Beautiful weather today! In the 70's. As you know, I'll take every opportunity to write about our future RV retirement life and the steps leading there. So, with the nice weather, I decided to fix a few things that has been bugging me. Not all was done today, but I'm posting them all today.
ONE: Gray tank add on. Last year, I added additional gray capacity with a 65-gallon gray tank. Takes roughly 25% of my bay, but to date hasn't been an issue. The capacity FAR outweighs the space for us. So, what did I do? Well, I added a better run-off/return piping and reconfigured the macerating pump. The tank, once filled, will run off into the original gray tank and the See Level II gages begin to register and alert us that the additional tank is full. Gives us about a week of use vs. 2 to 3 days prior to emptying. Originally, the piping was glued PVC pipe with a home-made gasket. I ordered and received a regular tank rubber-sealed outlet and put in a rubber elbow. It fixed a very small leak in the original design and the configuration looks much better. See original
HERE and compare to the pic just below. What you'll see in front of the tank is the macerator pump. It connects to a "T" via a small hose and the "T" connects to the faucet at the bottom of the tank. The electrics are supplied by a hard-wired and separately fused circuit. So, since I use the macerator almost exclusively to removes gray water, I can pump it for miles...ok a long way anyway...and that's usually to the 45 gallon tote in the bed of the truck.
TWO: Q200 modifications. This is my Weber mini-grill. I've been having serious issue with it remaining lighted while using my 30 gallon RV propane tanks. I bought two adapters to hook to the regulator from Camping World thinking that was the issue. Nope. Asked RV.net folks and got some good advice, but none worked regularly. I finally called the company and they said, "It's not made for 30lb tanks.", and couldn't/wouldn't help further. I refused to believe that the true issue was the difference between a 20lb and 30lb tank. So, I by-passed my usual trouble shooting and went for a kill shot. Here's what I did to meet my MUST HAVE nature. I removed the original regulator and bracket that holds it on. You can see that on the right side of the pic below. On the left side of that same picture, is my new regulator/hose assembly. I had an old, run down BBQ grill that I just replaced last summer. I removed it's regulator which included an attached valve, bought a $7.42 propane hose online, connected it all, and blam....good-to-go! Works like a charm. I've seen the regulator/hose sold for less than $15 online too so if any other RVers want to try it, go for it. Here's a caution from Weber..."If you modify the Q200 or whatever Q you have, you will void the warranty and..." Ah hell, I don't give a shit. I'm going to have it my way. If you're an adult, you make up your own mind.
THREE: Slide. Added a BBQ slide to my RV. Purpose was to provide me a platform to Q on. If you look at the pic, there is a light just inside the bay and if I angle the Webber towards it, I can cook at night without another light source. I'm posting again here to simply tell you that I added a proper handle. The original was made of wood and painted silver. Looked trashy and was weak. This one, removed from an old sheetrock mud trowel and installed, is just the right fit and it looks so much better and is rock solid. Also, in the pic, is the Q200's new thermometer I added from Lowes for around $5 bucks.
