Preparing a Scamp 16.
Electrical Modifications.
LED Lights.
We purchased our LEDs from a Hong Kong source, I recall for about $3 a piece. They certainly draw a lot less current but I'd certainly like them to be brighter than they are. I will probably look further for brighter LEDs. Ours are bright white which I do like. LED intensity seems to be an area of continual improvement.
1200 Watt Inverter.
The 1200 watt Inverter seems to work well. We have run all the non-heavy duty portions of the trailer with it. As has been mentioned, I need to install a safer method of interfacing between the Inverter and the AC system of the trailer.
AC Power Cord.
Our power cord pulls out thru the side of the trailer from under the door side dinette seat. I want to replace this with a quick disconnect and eliminate the use of the under dinette space for cord storage. The quick disconnect cord will be stored in the rear bumper box.
AC Hot Water Heater Modification.
The addition of an AC heating element has worked well. Occasionally I can hear the heating element at night. I would like to move the AC switch for this element to a place inside the trailer instead of it's present location behind the heater door.
Outside Entry Light.
I replaced the bulb with an LED. Next I want to replace the whole fixture with a proximity
light that comes on as you approach.
Rear Tail Lights.
I would like to replace the
tail lights with LED fixtures. I have ordered them and will replace them in Seattle.
Battery.
We have a single type 24
battery. I will add an additional type 24
battery in Seattle. . This requires making a wider
battery storage shelf on the front of the trailer. When I do this I will replace our steel
propane tank with a lighter
fiberglass propane tank. I'll probably install our second
solar charger so the two batteries can be charged independently off the same panels
Water Pump.
I'm going to research water pumps versus current draw and go with the pump that has the lowest current draw. Right now it seams the water pump draws more power than anything except the 1200 watt Inverter.
12 Volt outlets.
We have three but could used one near our satellite receiver and a permanent one near our wi-fi hot spot. It appears that we can run the satellite receiver and TV off a single 100 watt cigarette lighter Inverter and not turn on the 1200 watt Inverter. I have one 12 volt outlet behind the outside
refrigerator vent to allow me to plug in the compressor for filling the trailer
tires.
AC Outlets.
We have 10 now and they have worked well. The only issue we've had is one of the Scamp installed outlets became intermittent. Their outlets seem to use the push connections in the back of the outlets instead of the more secure screw connections.
Air Conditioner.
The AC unit has worked well keeping us cool in both dry AZ and humid FL. Though our 5000 BTU AC worked well, we recognize it was not mid summer in either place. Actually we used the AC only a few times, typically when it was hot and we were cooking a significant supper. We have learned that we don;t need to get to 70F to feel cool. In dry AZ the mid 80s felt comfortable and similarly in FL where simply pumping out some humidity made it comfortable. We do use a small fan to blow the cooling air around the trailer. We are quite happy that the AC draws about 5 amps.
Solar Panels.
We have 80 watts of panels taped to the roof with very high bond strength, exterior tape made by Scotch (3M). It has held the flexible panels to the roof. The panels weigh about 2 lbs each (2 40 watt panels) and are about a 1/10th of an inch thick.
Typically the panels charge the battery by noon though we do not seem to discharge them very much using the
lights, water pump, TV and satellite dish. One day we also used the Inverter to run the electric blanket before getting in bed.
Brake Disconnect Switch.
We added a Brake disconnect switch to the tongue that activates the trailer
brakes should the trailer become disconnected from the tow vehicle. We tested it by pulling the pin and it does work though we're hoping it never has to serve it's purpose.
Wi-Fi Hotspot Antenna Booster.
We have a booster for our 3G wi-fi hotspot. It has an external antenna. In low signal strength areas we like to mount this antenna outside. The antenna is magnetic and needs to sit on a small steel plate for optimum reception. I'm planning to mount a small steel plate on the roof for this purpose.