So the previous owner had the entire basement replaced and they did a ok job, but did not leave a way to pass thru the power cord and be able to shut the door. There is a 5 inch sewer passthru but not sure if the cord and sewer drain will both fit thru there. Since I don't have the original layout, wondered what you guys have on your coach and any suggestions for how to work around this. Liked the one on RVGeeks youtube channel RV Geeks power cord reel installation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKUup2AYVcc&feature=push-u-sub&attr_tag=gn90JDTPXAoEIqOw%3A6) anyone have something like this?
Thanks,
Bob
On my 280 I took a hole saw and put a hole in the floor to get the power cord thru. Didn't like the looks of stuffing a rag in the hole when not in use. I suppose I could have put a spring loaded "lid" for the hole but at the time I had more pressing issues to deal with.
My power cord goes through the sewer opening and it is the only opening in the wet bay.
I installed the Glendinning 36' cord reel and a Glendinning hose reel in our U270 which didn't have a reels to begin with. All of the hook ups fit through the sewer notch, though I generally don't leave the Wastemaster sewer hose out unless dumping or doing a bunch of wash loads. I added a shelf that I mounted the cord reel on (which also created some handy extra storage) and created a space to store the sewer hose underneath.
Don
Don, you are amazing. Beautiful job!!!
Aw shucks, Thanks for the compliment Harvey! Long time no see... where do you guys hang out these days?
A note on the Glendinning cord reels... The cord is very supple and the plug end is well engineered. The motor and reel are also well built, but it does have one design failing as far as I am concerned. While the cord unreels freely and is very easy to pull out (not a power feed for unreeling), it can result in a bit of a birds nest when reeling it in using one hand on the button and the other to feed it in when you let go of the button. In other words, the reel tends to unreel when tension is released. I would have thought that it would have been a no brainer to design in an adjustable clutch, reel brake, or releasable ratcheting system so that it doesn't try to unwind as soon as you let go of the switch. I have it on my list to fabricate a releasable brake with adjustable tension to alleviate this problem. As it is, I have to get my right thumb ready to apply some pressure to the reel as I am releasing the switch. Still, I love the set up. That said if there was room, it would be better to have the basket system as there would be no necessity for sliding contacts. I am VERY careful not to operate the system while power is hooked up. A/C's running while trying to reel in/out the cord could likely result in burnt contacts in the reel.
Don
The sewer connection on my 280 was in the belly of the coach just in from the edge of the wet bay so there was no sewer "door" to be used. The only way out for power cord didn't allow for closing of the bay door which doesn't work in cold months when heating the bay. This doesn't apply to your 320 or my 270, I was just remenising when I mentioned it.. I suppose the ones with the sewer door, the sewer door can be used for the power cord and maybe stuff a rag in the sewer door to keep heat in the bay during winter.
Don,
I wish my wet bay looked like yours. You are an inspiration! Another project to add to my looooooong list.
Ken
OK, so the hole for the sewer line is also for the fresh water hose and the 50 amp shorepower.... Since I have yet to hook up the sewer line, I figured there would be several ways out for these 3 things... I like the way they do it on the video I posted. Pretty cool.
Don, I second the rest that applaud your bay. Looks great. Its on my long list of things to do. The Glendinning reel cords look good, a coach buck almost but will spring for them as I get older those things help.
BTW the RVGeeks have a offer with both Glendinning and hughes. $70 bucks off the CRRA50 power reel and 10% off the hughes autoformer if you use their code. The Crr A-50 is a brand new reel. CRRA50 (http://www.glendinningprods.com/store#!/RV-Cablemaster-Model-CRRA50/p/109677624/category=3979038)
Be sure on any reel you install that you use large backing plates on the underside of the basement. I use aluminum plated center drilled to insure that the load is spread. Bed in a polysulfide sealant. Have seen way too many that were just through bolted with a washer that have cracked the thin FG underskin. This allows water right into the rear bulkhead area!
On the video, their SOB coach (like most SOB trailers and coaches) have the services separated into different compartments. Personally, I like FOT's way of having just one opening for all three services (or more if you make use of land lines, cable, etc.). I also have a Huges Autoformer which can fit in the compartment below the hose reel when necessary. My power cord reel is fitted with a plug on the coach end so I can hook up in a modular way. In other words, when using 30 amp hookups, I just use a 30 amp cord which I stow in a bag when not using. The cord reel is then not used at all. Why force the electrons to run through an extra 36' feet of 50 amp cord when not needed to reach the service? Ditto when driveway camping and hooked up to a 15 or 20 amp outlet. Speaking of 36' cords, I haven't needed to use a 50 amp extension cord yet when 50 amp service is available, so I don't have any cord reel envy for the new 50' CRA-50 Glendinning product. Had it been available when I installed mine, I still would have gone with the 36' version. The first thing I did when seeing your post was look to see if Glendinning had added some sort of brake to the reel mechanism. It appears that it is the same as the 36' model.
As far as the other services go, I have had to add an extension to the freshwater hose on occasion, but not on any regular campground. With the sewer hose on the other hand, I have had to add an extension (I think just twice so far) to reach the dump inlet when they were placed all the way to the rear of the sites in campgrounds which have back to back sites and services run in a straight line between them. Even in most of those places however, the 20' Wastemaster hose has been able to reach sans extension. Just in case though, I do carry a 20' Wastemaster extension which is equipped with a Camlock. Fortunately, the Wastemaster hose has a 5 to 1 compression so that a 20' hose collapses down to 4'. The best thing about these hoses though, is that they extend and stay put at your chosen extension. Previous "premium" hose that tried before I found the Wastemaster would expand to their full extension as soon as you started dumping.
Don
If I am too far from the regular dump for the slinky hose, I carry one of these and 50 ft of 3/4" hose. How to Use a Macerator Pump On Your RV | Ditching Suburbia (https://ditchingsuburbia.com/blog/rv-macerator-pump).
Also use it at the house and pump to a clean out in the sewer line.
When I got rid of the 50 gallon muffler, made a rack to hang the hoses on, so no nasty hoses in the bays.