Chesapeake

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Partial Success With the Installation of New House Batteries

It was touch and go for the acquisition of new house batteries because I didn’t want to get them until I got a battery watering system. The Pro-Fill RV edition dual 6V battery watering system from Camping World came quickly, but the Pro-Fill handy pump, which makes the system work, was back ordered. It finally arrived yesterday. With today being the last moderately nice day for the next little bit, I decided to try to get my new batteries in.

I had already done my market research and decided on two Trojan-145s, with 260 amp hours (about 156 usable amp hours), a significant increase from my old pair at 150 amp hours (about 90 usable amp hours). The week before Christmas, I called all the local dealers and was quoted over $200 per battery, plus a hefty disposal fee for my old batteries from all but one company, Battery Outlet, who told me $199.99 with no disposal fee.

So I called Battery Outlet this morning to confirm that they still had T-145s in stock. Yes, two. I had them set aside and then went outside to remove my old pair. With the way Miranda is parked, the closest I can get my truck to the rig is about 35 feet. Don’t ask me how I did it, but I picked up those heavy suckers and marched them to the truck!

I took off just after lunch to the bowels of Chesapeake, finding Battery Outlet without any trouble at all. There, I asked if they had any equivalent batteries for less money and their inventory said they did, but it was mistaken. They decided to price match the other set and I got my batteries for $169.99 each! I just did a Google check for “trojan 145 price” and it looks like I got a good deal not just for Hampton Roads, but in general. Woohoo!

The new batteries are bigger but didn’t feel any heavier than the old ones. I got one to the rig with minimal grunting, but the second one felt about twice as heavy. I am going to be sore tomorrow! But I wasn’t done lifting yet since I wanted to install the Pro-Fill system with the batteries outside of the compartment. So dropped the batteries on the ground (gently!), then lifted them into the compartment in two steps, using my E-Z Foldz stool as a resting point (as a side note, if you don’t have an E-Z Foldz stool, you’re missing out.).

Here are the batteries with their caps removed and the Pro-Fill caps installed:

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I ran out of day, so I didn’t finish the installation. The rest just involves attaching tubing to the barbs and connecting the pump, so it can be done with the batteries in situ.

And here are the batteries in the compartment:

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They are a couple of inches taller than my old pair (and, yes, I measured before buying!). Filling these manually would be almost impossible, so the Pro-Fill system is a must.

Getting everything hooked up was easy and then I tested the voltage before turning 12V power back on. Uh… why were my 6V batteries registering 12V each and 25V together?! Oh, geeze, the multimetre was on the AC, not DC, setting! I got it on the correct setting and got a combined reading of 12.1V, so I set them on the charger.

Inside, I turned the solar controller back on and it was muuuuuuch happier than it has been in a while. I ended up turning it off because it used to display readings that fluctuated violently. Now, it’s registering a steady voltage.

But all is not well as my batter monitor is not working. I had disconnected at the same time I turned off the solar monitor and it’s not coming back on. Connections look good, so I’m thinking (hoping) I have a blown fuse.

Once I get a good charge on the batteries, I am going to unplug from shore power for at least a day with my inverter running to make sure everything is good. It looks like sun for Sunday and Monday, so that will be a good time to test to make sure the batteries are charging well with solar and holding the charge.

Getting out of this spot will be very tricky as I am on a very, very, very, very busy thoroughfare. The best time to get out of here will be late in the day on a weekend, so I am going to tentatively schedule departure for next Saturday. That should give me time to troubleshoot my battery monitor some more.

Battery monitor notwithstanding, my day made me feel very accomplished!

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It’s A Wonderful Fish

This afternoon, my friend and I went to see a screening of the terrific James Stewart movie ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’ What a treat to see it on the big screen!

Then, I took her out to dinner to celebrate the end of my insurance nightmare (even though the cheque still hasn’t landed yet, boo). I wanted to try something new a bit more upscale than our usual haunts, so she suggested Outback Steakhouse, which was next to the cinema.

I was a little surprised by the suggestion since neither one of us eats beef, but it turns out they have lots of other yummy things on the menu.

Since I wasn’t driving, I decided to have a cocktail. I found one that had rum, coconut rum, strawberries, and mango (I think those are the four basic food groups) and it did not disappoint!

My friend had her favourite, which was chicken with bacon and honey mustard sauce. I wanted to try something new, so I had the ‘mixed seafood grill’ with shrimp, scallops, and mahi, a fish I had never tasted before. I cannot believe how tasty this dish was! It came with a nice rice pilaf and lots of green veggies, plus the perfectly cooked seafood and the flaky grilled fish that I will definitely be going back to eat again. Every mouthful of that fish was a delight. Yum! Dessert was cheesecake. 🙂

I can’t believe we’re past the middle of December and except for the occasional drizzle, it’s still tee-shirt weather here.

Oh, and gas prices have gone below $3/gallon! It’s a wonderful life indeed! 😀

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Monday Matinee

I decided to take most of today off. Being able to take time off on a weekday is a great perk of self-employment!

First off was a sushi brunch at Toyko Thai in Smithfield. I got the three-roll special with miso soup for $10.50.

yellowtail, spicy tuna, BBQ eel & cucumber

Notice that pale yellow ginger in the lower left hand corner? That’s what pickled ginger is supposed to look like. For some reason, North Americans think good pickled ginger is supposed to be bright pink. Is ginger pink? Nope. Tokyo Thai is the only sushi place I’ve eaten at in my travels that has such good ginger!

After lunch, I meandered my way to the cinema in Chesapeake. I really, really, really wanted to spend another two and a half hours with Abraham Lincoln, but I know I’m going to buy ‘Lincoln’  on DVD, so I decided to see another one on my list that my friend won’t want to see, ‘Flight.’ It was quite a good story about addiction and how it affects daily function. I’m glad that I saw it on the big screen, but it’s not one I’ll want to see again. It was a great choice for a matinee.

When I got home, I discovered this beautiful thing waiting for me:

Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000

I have wanted an ergonomic keyboard since Microsoft put them out in 1994, but they were incredibly expensive. I was just never sure enough that I would like them to put out the money. I have made do for a very long time with the Microsoft Comfort Curve Keyboard 2000, a keyboard that has served me well and that keeps dropping in price.

This summer, while at a client, I had a chance to try out the latest incarnation of the ergonomic keyboard, the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000, and my interest was renewed. But they were $50 at Staples, still too rich for an experiment when my Comfort Curve model was serving me so well.

I kept the ergonomic keyboard in my Amazon shopping cart for several months, watching the price yoyo up and down a couple of dollars. On Black Friday, I decided to see if it might have gone down enough for me to make the plunge. YES! I got it for $30 with free shipping!

So far, my only quibble with it is that the six/question mark are located for proper touch typing, so on the left side of the keyboard, while I have gotten accustomed to over reaching with my right index finger. So that will take a little getting used to. Otherwise, the layout is like my Comfort Curve, so I know the Windows key is my command key, the alt is the option, and where all my accents are. The ù is just a little less of a reach for my pinky, which is great. And I love how solid the keys feel under my fingers. I’ve only been using it for about a half hour and it’s like I’ve been doing this forever. Those years on the Comfort Curve have prepared me well!

In other news, gas prices in Virginia are INSANE. I filled up my truck at $3.09 a gallon! To put that into a little perspective, I needed 12 gallons of fuel, so my total was $37.20. When I was traveling through the US in June, I paid an average of $3.75 a gallon, so the 12 gallons would have cost me $45 then. And the last time I bought gas for my truck in Quebec, I paid $1.30/litre, so converting gallons to litres, I would have paid $59.15 for that 12 gallons. I am not complaining and it is great that I can drive all over with my truck and not feel a pinch!