Questions- water filtration and additional Fantastic fan

[mrmagoo]

A couple more question... I think we are getting close to being ready to order...

1 - Our current 5er unit has a whole camper (replaceable cartridge style) water filter. Has anyone added this configuration... Yes, I know you can get the carbon filters to hook to the hose... but in the past, we didn't think they were as good as the cartridge style filter on our current rig.

Suggestions have been made to put the filter in the compartment behind the Universal docking center. I am a bit leery of having the filter out of site... I like to be able to take a sanity peek occasionally.

We have considered just having a filter installed under the kitchen sink (but would really like a whole camper solution)

Are there any other options out there?

2 - We are seriously considering the additional fantastic fan w/ rain sensor in the bedroom. The question we have is does the fan in the bedroom include the thermostat/control on the wall like the one in the living area?

 

[jnbhobe]

My 09 3370 has the thermostat. If I had it to do over again for the cost of the fantastic fan I would put on the second AC unit. Not that I need it in this part of the country, But because I can !!! LOL Jon

 

[cookie]

ohh mrmagoo, you've done it again. I have a whole rig filter and a water softner. I keep them in a plastic milk crate. When we travel, I just pick them up and put the crate in the basement till the next stop.
We ordered our rig with the fantastic fan in the bedroom and it came wired with a thermostat like the living area.
After two months, I replaced it with a bedroom AC unit, and moved the fantastic fan to the bathroom.

Peace
Dave

 

[cliffbuilt]

Here's a link to the mod done to our Big Country, there are others if you do a forum search. //heartlandowners.org/showthread.ph...er-Filter?highlight=Water+filter+modification

Happy Camping

 

[robnmo]

Well thanks to this forum, we bought a whole house filter w/ carbon cartridge, I took the mounting bracket that came with the filter, sliced out 2 spots in the bracket, used Heartlands mounting screw in the frame to install the bracket, put a 3/4 in pipe thread faucet on each end of the filter (one pointing up one pointing down) we can attach the incoming hose to the pointing down faucet, the outflowing hose attached to the pointing up faucet straight into the docking station so everything coming into the RV is filtered. When we're done we can simply unhook 2 hoses, lift the filter assembly out of the bracket store it and go, the bracket stays mounted on the underside of the RV. But keep in mind we're about as green as it gets, the only camping we've done in the RV is 2 nights in the driveway so far..................we've been too busy making modifications (with our own little twist added to some) that we've learned on this forum.

 

[Larryheadhunter]

We just went on line to the water filter store that Jim B. recommended and got a double cannister filter setup with one for carbon and one for sediment. It fits nicely in a milk crate as cookie has done. On the same web site, you can get 90 degree quick connects and a great watts water regulator, Watts N55B. I think the web site is rvwaterfilterstore.com

 

[mrmagoo]

I find it interesting that people are saying that they wish they had gone with the second AC in the bedroom as opposed to the fan. Is there an issue with the 15K AC cooling the bedroom area? Perhaps having issues pushing the air that far?

If you put the 2nd AC in the bedroom, is it ducted? Are the ducts that are normally run from the living area AC still there and functional? Living in the Northeast, we were thinking dual AC's was probably overkill... and I have my doubts that many Campgrounds will have the power to run them at the the same time anyway... I believe many campgrounds around here are still pushing only 30A service.

So what are the reasons for preferring the second AC?

Enlighten me, please...

 

[Charlie Harris]

Don, We spent last summer trying to make it with one A/C, in the month of June, nearly every day was over 100 degrees. The added ac is not ducted with the main a/c, but we found it can cool the bedroom area really fast! Your right that the 30 amp will only allow one a/c to run at the time. We found that if we had shade, it was managable with one a/c. If your park is out in the sun, it gets hot in a hurry. In the summer, we do not stay where there is not 50amp because of this. We love State Parks, and if we can find shade, 30amp is fine.

 

[mrmagoo]

We ordered our rig with the fantastic fan in the bedroom and it came wired with a thermostat like the living area.
After two months, I replaced it with a bedroom AC unit, and moved the fantastic fan to the bathroom.

Peace
Dave

Dave,

Now "you've" done it... My wife is thinking maybe she likes the idea of the AC in the bedroom and the Fantastic Fan in the bathroom...

I am assuming the fan you moved to the bathroom was a rain sensing one... How did you swizzle the fan controls that I assume were mounted to the bedroom wall someplace?

You have done this after market... did you do it yourself? or have a dealer do it?

With that as an option, maybe we will stick with the Fan in the bedroom, and if needed, we can alter the configuration as you have done... (Being in the north east... our 100 degree days are few and far between... however if we get our way, we hope to make a trek cross country while we are still young enough and healthy enough to enjoy it.)

There are SO many decisions.... We are planning that this will be the camper we will use for years to come... and every time we think we have it decided... we find another thing to consider... At some point I SOON we need to just stop trying to make it perfect, and get it ordered.

 

[TXBobcat]

mrmagoo
We started Fulltiming while in Texas. When we purchased our Bighorn we had them put in an A/C in the bedroom and a Fantastic fan in the toilet room. I use the fan in the toilet room and the one in the kitchen when I am trying to circulate air through the trailer in cooler climates rather than use the A/C's. In the toilet room we do not have a thermostat but we have a vent cover over the vent.

That's what we do..
BC

 

[cookie]

Don, yes I do have a rain sensing fan and I did do it myself, including the AC. My bathroom configuration is different than yours, so I was able to get my arm up in the ceiling and snake the wire into the wall.
And like Bobcat, I do not use a thermostat with it. I got a two switch wall plate to accomodate the light and fan. The Fantastic Fan can be opperated manually to bypass the rain sensor and only open it partially if use is needed while it's raining.
I hear ya on trying to make it perfect. We go through the same things. You just got to do what you think is right and live with it.
Good luck with your decision making process.

Peace
Dave

 

[JohnDar]

We don't have the 2nd A/C, and probably never will unless we start hauling our 3670 down south for extended periods (not likely). But I did copy the filtration idea somewhat and came up with this "external" set up. Putting it in a covered tote under the rig helps keep it clean and out of sunlight. I used some window screening at the ports for the fittings and that helps keep bug (caterpillars, in particular) out of it.



View attachment 7658View attachment 7657
//heartlandowners.org/images/misc/pencil.png

 

[mrmagoo]

mrmagoo
When we purchased our Bighorn we had them put in an A/C in the bedroom and a Fantastic fan in the toilet room. .... In the toilet room we do not have a thermostat but we have a vent cover over the vent.

That's what we do..
BC

Thanks for letting me know that Heartland will do this configuration.

For our clarification... Is the AC from the main living area still ducted into the bedroom? (thus allowing for some cooling in the bedroom when you are only able to run one AC and that has to be the main one.)

Are you saying the Fantastic fan in the bathroom is not a rain sensing one? and therefore you some sort of external cover over it? I am just trying to clearly visualize what we may be getting... (our current 5er has a fantastic fan in the toilet room, that will turn on and off automatically as the 'normal' hinged vent cover is opened/closed -- Is this how yours works?)

The more we think about it, the more we think we like the sounds of this configuration.

 

[cookie]

Yes, the main AC is ducted to the bedroom.

Peace
Dave

 

[TXBobcat]

Sorry for the confusion..
We had the dealer install the BR A/C and the Fantastic Fan in the Toilet Room.
The Bedroom is still ducted from the main A/C in the living room but the Bedroom A/C just discharges into the bedroom. You can have one installed with a thermostat or like ours that has a built in thermostat. If we had to do it all over again I would have the bedroom A/C installed using an external thermostat. Usually the bedroom A/C is a 13,500 and the Living room is 15,000. The 13,500 will cool the bedroom real well. We close the door to the bedroom at night to keep it cooler and keep the morning light out.

The toilet room Fantastic Fan does not have a rain sensor. I put a vent over it because I didn't want to break the vent if I wanted to go down the road with the vent open allowing the movement of air through the trailer on days of hot travel. Also, even though there may be no rain a strong wind can break the vent, so I have a Max Air vent cover on all vents. Some say not to do this because it may effect the flow of air. So far I have had no problems.

BC

 

[mrmagoo]

These uints are already 13 ft tall... how much taller does the 2nd AC make the over all height?

 

[f250dieseldad]

We just had the second ac unit installed. I measured the height and it is 13ft 1 inch

 

[robnmo]

We've got both A/C units, and measured it a few days ago. 13' 3" for ours