Looking for Advice on Camper Appliances.

[brp]

I am in the process of building an ER knock-off combining an F450 and a Toyota Sunrader. I'll likely be getting all new appliances and I am looking for suggestions. My main focus is on simplicity and quality. I'd rather spend more and get the right product.
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Toilet - I am pretty set on a composting toilet (Nature's Head or Air Head). No black water tank, less freshwater, easy install, light weight. A draw back to these toilets is that when you make your last deposit it takes a few days to it to compost. I am fine with no #2's in the toilet for a few days and plan to use a compost enhancer to speed things up. Any other unforeseen drawbacks or suggestions?

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Heater - Leaning toward a Wave model from Olympian or a Platinum Cat. Both of the heaters are catalytic and the Platinum has the advantage of being vented. General thoughts on catalytic heaters? Issues with humidity and venting with the Wave?
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Fridge - Leaning towards an Engel MT60 or MT80. My main thought here is 12v the way to go over a 3 way with propane? If the 12v can get the job done, then great, save the complexity and size of the propane. I like the MT series because it is a chest style, so the cold air does not rush out when opened. I would put it on sliders so it slides out from under the kitchen counter when accessed

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Air Conditioner - No idea, totally open to suggestions.
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Water Heater - No idea, totally open to suggestions.
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House Batteries - No idea, totally open to suggestions.
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No oven, simple two burner stove. Any high quality LED light fixtures would be good to know about as well.

I am open to the idea of carrying a small generator as well, should the AC require it. Probably a Honda.

Any input on any of these appliance ideas would be much appreciated and thanks.

 

[biere]

12 volt fridge, check. Just seems like a good idea after reading about them on here.

Heater, vented if you plan serious winter use in really cold places. For more mild winter stuff a ventless setup will put out moisture and you might wind up with condensation on the windows and what not. A cracked window can take care of a lot of this but then we get into the game of letting in cold dry air to deal with warm humid air and you have to heat that much air. For my price and what I intend a ventless setup is fine but I am not very serious about anything long term and I am not much on playing in the super cold areas for long periods of time.

Water heater, since I will go with a propane heater I will go with a propane tankless heater of some sort. I don't see a point in having a tank full of hot water all the time unless you have a good purpose for it. If it is sunny I would have the stuff to rig a solar shower if you are staying in one place for a bit and want a quick shower when you return from hiking.

Batteries depend on what you want for run times vs. charge times. A couple golf cart batteries will run most 12 volt fridges for a bit. Heck, a single vehicle battery will run them for a day or two depending on your choices. I love the agm batteries but my wallet causes me to price golf cart batteries and they will do what I want to do.

If messing around in serious winter conditions for days on end I could see going agm because they are safer to have in the living space and that would allow them to be heated.

No clue on the ac unit. I am going to rig a setup for car camping and tail gating and what not and it will have a small quiet generator and a small window ac unit. Going to cool a step van or decent sized cargo trailer. Not something to be used daily for living and what not.

 

[mhiscox]

My two-cents-worth . . .

Heater: Unvented cat heaters have some well-established drawbacks, but nothing else gets you cheap, quiet heat with no installation hassles. I suggest that most times you'll be happy with the results, assuming you provide adequate venting. Also, we have a Vornado combination heater/fan that we carry when we know we're going to have shorepower.

Toilet: Be sure to read JRhetts thread on life with a composting toilet. He was generally favorable. If you don't go that route, consider the Thetford Curve porta-potti. It's a significant improvement on what's gone before.

House batteries: Use AGMs for sure, especially if the camper may sit a while between uses; they require less attention than flooded cells and have several other advantages. How much capacity you need will depend on whether you will routinely have shorepower. Depending on that, anywhere between 100 and 400 Amp Hours of capacity might be appropriate. You can calculate the current draw of all your electrical stuff to make a good decision. Just remember that good battery practice means you only draw down to 50% of available capacity, so a 400 AH bank yields 200 AH in everyday use.

Water heater: If you have the room for it, consider one of the Isotemp Slims with an immersion heater.

AC: A roof air model will be far and away easiest, since no ducting is required.

Fridge: Refrigerators that can use propane are absorption fridges, and they use about 6 times as much power as a compressor fridges like the Engels. Absorption fridges also don't work well off-level. These issues may or may not make a difference given your use. Per cubic foot of capacity, compressor fridges cost way more.

Good luck with your build. It sounds interesting.

 

[graynomad]

Batteries - AGMs are great, can also be mounted on their side which often helps with the layout. Lithium (LiFePO) are the coming thing and maybe 1/3rd the weight for the same capacity.

Battery charging - How will you charge the batteries. This will change a lot depending on whether you drive every second day or sit somewhere for a week.

AC - why would you want one.

Toilet - I like composting toilets but Porta pottis are OK and a lot smaller (although I've not seen the ones you refer to), no chemicals required and have a second cassette in case you fill up in the middle of the night

Fridge - Propane fridges use a lot of gas and they can be very hard to get working well in hot weather. Compressor fridges are better but of course use more power. Eutectic fridges use less power.

Is the Toyota petrol? That can make a difference as well to some choices, for example with a diesel vehicle you don't really want a gennie because that means carrying another fuel.

 

[msiminoff]

Sounds like a fun project! Please post lots of photos of your progress.
- For the toilet, personally I'd go with the Thetford Curve or a cassette toilet because they can be quickly & easily emptied anywhere a sewer or septic system is available.
- I have a Wave 3 in my truck camper and it works great! I do keep 2 windows cracked for make-up air and moisture ventilation, but it has been sufficient in sub-freezing temps.
- The Engel fridge is a great choice, but if you have the space then a Tundra refrigerator will give you a small freezer as well.
- EarthRoamers use a household window A/C unit. I think one of these would serve you nicely. They typically have much lower energy requirements than RV rooftop A/C's (and of course lower BTU's as well).
- The IsoTemp water heaters are excellent and especially useful if you can take advantage of the engine coolant heat exchanger I have an EcoTemp L5 portable instant hot water heater that I use for outdoor showering... it could easily be plumbed into your water system. Just be sure that it has adequate ventilation!!
- Definitely consider AGM batteries. The Diehard (Sears) Platinum Group 31's offer a good combination of capacity, cost, warranty, & availability. How do you plan to charge them?
- For a small vehicle, it's hard to be a Honda EU2000i generator... depending on on your A/C, you might even be able to get away with 1000W.
Cheers
-Mark

 

[mog]

For camper heating and a water heater you might consider an Eberspacher hydronic D5 heater (in short, a small jet engine water heater). Easy to plumb into your vehicle system to also pre-heat the engine in cold weather, and use the vehicle's cooling system to pre-heat water and the camper while driving. They can be pricely, but deals can be found. Mine is a brand new 'surplus' US Military unit (so cannon plug connectors and a 'bullet proof' containment) and was found as a deal on eBay.
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[madmax718]

Eberspacher makes combo units, that not only heat water, but also have forced hot air. they are a little pricey, but a single unit will take care of all your hot water and heating needs.

I shy away from propane- i don't know if its just me, or others feel the same way. Its a separate fuel source to deal with, with a equally heavy and large fuel tank. If your rig is diesel, then you might as well get the diesel water and forced air heater, along with the diesel cook top. I personally wou'dnt spend the money on the diesel cook top, only because a butane cooktop does the job for me, and has for many years.

some bridges, tunnels, and ferries do not allow propane through it. something to consider. international travel would also be limited with propane.

i think electric fridges are the way to go- again, propane reliance, is not for me. waeco and others make standard cabinet looking fridges and freezers, if you want a more rv type appearance.

as far as toilets go.. i am torn. having a conventional type rv toilet is most familiar. a bucket toilet is cheapest and easiest. Ive looked at these, never used one, but the science is sound.

http://www.golittleguy.com/teardrops/store/product/dry-flush-toilet

its a little pricey, but cheap when you consider that you no longer need a black water tank, and no need to dump black water either. After a week of renting an rv, i do not ever want to dump black water. ever. again. its amazing how quickly it can fill up on you. it also saves you precious fresh water supply no longer needed for flushing.

 

[Theteardroptrailer]

Hmm, seems like this is a 2 year old comment, but I can't help but say something about cheap and easy washroom facilities when pulling a teardrop trailer.
Use a bucket and a seat. We are manufacturers of teardrop trailers here in Canada and plan on doing just that with our units. have a simple pull out seat
and a bag and a bucket right under neath the trailer frame.

 

[Paul B.]

I am in the process of building an ER knock-off combining an F450 and a Toyota Sunrader..

Is there a build thread for the ER knock off F-450/Sunrader??? We're doing something like this with an F-350 and an FWC Keystone.