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Why a separate page for utility systems?
If you think about it, you have to supply your complete electrical, heat, water, and sewage needs when dry-camping.
You are the power company, you are the water company, you are it.
The electrical subsystem must be 100% reliable when you are a fulltimer. How well do you cope at home without power
for an hour, a day, a week? The electrical subsystem must be maintained 24x7. Therefore you have to be able to diagnose it
and fix it yourself when your power goes out in the middle of the night in the most remote location you can imagine.
The same goes for heat, hot water, and the sewer.
Electrical Overview
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| Click on picture for full size image |
The RV electrical subsystem is made up of 120v AC Shore Power Feed, 120v AC Generator, Inverter, Charger, 12v DC
Solar Trickle Charge Array, 12v Battery Bank, Converter, Transfer Switch, 120v AC Fuse Panel, a 12v DC Fuse Panel, and an
optional autoformer.
Most RV's use a combination Inverter/Charger/Converter/Transfer Switch. There are a few of these on the market. This
is the heart of any RV electrical system.
Curently we are using a MagnaSine 2812. We may need a better solution. Ours has died three times and been refurbished
twice. The last time, it was due to environmental corrosion. SpaceCraft went to bat, so we're going to give MagnaSine one
more chance. I also have built an armored vault for the thing to give it the best chance to live. The vault and the MagnaSine
weigh 140lbs. together. I really don't plan on lifting this thing in and out more than once.
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| Front Panel |
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| Case Open |
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| Back Panel |
The open holes on the front and back are for a pair of 98 cfm 12v filtered fans. These will provide cooling for the unit
when the case gets over 95F.
Most of the devices in the 5er that use 120v AC are connected to the 120v AC fuse panel. This panel is fed by the MagnaSine,
either as a pass through from the transfer switch or as an inverted feed from the batteries. The more expensive units provide
a true AC sine wave form. The cheaper units supply a modified sine wave.
A few items are in a sub-panel between the MagnaSine and the 120AC house panel. These are high draw items that are only
fed by the generator or shore power. Power tool sockets in the garage bay, air conditioners, and the electric portion of the
hot water heater.
12v DC is delivered to the 5er from the battery bank. All 12v devices in the 5er are connected to the 12v DC fuse panel.
The battery bank must be kept charged. The batteries can be charged from a solar array on the roof, shore power,
or the generator. The solar array is only enough to keep them up to minimal levels. Extended boondocking requires the
generator, it burns about 1/2 a gallon per hour, or about 14 hours on a 40lb tank.
Fresh Water Supply
The water supply has a holding tank for fresh water, a propane fired hot water heater, a pressure regulator, and a filtration
system.
Before any of the water connections are sealed into walls, I watched SpaceCraft pressure test the system to 90
psi. Nobody was more surprised than me when the shower faucet let loose in the first few months.
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| Water Heater |
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| Water Heater Outside |
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| Pressure Test |
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| Insulated Tanks |
Grey and Black Tanks
Unique to our set up are two grey tanks. The bathroom and clothes washer use a grey tank in the rear. The kitchen has
it's own grey tank.
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| Kitchen Grey Tank |
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