Imagine - another Advanced RV

[Belzar]

Will ARV be adding an after-market tire pressure monitoring system? I don't think MB includes this in the 3500 vans in the US, even with the standard convenience and safety upgrade package.

Re: Blind spot monitoring - I have that in my passenger car and would never consider a vehicle without it. You still use your mirrors, but it is a very reassuring safety feature, especially for vehicles with large blind spots.

[gerrym51]

Originally Posted by Belzar

Will ARV be adding an after-market tire pressure monitoring system? I don't think MB includes this in the 3500 vans in the US, even with the standard convenience and safety upgrade package.

Re: Blind spot monitoring - I have that in my passenger car and would never consider a vehicle without it. You still use your mirrors, but it is a very reassuring safety feature, especially for vehicles with large blind spots.

tire pressure monitors don't seem to be available on any DRW vans

[mikes47]

I asked about a Tire Pressure Monitoring System and Mike N indicated there would be one on Imagine. I don't have the spec sheet with me, however, I do not recall a TPM being specifically listed on that sheet. I'll have to check. I think a TPM is an important piece of safety equipment.

[Davydd]

Yes, we are getting the after-market tire pressure monitoring system on our Advanced RV. It is something that Great West Vans has been routinely offering as well. Most all the Great West Vans that Lake Region RVs has gotten in had TPMS.

[mikes47]

Somewhat related - the spec sheet says "Altimeter" under the options column. Any idea how that plays into the whole scheme of things? I guess it would be kinda nice to know one's altitude when touring the mountains, but the MB delivered GPS probably provides that information. So I'm curious about that component.

[Davydd]

I don't recall 'altimeter' on my sheet. It is not something I have thought about. We usually check that on our iPhones with an app when we travel in the mountains.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by gerrym51

tire pressure monitors don't seem to be available on any DRW vans

Yes. The reason is that dualies are exempt from the federal mandate which is the only reason they are available OEM on ANY vehicle. Kind of ironic since they are far more important with dual rears.

[mikes47]

Update. TPM is listed on my spec sheet.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by mikes47

Somewhat related - the spec sheet says "Altimeter" under the options column. Any idea how that plays into the whole scheme of things? I guess it would be kinda nice to know one's altitude when touring the mountains, but the MB delivered GPS probably provides that information. So I'm curious about that component.

Could it be that this refers to the high-altitude option on the Espar? It is a separate component, and it certainly CONTAINS an altimeter.

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by Aeronie

Advanced removed the toilet video, Davydd so if you didn't see it within the first 48 hours they posted it, you missed it. It discussed the three types of main kinds of toilets for RVs: standard flush with black tank, separation composting and cartridge.

They stated the standard flush was their go to type of toilet.
They stated they would not consider building a cartridge style.
The composting toilet would need to be "disassembled" about once every 3-4 moths to dispose the solid mass (time varies with use). The toilet I found and we have been examining is a marine/RV model separation composting toilet. This has a small tank in the front for urine which would be emptied a bit more frequently (about once a week, depending on amount of use, easily accessible) and the base which is the actual composting part for the solids. This is where the "disassemble" comes in. The way the toilet is made, you will need to loosen a few bolts and the exhaust fan from the base to remove it. Alternatively, if you're small like me, you can leave it in place, use gloves to remove the compost and put fresh organic material in the base. You don't want to wash the base for two reasons: 1) too much moisture will create orders and 2) a little of the old compost will help start the process sooner with the new organic material.

Here's a link to the toilet manufacturer. Take a look at the marine solution, that's what we're discussing for "Beans". http://natureshead.net/

OK, I checked out the compost toilet website and watched the Gone with the Wynns video on the toilet. Questions. When you open the trap does poop actually drop right in without hitting and smearing the bowl? What if you have diarrhea and make a mess in the bowl? Do you then have a messy and tedious cleanup? Does toilet paper go in? I ask this latter because I've been to the third world where you don't put toilet paper in the bowl. I'm not sure of the squirt bottle of water will clean a bowl that well. Is that aerating fan always on and does it send out smells to the outside? Plumbing vents usually go up to the roof and out. What do you do with the compost if you are a full timer or live where you don't need it. Yes, I do have a large compost bin at home and haven't used the compost yet.

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by avanti

Could it be that this refers to the high-altitude option on the Espar? It is a separate component, and it certainly CONTAINS an altimeter.

Avanti,

You may be right. That was a question I had about the Espar and my sheet does list the high altitude option for it.

[Aeronie]

Originally Posted by Davydd

OK, I checked out the compost toilet website and watched the Gone with the Wynns video on the toilet. Questions. When you open the trap does poop actually drop right in without hitting and smearing the bowl? What if you have diarrhea and make a mess in the bowl? Do you then have a messy and tedious cleanup? Does toilet paper go in? I ask this latter because I've been to the third world where you don't put toilet paper in the bowl. I'm not sure of the squirt bottle of water will clean a bowl that well. Is that aerating fan always on and does it send out smells to the outside? Plumbing vents usually go up to the roof and out. What do you do with the compost if you are a full timer or live where you don't need it. Yes, I do have a large compost bin at home and haven't used the compost yet.

Good questions!
For most people, yes when you open the hatch, poop just drops straight down and doesn't hit the bowl. If you make a mess of the bowl, such as is the case for Diarrhea, I would hose it down with as little water as possible and ensure it goes down into the composting compartment. You can put toilet paper down in the compost chamber, it is not a problem. Yes the fan is always on and can be vented either on the roof or out the side. If you use it normally, there should be very little smell. The pee chamber will normally smell more than the composting chamber. The composting chamber will smell more like moist earth if you have your moisture levels right.

The compost can either go into the normal trash in a trash bag just as you do animal waste or you can compost it at municipal compost piles. Lots of towns have compost piles. If you buy composting trash bags or use paper bags, you can dump the solids that way. You would not want to put this in a compost pile used on food producing properties, only on compost piles for other use (like around your gardenias, not your tomatoes).

[mikes47]

Update on the build progress. Imagine is in the cabinet shop (alongside Alvar). Most of the upper cabinets are in as well as the pantry. What a Christmas present!
Mike