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RE: Tankless water heater
My question at this point would be; what is the largest Propane/Electric water heater can I replace this new tankless water heater with? The original was a6 gallon unit and I do not believe there is any space available, after modifications to squeeze in a larger water heater.
It seems like your real questions is if a 6 gal water heater is enough hot water for your needs. With a family of 3 that often takes showers back to back, we have not found any issues with enough hot water. When camping without hookups we always take navy showers so we don't use much hot water.
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Thermoguy
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02/24/23 01:17pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Can the grid keep up with EV use?
But saying that, if you charge every night, how much power are you using? About the same as you do watching TV for the night? Same as leaving a few light bulbs on or a heater for a few hours? How does it negatively effect the grid and power production?
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Thermoguy
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02/15/23 01:56pm |
Around the Campfire
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RE: What Truck Dealerships do you recommend.
Based on the last couple years, any dealer that will sell at MSRP is doing pretty good by you. Mine is a few years old now, but I paid about MSRP, but the free oil changes for life have paid off. Buying local vs saving a few bucks up front has been good for me. Not to mention going in for warranty work and not getting the run around because you didn't buy from them.
Years back I bought a John Deere in OR (no sales tax) it had issues out of the gate, took it to the local dealer and they wouldn't honor the warranty because I didn't buy it from them. I had to take it back to OR. I now own a Kubota.
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Thermoguy
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02/15/23 01:52pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Can the grid keep up with EV use?
How many people on this site that own an ICE go to the gas station every time they leave the house? My guess is an owner of an EV doesn't need to either. In fact, they probably only charge their cars once a week. So, why are we so concerned about the grid. If everyone charged a fraction of the time, then the grid would only need to be upgraded slowly to supply that demand. The same goes for fast charging station, a EV owner would only use one if in a hurry or on a trip where they needed some quick juice. Mostly, an EV owner would charge at a regular charging station at night or while stopping for a meal. There is a need for higher capacity, but it isn't an every day experience. I think it is actually not recommended to use a fast charger but infrequently due to the battery.
Related to the grid - the biggest problem with energy production is storage. There is no energy storage. Now, if everyone owned an EV, we would create massive amounts of storage. Think of the batteries in your drawer... If you can reverse the charge, to a discharge, now you can discharge your batteries back to the grid. This is the future of EV's. Charge you car at night while rates are low, go to work (assuming you have a job where you go to the same place everyday) plug in and sell some of your storage back to the company or grid at a lower price than what the high day rates are from the utility. Repeat every day. Brown outs solved.
I can't take credit for this, I attended a transportation conference recently and this is what they were talking about. The only issue is that your Li-Ion battery is only good for something like 25000-30000 charges. If you are recharging every day, you are going to get shocked when you hit that number and you need to replace your batteries. But, maybe if you are making money selling power, that will be a wash. I guess that is an unknown today. But seems like a future. We also don't know what the next battery will be, a super conductor, or sodium ion or some other material that can charge and recharge better than Lithium. But, could be a solution.
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Thermoguy
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02/15/23 01:45pm |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Cassiar Highway
Don't cruise ships have Wifi? I took an Alaska cruise and had no issues with cell service in every port and Wifi on the boat.
What are you trying to accomplish that your cell phone can't do?
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Thermoguy
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01/29/23 09:42am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: 2024 GMC and 2023 Super Duty
The interesting read about this post is if you do any research on the high cost of trucks, you come across all kinds of comments about dealers not being able to sell the high end trucks due to current pricing. Dealers are asking manufacturers for help in reducing the price. With interest rates high, cost of new and used cars high, the market is crashing. Sure, people are still buying, but 2 years ago dealers could add $5000-$10000 to the price of a vehicle and people still bought them. The dealers justified this as they needed to make money to keep the business open and people were dumb enough to pay the premium. Now that interest rates are high, people don't want to pay the markup but also don't want to pay $100K for a truck because it isn't about the amount, its about the payment. I haven't looked what a payment on a $100K truck is, but I'm guessing its north of $1000 a month. This forum lots of people will pay anything to get what they want, but the average person just can't afford that any more and companies aren't buying leave vehicles at that high cost. My company always buys the top trim in the model we get, but as of COVID, they have decided to buy out the leases and not get us new vehicles. This doesn't help the car industry since company leases are a big part of the used market turnaround.
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Thermoguy
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01/28/23 09:49am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 2024 GMC and 2023 Super Duty
Looks like a loaded Denali DRW 2 wheel drive tops out over $100k.
I can officially claim "old guy" status...we paid less than that for our first house. 2000sft ranch on 1.5 acres about 15 miles from a midsize city in the midwest. Everything in good condition (aka: not a fixer upper).
Next truck will probably be one of those horrible 6 speed trucks when the current 5 speed gives out but hopefully that's another 4-5yrs.
Ave home price locally is literally x10 of truck price. Drove by a 12 plat home project, sign said from mid $1M range.
Marty
That doesn't mean much in Kirkland. We have a house in Bellevue, lets just say a 1Mil house isn't what I think of when I used to think of a 1Mil house. I wouldn't want to pay more than 200-300K for that 1Mil house in Bellevue.
I guess the same can be said about cars, a $100K car used to be a really nice luxury or sports car, now its just a truck to pull your trailer...
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Thermoguy
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01/27/23 01:55pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Armada to Pull 33' Lightweight TT
I always see people talking about dry weight and loaded weight then think they can get away with hauling the trailer with empty tanks. This is inaccurate and when considering weights, you need to consider all tanks full. I most often tow into a campground with my fresh water full. More often than not the fresh water is full every time I tow even if I know there is water at my site. I seldom have a site with full hookups, so I have to tow out of the location with my grey and black full - maybe just to the dump, but often to a dump off site or down the road. I am capable of hauling with all 3 tanks full, so its not an issue for me, we like to boondock so I will have full tanks when I leave. But, just because a campground has services, what do you do if they are out of commission or unavailable when you are there. Best to be within your limits so it is not an issue.
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Thermoguy
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01/14/23 01:38pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Then what?
There is going to be many changes in the EV vehicles. Changes in the motors and in the batteries between now and if and when ICE engines become obsolete.
There are plans to build battery facilities locally. Talk is that one will be using silicone-based units.
They are already manufacturing silicone based batteries in Woodinville WA...
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Thermoguy
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01/05/23 01:47pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Bearings packed
Not in the NE, but the last time I did mine is when I was buying new tires. They did them for $30 each and it took them and extra 5-10 minutes per wheel. I watched them and they showed me how easy it is to do, but probably would have them do it again.
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Thermoguy
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01/03/23 01:22pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Ideas to carry spare and bikes
Removed - didn't realize this was from 2021...
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Thermoguy
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01/02/23 09:57am |
Do It Yourself Modifications and Upgrades (DIY)
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RE: Pet Peeves in RV Parks
PEOPLE not keeping their dogs from barking!!!
My dogs only bark when someone comes around my campsite - if they stay away then they don't bark...
How do you stop a dog from barking? I yell at them but then you get to hear the dog bark and a person yelling...
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Thermoguy
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01/02/23 09:44am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Pet Peeves in RV Parks
I think all campgrounds are basically the same as an apartment complex. If you chose to stay there, then you have to deal with the neighbors and their behaviors. We only stay at a crowded campground on Memorial day weekend. We see all kinds of interesting people... After that we boondock and try to stay where no one else is around us. We still end up with neighbors typically but not the annoying ones that want to party...
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Thermoguy
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01/02/23 09:41am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: LTO batteries
Looks like a Chinese packager or Li-Ion batteries. They take the cells and package them in different configurations for different applications. I have no experience.
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Thermoguy
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01/01/23 01:46pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Then what?
If you don't believe me, go to CES in Vegas in January. The new vehicle technology will blow your mind!!According to the website, this is not open to the general public. I'm the general public.
I don't know, I went with the company I work for so I got in free. You could say you are a blogger or youtuber then you are not the general public. There are thousands of people there and no one is checking why you are there...
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Thermoguy
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12/31/22 10:05am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: MPH vs MPG
I'm going to assume mileage gets better with some age. I have a 3/4 ton Duramax with similar size but heavier 5th wheel. I average about 13 or better when towing and typically at about 70mph.
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Thermoguy
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12/30/22 11:17am |
Towing
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RE: Then what?
So most governments have set a time line when the end of the internal combustion engine Must occur,(Moderator comment: Political comments removed).
So then what?
Does anyone honestly think there will be an affordable Electric truck that can pull 10 to 15 thousand pound for 250 or more miles on a single charge?
Will we have to outfit our trailers with batteries to provide a boost for the truck doing the pulling? Or will the average middle class joe have to go back to tent camping?
Will there be aux battery packs that we can drop into the truck bed and tie down and plug in for extra mileage, and then take back out so we are not toting around the unnecessary weight when not towing
What's your thoughts on the future changes coming?
The part that everyone misses is that this is changing daily and rapidly. Transportation agencies are working on projects like electrified roads that charge as you drive, EV and Freight only roads and lanes, and of course more charging stations. Car and battery companies are working on new technology - like Sodium Ion, basically, salt, it is very promising and should be available soon, or super conductors with graphene, not Lithium, Tesla just purchased a company that makes these types of batteries or battery alternatives. These materials are recyclable and don't require the same mining techniques used with Lithium.
The other part is that EV is not the only engine type to remove the ICE, what about Hydrogen Fuel Cells? BMW, Toyota and others are betting on a future that is not EV but rather a different engine all together. You can by a BMW now, but have very few options where to "fuel" up. But imagine a Hydrogen generator at your house fueling your car... this is not a pipe dream but available now, just not well known.
The real issue and why we haven't seen a large adoption is cost. Costs to manufacture are coming down daily. These new battery materials cost less and will therefore allow the cars to cost less. Also, the dreaded replacement of the battery will cost less. Material like Sodium Ion are much cheaper to manufacturer and could be 1/3 to 1/2 less the cost of Li-Ion.
Since this is an RV thread, think about boondocking. How has battery technology and charging changed in the last couple years. Imagine how it will change in the next 10-20? An EV is just a RV boondocking... How far can you go on a charge? How can you extend that range or reduce battery dependency or battery demand? Finally, how do you replenish that battery most efficiently?
Lastly, about that 3/4 ton or 1 ton truck. Yes, they already have prototypes, some really great ones. Even with the current available EV motors, that truck would outhaul your current truck. The only missing link is range, and that's being addressed with new technology. Look at the huge amount of heavy hauling trucks and delivery vehicles that are going EV. These are the testing bed for your RV towing vehicle. It is just around the corner, along with Autonomous vehicles.
If you don't believe me, go to CES in Vegas in January. The new vehicle technology will blow your mind!! I went pre COVID and was in shock at where the vehicle manufacturers and suppliers were at and what they were working on in the near future. That's just what they are willing to show the public.
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Thermoguy
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12/30/22 11:02am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Solis Lit hotspot
What cellular service? Is that specific to Alberta? If not ATT, Verizon, T-Mobile, they are buying service from one of the big 3 typically. Why not just get one from your cellular service provider and bundle the plans?
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Thermoguy
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12/26/22 10:18am |
Technology Corner
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RE: Heated Floors
We have electric heated floors in our home. In the Kitchen and Living room under tile. It is a great way to take the chill off and keeps the room warm. We actually had to turn them down because they effect the whole house heat and wouldn't allow the heat to come on in the rest of the house.
I think they would work in an RV assuming you have a constant power source. If you were using it off grid, it would be a no go. Which is probably one of the reasons RV manufactures don't waste effort putting them in RV's. Most heat sources are inexpensive to put in, like a propane furnace or small fire place electric heat. I think if you were doing a remodel and changing the floors, it wouldn't be a bad investment assuming you always had power and could put them under hard floors. Radiant heat doesn't work under carpet.
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Thermoguy
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12/16/22 01:15pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Tesla delivers there first semi
I learned yesterday that Tesla is getting a lot of press for Pepsi receiving these Tesla Semi's. However, they already have a couple dozen EV Trucks from Paccar, which is Kenworth and Peterbilt. So, this is not their first or will it be the last EV trucks they purchase and put to use.
In addition, Paccar mentioned they are working on hydrogen fueled and hydrogen hybrid trucks and engines. Much like BMW, Toyota and others. So, the big question, what alternative fuel vehicles will become main stream in the long run.
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Thermoguy
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12/09/22 11:36am |
Tow Vehicles
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