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Remote Water Pump Switch

11/17/2020

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The Revel has a sink drain switch (macerator) for the galley. However to use the sink you need to turn on the water pump. The button for this is around the corner on the One Place panel. Unfortunately this control is software driven and there is a slight delay while the One Place determines the current state of the pump (to display either On or Off). This gets to be a pain. Fortunately, WB added a solid-state water pump control relay to the pump operation which we can piggy back on to add another remote switch and state indication light. Plus you retain the macerator function too! The FB Revel site has many versions of this - it's where I got the idea.

I added 4 wires (2 for the light and 2 for the pump control), and ordered a custom switch from Rockerswitchpros.com. This is a momentary switch in both positions with an LED as well,  part number VLD1-AX0B. 

This the wiring diagram  (stolen from the FB Revel Group):
Picture
Just to document my connections:
Pin      Description (as appears in diagram above)
1         N/C
2        Switch
3        Ground
4        Macerator
5        Macerator
6        N/C
7        Pump
8        Battery

The water pump control is below the Nautilus control panel behind the black louvered cover plate (a pretty poor location for an electrical component - bound to get wet when you service the filter or spring a leak...).

My first attempt to mount the switch was to reuse the original bezel by cutting out the center section. That worked, but held the switch out from the cabinet by an extra 1/2" and not very securely. That led to it potentially snagging on clothing or being hit accidentally or getting ripped out.  I was going to order a custom labelled switch for the pump anyway, so I decided to replace the unlabeled "mystery" switch above the fridge (its for the running board lights) as well with labels! Turns out the running board light switch uses a simple flush metal bezel, exactly what I wanted- which I was able to find on the WB parts list - part number 144363-02-CHT. So I ordered one. It's a much better solution in my opinion.
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Water Filter

11/16/2020

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I wanted to use the built in water tank for all our water needs - instead of carrying around 5 gallons for drinking, etc.  In order to do that, I felt it would be important to add an inline water filter for the galley sink. Although we filter the water when we fill, the water quality varies and more filtering is better. 

I went with an Everpure ADC filter - it got good reviews, is built well, has good specs, and seemed like it  would fit. I found examples on FB for installing in a Revel, but they were for earlier models with a different cabinet layout. They wouldn't work in the 2021.

I found a spot behind the lower drawer that works, but you have to mount to the wood panel located behind. This panel is only 1/2" thick and the filter is kinda heavy - esp with water. I decided to make a bracket to secure the lower portion and provide additional support.  I cut about 12" off the cold line and attached that to the filter inlet. I got a 20" braided faucet line to hook the outlet up to the cold on the faucet.
It just fits! 
Picture
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Cabinet Lock

11/11/2020

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There's a compartment behind the dinette seat that offers some additional storage. It has a nice door with a 1" hole. Others have mounted a simple cabinet lock there to provide a potential low level of security. It seemed like a good idea so I decided to work on this. The lock I could find (and it seems most of these) use a 3/4" shank. That makes them a  bit small for the hole in the cabinet. The lock comes with a bezel you can use to "fill" in the gap, but I thought it looked and worked horrible. I wanted a more solid approach. 
Picture
I ended up milling a part out of some aluminum to hold the lock and mount it securely to the door. It also fits snuggly so the whole thing has a more solid feel. 
And here it is installed. I added a plastic tab so you can easily pull it open if you don't have the keys and it's unlocked. 
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Minor Defects

11/1/2020

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I wasn't aware of this, but apparently the build quality in the RV market is notoriously poor. Supposedly Winnebago is better than most, but still leaves a lot to be desired. As I've been poking around in the van I've found a few things that I thought I would collect here.

Wire Wraps
For some reason WB uses duct tape to wrap the wire bundles. I've never seen this in a production setting.
​Soln: When I'm fiddling with something I usually clean up what I can and use zip ties
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Poor Controller Placement
This little guy is the controller for the water pump. Conveniently placed right near the water pump filter basket. I found that when I clean the water pump filter, water ends up dripping on the top of this. It's stared to corrode the terminals.
Soln: I cleaned things up, replaced the connectors,  and sealed with dielectric grease. 
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Build Debris
In all the nooks and crannies there are metal filings, saw dust, loose screws, etc.
​Soln: I tend to vacuum them up when I found them. 
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Window Leaks
This is a brand new (less than 3K miles) van, and the first time we were in rain, we found a window leak.
​Soln: It's going to be a warranty item - if we can get in. 
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Battery Tray Squeak
This thing has lots of little squeaks and rattles. Some are easy to fix (like remounting all the drawer stops so they actually close snuggly) and some are harder. We had a fairly annoying loud squeak coming from the rear garage area. It took me a while of hunting while the wife drove on bumpy roads to track it down. It turns out WB used rivets to secure the new lithium battery tray to the van wall. These do NOT hold the battery tray tightly against the van wall so they can rub. 
My solution was to run some self tapping screws through them at various points. This seems to have done the trick. I'll be interested to see if it holds up. (Yes you have to remove the batteries, etc. to get at area.)
Picture

Fridge Install
I removed the fridge to rodent proof and insulate the step area underneath. When I removed the fridge I found a few issues:
- WB mounts  a retention cable to the top of the fridge (I guess this is there to keep it from flying around in an accident). The bracket for this has 4 screw holes, but mine only had two screws holding it on and they were loose. 
- The Fridge is screwed into  the cabinet by 4 screws accessed through the front bezel. One screw head was stripped, so I couldn't get it out with out drilling it out. Once I removed the fridge, I found two other screws had split the wood strip they were screwed into. 
- There is a thin piece of wood above the fridge that is supposed to provide a barrier between the fridge and the drawer above. I found this piece of wood lodged to the side of the fridge. The screws had been ripped out of the wood.
Soln: Screw it back into place.
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