2020 Ram 5500 DIY Composite Panel Camper Build Thread
- Thread starter RAM5500 CAMPERTHING
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RAM5500 CAMPERTHING
OG Portal Member #183
Absolutely love it and it works exactly as advertised and confirmed with the Victron app that its putting out a true 60 amps to my camper.
I'd absolutely consider the 120 version, and might actually still go with one if i end up adding a second battery.
Only reason i didnt get the 120 at first was the size, but turns out i have plenty of room.
Double check the dimensions of them before ordering, they are pretty damn big, and take up some real estate, (Under the hood install would be damn near impossible) but 100% worth it in my opinion. (Under the hood install would be damn near impossible)
Luckily that @danneskjold fella has a fetis for used crucial electronics, so if i move up to the 120, i already have a buyer for the 60! hahaha
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Alloy
Well-known member
How about two 60s in parallel?
Alloy
Well-known member
Mfg of our trailer put the vent 12" away from the Fantastic Fan (which is left open for cooling in the summer and condensation in winter) so that when the wind blow in the right direction......
RAM5500 CAMPERTHING
OG Portal Member #183
Yeah, that was one of the reason I chose life blue over the battle borns. They’ll accept higher charge rates
RAM5500 CAMPERTHING
OG Portal Member #183
That doesn’t make sense, for both financial or space savings reasons
Airhead and the others are not actually "composting" toilets, that's more of a marketing lie, like "solar generator".
The actual composting only takes place after the materials are emptied, if you have an appropriate location for a maintained compost heap.
A better term is "desiccating toilet", and the primary reason they work so well without unpleasant odors is the fact that the faeces are not being mixed with urine.
The coir, sawdust kitty litter or whatever the medium draws out the liquid from the faeces
the mixing atomizes it into smaller particles, accelerates that drying.
And in fact many users of homemade versions have no special apparatus for mixing
and also no ventilation to the outside, instead just sealing up the bucket.
As also with the ammo-can units used in strictly enforced "leave nothing behind" fragile ecosystems.
Back to the Airhead / Nature's Head etc style, used properly there really is **no** unpleasant odour, even without venting, and yes even when you are very close to the unit.
So, if running the venting out sideways or through the floor is easier than up top, then just do whatever's easiest for your rig.
The actual composting only takes place after the materials are emptied, if you have an appropriate location for a maintained compost heap.
A better term is "desiccating toilet", and the primary reason they work so well without unpleasant odors is the fact that the faeces are not being mixed with urine.
The coir, sawdust kitty litter or whatever the medium draws out the liquid from the faeces
the mixing atomizes it into smaller particles, accelerates that drying.
And in fact many users of homemade versions have no special apparatus for mixing
and also no ventilation to the outside, instead just sealing up the bucket.
As also with the ammo-can units used in strictly enforced "leave nothing behind" fragile ecosystems.
Back to the Airhead / Nature's Head etc style, used properly there really is **no** unpleasant odour, even without venting, and yes even when you are very close to the unit.
So, if running the venting out sideways or through the floor is easier than up top, then just do whatever's easiest for your rig.
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WanderingBison
Active member
Great summary!
Allow me to add a little bit based on our experience with a Nature’s Head - we used ours for the first year or two, mostly weekends and three or four extended (3-6 weeks) a year without using the fan. When we moved to our van full time, we connected the fan and vented it outside.
Power venting made a huge difference in usability!
No difference for #1 of course but we could manage 4 weeks with occasional use before venting and now can EASILY extend our #2 bin to 4-6 weeks with venting turned on.
I will likely reduce the number of hours the toilet is running the vent once I have all the automation tuned in to reduce noise and power consumption (quite minimal for either).
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
RAM5500 CAMPERTHING
OG Portal Member #183
Great Info! Thanks
RAM5500 CAMPERTHING
OG Portal Member #183
Small but huge update...
Redid the guest side dinette in black and remade the bottom seat part to fold up to access the void that will be storage.
The table size and shape are perfect, but i am going to redo it in 3/4 versus 1/2 and going to have it fixed, instead of using the Lagun system.
There will be a slide out drawer also underneath the HotPocket Machine for storage
My side of the dinette have a 6" slope to the back and is super comfy, for space reasons, the guest side is at a straight 90 and not all that comfy.
I may revisit this at a later date if i REALLY get the urge to relocate my hidden Kuereg thats in the storage area behind the guest seat!
Redid the guest side dinette in black and remade the bottom seat part to fold up to access the void that will be storage.
The table size and shape are perfect, but i am going to redo it in 3/4 versus 1/2 and going to have it fixed, instead of using the Lagun system.
There will be a slide out drawer also underneath the HotPocket Machine for storage
My side of the dinette have a 6" slope to the back and is super comfy, for space reasons, the guest side is at a straight 90 and not all that comfy.
I may revisit this at a later date if i REALLY get the urge to relocate my hidden Kuereg thats in the storage area behind the guest seat!
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@WanderingBison Did you vent out the side or up top? I really don't want to run the hose vertically as it looks junky...but I sure as heck don't want to smell my toilet. My toilet is near the entry way on the back and on the side of my awning lol. I could potentially vent it out into the truck wheel-well area (I have a slide-in camper). I could likely turn off the fan easily enough if I just wire in a switch too. I dunno...its awesome that these things work so damn well and for so long. Crazy. I have two adults and two kids using it, hoping it holds up. Oh, do you use coffee filters with yours? Wondering how to best clean it when messy.
@RAM5500 CAMPERTHING I checked out your video where you showed the toilet (EP12). Looks like it mounted nicely. What did you use for a vent cowl up top? When you mounted the hose/fan, did you just cut a hole in the panel, drill some holes, throw down sealant and screw it all together and seal?
@RAM5500 CAMPERTHING I checked out your video where you showed the toilet (EP12). Looks like it mounted nicely. What did you use for a vent cowl up top? When you mounted the hose/fan, did you just cut a hole in the panel, drill some holes, throw down sealant and screw it all together and seal?
RAM5500 CAMPERTHING
OG Portal Member #183
The method for the hole though was kind of involved and I was in the zone and forgot to document it.
I found some PVC pipe that was almost the exact diameter of the airhead vent fan cowl piece, drilled a hole just big enough for the pipe to slide through in the roof, then coated the hole, pipe, Inside and outside with adhesive and let it set and seal.
This way, there is no air gap where the stank could possibly permeate Into the foam insulation exposed from the hole. Make sense?
I just used a round vent from a boat.
It’s nice and super low profile.
Here’s a link: JR Products 02-29125 Mushroom...
WanderingBison
Active member
I’m in a Ford Transit so I vented out the side wall behind the body moulding, behind/after the sliding door (the toilet is next to the passenger side wall, mounted on drawer slides).
No smell really, although I’ve noticed an unpleasant whiff a couple of times, immediately after doing the deed. But it was barely noticeable, didn’t last and I was probably extra sensitive ... I don’t think it’s a big factor for location.
I’m in Canada so what I’ve noticed is the moisture and warmth from the vent is visibly noticeable on the plastic moulding during the winter. But nothing to worry about. I would just make sure any hole in metal is well coated.
No coffee filters - just a quick wipe with TP and/or quick spray with a Simple Green/water solution to “clean up” when needed. Simple Green is biodegradable and smells great.
We tried all kinds of medium, but have been using coconut coir (friends started selling small coir disks on Amazon - search Poo Poo Pucks which is perfect for extended travels. Small, easy to break up and can have them delivered to an Amazon Locker) which worked the best. It’s a little tough to break up and hard to store when you buy a large brick, but the smaller discs have been great.
I’m doing a test right now with hamster cage bedding and so far, so good. It definitely doesn’t absorb as much so we’ll see in time, but the fan has been keeping everything dry. We’ll see how it manages after a month or two.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Nice! How did you fasten both cowls\housings to the ceiling? Looks like you used some screws or something to that effect. If so, did the screws go through the panel and into the mushroom? That's kind of the only part I wasn't clear on. Smart sealing out the stank from the panel.