New 34IK

[Daycruiser]

Originally Posted by RV Grammy

I was wondering if you have been able to get your unit out of storage yet. We would be interested in seeing pictures of the locations of the plumbing since you had the waste lines reconfigured. We are considering tackling the project ourselves since we seem to have a lot of time on our hands recently although always manage to fill our days!! I don’t want to be exposed to any Covid during a trip to Indiana as a simple cold causes me major problems. My husband looked in the area where all the plumbing is and doesn’t look too complicated. Do you have any insight on anything special Ovran may have done to make this work? Thanks for any info you might have

I haven't had the work done yet, I had to put it off until later June for all the obvious reasons. However I've ripped my 34IK apart putting in new electrical wiring and replacing some of the cheap stuff the factory did, in the process I've figured out how easy it is to change the plumbing for the shower to the bath gray tank. My rig needs to go to Orvan for warranty work anyway so I'll just let him take care of it. I have enough to do with wiring and adding new components.

[RV Grammy]

Originally Posted by Daycruiser

I haven't had the work done yet, I had to put it off until later June for all the obvious reasons. However I've ripped my 34IK apart putting in new electrical wiring and replacing some of the cheap stuff the factory did, in the process I've figured out how easy it is to change the plumbing for the shower to the bath gray tank. My rig needs to go to Orvan for warranty work anyway so I'll just let him take care of it. I have enough to do with wiring and adding new components.

Just out of curiosity, what are you rewiring and changing? Always interested to see / hear what others are doing. We’ve also done some wiring, installed solar although found out it was not enough to keep the refrigerator going for a long weekend at Assateague. We have always had motor homes, and the changing to a trailer has had a learning curve we didn’t expect

[Daycruiser]

Originally Posted by RV Grammy

Just out of curiosity, what are you rewiring and changing?

Well it started out with replacing my four Lead Acid batteries with 300AH LifePO4 and moving the batteries back further in the coach where they couldn't be easily acquired by persons unknown from the side door. Once I started removing basement walls to get a good look at things I started noticing some tangled up wire, the location and model of the OEM converter wasn't going to cut it, the grade of the wire used for certain things was underrated, the factory battery switch was junk, I later found two 14AWG wires under one 20A breaker in the panel, that was not going to fly with me. I pulled out the tall cabinet just inside the doorway that houses the distribution panel and found a hack job on wiring done probably by a wood butcher. I'm a retired LEO and soon to be retired Engineer so I'm very anal about everything. So the battery job had turned into a bigger job. The little junk 55A converter has found a new home in the dumpster, new Progressive Dynamics 60A LifePO4 converter replaced and everything relocated to the front bay wall. New DC to DC charge controller for the truck to the Batteries installed, rewired the Hydraulic Pump, Inverter relocated and rewired, new AC circuit pulled into the front bay for the converter and rewired the old AC circuit that feeds the inverter for the Refer, removed the RV AC outlets in the basement areas that are hidden and replaced them with commercial boxes and outlets, all the auto reset fuses replaced with DC Marine Trip Breakers, new 400 Amp buss bars installed with 4/0 cable providing DC power from batteries to disty panel and front compartment buss bars for all the stuff up there now. I installed a DC/AC relay from the iNCommand System to the Water Heater (electric) so I can turn if off and on with the panel. I also have a Cellular LTE-A and WiFi router system so while the cabinet is out I am putting a new High Gain Antenna on the roof and dropping the cables into that cabinet space today. New system monitor panels in the cabinet are done so the cabinet should be ready to go back tonight. EasyStart added to the rear A/C unit, Some rewiring still to do but getting there. Hope to have it buttoned up by early June or just before it goes to Orvan's.

[RV Grammy]

Wow!!! Is all I say! Don’t understand half of what you did, But my husband sure was impressed . Now the wheels are turning!! He made some changes when installing the solar , found things inadequate and fixed some but not to your extent. Going from motor homes to trailers things are wired completely different, so have had to “live with it” a little to see what we need / want. Thanks for all the info. Will keep watching to see how things are working when your done.

[Sandbagger]

Originally Posted by RV Grammy

I was wondering if you have been able to get your unit out of storage yet. We would be interested in seeing pictures of the locations of the plumbing since you had the waste lines reconfigured. We are considering tackling the project ourselves since we seem to have a lot of time on our hands recently although always manage to fill our days!! I don’t want to be exposed to any Covid during a trip to Indiana as a simple cold causes me major problems. My husband looked in the area where all the plumbing is and doesn’t look too complicated. Do you have any insight on anything special Ovran may have done to make this work? Thanks for any info you might have

Sorry for the delay as if truth be known this task slipped my mind and last 8 weeks have been a little nutzo. First picture is not the best but basically it shows the drain comes out out of the shower, to a waterless trap and then into the basement. Second picture shows path of drain through basement, third shows connection to bathroom sink drain and last shows plumbing in the cuddy.

[RV Grammy]

Thank you so very much for the photos.!! We have decided to tackle this modification ourselves since we have time on our hands and aren’t going any place in a hurry yet. We had figured it to run the same way, but my husband just wants to be sure that it’s vented correctly so he’ll have to crawl in there again and check the venting. Will let you know how we do!!

[RV Grammy]

Originally Posted by Sandbagger

Sorry for the delay as if truth be known this task slipped my mind and last 8 weeks have been a little nutzo. First picture is not the best but basically it shows the drain comes out out of the shower, to a waterless trap and then into the basement. Second picture shows path of drain through basement, third shows connection to bathroom sink drain and last shows plumbing in the cuddy.

One more question, if you wouldn’t mind. Did Orvan cut a larger access hole into the area to get to the shower base and rearrange the waste line into the basement. We were looking again tonight and our access panel won’t fit anyone thru it or around the end of the wall, contemplating taking the whole wall out and replacing when done.
Thanks again for all your info and help

[Daycruiser]

Originally Posted by RV Grammy

One more question, if you wouldn’t mind. Did Orvan cut a larger access hole into the area to get to the shower base and rearrange the waste line into the basement. We were looking again tonight and our access panel won’t fit anyone thru it or around the end of the wall, contemplating taking the whole wall out and replacing when done.
Thanks again for all your info and help

That's what Cedar Creek did in the 2021 models, that wall has one very large opening in it now with a plastic panel to cover it. I guess they couldn't fit through it either.

[RV Grammy]

Originally Posted by Daycruiser

That's what Cedar Creek did in the 2021 models, that wall has one very large opening in it now with a plastic panel to cover it. I guess they couldn't fit through it either.

Thanks, I thought I saw a bigger access panel on some models but really didn’t pay attention . I don’t even think my grandson would fit through the access panel we have on our!! My husband is 6’7” tall so he’s not going to fold up easily to get in there . With all the electrical mods you did , you said you removed basement walls etc, was the one with the small access panel to all the wires and plumbing one of them? Always easier to ask how someone did their renovations before striking out on your own. I haven’t been a member of this forum for long, but the information we have gleaned from it it amazing.

[Daycruiser]

Originally Posted by RV Grammy

Thanks, I thought I saw a bigger access panel on some models but really didn’t pay attention . I don’t even think my grandson would fit through the access panel we have on our!! My husband is 6’7” tall so he’s not going to fold up easily to get in there . With all the electrical mods you did , you said you removed basement walls etc, was the one with the small access panel to all the wires and plumbing one of them? Always easier to ask how someone did their renovations before striking out on your own. I haven’t been a member of this forum for long, but the information we have gleaned from it it amazing.

I just moved the wall out of the way until I was done and put it back. The InCommand is on that wall so you have to be careful. I am going to reinforce the wall frame and cut the same opening in it since my batteries will be behind that wall at some point.

[boogiejack75]

Originally Posted by Old Bleu

Congratulations, that's a good looking rig! We picked up our Silverback 33IK in Ohio in October. Fortunately, we got it back to Georgia and managed to get in one trip in before winterizing it.

We like it a lot. Only problem we've encountered is that one latch on the battery compartment door does not protrude deep enough to engage. We have an appointment with Amish Family RV in May, and I'm sure that Orvan can take care of that for us as well as any other potential problems that he may find.

I just bent my latch with channel locks. Do a little at a time until it fits.

[Daycruiser]

Originally Posted by boogiejack75

I just bent my latch with channel locks. Do a little at a time until it fits.

I had Orvan get me another lock keyed the same as the original on the battery door so I could lock it completely. Some idiots are opening the bottom latch and ripping the door open to steal the batteries.

[boogiejack75]

Originally Posted by Daycruiser

I had Orvan get me another lock keyed the same as the original on the battery door so I could lock it completely. Some idiots are opening the bottom latch and ripping the door open to steal the batteries.

Gotcha. Lowlifes abound!