Another new project - the COVID pandemic Fifth Wheel RV Recreation Plan - Ford F250 and Glendale Titanium 27EXB

Just when I thought I had enough on my plate, my wife and I decided to finally execute on the RV project we've been thinking about for years. We've rented C class motorhomes a couple of times now - I always liked that when you rent an RV - someone else takes care of winter storage, repairs, license, insurance, and all the rest. The only downside is the availability of a suitable unit that fits your family. The last C class rental we did, the arrangement of the bed didn't fit well with our family and schedule. The kids are too old now to share a bed, so that means one kid is down on the couch in the middle of the RV, and if that kid is a late sleeper, you have a problem when trying to get going in the morning in the kitchen. And so on.... 

The other issue with the C class is that you need to tow a vehicle if you plan on setting up camp and sightseeing - not impossible, lots of people do it, but this is impractical with a rental. 

So - we ended up going with a pre-owned 2012 Ford F250 4x2, and a pre-owned 2001 Glendale Titanium fifth wheel - 27EXB with bunk beds in the back for the kids. We made the purchase in January and are getting things set up and organized for this summer. 

2012 Ford F250 4x2 Gray Metallic with 2001 Glendale Titanium 27EXB

The truck is well suited for towing the RV - full crew cab so everyone has lots of room, and full 8' box for 90 degree turning capability with the fifth wheel. I'm happy with rear wheel drive - we don't plan to use the vehicle too much in the winter, and it has the electronic locking rear differential to put power to both rear wheels when traction is limited. The lack of 4WD saves some weight and complexity. 

I found a used Reese Titan 16K fifth wheel hitch which I installed with new rails. No need for a sliding fifth wheel hitch. Installed this myself on a Saturday, pretty straightforward. 

Installing the universal bed rail kit for the Reese Titan 16k Hitch

There were plenty of used fifth wheel hitches for sale in January - I ended up going with the Titan because of the urethane bushings which help isolate trailer motion from the truck frame. On my initial haul returning home with the fifth wheel, I was really impressed by how quite and stable everything was. Other than the weight, you really don't notice the trailer unless you're on rough pavement. 

Reese Titan 16k Fifth Wheel

The hitch will need a bit of love, the grease fittings were seized, the jaw bushings were ungreased, and there is some rust on the frame to touch up. 

On the trailer - we got it for a good price, however there is some water damage and structural issues to take care of due to a few years of neglect. The RV is booked for the structural / water damage repairs in March, more on that in future posts. 

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Hydro Quebec Flex D Rate - Controlling Clothes Dryer with Insteon EZIO relay

We're just over half the peak demand season in Quebec, so far, so good. Will write up some articles on what I've done so far. On one demand management period a few weeks ago, someone in the house started the clothes dryer, I caught it after it had been running for about 10 minutes. One of the problems with the whole energy management / peak demand implementation is that it is difficult to get everyone in the house on the same page. I understand that at $0.50 per kW-hr - running the dryer for an hour ends up being an expensive proposition. It's harder to get the two 12 year olds in the house to understand. 

LG Clothes Dryer - Cover Off, Control Board back left of the photo. Relay will go close to control board

For avoiding future problems with the dryer, I decided to implement an interrupt to prevent the dryer from starting during a peak demand event. We have an LG dryer with an electronic control board. I didn't want to get into switching the power feed to the dryer - it's a large circuit. I decided to try interrupting the door open switch, effectively putting a second switch (relay) in series with the door open switch. 

Opening the cover of the dryer exposes the wiring and control board. Cut the power before opening the dryer cover for obvious reasons. The wiring diagram was attached to the inside sidewall of the dryer, and still quite legible. 

LG Dryer Wiring Diagram

The dryer switches 120V (one leg of the 240V), and it switches the connection to neutral. When open - it provides the neutral connection for the lamp inside the dryer, causing the lamp to come on. When closed, it provides the neutral connection for the control board. I decided to interrupt the neutral connection to the control board, in a fail safe fashion. My relay will be normally closed on the neutral circuit to the control board, so that if there is no control system, no connection to the relay power - the dryer will function normally. The interrupt feature will require 24VAC from my control system. 

Wiring in the relay with a relay base was quite simple - 4 connections. 

Relay with base installed on a short braket - no interference with top cover

The wire to the control board was a yellow wire according to the wiring diagram - very easy to identify. I simply cut the wire, crimped in two extensions to take the connection over to one of the relays normally closed pair of terminals. I use heat shrink crimp connections for a neat installation.

Connections made on the NC relay terminals - interrupt yellow wire (neutral to control board)

I ran a control wire down into the basement next to the dryer vent line - very easy in my case - and over to an automation panel where I had a pair of existing Smartenit EZIO 4x2 Insteon relays. I just selected one of the relay output terminals, and used 24VAC from the transformer in the cabinet. When going through the dryer case - I was careful to run the cable through a rubber grommet to avoid any shorts in the future, and ensured my cables were well attached to the dryer frame with zip ties. 

I just finished testing the connection. It works perfectly. When interrupted - the electronic control panel stays powered up, all the control lights are illuminated, but when you press the start button, nothing happens. The control board thinks the door is open and won't initiate the drying sequence. All good. This project was surprisingly quick and easy - took about 2 hours in total. Feel free to ask any questions down below. 

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