Weekend Work

So this weekend I got a few things done to the Cortez. First I bought that 120v Water heater, and had to finagle that in to it's new home. Well this is where it needed to go, this one opened up like a can of pop in the freezer. :)





The new one!




After fighting with it I found out the 1/2" copper pipe on the hot water side after 41 years decided it wanted to expand so as to not accept 1/2" fittings anymore, so I had to cut the pipe off and use pressure rated hose. So hopefully that all stays put.

So the little problem I thought I was going to have turned into a good solution... I took out the old water heater, so that left a one foot square hole in the side of the RV... the door that was on there didn't look too bad, and had a easy open (1/4 twist) screw... so after removing the guts from the LP water heater, I cut it down to size and riveted the end back in place and now I have a 8" deep cubby that is externally accessible for things like sewer hoses and fittings.





the door fits on like normal, and if I need to I can just plug those holes.. .but I don't think it will make a huge difference either way.

Wiring.. oh yea... I wired a new outlet directly to the fuse panel. The 30 amp service is broken up into 3 internal fuses, and a main shutoff. From the left to right: one line powers the 12v Converter/Charger and bathroom outlet, the 2nd runs the two kitchen outlets, one on the wall to the left of the stove (next to the water pump switch) and the other lower on the wall behind the driver's seat. Then the 3rd runs over to the fridge and outlet beside the dinette. The far right is the main turn off. These are now labeled ;)

So I wired this into the kitchen circuit, so if I need to turn it off for any reason, that is pretty quick and easy, this one only runs at 11amps, and the switch is rated for 20, so I should be pretty safe of not overloading it.

Other work...

I fixed the kitchen sink faucet, just replaced a few rubber seats and it works good as new now. I also replaced the bathroom faucet with a new 4" faucet i found on clearance at Lowe's for $20 or so... Just need to go get a few gasket washers tonight and I'll be set and be able to actually test the water heater. Yay!. (wish me luck!)

I got rid of a kitchen bag full of crap, out of drawers and storage... plus the scraps from the water heater install... continuing to clean her up. I have the deck ready to install, just need a couple of RCA cables to run to the new entertainment center (as I affectionately call it).

I am thinking of flush mounting the inverter in the cabinet, then installing a 120v outlet (on the fridge line) right beside it... this is where I will need to switch the power source from the inverter to 110v for movies (and rear view camera) on the go, or movies at the campsite. Should be as simple as changing one plug from outlet to outlet. :)

So, left on the list is still to replace that black water gate valve (screws are stuck after 41 years.. yeah.. fun)


Also, change the oil, install the 300w inverter, and install a new 120v outlet inside the cabinet above the fridge. I also need to replace the ball valve on the toilet, it's leaking at the moment, but at least I can just turn it off pretty easy at the wall, but that doesn't allow me to use it. :)

Once that is all done, I can see about other things... like carpet and upholstery. Carpet should be fairly cheap and easy to do, about $75 or so. Give it a day or so for that install.

The upholstery might need to wait as my upholsterer currently has his hands full with other things... should I attempt it myself?? maybe I can just order the vinyl and fabric from him and stitch them up myself... they are essentially covers... shouldn't be too bad, right? (Okay that discredits his skills... I may need to just wait.)

Then comes the exterior!

Instant Water Heater

So I bought the rest of the parts to build my on demand water heater for the Cortez. Originally I was going to make this with a far more elaborate design for the Aristocrat, but Copper was so darn expensive I had to put it off. I just need to find the pipe I had cut so long ago (sitting in a bag somewhere, probably upstairs) then I can solder it all together.

So this is the new design, pretty simple... cold water comes in one end, triggers the thermostat to turn on the 1500w diode, that heats the water (or warms it a bit... we'll see on that part later) and it flows out the other end hopefully hotter then it entered.

Actual use would be warm water for washing hands and dishes, not planning to use this for showers.

My water heater has a blown out core, so it's leaking profusely inside the coach... so that's plugged at the moment and will eventually be gutted for exterior storage (Sewer hose and such) and this will be installed on the end.

I figure, a 120v current from the fuse panel (4 feet away) with a simple switch to turn it on or off, and we are set!

Here are the parts I bought... these ran about $70, the Copper pipe another $16 or so... and this is the reduced cost option! The other design would have cost well over $150 or so... more bends, more elements... :)



strike that... that got me thinking, why build it when I can buy one I know will work? Looked on Craigslist just now and found another point of use water heater that will work fine for $75 and it will take the guess work out of this. :)