RV Power Grid Monitor

Here's another addition I added to my bus conversion.  I wanted to be able to monitor my RV power grid from the drivers seat and anywhere in the bus. So the wheels got to turning again.

RV Power Grid Monitor.

This is a very simple and inexpensive project. However it can save considerable hardship and foresee problems. Total cost for this was less that $40.00.

On my setup, the top meter monitors the house battery. The second meter from the top monitors the chassis battery.  The third and fourth meters from the top monitor each leg of the AC circuits. I can see this while I am driving and from most anywhere in the bus.

Rational:

In the DC circuit:

• I can watch the to DC monitors and tell how my battery levels are at any given time.
• I can also tell if my battery isolator is operating properly.
• I can see the need to shut something down if the low voltage alarm or cut off should fail.

In the AC circuit:

I used two AC meters so I can tell if I am on a 240 volt line or a 120 volt line tied to both legs of my 240 volt wiring. This is good to know if you have two air conditioners in your unit and want to run them both. If both numbers always remain the same no mater what you turn on, you are most likely sharing the same 120 volt line. When you turn on a heater, AC, water heater or any electric appliance with considerable current drain, one line should be slightly lower than the other. It may only be a volt or two but it should be different.

If you have 30 amp service you should only need one AC meter.

As usual there is much more to come. You can view the complete build process at Instructables.com. You can follow my entire school bus conversion and my travels at leonardsteward.com.

Thanks for looking,

Leonard

Idle Hour Lake

Well, here I am in Altamont, KS at Idle Hour Lake North.  It's a nice quiet small campground.  There's a north campground and a south campground.  I'm in the north campground where you can get a nice view of the lake.  The south campground doesn't have a good view of the lake but is wooded with shaded campsites.  There are full hookups with 20/30/50 amp service.  There is tent camping and also group camping areas.  

There are available bathrooms and showers.  There are laundry facilities on site with an iron and ironing board.  There is also WiFi available.  

 I'll try my hand at seasonal work at Amazon while I'm here.  They pay your campground fees and utilities.  Free rent, and get paid too.  Who would'a thunk it?

There are three lakes.
This is the main lake.

Laundry room and take a book - leave a book library.

From across the lake.

Frisby Golf course.

Lake residents.

Kansas wildlife.

If all goes according to plan I'll be here until just before Christmas.  I'll post events as I visit neighboring towns of Coffeyville, Parsons, Joplin, Tulsa and others.  So far I've found out that Coffeyville, Kansas is The Town That Stopped the Dalton Gang.  Who knows what else I'll find out.  With Halloween fast approaching there are several Haunted Places Near Altamont, KS to check out.

You can keep up by using the FOLLOW BY EMAIL box at the top of this page.

Leonard

On The Road Again!

On The Road Again!

Well, I'm on the road again.  I usually start off each road trip with a little ritual.  I have a play list that I play while driving away.  They consist of, in this order:

Willie Nelson: On The Road Again.

Rodger Williams: King Of The Road.

The Commodores: Zoom.

Once I run through that ritual I'm GOOD TO GO!  I then set my Sirius XM radio to some good road music that I don't have to worry about fading out in the middle of a favorite song.  And I am "On The Road Again!"

I've camped for two days at Defeated Creek Campground in Carthage, TN.   Where will I end up next?  Won't know until I get there.  Be sure to check back to see where I've landed.

You can keep up by using the FOLLOW BY EMAIL box at the top of this page.

Leonard

Defeated Creek Campground

Defeated Creek Campground

Beautiful campground.  Run by the Corp of Engineers.  It's located at 140 Marina Lane Carthage,  TN  37030.

Names given to places generally have some kind of meaning.  So the name, "Defeated Creek" made me wonder how a creek could become defeated.  Had it been overrun by rabid frogs?  Had a mob of beavers dammed it upstream and dared humans to remove their handy work?  Well, here's the story of how Defeated Creek got its name.


I stayed two days here.  I stayed in two different sites.  Because I had intended to only stay one day when I went to pay for an additional day, someone else had already reserved the site I was in.  No problem.

Campsite visitor.

Cabins for rent.

Houseboat in dry dock.

Need a life jacket?

EASY, like a Sunday morning!

Clean bathrooms.

Clean bathrooms.

Clean bathrooms.

Clean bathrooms.

Early morning campfire and coffee.

Life can be as good as you make it.  Enjoy everyday you're alive, otherwise what's the point?

Where to next?  Won't know until I get there.  Be sure to check back to see where I've landed.

You can keep up by using the FOLLOW BY EMAIL box at the top of this page.

Leonard

Flash Back

In 2009 I worked at the Low-Hi RV Ranch in Deming, NM as maintenance personnel.  They make donations to an orphanage in Palomas, Mexico who gets no government support.  Each year they take small gifts down to the children at Christmas.  That particular year they had no Santa Claus so guess who was elected!

See the two little guys at the front of the group?
The smallest guy looked at me.
Looked at his buddy.
Looked at me again.
Then turned to his buddy in the orange and said, "Santa Negro?"

Yup, that's me in the Santa suit!
Santa rolls in a PT Cruiser!

I even had an Elf with me.

Very small orphanage.

We gave them small gifts like sneakers (not Air Jordans), pencils, notebooks
clothes and the likes.  They were so appreciative to receive little things.

In the background is Barbra, the then president of Loners On Wheels.