DISTILLED

One of our most important chores around our fiver each year is the checking of the  condition of the solar storage battery bank. Lots of things can go wrong over the course of a year what with all of the miles that we tow. However, strangely enough it is the prolonged stays in the docking port with full hookups that wreak the most havoc on the battery bank.

The coach’s  converter provides a constant charge that tries to cook the battery’s to death. Under those conditions the acid level can drop causing the lead plates to loose efficiency.

Keeping the acid level up over the lead plates is done using distilled water. The trick is how to put a accurate stream of distilled water into each cell until it is at the correct level. Needing to add the water in a confined space means that the gallon jug can’t be used. It is just too large.

This Coca Cola bottle’s slim design and small size works out well after a cleaning in distilled water. After each cell in the battery bank is carefully topped off, the next step is to clean and inspect all battery cable connections.

After four years, this connection seems to be working well but corrosion is obvious, meaning that it could loose connection at any time.  Yep, it’s time to do some routine maintenance and cleaning ! I wonder, does this qualify as Spring Cleaning ?

OIL

We are Back home in South West Arkansas. After being out on the road for awhile, we are always behind on chores around the fifthwheeler, dually, Jeep, Boat, and all kinds of other stuff. Today I was changing oil in our generators, we have two of them, a Honda 1000 watt and a Yamaha 3000 watt.

Both are quiet and efficient, but, the thing that amazes me is just how little oil they actually have in them. The actual oil change doesn’t take very long, but, the getting them in and out of the dually, where they are strapped in and locked down to prevent theft, takes awhile.

This little Honda 1000 has had a rough life. Tens of thousands of miles rattling around in the back of our dually, then, run un mercilessly on extended boondocking stays. Yet, regular oil changes keep them both alive and well. Tomorrow, if the weatherman should be wrong, and we don’t get rained out, I’ll start on the boat.

Now, there again, the boat has been in storage in the boat barn, and, it will take a bit to get it out, washed off  and ready to start the servicing process that includes a gear oil change in the lower unit.

Have you figured it out yet ? Yep, you know it. We’re getting ready to go fishing !