Myths Overheard at RV Shows
Includes Parliament Coach Discount Service Coupon
Myths Overheard at RV Shows
Includes Parliament Coach
Discount Service Coupon
COMMON STATEMENTS:
1) "If you put (electric) awnings on the roof, the vehicle will not
track right. You could have a crash and die."
2) "Stainless steel water tanks are better because if sunlight hits the
water, as it can with plastic tanks, bacteria will grow and you could die."
3) "The large true-sinewave inverters from Trace are dangerous. They
could malfunction and cause a fire, resulting in death."
For the first item, about the awnings, we must ask ourselves, "What could
make the vehicle not track correctly?" The two possible causes would be the
increased height raising the center of gravity of the coach, and a possible
wind resistance issue.
There is little weight difference in the Girard electric awnings
and an old-fashioned Zipdee patio awning or slideout awning. The net effect
of putting the Girard awnings on the roof raises the respective force of
weight less than a foot above that of the awnings mounted on the side of the
coach. The fact is that Prevost conversions have a very low center of
gravity because the majority of converters place most of the mass in the
underbody compartments (i.e. water tanks, generator with radiator and
blower, inverters, batteries, electric cords/reels, heating system, and
major electrical system components like lighting panels), as well as the
immense mass of the engine, transmission, drive train, axles, and the
suspension.
Wind resistance could only be a "tracking" issue if there is an unequal drag
applied to the coach, causing a perpendicular force to act on the coach
while it is moving along a straight-line vector down the road. The
converters who use Girard or Zipdee all-electric awnings on the roof also
use some manner of cowling to effectively eliminate the wind resistance and
drag forces that could be caused by the awnings. Additionally, if the
awnings are installed in a symmetrical way on each side of the coach, as
most converters do, the effect of any net drag is uniformly distributed side
to side and is felt not just on one side. Therefore, there is really no
difference in mounting the awnings on the roof than on the side of the
coach. There would actually be more bilateral force applied by the
asymmetrical installation of non-cowled awnings of different sizes along the
side of a coach than with our symmetrical cowled installation on the roof of
a coach. The truth is that there is little effect on the coach handling
with either method of installation or awnings used.
For the second item, about stainless steel tanks being safer, we must ask
ourselves, "Does sunlight cause bacteria to grow?" The answer is no.
Bacteria, whose spores must be present in the first place, are
temperature-dependent, not light-dependent. Actually, the UVB radiation in
sunlight is used to kill bacteria in ultraviolet filter systems.
Over the years, it used to be a common misconception that stainless steel
did not rust, that the tank water would be cleaner, and more healthful, and
that they were more durable. Time has shown each of these to be false.
Stainless will rust if the mixture is not a uniform blend of its component
materials. This is apparent at joints and welds, where external heat stress
from welding alters the composition. Just looking at the water pump
strainer will show you some of what is present in the tank. Of course those
trapped in the strainer are only the larger chunks of rust. We have also
observed an unacceptable number of tanks eventually split at the welds over
time, due to the rusting that occurs there. A polypropylene water tank is
actually cleaner and very resistant to algae growth, which is the only
"growth" in a water system that is effected by sunlight.
For the third item, about the Trace SW-series inverters being unsafe, we
must ask ourselves if history proves this true or false. These inverters
have been installed on Prevost conversion coaches since their release with
"motorhome-friendly" software back in the early 1990's. They have been
around since the mid 1980's in the home-based alternative energy
applications, when windmills and solar panel use proliferated. They are UL
and CSA certified for their installation as safe and efficient. If
installed with proper engineering protections (i.e. appropriately sized
breakers and fuses where mandated), they are extremely safe and reliable.
We have never heard of a properly installed inverter ever causing a fire.
We have also observed an incredible record of reliability, providing they
were installed according to the manufacturer's recommendations. There have
been some converters who installed them with external transfer switching or
circuit breaker type that was in violation of Trace's recommendations, and
those accounted for the majority of the observed failures, none of which
resulted in fire or life-threatening circumstances.
It just so happens that the three untrue allegations we have
discussed in this article are three items we pride ourselves on for their
reliable and convenience benefits to our customers. They include:
1) The most convenient visually appealing electric awnings on the
market, which do not cause vehicle handling problems.
2) The most reliable and safe water tanks that can be used, which do
not "grow" bacteria when sunlight hits them.
3) The most efficient and reliable inverter and transfer switch system
currently available on the market, which are installed per the
manufacturer's specifications and per UL and CSA standards, to provide safe
and convenient coach equipment operation for years to come.
If you have any other wild statements to which you would like us to respond,
please do not hesitate to bring them to our attention. We carefully and
thoroughly examine and explore ways to improve our product. We are always
balancing the "tried and true" with the "latest and greatest" to ensure our
customers are getting the TRULY best coach possible.
Article by Ben Cummings/Electrical Engineer Parliament Coach