Lots of Electric Work

Spent a lot of this past weekend working on electrical projects on the Carpe Diem.  I am not a fan of electrical work.  I would say that the stupid butt joint connectors I worked with were the main reason I detest electrical work.  I can't imagine soldering the connections that are above my head as I'm clambering around under the trailer.  I used heat shrink butt joint connectors; let's just say that the percentage of them working as planned was pretty low.

Today I worked exclusively on the trailer lights.  I should say that I worked while waiting for it to stop raining.  Even though the teardrop is jacked up, crawling around on my back on the wet pavement was less than ideal.  Except for the butt joints, everything went as planned.  Unfortunately, I couldn't test the connections today.  I'm hopeful that next weekend will be beautiful and I can pull the Carpe Diem out to the road and give it a proper test.  All I can say is, those trailer lights better freaking work!  I don't want to have to crawl under the teardrop again to make all those connections.  I took my time.  I heat shrunk and taped everything very carefully.

Last night I took some images of the teardrop's lights.  You can see that I didn't get the spare re-mounted as of the images.  I ended up throwing everything in the cabin last night.  But, the lights work!  It wasn't pitch black out, but it was dark enough to see how the light looks.

I like the LED fixture in the galley.  It swivels and throws off a lot of light. 

The porch lights are much brighter than I thought they would be.  

Night vision red dome light.

Regular dome light.

The reading lights are as bright as the the dome light; but I really like the warm iridescent bulbs in the fixtures.

Here we go.  Short week.  Already looking forward to working on the insulation of the cabin.  Happy Memorial Day!

Electrical Design; Special Thanks Again to Fellow Blogger: "Desert Dog!"

I've said it before, but the internet is an amazing thing!  I've noted Desert Dog's fantastic website, where she has chronicled the build and experiences of her teardrop, before, but I owe her another bit of gratitude.  Electricity is not my forte.  Thanks to Desert Dog, Joanne, I have a very clear picture of what I need to do in order to get my electrical system in place.

By picture, I literally mean a picture!  She sketched out for me how to lay out my electrical system.  For me, a visual learner, this was so incredibly helpful!  I am very grateful for her help and guidance.

I was having some trouble with my set up because my circuit board did not have a buss strip for the ground.  She sketched me a quick layout which helped me tremendously!

Here is her sketch of how to set up the various circuits:

With this simple diagram, I was able to layout my entire electrical system, basing it all off the two circuits she helped me visualize.  Here is my first crack at designing an electrical schematic.  I downloaded the free app called Schematics Light.  I must confess that I basically used it as a drawing tool; I had no idea what I was doing.  I'm sure that this design is full of schematic no-no's!  I think its helped me figure out how to do the wiring and I guess that's what is important, right?

The way it is designed at this point, I will have the reading lights, galley lights and dome lights all on one circuit.  I'll take a trick out of Joanne's tool box here and use a connector bar to bring those lines together before going to the fuse panel.  The four 12 volt outlets will have a similar breaker bar.

I think I will be able to drill a hole in the bulkhead panel at the bottom of the shelf area and pull the wires through there into the small compartment in the galley.  I'm hoping I can run it this way so I don't have to create something to 'hide' the wires coming into the battery compartment.

After I replace the hinge and seal up the fan, I'll be able to start pulling some wires.

Cabin Thoughts

I've been contemplating some design concepts for the cabin.  Originally I planned to insulate and then cover the insulation with a thin skin of Luan.  One of the large considerations of this plan was that the doors are such a significant portion of the side of the cabin that 'skinning' them has some potential challenges that may make it incredibly difficult.

After some exploration and brainstorming with Jim, I've come up with a hybrid plan that I think will help make the interior finishing quite a bit more simplified.

I am thinking that I will still add the foam to the ceiling.  I will cut 'channels' in the foam to carry my wiring for the ventilation fan and ceiling lights.  Rather than put the foam on in one large sheet, I'll use 1" strips of wood every 24."  This will allow me to have 'something' solid to screw the plywood into.  I will then use a product, I mentioned way back in my original planning stages, called a headliner.  I found a product at Kendor Marine's online site.  It is perfect.  It is a mold proof, heavy duty marine grade 'carpet'-like product.  It has a rubberized backing (which is apparently unique).  I will add this, not only to the ceiling, but also to the aluminum skin walls.  I won't add any additional insulation panels however to the walls.  Here is a link to this product.  This will do many things.

1.  It will provide just a bit of 'cushion' when you bump into the aluminum wall.
2.  It will soften the interior of the cabin; deadening some of the bouncy sound that exists in it with just the aluminum skin.
3.  It will be tremendously easier to complete the interior of the cabin.
4.  The headliner will help insulate against heat and cold.

One of the things that made this work in my mind was the great find on their website of the dual reading lights that can be mounted on the ceiling.  In doing this, I eliminated the need to have wiring run to the side cabin walls, where I had planned on installing some chrome reading lights.  All of the wiring can be run in the ceiling.  Here is a link to this fixture.

(Just found out that their online store's warehouse is in Racine.  This will save me $40 in shipping.  I ordered the headliner and cabin light and will pick up later this week.)

I found a terrific deal on the LED light I will install on the hatch.  This light will swivel 180 degrees which will be perfect for when the hatch is up.  I'll be able to swivel it to cover the galley area, but also it can swivel to light up the picnic table if needed!  Plus, the one below is over 18" long.  This will provide plenty of light.  Here is a link to this fixture.

I may even add the headliner material to the underside of the hatch.  This will add a nice finished look to the hatch when it is lifted.  Here is a link to those fixtures.

Super Bright LED's had the LED Swivel light and the above 'porch lights' that I will install above the door to light the way when returning from the bathroom, etc.  (I ordered two more to put in the galley.  I intend to have them in the back as night vision lights for that area too.) They had tremendously reasonable prices.  I also found the marker lights below.  I want to use one of each color on the sides of the trailer.  The chrome will look awesome on the side of the trailer.  Here is a link to these marker lights.

Lots of Paint

I had no idea when I first thought of painting the inside of my teardrop how much paint I would use.  I decided to use paint to seal the door and window frames and I thought I would use the same paint to give the interior of the cabin a fresh look.  (It was originally painted a pale turquoise that reminded me of a trip I took to Florida in 1979 when just about everything was that color!)  I think I've gone through 8 or 9 cans of Rustoleum gloss gray paint!

However, I am very happy with the result.  The inside is looking terrific.
Along with the screen windows, which are painted black, I painted the sliding doors on the bulkhead black.  I like the effect of the accent color on the interior.  The biggest lesson I learned from painting the interior is to be patient and to use a mask and gloves!  Thank goodness I had a mask with a nice respirator on it because the outside of the mask was nearly completely gray by the time I finished painting the inside.

I also ended up making another set of screen window frames; I'm such a perfectionist that the first set of  frames did not meet my standards.  That took less time than I thought because I bought the finest toothed saw blade I could.  It cut smoothly and with very little splintering.  That made finishing a breeze.  So, with new screen window fixtures, I began considering a couple other design issues.

The original hinge on the hatch was missing the hinge on both sides.  I had started to replace the hinge with a 1" hinge I found at the hardware store.  This worked okay, but the previous owner decided to drill new holes for the hinge they installed.  So, even with the new hinge, there were still holes in the hatch and the area above the hatch.  I had attempted to fill these holes with rivets, but the rivet holes were too large and they don't make a rivet large enough that will work in my rivet tool. That's when I thought about using a larger hinge.

I picked up a 2.5 inch from the hardware store.  This hinge would cover the holes from both of the previous hinges and would be a bit 'beefier.'  I hope to give this a try soon.  My only concern is whether the hinge holes will leak.  I'll caulk the hinge and the holes when I put them on.  This way, it will be both cosmetically and structurally sound.  One issue that creeps up by choosing these larger hinges is how to fasten them.  I might be able to rivet them, if I use a hole that my rivet gun can fill.  I will try that first.  If it does not work, I have purchased bolts that I could use and then I'll need to route out a channel in the screen window frame to make up for the additional space on the interior that the bolt requires.

With the interior nearly finished, at least at this stage, the cabin is close to being water tight.  The only other cabin related item I have planned is to build the storage boxes into the floor.  I have to investigate how the frame connects to the plywood subfloor.  If its possible, I am excited to build some storage space into the floor.  This will open up the bulkhead for more storage too.  I like how Joanne used aluminum to cover the edges of the hatch and the lids.  I plan to use a similar design.

I'm waiting on my hatch hinge, door and hatch locks and body trim to arrive.  While I wait for those items, I am planning to remove the aluminum cabinets from the hatch as well as the hatch cover.  By removing the hatch, I will be able to paint and rivet the non-essential holes in it much more easily. Once all of the cabinets are removed, I can start designing the galley and treating both the floor inside the galley and the cabin.

There are several pieces of metal, I believe they are aluminum, that are critical to the structural integrity of the teardrop.  These pieces fit on the floor of the galley and on the actual galley hatch. Thankfully, these pieces were kept by the previous owner, but they are in terrible condition.  (I found them when I was cleaning out the teardrop).  I hope to be able to hammer them back into shape and re-use them.  I doubt that it would be possible to find replacements for them, they are strange angles and shapes.  I discovered yesterday at Lowes that there is a spray for galvanized metal that 'restores' it to its original finish.  I may give that a shot on this trim once I've gotten it back to its original shape.


Quick note on the electrical design.  I want to remember to use 'connectors' for both the tail lights and galley light fixture.  This will make it simpler for me to remove the hatch, if I ever had to do so, without cutting all of my electrical wires.

I found this DC electrical panel from West Marine.  I like that it has LED's that light up and that it has two 12 volt receptacles built into it.  I'm thinking that if I used this panel in the galley, I could just use those two receptacles for the galley.  This would save me a bit of work wiring the two additional outlets.  Then, I would only have to put the two in the cabin.  This would also allow me to use the four circuit panel because I would only have four additional circuits.

 

I will add a tiny volt meter to my electrical box in the galley.  I have seen several that would fit the bill.  Will probably go with a red one to match the LED's on the breaker panel.  

The weekend can't come soon enough!

Electrical System: Beginning Stages

The internet is an amazing thing!

Through it, I have been connected with like minded individuals who love teardrop campers.  I have found them to be nothing but committed to helping others in the creation of their own teardrop trailers.  One of my greatest obstacles in moving forward with the Carpe Diem is the electrical system.  I've read hundreds of pages of what are called 'build journals.'  These are the records of ordinary people who have built teardrops and have, like me, kept a journal of the process and the step by step progress.

First a little background.

Many individuals enjoy the RV lifestyle. This means, at least to me, to be semi-off grid.  However, most true RV's frequent 'improved' camp sites.  By this, I mean that there is a power source, and often showers, running water, flushing toilets and so on.  Many RV's have both 12 and 120 volt systems and receptacles.  I think this makes sense.  Folks who enjoy RV's tend to enjoy all the comforts of 'home.' There is absolutely nothing wrong with this.  I, however,  prefer to camp off grid as often as I can.  My teardrop is really nothing more than a much sturdier tent!  For this reason, I have decided to install a 12 volt electrical system in the Carpe Diem.  If I find myself at an improved site, I will have an extension cord and circuit breaker on hand to plug in my battery tender and any possible devices that will run on 120 volt power.  Additionally, while not the most efficient use of power, there are many converters that allow one to use 120 volt equipment on 12 volt systems if there is a compelling need.  (I'm thinking at some point, my daughter will want to run a hair dryer when we are in the boonies!)  Careful monitoring of the battery system will be required; a monitor with a digital readout  is essential.

The primary reason I've decided to run only a 12 volt system has to do with simplicity.  After everything I've read, I think this is the best way for me to proceed.  The reason I'm putting so much energy into planning the electrical system is that the wiring will be 'hidden' by the insulation and plywood 'skin.'

One of the most helpful build journals I've come across is The Desert Dawg, built by Joanne.  She has created a website of each step of her build.  The most helpful section, for me, has been her electrical system.  She, like me, has installed only a 12 volt system for similar reasons.

I like the two diagrams you see below which are from her site.

The first shows how she connected her tow vehicle to the battery on the teardrop.  I don't feel comfortable hacking into my leased car's electrical system, so I will probably run a line directly to the battery (with a fuse inline).  If I can find a 'cut off' switch, I will install one in between the two batteries so that I don't accidentally run down my tow vehicle's battery when camped.

The second shows her circuit layout.  I will have essentially the same system, except that I will not have a radio installed.  Reading through her step by step description gave me a much better sense of how to do this.  When I had a couple of very specific questions, I posed them to her and she kindly and thoroughly responded to them.  The kindness of strangers never ceases to surprise and comfort me.  I hope that my 're-build' journal will prove helpful to someone in the future too.

I've ordered a few of my electrical devices.  I don't plan on officially starting on the electrical until the hatch hinge is fully replaced and the cabin is completely water tight.  On that note, I want to remember to apply fresh caulk to all of the seams on the aluminum skin before I add any insulation, etc.  I don't want any leaking to happen once I make the commitment to insulating.

I've also been giving some thought to building into the floor a storage compartment or two.  Joanne has two of these built into hers and I really like the way she finished off the edges in aluminum.  The spare tire could easily fit in such a compartment, as could any emergency gear that I don't necessarily need on a regular basis.  I'll explore that a bit more before I finish the cabin by adding some type of layer to the plywood.  I am fairly sure I'll end up covering the space with linoleum, just to make clean up and maintenance a bit easier.

I will also need to use Rustoleum to care for any rust on the frame of the trailer and to use a water proof undercoating on the plywood 'floor' of the trailer.  Need to figure out a way to get the teardrop up in the air enough for me to work on it.  Harbor Freight sold some steel floor jacks that might work.  A little more research on that is in order.