Monthly Archive for March, 2009

A Howling Beast: Replacing the Loud Refrigerator Fan on our DWR Airstream Trailer

Published on March 31, 2009 in Airstream, Tips, Trips and Upgrades. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , .

My first modification to our DWR Bambi Airstream was to replace the refrigerator fan that howled. Imagine finding a quiet campsite, cuddling up in bed and then the fridge starts making this annoying buzzing sound. Since the fan is controlled by a heat sensor, it turns on and off at intermittent intervals. But, if it is warm outside, the fan never stops. I can’t believe Airstream would ship this beautiful travel trailer with such a cheap, energy-sucking, loud fan.

Airstream external refrigerator access panel with replacement fan by Noctua (NF-S12-800)

Airstream external refrigerator access panel with replacement fan by Noctua (NF-S12-800)

I read the forums and found out that other people had the same problem. So, I ordered a fan by Noctua for $50 (Noctua NF-S12-800).  I installed it and added some rubber spacers to isolate the fan from the wood panel that it connects to.  The Noctua NF-S12-800 is a 12V fan that only uses 0.60 watts and was meant to be used as a super quiet cooling fan for a computer enclosure. The new fan works well to keep air moving through the fridge cooling fins. And, I can’t hear a thing. I have to hold my face near the vent to feel that air is moving. As a trained recording and audio mastering engineer, you could argue that my ears are super sensitive. But, the fan also annoyed my wife as well. So, now, both of our ears are happy campers!

When attending a hiking retreat with Robert Thurman at Menla Mountain Retreat & Conference Center the staff kindly let us boon dock on their beautiful grounds

When attending a hiking retreat with Robert Thurman at Menla Mountain Retreat & Conference Center, the staff kindly let us boondock on their beautiful grounds.

I’m sure the old fan moved more air and made the refrigerator more efficient, but the noise was unacceptable. There is another benefit as well.  When boon-docking, the battery didn’t drain nearly as fast. In fact, we dry camped at Menla Mountain Retreat Center in the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York for four days and the solar system kept the battery levels around 60%.  That would have never happened with the old fan. We would have been lucky to eek out one or two days and would have had to turn the fridge off at night, so that we could sleep.

Reasons to replace the Airstream stock refrigerator fan:

Pros: super quiet; uses much less energy

Cons: makes refrigerator slightly less efficient

HDTV arrives in the DWR Airstream – Toshiba 19LV506 19″ HD TV

Published on March 30, 2009 in Airstream and Upgrades. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .
DWR Airtream with HDTV upgrade

DWR Airstream with Toshiba HDTV upgrade screening Monty Python's Flying Circus

HDTV came to our Airstream. The DWR Bambi Airstream came with a 15″ Sony. It was heavy, had no built-in DVD player, looked dated, no HD, used an external power adapter, used more energy, and the picture wasn’t very good. So, I went out on a quest to find a more beautiful display. We don’t really watch TV much while camping, but it certainly is nice to watch some movies when it is cold and rainy outside. Having the built-in DVD is important since the Sony DVD/car stereo doesn’t upscale to a 720p display, so the video from the DVD player upfront would look quite bad.

Old power-brick cover box is now shorter to fit the wider TV and conceals the 12v to 110V inverter

Old power-brick cover box is now shorter to fit the wider TV and conceals the 12v to 110V inverter

Another benefit of HD is that I often don’t even have to elevate the Antenna to get a perfect HDTV broadcast picture within a metropolitan area.  I didn’t have to alter the VESA mounting system that held the old TV, but my brother Mark Thomas from Thomas Design/Build cut the power-brick cover plate, that used to house the AC adapter for the Sony TV, back by a third, since it was too long and in the way of the wider TV.

The reason I kept the AC adapter box was because I am using it to conceal a 12V to 110V inverter. This means we can finally use the TV when dry-camping.

Original Sony stock TV

Original Sony TV

The white Toshiba 19LV506 19″ HD TV looks much better with the DWR Airstream styling, uses less energy, and has a much better picture. I wish Airstream would have thought of this during production. Then they would have not have had to build a custom wooden box to conceal the AC adapter. I also wish Airstream would have run a HDMI and Cat5 ethernet cable from the stereo to the television, just to future-proof the trailer.

With our HDTV upgrade, we can watch Monty Python’s Flying Circus on rainy camping days!

Sun, Saltwater. A Trip to the Florida Panhandle

Published on March 23, 2009 in Airstream and Trips. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .
Night falls around The Streaming Daemon

Night falls around The Streaming Daemon

Living in the deepfreeze that is Minnesota, we are always looking forward to a beach vacation. We were about to travel 3100 miles to get some sun and saltwater in our faces when the nose-biting cold bit us hard. It is difficult to think at -6 degrees Fahrenheit, especially when it comes to connecting a trailer after a six-month travel break. I got our DWR Airstream and Volvo all packed and hooked up and was ready to roll south, but I couldn’t get power to our trailer.  After taking the fuse boxes apart, inspecting electrical panels, cables and connections, and tearing my hair out, it turned out that I simply had plugged in the trailer plug upside down. This will never happen to me again. My wife was already on the Internet looking for a last-minute Hawaiian get-away, so I knew that I had to figure out my lost power issue or we were going to be flying to Aloha-land instead of driving to Florida.

I love to troubleshoot, it is a huge part of my job as a Macintosh computer consultant, but not at 5 AM when my extremities are frozen.  I had to hot tub just to thaw my brain and come to my senses and look at the plug again. It is most often the simplest element in the chain the gets overlooked.

We finally got going and I drove 17 hours (950 miles)  the first day to make up for lost time and and to avoid the blizzard that was coming our way.

Travel path of our Florida trip in spring of 2009

Travel path of our Florida trip in spring of 2009

The next day I drove another 400 miles, and when we rolled into Saint Joseph Peninsula State Park, I parked and didn’t even disconnect the car from the trailer for 5 days.  Saint Joseph Peninsula State Park is a beautiful camping spot and we enjoyed every day – even when the temp dropped from 73F to 35F with 35 mile winds. Here are some pictures of this stunning Florida State Park.

 

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Winter Camping + Condensation = Yucky Mattress Mold

Published on March 23, 2009 in Airstream, Tips and Upgrades. 5 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .
Airstream mattress platform - moldy from condesation

Airstream mattress platform - moldy from condensation

We just returned from a 3100 mile trip to the Florida Panhandle with our DWR Airstream, and to our dismay, we discovered that our mattress was starting to develop mold on the bottom. Moisture sans air flow is a breeding ground for mold. This was bound to happen if one looks at the construction of the mattress platform. Airstream decided to use two plywood sections to lay the mattress onto.  There is no air flow to the center of the mattress, therefore in cold and damp weather, the colder storage compartment develops condensation between the mattress and the plywood platform.

Airstream bed platform - with moldy panels removed

Airstream bed platform - with moldy panels removed

This is certainly a design flaw. We have discovered that our DWR Airstream trailer is an interesting combination of great design and somewhat shoddy carpentry. So, my brother Mark Thomas from Thomas Design/Build and I created a solution, so that we can get out of town without creating more mold build-up. We purchased pine slats for $8.50, an aluminum strip to complete the rear support structure, a box of screws and a galvanized metal sheet to isolate the heater compartment from direct contact with the mattress.

Mark Thomas - replacing ply-wood mattress platform with pine slats to improve air circulation below mattress

Mark Thomas - replacing ply-wood mattress platform with pine slats to improve air circulation below mattress

Three hours later we had replaced the plywood panels with a breathable wood slat system that lets air circulate under the mattress between the storage compartment and the rest of the trailer. My brother is an architect who actually has the skills to build a house himself. Due to his excellent upgrade, we’re ready to travel mold-free!

Airstream with slat system for mattress breathability

Airstream with slat system for mattress breathability