Newbie questions regaring our new X23B

[DrBob7762]

Hi all. We have a new (to us) 2014 23B. I have some idiot questions today. Feel free to LOL.

1. Whenever we are on shore power the power controller fan runs. Is it supposed to be that way?

2. The gap between the plywood base of the bed and the trailer cabinet is filled with a 6" wide, pliable piece of vinyl. I'm a big dude, so I feel the gap and 3 hard edges through the mattress. What have others used to overcome this?

3. Above the rear bed, just inside the trailer is a wooden shelf. The driver's end (behind the rear wall of the bathroom) is inaccessible due to a thin piece of plywood blocking the rest of that shelf. Before I take that piece out to see what's back there - what's back there? (I want a longer shelf to store stuff on, and can't imagine any electrical or plumbing there).

4. Does the battery only get charged when on shore power? Put another way, does the house battery get charged when the TT is hooked up to my truck? Does the engine need to be running?

5. My TT came with the optional bbq, so there is a gas line and quick connect valve attached to the frame just below the bbq mount. I see no regulator on the bbq, so assume this gasline is already regulated. I would like the option to operate other gas appliances from this same quick connect; those being - a firepit and a Coleman type outdoor stove (not all at once!). Both of these have a regulator attached to their hose at the tank end. Can/should I eliminate the regulator when I have a quick connect hose made to run from the TT to the appliance? Or would having two regulators on the same gas line result in the same line pressure anyway?

6. The DVD/stereo unit that came with the TT is well behind the times. I see the TV has an HDMI input. What do current models come with in place of the dvd/stero unit I have? Or, what have other owners replaced their stereo units with?

Thanks in advance. Getting ready for our first trip in the TT so any timely info will help.

Cheers,
Dr. Bob

[oldmanAZ]

Hi to you. Congratulations on the new-to-you TT and welcome to the forum.

I'll take a stab at a couple of the FAQ's (yes, you aren't the only one with some of your questions.)

1. The fan is temp controlled and will run when the converter/charger needs it to run. You could shut off some 12v lights and see if it stops running. Keep in mind that it will be producing 12v power to charge your batteries even with all 12v lights switched off.

4. Although 12v power from your running truck does try to charge your TT battery, the voltage drop due to the small wiring in your tow vehicle is too great to actually charge your battery. In most cases, you will need shore power overnight to bring your battery to anywhere near full charge.


I hope that is a little help and you'll hear from other 23B owners.

[JFlightRisk]

To answer question #5, yes, the gas to the quick connect is regulated off the TT propane tank(s). This is regulated to low pressure. You can connect other propane devices to it, but like your thinking, the regulators on them have to be removed. It would be like double regulating them, and they won't work well, if at all.
The other option is run them off another separate 20lb tank. Hope this helps a little.

Congrats on the new-to-you rig, welcome from Western NY, and feel free to ask anything you want.

[DrBob7762]

Ok, so my "double regulating is troublesome" thinking was correct.

While removing the regulator from the fire pit and camp stove is one solution, it renders them unusable with a normal propane tank. I'd still like to be able to use these other devices at times other than just hooked up to the TT.

So my next question is: how hard is it to convert the regulatd quick connect line to "unregulated"? I realize that once I do that I will not be able to use the bbq that came with the trailer (we like our little Weber better anyway). I know the quick connect line comes off after the regulator, but where, physically, does that happen? Up front near the 2 propane tanks? Or somewhere else under or inside the TT?

Once I locate that spot, I envision either removing the tee coupling or capping it off, then running then exitending the quick connect line forward to tie in ahead of the regulator. Am I thinking correctly? I know it sounds fairly easy, but I'll bet there are some nifty/costly fittings involved. Seems like a chunk of work just to eliminate the need to lug a 20 lb tank around the campsite.

Any suggestions on this project would be appreciated.

Cheers,
B

[oldmanAZ]

... where, physically, does that happen? Up front near the 2 propane tanks?

Yes, up front. The 'pig tails' that connect to the propane tanks on one end connect to the regulator at their other end.

[EvilDoer]

1. Yup, that little fan is almost always running.

[EvilDoer]

2. The stock mattress is terrible, we added a 3 inch memory foam mattress topper.

[EvilDoer]

3. I'm wondering the same thing, haven't opened mine yet to find out so I'm interested in what others have to say.

[EvilDoer]

4. It doesn't really. There are alternator upgrades, along with necessary wiring and switches, available for most rucks, but I personally don't consider them a practical or cost effective option.

[EvilDoer]

5. The gas is already regulated, and double regulation doesn't work. You can remove the regulator from the fire pit and that will work. Coleman brand stoves come in two flavors: one works on the low pressure supplied by the rv, the other only works on a somewhat proprietary pressure only available from Coleman; best to confirm which style you have before altering it. If you want to use your appliances when not at the rv, you can always put a regulator on the gas bottle you connect them to. That option has always made more sense to me than having a regulator on each gas appliance. Finally, long runs of high pressure propane aren't practical due to oily sediment build-up in the lines, that's why the connections to the gas bottles and regulators is kept short.

[EvilDoer]

6. Even the new rigs come with a dvd player, I guess nobody in the rv industry thinks bluray will catch on. We use an hdmi cable from a laptop or a portable bluray player to the tv.

[JFlightRisk]

Originally Posted by DrBob7762

Ok, so my "double regulating is troublesome" thinking was correct.

While removing the regulator from the fire pit and camp stove is one solution, it renders them unusable with a normal propane tank. I'd still like to be able to use these other devices at times other than just hooked up to the TT.

So my next question is: how hard is it to convert the regulatd quick connect line to "unregulated"? I realize that once I do that I will not be able to use the bbq that came with the trailer (we like our little Weber better anyway). I know the quick connect line comes off after the regulator, but where, physically, does that happen? Up front near the 2 propane tanks? Or somewhere else under or inside the TT?

Once I locate that spot, I envision either removing the tee coupling or capping it off, then running then exitending the quick connect line forward to tie in ahead of the regulator. Am I thinking correctly? I know it sounds fairly easy, but I'll bet there are some nifty/costly fittings involved. Seems like a chunk of work just to eliminate the need to lug a 20 lb tank around the campsite.

Any suggestions on this project would be appreciated.

Cheers,
B

All the propane is regulated right at the tanks. That regulator is CRITICAL for the operation of the stove, oven, furnace, and refrigerator. It's more than likely a dual diaphragm regulator, that takes the propane pressure down to 11" water column, so all the appliances work properly. The gas line to the quick connect tees off the main line under the camper somewhere. I personally don't know of any fittings that will do what you want, sorry.
The bumper grill is set up for low pressure also. If you check with the manufacturers of your Weber grill, and other devices, I'll bet they're designed for high pressure propane.