Tech

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Using My Verizon Cell Phone With a US Number in Canada

I remember when Donna told me she was using a US number in Canada. It sounded very complicated and messy. Well, I’ve been using my beloved little pink phone with its North Dakota number all summer in Canada with it’s been a non-issue.

Coverage has never been a problem, not in Quebec, not in Alberta when I was buying my truck, and not in Ontario. Most folks who call me from a landline have a long distance plan that includes the US. A few people got into the habit of calling me, hanging up after one ring, and having me call them back to avoid incurring international long distance charges. A few folks have cell phones that get the huge fees for international calls even if I call them, so I agree to text but let them know I pay 15 cents per message, so I don’t get blasted (I’m not convinced yet that I need the $10 text add on to my plan as I’ve never had more than $5 in text surcharges).

It took a little while, but my mother finally believed that this number is going to stick and that I am regularly using a phone now (a first in 14 years) and has actually programmed the number into her phone. She calls me from the house instead of walking out to the rig now. In fact, she just called me from the hardware store to get a measurement, confident that I’d have the phone open. It took me a minute to find it in my gigantic purse (note to self: sew a phone pocket into the lining of the purse), so I missed the call, but I was able to call her right back; no biggie.

When I get to Saratoga on Wednesday evening, I’ll call Verizon to reactivate the data plan that will let me tether my computer to the phone to get online. I’m also not going to let them tempt me with their really sweet deal on an iPhone. I really want one to replace my outdated iPod Touch, but I’d have to get an unlocked version so that I can switch out SIM cards depending on the country I’m in. That would mean having two phone numbers and too much confusion for folks who are just getting used to being able to reach me. So I will probably hold out as long as my LG is working well and compatible with my OS.

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Being Independent For Power Rocks

I have some clients on the west coast who are concerned that I may not be able to deliver jobs on time because of Hurricane Sandy. Now, Montreal is supposed to be spared most of the rain, but big winds are incoming. That already means power and communications outages that will get worse the closer Sandy gets to us.

It is very comforting that I can keep working through power outages because I am independent for power and that I will be able to deliver the jobs as long as the cellular network is up and running. I learned in Dawson that cellular internet is more reliable than the hard wired kind, one of the reasons being that it doesn’t require power.

Going back to ‘normal’ life would be very difficult now that I’ve experience what it is like to live mostly off the grid. If I were to go that route, then I would have to find housing that allows me a measure of grid independence.

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The Battery Monitor Works!

I lost 120V power early this morning, so I had a chance to confirm that my 12V system and battery monitor were working properly.

Had I not had the battery monitor, I would have been very confused and frustrated since all my battery readings put me at about 11.5V, or a completely depleted battery! But the battery monitor was a lot smarter, telling me I had about 99% capacity and could keep going for about 29 hours at my current rate of consumption!

As for what was on, two LED lights, two regular bulbs, the fridge (switched to propane), and the water pump. I was drawing about 6AMPs. I decided to confirm that standard RV bulbs are power suckers and switched one off. My power consumption immediately dropped by a full two amps!

This informal little experiment has confirmed that switching to all LED bulbs will pay for itself quickly!

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Wait a Minute, What’s That Symbol?

I was just about ready to hook up my new inverter when I noticed another connection on the back with a little symbol next to it.

The instructions for the inverter basically say, “Have a qualified electrician install it” and this discovery is a perfect example why.

I have done tons of research into this project. I’ve spoken to the manufacturer, friends who know more than a thing or two about RV electricity, and I have scoured forums. I think that after all that research, more than one person would have noticed that connection and symbol and said, “That can’t possibly be important.

Well, that connection and symbol surely are important and I have a ton more research to do. My mother knows a lot about 120V systems, but not 12V systems, and I know that grounding is different for both. Quick research tells me that this connection isn’t just a matter of connecting a copper wire from the inverter to the chassis.

To make matters worse, the inverter instruction manual doesn’t make a single mention of the ground connection, not even in the diagram that explains read outs and connections on the unit.

So I’ll get all the wiring passed today, but it’s doubtful I’ll be getting the inverter in. Darn, what a complicated project!

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Getting Closer to the Final Battery Bank Modifications

It’s amazing how much research one can do about a subject and still completely miss the most obviously solution to a problem. My battery bank project has taught me an important lesson. Yes, it’s nice to offer a ‘tah-dah!’ post to readers with no build up, but the build up posts provide the opportunity for discussion that could change the outcome.

Reader Carl left an interesting comment on my last post. Boiling the comment down to its essence, he asked me, “Why don’t you just plug your RV into your inverter? This way, all your outlets will be live off shore power and you won’t have to run that 120V wiring to a single outlet.”

I can do that?!

As it turns out, I can! I did some research and the end result is that you can plug an RV power cable into an inverter just like you plug it into a generator or a shore power outlet. The caveat is wattage of the inverter and the size of the battery bank determine what can be left on when you’re running off the inverter.

Generally, when you plug your RV into an inverter, you want to turn off the converter, the microwave, the AC, the fridge, and the water heater if is electric.

My fridge’s default mode is propane and my water heater runs on propane, so that leaves the other three.

Now, I know there are transfer switches and all manner of mods to automatically transfer over to the inverter, but I don’t have the electrical gumption to dig into my established power grid, never mind the financial outlay. So I’ll be using the ‘shut off the breakers’ method of electrical management to power my RV from my inverter.

So instead of running 120V wiring from the front to the back of the rig in a straight line, I’ll be running it diagonally to the shore power cord storage compartment. I think I may have a route that will let me do this through the underbelly rather than under the rig. In theory, it would be easiest to bring my shore power cord to the inverter, but the stupid location of my battery bank precludes that option.

There is another thorn in this project because of my battery bank’s stupid location. Since there is no compartment next to it, I have to put the inverter up in the living room. So 12V wiring has to go up into the living room and then the 120V wiring has to come back down into the compartment to be taken to the back of the rig.

That said, the compartment where my batteries are located is huge and the batteries are well vented. I am considering putting the inverter in some sort of housing that would be sealed from the rest of the compartment but still ventable to the outside. The batteries themselves are vented to the outside, too.

I think that this would be sufficient to reduce the risk of the hydrogen emitted from the batteries from eating the inside of my inverter or, worse, meeting a spark that would cause a catastrophic boom. I really can’t see how this option is any more dangerous than having the inverter above the battery banks since hydrogen travels upwards.

If there’s still time after these issues are resolved, my mother and I will pass the cabling for the monitor and the remote inverter starter to the study from under the rig. Otherwise, they will go into the living room.

A reader emailed this evening to say that the monitor should be as close to the batteries as possible, but the Xantrex connection kit has 20′ of cabling and the customer service tech confirmed that this distance is acceptable. I’d like the starter and monitor in the study for convenience’s sake, but, really, it wouldn’t kill me to get up a couple of times a day and walk less than 40′ round trip to go check out the state of my batteries. 🙂

Before I get any concerned comments about whether or not I have enough battery capacity to run my rig off my inverter, I’m in the market for new batteries! The next few months will be a great trial run to determine just how much battery capacity I really need.

Sunday’s task list is gigantic and I hope we can get everything done!