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07-19-2013, 02:17 PM
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#21
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Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Magnolia Texas
Posts: 15
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Re: Don's Sportsmobile build
Made a 5500 round trip to Canada last month, the Sportsmobile performed really well, this was our "shakedown" trip as we had not stayed the night in it before. Being the first trip with really what I would consider heavy use, we only had on issue when the Danhard A/C shut down and appeared dead. With a little troubleshooting, I found the 12v supply wire on the line side of the 12v breaker very loose on the post, in fact, the nut that holds the ring terminal tight was just on the end of the post, after tightening and resetting the breaker, no more troubles. We had initial evening temperatures in the upper 90's when first starting out, it would take the A/C a while to cool things down, but would do okay after a while. Closing the curtain between the drivers area and the remainder of the van, and the addition of a Cool Breeze fan, sleeping temperatures was okay.
The remainder of the equipment (Espar, electric water heater, refer, micro, etc) all performed with no issues. Plenty of hot water for showers, which was a concern since all of my other RV's had propane. We camped in campgrounds that had full hookups, as well as national parks with no hookups, the battery inverter system was great.
All in all, very happy with the van, great for around town as well as a 15 day trip, camping in the van the whole time. We averaged 18 mpg for the trip, with a lot of the driving 75-80 mph on the interstates.
Here's a photo of us just outside Glacier National Park, if you notice there is another Mercedes RV, our Sprinters big brother!
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07-20-2013, 02:27 AM
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#22
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Central Coast, CA
Posts: 196
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Re: Don's Sportsmobile build
Don,
Great to hear that your "shakedown cruise" went so well.
You have a great looking rig as shown in the photo but then the whole shot just looks fantastic!
Enjoy many more miles of smiles and travels.
Chumley
__________________
Charlie is the best antidote for a tough week at work. I get to see a different side of this great country and relax in different places on every trip. My vacation home is parked where money can't buy residence. Life is a long journey and my magic carpet is named Charlie.
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07-20-2013, 01:40 PM
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#23
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SoCal
Posts: 598
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Re: Don's Sportsmobile build
That picture looks incredible. Almost like a painting. So happy for you.
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09-03-2013, 04:12 AM
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#24
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: North Georgia
Posts: 212
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Re: Don's Sportsmobile build
Hi Don,
I wanted to check in with you on how your Danhard runs with the EU2000i? I know there are tons of posts out there about generators in other vans but we both have similar van setups so wanted to see how your setup works. From what I have heard, you have to have the generator and inverter turned on when starting the Danhard so the inverter can handle the spike in power.
BTW love your pics!
tv
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09-08-2013, 08:18 PM
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#25
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Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Magnolia Texas
Posts: 15
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Re: Don's Sportsmobile build
Hi Tony,
What I found was that the inverter will start the Danhard A/C, either alone or with the Honda 2000i running, but that the Honda will not start the A/C compressor without the inverter being on as it goes into "overload" when the A/C attempts to start. With the inverter on and the Honda running, the batteries will also charge, so that any boost required from the batteries during the brief start up period from the compressor is quickly charged back.
During our return trip from Canada we traveled too late one evening and was not able to find a campground to overnight in, so we parked at a Flying J. It was a warm night (lower 90's at 9pm) and we needed the A/C. I filled the Honda's tank, started it, and placed it in ECO mode and turned the inverter on. When I turned on the A/C, the A/C compressor cycled on, it started on the inverter, the Honda reved up after a few seconds and then stayed running at a higher speed, and then would return to idle when the compressor cycled off. We arose early the next morning, around 6am, to my surprise the Honda genset was still running without a refuel during that time and the Danhard A/C worked great throughout the night. One thing I did have to do was to turn the power off to the microwave, as each time the compressor cycled, it would cause a dip/surge in power enough for the microwave to make a "beep", just like it does when initially powered up, which would wake us up. I turned off the microwave power at the breaker panel to solve that issue.
I have run the A/C on the inverter alone, for up to an hour without the van running, and it worked okay as long as ambient temps are less than about 95F, once the ambient temps exceed that amount the compressor will start and run for 10 minutes or so, and then the DC amp requirement from the batteries will start climbing from around 120 amps up to 260 or so, then the inverter overloads and trips off. I'm guessing the high temps and the condenser being mounted under the van that the high pressure side gets too high and causes the compressor to begin to stall? I have the high idle kit, and this issue will occur even with the engine running and idled up to approximately 1200 rpm, any higher engine speed does not translate into higher DC voltage at the batteries or DC input to the inverter.
When we were in temperatures above 95F when connected to shore power, this issue does not occur, I've not tried running with both the inverter and Honda running under the same conditions to see what effect that may have, but I'm guessing this would be much like operating on shore power and it would be okay? I'm not sure what may be happening since it only happens when powered solely by the inverter, and in high ambient temperatures.
Hope this information helps answer your questions,
We are loving our Sportsmobile!
Don
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09-09-2013, 05:33 AM
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#26
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: North Georgia
Posts: 212
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Re: Don's Sportsmobile build
Thanks Don for the great write-up. Looks like a Honda 2000i will be in my future. I wanted to make sure that the combination of the inverter+ 2000i would keep the Danhard running without having to have the companion generator.
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10-24-2013, 11:33 AM
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#27
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Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 8
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Re: Don's Sportsmobile build
Hi Don,
Can you tell me what color your Sprinter RB is... my wife & I are picking a color now as we need to order soon.
Thanks, jim
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01-01-2014, 04:50 PM
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#28
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Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Magnolia Texas
Posts: 15
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Re: Don's Sportsmobile build
Jim,
The color for this 2013 model is Stone Gray, and was a $600 adder when ordered.
Happy New years to all!
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01-02-2014, 08:26 PM
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#29
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Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Salt Lake City
Posts: 52
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Re: Don's Sportsmobile build
We got the Pebble Gray, which is amost a tan w/ gray highlights- very nice, and no $600 add-on!
John
'14 Sprinter 170
unconverted as yet
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01-03-2014, 02:03 PM
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#30
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Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 29
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Re: Don's Sportsmobile build
How well does the Danhard A/C work for you guys? I like the fact that having it gives a lower clearance than a normal roof mounted A/C, but I wonder how well it will work in the Texas heat come June-August.
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