Quote:
Originally Posted by elbenson
Oh, will the fun never end with my new rv.
For reference I followed all of Judges items to determine if my BIM was operating per the list before I left on my trip
1). The chassis voltage will not go above 13.2 volts locking the slide out. After driving 12 hours today we pulled into the campground and with the engine running and generator running it only sits at 12.9 or even 13.1. But since it can’t get to 13.2 I am locked out of the slide. After 10 min of Turing things on and off and connecting to shore power I got it barely to 13.2 to open my slide. After waiting for 2 hours I was able to get a hold of the emergency tech support and we walked though everything with my voltmeter. What we found was the ac/dc converter circuit breaker has tripped. But. Here is the big win in this rv design. If the slide is in and you want to access the fuse / breaker box that can fix the voltage problem it. is facing the slide so you can’t access it to flip the breaker. This is A huge problem as there is absolutely no way to access the fuses and breakers to fix a problem to get the slide out. Also even if the ad/dc converter is not working. Wouldn’t the engine alternator drive rhe correct voltage since it should be sitting at 13.8 to 14 V?
2. No hot water and kinked hoses. After getting to the campsite we tried to get the kids showered and absolutely no water when the faucet was moved to hot. So i also found the kitchen had 0 water. I was able to track down the kinked line in the slide mechanism. But now I get pressure but only hot water for like 2 seconds then nothing. The pressure remains fine but no hot water.
The tech on call believes there are issues with my wiring as the chassis battery should always read at least 13.8v when the engine is on.
This is also the second time time the ac/dc converter has tripped so another fun problem to track down.
Eric
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Shame on you..... you did not do your homework and read the dozens of my Magnitude posts on the Girard Tankless and the BIM160 to solve your slide and hot water problems.
1) Slide Issue:
I'm 99.9% sure that your BIM160 (Battery Isolation Manager) located in the battery compartment is wired backwards. You need to swap the Chassis Battery and House Battery positive cables.
The chassis batteries cable needs to be on the BATT-A post and the house batteries cable needs to be on the BATT-B post. Also the chassis battery voltage monitorng wire needs to be on the BATT-A post. The wire from the Emergency Start switch needs to be on the SIG post and the
I have posted about this numerous times. Here is one of the posts. Read post #2 in this thread:
https://www.thorforums.com/forums/f1...ges-25455.html
Be careful when swapping the cables. You should disconnect the negative leads on both chassis batteries and the house batteries before swapping the cables.
Here is how you can verify Thor wired the BIM160 backwards:
1) Note Chassis and House Battery Voltages
2) Plug into shore power (engine should not be running)
3) Turn on the headlights
4) Chassis batteries should eventually hits ~12.5V and you should hear the BIM relay kick in and the chassis batteies should be 13.5V minimum.
5) Turn off headlights and unplug shore power
6) Start the engine
7) Start draining the house batteries by having Inverter on, TV on, lights on, furnace on, etc.
8) When the house battery voltage hits ~12.V you should you should hear the BIM relay kick in and the chassis batteies should be 13.5V minimum.
If the voltages do not behave this way, your BIM is wired incorrectly per all my posts on this topic.
Until you fix the issue, being on shore power or generator power while the key is in the run position or the engine running should let you operate the slide.
2) Girard Tankless Water Heater:
I have had a Girard GSWH-2 in my last two coaches and we love them. We can take a hot shower for 30 minutes is we want. The key is knowing how to properly use them.
1) Water flow is key. You need 40 - 45 PSI minimum and 55 PSI of pressure is optimal.
2) You need to remove all your strainer / filters at the faucets and clean them of contruction and other debris that limit flow. Most people don't realize how much debris is in the faucet strainer / filters that are restricting flow.
- There is also a strainer / filter at the water inlet on the back of the garage. You need to check that one as well but it may be harder to get to depending on the design of your coach.
3) Only use hot water.... DO NOT MIX cold water. You set the desired tempeature you want and it will keep the water at that temperature. My wife likes 108 and I like 105. We set the temperature, turn on the hot water and take a shower for as long as we want. When she is washing dishes she sets it to 115.
4) Do not run another faucet (or flush the toilet) when using hot water at another faucet. Again, it is all about proper flow. RV's are not like your home that has plenty of pressure to keep flow contstant with multiple faucets in use at the same time.
5) The water flow control on the back of the unit should basically be wide open. However, if camping in colder temps and climates, slowing the flow can help when ground water or tank water temps are very cold. If the flow is too fast, the water does not spend enough time in the heat exchanger to get fully hot.
We have full hook-ups 90% of the time so water usage is not an issue to us. If someone does a lot of dry camping, then a traditional hot water tank heater is more suitable. Otherwise, we have have not had any real complaints with the Girard Tankless.
I also recommend changing faucets from a single control to dual control faucets. The single cartridge in the cheap faucets used in RV's can sometimes leak and allow cold water to mix with the hot water.
I replaced my shower control from a dual to a single so when I turn on the hot, there can only be hot water. I also replaced the bathroom and outdoor kitchen faucets as well to dual controls with a high arch moveable spout.
Linear Mode
