Best Of
Re: Where's my glycol leak coming from
A common area of glycol loss is the auto air bleeder, but that has a hose that would move the glycol to a tube under the TaB. Unless you sprung a leak in the rear glycol hose, I can’t imagine an Alde leak that doesn’t’t reveal itself under the bench.
Re: Battery Trials and Tribulations
As LiFePo4 batteries continue to be adopted it will only be easier to make the switch, even for those that don't rely as heavily on battery power. The addition of built-in bluetooth monitoring is also a nice feature and will allow for installs without shunts and this should also make the batteries even more accessible.
As with any newer technology, there are always those that spread inaccurate information and scare away some from exploring it. There are so many good resources, like Will Prowse, and other RV and Van installers, that have made it even easier to make the "jump" to LiFePo4.
My experience with LiFePo4 batteries with our Tabs have been nothing but positive and have fit our style of camping perfectly. Even with advances in the technology, we have a setup that should serve us for many, many years!
As with any newer technology, there are always those that spread inaccurate information and scare away some from exploring it. There are so many good resources, like Will Prowse, and other RV and Van installers, that have made it even easier to make the "jump" to LiFePo4.
My experience with LiFePo4 batteries with our Tabs have been nothing but positive and have fit our style of camping perfectly. Even with advances in the technology, we have a setup that should serve us for many, many years!
Re: Battery Trials and Tribulations
@californication Maybe not "obsolete"...but the way the prices are going down, there may be a little "buyer's remorse". I bought a 50 amp hour "Redodo" battery in Oct '23 for about 150 dollars. (Well reviewed by Will Prowse).
Today, I can purchase a 100 amp hour lithium, a "WattCycle" for about...150 dollars. (Well reviewed by Will Prowse!)
My bare bones LiTime 100 amp hour lithium from September '21 cost 400 dollars. The changes in features and prices in the lithium battery space has been rather amazing to watch.
Re: Additional Solar Capacity
Another option - I didn't want *ANY* (more) holes in my roof. I ran the cables from my two 200W panels up under the trim piece and down forward to the bottom. It is hollow all the way down. There is an opening at the end and the cables can be run into the underbelly and up through the floor.pthomas745 said:And: can you explain how you wired "through the roof?" I think this is always the hardest issue for owners who want to do something like this.
Re: Victron MultiPlus 12-3000 under performing in 2024 Tab 400 Black Canyon
The Alde on the 1KW setting uses 7.9 amps, on 2kw uses 15.8 amps. So, on the 2KW setting that would be about 1700 watts if my math is even close. (15.8 amps x 110V). That is a really large surge, and the reason the Multiplus is not dealing with it. Owners have reported this same sort of behavior with the new fangled hair dryers: even a small "travel dryer" these days asks for 1800 watts.
Want faster heating on the Alde while boondocking? The propane setting provides more BTU, and usually "faster" heating.
And, welcome to the Forums!
Re: Beware the (voltage) drop
manyman297 said:…. We have a 12v cooler we power using the 7-pin connection on the camper. You wouldn’t think there would be much voltage drop from the batteries under the bed to the front of the camper but I was getting a 2v drop in that short span...
That’s a too-dang-high voltage drop for the situation.
Guessing that the cooler draws 5 amps gives the wire a connector resistance as 2V/5A or 0.4 ohms. Estimating 25’ of wire (12-ish there and back again) gives the per-foot resistance at 0.4/25 -> 16 milli-ohms per foot. That would match 22 gauge wire, which is pretty thin. 16 gauge copper zipcord is only about 4 milli-ohms per foot and ought to be good. Ideally it would have a ½ volt drop here.
Perhaps a connector is too loose or tarnished?
Re: Where do you store the spare tire?
Are you talking about the older T@B's that had the spare under the back end of the trailer or the newer one's with it under the tongue?Aviatrix said:The dealership installed mine on the tongue for about $200 + tax. They said the under-vehicle tire mount can't be removed, though.
edit to add that if you're talking about the 2020 era mount that was under the back, it was easily removable. I removed mine and used it as part of a roof rack tire mount.
Re: Where do you store the spare tire?
The spare tire on my '23 Tab 400 fits nicely under the tongue. 25,000+ miles on this Tab and 20,000+ on our previous '21 Tab 320, which also had the spare mounted under the tongue and never had an issue with where it is installed.
Re: Additional Solar Capacity
The real world is great for me, thanks.CatDaddy said:I can provide SPICE simulations that refute your "facts" if you're interested. Otherwise, you do you.I won’t debate the objective facts either. FACT: Shading definitely affects panels wired in series more than if wired in parallel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofo1HQyGG8s&t=43s
Re: Beware the (voltage) drop
I have an Alpicool 20 QT 12v portable fridge, and even connected to a lithium battery on a very short cable it can stop working when it senses a "voltage" drop of almost any kind. The Alpicool has "adjustable" sensitivity settings for this sort of thing, and it helps, but I would guess the fridge itself is simply not designed well to handle this sort of thing.