New GTRV Owner: Smog, Solar, Insurance Agent, Specs

[boywonder]

....the drive cycle in my prior post was a made-up example.....

My buddy has been struggling to get his mother's Hyundai to pass smog...the drive cycle is really tough in So Cal unless you are willing to get up at 3:00am. The Hyundai drive cycle is ridiculous...

As already mentioned, if you have a microwave and it works only on shore power, it's unlikely that you have an inverter. You may have a charger/converter that charges the house batteries when plugged into shore power. Inverters are available with chargers built in or without.

[BroncoHauler]

Originally Posted by MilkAndRelish

For solar, I have the T-Top so I'm guessing this isn't as much of a concern for sunlight...

So the GTRV T-top is a full vertical lift, instead of an angled lift? Learn something new everyday. I thought GTRV only did the angled lift top.


Herb

[arctictraveller]

Originally Posted by BroncoHauler

So the GTRV T-top is a full vertical lift, instead of an angled lift? Learn something new everyday. I thought GTRV only did the angled lift top.Herb

Custom Plans & Special Needs

[BeastGTRV]

Yep they do the "T top" as well as the "V top", But the T is definitely rarer.

Sorry about my post above, I meant to say 3M Automotive trim adhesive for keeping your top seal in place.

Your pic doesn't show up for me for some reason.

[arctictraveller]

[QUOTE=BeastGTRV;213275]Yep they do the "T top" as well as the "V top", But the T is definitely rarer. QUOTE]

That may be due to the fact that GTRV puts the bed / seat all the way back. Therefore, all that extra height is wasted unless you want to stand on the bed, or have extra long feet and sleep on the upper platform.

[MilkAndRelish]

Originally Posted by arctictraveller

[QUOTE The Microwave: I was under the impression that it was on a different circuit (or something similar - I have no knowledge of electrical wiring) and that it would need to be rewired to be on the battery's circuit, not the shore power circuit. Is this not the case?

I'm going to join the GTRV Westy group on Yahoo now. I hope I can find someone who has a wiring and or plumbing diagram of the Westy!

For MPG, yes great call on drafting, driving smoothly, and making sure tires have appropriate fills.

The microwave requires 110Vac input, either from shore power or an inverter. Use of the microwave will be limited to short periods when using the inverter / batteries due to the very high current draw, which will quickly drain the batteries unless you upgrade to more / bigger ones. That's why they are often times only wired to work on shore power.

As for drafting, that's a sure way to piss off the vehicle in front of you, it's also called tailgaiting. Big trucks can't see you when your tailgating, and you can't see the road ahead. Should there be a need to stop quickly, you may not be able to avoid rear-ending the one in front.

The attached wiring diagram may or may not be exactly the same as your van, depending on what accessories you have. My van's plumbing could not be any more simple. The sink drains to a grey water tank, and the fresh water tank has a pump, with a plastic pipe that goes to the sink, that's it for mine. ................Cheers[/QUOTE]

Thank you! This is really helpful. I’ll check on the GTRV group when I’m back from this work trip if there are any addition diagrams.

I may just be missing it, but there’s no microwave in this diagram. Does yours not have one or is t just omitted here because it runs on 110v power?

Do you have a fan with AC/heat on your rear door? It seems like a great feature but the cold doesn’t seem to work too well and the fan stops spinning when I select heat.

[MilkAndRelish]

[QUOTE=arctictraveller;213282]

Originally Posted by BeastGTRV

Yep they do the "T top" as well as the "V top", But the T is definitely rarer. QUOTE]

That may be due to the fact that GTRV puts the bed / seat all the way back. Therefore, all that extra height is wasted unless you want to stand on the bed, or have extra long feet and sleep on the upper platform.

The T top is nice in that it gives you the flexibility to sleep facing the rear screen window. Obviously he standing room in the kitchen area is great (but you get that with the V as well)

[arctictraveller]

[QUOTE=MilkAndRelish;I may just be missing it, but there’s no microwave in this diagram. Does yours not have one or is t just omitted here because it runs on 110v power?

Do you have a fan with AC/heat on your rear door? It seems like a great feature but the cold doesn’t seem to work too well and the fan stops spinning when I select heat.[/QUOTE]


Mine came with a microwave, which I promptly removed. It had never been used since new in 2001. It was factory instaled, but I don't know why it was omitted from the diagram, but yes, probably because it's 110VAC

The A/C unit I installed came from Lowe's and was the smallest, least expensive one they offer with no option of heat. It's 5K BTU's and seems to cool the interior pretty well. Yours sounds completely different, you might find a manual for it online somewhere. Replacing it should be simple if it turns out to be defective.

[Zappo]

Originally Posted by MilkAndRelish

The microwave requires 110Vac input, either from shore power or an inverter. Use of the microwave will be limited to short periods when using the inverter / batteries due to the very high current draw, which will quickly drain the batteries unless you upgrade to more / bigger ones. That's why they are often times only wired to work on shore power.

As for drafting, that's a sure way to piss off the vehicle in front of you, it's also called tailgaiting. Big trucks can't see you when your tailgating, and you can't see the road ahead. Should there be a need to stop quickly, you may not be able to avoid rear-ending the one in front.

The attached wiring diagram may or may not be exactly the same as your van, depending on what accessories you have. My van's plumbing could not be any more simple. The sink drains to a grey water tank, and the fresh water tank has a pump, with a plastic pipe that goes to the sink, that's it for mine. ................Cheers

Thank you! This is really helpful. I’ll check on the GTRV group when I’m back from this work trip if there are any addition diagrams.

I may just be missing it, but there’s no microwave in this diagram. Does yours not have one or is t just omitted here because it runs on 110v power?

Do you have a fan with AC/heat on your rear door? It seems like a great feature but the cold doesn’t seem to work too well and the fan stops spinning when I select heat.[/QUOTE]

Who said anyone is tailgating & what length behind are you envisioning? It’s not like bycicle racing where your almost smellin someone’s but 3’ in front of you,Truck drivers are always waggin the tail to see if cops are sneaking up on them and have “truck mirrors” that see vehicles several hundred feet back without issues and it’s still very effective as they displace so much air ,seems the only one pissed off is you and if your nervous or don’t have confidence in your reaction times/driving skills you shouldn’t categorize e-one else in your world...

[MilkAndRelish]

Originally Posted by arctictraveller

Mine came with a microwave, which I promptly removed. It had never been used since new in 2001. It was factory instaled, but I don't know why it was omitted from the diagram, but yes, probably because it's 110VAC

The A/C unit I installed came from Lowe's and was the smallest, least expensive one they offer with no option of heat. It's 5K BTU's and seems to cool the interior pretty well. Yours sounds completely different, you might find a manual for it online somewhere. Replacing it should be simple if it turns out to be defective.

Honestly I wouldn’t mind removing mine either. What did you put in it’s place? I would like more storage but I wouldn’t want to have to fabricate anything to put in its place.