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03-01-2012, 09:54 AM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: adamstown, pa.
Posts: 149
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nice additions to my winslow
dimmer switches on bedroom, kitchen and living room....lexan backsplash at stove.....quad steps (dw has bad hip and i have a bum knee) for much easier entry.....my version of a water pressure regulator inlet manifold.....more to come........mjf
__________________
mitch and mary freeman, 2011 winslow 31rle, 2004 chevy 3500 ext drw 4wd duramax/allison, harley springer, too many hotrods and old farm tractors.
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03-01-2012, 10:10 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Newmar Owners Club Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Michigan
Posts: 5,692
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Great mods. Keep them coming.
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Steve & Sally / Hudson Our Little Pom / Heidi, Houston & HiTee Forever in our Hearts
04 NEWMAR MACA 3778 W22 / 05 PT Vert
Michigan (Summer) Michigan (Winter For Now)
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03-01-2012, 02:17 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Alexandria, VA
Posts: 342
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Where did you find the dimmer switches? They match the factory switches so well.
__________________
2012 GMC Sierra 3500 CC DRW 4x4 Duramax
2012 Excel Wild Cargo 41GKE
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03-01-2012, 02:59 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: adamstown, pa.
Posts: 149
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the switches match because the were made by the same company that made the originals.....american technology components, elkhart ind. www.atcomp.com p/n ah-sld-1-001 @home 12v slide dimmer. they work really well.....no more bright light blasting you in the face as you enter a dark coach. i gave bryan the info at hershey. thought maybe he'd offer them. not very expensive and fairly easy to install since they adapt into the original wiring. you'll need to enlarge the openings in the wall slightly and know that one dimmer is the size of two singles.....mjf.
__________________
mitch and mary freeman, 2011 winslow 31rle, 2004 chevy 3500 ext drw 4wd duramax/allison, harley springer, too many hotrods and old farm tractors.
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03-01-2012, 04:13 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Excel Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Fulltime TX Escapee
Posts: 8,901
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Quote:
Originally Posted by padutchmnm
the switches match because the were made by the same company that made the originals.....american technology components, elkhart ind. www.atcomp.com p/n ah-sld-1-001 @home 12v slide dimmer. they work really well.....no more bright light blasting you in the face as you enter a dark coach. i gave bryan the info at hershey. thought maybe he'd offer them. not very expensive and fairly easy to install since they adapt into the original wiring. you'll need to enlarge the openings in the wall slightly and know that one dimmer is the size of two singles.....mjf.
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Mitch, I like your updates. I really couldn't tell exactly what you're doing on the water pipe set up. Do you have anymore pix that would help see what you're doing?
Regarding the dimmer. I had thought about doing the same thing on the lights over my bar counter cause the lights (2) are too bright for my wife when she's watching TV in the living room. Claims it glares in hear eyes. I tried going to 5W bulbs, but that still isn't enough. Doing some internet research told me that dimming halogen lights substantially reduces their life. Something about it deteriorates (overheats) the Tungsten material in the bulb. Anyone care to comment ....please do!
Did you render your E-Z Pivot not usable? Why? Just curious. Thanks Mitch. rockin'
__________________
2012 Excel L33ft. GKE named Charm as in 3 times is a Charm. Love Fulltiming. Bullet '14 Chevy D/A 3500 LB CC DRW Summit White - Ebony Interior. Check out our blog at: https://claphamstravels.blogspot.com
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03-01-2012, 05:36 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Alexandria, VA
Posts: 342
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Quote:
Originally Posted by padutchmnm
the switches match because the were made by the same company that made the originals.....american technology components, elkhart ind. www.atcomp.com p/n ah-sld-1-001 @home 12v slide dimmer. they work really well.....no more bright light blasting you in the face as you enter a dark coach. i gave bryan the info at hershey. thought maybe he'd offer them. not very expensive and fairly easy to install since they adapt into the original wiring. you'll need to enlarge the openings in the wall slightly and know that one dimmer is the size of two singles.....mjf.
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@ Dutch, thank you! I'm sure adding dimmer switches will be an upgrade we will do very soon. Gotta get the coach first!
__________________
2012 GMC Sierra 3500 CC DRW 4x4 Duramax
2012 Excel Wild Cargo 41GKE
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03-01-2012, 08:28 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: adamstown, pa.
Posts: 149
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hey rockin'....the one part on the water manifold you can't see i have off for winter. its a short pigtail hose that comes off behind the drain cock on the left and hooks up to the original inlet in the sidewall. i used a brass 90 there with brass garden hose adaptors to keep it tight to side and let it on all season. the new inlet is on the right through a ball valve, with a gauge, aux spigot, then a watts regulator. all clamped to an angle bracket thats bolted to the original frame. as for the eazy-pivot, i never liked it that much and converted it to sewer hose storage. i added another discharge valve that i close to backflush the black tank with gray. we do the calgon/detergent thing along with that. i add a clear hose flushing adapter and elbow so i can see when i'm clean. i also make the dw chart the number of times she adds to the mix so i can count the trout on the way out to keep her honest.......mjf
__________________
mitch and mary freeman, 2011 winslow 31rle, 2004 chevy 3500 ext drw 4wd duramax/allison, harley springer, too many hotrods and old farm tractors.
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03-01-2012, 08:51 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Excel Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Fulltime TX Escapee
Posts: 8,901
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Quote:
Originally Posted by padutchmnm
hey rockin'....the one part on the water manifold you can't see i have off for winter. its a short pigtail hose that comes off behind the drain cock on the left and hooks up to the original inlet in the sidewall. i used a brass 90 there with brass garden hose adaptors to keep it tight to side and let it on all season. the new inlet is on the right through a ball valve, with a gauge, aux spigot, then a watts regulator. all clamped to an angle bracket thats bolted to the original frame. as for the eazy-pivot, i never liked it that much and converted it to sewer hose storage. i added another discharge valve that i close to backflush the black tank with gray. we do the calgon/detergent thing along with that. i add a clear hose flushing adapter and elbow so i can see when i'm clean. i also make the dw chart the number of times she adds to the mix so i can count the trout on the way out to keep her honest.......mjf
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Almost too much info Mitch!!!!
Reminds me of when we are at our selling dealer's lot.....he says it's OK to drop grey water on his lot....but I don't want to see any "brown trout"!!!
__________________
2012 Excel L33ft. GKE named Charm as in 3 times is a Charm. Love Fulltiming. Bullet '14 Chevy D/A 3500 LB CC DRW Summit White - Ebony Interior. Check out our blog at: https://claphamstravels.blogspot.com
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05-10-2012, 11:00 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Excel Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Fulltime TX Escapee
Posts: 8,901
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rockintom
Mitch, I like your updates. I really couldn't tell exactly what you're doing on the water pipe set up. Do you have anymore pix that would help see what you're doing?
Regarding the dimmer. I had thought about doing the same thing on the lights over my bar counter cause the lights (2) are too bright for my wife when she's watching TV in the living room. Claims it glares in hear eyes. I tried going to 5W bulbs, but that still isn't enough. Doing some internet research told me that dimming halogen lights substantially reduces their life. Something about it deteriorates (overheats) the Tungsten material in the bulb. Anyone care to comment ....please do!
Did you render your E-Z Pivot not usable? Why? Just curious. Thanks Mitch. rockin'
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Please keep us posted on the life of your halogen lights on the dimmer. If they last pretty good, I may do that on some locations. Here's a little blurb on what I'm reading. rockin'
Will dimming my halogen bulb extend it's life?
The halogen cycle can be interrupted if the voltage and temperature of the lamp is operated too low. The result is lamp blackening. Lamp blackening and the consequent loss of lumens are standard for incandescent lamps, but halogen lamps are designed not to blacken as they age. Halogen lamps maintain their lumen output throughout their lifetime due to the key mechanism of the halogen cycle which binds with the tungsten that is vaporized off of the lamp filament itself. Thus keeping the bulb walls clean. If lamp engineers could figure a way to get the tungsten to redeposit evenly back on the lamp filament, we could have a lamp that lasts forever. But, this is not the case, as the tungsten is redeposited on the coolest part of the filament (usually the ends of the filament), and consequently over time, the middle portion of the filament eventually thins, forming a weak spot, and eventually the filament breaks.
The standard operating temperature of the bulb wall to maintain a halogen cycle is 250C. When the temperature falls below this level the halogen cycle fails, and the lamp starts to act like a standard incandescent. It is estimated that the cycle fails when a lamp is operated below 70-80% of its rated power.
__________________
2012 Excel L33ft. GKE named Charm as in 3 times is a Charm. Love Fulltiming. Bullet '14 Chevy D/A 3500 LB CC DRW Summit White - Ebony Interior. Check out our blog at: https://claphamstravels.blogspot.com
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07-05-2013, 09:37 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Excel Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Fulltime TX Escapee
Posts: 8,901
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Mitch,
Have dimming of the halogens shortened their life? Like a report back, and if you are using the dimmer a lot or ? When you dim them, do you run them in the dimmed position long.......rockin'
__________________
2012 Excel L33ft. GKE named Charm as in 3 times is a Charm. Love Fulltiming. Bullet '14 Chevy D/A 3500 LB CC DRW Summit White - Ebony Interior. Check out our blog at: https://claphamstravels.blogspot.com
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07-05-2013, 08:35 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: adamstown, pa.
Posts: 149
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hey rockin'..... so far, no problems with the halogens dimmed. we don't put the amount of time on them that you would, but when we are out they are dimmed for hours at a time. DW is a privacy nut and does not like bright light as a backdrop when we are in for the night. (I think MCD shades are coming) we both are readers....not much tv, so I rigged led reading lights over her recliner and me on the sofa. all the over head halogens are then dimmed as we relax for the evening. I actually have rotary dimmers on the dinner table light and the big lights over the recliners and sofa. they all create a nice mood....... but I forgot what the "mood" is for. maybe I should ask her......naaa.....mjf.
__________________
mitch and mary freeman, 2011 winslow 31rle, 2004 chevy 3500 ext drw 4wd duramax/allison, harley springer, too many hotrods and old farm tractors.
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07-05-2013, 08:54 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Excel Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Fulltime TX Escapee
Posts: 8,901
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Quote:
Originally Posted by padutchmnm
hey rockin'..... so far, no problems with the halogens dimmed. we don't put the amount of time on them that you would, but when we are out they are dimmed for hours at a time. DW is a privacy nut and does not like bright light as a backdrop when we are in for the night. (I think MCD shades are coming) we both are readers....not much tv, so I rigged led reading lights over her recliner and me on the sofa. all the over head halogens are then dimmed as we relax for the evening. I actually have rotary dimmers on the dinner table light and the big lights over the recliners and sofa. they all create a nice mood....... but I forgot what the "mood" is for. maybe I should ask her......naaa.....mjf.
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Thanks Mitch......you are a riot!! Thought I just revisit and see how it was going. As we discussed, technically, the halogen bulb life is reduced when a lower than system voltage is applied. Apparent it's not enough to make a real world difference. Anal analyzing is always a fun sport around here!!! rockin'
PS. I was in a 2014 Heartland Gateway the other night in our park with LEDs in the same style ceiling lamps we have.......I was impressed. But not enough to fork out the big buck for them. Yeah, I know, I'm a cheapskate!!! rockin'
__________________
2012 Excel L33ft. GKE named Charm as in 3 times is a Charm. Love Fulltiming. Bullet '14 Chevy D/A 3500 LB CC DRW Summit White - Ebony Interior. Check out our blog at: https://claphamstravels.blogspot.com
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07-06-2013, 08:13 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: adamstown, pa.
Posts: 149
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"frugal" is the proper descriptive adjective for a gentleman of your stature rockin'....(I was taught to respect my elders).....mjf.
__________________
mitch and mary freeman, 2011 winslow 31rle, 2004 chevy 3500 ext drw 4wd duramax/allison, harley springer, too many hotrods and old farm tractors.
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07-06-2013, 08:19 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Excel Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Fulltime TX Escapee
Posts: 8,901
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Quote:
Originally Posted by padutchmnm
"frugal" is the proper descriptive adjective for a gentleman of your stature rockin'....(I was taught to respect my elders).....mjf.
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Ohhh Mitch, you are as smooth as a babies butt....musta been in "marketing" or took lessons from Bryan!!! rockin'
__________________
2012 Excel L33ft. GKE named Charm as in 3 times is a Charm. Love Fulltiming. Bullet '14 Chevy D/A 3500 LB CC DRW Summit White - Ebony Interior. Check out our blog at: https://claphamstravels.blogspot.com
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