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Old 06-12-2017, 02:16 PM   #1
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17 B Mods 2

The space over the closet is under utilized. We created a book shelf, thus freeing up some space in the open overhead bin over the dinette. The front grid swings up to stabilize the books during transport and rotates underneath when camping.

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These water bottles were living on top of my clothing in overhead cabinets before we borrowed this technology from the boating world to store them in unused space above the bathroom door.
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We turn the bed into a lounge area for reading or watching the sunsets. One advantage of the small trailer is that you are very intimate with the outside environment, more so than in larger trailers where you are further away from the window. We place the pillows side by side and watch movies on our computer placed on a plastic bin between us about 20 inches from our eye, thus providing the same field of vision as a 20 inch tv mounted on the wall, and it is not in our way when we are not viewing the computer.
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Still dithering how to modify the 17 B to allow for below freezing use of the water systems without freezing. Just can't spring for an Oliver to get this capability. Too big and too expensive.
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Old 06-12-2017, 03:07 PM   #2
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Great mods, do you have links to the dish rack and book shelf or did you make them?
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Old 06-12-2017, 03:36 PM   #3
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Great mods, do you have links to the dish rack and book shelf or did you make them?
Both custom made. Sorry.

Whitewater is one of my favorite down hill ski areas. If you take Colorado, double the amount of snow, lower it by 4000 feet, reduce the number of skiers by half, and then sell everything at a 30% discount--you have skiing in British Colombia.
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Old 06-12-2017, 04:33 PM   #4
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Whitewater is one of my favorite down hill ski areas. If you take Colorado, double the amount of snow, lower it by 4000 feet, reduce the number of skiers by half, and then sell everything at a 30% discount--you have skiing in British Colombia.
So true...

So I assume you don't have spray-foam insulation which is why you don't think the fresh water system can be used in winter?
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Old 06-12-2017, 04:41 PM   #5
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Yes, Whitewater is very popular for sure
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Old 06-12-2017, 04:41 PM   #6
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So true...

So I assume you don't have spray-foam insulation which is why you don't think the fresh water system can be used in winter?
No, we have the insulation. Trouble is neither the gray or black discharge pipe and valves are within the heated space so will eventually "freeze". In fact the discharge doesn't freeze solid but becomes a thick slurry which will not flow along the pipe so you really can't dump. We had to pay $100 bucks two winters ago to store the trailer in a heated space for 3 days to thaw things out enough to dump.
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Old 06-12-2017, 07:22 PM   #7
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No, we have the insulation. Trouble is neither the gray or black discharge pipe and valves are within the heated space so will eventually "freeze". In fact the discharge doesn't freeze solid but becomes a thick slurry which will not flow along the pipe so you really can't dump. We had to pay $100 bucks two winters ago to store the trailer in a heated space for 3 days to thaw things out enough to dump.
Used to winter camp for skiing - with power (generator) these cable wraps around the exposed pipes worked well to loosen up the sludge in the pipes: https://www.pentairthermal.com/produ...432-17783-1024
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Old 06-12-2017, 07:27 PM   #8
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Used to winter camp for skiing - with power (generator) these cable wraps around the exposed pipes worked well to loosen up the sludge in the pipes: https://www.pentairthermal.com/produ...432-17783-1024
That link didn't work. They still in business?
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Old 06-12-2017, 07:45 PM   #9
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That link didn't work. They still in business?
Worked for me.

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Old 06-12-2017, 08:43 PM   #10
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Worked for me.
Didn't work for me, I get a server error.
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Old 06-12-2017, 08:54 PM   #11
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Works on my Mac.
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Old 06-12-2017, 08:56 PM   #12
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Works on my Mac.
That's weird - it doesn't work on my Mac...
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Old 06-12-2017, 09:04 PM   #13
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I'm using Firefox, for what that's worth. I know nothing when it comes to IT.
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Old 06-12-2017, 09:15 PM   #14
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Works on my Mac.

Some of their pages are not Safari compatible. I can go to their home page but most of their product pages cannot be displayed in Safari.
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Old 06-12-2017, 09:28 PM   #15
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Chrome is fine.



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Old 06-12-2017, 09:40 PM   #16
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Can't get it to display in IE 11 (11.1198.14393.0) or Firefox 53.0.3

Weird.
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Old 06-13-2017, 12:52 AM   #17
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I'm going to start work on this project myself next week in preparation for a trip we are planning in February. Here is my plan:

1. Strip off all the spray on foam over the waste pipes all the way back to the tanks. The tanks have the 12V heat pads so nothing needed there.

2. Wrap with this 12V heat tape up to the gate valves on each: https://www.oemheaters.com/category/...-heating-cable

3. Wire up a new 12V circuit off the 12V panel, switched and fused for the heat tape. I'm thinking it will be a total of about 100W max, but I haven't done the calculations yet so that's a guess.

4. Cover that all up with this insulation which comes in diameters for up to 10" pipes, in 3-foot lengths: https://www.grainger.com/category/pi...ecatalog/N-r6b. I might wrap it further with some 20mil PVC tape that I've used before on pipe insulation that is exposed to the elements. It lasts for years even in full sun: 2 in. x 50 ft. 20 Mil Pipe Wrap Tape-53550 - The Home Depot


I have a Honda 2000w generator I can carry for large power needs like running the 12V heat pads + this extra heat tape circuit, but that might not even be necessary because I can run them when driving and when hooked up in RV parks when available. I think there will be some parking lot camping though, so we will want the generator along for extended stormy periods.

When dumping is necessary I can run the heat tape for 8 hours or so to make sure everything is thawed.

I'll report back with my findings and results, but that's my plan for now and since you are working on the same project I thought it worth posting my take on it.
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Old 06-13-2017, 02:01 AM   #18
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Used to winter camp for skiing - with power (generator) these cable wraps around the exposed pipes worked well to loosen up the sludge in the pipes: https://www.pentairthermal.com/produ...432-17783-1024
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That link didn't work. They still in business?
Works on my Android phone, and under Windows 10 in Edge and Chrome. Also, nice heating cable...
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Old 06-13-2017, 05:58 AM   #19
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Try this:
https://www.pentairthermal.com/produ...432-17783-1024

The solution is more complex however. The 17 (and 19) have a design flaw in that there is a 3' run of 3" pipe from the black tank to where it joins the grray tank and the discharge valve. That pipe is insulated but outside the heated space. Below 26 degrees F or so even 100 percent pink stuff becomes a slurry and won't flow along that pipe so you can't dump unless/until you thaw the whole run of pipe. To employ the heat tape you would have to dig into that insulation and lay the tape along the pipe as well as wrap the valve.

I have been bugging my mechanic to install a second gate valve just below the black tank such that the problematic area is EMPTY until you are ready to dump. This would diminish the already limited capacity of the black tank but it would help. Mechanic says there isn't enough space to install it there. Instead, he wants to enclose both the pipes and valves in a custom fiberglass structure direct furnace heat into that space, similar to what happens with larger rigs. We would have to jack up the trailer to do this. Sigh.
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Old 06-13-2017, 06:07 AM   #20
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I found when I was camping one Super Bowl weekend in W. Va where it got down to 5 at night, that right before dumping I ran warm water into both the black and grey tanks. We had heated water hookups and a heated water supply hose ($$) thus could fill with warm water. Dumping was successful.
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