi function knob in the control box on the ceiling assembly with 2 12v coil 120v 30a relays (one for high fan and the other for compressor). I may go back and worry about low fan another time. I also ignored the wire for a heater.

I then replaced my 2 wire furnace thermostat cable with some 18/7 thermostat wire to give me plenty of conductors. I had to run it under the trailer which was a chore on its own. I ran this to the furnace and then up to the A/C. Furnace thermostat wiring was unchanged to add A/C other than using the wires in the new cable.

A/C wiring at the thermostat was Y, G and RC ( I removed the thermostat jumper). RC is a 12v source with a 1a fuse. Y is the new compressor relay and G is the new high fan relay. The relays need grounding, so I used a wire in the cable as ground.

Fully tested and everything is working perfectly.

I didn't go into any detail on pulling the thermostat wire as every trailer is different and wouldn't resonate unless you have a 2017 267bhsw.

If I can think of something to take a picture of, I will. I drew a wiring diagram, I'll find that.

Here are the relays:
https://a.co/d/cJxRFyu
I did not use the provided wires for the 120v side. They are too thin. The 12v side doesn't matter as I measured the coils at .07A each.

[retroboy1989]

Here is the wiring diagram that shows what I did to get it all working. I put this on paper for 2 years from now when I can't remember what I did.

I've also considered keeping a spare relay and AAA batteries in the trailer.

This information is just for reference. Consult a professional if you are interested in doing this to your trailer.