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Messages - Seattle-TC11

#1
The remote wireless camper camera project for my 2016 CampLite TC11 worked out amazingly well.  I used a piece of scrap thick walled aluminum tubing and my angle grinder to cut a mount that stood out far enough to clear the camper's roll-out awning in order to have the camera look at a downward angle.  It is the same metal as all the aluminum trim so it looks great.  I used the orbital sander to give it a matte finish.

After re-using existing screw hole locations for the mount, I routed the wire inside the marker light to re-use that existing wiring hole. I did not have to make any new installation holes.  I had to modify one of the marker light covers on the bottom side to allow the wire to fit when the cover is snapped back on the mount.  It is on the bottom of the cap, so there is no worry about leaks.  The video wires and the marker lights are using the same hole and it is caulked.  I used butyl tape under the entire mount and caulked around everything.  A bit of advice...do not use self drilling screws longer than 1.25"  -- they will cut into the opposite side of the frame studs, and then the head will snap off.  Stick to 1" self drilling screws, they work great!

The power for the remote transmitter was the most difficult part. Starting at the reverse light accessible from the gray/black tank drain area (I tapped into the black and white wires), I had to run an extension wire from the reverse light under the floor where the black tank is located (a broom stick and a hook on the end worked very well for grabbing wire in the very limited space).  In the bathroom area, I had to remove the wall panel next to the toilet.  This panel is difficult to remove and must be treated with extreme caution so as not to damage the edges or corners (you must flex it to have it come free from the metal edge work).  The panel can be removed to gain access to this area.  So far, I have been unsuccessful despite several attempts to get some extra inside paneling from KZ.  They do not reply to any of the emails I send.  I would love to have some interior panels because a few are scratched up (it actually arrived new that way). 

The wire was run along the black tank vent pipe (attached with zip ties), so there was already a hole in the floor for the pipe to use.  There is also an existing a wire raceway along the ceiling that is easily removed that already carries the wires from the marker lights.  Unfortunately, these wires are not usable because they are not associated with the reverse light.  It was very time consuming and somewhat frustrating work removing panels and raceway covers, and it took hours, but I also didn't damage anything so it was worth the effort.  With the correct reverse wire power feed, the transmitter kicks on instantly when the reverse light is active.  There is no delay at all when the camera becomes active.  The image is also clear.

Inside the truck, I installed the wireless receiver to switched power so it is only active when the truck is running.  I also purchased an old Radio Shack coax A/B switch I found on Ebay.  I used Coax to RCA adapters that match what the head unit already has for video.  A few short RCA video cables were added to reach the head-unit and it was done.  I can flip from the truck's wired reverse camera to the camper's wireless camera anytime I have the camper in the truck. The truck's wired camera is blocked by the camper's bumper, so it wasn't very useful.  When I have the camper on the truck, I flip the A/B switch to the wireless camera and nothing else is required.  I'm pretty happy with how it all turned out.  The camera has less of a wide angle view than I really like.  I have ordered another camera similar to this one and I hope it has a super wide angle view.  Even if it does not have a wide view, I am still happy to see what is behind me with this giant camper on the truck.
#2
New Members / New TC11 owner.
July 26, 2019, 05:32:41 PM
I've already posted a bunch of stuff about my camper including problems and fixes.  More later.
#3
New Members / Re: Hello from Seattle
July 26, 2019, 05:25:24 PM
I was able to find my Livin Lite using RVT.com

I ended up driving way north up into Canada to the dealer.  They actually drove half way down and met me.

I had no issues with customs either.  All you need is the sales receipt.  You can prove it is US made based on the external stickers.  It was no problem.
#4
The warrant for a new camper should be one year.  It does not need to go to the original seller.  If you contact KZ, they can give you a list of repair shops.  Any Thor Authorized shop should be able to work on it under warranty.
#5
Have you tried a regular auto-body shop?  If it is just filler and a re-spray, anyone good with this sort of thing can do it.

Either that, or buy an entirely new door and just get it painted by a body shop.  There isn't anything unique about Livin Lite doors.  I believe they are a standard product that can be purchased as a complete unit.
#6
I agree about the 12v refrigerator.  Completely useless.  Kills the entire battery charge in just a couple of hours.
#7
I purchased my brand new 2016 TC11 this May up in Canada.  It had been sitting on the lot for two years. 

It had a few problems:

1) The roof escape hatch leaked (badly).  This was fortunately a warranty repair that unfortunately took over two months to get fixed.  The factorY did NOT install it correctly.  They did NOT use butyl tape under the outer flange.  They did not seal under the hinges.  There was a direct route for water to enter the camper.  Since the mattress was still wrapped in plastic, nothing was damaged.  The repair facility had to remove the hatch and carefully re-install it according to the directions.  No leaks now.

2) The main camper waste drain was hanging without support.  The support straps had broken loose.  With the stupid design they used, the 4" pipe just bounced up and down until it busted loose.  The solution (also warranty) was to replace the perforated straps with rigid angle straps.  This way, the pipe cannot move up or down, and stays in place.  Problem solved.

3) Fresh water drain valve at the low spot at the camper leaked (A LOT).  It leaked the first time I filled the water tank.  The factory obviously didn't test it.

4) The gray tank sensors were backwards.  After exactly two gallons, it read 2/3 full.  (warranty fix).  They reversed the wires.  Where the hell was quality control?

5) The battery box was installed backwards.  The top of the box could not close, and the exit vent pipe was not long enough to spin the top to the correct position (warranty repair).  They cut off the direction tabs on the box and it closes now.  It was also not attached with screws, so it was unsafe.  This is now fixed.

6) Inside the bathroom, behind the removable wall piece (not easily removable, but something I took off for the new wireless camera that I will detail in another post), the vent for the toilet had a strap to secure, but it wasn't installed correctly...at all.  The strap was so loose, I could slide a leg into the gap they left.  Why even put a strap in there if it isn't actually holding anything.  Also, all of the wiring behind that panel was just hanging there against the metal strap, waiting to create a short.  Just a few pennies worth of zip ties fixed all of that loose wire.  I removed over a foot of the metal strap and re-attached it.  Fixed.

7) The blind over the kitchen sink.  Originally installed by a someone who was clearly an idiot.  The brackets were installed directly where the blind parts need to rotate.  They could not rotate.  I had to move them to different locations before the blind could rotate.  These installers....arg!

8 ) The main door latch was installed upside down so the camper's dead bolt did not function.  Easy to fix...but seriously, how did this not get checked when they installed it? 

9) The door latch on the bathroom does not lock.  Also installed in the wrong position.  It will need to be re-positioned to get fixed.  I still have to fix this one.

10) Wiring near the external camper jack controller.  It was a bundle of very think gauge wires cut and left with the ends bare and not taped or anything else.  This potentially could have shorted out a lot of things... A few loops of tape and that is fixed.

11) The air conditioner blew about 3 cups of Styrofoam dust all over the place the first time it was turned on.  Surely they could have powered it up at least once after installing it to blow out all of the construction debris...nope.

12) One cabinet door frame was over-tightened and out of square so much that the latch did not close/open.  Easy fix, now the latch works great.

13) Some extra parts (a door handle and some floor trim) were left inside the sink cabinet.  They didn't even bother to clean up.

14) One of the clips holding on the sink from underneath was attached to nothing.  It had to be re-positioned to grip the counter top.

15) In the bed area, the bracket that holds the bottom of the blind was placed in such a position that there is no physical way whatsoever to attach it to the blind.  Solution, move it down about an inch (leaving holes in the wall)

16) The generator box on the outside of the camper had no hold-open device.  All of the other vertically opening hatches had these devices.  Solution, buy one and attach it.  Why put one on every other door but not this one?  Not easy to find the correct shape device, but "Ebay" to the rescue.  The style they used is no longer available new.

17) Aluminum shards in every cabinet, in every opening, everywhere....really....everywhere.  Under the bed, in the battery box, in the shower, all over the place.  Nobody at the factory seems to know how to use a vacuum.

18) Water supply lines under the sink go straight up from the floor, take a 90 degree bend and attach to the faucet.  They sway back and forth about 12" and would easily start to leak without much time with so much movement.  A few pennies in zip ties solved that one.

Summary:  I see now why it never sold...Such sloppy work!  Some of the installers were absolute idiots.  There was terrible quality control.

Now that I have it fixed, it is very nice.  What a pain.   The only reason to buy this think is the all aluminum design.  They had horrible quality control and crappy workmanship.
#8
My TC11 had the mini blind very poorly installed.  The little swivel brackets look like this ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MQIHVWW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ).  One of mine broke when I took off the blind.  That said, they mounted these bracket devices directly over the little plastic piece that rotates inside of the blind, not allowing it to spin.  The blinds did not rotate completely and would not provide any privacy.  The solution was actually pretty simple.  I just move the brackets along the window frame to a location that does not interfere with the blind spinning.  Problem solved.  This isn't exactly what you were requesting, but it might help with a blind that is not working correctly.
#9
CampLite Truck Campers / TC11 external ladder
July 25, 2019, 07:08:56 PM
My 2016 TC11 camper did not come with an external ladder, I have no idea why. I think a ladder is necessary for fixing roof issues on the road or if the escape hatch is ever needed to escape the camper.  I found a few videos on YouTube like this ( https://youtu.be/cBV4xO4SaDk ) showing another model year TC11 camper with a ladder, so I figured there is probably no difference in the design of the blocking (this is the official term used for what is needed to hold a ladder).

I emailed KZ:  this is the reply

________________________
GOOD MORNING

YOU CAN CONTACT A LIVIN LITE DEALER AND ORDER PART# 202953
thanks joe miller
[email protected]
phone 260-768-2083
fax 260-768-7629
________________________
Note
This is a black color ladder.  I probably would have chosen a color that matches the trim color instead, but the black ended up looking good.

Installing it:
The studs can only be located from the inside.  The one of the two 4' studs was easy to find.  However, with the interior bathroom wall that holds the bathroom door, I could only get part of other stud located.  I was unable to find the full width of the second stud.  I did find this video of the camper's framework: ( https://youtu.be/SnZcP8wYY8Y ).  I had to take a leap of faith that the second stud was also 4' wide.  With the camper frame video and the fact other campers of the same model had ladders, it was worth a shot.  The good news is that both studs are 4" wide!

Both 4" wide studs go from floor to ceiling, obviously there for the ladder.  Once you find them, you very carefully transfer the measurements to the outside.  I measured from the edge of the outside door jam to the inside of one of the studs with a carpenter's square, then I re-created all the stud locations on the outside of the camper onto green tape.   

I used 1" self drilling screws.  Warning: anything longer hits the opposite side of the stud and snaps off the screw head.  Using 1"screws is plenty to sink into the very thick walled 4" studs.  I have included a picture of the finished job. I sealed under each attachment point with butyl tape and then caulked.
#10
The sealant on my TC11 is black butyl. Most hardware stores sell it in the roofing supply. It is typically sold in 2" wide rolls. It can be formed into any shape and pieces are easy to stick together to made any width.

It cleans very easily with Goo Gone cleaner. That product will should harm your paint. It is designed to remove stuff like this.
#11
This happened to me as well. I just started the truck and the umbilical gave the motor enough juice to close the slide.