21.63.1 mods and features

[skippy]

That’s a awesome idea @Gadgets 21.63.1 and was the shower head from Masters or Bunnings. I am not that tallest but most of the showers heads in caravans spray from about shoulder height.

I am sure that some of the member here would be keen for a taller shower head rose too.

 

[Gadgets 21.63.1]

the shower head is from bunnings, but the bracket i made myself

 

[Gadgets 21.63.1]

i draw the design in a cad program yesterday and printed it last night for the bracket supporting the shower head.

 

[skippy]

Interested in selling them I think you might have a bit of a market here. Put me down for 1 if your keen.

 

[Gadgets 21.63.1]

there cost would be $20. a little high i am afraid. that would be including postage. do need your thickest part of your shower arm size for a perfect fit.....

 

[Ryan7]

Nice work Gadgets, just trying to figure out what TV you got, not sure if you mentioned it somewhere I saw a hisense logo, is that just a standard model as in go down to good guys and grab one or is it a 12v special kind? Also what bracket did you use and how did you fix it? I have a 20.63-1 and the dealer told me there was a plate in the wall for it but waiting for him to get back to me on exact location.

 

[Ren77]

Nice work Gadgets, just trying to figure out what TV you got, not sure if you mentioned it somewhere I saw a hisense logo, is that just a standard model as in go down to good guys and grab one or is it a 12v special kind? Also what bracket did you use and how did you fix it? I have a 20.63-1 and the dealer told me there was a plate in the wall for it but waiting for him to get back to me on exact location.

I would be interested to know also

 

[macca]

If you are talking TV inside, if you are not sure where timber is you could do a TV mount like Lara did. It also looks very neat and these mounts have come down in price.
http://www.expandasdownunder.com/threads/laras-16-49-1-ob.2667/

 

[Gadgets 21.63.1]

the internal tv bracket is the only thing i optioned from jayco, as i wanted it done in the correct spot. so i cannot help you with this.
the tv is 240 volt only, as i have a inverter that automaticly kicks in when i do not have power. the tv will draw around 10 to 100 watts which is great. i have run the tv for 35 hours off 1 battery and no solar for a test, i was also running media players and hard drives of the same battery. the model number for tv is HL32K316L3D this is dicontinued i think, but you need to make sure that you purchase one that has "panel brightness control" this is different to contast and brightness control. this enables you to adjust how much power this tv draws.

 

[Ryan7]

Ahh got ya, I was going to try and get by without an inverter, just 12v where possible and gennie for the occasional 240 necessities when not at powered sites. I don't know a lot about inverters but thought they would be pretty inefficient to run a 240 tv compared to a 12v but sounds like you are getting good range out of your battery and with that solar setup you're laughing.

 

[Gadgets 21.63.1]

inverters are very effiencent now, 90% or more. you would be very surprised how good they are on power now. yes if you purchase a cheap unit they can use more power. running a inverter on a auto change over relay enables you to run everything in the van without the need to fire up a geni at all. with the use of solar panels during the day to charge the battery. i have done a trip up north to darwin and back (from melbourne) with geni then the same again using a inverter / solar and 1 battery. We are very power hungry - we run a coffee machine/microwave and media players. also run a seperate fridge freezer. i dont even bother to carry a generator anymore. i gain extra space in the van. and we dont have to carry the extra 40kg of geni and fuel. a decent generator will cost around $1500. + fuel running costs + noise + weight. we have 8 solar panels generating 650 watts of power and 2000 watt inverter, total weight is under 15kg and total cost is around $1500.

 

[Ryan7]

Nice one, great info mate cheers. I will definitely look into the inverter option. Will it run your air con?

 

[Gadgets 21.63.1]

yes, however the problem is the aircon draws 1250 watts. so even with full sun, the solar panels will not keep up. however free camping i think you would be outside most of the time. and in a expander they breath very well in a hot night. Yes, i still take the generator if my trip is just free camping and its going to be hot. but its gone from taking on every trip to almost never at all. but really if i spend another $1000 on panels - then i would have 1500 watts of solar on the roof and i could run the aircon if i wished, as the suns out during the day when i would need it the most.

 

[Gadgets 21.63.1]

just bought a small 2 burner bbq, hotplate only. going to put a slide in the front hatch and get it all plumbed in. will post pictures as the mod progresses.

 

[macca]

The tips I would give you would be have it so plugs into a bayonet and when it slides in the hose cannot reach the bayonet point that way it cannot be slid in accidently still turned on or accidently turned on. etc etc. Make sure it is certified for use in Australia, I'm sure it is just thought I would let others watching your informative post know. Its just that there is a lot of cheap imported stuff out there that does not comply. Make sure it is far enough from combustibles (eg annexe wall) and now because it is a fixture it will need to be certain distances from openings and windows. Because you are in Victoria, a quick call to ESV (Energy Safe Victoria) may be able to help with any questions.

By the way, will a BBQ affect your caravans weight or did they give you that new data plate.

Cheers Geoff

 

[Gadgets 21.63.1]

thanks for the tips, the bbq was purchased from anaconda, it has all the aus standard stickers on it. the hatch is not near any windows. i have a gas plumber friend that is going to plug it for me with a auto cut valve as soon as the bbq is not out all the way. the caravan weights plate will not be changed. I had an extra air con fitted by jayco, and they said that the plate did not have to be changed. however i will look back into this and get it changed if i have to.

 

[relgate]

thanks for the tips, the bbq was purchased from anaconda, it has all the aus standard stickers on it. the hatch is not near any windows. i have a gas plumber friend that is going to plug it for me with a auto cut valve as soon as the bbq is not out all the way. the caravan weights plate will not be changed. I had an extra air con fitted by jayco, and they said that the plate did not have to be changed. however i will look back into this and get it changed if i have to.

Nice work

 

[Alex Seo]

One of the best work I have ever seen. Thank you for posting.

 

[Gadgets 21.63.1]

thank you for that. we have since done more modifications: Plumbing to the sink was terrible, running flexable waste pipe that always blocked due to tiny joiners through the pipe. since replaced it with hard pvc, the sink drains in seconds. Post some pictures later today. here are some images of some parks we went too. 2 or 3 shots of each setup. Toora, Phillip Island, Goldcoast are the 3 places we have been to this year. We are about to go to the murray river over the easter break, prob just west of yarrawonga. 4-7 days we will be there. want to hit cairns again mid year also for a few weeks.

 

[Gadgets 21.63.1]

Still thinking about satilite on the roof, but its no good under trees. So still sticking with the portable stand unit. we just use the washing line base for the dish, as its light weight. We have also just changed both of the 32" lcd screens over to the good guys home brand units. after stripping out the speakers and metal from the tv's, they weigh just 4kg each. which is very light weight.