Taking The Confusion Out Of The Comments, Finishing The Barrel, Great Meals and Cool Campfire.

Our Location today is La Posa South L.T.V.A., Quartzsite, Arizona, U.S.A.

There is just something about waking up at 6:30 MST when it’s still dark outside that I don’t appreciate since I’m retired. I managed to get all the Window Shades raised and things ready for breakfast but I couldn’t go on my Computer. The reason for that was because I got caught up on my evening reading before going to bed last night and I ran my Battery Low. Since Kathy was still rightfully sleeping she was using her CPAP Machine which is powered by our Smaller Inverter. I avoid using both Inverters at the same time so as not to drain the Trailer Batteries. 

Shortly after dawn the Sun trying to appear.

When I thought the Sun should be rising I took a picture that only showed cloud covered skies. We would not be seeing the Sun today. Kathy was up shortly after 8:00 so even before I started boiling the water for our morning Coffees I switched “Off” the Smaller Inverter and turned “On” the Main Inverter which meant that our electronics were all charging.

When I finally got On-Line after breakfast I noticed a sense of confusion in some of the Comments to our Blog posts that we received in the last couple of days so I’ll try to set things straight.

When an RV is plugged in at a Park most have their Converters turned “On” and are charging their batteries off the Pole. When you are “Off the Grid” like we are and you turn on the Inverter to put Power throughout the RV the Converter should be turned “Off”. As explained yesterday if it is “On” it will draw Power from the Inverter because it thinks the Power is coming from a Pole so it depletes the Batteries while trying to charge them. The only reason that I used both the other day was to prove the theory that the Converter has to be on for some of the 12 Volt to work, to be Incorrect. I needed to run Power through the Converter and didn’t have a Power Pole.

The reason we have Two Inverters is the Smaller one we have has been used for our CPAP Machines for years. It’s not fun waking up “Gasping for Air” while plug in at a Park that loses Power repeatedly through the night. This Inverter is wired to Two Designated Outlets attached to our Bed. The Main Inverter when turned on, Powers the entire RV inside and out. As good as this Inverter is, it needs more Power to operate and on Cloudy Days like today if left on overnight can drain the Batteries to the point that it shuts down. Using this Inverter to sleep with has again awaken us up a few times “Gasping for Air”.

The Main Inverter was wired to feed both Positive Feed Lines into the Trailer and is connected through the Automatic Switching Device as it is not being used for an On-Board Generator. The reason I installed a secondary Breaker Box from the Main Inverter is an added Safety against Power from a Pole back-feeding and damaging our Inverter.

We do have a Honda 3,000IE portable Generator as a Backup when we are “Off the Grid” that we simply plug our Main Power Cord into via an adaptor. Being that last year was our first time Boondocking in the desert we made a few mistakes that made it necessary to use the Generator a half-dozen times. 

Wayne walked over for a visit.

As for the other Electrical Problems we are having it is in Factory Installed 12 Volt Wiring. It’s more frustrating finding the problem, which sometimes you can’t, then to simply run a new wire which is what I intend to do. 

Even with the cooler temperatures this morning I was outside by 10:30 but didn’t get much accomplished because our neighbour Wayne came over to talk. He even had his morning Coffee with him. He was picking my brain about a number of things. When Kathy called me for lunch at 1:00 he headed back home. 

Penne with Meat Sauce,
Cheddar Cheese with one and a half Dinner Rolls
and a German Chocolate Brownie.

After enjoying the last of the Penne dish for lunch that Kathy had made the other day and a few other things as sides she needed my help. With the Arthritis in Kathy’s hands it’s difficult for her to clean up the Celery Roots. Since it is hard to find in stores and we both enjoy eating them as a side or a snack I’m more then happy to help out. They needed to be cleaned, pealed and sliced then Kathy got to work her magic.

I went back outside to finish modifying the Waste Barrel. After getting the enlarged hole perfectly shaped it was now time to glue the Flange on with J-B Weld Epoxy. This was my first time using it so I wore Disposable Vinyl Gloves. That worked great for the mixing and application but after the Flange was mounted to the Barrel I couldn’t hold the bolts with the Gloves on. Wanting to get it finished I removed the Gloves only to find the Epoxy was still soft inside the Barrel and quickly stuck to my hands. I also found out the Bolts weren’t long enough but found replacements in my Hardware Organizers. 

For Ten Minutes this is the closest we got to seeing the Sun today.

With the Epoxy on my hands anything I touched seemed to stick. When I had to file the previously used Tube the Black Plastic Filings attached themselves to my hands. Now after the Epoxy cures for Twenty-Four Hours we’ll make certain there are no leaks. Kathy just hopes my hands will be clean for Christmas Day because we‘ll be going out for lunch. 

Guaranteed not to come apart. 7 Bolts and Epoxy.

After getting cleaned up while Kathy was busy cooking the Celery Root on the stove, I was busy grilling a couple of Pork Chops. It all tasted so good. 

We decided to have another Campfire tonight and hoped to see the Sun while it set. It stayed behind the clouds the entire day and only after it was totally dark did the clouds clear out. With the clouds gone the temperature really dropped but the entire sky was filled with Stars. 

The Camera brightened the sky.
The Clouds just suddenly broke.

Even though it was a cloudy day our Solar Panels were still charging our Batteries. They weren’t totally charged but enough to see us through the night, besides tomorrow will be a Clear Sunny Day and totally charge them. 

When I turned on my Computer tonight it started an Update that delayed my writing the Blog by almost Two Hours. Thanks for following along, feel free to leave a comment and click on the pictures to enlarge them. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

Words of Inspiration

What a blessing is the childish nature which clothes dull surroundings in fancy dress and drives dull cares away.

Anonymous