Replacing the Glycol Pump

Our Espar heating system suddenly started acting strangely, and when we checked the error codes, we found that it was overheating (error code 14). After diagnosing the problem with Jim Rixen, we found that the upgraded glycol pump from 2020 (with the rotating speed dial on the back) was failing. Rixen said that they've been seeing a fair number of these units fail, and they sent me a new one under warranty. The job in front of me was to drain the glycol out of the system and change the pump.

The Revel's heating system requires Dexcool in a 60/40 ratio, but Jim Rixen said that 50/50 is fine, so I bought a 50/50 solution from Prestone at a regular auto parts store. The system holds a little less than 2 gallons, so I bought 2 of these jugs.

Rixen suggested that I simply loosen one of the hoses going to the Espar furnace and let it trickle into a bucket. This was easy, not messy, and took about 45 minutes.

Since we rotated our dinette seat and have a RoamRig system, it left the side with the pump accessible from behind the driver's seat. I removed the side of the dinette bench, loosened the glycol tank, and rotated it to access the blue glycol pump.

I cut the wires going to the old pump, loosened the clamps, and removed the pump from the two hoses connected to it. There was only a little glycol in the old pump, so a few paper towels cleaned it all up. The new pump is on the left in these pictures, and you can see the black speed dial on the 2020 pump on the right.

The new pump is a 2-speed, and since I have a Revel that with an engine heat exchanger (longer distances to push glycol), Rixen recommended that I put the new pump on high speed. This apparently draws about another amp of power. Instructions show how to wire the pump.

Handy Wago connectors make it very easy to splice into the system - - lift the little lever, insert wire, close lever. Here you can see the white wire joining the brown ones, so this is configured for high speed.

Putting the hoses back on the new pump was difficult, but a heat gun softened the hoses enough to make them pliable. I tightened all the clamps, put the reservoir tank in place, and poured about 2 gallons of glycol into the reservoir (using a funnel). Rixen said that the pump is powerful enough to push all the air bubbles through the line, which it did, and the heater is now functioning properly again.

27-February-2024

Clotheslines in the Revel

We frequently have some wet gear to dry at night and can't leave it outside. I recently added some shock cords to the underside of the bathroom shelves for hanging this wet gear.

I went with 1/8" shock cord, but could also have gone with 1/4". The shock cord terminals seem like they could work on 1/8" or 1/4" shock cord.

2023-November

Bed Motor Cover

I finally removed the cover from beneath the bed in order to free up more space. 

I used a piece of the bed cover to shield the motor.

I also added some hardwired LED strips to the underside of the bed for proper lighting, since the 2018 Revel didn't have any.

I also added the Bed Head Bumper from CAVans to soften the blow.

2023 July

Acrylic Mirror

We've sometimes needed a larger mirror in the van, so I recently purchased these small, self-adhesive acrylic mirrors and installed them on the inside of the bathroom door. They seem to work well.

01 November 2022

Door Organizer

This product from Canyon Adventure Vans ("The Doorganizer") works well on the rear doors for small items. It was an easy 15-minute installation, and is handy for items that I frequently need from the rear of the van.

7-June-2022

Outdoor Shower Curtain

We prefer to use the outdoor shower when we can, and occasionally we're in a place where we need to have a shower curtain. After disastrous jerry-rigged tarp & magnet contraptions, I decided to buy this nice outdoor shower curtain from Vannon.com. It installs in about 10 minutes with a few small pilot holes in the plastic on the rear doors, and fits perfectly. It's well-made, and requires about 30 seconds to set up and take down.

It requires two small holes in each door for the twist fasteners.

It has a shock cord for maintaining tension and flexing with the doors.

It uses a magnetic strap on each door to keep the bottom of the curtain from blowing around.

A view from inside the shower area.

27-April-2022 

Shower Head Replacement

The time came to replace the stock shower head, and based on numerous Revel reviews, we selected this one. It works well, but uses a bit more water than the original unit that Winnebago installed.  Unfortunately, it doesn't have the right fittings to match the van's quick release fixture, so I had to cobble the parts together to make it work.  To do this, I used these two items:

• Male to male connector
• Female Quick Connect fitting (removed from the spout)

It resulted in this compact and sturdy fitting that works well and doesn't leak.

13-March-2022

Wind Speed Gauge (Anemometer)

We frequently camp in places where winds and storms come up quickly, and are always curious to know the wind speeds during those events. After looking around for a simple solution, I found the La Crosse 327-1414BW Wind Speed Station that works pretty well for us. 

The wind sensor (anemometer) is not suitable for traveling on the roof of the van, so I permanently mounted its mast on the roof, and then mount the sensor on the mast when I want to use it. The mast is a black steel broom handle, cut to size, and then mounted in a black aluminum flag pole holder. I fold the mast down when traveling, then erect it when we're in camp.

The sensor/anemometer is battery-operated, so I put the batteries in it when I want to use it, and take them out when I don't. (I've looked into adding a switch, but found that it's probably more trouble than simply taking the batteries in and out.) I added a small thumbscrew for quick & easy attachment.

The wind station itself is also battery-operated, without an on/off switch, so in order to save battery life when I'm not using it, I built a no-solder battery interrupter and attached it to a simple external switch. 

We decided that it should reside near the rest of the instrument cluster in the dinette area, so I mounted it to a folding under cabinet TV mount, and attached that to the bottom of the dinette cabinet. It's about the perfect size, and folds away when we're not using it.

It's admittedly kind of unusual looking, but it works well!

11-Feb-2022

Ceiling Fan Repair

One of our MaxxAir 8501K ceiling fans recently started making a banging noise and was unable to fully raise the lid. After looking into it a bit, it became clear that the operating mechanism (part number 10A20281K-1AF) had broken, which is apparently a fairly common problem. I was able to get replacements for both fans (one kept in reserve) through Panther RV Products. (Pro tip: find the model and serial number for your fan under the screen cover - - remove the screen and you'll see a paper label affixed to your fan on the inside.)

The replacement took about 30 minutes, following their short instruction manual, and is somewhat greasy due to the operating mechanism itself.

8-Feb-2022

Clothing Storage

After spending a year or so with RB Components' Fabric Stuff Bags 24 x 10" Deep, we've supplemented them with a new set, the Fabric Two Compartment Stuff Bag 38 x 10". I mounted them in the passenger side flare where they'll be easily accessible when the bed is either up or down, using the screws that RB components provided.

2-Feb-2022

Replacing the Awning

We've wanted to replace our original Winnebago-installed Carefree awning for years. We didn't like it sitting up on top of the rack where it took up usable space, it was the wrong color, and it didn't have any legs for staking down the awning when winds come up. 

After we replaced the roof rack with a Front Runner Slimline II deck from Canyon Adventure Vans, we finally had a viable platform for attaching a new awning. After doing a lot of research, we settled on a wall-mounted (as opposed to a roof-mounted) awning from Fiamma: the F45S 300 (300 centimeters, about 10'1"). In spite of pandemic scarcity, Panther RV Products in Washougal, Washington had about 10 in stock that shipped the next day, as opposed to drop-shipping from Fiamma after waiting 8 weeks. As it turns out, I ordered on a Monday, and had it in my hands on Friday. Panther creates a wood-reinforced crate that surrounds Fiamma's cardboard box, and it's a wise move - - Fedex brought ours with a seriously damaged crate, but it protected the awning inside very well.

Removal of the awning was very fast & simple from the Front Runner rack. Disconnect the power (and remove the fuse), detach the awning from the bracket, and detach the bracket from the roof. This took about 20 minutes.

The most difficult part of this project was determining exactly how the new awning would attach to the rack. I wanted a simple & elegant solution that would not put holes in the van or in the rack. As it turns out, Front Runner makes a zillion kinds of accessories for their racks, but they don't make one for Fiamma wall-mounts.

I installed the awning using two different methods, and the second method seems to be the best one. So I'm explaining what I did here, but also including the first method, which I abandoned, so that readers can learn from my experiments.

Second Method (The Better One)

I became concerned about the effects of gravity and rotational torque on the side rails of the rack, so I looked for a way to decrease the torque and attach the awning more securely. Rather than having the awning attached to the rack using extensions, as they were in my first method (see below), I decided to attach Fiamma's aluminum brackets directly to the rack, as shown in these pictures.

 

This method would minimize the rotation torque on the rack, but after conferring with Front Runner's technical support, I looked for a way to tie that torque into the T-slots in the slats of the deck itself. I spent some time in a hardware store, looking for materials that I could adapt for this use, and came upon these corner braces.

I have a friend who is a master at metalworking and welding, and he spent about 90 minutes working five of these braces into perfect anti-torque brackets. They are shown here with paint & clear coat, but I may get them powder coated at some point.

I painstakingly drilled six holes into the rack at uniform height & distance, then attached the Fiamma aluminum brackets to the rack.

Then I added the anti-torque brackets at crucial points on the rack, and can report that the awning & rack seem very solid, without flex or roll.

I prefer the look and function of the awning in this new location - - it's lower and tighter against the van, tucked into the gap between the rack and the van, and it's a bit lower for reaching from the ground.

First Method (Abandoned)

After extensive searching, I found these Fiamma F45S-specific brackets from Unaka Gear Co. They're made to match the Fiamma mounting plate, and are fabricated from 1/4" welded steel.

I simply bolted the pieces together, made my measurements, and then bolted the assemblies to the mounting channel on the top of the rack using stainless M8 20 bolts (recommended by Front Runner).

It's important for the Fiamma to have all three mount points aligned as well as possible, so I used string as my guide. I aligned the two end brackets, then brought the center bracket into alignment with the string.

I got a friend to help me lift the awkward 50 pounds into place, using two stepladders, and it dropped into the mounting channel instantly and without issue. Very, very easy. I tightened everything down, and added the small alignment screws to the underside as Fiamma explains in their instruction manual. Total installation time was about 4 hours, but it could be done much faster - - I did almost all of it by myself, and fussed over each detail, which slowed me down quite a bit.

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Time to step back, survey the work, and check functionality.

There's quite a bit more space on the right side of the deck now. We may add a long, narrow solar panel to the rear passenger area of the deck, and then remove the big one over the driver's area, thus freeing up that spot for a chair or blanket.

We're storing the crank arm in the small vertical space next to the bathroom door.

30-January-2022