Vista 26 HE questions

[macnut]

Yes, the alternator does charge both banks with the motor on, but when I was plugged in to AC, the converter was not charging the chassis battery. The Trik-L-Charge fixed that. Sorry if I mis-read the question....while I'm learning, electricity in RVs is still somewhat of a mystery to me.

[bargeman]

So on this discussion about charging house batteries while plugged in: what is the best way to check the function of mine short of realizing that my house batteries would be dead?

[bargeman]

Has anyone removed/replace the cheesy bedroom partition with a sliding door or darkening curtains?

[bargeman]

Black/Grey dump connection: every single time I remove the cap or hose I get 'residuals' in the wet bay - yuck!!! AND the hose coupling does NOT fit through the opening without a significant struggle EVERY time... has anyone modified this or found a better way?

I had considered cutting off the fixed coupling fitting, putting on a 90 down through the floor of the bay, and install the coupling underneath... at the same time adding a garden hose fitting somewhere before the down 90 for a rinse & flush fitting...

[bargeman]

Why is the dashboard radio so far away from the driver seat? Considering steering wheel mounted controls... but would seem a struggle to find either existing FORD equipment or aftermarket to adapt... ideas???

[macnut]

Originally Posted by bargeman

Black/Grey dump connection: every single time I remove the cap or hose I get 'residuals' in the wet bay - yuck!!! AND the hose coupling does NOT fit through the opening without a significant struggle EVERY time... has anyone modified this or found a better way?

I had considered cutting off the fixed coupling fitting, putting on a 90 down through the floor of the bay, and install the coupling underneath... at the same time adding a garden hose fitting somewhere before the down 90 for a rinse & flush fitting...

I haven't found a great solution yet. I haven't modified the opening because I want a tight seal so insects or rodents can't get in when I'm hooked up. I cut two of the tabs off the sewer hose and that allows me to connect without too much hassle, or maybe I've just got good at it over time. I just purchased the wastemaster sewer hose. It is expensive, but Camping world had it on sale for Black Friday. It has no tabs to get in the way so that may be a solution. I'll let you know.

[bargeman]

In the wet bay, behind the big panel, looks like a vent hose. When I had the furnace running actually felt (minimal) warm air... is this adequate to keep the wet bay from freezing?

[bargeman]

Previous owner replaced the batwing with a winegard dome and front tv works great... when I plug in the bedroom tv, the front one goes on the fritz and I can never get a signal on the one in the bedroom... I found the splitter and it allows looks okay there...

Any other ideas?

[Tricolor]

Originally Posted by bargeman

So on this discussion about charging house batteries while plugged in: what is the best way to check the function of mine short of realizing that my house batteries would be dead?

You can't tell without using a Voltmeter.
1- Ignition off, AC unpluged, Generator off: take a measurement, should read below 12.7V
2- AC plugged or Generator running (and plugged), take a measurement, should read higher than previous reading
3- If step 2 does not show a higher number, take new readings every 10m (some MH are equiped with BIM Biderectional Isolator Management) charging systems that cause delays between charging cycles.

Note: Depending on the mnfg date/year of your motorhome, you may or may not have a BIM

[Tricolor]

Originally Posted by bargeman

Has anyone removed/replace the cheesy bedroom partition with a sliding door or darkening curtains?

I removed it for better clearance and use the bathroom door as a separator (leave it open)

[Tricolor]

Originally Posted by bargeman

In the wet bay, behind the big panel, looks like a vent hose. When I had the furnace running actually felt (minimal) warm air... is this adequate to keep the wet bay from freezing?

I'll know when I leave Montreal Jan 2nd and head down south

The problem is not with the tanks but with the plumbing... so I will leave everything winterized until I reach New Orleans.

[bargeman]

2014 Winnebago 26HE

[Tricolor]

Originally Posted by bargeman

2014 Winnebago 26HE

You will love it... so much room in such a small house!

[GumpAir]

Originally Posted by Tricolor

I'll know when I leave Montreal Jan 2nd and head down south



The problem is not with the tanks but with the plumbing... so I will leave everything winterized until I reach New Orleans.

I lived in my 2014 26HE for two winters on the NV/ID border working on the Sho-Pai Reservation in Owyhee NV.

Camped out at Mt View Reservoir, and temps routinely dropped well below zero. I kept a remote thermometer down in the wet bay, and always found the temps about 10 degrees less than in the coach.

70 in the house, 60 below in the bays. Even at night, when I lowered the thermostat for sleeping, temps in the wet bay stayed in the low 50s to high 40s, even when it was below zero outside.

Gump

[Tricolor]

Originally Posted by GumpAir

I lived in my 2014 26HE for two winters on the NV/ID border working on the Sho-Pai Reservation in Owyhee NV.

70 in the house, 60 below in the bays. Even at night, when I lowered the thermostat for sleeping, temps in the wet bay stayed in the low 50s to high 40s, even when it was below zero outside.

Gump

Interesting and useful information. But you were stationary...

I'll be moving at highway speed during day time, not leaving much warmth in the rear wet bays (right and left) and in the basements in general.

[GumpAir]

You can stick a remote thermometer sensor down in the wet bay, and monitor temps as you drive. Drops to below 32, crank up the house furnace as you're going down the road.

Driven mine a lot at near zero F temps and never got the bays below low 40s.

[Tricolor]

Thanks again for sharing this detailed info.

I will use a remote sensor Temp and will likely travel with a half-full tank of fresh water.

[Bobbys Girl]

Originally Posted by bargeman

Has anyone removed/replace the cheesy bedroom partition with a sliding door or darkening curtains?

We don't use ours. Instead we keep the bathroom door open

[Jim Kern]

Originally Posted by Garyp47

Oldtrooper,

I installed an 1100W inverter in my 26HE and mounted it in the compartment next to the door. It's actually mounted on a wood backpanel along with a couple of relays, a solenoid and fuses. Plus my solar panel controller. The relays are wired to the two coach misc electrical circuits and I can select which circuit I want to transfer to the inverter power. I can also turn the inverter on and off from inside the coach to the left of the stove where the two circuit switches are also located. Next project is to add a switch next to the receptacle to the left of the bed that will turn the inverter off. Yep, I am too lazy to get up and walk to the front when it's time to turn the TV off and go to bed.

The intent is to be able to watch the front TV or the one I installed in the bedroom. Also, the coffee maker and my wife's roller heater all without running the genset. I also added a 100W solar panel on the roof and a controller on the same backpanel as the inverter.

This location for the inverter is the closest you can get to the batteries and that makes everything safer by keeping any unprotected DC wiring as short as possible. It also is best for voltage drop as these inverters will pull a lot of current at rated load.

The drawback to this compartment is the lack of ventilation. We only watch the tv at night and the coffee and rollers in the AM. It also is convenient for using the vacuum cleaner. I am not worried about heat buildup in the compartment at this time but you should consider this.

Garyp47

I just purchased a 2014 Vista 26HE with an identical setup. Is it by any chance your old rig? I'm not sure if the setup works or not, because the black plug adapter on the output side of the inverter that has the white plug installed into it is missing. All I have is the dangling white plug, as shown in the photo. Can you tell me what the black adapter is? I would like to get the inverter working, but I don't want to make a simple plug adapter if something more complicated is needed.

[Garyp47]

Originally Posted by Jim Kern

I just purchased a 2014 Vista 26HE with an identical setup. Is it by any chance your old rig? I'm not sure if the setup works or not, because the black plug adapter on the output side of the inverter that has the white plug installed into it is missing. All I have is the dangling white plug, as shown in the photo. Can you tell me what the black adapter is? I would like to get the inverter working, but I don't want to make a simple plug adapter if something more complicated is needed.

Jim, that's definitely our motorhome! The white cord is supposed to plug into the output of the inverter. There was an adapter that plugged into the inverter and then the cord was plugged into it. The reason was to make a immediate right turn up so there was no loop in the cord dangling. Someone must have taken the adapter. I bought it on Amazon. It's a Hug-A-Plug Ziotek ZT1120131 adapter. You can use a short grounded extension cord until you get one since I don't think I left enough slack in the cord to plug it in without the adapter.

The wiring diagram and instructions for the operation were in the manual pouch with the RV along with the maintenance record. Hopefully the dealer gave you everything.

If you have any questions on the unit you can message me. We had fun in it for the last three years. Just needed something a little larger so we bought a 2017 29VE from LaMesa RV in Mesa. I assume you got the 26HE from them. How was your experience purchasing it from them? Did they replace the decals?

Gary