Micro Minnie Thread - Page 24

Marine359 · 12-24-2020, 05:06 PM

Thanks Old Navy. I think you just cut a hole in my pocket.

orangeminnie · 12-25-2020, 01:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marine359

Fred,
I keep vascillating between buying an inverter and an inverter charger. Have to make up my mind in a few days because my battery should arrive 2nd week of January.
I’m a bit of a cheapskate, but I’m leaning toward one of the more expensive options. The Xantrex Freedom XC 2000w has some features I can’t get with a stand alone inverter. I like the Bluetooth remote panel, but I especially like the ac load balancing feature. Since the inverter side supplies enough juice to start up the roof a/c, theoretically, I can then go outside and plug 2200w generator into shore power and the Xantrex will automatically balance load to share all the ac loads with the generator by reducing current to the charger. The Xantrex with remote comes in at just over $800 which is $300 more than the standalone route. If it can do everything they claim, it’ll be worth it in the long run.

It also has 2 fans, so I shouldn’t have to worry much about heat buildup. Maybe put a thermostatic 12v fan in the pass through and open the doors so the mice can get in. Lol

We've had the XC2000 for two years. It's a good unit at a palatable price, and easy to use, with good domestic support. It has quiet fans that only kick in when needed. The inverter is easily turned on and off with a pushbutton on the remote panel. The DW loves it. The XC2000 puts out an full 2000W (not 2000VA), even in warm conditions (unlike several competitors that are derated when warm and cost more). Everything you say about it is true. The bluetooth option works well but has a major bug: it "forgets" the connection each time the unit is shut down, so you need to repeatedly re-pair it with your smart phone. The wired remote panel will give you everything you need to see, and all programming can be done from this panel, without a smart phone. It's just clunkier that way. Also note that the rated AC pass-through current of the relay is only 24A continuous (30A surge), so only hook things downstream of the inverter that you really want it to run (for us, that does not include the water heater). A second AC breaker panel is usually needed. In our case, we installed a 50A "split" panel (in our 30A Minnie) to divide up the pre-inverter and post inverter loads, and sawed the neutral (white) wire buss in half. Also, you'll need an A/C soft start, or the surge will often trip the overloads on the inverter.

jayjayb74 · 12-31-2020, 09:57 AM

Hi all, I am located in Oregon and wanted to see what people are paying locally and nationally for tje 2100BH model. Thanks!

backtrack15 · 01-05-2021, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jayjayb74

Hi all, I am located in Oregon and wanted to see what people are paying locally and nationally for tje 2100BH model. Thanks!

All I'll say is I've had two unsolicited offers to buy mine from people who saw me working on it as they drove by the RV storage lot. I'm guessing there is a lot of regional variation, but it seems demand remains rather strong down here.

Amazonica · 02-24-2021, 03:28 PM

I've been inspired by the knowldegeable and creative folks on here. Since you never know what will help someone else, thought I'd share some repairs/upgrades. Let me state that I am not a pro and only very minimally handy. If I can fix things, ANYBODY can.

Had a small leak behind the toilet. Found out that the crimp on the braided nylon (white with silver) hose wasn't holding tight. Searched forums and found that his is a common problem in RVs (lots of jiggling and moving about). So instead of fixing it with the same ol' thing, I used some SharkBite connectors. We'll see how they hold up...so far, so good. "Before" are the top and bottom left side, "After" are top and bottom right side.

The bathroom faucet was so low that I couldn't comfortably wash hands, face, etc. Replaced with a Pfister "high rise" centerset and love it. Super easy. "Before" photos on the left, "after" on the right.

Old Navy · 02-24-2021, 04:58 PM

Nice jobs. I know myself and others have complained about the tiny faucet, so that's on my "to do" list.

Fred 2106DS · 02-24-2021, 06:14 PM

Amazonica, Nice repair and upgrade!

Our first upgrade to the MM was the bathroom sink faucet. We both hated it so much that we upgraded it during our first camping trip.

Amazonica · 03-03-2021, 07:04 PM

Thank you Old Navy and Fred2106DS.��
So many friendly folks and useful information on here. Lots of inspiration too!

Marine359 · 03-06-2021, 01:11 PM

We are anxious to get on the road with our newly upgraded MM. leaving 2 weeks after our second Covid vaccination which is next week.

A huge shout out thank you to Fred 2106DS for guiding me on this upgrade. Due to age and health obstacles, I wasn’t able to do it all myself, but i saved a few hours of labor by mounting components on a 3/4” ply board I had cut to fit, then I guided my installer assistant per Fred’s direction.

Just made a few changes. I decided to go with bus bars, so nothing would be connected directly to my battery. Bus bars will also allow me to add another battery just by connecting it to the bus bars. Also, instead of using conduit for the ac wiring runs back and forth to the breaker panel, I just bought a 50ft 30 amp shore power cord and cut it in half. The cord has sufficient rubber shielding to hold up under the chassis. Tucked the cords over the lip of the chassis rails, zip tied, and entered under the kitchen sink, as Fred showed. This can be done by an able bodied person. I had to shell out $800 for 10 hours labor.

RocknRoll · 03-06-2021, 03:12 PM

Wow! Looks great Jim. Are you planning on adding any solar later?

Marine359 · 03-06-2021, 03:38 PM

I need to make a couple of boondocking trips before deciding. If I add solar, it will be easy to connect the charge controller to the bus bars. I’ll should be able to do it myself if I can squeeze myself into the pass thru.

Fred 2106DS · 03-06-2021, 06:55 PM

Jim, your mod/upgrade looks good! I like that your install is nice and neat and easy to follow and understand.

I'm glad I could give you some ideas on how to accomplish what you were looking to do. I'll be interested to hear how the 12V fridge works out and what the average draw is over a 24 hour period.

Our plans are to keep our MM through 2021 and then sell or trade it and get something a little bigger for 2022. Both campers we are currently looking at have 12V fridge options.

Have a great trip!
Fred

Marine359 · 03-06-2021, 07:39 PM

I will post 12v fridge observed stats here in a few weeks. TGW (the great wife) is already asking about getting a bigger TT. Hard to explain to her that we are maxed out (tow rating) on our tow vehicle, which is not even one year old. In my mind, smaller is better. I will probably lose this battle in a year or so. Unlike me, she has never had to live under a shelter half.

johnevans3 · 04-03-2021, 12:22 PM

Our Insignia tv died. It's a cumbersome move but lift up on the bottom of the tv and it will slide up to bottom of the cabinet then tilt the top slightly forward and it will come out. Replaced with a LG smart tv which had the mounting holes that lined up with the bracket on the back of the Insignia. Worked great.

danzeck · 04-07-2021, 10:26 AM

Hi all - If you own a 2021 2108 FBS MM...

you will find 10 helpful trailer drawings received from the good folks @ Winnebago for the 2021 2108FBS in a public pic album in my user space:

https://www.winnieowners.com/forums/...albums369.html

Dan

shanghaimom · 04-29-2021, 09:58 AM

We have a new 2108TB and the beds are too firm. Any good suggestions on a topper? One issue is bed width (32") vs most twin toppers at 37-39". Also tough to sift thru various Topper reviews to find anything consistent. Would prefer to hear practical experience from my Micro Minnie brothers and sisters!

Thanks

Steve

Fred 2106DS · 04-30-2021, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shanghaimom

We have a new 2108TB and the beds are too firm. Any good suggestions on a topper? One issue is bed width (32") vs most twin toppers at 37-39". Also tough to sift thru various Topper reviews to find anything consistent. Would prefer to hear practical experience from my Micro Minnie brothers and sisters!

Thanks

Steve

This is thinking a little outside the box, but the best topper I've used and continue to use is a Cabela's 3" cot pad. I've been using the same pad for the past 20 years, first on a cot during hunting trips and now on my bed at my camp. If you have a Cabela's or Bass Pro near you, you may want to check them out. I see they currently come in two sizes. At the time I bought mine, I believe there was only one size. I measured the the width of mine and it measures 29", which appears to be in the middle of the two sizes currently available.

shanghaimom · 04-30-2021, 10:28 AM

Great idea but the 2 size options are pretty far off. They need a medium!

Steve

Amazonica · 05-03-2021, 12:26 PM

Regarding mattress toppers - I used to always get a 2" memory foam topper for my mattress - even when I lived in a sticks-and-bricks home. Finally decided to just splurge and get a good mattress for my Micro Minnie (I'm living in it fulltime). My Wilderness Mattress is the BEST I've ever slept on. They make special "RV" sizes. Got their top-of-the-line "Montana Hybrid" in Pillowtop. Well worth the money, and no topper to worry about. I do use a mattess cover.

reiberc · 05-03-2021, 02:33 PM

Has anyone connected an external gas stove to the aux LP gas connector under the trailer? Can you give me some tips I should consider before purchasing a supplemental gas line off Amazon that would connect the quick connect to my gas stove (thus replacing the 1 lb gas tank)?

Carl
Mechanicsburg, PA
2020 2108DS
2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee with V8