UV Water Sterilization

Thursday, 21 February (part I)
On the road to Maxwell AFB Famcamp — Montgomery, Alabama

It’s great to be rolling down the road again!  True, the Phaeton did get to drive around a bit while in Red Bay, but not enough to stretch her legs.  It’s a sunny day; no sign of any thunderstorms, but I imagine we’ll be getting some wet stuff tonight if the radar images are any indication of what is awaiting us.  It’s an easy drive from Red Bay back to Montgomery … a good time to write a post or two.

After touring Ivy Green, Helen Keller’s birthplace, and having one last dinner in Red Bay with friends yesterday, we returned to the Phaeton where we had parked it at Brannon’s shop for our overnight stay.

The last time we were here (Feb 1), we parked in front of the bay farthest from the road to take advantage of the warming rays of the sun.  On that occasion, we had no internet whatsoever in the coach, but I was able to get an intermittent signal in Brannon’s lounge.  It was a different story this time.  We parked near the road and we had blazing fast internet.  Either Verizon made some improvements to the cell tower in Red Bay in the last couple of weeks, or just moving a few hundred yards made all the difference in the world to getting a signal that our Wilson trucker’s antenna was able to boost.

A golden sunset sends us on our way to dinner with friends in Red Bay …

… and a colorful sunrise starts off our last day in northern Alabama.

We didn’t have to pull into a bay for today’s installation of an ultraviolet sterilization system on the water line that comes into the kitchen.  This was a job that Mui was going to do, but we’re both paranoid about leaks, so we decided to have Brannon do it instead since he has invaluable information about the way the systems in Tiffin rigs work.  Had we done it ourselves, we probably would have installed the unit on the main water line.  Brannon suggested setting it up just for drinking water so as not to further reduce the water pressure coming into the Phaeton.  Definitely a better course of action.

The bits and pieces needed for the install are laid out for the surgeon … ahem … Brannon.

Installing a UV water sterilization system in the rig was not something we had in mind.  Until, that is, we went out for a pre-fulltiming dinner with some friends.  Keith had installed a similar system in their cabin in West Virginia and shared enough information from his research to convince us to look at doing the same in the Phaeton.

What does UV sterilization do and how does it do it?  I’ll let you read about that here.  Suffice it to say that what organisms the UV light doesn’t kill, it renders sterile so that they can’t reproduce and make us sick.  Considering that we will be getting our water from a variety of sources as we travel across the US and Canada, we felt this was a good precautionary measure to have.  After checking out the RV Water Filter Store website, Mui ordered the UVC Lighting Model UV-2G.  There is a unit that operates on 12V, but he opted for the AC version since we already have a 110 outlet in the under-sink cabinet.

Brannon made short work of the job at hand. He came into the rig shortly after 7:00a, and he was done by 8:45a.  Knowing how frustrating it can be to work in tight spaces — as in the cabinet under the sink — I stayed out of the way and didn’t bring out my camera.  While I sat on the couch, browsing the blogs I follow, Mui took a few pictures for today’s post.

The job entailed …

• drilling into the countertop to install the drinking water faucet we bought from Lowe’s in a finish that matches the existing faucet and sink wand
• tapping into the cold water line to add a t-connector for the drinking faucet plumbing
• installing an on/off valve between the t-connector and the sterilization unit to cut off the water if necessary (for example, to replace the bulb, which the manufacturer suggests doing after 9,000 hours, or once a year)
• attaching the water in/out hoses to the sterilization unit
• connecting the water-out hose to the plumbing for the drinking water faucet
• inserting the UV bulb into the sterilizing unit and mounting it on the brackets that came with the kit

(I may have left out a step or two since neither of us was under the cabinet doing the actual work, so don’t take this as gospel!)

After drilling into the countertop by the corner of the larger of the two kitchen sinks …

… the drinking faucet (left) is installed; the swivel head can be moved out of the way if necessary.

A look under the sink reveals all the t-connectors and whatnot that Brannon installed.

Using a piece of paper towel to hold the UV bulb, Brannon inserts it into the sterilization unit.
(The UV bulb comes in its own box with the warning not to handle it with bare hands.)

The unit is in place; the green light visible through the clear hose we picked up from Lowe’s
indicates that the UV light is working … and yes, that is the color of the UV light when you
look at it through a piece of plastic tubing … I checked it on the web ;-)

We have water!

A caution I have for anyone else who might install a similar unit … test the installation with both the water pump and city water so that the fittings can be tightened accordingly.

Brannon once again did a very professional installation for us, and we would not hesitate to recommend him.  (He can be reached at 256-668-0973.)

We’re approaching Birmingham and there is a detour to negotiate, so I need to shift over to being the navigator — or the “nag”ivator, as some might say.  Time to fill up — with diesel fuel for the Phaeton and with PB&J sandwiches for us.  More later …

Brannon Mods & Maintenance

Friday, 1 February (Part II)
Custom RV (aka Brannon Hutcheson) — Vina,  Alabama

We kicked off our multi-part plans for getting things done/checked out in Red Bay by stopping off to see Brannon Hutcheson of Custom RV, Inc.  Our 7:00a appointment lasted almost 12 hours, and a lot was accomplished — including the invaluable picking of Brannon’s brain by Mui.

We came to Brannon for three major items — replacement of the existing lighting with LEDs; replacement of the house batteries; and replacement of the chassis batteries.  To this, several other projects — some big, some small — were added during the course of the day.

First the mods and maintenance items for which I have photos.  (We have Mui to thank for the photos; I was too busy whiling the time away in Custom RV’s lounge.)

LED lights

There were a variety of bulbs lighting the interior and exterior of the coach — fluorescent, incandescent, and halogen.  We had all but the under-cabinet fluorescents in the kitchen replaced with LEDs.  Some of them were simple bulb change-outs that Mui could have handled on his own, but we opted to have everything done by Brannon seeing as how he had the bulbs in stock already.

The more difficult part of this project was the ceiling lights.  Because of the impression left behind by the fluorescent fixtures, we couldn’t just have pot-lights installed.  There are many options for the LED ceiling fixtures.  I didn’t want a cherry-trim fixture (which would have matched our cabinetry), because I didn’t want the lights to be a focal point.  The fabric-covered fixtures Brannon provided blend in much better; and the fabric matches our valances.

The only downside to the LEDs is that they provide such a soft, daylight color that we forget to turn the lights off when we leave a room — we’ll get used to that in short order ;-)  The upside — I can actually use the reading lights now without feeling like I’m sitting under growing lights!

The ugly fluorescent fixtures and other bulbs were replaced with small LED bulbs.

The indentation left behind by the old fluorescent fixtures and the solution.

Before and After … Really like the results!

House Batteries

With our wet cell (flooded) batteries nearing the end of their life cycle, we decided to replace them with Lifeline AGM batteries.  Yeah, dropped a chunk of change on this mod, but we anticipate they will serve us better when boondocking, because they are slower to discharge and faster to recharge.

Brannon did a meticulous job, making sure all the corrosion caused by the old batteries was cleaned up and painted over, and the compartment floor was sprayed with a rubber coating before the new batteries were installed.  He also reinforced the tray to carry the heavier weight of these batteries.

The old batteries … with yucky corrosion on the tray and the battery compartment floor.

The tray and compartment floor look like new when Brannon is done.

Details from the batteries Mui chose to have installed.
(If you want to read the details on the image in the bottom left, click here.)

The newly installed house batteries are ready to provide us with power!

Chassis Batteries

This one falls under the maintenance category.  It was simply time to replace the chassis batteries that were installed when the motorhome was built.

The old Interstate batteries are replaced with new ones … one down, one to go.

Water Softener

The Mark 8000 water softener that Mui purchased from The Flow Pur Company is designed to be connected to the water source outside the coach, but Mui wanted a more permanent installation.  He was going to install it himself, but decided to ask Brannon to do it instead.

The water bay isn’t high enough to accommodate the unit, so Brannon installed it at the front end of the big basement bay.  He used a strong strap to secure it upright, and ran the hoses through the opening for the central vac system (which we removed a couple of years ago).

Strapping the water softener unit in place.

The valve on the right is the connection coming into the softener;
the valve on the left is the one going to the city water connection in the wet bay.

The hose sticking out in the center is the piece to which the incoming city water is connected.
This hose is connected to the water softener on the other end.  The water coming out of the
softener goes through the hose that is attached to the city water connection (on the right).

And that’s the end of the projects for which I have photos.  In addition to these, Brannon took care of the following:

• Replaced the faulty satellite LMB with the one Mui ordered from Amazon — our dish now locks into all three satellites from which it is supposed to receive a signal, and we get HD programming on most of the channels we watch.
• Replaced the power switches for the water heater — the switches never lit up, so we didn’t know they were supposed to until we asked Brannon about them.
• Replaced some of the switches that were going bad (on the entry door panel).
• Replaced a corroded part on our water pump — it finally gave out at a most opportune time while we were still in Brannon’s parking lot.
• Adjusted the door handle mechanism so we don’t have to fight to open the door — the door has always required quite a bit of effort to pull it open; turns out the mechanism needed a minor adjustment — a one-finger pull is all that is needed to flip open the handle now (yay!).

As I noted at the end of my previous post, we give Brannon Hutcheson a hearty two thumbs up.  He came highly recommended and didn’t disappoint.  In fact, he exceeded all of our expectations.  The work was completed quickly, and efficiently, and with utmost professionalism and attention to detail.

(He doesn’t have a website at the moment, but you can reach him at 256-668-0973 should you need to avail yourself of his services.)

Cold … in Vina

Friday, 1 February
Custom RV (aka Brannon Hutcheson) — Vina, Alabama
Temps: Lo 22F / Hi 41F (-5.5C / 5C)

(With the nearest Verizon tower at least six miles (10 km) from here, the internet is spotty; posting will be delayed until we get to the Tiffin Camp in Red Bay tomorrow.)

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How cold, you ask?  Well, it was 22F (-5.5C) when we woke up here in Vina, Alabama on the outskirts of Red Bay this morning.  By mid-morning, the temperature inside the service bay was showing 30F (-1C).

If the thermometer has inched up from there, I wouldn’t know.  I’ve taken refuge in the lounge at Custom RV — known to most Tiffinites as Brannon Hutcheson — and left Mui and Brannon to get things done in the cold service bay.  Nimbly moving about out there, they don’t look like they’re feeling the cold one bit.  As for me, cozily ensconced on the love seat, I’m getting a head start on this post.

My refuge for the day!

Since my last post from Maxwell AFB, we’ve weathered a storm moving in from the west, wreaking havoc in many parts of the US in one way or another; and we’ve traveled 204 miles (326 km) from Montgomery to the outskirts of Red Bay.

204 easy miles (326 km) brings us close to the Alabama / Mississippi border.
The inset shows our travels since leaving Virginia in early December.

Tuesday & Wednesday, 29-30 January

First the storm … which came through the Montgomery area on the 30th.

When we first heard the forecast for the storm, we considered leaving the FamCamp at Maxwell AFB a day early.  However, the size of the front and the fact it was coming in from the west made any move we might make moot.  So we prepared our “go-bag,” moved our departure day chores up to the 29th, and hunkered down to ride out the storm.

The only thing worth mentioning on the day leading up to the storm is the lunch we snuck in at the Texas Roadhouse when we went to pick up a y-valve (hose splitter) from Home Depot.  No photos, but I can tell you that the food was very good.  I’m not a ribs person, but Mui declared the falling-off-the-bone sample the chef brought to our table to be the best he’s eaten to date.

[collage from screenshots taken from the website]

The day of the storm dawned early with our weather radio going off around 5:30a to alert us to a tornado watch that later in the morning was upped to a tornado warning.  Ready to evacuate from the famcamp to one of the designated areas on base, we went about our day.  In the end, the storm was a non-event — for us.  We got non-stop drenching rain that was so heavy at times that the rat-a-tat-tat on the roof drowned out the sound of the TV.  We had some wind gusts during the day, but nothing of real concern.  The worst of the wind gusts came after the strong wind advisory was lifted at 6:00p.  They were few and far between, but when it blew, we felt like we were aboard a ship rocking and rolling on stormy seas.  By bedtime, all was calm.

Thursday, 31 January

On the last day of January, we woke up to sunshine and cold temperatures (36F [2C]).  We took our time getting ready to depart.  Shortly after 10:00a, we were pulling up to the ITT Office to top off our propane.  We didn’t need much (only 4 gallons [15 liters], as it turns out), but we wanted to leave with a full tank and the $3.59/gallon was a good price to take advantage of.

With only 4 gallons (15 liters) to purchase, the propane top-off is a quick affair.

By 10:30a, we were on I-65, heading north.  The drive was uneventful.  We made one stop near Birmingham to top off our diesel at Flying J ($3.81 with our RV Plus card) and grab a bite of lunch parked amongst the semis.  Then another 100 miles (120 km) put us at Custom RV on the outskirts of Red Bay.

The coach next to us is unoccupied, so we have the place to ourselves.

It was 3:30p, and the place was locked down tight.  A call to Brannon Hutcheson confirmed that we should back up to one of the bays and avail ourselves of the electricity and water hookups for our overnight stay.  We took him up on the electricity.  Since overnight temps were forecasted to dip into the low 20F range [minus 4-5C], we decided to use our onboard water rather than risk a hose connection.  We had a comfy night, with the rear propane furnace kicking in occasionally to keep us — and the wet bay — warm.

Our spot allows us to take advantage of the warming rays of the afternoon sun.

Back to today …

We were up early this morning for our 7:00a appointment.  After breakfast, we prepared the coach for its next move — a short u-turn into the service bay where Brannon quickly got to work on the list of things we wanted him to do for us.  I’ll cover all that in a separate post for our “Mods” page.

While Mui and Brannon went about business, I made use of the comfortable lounge.  With no internet connection to speak of (at least not via Verizon), I spent the day reading a book about the travails of a couple who travel north to the Greenland/Baffin Island area to over-winter.  Brrrr …. now what they experienced is cold!!!

I’ve made myself right at home in the lounge.

Just a few of the artifacts in the glass-top coffee table.
I meant to ask Brannon about them, but forgot to do so — next time.

Mui fixed lunch in the Phaeton and we dined in the lounge.

We’ll be spending one more night in the parking lot at Custom RV before moving the short distance to “Camp Tiffin” for some things we want to have looked at/fixed at the service center near the hospital plant where our Phaeton was born.  Our stay here is an indefinite one.  We’re hoping for a speedy discharge, but came prepared for a long stay — our next campground reservation is not until mid-March.  We’ll leave whenever the work is done.

(Brannon is working on getting a website up.  In the interim, you can reach him at 256-668-0973.  Even though I have yet to show you what he did for us, we join other Tiffinites in recommending him highly.)