List of Mods

Note: This list is extremely old and is not a full list of our current mods

While at the 2018 Winnebago GNR (Grand National Rally), the Winnie B group (class B vans) gathers in a row or three and parties together.  We also like to have rig tours.  This involves opening up your rig so others can see what's different in your model, or what changes you have made to appearance or functionality - i.e. what mods have you done.  I figured I'd gather my list of mods here to share it both with the touring group and those watching my blog.  Half of these are not (yet) documented elsewhere in this blog.

Electrical mods:

• Added 2 lithium batteries (in parallel) from BattleBornBatteries.com under the bench seat (connected to 12v bus with a circuit breaker) for a total of 200aH.
• BMV-700 on the negative leg of the lithium batteries to monitor charge percentage (has bluetooth adapter for phone app)
• AIMS 6000 inverter/charger/transfer switch that handles 2000W continuous.  Power from original/existing ATS is routed through inverter's switch before the circuit breaker panel, so the entire rig has power (until the batteries run out) even without shore or generator.  The charger function provides up to 55amps at 14.6 volts to recharge the lithium batteries which happens automatically with shore or generator power.  The transfer switch automatically and instantly kicks in the inverter if the shore power is not present, or is out of spec on voltage or frequency.  This is a secondary level of protection in addition to having a surge suppressor.
• Installed 2 180W solar panels (removed TV and antenna) in series with Victron MPPT charge controller tied to lithium batteries.  Includes bluetooth adapter to communicate with phone app.

Kitchen mods:

• New butcher block countertop, kept original sink but recessed it slightly into the counter
• Replaced burners with induction, mounted flush with the counter top for more space
• Counter now extends several extra inches over switches, which protects them and removes the need to have a flip-up section
• Metal (glass in later models) shield over cooktop removed completely.  The bottom of the overhead cabinet is now covered in copper sheet.  The switch to turn on the over-counter lights is relocated to the side wall in place of the coax outlet.
• LED lighting strip installed inside overhead cabinet with a switch that shut it off if door is closed (also goes off with over counter lights).
• Backsplash wall (that had offset section) replaced with single plywood sheet and covered with copper stick-on "subway" tiles.  As a part of this, the screen door and plastic trim pieces were temporarily removed until I have time to recreate a new wood trim piece to support and reinforce the sliding door base.

Bathroom mods:

• Installed "Marlon" thermostatic faucet
• Second shower sprayer holder in center for easier use.
• Rod across ceiling for hanging things to dry
• Back wall organizer
• Ikea suction cup bins
• Cedar "Bath Mat" Deck, customized with laser etching of US State boundaries
• Larger filter installed on drain to reduce cleanings

Plumbing mods:

• Installed new above-floor plumbing, replaced 90% of original pex and plastic fittings with new pex, brass fittings and copper compression rings.  Removed winterization plumbing, reduced drain points and complex plumbing sections.
• Slot routed in floor near sliding door for plumbing to cross between kitchen cabinets (pump area) and water tank box.
• Although technically not plumbing: added "heat tape" strip into additional routed slots in floor to prevent pipes and feet from freezing.
• Installed new "floating" floor to cover above mods

Furniture mods:

• Removed cabinet above dinette area (after having previously removed TV and Jenson Radio) which facilitated running wires for solar.  Replaced it with new larger cabinet to hold portable printer and scanner, cellular and wifi equipment, and store laptops, phones, and tablets for charging (with all cables hidden).
• Changed dinette table mounting for more stability:
• Larger screws holding bar to wall
• Moved plastic bar-holding flanges about an inch inwards to allow table to be moved further forwards and backwards.
• Added additional spacers above plastic bar-holding flanges to force them to press down on bar more firmly to prevent wobble
• Tightened screws and various adjustments to improve operation.
• Reworked "water box" to have less wasted space.  The framing around the water tank next to sliding door has a large amount of unused space on either side of the tank.  Box was cut down on both sides to widen walkway from sliding door and allow the passenger side front swivel chair to rotate full 180 to face backwards.  As a part of this mod, a new cushion was built to cover the smaller box, and the metal leg frame to slide the cushion into puzzle bed mode was also removed.  In order to be used in bed mode again, some additional work will need to be done to create a way to bridge the gap to the table.
• Can storage under floor: the step-up walkway between the dinette table area and the water box was reworked to provide a hatch access to unused space under the floor.  The original floor was cut to create a large rectangular section that can be lifted up on a piano hinge.  The area below the floor was reinforced to cover the plumbing and support the floor when down.  To allow for easy storage of pop (or other beverage) cans in the two sections under the table, a sled was made with pull straps to allow the cans to be extracted. Each space stores 2 12-packs, and an additional 12 cans can be stored under the lift-up area for a total of 60 cans.
• In various places (water bench, dinette bench) the fabric covering over vertical surfaces was removed and the original wood surface sanded and stained, or covered with veneer.  Some cabinet and wall spaces (especially in the kitchen) have been recovered with veneer.  In part this it to provide a fresh lighter color wood feel, and may also incidentally cover up defects or holes in the walls.
• Over-water-bench shelf installed, with wood end attached to ceiling so that entrance/exit is not height restricted.
• Exterior carpet (left over from previous domicile) trimmed to cover entire raised dinette and front cab area (wall to wall).

Travato Light bulb sizes plus LED kits

2014-19 Ram Promaster Light Bulb Size Guide

Low Beam Headlight Bulb Size: H7 or H7 HID Upgrade Kit or H7 LED Upgrade Kit
High Beam Headlight Bulb Size: H7 or H7 HID Upgrade Kit or H7 LED Upgrade Kit
Parking Light Bulb Size: 7444NA
Daytime Running Light Bulb Size: 7440
Fog Light Bulb Size: H11 or H11 HID Upgrade Kit or H11 LED Headlight Kit
Front Turn Signal Light Bulb Size: 7444NA
Rear Turn Signal Light Bulb Size: 7440A
Mirror Turn Signal Bulb Size: 921
Front Sidemarker Light Bulb Size: 2827
Rear Side Marker Light Bulb Size: 2821
Tail Light Bulb Size: 7443
Reverse Tail Light Bulb Size: 921
Brake Light Bulb Size: 7443
High Mount Brake Light Bulb Size: 921
Dome Light Bulb Size: 6418
Glove Box Light Bulb Size: 6418
License Plate Light Bulb Size: 6418
Roof Marker Light Bulb Size: 2827
Trunk/Cargo Area Light Bulb Size: 578 - 41mm Festoon
Vanity Mirror Light Bulb Size: 6418

If you’ve added LEDs and the bulb error light is now on. You can either add a resistor, or turn off the bulb check, as shown in this video: https://www.facebook.com/groups/140882716333661/permalink/404979719923958/

Replacing the toilet seal

As many have experienced, or rather smelled, the toilet seal on the Thetford toilet can sometimes not work as well as it should, and leak fluids and noxious gases in either direction, which is a very undesirable condition.

I was able to identify the toilet that we have as the Thetford Aqau-Magic Style II, albeit mostly by matching up pictures on the Thetford website.  Switching to Amazon, I found a replacement ball and seal kit that I could get next day on Prime (first time I've been able to use the new free next day shipping service).

Thetford 34117  Waste Ball Kit for Style II / Style Lite / Style Plus

Unfortunately, after receiving the kit, which Amazon was kind enough to drop on my front porch, I found that the instructions only cover the Lite and Plus models, not the II.

 

Fortunately, the lack of instructions is not usually a deterrent for me, so I proceeded with an ultimately successful installation attempt, which I conveniently captured most of on camera.

AIMS 6000 Inverter installation - the "lost" film

There's been a lot of interest recently in upgrading to Lithium batteries, which is something I did very early on in the first few months after acquiring my Travato, along with installing a "whole house" inverter between the ATS and the Fusebox.  I knew even less about what I was doing back then, but somehow managed to pull it off anyway.

As mentioned in a previous article, that unfinished and unedited video content was presumably lost along with a hard drive failure last year, but some of it has been recovered.  I'm posting it here in it's raw form for the benefit of those who have a desire to do something similar or just to see what I did.  There has been a few changes, and I'm planning an overhaul, but for the last couple of years I've mostly reliably run on this setup.

Bathroom Mirror and Light

Another area for improvement in the Travato 59G bathroom is the difficulty of using the mirror, and the fact that it is rather dark in the corner over the sink.  So I came up with a plan to fix that.

Part 1 - Install Mirror

I figured that the large blank area over the sink (above the inset) would be a perfect place to put a mirror. I measured to discover that a 12" high by 24" wide mirror would fit just fine, and was able to locate a plastic mirror of those dimensions on Amazon:

12" x 24" 1/8" Acrylic Mirror Sheet

Along with a pack of mirror mounting clips I got from Home Depot:

OOK 1/8 in. Plastic Mirror Clip (8-Pack)

With this parts in hand, along with some brass screws (variety kit from Harbor Freight) I was ready to install the mirror:

Part 2 - Install Light

To lighten up the situation, I also added an LED light in the ceiling.  I had first planned on putting a light on the wall above the pump switch, which I thought would be easier to install (it would have been).  But I ended up settling on a ceiling mount light instead, which of course I got from Amazon:

Dream Lighting 12Volt LED Panel Light with Switch - 5" White Shell Ceiling Downlight

It was a bit difficult to fish wires through the hole in the ceiling I made to mount the light, and then down to the bathroom light switch wiring.  Instead of cutting the existing wire to hook in an extra connection, I made use of these handy splice connectors:

Horloy 240 PCS/120 Pairs T-Tap Wire Terminals Quick Splice Electrical Connectors Self-Stripping and Nylon Fully Insulated Male Spade Disconnect Kit

The advantage of these over the conventional auto splicing connectors is that the added connection is a spade - so you can safely remove it later if need be.

Here's the installation process:

Small side step for for front passenger

So this wasn't my idea -- I totally stole it from someone else on the Travato forum on Facebook.  This small pair of self-installable steps are the perfect size (and low cost) to add a step up for the front seats:

Bully AS-600 Polished Aluminium Multi-Fit Truck SUV Side Steps (1 Pair)

They are aluminum, and come with an assortment of mounting bolts and adapters, all of which I didn't use.  Instead, I put some new holes in the brackets and used some self-tapping sheet metal screws in a #14 size:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Hillman-14-x-1-in-Socket-Hex-Drive-Sheet-Metal-Screws-25-Count/3036261

These have a length of 1-1/4" but the 1" screws would be plenty long.  Installation was relatively easy, short of getting the first hole drilled.  And make sure you have a proper magnetic drive bit to match the screws if you attempt this - it will make it go much easier.

UPDATE

I've since discovered from a Promaster forum that there is a different version of this step (different manufacturer) with a mounting bracket that looks much easier to install:

https://www.realtruck.com/carr-black-hoop-ii-truck-steps/R185694P2014Y2715MA.html

It also appears to stick out more, meaning you can get more of a foot on it.  This may be a better option than what I did.

Installing Sumo Springs

I finally got around to installing my sumo springs last fall.

For those unaware, Sumo Springs are rear bump stop replacements that give you a bit of extra lift, in order to compensate for the extra heavy weight load of all the RV bits and gear loaded into a Travato.  These are made by SuperSprings(.com) and they have front spring spacers as well.

This is the part that I ordered: https://www.supersprings.com/shop/ssr-313-54/.

There are a lot of varying reports on the difference in ride resulting from installing these.  There's a measurable several inches of extra height, but the handling change is either hailed as a significant improvement or minimal, depending on who you talk to.  My experience after having them in for half a year now is that I can definitely see (feel?) an improvement -- nothing major, but every little bit helps.  After having just gotten new tires also, I can say that doing both sumos and replacing worn out tires together is a significant difference in handling.

Below is the video of the installation process.  I decided to try doing it with just the stock jack, although partially because I didn't happen to have any better equipment handy.  Both sides are done, with the second side requiring moving the bracket for the grey tank, so it's practically the same except that I didn't try to turn the old bump stop the wrong way on the second side.  In the end, the process was a success.

Alternative shower drain pump

I broke my pump!

Previously, I've shown you how I used a larger filter to reduce the frequency of cleaning it out to keep the Travato 59G shower drain working.  That worked well, but I was trying to get rid of the small filter (why have both) and I ended up snapping the fitting right off the pump.

Rather than go without showering, I grabbed a small centrifugal pump that I was originally going to be use to recirculate the hot water to avoid wasting water prior to a shower.  I didn't think it would work, since a centrifugal pump is not self-priming -- inotherwords it won't suck the water up the tube by forcibly pushing air through the pump.  The pump would just spin in the air.

Funny thing is, it did work.  And 3 months later it was still working.  The drawback is that the water sits in the bottom of the shower basin for a while before it starts pumping out.  My theory is that the water collecting in the basin will eventually seek level and get back up to the level of the pump on the inside of the kitchen cabinet.  Plus, the pump blades spin at a very fast rate, creating a bit of a differential in pressure to help it along.  Once the water has reached the pump, it empties out pretty quickly.  I've tried switching on the pump prior to showering, and also switching it on once done, and it doesn't seem to make a lot of difference.  Leaving it on means it might get started with emptying out earlier and the water level won't rise as high, but may end up with needing a second time of emptying.  Switching it on once you are done adding water seems to be the best at getting all the water out the first try, although it takes a while (several minutes sometimes) for the water to reach the pump.  Once the pump starts gurgling (a familiar sound when using the original pump) it's emptied out and can be turned off.

This is the "solar recirculation" pump I purchased on Amazon:

bayite BYT-7A006 DC 12V Solar Hot Water Heater Circulation Pump Low Noise 3M Discharge Head 2.1GPM

I also purchased this matching connector to allow it to be plugged in where the original pump was:

Molex -3 Match Set - (2 Circuit) w/14-20 AWG, Wire Connector - 2.13mm D, Latch Lock, MLX

That requires some soldering of course.  In a pinch, you can simply pop the pins out of the connector that the pump comes with, and jam them into the molex pins -- which is what I did while I was dealing with this in the middle of a trip.  Be very careful of course to observe the correct polarity.  On the Winnebago connector side, the white wire is ground and the yellow is positive.  On the pump, black is ground, and the red is positive.  Thus red goes to yellow, black goes to white.

This is a quick video I put together showing how the pump works and how little gunk I ended up having to clean out of it after 3 months of use.  Most of the gunk passed through the pump, with only some getting wrapped around the input side of the pump impellers.

I have some additional pump models I'm going to be testing out, including some that will self-prime and others that are centrifugal but don't have a bearing that is easily damaged in scenarios where hairs get wrapped around the shaft.  Once I'm happy with a solution, I'll put a link here to pre-wired pumps ready to be easily self-installed.

Season 2 is coming a little earlier than originally planned

There isn't a video for this post (at least not yet), so don't be surprised if I get a little wordy.  Actually, that's pretty much the normal for me when writing -- deploying superfluous words to convey complex creative thoughts.

First season coming to a close

As I write this, we're approaching our vanniversary.  We rented this 2014 Winnebago Travato from it's original owner about this time last year and ended up purchasing it.  And as you have probably already seen on the rest of this blog, done some upgrades to make it work better for us (otherwise known as "mods").

This next month also brings a change in my wife Crystal's occupation, going from where she's tied to home base, to being able to work from the road as I already do.  I do software development, and she's starting an editor position.  This gives us the flexibility of travelling longer trips that we have up to this point, but also puts the burden on me to finish up a few more mods that I've been lagging behind on.

Data loss is a pain, but also an opportunity

This last week I had an incident -- there was a sudden change in a light, where it went from green to yellow right at the perfect time that I would either end up running it or be forced to slam on the breaks much harder than I like to.  Of course, things went sliding.  My laptop computer, which I normally leave on the dinette so I can just swing around and do some work conveniently when I have a chance, took a tumble.  It's actually perfectly fine, as the only moving parts are a fan (it has an SSD hard drive).  However, I had the 1 terabyte external drive (with old style spinning platters) that I use for storing videos for this blog still plugged into it (which was a really bad idea).  It tumbled to the floor also, and is pretty much a total loss.  I attempted to do a recovery process on it, and discovered that most of the allocation table was inaccessible.  Even though I could see the directory of files I wanted, there was no way to recover their actual contents.  Since either one head or platter was evidently damaged, there's enough holes in any large file to make it pretty much unusable.  So from this I have learned and share 3 pieces of advice:

1. Always batten the hatches (put everything away, close and latch everything) before taking off.
2. Always have another backup (don't put all your eggs or files in one basket).
3. When disaster strikes, make lemonade.  Or hot tea, depending on the weather.

So there will be new music tracks for the next batch of videos.  I have the original logo, but I'm thinking of updating it a bit, maybe some simple animation.  And we'll be doing more travelogue episodes along with the regular fixes and mods.  I'm hoping to enlist some family and friends to help with some of the upcoming videos as well.  Should be interesting, I hope you'll stay tuned!

Better Shower Drain Filter

NOTE: An alternative to this solution has been found: http://www.theb.life/2019/02/alternative-shower-drain-pump.html

The shower drain on the Winnebago Travato 59G model is a strange animal.  It drains water to the grey tank, but because of the position of the shower relative to the tank, and the vehicle structure that in the way, a suction pump is used to pull the water out of the drain and send it to the grey tank.  That pump is slightly inconveniently located under the bottom board of the cabinet under the kitchen sink, which generally collects a lot of miscellaneous necessities for travelling, making it difficult to access.

It sounds like this complexity should simply be a managed by an easy flip of the switch to power the pump when you're showering.  However, there are small amounts of clothing fibers and other particulate matter that are washed down to the drain, and these can easily clog a suction pump.  To protect the pump, there is a small mesh filter connected to the pump inlet that strains out the gunk first.  This filter is unfortunately small and full of water when it finally fills up to the point where it no longer drains - which makes for a mess when removing it to clean it out.  The solution to that is to add a filter washer to the drain in the bottom of the shower - but that being even smaller of course ends up needing to be cleaned even more often, and small bits still get past that first filter and end up still clogging the small filter.

I've been thinking for a long time on how to improve this situation.  Ideas I've considered include removing all the filters and taking a chance on the pump clogging, or possibly still working but at a slower rate which would still be acceptable; also reworking the plumbing to bring the drain tube horizontal above the van floor and then into the grey tank, eliminating both the pump and the filters.  Each seem problematic and costly.

Instead, I've come up with an alternative option as at least a temporary measure to reduce the frequency with which the small filter must be cleaned.  This involves adding an additional much larger filter (strainer) before the original one, and thus eliminating the filter washer.  The filter I choose to add is this one:

SHURFLO 1/2" Raw Water Strainer - 50 Mesh Screen

Which is available at the amazon link above, or from other locations at possibly a lower price.  It's not cheap, but it's the largest one that I can find that still has the same 1/2" fittings that all the existing plumbing connections use.  In addition to that, I also picked up a 1/2" nipple (short 2" pipe with threaded male connection on each end) from Home Depot (available at most hardware stores).

This is the video of the installation process, which is fairly simple (remove the input hose from the pump, add the new filter and nipple, and reconnect the input hose):

Solar Panel Installation

Solar panels Activate!

I wanted to reduce the amount of time I would need to run the generator while living "off-grid" i.e. mostly boondocking (we do a lot of in-city boondocking). And I wanted rid of the ugly eyesore of a TV antenna that wasn't doing me any good (took the TV out in the first week).  So I did a lot of research, and finally came up with the best set of solar panels to fit and a way to mount them using the same brackets that my awning uses (the 2014 Winnebago Travato 59G used a Carefree of Colorado awning - later models used Fiamma which had their own roof rack system, and most recently Winnebago has gone back to Carefree but sourced a rack system from another vendor).

Solar Panel Selection

I created a google docs spreadsheet "Solar panels power and cost" and added to it every panel I came across with all the specs necessary to calculate Watts output per Square Foot of panel.  My goal was to maximize the output with the available roof space, with cost/watt as a secondary concern.  After eliminating panels that were too large to fit, I came across the GS-Star-180W as being the best output.  At first I thought I might be able to squeeze 3 panels in between the windshield and the fan vent, but as it turned out 2 was already close enough to covering up the running lights on the roof.  I can still get one more panel between the fan vent and the air conditioner however, should I want to go that route.  I  did not concern myself with sticking to 12 volt panels (which would be compatible with the Zamp charge controller used by Winnebago in later models) as I instead wanted to use a Victron MPPT controller that would be compatible with my other devices, and provide more efficient power conversion.  The one I chose can handle up to 100 volts of panels in series, or any combination thereof up to 700 watts.  Putting the panels in series makes the wiring simpler, and is slightly more efficient due to higher voltage (under the same solar conditions) meaning less drop over the cable run to the controller.

Roof Rack

I came up with my own roof rack system using 3/4 EMT pipe and a new connector from a Kickstarter called Maker Pipe (www.makerpipe.com).  The Maker Pipe connectors allow you to clamp conduits together at right angles, and easily make changes.  This has allowed me to add the solar panels, and even more recently a roof storage box (for more tools of course).  Once I devised a way to mount the first two 10 foot pipes to the Carefree mounting brackets (I bought a second set to put on the drivers side), the rest of it was pretty easy.

Parts

This is not an exhaustive list of all the parts I used, but covers the majority (there was also some nuts and bolts and washers and the like).

• Carefree of Colorado -- BS0009 Freedom RM Adapter Bracket
• Maker Pipe
• 3/4" EMT Electrical Conduit Pipe
• Galvanized Mending Plates
• 3/4" EMT Hanger
• Grape Solar GS-Star-180W-US
• Roof mount cable entry box
• Solar Cable 10 Gauge 50 ft Red & Black
• Renogy MC4 Male/Female Solar Power Cable Connectors
• Victron MPPT 100/50 with Bluetooth

Video

Four Leaks Found and Fixed

Leaking pipes is a serious problem.  Left unchecked, you can end up with rotted wood, mold, rust -- things you don't want in your house, much less your RV.  In some cases, it can be easy to spot and fix.  In others, where the connections are behind walls, cutting into them may be necessary to get access to fix it.

In my 2014 Winnebago Travato 59G, I found a series of leaks last fall that seemed to be correlated to a specific type of pipe.  Winnebago uses a special type of pipe in place of PEX when near a screw-on connection.  This pipe is a more flexible white material with a fiber braid around it, which allows the pipe to bend sharper than PEX and makes the connections easier to attach.  It's also good in places like the water pump where there is a certain amount of vibration.

However, connections to this type of pipe is where all the leaks were found.  I'm not saying that the use of this pipe itself is at fault, nor the PEX style silver crimp ring connections that were used, nor the original plastic PEX fittings.  But somehow a combination of these allowed the leaks to develop over time (nearly 4 years from manufacture in about March of '14 and November of '17 when I fixed them.  Also, a cold snap may have contributed.  Some of these fittings had clearly been leaking a little bit for a while, but I was acutely aware of the pump running when it shouldn't due to having just done a lot of plumbing work to bring the pipes above the floor instead of exposed underneath, so I was expecting and looking for leaks, just not where I found them, in parts of the plumbing I hadn't touched.

My solution was to replace both the plastic PEX fittings with brass equivalents, but also to use copper compression rings instead of the silver crimp rings.  I continued to use the same flexible pipes, although mostly for convenience I replaced much of the regular PEX pipes as well (getting the fittings apart sometimes resulted in damage to the pipes).  The four places where I found a leak was:

Toilet

Pump

Toilet Tee in wall

Spray hose outlet

Unfortunately, I didn't get video of this leak.

Full Video (all 4 repaired)

Bathroom Sink Remodel

I replaced the original bathroom faucet with this model:

DE-002 Kitchen Faucet Valve

Note: the faucet may not be in stock at the DudaDiesel website on the link above.  It can also be purchased directly from China through Aliexpress: Thermostat Bathroom Faucets Kitchen Faucet Bath Tub Hot Cold Mixer Tap Faucet Brass 360 Swivel Basin with several different options (Option "D" is the same as what I installed).  Be sure to select one with a diverter and the spout of your choice.

It's thermostatic, which means that you set the temperature you want, and it automatically adjusts the hot vs cold input levels to achieve that temp (if possible).  This is great for when you have a small hot water tank (4 gallons) and the temperature slowly cools as you're showering.  Until the hot water isn't hot enough as it reaches the faucet, you get a fairly consistent temperature shower.  It also makes getting the shower started easier -- leave the faucet at the temp you want and run it until the hot water gets to you.

There was also some difficulty with the sink basin rising up from the plastic molded counter, allowing water to leak through.  I glued it back down with some adhesive caulk, which has held up for many months but has started to crack again.  I think the drain pipe may be contributing to the problem, so when I redo the drain plumbing to gain space under the kitchen counter I will fix the sink again.

Here's the video:

UPDATE: In the video you will notice me cumbersomely using a piece of wood to align a drill bit to make the hole larger for the faucet to fit.  As others have discovered, and I've also done since (when installing this faucet for others), the hole can be widened much easier using a step drill bit, such as the larger one in this set from Harbor Freight: 2-piece-titanium-nitride-coated-high-speed-steel-step-drills.  Drill down from the top until the copper threaded section fits through the plastic top layer, then drill up from the bottom to widen the remaining plywood so that it fits all the way through.

The correct assembly sequence (if you want to avoid watching me make every mistake possible int he video) is as follows:

1. Remove 10 screws from front (facing the sliding door) cubby door that are hiding behind black seal, score through caulk, remove door and cubby.  
2. Remove existing faucet hose connection and faucet, clean top of sink
3. Drill out the hole to fit threaded section for new faucet
4. Remove the extra pressure reducers from the end of the two supplied hoses
5. Starting from below, place two supplied hoses skinny end first through big copper nut, then up through hole.
6. Now working above, put two hoses through the large flat washer, then through threaded section, then firmly screw threads into base of faucet.
7. Screw the threaded section firmly into the base of the faucet, then place threads through washer and into place in the hole.
8. From below, thread the large nut over the threaded section and tighten well.  The faucet can be rotated back and forth to allow hand tightening the nut easier, as a wrench will likely not fit in the space well.
9. Attach the hoses to the supply lines.  The faucet hose coming down on the side of the temperature adjustment knob should be connected to the cold supply.  The original cold supply line extends past the bathroom sink to go to the toilet and rear sprayer, while the hot line terminates at bathroom sink.  Later Travato models will also use red and blue pex tubing.

Also, many people have chosen to install the faucet to the rear hole instead, leaving the front hole available for a soap dispenser.  Using a soap dispenser that includes a long hose to a bottle that can be set under the kitchen sink will avoid needing to access the space under the bathroom sink to refill.

Finally, on later Travato models, the 1/2" fittings from the hot and cold pex water supply lines are closer to the bathroom faucet, and the hoses that come with this faucet can be used in place of the original extension hoses, thus eliminating the need for 1/2" nipples.

New Kitchen Counter and Induction Burner

Crystal didn't like using the propane burner, and wanted a new counter.  We had experimented with an induction burner and found it very functional, but we wanted to build it into the counter to maximize counter space and reduce space to store the induction.  Also, I ended up switching to a very thin induction unit with more controls:

DUXTOP UltraThin Full Glass Top Portable Sensor Touch Induction Cooktop Countertop Burner

The new counter is acacia wood assembled somewhat like butcher block, which we purchased from an outfit local to us called Southeastern Salvage Home Emporium.  It's kind of a cross between Pier 1 and Big Lots.  I ended up using only about half of the board, so I can redo the table with the same wood later.

The process was supposed to be fairly straightforward:

1. Remove the old gas burners and cap off the gas feed line.
2. Remove the sink & faucet.
3. Pull up the original counter.  This was difficult as there was a lot of screws hidden in places.
4. Here's where I went slightly astray: I decided to get rid of the ugly covered offset in the backsplash, and ended up doing much more than originally planned:
1. Removed the plastic backsplash (both pieces)
2. Which necessitated removing the cabinet overhead
3. While I was at it I removed the metal shield (later models use glass) over the burners
4. Put copper sheeting on the bottom of the cabinet instead
5. Organized a fresh bit of plywood to serve as the base of a new backsplash, which bridged and smoothed out the previous gap.
6. Trimmed the counter to fit against the new backsplash
7. Cut openings for the sink and the new induction burner
8. Trimmed the counter down to about the same overhang on the front, but more on the left side to create extra counter space behind the screen door slider without need of a fold-up section.
9. Cut angles on the corners to make it easier to move around
10. Installed the sink and induction burner.  The induction burner rests on two wood bars I installed under it so that it's supported by it's original feet.  I drilled them down incrementally until the unit was flush with the counter.
11. Finished the counter top with clear shellac.
12. Installed copper tiles on the backsplash.
13. We also put some oak veneer over some side panels.

It turned into a several week project, and still has one unfinished part: I need to build a wood trim piece to sit against the screen door slide, to reinforce it.  But in the meantime Crystal really likes her new kitchen!

Here's the video:

Generator Oil Change

The Cummins Onan generator that's on the Travato needs a regular oil change.  The manual actually says first 20 hours, then every 150 hours.  But I'm playing it safe (as this is a critical piece of equipment for boondocking) and doing it every 100 hours.  There is a good written procedure on how to do this on the Travato Owners and Wannabees Facebook Group that I started with.  Basically, get these parts, drain the oil, put in 24 oz (only) of new oil, run for a bit and double check the dispstick.

Parts required:

• 1 Qt Oil.  Cummins recommends 15W-40, but a high quality 10W-30 should work fine.
• Seachoice 32 oz Gear Lube Oil Pump - this fits conveniently in the quart oil bottle
• Teflon Pipe Thead Tape - found in plumbing
• FloTool Heavy Duty Oil, Lube and Drain Pan, 7qt - or equivalent

Tools required:

• Socket wrench set, although all I used was 9/16"

Optional:

• Car ramps to get extra clearance underneath
• Wire brush to clean drain plug

Procedure:

• Remove drain plug, catching oil in pan, wait about 10 minutes for it to drain out
• Clean drain plug of any gunk or previous tape, then reinstall
• Insert oil pump into oil container, remove dipstick and insert oil tube in stick hole
• Pump 24 oz of oil into engine (stop when oil level is at 12 oz remaining)
• Reinsert dipstick and run generator under load for a few minutes
• Check oil level on dipstick.
• Cleanup and dispose of oil properly.

Video:

Resonator Install

The Cummins Onan generator is rather noisy, but adding a resonator (kinda like a muffler) makes it a little better.  It takes the edge off the percussive sound from the exhaust pipe.  This was a fairly easy modification which didn't take more than half an hour.  Basically, you cut off the last bit of straight pipe after the bend, and attach the resonator in it's place.  In my case, I needed a new strap hanger as well.

Parts I used:

• Cummins Onan Resonator 
• Walker Exhaust 35325 1 1/2" Hardware-Clamp
• Walker (35413) 2-1/4" Standard Duty U-Bolt Exhaust Clamp 
• Nickson Exhaust Pipe and Adapter 17165
• Permatex 80335 Muffler and Tailpipe Sealer, 3 oz. 

Tools I used:

• Husky Auto Release 2 in Tube Cutter (could substitute a hacksaw)
• Crescent Wrench (conventional adjustable wrench)
• Socket Set

Video of the process:

Places

Places we want to visit!

• Elgin State Park (near Chicago Illinois)
• Orange Beach (Alabama)
• Gulf Shores (Alabama)
• Alabama Ghost Towns

Places we have visited (and want to visit again)!

• Brown County State Park (near Nashville Indiana)
• Story Inn (Story Indiana)

Black Valve Handle Fiasco

Honey, I broke the van!

While travelling up to Iowa to visit with other Travato's and join the Winnebago "B" Factory tour, I dumped our tanks along the way.  But I had a surprising thing happen to me -- the black handle pulled out a little farther than it normally does.  Actually a lot further.  I was able to stuff it back in the hole after it finished dumping and it pushed closed, but it then didn't open up again.  Oops.

Bago parts to the rescue!

On our way out of Forest City, we stopped off at the Winnbagoparts.com facility near 9 and picked up a replacement valve.  I realized while travelling back south that it should just bolt in, making it unnecessary to break the glued piping joints and reconnect.  But, there was of course the problem of the stuff in the tank.

Macerator Must-have

One of the other Travatoans that I hung out with in Iowa pointed out how easy it was for him to use a macerator pump to dump at home - through a hose into the toilet.  So I grabbed one at Camping World, so I could go ahead and empty the tank and affect the repair, while parked in a convenient driveway with a hardware store down the street.

Opening the valve

Of course the big problem was how to open the valve on the existing one prior to unbolting it to reduce the messiness of this operation.  I came across a solution in the form of a 1/4-20 x 5 inch long threaded bolt of the same diameter as the metal rod actuator, and was able to screw it into the worn plastic hole and pull the valve.

Dumps away

The macerator worked well to deal with the contents of the tank, which were transferred safely to septic system in the back yard.  I then was able to complete the repair with only a minor smelly mess, which was of course caught completely on video.

Video evidence

Warning: This installation video includes leakage of contaminated water.  Viewer discretion advised.
Note: I own the driveway I'm doing this on, so it's really not a serious problem.

Under Bed Hanging Storage

A place to put your pretty dresses

Crystal's dresses don't fit in the hanging cabinet right of the fridge (not tall enough) so we came up with a way to store them under the bed.

Items used:

• Walmart: Better Homes and Gardens Suit and Dress Garment Bag
• Home Depot: 2-5/8 in. Bore Hole Cover
• PVC Pipe (about 3/4 ID, or about 1 OD) - exact size is not critical
• Self tapping screws
• Luan (thin plywood) cut into strips

Installation:

Overhead storage screws damage prevention

Get protection from screws!

The overhead (over cab) storage has some screws sticking slightly up from the metal support bar.  There are plastic nuts holding the storage tray down, but if the screws stick up through the plastic bolts the threads can catch on things as you try to remove them from storage and cause tears.

Simple fix is to put a couple of washers under the nut to space it up and cover enough of the screw.