Lazy Daze Owners' Group

We jut picked up our 2021 Rear Bath on Sept. 24, 2020 and have already started modifying items for our camping lifestyle. First,  we have found many improvements from our last 2010 Rear Bath. The new V-8 engine has given us 11.9mpg on the first fuel tank re-filling! Of course we were staying under 65mph for the break-in period not towing. The digital dash will give us the transmission temperature readings. We opted for the Sirius CD radio and there are USB sockets on the dash. The TV antenna has the better signal level meter for antenna aiming. The rubber cab floor mats will be better for cleaning. The vinyl flooring will be easier for cleaning. Two of the ceiling fans have a remote control with a wall mount adaptor. the stainless kitchen sink has larger bowls and a great gooseneck faucet. I also like the lift handle on the bath sink.

Congrats, looks beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

Are you the first delivery on the new chassis?

 The Arizona sun gives some interesting light patterns on the floor when shining through the ceiling fan cover. There is now a built in shore power surge, under/over voltage & polarity protector (not for the generator) display near the side door. The tank monitor display is now on the wall above the stove. The stove top is now a heavy duty iron grill type. The Blue Sky Solar display is nice and is above the digital AC/heat pump controls placed on the wall above the dinette. They now have the Oxgenetic (sp?) shower head.  I had the MCD day/night shades in our last RB and now they are standard in the new LD on all the windows but the kitchen. That still has the louvered metal shades. The new Dometic toilet has small rinse orifices around the inside rim that swirls the flush water to clean the entire bowl. That works quite well. Also the rubber gasket around the flush ball can be easily replaced from above without taking the toilet apart. Outside: They now use the SmartPlug for the shore power connection to the coach. Good idea. Todd Miller said the side entry door is much heavier constructed and should not warp over time. We'll see. I do like the new style screen door.

My modifications are already starting, We already had a custom cut blanket to cover the opening from the coach interior to the cab. All that was needed was to put on new velcro to the walls to support the blanket. This does help in hot weather as well as cold nights. LD agreed to an optional ($) shutoff valve on the fresh water line at the toilet where I could connect whe water supply for a bidet. LD had also done this in our previous Rear Bath  ten years ago. When we get home about the end of October I will be doing a lot more modifications during the winter. You will see them posted here in this thread. Last photo is last night with the moon, Saturn and Jupiter above the Superstition Mountains.

Just wonderful.  Thank you for sharing and for including all those pictures.   BTW, I’d be interested in how the new engine and 6 speed transmission handles 6-7% grades.  Well done Mike.

Congratulations and thanks for the pictures and write up.  Your new rig is absolutely gorgeous.  I’m sure you’ll have many years of enjoyment ahead.

😀😀😀😀😀

- John

I think that 6%-7% grades offer little challenge for most engines; a more definitive test is how the transmission and engine pairing handles 8%-12%, pretty common in many mountainous areas of the west. (I know that some won’t drive those roads; just sayin’! 😉)

Mike,
Thanks for the pictures.  Keep them coming.  They make me even more anxious to get mine! 

Linda

Thanks for posting all those pictures, Mike! The instrument cluster looks as if it was lifted from the recent F-150 and F-250 (I've owned both), and that's a good thing--those were very well designed instrument setups. It takes a while to learn all the options, but once you do, you'll find it can display almost anything you could want to know. (Except trouble codes... you still need a ScanGauge or UltraGauge for those.)

Lazy Daze has made some good improvements. I see they installed a pull-down kitchen faucet, which I've found much more practical than the older pull-out type. I like your mods, too. Nice cab blanket!

I'll be interested to hear how you like the new Fan-Tastic fans. I replaced the guts of the two fans in my Airstream with those, but soon grew to dislike them. I found the remotes very counterintuitive, with a lot of button-pushing required to accomplish the simplest tasks. But maybe it's just me. :-)

"The Arizona sun gives some interesting light patterns on the floor when shining through the ceiling fan cover."

I like the light coming through the vents, but I found the patterns annoying, especially when the fan is running slowly (or it's off and the wind is spinning it)--the flickering just about drove me crazy. So I made scrims, as follows:

1. Replace the Fan-Tastic vent's four mounting screws with male screw-in snaps (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DHHTZFC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1).

2. Cut and hem a piece of lightweight, light-colored fabric--cotton, muslin, whatever will let light through but diffuse it. Make it about 17" x 19" (finished size).

3. Add female snaps to the corners. (The snap kit I linked to has everything you need, including the tool.)

These scrims will hang down a little, letting through air but diffusing the light--no more seizure-inducing flicker when the fan is spinning. :-) Only one drawback: you can't leave them in place when running the fan on exhaust because they'll be sucked up against the screen. I still find them very useful in mild weather. And the snaps on the vent bezel make it easy to add an insulated cover in cold weather.

Mike,

Congratulations on your new coach and thanks for the report on it. You'll have fantastic times with it as I'm sure you did with your prior LD.

The greatest feature I see is how much it still has in common with our 2003RB. There are many, many small refinements that add up to a significantly improved coach, but its essence is largely unchanged. The great LD floor plans, the excellent space utilization, the relatively compact exterior dimensions, the ability to add many of those refinements to an older coach if they are important to you. And the focus on features that help you RV successfully and not a lot else.

I appreciate that Lazy Daze, much like the best European car makers, doesn't make changes just for the sake of change. We get lots of curiosity about and compliments on our coach, about half admiring its "retro" style and the others amazed when I tell them its age, as it looks as good today as it did when new, so sort of retro and not at the same time. No planned obsolescence. And I always enjoy seeing a RB much older than ours pulling into camp, essentially the same.

I'm quite confident that you will get just as much enjoyment out of your new LD when it's 10 years old as you do now. Best of luck with it.

You are in for a great adventure !! I too Love the new instrument cluster, very fancy.  Happy trails.


Randy

When I first joined this group after buying our 2010 RB "Monty" ten years ago it was a problem filling the fresh water tank with blowback. Someone here showed how to make a copper tube to properly direct the water flow into the tank. The one I made stayed with Monty's new owner so I made a duplicate and it too works as designed.
 EVERY time I plug in at a new campground I first test the shore power socket for voltage & polarity. I made a 30 to 20 amp pigtail to use with the testing meter. Several times this has saved larger problems at bad sites.
Today I had the chance to add a towel bar and hooks in the shower stall.
There are a lot of bugs and spiders where we live in Florida. Adding stainless screens over the outside water heater vent (some people say "Hot water heater" but why would you want to heat hot water?) and screens over the gas furnace vents.
More to come---

When I first joined this group after buying our 2010 RB "Monty" ten years ago it was a problem filling the fresh water tank with blowback. Someone here showed how to make a copper tube to properly direct the water flow into the tank.

Mike,
How long is the straight portion of copper you're using?

..
 EVERY time I plug in at a new campground I first test the shore power socket for voltage & polarity. I made a 30 to 20 amp pigtail to use with the testing meter. Several times this has saved larger problems at bad sites.
....

Thanks Mike. Is it necessary to explicitly check voltage and polarity with built in surge protector in new model ?

Regards,

With all the great improvements that LD has made over the years I wonder it they will ever address water fill back flow issue?

Steve

I’ve always used a hose like this and have never had a problem filling up.

Linda, the straight part of the copper tubing is 12" with a 90 degree L on the end to match the same bend in the fill tubing into the water tank. This 'L' allows the water stream to go straight into the tank. I silver soldered all the pipe joints.

Muhammad, I find it better to catch the problem before putting power into the coach.

Steve, I think that the limiting factor is the very limited clearance between the top of the water tank and the sofa glide base above the tank.

Mike, can you explain the New SmartPlug shore connection?  I’m not familiar with it.

With all the great improvements that LD has made over the years I wonder it they will ever address water fill back flow issue?

Our LD's fresh water tank is set up for bottom filling. It as no back-flow issues
The fresh water tank's drain pipe was trimmed. Then with about $20 worth of parts from Home Depot, a PVC tee, another ball valve and a female quick-disconnect were added.
Used with a short, dedicated water fill hose, equipped with a male quick-disconnect, it allows filling without having to stand and hold a hose or other filler while the tank fills.  The water-fill door and cap need to be open while filling to prevent overfilling the tank.
Full water pressure can be used, when water starts dribbling out of the fill-cap fitting shut the water off, the job is finished.Water tank filler- bottom fill. | Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/lwade/sets/72157602095133804/)

Larry

Mike

Beautiful rig, love how the floor are all solid and the carpet has been totally eliminated, the rubber cab floor mats are nice too.
Some time, please post the dimensions of the new, SS kitchen shink, I think more than a few would be interested in seeing if if can be retrofitted, with the drains at the right height.

Larry.

Mike, can you explain the New SmartPlug shore connection?  I’m not familiar with it.

Try Google, Greg.  :)

Chris

Try Google, Greg.  :)

Google? What’s that?  :D

I’ve always used a hose like this and have never had a problem filling up.

I use just about the same set up and listen for the gurgle. At first gurg, I shut off the water flow. Works most of the time.

Chris

Greg, Amazon sells these cords, plug and socket. A bit pricey, but maybe better than my old, before Marinco setup. RonB
   Amazon.com: SmartPlug B30ASSYNT Combo Kit with Female Connector and Stainless... (https://www.amazon.com/SmartPlug-B30ASSYNT-Retro-fit-Connector-Shorepower-Accessories/dp/B01CT8Z4ZQ/ref=pd_sbs_263_4/132-8281299-0629826?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01CT8Z4ZQ&pd_rd_r=865e062e-9777-450b-97c4-3284b10f2fef&pd_rd_w=uFchi&pd_rd_wg=0653H&pf_rd_p=b65ee94e-1282-43fc-a8b1-8bf931f6dfab&pf_rd_r=HYZBED9A78WM7CKZK87C&psc=1&refRID=HYZBED9A78WM7CKZK87C)

Beautiful new rig! Congratulations. It's amazing to me that after 13 years Ford still hasn't given the front end a facelift. I personally love the front end but was thinking this year maybe they would finally update it since it has some new guts and instrumentation. It's amazing to see the similarities to our 2008 RB while seeing the continued tweaks and refinements. Personally, I love the carpeting in the living area and chassis but I understand why a hard floor would be preferred when it comes to keeping everything clean. You'll make some great memories!

Personally, I love the carpeting in the living area and chassis but I understand why a hard floor would be preferred when it comes to keeping everything clean. You'll make some great memories!

The sollid flooring can be covered with either throw rugs or a custom cut carpet overlay, for cold weather use.
Without some form of insulation over the solid flooring, the floor will be an drafty icebox when winter camping, not an issue if one never camps in cooler weather.
We look forward to the winter when a wider range of camping areas are avaialble, especially the deserts, which are inhospitable much of the year. Overnight freezing temps are common in the winter in our deserts, sometimes with light snowfall.
During the winter we appreiciate still having the Factroy capeting, plus a removable indoor/outdoor carpet overlay.

Almost everything in life is a compromise
Larry

The sollid flooring can be covered with either throw rugs or a custom cut carpet overlay, for cold weather use.
Without some form of insulation over the solid flooring, the floor will be an drafty icebox when winter camping, not an issue if one never camps in cooler weather.
We look forward to the winter when a wider range of camping areas are avaialble, especially the deserts, which are inhospitable much of the year. Overnight freezing temps are common in the winter in our deserts, sometimes with light snowfall.
During the winter we appreiciate still having the Factroy capeting, plus a removable indoor/outdoor carpet overlay.

Almost everything in life is a compromise
Larry

Agreed about the carpeting especially in the winter months. Just like my house, I like hardwood in the common areas and carpeting in the bedrooms. Plus, floor to ceiling carpeting in the front driver and passenger chassis area should just be standard in any RV. Can't beat the retro vibe! :D

"Plus, floor to ceiling carpeting in the..."

I have seen this carried to the extreme!

A German relative of ours has a business selling floor coverings. While visiting their home I was astounded to see that he had not stopped at the walls but had carried the carpet clear to the ceilings as well.  :o

A German relative of ours has a business selling floor coverings. While visiting their home I was astounded to see that he had not stopped at the walls but had carried the carpet clear to the ceilings as well.  :o

Why stop at the walls, go for the gusto!

Just think of the great acoustics.

Larry, the sink dimensions are: Outside metal edge to edge is 25" X 15.25"  The two identical bowls are 10.25" X 13" and 6" deep.  Washing pots & pans is a lot easier with the larger size bowls.
Greg & Chris, The SmartPlug now being used are marine grade materials and better protected from the weather. The female cord end locks to the stainless male socket on the motorhome.  This is much better than the previous twist & lock connections I had on the 2010 coach.
Andy, I can see where the incoming light through the spinning fan blades could very distracting. One of my planed upgrades this winter is installing Maxxair vent covers on all three MaxAir vents which will diffuse the direct sunlight and keep rain out while using the fans. Andy you did invent a great alternative. Looks good!
The closet door in the rear bath is held open with a plastic hook & grab hook next to the refrigerator. Those two parts were difficult (and noisy) to always work in our previous rear bath and are no different now. I devised a magnet solution to this issue. I attached the strongest kitchen cabinet door magnet to the closet door edge and glued two round magnets to a baseplate which was screwed to the wall frame where the door rest when opened. (see photos)  Now a gentle pull or push quietly disengages the magnets to close the door. 

Larry, I agree that the solid floor can get very cold on your feet as it was last night up on top of the Mogollon Rim (AZ) @ 7800+ feet and 48F.  Furnace worked well. We may try to find a Navajo rug along the way to NM that will fit the forward space. We already have carpet runners in the kitchen & bath area that came over from our past rear bath.  

Mike,
There was much discussion about the internal TPMS and valve stems.  Has Ford or LD  made the valve stems easy to use without extensions?

Oh, and does the oven still need to be manually lit, or does it have a piezo igniter?

Linda

Linda, The inside dual valve stems are still hard to access. Also the Ford TPMS are part of those stems. When I get home I will be researching if my Borg stems will fit those wheels.
The oven's pilot still has to be ignited with a match or lighter.

Oh, and does the oven still need to be manually lit, or does it have a piezo igniter?

Piezo lighters are great if you can see if the burner has lit, the lighter works well for the top burners.

The oven's pilot is hard to see even when you are on your knees. Without an electronic sensor or some other way of knowing if it is burning, the pilot could be releasing raw, unburned gas in small quantities.
The manually lit oven pilot is a safe, near fool-proof way of lighting the oven without adding a lot of extra parts and electronics, it is a dependable system, which fits perfectly with LD's philosophy of keeping it simple.
Too bad it's such a PIA.

Larry

Mike,

You mentioned early in this thread that your new LD has a built in shore power surge, under/over voltage & polarity protector display.  I could not find any mention of this feature on the LD web site.  Could you say a little more about it?

I gather you did not opt for the  Ford Driver Assist Technology Package.  Was this because you wanted Sirius XM radio which apparently is not available with the Technology Package?

Paul H.

We agree that lighting the oven is a PIA, that's why I let her do it.   ;D It only needs to be lite once per trip. I am sure that will give many the creeps. Hey, we drive with frig on propane also. We do cut off during fueling.

You're in my favorite campsite (#123) at Lost Dutchman.  Been there many times.  Love it as it is only 35 minutes from the house.

Bob

Paul H.> This year LD added an internal mounted Southwire Surge Guard RV power protection unit for the incoming shore power supply only, not for the  generator power feed. See photo for the display that is mounted on the lower kitchen cabinet wall at the entry door of the coach. It is not mentioned in the LD motorhome manual yet. This saves me adding a surge guard later as I was planning. This is a welcome addition!
Several years we had a friend visit us from New Mexico who had a medical problem and had to return home by air instead of driving home. We volunteered to drive her car back (a good reason for another trip west) to NM following (not towing) our motorhome. That car had the driver assist package and Elizabeth (car's driver as I drove the LD) found the system to be VERY annoying. That is why we declined to get it for Villa Verde. To re-enforce our decision the rental Penske box truck we drove to Arizona carrying all our motorhome gear was a new 2021 Ford E450. It had the driver assist  package. That was equally annoying to both of us (we both did the driving). The Penske Ford radio did have Sirius capability but not activated. On the up side the Ford dash was the new digital type that is also in Villa Verde. This allowed us to become familiar with its many features. The best is the display for the transmission temperature.  Yea!

Don M. You know our eating lifestyle and we never had the cause to use the oven. It's just storage for some lightweight containers. Oil/grease based cooking is also not what we do so dish cleaning is very easy on the holding tank.

Today we passed the first gray/white LD on this trip. We were eastbound on NM SR 53 east of El Moro Nat. Mon.  and they were westbound. We all waved.  The adventure continues.
 

Mike, what did you find annoying about the Driver Assistance features?

Greg, What was annoying on a long trip is the warning tones when getting too close to your lane sides, slowing the cruise control when starting to pass another vehicle. We like to be in full control of the vehicle at all times. I know this will stir up criticism from others but it is only our preference.  Others will have to decide for themselves what they want.

Yes, those tones can be annoying!  Not sure about the Ford chassis but on my Subaru, some features and tones can be disabled.  The adaptive cruise control is probably my favorite feature.  As you said, not for everyone.

So were you the first to take delivery on the new chassis?

Greg, I'm not sure we were. Todd said something about first building some showroom models before ours. The first chassis they received didn't have the driver assist package so that put us ahead of those that did opt for that option. 

"Driver Assist" features available as packages in most new vehicles are explained/described in this link; frankly, some of these would drive me nuts!  ::)

Driver Assistance Systems: The Ultimate Guide To Car Safety Tech (https://www.motor1.com/features/346112/driver-assistance-systems-guide/)

Why stop at the walls, go for the gusto!

If you're ever been to Graceland you'll see some insane "style" when it comes to floor to ceiling carpet!

Mike,

Do lower rpm has significant impact on engine sound in cabin?

Thanks

Muhammad, I can't tell much difference in engine sound level between the V-10 and the V-8. The V-8 could possibly be a little quieter but it is noticeably stronger in performance. The last tank fuel filling showed mileage at 11.7mpg. We are still in the break-in period staying under 65-mph. I have no negative issues with how well the coach handles. It certainly a pleasure for both of us to drive.

Mike, the power is due to reverting to a muscle car engine, pushrods. Someone will bring out a turbo for it and you can zoom up mountains like the diesels.

I have trouble with metric engine sizes.  How many cubic inches is the new V-8?

I believe it is approximately 445 cubic inches. 

We are now eastbound heading to Michigan for the Bigfoot jacks install. We stopped overnight in Clayton, NM at a small campground in town and settled in for the evening. To our great surprise another LazyDaze pulled in next to our site for the night. They were Larry & Kathy Jones, members of this forum! We had a delightful evening talking mostly about (what else) our motorhomes. We now have new friends. 

We now have new friends.

And you have more friends you just haven't met face to face . . . yet.
Joel

As Mike stated above, Kathy and I were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves parked next to a brand new Lazy Daze 27 footer here in Clayton, NM. I’ve been following their journey here in the forum, and it’s great to actually meet Mike and Elizabeth and get to see what’s new with Lazy Daze. They graciously gave a us tour, and we had a great conversation. We look forward to seeing them again on the road or in Colorado or Florida.

Safe travels,
Larry & Kathy

Now that we are back home in Florida and I have the time to start on my list if personalized improvements I will photo document these as they are completed.
On the way back from Arizona we first drove to the Bigfoot factory in Michigan to have the automatic (one pump) leveling jacks installed. We arrived the night before our install appointment and plugged into their 30-amp. service for the overnight stay. The install started at 7AM and was complete by 10:30AM. I requested the controller panel be mounted in a box with the connecting wiring cable emanate from under the back of the drivers seat with the cable long enough to reach outside the drivers door. When the jacks are down I leave the control box on the drivers seat as a reminder.
 We then went to visit close friends in New Buffalo, MI before heading south.  Along the way we stopped to see the "Ark Encounter"  in  Williamstown, KY. It is a full scale reconstruction of Noah's  Ark (see photo).
Back at our ranch I finally had some time to start on personalizing Villa Verde.  The latch on the bathroom door was always a problem when attaching it to the wall by the refrigerator. I replaced that with a cabinet door magnet on the door and additional button magnets on the wall. It holds well and is easy to open. I kept the button latch at the closet.
I picked up a step astro-turf carpet to catch some dirt before entering the coach.
Also from Camping World I added two drawers under the dinette table for paper, pencils, paper and small tools.
I ordered a 30 to 15 amp SmartPlug adaptor if all I want to power the coach in standby/storage mode with a regular (14ga) extension cord instead of dragging out the 25' SmartPlug.
There will be much more to come.

Mike, looks like you even got a little rain for the Noah's Ark visit!  ;) 

A couple questions:  How much weight do the levelers add?  I like the drawers under the dinette table. What prevents them from opening while underway?

Greg,  you would have to call the company for the weight #. Probably not more than a couple of hundred pounds.  The dinette drawers have something like a notch that keeps them closed. They are very handy to have.

Since we are planning on a trip for Thanksgiving a priority was to prepare the toad hitch assembly on the rear of the motorhome.  Villa Verde fit well on our vehicle lift where it was easy to access the back hitch. I use the Roadmaster Sterling tow bar that included safety cables that required a special bracket for attaching one end of the cables (see photo). There was no place on our Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk to attach those brackets so I attached them to the motorhome hitch assembly using grade 8 bolts. The rounded ends of the cable fit in descending slots on the brackets and to prevent them from working back up and out (that happened once early on). I put a bolt in the slot to keep that from happening again. Since that part stays with the tow bar on the motorhome only the standard hook at the other end of the cable needs to be released from the Jeep.
Shown in one photo is the electrical cord to the jeep for lights and power to the Jeep battery. I stayed with the LD 6-pin connection with the seven slot plug at the Jeep. As seen in the photo I have attached security steel links to a eyebolt to prevent theft of the cable. That happened at an interstate rest stop a couple of years ago. Yes, with the proper tools this could be removed but it would take some time which the average thief would not do.
Bigfoot (and Amazon) was also selling the Utility Block hard rubber pads for placing under the jacks for additional height if needed.  They can also be used to place under wheels for leveling without jacks. The rope handles make them easy to place under the coach and have a grooved interlocking face so they don't slide off each other. They also have two beveled edges for driving upon. They are replacing my old worn out wood blocks I had for additional leveling.
As shown I had the valve stems replaced with the Borg solid extended valve stems. They replaced the Ford pressure transmitter stems. The stem hole in the wheels are standard. Yes, a fault shows in the dash display when starting the engine but the touch of a steering wheel button clears it. That causes no other issues in the Ford computer. I use the TST tire pressure monitoring  system for all ten tires.
In the bathroom I added an additional light over the toilet taking power from the ceiling light over the lavatory. There is a white switch along this wiring next to the ceiling that sends power to the TST repeater that is mounted on the rear window.
The rear window shades rested on the sink faucet when pulled all the way down and so I had my cabinet maker nephew (and next door neighbor) fabricate wooden glides to keep the lowered shades closer to the glass and out of the way from using the toilet. They were stained and finished to match the interior cherry wood.  Much better now.

Thanks for the info. That's a nice setup you have there, Mike!

Mike, you have a contraption on the toilet (to the left of the toilet towards the back of the toilet in the picture).
I can't tell what... but it doesn't look standard from the toilets I have seen.
Maybe a bidet?  :D
Curious minds want to know....
Jane

Jane,  you are correct, it is a Magic Bidet MB-1300 available on Amazon. The water line is connected to a “T” valve LD installed in the line to the toilet. That was one of my extra options LD allowed .  It’s a very easy install I did on the road.

I'm still busy personalizing Villa Verde and here are more photos. I drilled lube access holes in the ends of the sewer valve assemblies plugging them with a stainless steel screw. I usually use silicone spray but for demo purposes the WD40 was close at hand. To slow freezing of the valves in cold weather camping I wrapped the pipes from the holding tanks with cork insulation tape.
I installed the Camco Quickie Flush system to both holding tanks. I learned the hard way to add hose clamps at each end of the hose as the original crimping does not always hold under high water pressure. Instead of using the bracket at the inlet end of the hose I installed two fresh water ports in the lower skirt of the LD for connecting the hoses. The hoses are wrapped with foam rubber pipe insulation (available at Lowes) to prevent freezing. The joints are wrapped with Gorilla exterior tape to hold it all together. When finished the whole system tested out very well.

I really like the three Fantastic fan roof vents however I would like to be able to use all of them in a rainstorm. To do so I installed MaxxAir II covers over each vent. They don't allow the Fantastic vent lids to open all the way however the are open more than enough for good circulation. The electric lid opener will stop when the lid touches the top of the MaxxAir cover.
My nephew woodworker made a wall mounted magazine rack for the bathroom and a utility tray for the loft bedroom.
At Camping World we purchased two sets of 3-piece carper runners to prevent cold feet on the vinyl floor. It is easy to take them outside to shake off accumulated dirt when needed. They fit perfectly in the Rear Bath floor plan.
For water leak or flooding detection I installed two Reliance Controls THP205 Reliance Sump Pump Alarm With Flood Alert, 9 V Battery, 6 Ft Wire Sensor from Amazon. One sensor is screwed on the floor near the water pump With the alarm mounted on the wall by the toilet.  The other sensor in placed on the floor near the water heater with the alarm on the wall in the under the kitchen sink cabinet.
When filling the fresh water tank I like to occasionally observe the water level in the tank while outside. I cut out an opening in the wall next to the front end of the tank inside the storage compartment behind the drivers door. I made a door from the removed wooden piece.
To keep the stored sewer hose in place I installed eye screws in the chamber behind the access door to hold a very short bungee cord across the hose end.  

Mike,
In your tank washer pictures, what is the white PVC that can be seen in the last picture?

Linda

I too was never comfortable with the grade 5 bolts LD used when attaching the rear bumper to the frame extension. I have now replaced these with grade 8 bolts, washers and nuts. Add a little red thread lock and tighten with a strong air impact wrench and now I feel better towing our Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk.
As I have done with past motorhomes I have installed low amperage (0.12 amps) 12VDC computer fans to the inside and back side of the refrigerator. I accessed power from the inside light fixture for the small interior fan and power from the control box at the outside rear of the refrigerator for the larger fan which blows air up over the evaporation coils. Both fans run as long as the refrigerator is powered on.
I found a very nice 3-ring binder notebook in the office supply isle at WalMart which works very well holding all the user manuals of the various RV components including the LD Manual. I place all the paperwork in clear plastic 3-ring sleeves and organize the manuals by electrical, exterior, appliances, mechanical, and miscellaneous. Purchase receipts are kept in the open files in the notebook lid. The notebook fits well in the forward overhead cabinets.

LyndaB,
The larger white PVC to the left is the holder for the remote thermometer transmitter for the inside wall Lacross atomic clock. Removing the pipe plug allows the sending unit to drop down for a yearly battery change. The open pipe end allows outside air to the thermometer.
The smaller white PVC pipe to the right is an air pocket equalizer at the top of the black holding tank. 

Mike and All,

These posts and pictures are making me extremely nervous .... for me, motorhome is the means to attain the goal of seeing all the national parks in next five years ... I researched and and buying LazyDaze to have problem free five years (If I keep it longer, I will not mind bringing it back to factory for refresh) this much modification on brand new motorhome is really required or this is hobby?

And no, I am not backing out trying RV travel style in fact I am hoping to move to UNICAT in five years.

Regards,

 this much modification on brand new motorhome is really required or this is hobby?

No, it's not.

Think about it like cars.  Many people are thrilled with the car as it comes from the dealer.  They can happily drive for years with just regular maintenance.  Others prefer to change the radio and speakers, get different tires, add all-weather floor mats, or upgrade the engine to get things just the way they like it.

Both people can get what they want out of the ownership experience. 

As much we love our LD, the best thing about ownership isn't the coach itself.  It's the places we visit, the experiences we have, and the people we meet along the way.

The young guy in the old beater car with a tent can reserve the same National Park campsite as the older guy with a $200K motorhome (assuming the MH even fits).  How many of us wouldn't love to be the young guy again, even if the mattress isn't as comfortable?

Rich

Muhammad,
What I am showing is more of personalizing our motorhome with what we have found to be useful in our many years of RV traveling. This is no negative reflection on the quality of the Lazy Daze motorhome, we chose LD because of the high standard of construction they hold themselves to. After owning our first LD (Monty) for ten great years (and 116,000 miles) of mostly trouble free travel all over North America it was a no brainer to stay with a prover quality motorhome as we  now have in Villa Verde. I can assure you, the high quality of construction is still there. Some are skeptical of getting the first of an updated Ford chassis, however I am very impressed with how well our first 4000+ miles we drove across the country (mostly on back roads) went. Engine noise level in reduced from what the V-10 level was. Power is much more than adequate for long steep mountain grades, and overall handling on the road is good. The digital dash requires a little learning curve but is is good to have. There is a significant increase in gas mileage from the V-10. In our initial trip the overall mpg was 10.6, the lowest 8.4 and the highest 11.9. We did use the generator several times when we dry camped. We got those mpg figures from the dash read-outs and our own calculation when refueling each time. Both concurred on the figures. It will be interesting to see how pulling the Cherokee will lower those numbers.
We are very pleased with Villa Verde and are looking forward to our next trip to North Carolina for Thanksgiving with family.

Thanks Mike and understood the reasoning behind upgrades. Seems like a new house where each owner take their time to make house into home.

Thanks again for sharing ...

It all looks good Mike. The only thing is you got a rear bath and green - again.
I do see one advantage of the RB, the water pump can be accessed without extreme body contortions.
You may be the only LD owner with a lift of which I remain jealous.

We are parked in a COE facility on the Alabama River. This is the first time we have been out since we got home July, 2019.
Sort of a shakedown trip, since we are back to newbie status.

Thanks Mike and understood the reasoning behind upgrades. Seems like a new house where each owner take their time to make house into home.

Thanks again for sharing ...

Muhammad, yes Mike knows how he likes things and this LD replaces the same exact model he had before.  So since he knows how he likes his RV and how he will use it, he knows what modifications he want it to have [right away].
Since so many things can be personalized and it is your first RV, I would suggest using it as is and seeing what you want different before making modifications. 
Jane

Mike - I am on my phone and can not see as clearly - are those shut off valves on either side of the water pump?  (I can only hope).  Is there shut off valves other places (eg by sinks/shower/toilet) so one part of the plumbing can be worked on without turning off the entire system?

Jane

Muhammad, yes Mike knows how he likes things and this LD replaces the same exact model he had before.  So since he knows how he likes his RV and how he will use it, he knows what modifications he want it to have [right away].
Since so many things can be personalized and it is your first RV, I would suggest using it as is and seeing what you want different before making modifications. 
Jane

Thanks Jane. My plan is to keep motorhome as simple as possible and that was the reason I got little worried seeing Mike's modifications, I thought they were required stuff  .... I have a very modest list of adding two additional batteries along with battery monitor. I also know where I will be going for hydraulic levelers and who will make my car ready for towing. As for rest of the stuff, as need arise but I am lazy and I know I will prefer a nice hike instead of spending time on upgrades. In long run, I hope I will find an honest person close to my home to help with improvements and maintenance, I know I need to be ready to tackle issues if I get stuck in the middle of nowhere but this is not my cup of tea.

Even for batteries, I seriously thought about getting battery/inverter/charger box but I think it will need more work in long run to have one more electrical system in the mix.

Couple of more months and we are excited to hit the road. I know it may sound illogical to lot of folks on this forum but instead of thinking about motorhome, I am working on places we will be going and routes we will be taking and working on a baseline system which will help for future plans (getting information from lot of places and integrating it on Google Map).

Cheers,

Jane,  those are hand tightening pipe fittings not valves. 

Don, Glad to see you are back doing what you two love to do. Are you staying at Gunter Hill COE? We have stayed there a couple of times (when you were out of town both times) when traveling westbound on US 80 toward I-20 as we were starting a western states adventure. It is a very nice facility as are most COE campgrounds. Must be cold there today as we dropped down to 50F this morning at the ranch. Your campsite here is always available whenever you want to come this way.

"find an honest person close to my home to help with improvements and maintenance"
Good luck with that. You can not find many in the whole country. The problem is not dishonesty, but lack of knowledge.
And then there is a long wait time for service since RV shops are backed up weeks servicing the POS rigs.
Talk to anyone that bought an RV made in Indiana, where 80% of RVs are made, and let them tell you how many times they have had their rig in the shop to fix the same issue.
An LD will not need much in the way of maintenance and I would suggest anyone should learn how to do it themselves rather than allow some inexperienced tech to create a mess.

13 years, 115,000 miles, and the only tech to touch ours installed the solar panels on day three from the Mothership.

This is not sour grapes, it's the way the RV industry has evolved.

Yes, Gunter Hill. FYI Prairie Creek toward Selma we rate one notch higher. Our friends from TN wanted to stay here. They brought us 3 cases of wine I ordered months ago. Alabama does not allow the wine to be shipped to customers.

Only 46 this am. No cold in the forecast, even in the northern part of the state where are headed.

A propane heater would have been nice last night. Need one to slide out from under the rig. About 50,000btu should work.

Don, drink enough of that wine and you won’t need the heater.  :D

"find an honest person close to my home to help with improvements and maintenance"
Good luck with that. .....

You been kind, honest and a sharp shooter and your message will stick with me for long ...  I keep coming to this forum to hear from folks like you. Just a thought that I can take my bedroom and bathroom with me on a short notice to anywhere I want to go is very attractive and this will push me to do whatever is required to get going. Fortunately between both of us we do have enough technical knowledge to appreciate how different parts are put together and work but do lack hands on experience but with modern tools I hope things are not as difficult as it used to be.

Thanks

.....About 50,000btu should work.

Don, are you trying to heat the entire outdoor :D .
My mom was one do those that continually told the kids to shut the door as we were not (heating/cooling) the outdoors.
Jane

Hi Mike;  Very impressive improvements. I haven't felt the need for tank flushing systems, but I put those on my previous MH. The TK with separate outlets, has direct access to the tanks, and I haven't needed cold weather insulation yet.
   So the "  air pocket equalizer at the top of the black holding tank.  " confused me. Do you only have one roof top vent for both tanks, or two black tanks? Maybe the shape of the black tank has two upper areas? Did you add that or is that a factory item?    RonB

The single black tank has 2 upper areas that have to be connected for air venting. There is only one holding tanks vent to the roof.    Today the flushing system was invaluable when dumping after a week long stay in one place creating the outhouse effect which the spray nozzle eliminated easily.

Thanks to the idea of Mike Coachman in Response #56, this past weekend I cut and stained, then installed a valance for my rear window shade.  It is very similar to the one that his nephew made and installed, except that I mounted the valance pieces directly to the wall on either side of the back shelf.  I did not cut the two inside pieces that are shown in Mike's pix at entry #56, although that is a very nice look.   I used two "L" brackets and wide thread screws per board.  The 65 degree bevel I cut the bottoms to prevents the boards from moving forward (in conjunction with the L-brackets), so I did not install the one L-bracket per piece to the top of the shelf.  My design is a little different in that my wife wanted to use the shelf as we normally do when in set-up mode with small trays of toiletries and other stuff sitting on the shelf.  She did not want to remove everything in order to pull down the shade.  So, I cut my pieces to land at the bottom just 1 inch out from the back wall so everything can stay in place while she lowers the shade.  Thanks for the idea, Mike!  (I wonder why LD never thought of that?)

Hi Mike;  Just one vent pipe to the roof. I guess RVIAA doesn't require separate pipes for each tank, I thought that they did. That would simplify running pipes to the roof.

Ray, The original idea for the shade glides came from MCD when I had the shades installed on my previous Rear Bath "Monty" several years ago. They had a carpenter on call that did the work for me when I was at MCD for the initial shade installation. Maybe you would forward your photos to Todd at LD as a suggestion for their future coaches. I will do that also. 

We have now returned from our Thanksgiving week excursion to North Carolina. This was the first time towing our Jeep Cherokee (4400 lbs) and I must say that with the additional Ford engine power performance was exceptional. A good part of the journey was on interstate highways driving at the posted speed limits. Mileage was between 8.3 to 9.7 mpg which I was very pleased with. With our previous V-10 LD we normally got an average of 7.5 mpg on the same route and driving rate. Handling was good but I still want to experiment with tire pressures to see what will minimize drift with passing big trucks, side winds and pavement ruts in the outer truck lanes. I hardly knew the Jeep was back there but was occasionally reminded when seeing a white car very closely following us on the rear video monitor. :-)  
One interesting feature with the digital dash and controls is that there is a manual gear shift position for the transmission selector. Along the right edge of the Tach gauge is a selected gear (1 to 6) vertical display and on the gear shifting arm is (+) and (-) buttons for gear selection. I strongly suggest anyone getting this new chassis to throughly read the owners manual on the use of this system. I am still learning.
Now it is time to continue with more modifications. I am strongly considering converting to lithium batteries and am slowly doing the research now. There are several battery styles out there and plenty opinions about each one on YouTube. As we do a lot of dry camping lithium may be the way to go as they are easily quickly recharged. The voltage holds until almost drained. The temperature environment restrictions can easily be controlled with proper install locations and insulation. I checked with the Parallax converter technician and found that their staged battery charging system is compatible with lithium. My model 8300  55-amp converter also comes with battery temperature sensors for overheat shutdown. The solar controller is also compatible with lithium. I am not planning on installing a large inverter because we don't have need for high draw AC power. It helps that we are not coffee drinkers. Possibly the microwave is but we run the generator for the short time we use it. I will have a (maybe) 600 to 700 watt inverter for charging and operating some electronics (dvd player, computers, hand vacuum etc.). One concern is the charging voltage from the Ford alternator when driving. I will be checking that out. Al least I have all winter to spend in the shop.      

Thanks, again, Mike for the valance or "slider idea for the rear window shades.  They were so easy to construct, and are a really good, functional mod.  As I stated in a previous post, my project was a little less involved than was yours.  That translates to "it was something that even I could do!"  It actually took more time to carefully measure it out than it did to cut and install.  I don't know if this is the correct forum to post the following, and if not, my apologies to the moderator(s).  Here are the steps needed if any other amateur carpenters care to make a pair of these:

I bought a 4' length of clear, kiln dried Doug Fir.  It measured 7 1/4" wide.
I set my table saw blade at 65 degrees and crosscut each end of the board.  (After the first cut, flip the board end-over-end for the second cut.  You want both ends of the board to have parallel bevel cuts.
Reset the saw blade to 90 degrees and do one full rip cut (entire length of board).  My cut was measured out to leave me with one board 4 1/4" wide, and one 3" wide.  This is because the right end of the shade is actually 3" from the driver side wall.  The left end of the shade is 1" from the shower stall wall.  By making unequal rip cut, I was able to provide 1 1/2" +/- of slide contact for each end of the shade.  Also, by crosscutting identical 65 degree bevels at each end of the board prior to the rip cut,  each board now has a perfect 90 degree edge to fit flush to the wall, and each still has a rounded edge facing out to avoid splintering, etc.
Use a wood rasp to round off each bottom outside corner to provide a non-contact fit over the caulked seam of the deck and wallboard.
From the beveled end, measure up 28 1/2" on each board and crosscut. 
Stain with appropriate wood stain.  I used Cherry to match our cabinets.  I put on three coats with a small rag and let dry a few hours in between each coat.  DO NOT SAND.
Now, try the fit with the bevel end sitting flush on the rear window deck, and the top end resting on the inside of the upper valance. 
If the placement is where you want it (test it by pulling shade up and down) then remove the boards and install two small L-brackets along the inside wall edge of each board.  I set mine at 10" and 20" up from bottom end of each board.  Pre-drill screw holes to avoid splitting the board so close to it's edge.
Place boards back in place and use wide threaded but short pan head screws to hold the brackets against each wall. If you are careful, they will self tap through the wallboard. The screws I used were only 1/2" long.  There will be no weight or force acting on these slides, so lightly attach each to the wall board to avoid stripping out the threaded hold.  Just screw in tight enough to avoid any movement of the board.

That's it.  the entire process-- not counting the trip to the lumber yard -- took me about an hour and half.  If I do not count the layout measuring and staining/drying time, the actual wood cutting and install took about 45 minutes.  The only cost was for the kiln dried Doug Fir, which was pricey.  I already had a can of stain and the brackets and screws laying around.  The tools I used were a bevel gauge and protractor, tape measure, table saw, wood rasp, cordless drill, Phillips head screwdriver.

One concern is the charging voltage from the Ford alternator when driving. I will be checking that out.

Mike, I am very interested in that. Yes, let us know when you figure things out.
Jane

Will let you know Scott or Jane.

Our LD's fresh water tank is set up for bottom filling. It as no back-flow issues

Full water pressure can be used, when water starts dribbling out of the fill-cap fitting shut the water off, the job is finished.Water tank filler- bottom fill. | Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/lwade/sets/72157602095133804/)

Larry

Darnit Larry!  Just when I thought knew all the projects I wanted to get done.....I have to stop looking at your upgrade posts

I have been busy in the shop since returning from a North Carolina Thanksgiving. I just completed what should be an easy (not) installation of under coach LED lighting to help prevent rodent nesting and wire damage from those critters. It did help to be able to stand/walk under the coach (pix) for the job otherwise it would have been more of a PIA to do. This idea came from fellow campers at a NFS campground in Montana that propped open their engine hood at night to let some light in which prevented the rodent problem. Taking their idea I had completed this same install in our previous LD ("Monty") and thereafter had no evidence of nesting or damage. Before that install there had been nesting on top of the V-10 between the cylinders and generator enclosure. A generator fuel line had been chewed on on top of the gasoline tank. 
For the new LED install I bought two 13" light strips and five stairwell lights from theM4 LED store. I took 12VDC coach power from the coach side of the solenoid switch that connects the Ford engine battery to the coach batteries while driving. This solenoid is located under the engine radiator fluid reservoir tank (pix). While there I also installed a Trik-L-Start relay switch using each side of the solenoid for the connection (pix).
I attached the two strip lights under the engine hood (see pix), a single stairwell (SW) light at the rear top of the engine (pix), two SW lights on each end of the Onan generator housing, and two SW lights at the top rear of the fuel tank (pix). Total energy draw is 1.8 amps. I used 16ga. wire wrapped in the plastic corrugated sleeve and placing the 5amp. fuse at the power source.
I have decided to go with A Battle Born lithium coach battery conversion and will start the change over in January. More to come about that later.
  

Let us know how effective the lights are over time.
Owners of V10s, with rodent problems, might be interested in lighting the valley below the intake manifold, a favorite place to build a nest. I have been amazed how much stuff a rat can drag into the valley, and the damage done, given a few weeks time..

Larry

Larry, that is exactly where the rear LED is pointed, down the valley between the heads and under the intake. I did the same with my other V-10 after clearing a nest from it's valley. Five years later after a lot of boon dock forest camping, no nesting of any kind there. The same for the generator enclosure. Had a nest near the muffler and no more after putting a LED there. I am now just repeating what worked for me in our new RB.  

Larry, that is exactly where the rear LED is pointed, down the valley between the heads and under the intake. I did the same with my other V-10 after clearing a nest from it's valley. Five years later after a lot of boon dock forest camping, no nesting of any kind there. The same for the generator enclosure. Had a nest near the muffler and no more after putting a LED there. I am now just repeating what worked for me in our new RB.

Good to know, thanks.

Larry

Again, taking ideas from Larry Wade's modifications, I have added a thermal shield to the tailpipe near the right rear inside tire position. I fabricated a piece of old aluminum street sign from my spare parts bin for the shield. Using two 3-1/2" 'U' pipe clamps I attached the shield to the part of the tail pipe closest to the tire behind the axle. Hopefully this will help minimize overheating the tire.  I know there is also some heat exposure ahead of the axle but I'm not addressing that yet.  

Again, taking ideas from Larry Wade's modifications, I have added a thermal shield to the tailpipe near the right rear inside tire position. I fabricated a piece of old aluminum street sign from my spare parts bin for the shield. Using two 3-1/2" 'U' pipe clamps I attached the shield to the part of the tail pipe closest to the tire behind the axle. Hopefully this will help minimize overheating the tire.  I know there is also some heat exposure ahead of the axle but I'm not addressing that yet.  

I remember hearing about this issue in previous threads so I made a point to specifically look at the distance from the right rear inside dually tire to the exhaust piping when I was crawling around under Bossa Nova. I was surprised at how much distance was between the tire and piping. I measured it at 7.5 inches. Is the rear bath model closer than that? Not sure if this is something that should be addressed on my model . . . ?

I remember hearing about this issue in previous threads so I made a point to specifically look at the distance from the right rear inside dually tire to the exhaust piping when I was crawling around under Bossa Nova. I was surprised at how much distance was between the tire and piping. I measured it at 7.5 inches. Is the rear bath model closer than that? Not sure if this is something that should be addressed on my model . . . ?

Greg, do you have TPMS? I was convinced to add a shield after seeing our TPMS consistently show the inner passenger-side tire temperature was noticeably higher than all the other tires and seeing pictures of the extensive damage caused by that tire blowing out.

Charles

Greg, do you have TPMS? I was convinced to add a shield after seeing our TPMS consistently show the inner passenger-side tire temperature was noticeably higher than all the other tires and seeing pictures of the extensive damage caused by that tire blowing out.

Charles, I don’t have an aftermarket system just whatever Ford put in the standard chassis. So, I don’t think I can monitor temperatures with that.

Greg, I understand. I believe most OEM TPMS (all?) do not display temperatures, only pressures. Before I installed our TPMS I used an IR non-contact thermometer during some stops and checked pressures every morning with a manual gauge.

Charles

Charles, I don’t have an aftermarket system just whatever Ford put in the standard chassis. So, I don’t think I can monitor temperatures with that.

Besides running hotter, the passenger-side, inner dual tire's air pressure rises higher than the other tires. If your Factory TPMS monitor shows individual tire pressure, you can see the differences in pressure, caused by the heat exposure.
If the Factory TPMS does not show the pressure, an aftermarket TPMS will, a ten-channel model is something you should consider, especially if you will be pulling your Forester.
If you rotate the tires regularly, the heat problem isn't extreme. Those of us running with wheel stem extenders cannot use a six or seven tire rotation schedule without breaking the wheels down and moving the stems to other wheels.
A more practical approach for extender owners is a side to side rotation of the rear tires, spreading the heat exposure over two tires.
The front tires can use a two or three tire rotation, I add the spare into the rotation.
Both the front and rear rotations are done at America's Tire, one of the benefits of buying tires from them. It's a lot of work, let the youngsters do it.

Added shields will help reduce the heat exposure problem, the apparent cause of many inner, right rear tire failures.

Larry
 

Thanks guys, my parts list is growing ever longer!  :o

I have just completed the most involved LD modification I have ever attempted, converting the coach AGM batteries to five Battle Born lithium 100AH batteries. Most will say what I have done is overkill for the planned usage of just running the current coach DC loads including an addition of a Renogy 1000 watt true sine wave inverter to be only used with a six outlet plug strip. The strip will be available for the computers, small item battery charging (razor, toothbrush, drill, vacuum, air compressor, etc.). What I like about the Renogy is that it has a low draw standby mode when not being used so it doesn't have to be switched off & on so much. The other deciding factor is that the lithiums have a 10-year warranty and I still hope to be using this coach for at least the next 10 years.

Right now I am just using the two solar panels that came with the coach. Quite possibly I will add more later.
I replaced the Parallax 8300 55amp. converter with the Progressive Dynamics (PD) 4655LI unit, however I kept the Parallax DC distribution board even though one did come with the PD. Therefore the Parallax converter and the PD DC fuse board is available if someone needs to upgrade. This board works with the PD 'Charge Wizzard' which is unused in the lithium charge setting.  The Lifeline AGM batteries are already spoken for by another LD owner.

I constructed all the battery cables using 2/0 gauge welding cable which is more flexible than automotive cable and much easier to work with. Battle Born (Dragonfly Energy) techs were saying 1/0 cable is what they recommend connecting batteries but the 2/0 is much better for current flow between batteries. I got the tools and supplies (red & black welding cable, terminals, cable cutter, crimpers, heat shrink tubing, junction post, disconnect switch, etc.) from Amazon.

After removing the original LD batteries, I cut ventilation and cable routing holes in the plastic battery box and fully insulated  the outside access door. The lithium batteries don't like freezing and extreme heat. The batteries will enjoy the interior climate instead.  The Battle Born (BB) GC2 100AH batteries are a direct replacement/fit for the Lifeline AGM batteries. Adding to those I placed three BB standard size 100AH batteries under the front dinette seat strapping them down to the floor. Because of the larger cable size the distances between the batteries will make no difference in the equalization of charging in the five battery bank. LD has mounted all main fusing inside the battery box as did for the Bigfoot jack install. I left this unchanged but did add a large fuse for the Renogy inverter on the wall behind that unit.

BB included a Victron BMV-712 smart battery monitor with bluetooth for connecting with a smart phone. It controls a shunt placed on the negative side of the battery bank. I mounted the monitor screen on the wall between the front dinette seat and the sofa. Between the batteries and the shunt I added a heavy duty disconnect similar to what LD installs as an option. I can reach the switch handle from both the inside under the dinette seat and the outside battery box door. This will shut down the entire battery system in an emergency.

In constructing the battery cables I tipple crimped the copper terminal lugs first at the 2/0 setting then again at the 1/0 setting on the crimper for a firm grip to the red and black wires. This was covered with 3/4" 3:1 adhesive lined red or black heat shrink tubing. Taking the lead from LD I coated the lugs with dielectric grease for oxidation protection. These were attached to the battery terminals with  3/8" stainless bolts and nylon locking nuts.  The positive and negative cable lengths have to be equal length between the adjoining battery for equalized charging. I mounted a power junction post for many of the positive leads to the battery bank then attaching that to the battery with the heavy cable. On the negative side the shunt serves that purpose. For maintaining the charge on the Ford engine battery I have installed a Trik-L-Start unit by the solenoid switch that connects the engine alternator to the coach batteries when driving.

Yesterday after completing the job I switched the system on and no sparks flew and no great clouds of smoke showed. Everything tested out correctly. WHEW!!!  I slept well last night.  See attached photos:

Nice, clean job!  The 2/0 welding cable is so much fun to work with.
Your electrical needs should be well covered once a few more solar panels are added.

With so much potential ampeage available, I like to add a Catastrophic Fuse ( T-class, fast acting), to the battery circuit, usually a 400-amp fuse,  Five 100-amp, lithium batteries could generate a huge amountof power in case of a short,
MARINCO Pro Installer 400A Class T Fuse Block | West Marine (https://www.westmarine.com/buy/marinco--pro-installer-400a-class-t-fuse-block--14981856?recordNum=1)

Larry

Thanks Larry. Good idea. I may have one in my electrical parts bin. If not, I can order one. I have just enough red cable to make the addition. I only had 4" of black cable left over from the install. That was cutting it close!

A very good fuse. I would order a spare if you do need one on the road. Not something you could run over to Home Depot to get, if you do need one.  Dropped wrenches inside the battery box come to mind.   RonB

The next modification is repeating one I did years ago to our previous rear bath. I replaced the original Winegard batwing TV antenna with the Winegard Rayzar Air paddle bidirectional antenna. It worked well in the past and I had been unsuccessfully looking for another one for Villa Verde. What I liked about the Rayzar is it takes up less roof real estate when down and is not as high when extended.  The other day while at our local RV service center parts section I found what I was looking for way back in the corner of the store. It appeared to have been there for some time. Winegard may not be making them anymore. This style is not shown on their web site any more.
To install, all that was needed to remove the batwing by pulling two pins at the base of the two supporting tubular legs, cut the RG-59 coax cable and it is removed. The Rayzar comes with one leg that easily fits back on the rotating stand. I cut to shorten the Rayzar coax, added RG-59 F-connectors which were joined to a barrel adaptor all protected with dielectric grease. The joint was then covered with two layers of heat shrink tubing. I added two nylon bumpers to the face of the antenna to keep it from full contact with the roof. Job done!!
  If anyone needs a batwing replacement let me know. I already added a F-connector to the cable for the future install.

err Mike, you supposed to be out looking at the stars

Darn and I just replaced my antenna!  Do you get any “sail effect” when up
from that, Mike?

The latest modification was to install the WeBoost (Wilson Electronics)  "Drive Reach RV" model cell phone Signal Booster for RV's in Villa Verde. I ordered it directly from Wilson. The outside antenna was designed for mounting via U-bolts to the ladder railing, however I had a different idea, mounting to the roof with a magnet base. I ordered one- 3" diameter 100-lb. grip mounting magnet from K&J Magnetics which I modified to fit the antenna spring base. I then fabricated a galvanized steel plate that I painted and attached to the roof just forward of the center fan vent. This was sealed and screwed down with stainless steel screws. Before attaching to the roof I temporarily hooked the the system to test for oscillation of the signal between the roof and inside antennas. I mounted (with velcro) the inside antenna in the left overhead cabinet on a raised platform between the front and center sections of that long cabinet.
Upon testing there was no antenna oscillation activity which if there was, would be indicated by a red warning light on the amplifier. Inside the coach my iPhone showed 1-bar with the system off and 3-bars throughout the cabin with the system powered up.
The reason I preferred the roof mount antenna as the aluminum roof acts as a great ground plane for the antenna ability to receive and send a stronger signal to the cell tower.
I drilled a 3/8" hole up through the roof from the rear part of the left overhead cabinet for the outside antenna cable. I fabricated an aluminum plate with a center partial ridge to cover and seal the entry point on the roof. This was also screwed & glued down for a tight seal.
I mounted the amplifier to the rear wall of the cabinet and round stapled the inside antenna cable forward to the mounted antenna. All the excessive antenna wire was wound up and attached to the cabinet wall.
Wilson only included a 120VAC power supply for the amplifier and not the optional 12VDC power supply. I called the Wilson customer service rep. and asked why would they do this for a system designated for a motorhome that has a primary 12V power source. They couldn't answer that and immediately mailed me the 12V power supply at no charge.
The newly arrived 12V cable had a fuse and a lighted on/off button on the back of cigarette lighter plug. I drilled a 3/8" hole in the rear corner of the overhead cabinet and fed the power cable down to the 12V power socket under the dinette. The power cable has a plastic housing for a 12VDC to 5VDC transformer. The cable is also wrapped around a small magnet to filter out any ignition interference. 
Job completed!

Mike, nice upgrade!  Curious, though, why you didn't mount the antenna closer to the penetration on the roof?

Greg,  First, I wanted to take advantage of the largest amount of aluminum roof ground plane in all directions and second, I wanted to distance the antenna from signal reflections off the vertical AC metal framework. Just my preferences.

I just completed the next modification on my list: The adding of aromatic red cedar closet paneling to the rear wall of the clothes closet. The panels were available from Lowes and one box was enough to complete the job. I used a battery powered brad nailer for attaching the tung & groove boards to the back wall. 

Kinda like your “Hope Chest” surrounded by your “Dream Machine”. Nice job. 👍👍

Kent

I just completed the next modification on my list: The adding of aromatic red cedar closet paneling to the rear wall of the clothes closet. The panels were available from Lowes and one box was enough to complete the job. I used a battery powered brad nailer for attaching the tung & groove boards to the back wall. 

Great idea, Mike!

I am aware of the national problem of catalytic converter thefts. So after looking at a couple of commercial anti-theft devices I thought I would do my own version of the 'CatClamp.'  I did this by weaving about 15' of stainless steel aircraft control cable that I happen to have in my miscellaneous parts bin through the top & bottom heat shields of the converter and around the cross frame beams before and after the converter. I used  heavy duty cable clamps to secure the ends of the cable to adjoining cable loops keeping the clamps flexible and hard to cut. The clamp bolt nuts were put on with red thread-lock and tightened with an impact wrench. The clamps were positioned above the converter to slow access to them.  Hopefully this will discourage a thief.    

I don't know if the cable would make it impossible to extricate the CAT after cutting the exhaust fore and aft,  but it looks different enough from the average install to make the thief look for an easier target.  You can't stop them, but only encourage them to go elsewhere.
joel

The thief usually uses a battery reciprocating saw to cut the pipes and that tool would have a very difficult time cutting the highly flexible stainless steel cabling or clamps. I tried cutting this cable with one end in a vice and it still took some time just to cut just two strands before I quit. It could probably be done with a lot more time underneath which is undesirable for the thief. The cable would have to be cut as it is routed through both top and bottom heat shields welded to the converter.
I still have to come up with a solution for protecting the converter on our Jeep Cherokee toad. I may fabricate something later for that.

From my earlier post on the installation of the lithium battery bank I said:
"Right now I am just using the two solar panels that came with the coach. Quite possibly I will add more later."
Well later arrived and I just completed an install of the third solar panel. I ordered a 200 watt mono-crystalline panel from AM Solar. The mounting hardware is designed to use with tilting arms when the need comes up. I spoke with Sunforge, the maker of the SB3000i solar controller that came with the LD and they said their controller is designed to handle up to 400 watts (probably a little more). The wiring from the roof passing through the solar controller and to the Progressive Dynamics converter is 10-gauge which is adequate for the incoming amperage from the three panels according to AM Solar.
The install: Since I replaced the gull wing TV antenna with a Winegard flat panel Razar antenna, this allowed for just the right amount of space aft of the antenna's stored position to mount the 61" X 28" solar panel. This location still gives enough walking space past the panel. The mounting brackets came with 3M VHB tape for sticking to the roof which I augmented with some SS screws. The mount was also sealed with Dicor self leveling sealer. There were MC4 terminal block wire connectors on the panel wires and matching connectors on wire pigtails that had to be butt connector spliced to the round 10/2 cable which was routed to the junction box installed by LD for the first two panels. The MC4 connectors will allow the easy unplugging of the panel if the need ever arises. The junction box contained a fuse block and covers the wiring hole through the roof. All the necessary wiring parts were supplied by AM Solar. Even though I was working inside my shop I still covered the two 100 watt panels with cardboard to minimize power output from the panels. I also pulled the fuse from the solar controller to the converter. It took almost a day to complete and at least 20 trips up & down the 12' step ladder next to the coach.  The patterns on the roof are only strange artifacts in the photo and not in the original picture. Must have something to do with the upload to this site.
Now it is time to pack Villa Verde for our western summer excursion soon. We will have two caretakers watching over the ranch in our absence. Now if we can just keep the hurricanes away----

I am surprised that there is a Suburban analog thermostat to run the furnace when the one above it will do a better job with 1 degree hysteresis. Maybe an A/C with heat pump cannot run a furnace?

Just checked. Dometic does have a CCC thermostat as pictured that does control a furnace and heat pump. Wonder why LD added the analog thermostat. The digital one works better.

With a better standalone charger your lithium batteries could be charged by the generator at 200 amps. I find that very helpful in reducing generator run time. Maybe you don’t charge by generator.

Just checked. Dometic does have a CCC thermostat as pictured that does control a furnace and heat pump. Wonder why LD added the analog thermostat. The digital one works better.

With a better standalone charger your lithium batteries could be charged by the generator at 200 amps. I find that very helpful in reducing generator run time. Maybe you don’t charge by generator.

Many have had long-term problems with Dometic’s digital HVAC control, the analog control is simple and more dependable,

While it would be nice to charge at a 200-amp rate, I have never seen a converter or battery charger that uses the generator’s full 30-amp, 120-volt output to acheive a 200-amp charge. Some of the more expensive inverters have 100-amp chagers.
Better still, Mike’s new V8 can have the optional 240-amp alternator installed and thuse it exclusively to charge a lithium powerpack
And with 400-wattsof solar, he will not need hookups as long as the A/C is not needed.

BTW, I have found the 3000i solar controller can handle 500-watts of solar and stay within the stated specifications. The 3000i’s maximum input is 24-amp. With 500-watts of solar, 23-amps is the most ever observed.
Our LD’s solar lead in cables were changed from 10-gauge to 6-gauge, to eliminate excessive voltage drop that occurs when using undersize wires. When I calculated the voltage drop, staying with 10-gauge cable, the voltage drop was way over the 3% maximum that is standard in the marine electrical business, for power supply circuits. To get the most out of you solar money, upgrade the entire system. I like to see voltage drop under 3%.

Larry

Many have had long-term problems with Dometic’s digital HVAC control, the analog control is simple and more dependable,

What are the problems? I haven’t faced them yet but probably will. I have had the digital control on an NXT Blizzard A/C and Suburban furnace for six months. No complications yet.

I charge from the generator at a 120 amp rate. I have two 60 amp and one 80 amp Progressive Dynamics lithium chargers but they are “smart” chargers and when paralleled they are not additive. Haven’t solved that problem yet. 120 amps uses less than half of the generator capacity but generator runs are brief. I don’t charge lithiums from the alternator and solar is only 200 watts.

What are the problems? I haven’t faced them yet but probably will. I have had the digital control on an NXT Blizzard A/C and Suburban furnace for six months. No complications yet.

Be happy your digital control still works correctly.
We have close friends who have had issues with their Dometic digital HVAC control since their 2006 LD was new.
It is a much more complicate control system compared to the furnace and A/C having separate controls.
One advantage of older rigs is the simple controls, our 2003 LD’s furnace and A/C has separate control and still work.
If they stop working, troubleshooting them is within the range of a decent home mechanic, can’t do that with digital controls.

I may be a bit of a luddite, I like mechanical controls better than electronics due to the dependability. I would hate owning one of the newer RVs where all the controls for lights, fans, water pump, heater, A/C, slides, shades and whatever other electrical device are all controlled with one LCD panel.
If something dies in the system, nothing will work and there are no easy work-arounds, while you desparately try to find a shop that understands how the controls works and has the right testing equipment and parts to fix it.
In many cases, a trip back to the Factroy is the cure.
Simple has its advantages, one reason why I like LDs.

Larry

Hah!  Ours is the 2006 rig that Larry is referring to. The LCD display on the digital thermostat shows each of the functions that it controls: fan, AC, heat (the electric one in the AC unit), furnace, and “off.”  You push a button to cycle through each to select the one you want. There are < and > buttons to adjust the temperature up and down. For our first several years of ownership it all worked fine. Then we started finding that, on occasion, in damp, cool conditions some of the functions simply would not appear. You couldn’t access them. Of course, in cool and damp weather it was always the furnace that was AWOL. This was a particular pain while boondocking at a Caravan Club outing near Solvang (CA) when the overnight temperature went down to 17. Yeah it was fun trying to wash and dress that morning!  I’ve had Steve B and Larry W take looks at it, and even replaced it with a new unit, but the problem persists. What is galling is that it is intermittent, thus making a diagnosis/repair problematic. Sometimes it works fine in similar conditions. I have more recently found that if I go through a reset procedure, the previously “gone” functions will suddenly show up and I can get it to work. The reset involves using the manual on/off switch to turn it off, then holding two of the function buttons simultaneously while switching it back on. All of this leads me to suspect a bad control board, which is located in the rooftop AC unit. But, Steve gave that a thorough examination and saw nothing obvious. Sooo, that’s the story.  — Jon (with thanks to Steve and Larry for all their efforts)

Well, I have a 2006 RB with the five button control unit on the wall and the 13500 BTU Penguin on the roof. They have been replaced so the five button wall control and the board out of the roof unit is yours for an address. I have them in my hand.

They are headed for the dumpster.

Better still, Mike’s new V8 can have the optional 240-amp alternator installed and then use it exclusively to charge a lithium power pack.

Presently it is not considered reasonable to charge lithiums directly from the engine alternator even with an isolator or separator. The charging current is not controllable and lithiums can take a major amount of current. An interface is needed. Would be interested in what sort of interface is used in this case. We avoided that by not allowing lithium charging from the alternator but there are probably good solutions to the problem of uncontrolled charging current destroying the alternator.

Harry,

AM Solar installed the Victron Cyrix-li-Ct 1 relay between the chassis alternator and our new Solar System with its Battle Born lithium batteries.

This allows the alternator to charge the lithium’s at the correct charge rate. AM Solar sells this device. There are probably other manufacturers of a similar device.

Kent

AM Solar installed the Victron Cyrix-li-Ct 1 relay between the chassis alternator and our new Solar System with its Battle Born lithium batteries.

This allows the alternator to charge the lithium’s at the correct charge rate. AM Solar sells this device. There are probably other manufacturers of a similar device.

Reading the specs it needs more than just that device which I’m sure yours has. The spec says nothing about the correct charge rate. What rate do you see with an 80% SOC lithium battery? I would be looking for something that would limit the charge current to 40-50 amps. I did that with a 50 amp DC to DC charger set at 40 amps with my class B. The LD is configured to stay put so all lithium charging is solar or generator. I have a call in to Progressive Dynamics to see if I can increase the charge rate from the generator. 120 amps is a respectable charge rate so it isn’t too important to increase it. It would just decrease generator run time a few minutes.

We avoided that by not allowing lithium charging from the alternator but there are probably good solutions to the problem of uncontrolled charging current destroying the alternator.

The marine world uses lithium batteries and engine alternators to charge them, controlling the alternators with specialized voltage regulators.
The optional second alternator isn't used for running the engine, it can have its own regulator, one designed for use with lithium batteries.
Since this is a new situation, the aftermarket will probably respond or an existing marine regulator may already be available.

Lithium batteries are here to stay, why not take advantage of the large available alternator and the ability of lithium batteries to happily accept high charge levels. Some Sprinter RVs now use lithiums for almost everything, including cooking, and require running the engine daily to recharge the battery, some of these rigs do not come with any solar.
 
If lithium batteries continue dropping in price, the day of being able to run the A/C all night on battery power is coming,
It would increase the number of places we could camp in the summer and during the shoulder seasons.
If and when it does, the optional alternator will be the quickest way to recharge, faster than using the generator. The battery would need a daily run of either to fully recharge when dry camping. There isn't enough room on the roof for the amount of solar needed to recharge daily.

Larry

Lithium batteries are here to stay, why not take advantage of the large available alternator and the ability of lithium batteries to happily accept high charge levels.

I just don’t use my LD that way. It sits. Mercedes only wants you to take 40 amps from the standard alternator. Those high charge rates have to come from a second alternator. I’m not interested in a second alternator. The generator works just fine.

120 amp charge rate is quite enough but if I can increase it from the generator I will. I need to follow up with progressive Dynamics to see if there is a way.

For the Roadtrek I only have 100ah of lithium so 40 amps while driving with the only alternator works very well.

I just don’t use my LD that way. It sits. Mercedes only wants you to take 40 amps from the standard alternator. Those high charge rates have to come from a second alternator. I’m not interested in a second alternator. The generator works just fine.
120 amp charge rate is quite enough but if I can increase it from the generator I will. I need to follow up with progressive Dynamics to see if there is a way.
For the Roadtrek I only have 100ah of lithium so 40 amps while driving with the only alternator works very well.

I wasn’t suggesting that you or anybody in particular should do this, only that it is an interesting option for those who want to pursue it and own or will own an RV with the 7.3-L V8.

Using a large, dedicated engine alternator to charge a large lithium battery pack is not futuristic, it’s been in use for while now on large boats and custom built RVs.
A forum thread, two years ago, discussed a new Sprinter-based RV that Winnebago was developing which was equipped with a large lithium battery and a second, large alternator.
Winnebago Lithium RV (https://www.lazydazeowners.com/index.php?topic=32815.msg197973#msg197973)
https://www.thefitrv.com/rv-reviews/our-experience-as-pure3-lithium-travato-test-pilots/

Larry

I wasn’t suggesting that you or anybody in particular should do this, only that it is an interesting option for those who want to pursue it and own or will own an RV with the 7.3-L V8.

The virtue of such systems is the 48 volt system standard. The weak point is the belt drive to the second alternator. Certainly a solvable problem with stronger belts or double belt drive. The all electric RVs require it. Certainly an interesting technical challenge to retrofit a 48 volt system. I think I would try for a 48 volt system rather than a 200 amp 12 volt system. Just idle thoughts. If anyone does it, let us know how it went.

The virtue of such systems is the 48 volt system standard. The weak point is the belt drive to the second alternator. Certainly a solvable problem with stronger belts or double belt drive. The all electric RVs require it. Certainly an interesting technical challenge to retrofit a 48 volt system. I think I would try for a 48 volt system rather than a 200 amp 12 volt system. Just idle thoughts. If anyone does it, let us know how it went.

48-volt systems are already standard in some hybrid cars and will become more common over the next few years.
48-volts is the next step in automotive electrical, 6-volts was standard until the 50's and 60's, then 12-volt systems came along and replace the 6-volt systems. Higher voltage systems can use smaller wiring, reducing the amperage and replacing it with higher voltage. It's more efficient and cheaper. It makes sense to go with 48-volts for large batteries and alternators.

Why Your Next Car Might Use 48-Volt Technology - Consumer Reports (https://www.consumerreports.org/automotive-technology/why-your-next-car-might-use-48-volt-technology/)
The 48-Volt System: An Emerging Automotive Standard? (https://knowhow.napaonline.com/the-48-volt-system-an-emerging-automotive-standard/)
48-Volt Mild-Hybrid System Explained (https://www.autoweek.com/news/a36331077/48-volt-hybrid-system-explained/)

Larry

From initially picking up the new rear bath last September we found the side entry door was warped out mostly at the top and somewhat at the bottom latch side. This caused a gap at the top sunlight revealed on our first days camping. Also the door frame was out of square causing the top left corner higher than the right corner. We were unable to return to the mothership because of scheduling and we will be returning there on Monday, June 7th. Todd said they will make it right and we can stay on site at night in the coach. After that we will be touring CA visiting with friends & family out there. If anyone wants to meet up send me a personal message. 

Hah!  Ours is the 2006 rig that Larry is referring to. The LCD display on the digital thermostat shows each of the functions that it controls: fan, AC, heat (the electric one in the AC unit), furnace, and “off.”  You push a button to cycle through each to select the one you want. There are < and > buttons to adjust the temperature up and down. For our first several years of ownership it all worked fine. Then we started finding that, on occasion, in damp, cool conditions some of the functions simply would not appear. You couldn’t access them. Of course, in cool and damp weather it was always the furnace that was AWOL. This was a particular pain while boondocking at a Caravan Club outing near Solvang (CA) when the overnight temperature went down to 17. Yeah it was fun trying to wash and dress that morning!  I’ve had Steve B and Larry W take looks at it, and even replaced it with a new unit, but the problem persists. What is galling is that it is intermittent, thus making a diagnosis/repair problematic. Sometimes it works fine in similar conditions. I have more recently found that if I go through a reset procedure, the previously “gone” functions will suddenly show up and I can get it to work. The reset involves using the manual on/off switch to turn it off, then holding two of the function buttons simultaneously while switching it back on. All of this leads me to suspect a bad control board, which is located in the rooftop AC unit. But, Steve gave that a thorough examination and saw nothing obvious. Sooo, that’s the story.  — Jon (with thanks to Steve and Larry for all their efforts)

Let us know if switching out the old board helps things. It would be a good datapoint. Has anyone had the same problem with the new CCC thermostat? I have not but it is a new install.

Will do, Harry. Haven’t tried it yet. Meanwhile, my “reset” procedure has failed. It did bring up the displays, but when I started the AC it only ran for a few seconds, then shut down. And, of course, the display disappeared. ☹️  Thanks again for donating your old board. — Jon

Wow Mike, I guess I am on the wrong side of Florida this year...You have a load of knowledge going into that new rig...
Over here just hanging out on the Space Coast  ;D

Let me know if you ever wander across the state and you can stop in for a visit. We occasionally go visit my son & family in Titusville.
My email: mikecoachman31@gmail.com

Well, I'm still busy doing things to Villa Verde, this time a different latch for holding the side door open. The clip at the top of the door I feel played somewhat of a roll in the warping out of the top of the door, particularly on our previous LD rear bath. Also, several times the door had been open using the top clip a strong gust of wind unexpectedly slammed the door shut.
 So I ordered a 6" stainless steel door hook (photos) with screw down mounts from Amazon to secure the open door at mid level. I used 5200 marine sealant in the screw holes when mounting the hook just below the window frame where the screws would be anchored in the wood window framing. I also sealed the screw holes in the loop mounting above the door handle.
To make the hook/loop connection more secure I first bent the hook tyne inward toward the mounting end and added a piece of heat shrink tubing for additional friction when placed in the loop. I then added very high bonding exterior velcro to the hook shaft and the side of the coach to keep the hook from rattling about when not in use.  Hopefully this will solve both issues with the door.
While working in the shop the two sandhill cranes that show up every day at our ranch came into the shop to help me with my work. A lot of times they will hang out with me when I am working in my pineapple patch. 

Very nice door "keep"! And, your shop and "shop companions" are enviable!  ;)

Mike, I'm not fond of the factory door holder either so another mod to add to the list.  So you didn't use any screws at all to mount the new brackets?  Nice to have some company while you work!

Well, I'm still busy doing things to Villa Verde, this time a different latch for holding the side door open. The clip at the top of the door I feel played somewhat of a roll in the warping out of the top of the door, particularly on our previous LD rear bath. Also, several times the door had been open using the top clip a strong gust of wind unexpectedly slammed the door shut.
 So I ordered a 6" stainless steel door hook (photos) with screw down mounts from Amazon to secure the open door at mid level. I used 5200 marine sealant in the screw holes when mounting the hook just below the window frame where the screws would be anchored in the wood window framing. I also sealed the screw holes in the loop mounting above the door handle.
To make the hook/loop connection more secure I first bent the hook tyne inward toward the mounting end and added a piece of heat shrink tubing for additional friction when placed in the loop. I then added very high bonding exterior velcro to the hook shaft and the side of the coach to keep the hook from rattling about when not in use.  Hopefully this will solve both issues with the door.
While working in the shop the two sandhill cranes that show up every day at our ranch came into the shop to help me with my work. A lot of times they will hang out with me when I am working in my pineapple patch. 

Mike,

This is a little off topic, but what kind of insulation do you have on the roof of your RV garage? It appears to be reflective wrap. Thank you for sharing. You have a very admirable set up!

<Sam, when we recovered all the outside sheet metal siding and roofing from the 50' X 80' shop building the workers laid double bubble reflective foil insulation (see link) across the roof trusses before attaching the new metal roofing. We did the same for the west and south walls that has the most exposure to the sun. It eliminates almost all the radiant heat from the outside. Years ago we had done the same to the other equipment building during the construction and it then did a great job of keeping the heat out.
What also helps during the Florida summer is running a 4' floor fan's air through the building.(pix)

<Amazon.com: Double Bubble Reflective Foil Insulation: (4 X 50 Ft Roll)... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DH423MS?pf_rd_r=WD1D6BR4JDQ904A9KAGH&pf_rd_p=8fe9b1d0-f378-4356-8bb8-cada7525eadd&pd_rd_r=a3014289-06ec-48ae-8957-)

I mentioned your 4000 square foot shop to my engineer/build anything/craftsman neighbor; he almost cried. 😉

Anytime you all get to Florida's west coast let me know and plan to stop in for a visit.

There was one addition to our previous 2010 Lazy Daze Rear Bath that I never got aroundtuit.  Then I recently remembered that I did have a "Round Tuit" that was hiding on our fireplace mantel. A Newfoundland friend gave it to us many years ago. So I retrieved it, dusted it off, and put it to use.
The issue was that when dry camping during a rain shower the side windows could not be opened to allow better air circulation inside. We seldom use the Fiama patio awning and especially not in bad weather. One time while camping several years ago a dust devil blew the Fiama awning over the top of the motorhome requiring it to be replaced.  All we could do for fresh air is use the ceiling fans to rotate the air.
I wondered why I couldn't add a window awning to a window where it could be kept open during the rain. Back in the early 90's I had installed Zip Dee patio and window awnings to my Barth motorhome. The Barth was an all aluminum coach and the install went well. The Zip Dee awnings held up very well for the six years I had the coach and has continued to do so with the next owner (who still travels in it to this day!). 
Looking at the Zip Dee website to get the layout measurements I realized that the only window that had enough space on ether side of the frame was the left side dinette window which was my first preference. I ordered the awning to extend 6" past the window frame which still allowed for the arm hinge placement. It took about three weeks for Zip Dee to ship the package with good install instructions. There were also YouTube install videos available.
With a little occasional help the install went very well. When getting a new replacement Fiama awning (mentioned above) it came with an opening arm hook which gave me a spare. I took this spare hook, shortened it to fit in the front left storage compartment, and added heat shrink tubing for a handle grip. All mounting screw and rivet penetrations into the aluminum coach siding was well sealed with 3M 5200 marine sealant.
Mike C

When learning of the ARP Fridge Defend I felt its function would be a good additional safety measure for the refrigerator's well being. Yes, there are times traveling in the western mountains we have encountered very long steep grades that could cause detrimental issues to the boiler. I ordered one without the fan as I had already installed an upward blowing fan behind the refrigerator that works whenever the system is on. The instructions were easy to follow and the install went well. The one modification I added was putting heat shrink tubing over the sensor wires where they come past the sheet metal enclosure to the boiler. I printed the operational instruction for my onboard file.
Mike  

Back to the awning Mike, are you comfortable with the backing where the main arms attach?

Jon

Jon,
Absolutely. Mounting all the hardware to the siding  I used #14 X 1” stainless steel screws where there was wood framing behind the siding and 3/16” X 1”  tri-fold exploding aluminum pop rivets where there was no wood framing. All attachments were sealed with 3M 5200 marine adhesive. The awning open position puts inward and a little downward pressure on the hinge. The only outward and upward  pressure is at the strap hook mount where a screw and rivet are used.  I don’t foresee any issues with the hinges.  Time will tell.
Mike

Well, I finally addressed an issue that has been annoying for a really long time (several past motorhomes) which is keeping the access door to the rear of the refrigerator open while working in that space. The answer was simple but it was just a matter of "Getting it done!" I ordered the parts from Amazon and completed the install of a stainless steel baggage door clip (as LD uses) using the stainless steel small head tri-fold pop rivits sealed with the 3M 5200 adhesive sealant. Now the door will easily stay up out of my way. 

I can't tell what that thing is Mike.
I just ordered a clip from the Mothership just like they put on all the other doors.

A more "elegant" solution than a couple of strips of blue tape!  ;)

Hi Mike; A good improvement, but I don't like pop rivets. Occasionally they don't pop right, or they leave a ragged piece sticking out.  They have been known to leak water, but you did seal it. I've replaced my outside baggage catches with stainless, but one batch (I didn't keep track of where I got them) the spring rusted. So much for the 'stainless' feature.  And if the spring rusts or breaks, then you have to drill pop rivets out.
     I have a good supply of stainless screws in a multitude of sizes. So since you are drilling holes anyway I would have used screws.  On my LD, it is reaching the age where the galvanizing of zinc coated screws has abraded, or just worn off. So I'm replacing external screws on a case by case mode with stainless screws.
     Recently I've seen some coaches with baggage doors with a hidden super magnet in the wall, and another one to match in the door for a totally hidden latch. Surprisingly strong. (I wonder if they pick up iron filings from dust blowing by).     RonB

Ron, thanks for the update and you have a good suggestion.

exciting as heck!!!!!

such a fun vehicle

 I had Bigfoot mount the control panel in a box tethered to wires coming from under the drivers seat (see pix). I then watch two curved bubble levels mounted on the driver's door (front to back level) and the dash by the steering post (side to side level) while making adjustments to the jacks manually. There is an 'Auto Level' feature available but I choose the manual control most times. When finished I leave the control box on the drivers seat while the jacks are down and store it behind the seat when traveling. This has worked well for me over the years.