New Circuit, Bathroom Handle, and Canvas cover (and fantastic fan)

Trailpixie

I've been making lots of little mods and tweaks. I've bought stuff and outfitted my camper.

Shower Handle
I installed a nice stainless steel marine handle in the bathroom. The space is so small that it can be hard to stand. I opened up the wall behind the shower spigot and was disappointed to find that there really wasn't anything sturdy enough to afix a handle to. The "stud" there seems to be a 1"x 3" piece, and that wouldn't  be enough to bolt into. I tried to "sister-up" a piece of 1" plywood, but wasn't happy with how well I was able to get it to attach with the toenail (screw) I was able to get into the stud. 

I was planning on removing the television, so after seeing someone else's project on these forums I took out the arm and plastic inset and discovered the situation was a bit better with wood backing designed to hold the television. Although my solar cables and other wiring was back there, I was able to add a 5" x 8" piece of plywood to the inside of the wall and screw through the reinforced wall in that spot and into the plywood to distribute the load over a wider area. I screwed pilot holes in from the bathroom side filled them with silicone caulk and then fastened the handle with 2" stainless-steel screws. I was disappointed that the plywood reinforcement piece didn't pull back into the wall more tightly. I think I needed a large pilot hole, but there are tradeoffs that I was making and I'm not sure I would change the pilot hole size if I did it again. 

[I THOUGHT I HAD A PIC. I'LL POST ONE TOMORROW]

New Circuit
I just finished adding a new circuit. I haven't actually added anything to it, but it's added. That probably sounds pathetic, but running a circuit from the battery was a big project for me, and I'm pretty happy about it. I used big wire, 6ga. That should allow 40 amp circuit if I wanted. I can't imagine ever using that much, but I was future-proofing myself if I ever felt a need for a large inverter. I plan to run a small 300 watt inverter plugged into power ports(cig lighter plugs) that I am installing in the space left by the television removal (see above). 

With any new project, I learned a lot and bought tools that I will probably only use once. I wanted to have the heavy-duty wire so that meant I needed a heavy duty crimper to attach the lug terminal rings that connect to the battery. I would also need a special inline fuse that could handle such a large cable. Actually, there aren't standalone inline fuse holders, so I bought an inline 40 amp circuit breaker people use for stereo amplifiers. That can double as a cutoff switch. 

I had my first experience opening up the plastic covering underneath the camper. It's nice that it's there. It's held on in a really weird way. I wonder if I can get more of the aluminum flanges that are used to hold it on? They are already looking rough. I got the wire fed through a hole that the dealer made for my solar panel cables. I threaded it along the frame and up through a gap to the battery box. In one gap the metal was sharp and already seemed to scratch the sheath a bit. I was reminded why I needed to use plastic protective conduit. 

After all the lug terminals, conduit,  and circuit breaker were installed, I needed to worry about the other end. There I attached a small 6-gang fuse block. I attached it on top of two small wood risers so that it wouldn't interfere with airflow or existing wires. 

Next step is to run the wires and install the power ports in place of the television. I will also put a small shelf there to set the my ipad and phone and other stuff while they are being charged. 




Canvas Cover
This one is simpler. As most people do, we store our bedding behind the back of the couch. We didn't want our stuff falling down into the compartment below, so we had a piece of canvas made that covered that area. Velcro was affixed to easily attach and remove the velcro so we would still have access.





(Fantastic Fan)
I tried to do the PWM fan control module upgrade. I broke it. I bought the upgraded version and installed it. I don't want to talk about it any more. 


Other Little Stuff I've Bought or Installed

• Dealer installed 200 watts solar
• Dealer installed second AGM battery
• First aid kit with serious wound care stuff.
• Tiny medicine chest with everyday things like ibuprofin, antacid and bandaids stored in zipper box.
• acrylic mirror on a string hanger to use indoors our out.
• hooks glued over shower door.
• key hooks over outside door.
• Peace sign sticker
• Removed most of the manufacturer stickers, but ironically, the Azdel sticker is the one that won't come off. I'm afraid to use goof off on it.

DigitalSorceress

I love the canvas.. I have a bit of bedding stuff that I cram behind the couch back when it's up. I just let it kind of sink into the storage.. this is a neat idea... totally going to steal it.

As for fan club, the first rule of Fan Club is we don't want to talk about Fan Club.. 

Interesting electrical stuff. So far I have avoided doing anything where I drill holes in my T@B  Out of curiosity where exactly did you run that wire in?

You said """I got the wire fed through a hole that the dealer made for my solar panel cables"""  but since I have no factory solar I don't have any wires to follow.. am really curious as I am guessing that's a place I'd want to follow if I were going to roll my own too

Trailpixie

DigitalSorceress said:

...

Interesting electrical stuff. So far I have avoided doing anything where I drill holes in my T@B  Out of curiosity where exactly did you run that wire in?

You said """I got the wire fed through a hole that the dealer made for my solar panel cables"""  but since I have no factory solar I don't have any wires to follow.. am really curious as I am guessing that's a place I'd want to follow if I were going to roll my own too

If you look at the yellow circle around the fuse block and follow the line that a 5:00 arrow would point, you can see where the black and red wire go through the floor. Along with them are two thick black wires for the solar panels.

That's the hole.

 I will squeeze some silicone caulk in there when I finally finish the project. 

DigitalSorceress

@Trailpixie THANKS!

VictoriaP

@Trailpixie Looking forward to the handle pics, I really want to install one in the bath area myself.

Trailpixie

I forgot. I also installed the RVLock remote control/number-pad lock. 

jkjenn

I like the canvas behind the bench, thanks for sharing!

Trailpixie

Here are some pics of the bathroom handle.

ChanW

Thanks for the details TrailP.

The handle is the one I have, I've been meaning to mount, but found no backing... So you've done my research for me!

Dalehelman

Here is another possible location 

ginsbuj

Looks like a great idea. Any wires to be aware of behind the wall?

Trailpixie

ginsbuj said:

Looks like a great idea. Any wires to be aware of behind the wall?

Yes, there are wires back there. TV power and the thermostat are two I know of.

Trailpixie

I upgraded my television. 



This will have a fold-down shelf where chargeables will be able to sit. I'm also going to mount my small 300 watt inverter on the left side with 3M Dual Lock Fastener (super-Velcro).

It's already a dramatic improvement on the TV...at least I think so.

Dalehelman

Dalehelman said:

Here is another possible location 

Solid wood framing in this area. I used 1” stainless wood screws. With predrilled pilot holes.

Trailpixie

The television upgrade has continued. Now I have a fold-down shelf where devices can sit while charging. I also mounted my small 300 watt inverter with 3m dual lock fastener. I am not sure if it will hold up to bumpy roads, but we'll see. If it falls off, I'll just stick in a cabinet while I drive and then mount it there when we are camped.