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Old 04-19-2017, 10:14 AM   #1
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Cool Help!!!!

I recently purchased a 1982 sunline coach travel trailer model 16 1/2 FDSH
well I has no owners manual and I know nothing about the camper at all. I am looking to find out how some thing work where I can fine replacement parts as well as what kind of battery it needs any one have a ideas please help!
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Old 04-19-2017, 10:32 AM   #2
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Hi Courtney,

Welcome and congrats on your new camper! Your Sunline adventures now begins.

For a manual, see this thread to help get a copy of a manual that will help http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f1...ual-12805.html

Parts, there are many places to buy parts, many online, many at some local RV dealers. We can help guide you but we need to know a little more about what specific part you need. This thread can help get you started.

http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f7...ties-8233.html

http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f6...html#post60170

The battery, What you want to look for is a "Deep Cycle" type of battery. This type is different then then ones in your car which are "Starter Batteries".

The standard battery size is called a "Group 24" Deep Cycle battery. This fits in a plastic box on front of your camper. Does yours have battery box to start with? They sell different size batteries to fit in different size boxes.

You can find - Group 24 Deep Cycle batteries at many places that sell batteries. Walmart even has them.

Hope this helps. Ask more questions as needed.

John
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Old 04-26-2017, 07:02 PM   #3
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Thank you so much this is helpful. Yes it has a box but shouldn't there be a cover for the box? There is not so I am sure that is one of the parts the other thing is I am attempting to find out if it has a wayer Tank and I am just not seeing it I seen a grey water tank but that's been it. I need replacement brackets for the table that turns into a bed they are week. I also need to replace some bulbs and a cover or two for the indoor lights. I dont even know how to use the camper lights or anything I bought it from someone it was a great deal and I always wanted one but know nothing about it.
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Old 04-26-2017, 07:04 PM   #4
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Oh also I noticed with the batteries I looked up online they also come in 27 and 31 is that the strength of the battery? I have called a few t.v. stores and because I don't know what I am talking about I believe I am confusing them.
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Old 04-26-2017, 07:38 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Courtney View Post
Oh also I noticed with the batteries I looked up online they also come in 27 and 31 is that the strength of the battery? I have called a few t.v. stores and because I don't know what I am talking about I believe I am confusing them.
The group size, 24, 27 and 31 are different capacity sizes. The bigger the number, the more amps of power they have to give longer use assuming the amount of power is constant. However, with the larger capacity comes a larger battery case size. Case size meaning larger dimensions, length, width and height.

The angle rails on the camper that the battery sits in most times fit the group size 24. If you want the larger battery, then you need to build some kind of holder to adapt to the larger size. The battery boxes are also a different sizes to accommodate the different sizes.

And yes, the battery box is supposed to have a cover to keep the rain etc off the top of the battery but yet still vent the gases out of the battery box which are created from charging the battery.

Here is a link to one of them. A cover and a strap. The strap goes completely around the box, the top of the box and around the angle iron shelf on the camper frame to keep the battery from bouncing out going down the road. There are a lot of different brands out there, I do not know of a bad one, I just have used Attwood
https://www.amazon.com/Attwood-Stand.../dp/B000Y82MHW

Unless you know you are going to do a lot of off the grid camping and you are in campgrounds where you plug in the camper, a Group 24 will do all your needs. The larger ones help if you are off the grid and have larger power needs.

Hope this helps

John
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Old 04-26-2017, 07:41 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Courtney View Post
I have called a few t.v. stores and because I don't know what I am talking about I believe I am confusing them.
What is a "few t.v." stores?

Is that "Tow Vehicle" or "Television" or other?
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Prior Sunlines: 2004 T2499 - Fern Blue
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Old 04-26-2017, 07:58 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Courtney View Post
Thank you so much this is helpful. Yes it has a box but shouldn't there be a cover for the box? There is not so I am sure that is one of the parts the other thing is I am attempting to find out if it has a wayer Tank and I am just not seeing it I seen a grey water tank but that's been it. I need replacement brackets for the table that turns into a bed they are week. I also need to replace some bulbs and a cover or two for the indoor lights. I dont even know how to use the camper lights or anything I bought it from someone it was a great deal and I always wanted one but know nothing about it.
OK more questions. The battery box in another response.

You said
Quote:
I am attempting to find out if it has a wayer Tank and I am just not seeing it
Is the "wayer" tank a typo and supposed to be "water" tank? I'm assuming so.

Sunline put the water tanks in different places pending the floor plan. Sometimes the water tanks are under the camper and other times they can be inside under a bed or other large area place. The water tanks are usually a white translucent plastic.

There is another way to back into the water tank location too, go outside the camper and look for a water fill spout. They have changed styles over the years and I do not know yours. The spout has a cap over it, you take the cap off and either pour in water from a jug or you put a potable water hose in it to fill the tank. Sometimes this fill spout is under a little door cover on the side of the camper or just a screw on cap and no little door over the cap. If you find that fill spout, then follow the hose in the spout to the fresh water tank.

Waste tanks, there are usually 2 tanks. A black tank, (the color is also black) which is for the toilet only. And a grey tank (the color is also black) which is for sink and shower waste water. These 2 tanks are under the camper and have an outlet that you hook a sewer hose to dump the tanks at the campground dump station.

For the lights and covers, the bulbs you can buy on line or at an auto parts store or a bulbs plus store. Take an old bulb with numbers on it and they can help. The bulbs over the years have changed. Your may be a round socket bulb with 2 prongs on the side. The newer ones are flat and no prongs. And you can find these on line too once you know the bulb number.

For the covers of the fixture, this you might have to buy the whole fixture to get the cover. These fixtures changed over the years. If you can post a picture we can help hunt for the brand/style if they are still made. If not, they do make new styles to replace what you have.

There a lots of 12 volt RV light fixtures out there, you may have to go "vintage" to get an exact match. And there are places that sell them too.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_1...9R0,B00ZZO05YM

Hope this helps

John
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Old 04-26-2017, 08:00 PM   #8
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Awesome thank you. Can you tell me what the battery will power on the camper? See I am going on a camping trip to a country music concert in July and I want to make sure I have all I need to keep my sunline going for the 8 days we will be there. I know I have a million questions.
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Old 04-26-2017, 08:01 PM   #9
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RV auto correct I doing all this from my phone sorry
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Old 04-26-2017, 09:37 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Courtney View Post
Awesome thank you. Can you tell me what the battery will power on the camper? See I am going on a camping trip to a country music concert in July and I want to make sure I have all I need to keep my sunline going for the 8 days we will be there. I know I have a million questions.

Your camper has 2 different power systems.

12 volts DC (the battery power) This powers the lights inside and out, the water pump, the furnace, the fridge control system, maybe the hot water heater control system (your HW heater may be all gas controlled being as old as it is), a radio inside if yours has one.

120 Volts AC (VAC) (power like in your house) When the camper is plugged into shore power, it powers up 120 VAC wall outlets that you can plug some limited amperage devices into. It also powers up a power converter that uses 120 VAC and makes 12 volt DC to charge the battery and create excess 12 volts DC to run the DC volt devices. If your camper has a 120 volt element on the fridge, it can run LP gas or 120 VAC. If it has a roof AC unit, this needs the 120 VAC, if yours has a microwave it runs this.

Basically, the camper is self contained using LP gas and 12 volt DC devices. While you cannot plug in your toaster, or other 120 VAC electrical devices when running on battery, you can camp very comfortably.

You asked about how to keep the Sunline going for 8 days, is this with no ability to plug into 120 VAC? If so that will be complex to run everything in the camper on the one battery charge. But, knowing some how of this works, the battery can be used for critical things. If your fridge works, it runs on propane gas and uses only a little battery power. Keeping your food cold is very important.

Using the standard incandescent lights in the camper, uses a lot of power when running on battery only. If you are plugged into shore power, then no problem. In this case you can buy a few LED lights in key locations and only use them when really needed. Flashlights will work the rest of the time. Some camper folks also bring a spare fully charged battery as a back up. If the first one gets drained down to low, they change the battery to a fresh charged one. You still need to be a power miser but it is a back up plan.

Those of us who live off the grid (no 120 VAC power hook up at the campground, we call this Boondocking) we take special precautions to reduce power. We convert the camper to LED lights to reduce power, we have bigger batteries and we have a method on how to recharge the batteries. Some use solar cells to recharge others use portable generators. Us boodockers adapt to being a power miser group and once you are past the learning curve, it is not that hard.

That said, there are ways that you can get through your 8 days without trying to figure out how to covert your camper into a power miser, you just may have to give up some features. Think of this like tent camping, just you have a camper instead of a tent. The fridge can work well for you and uses very little power on gas, you can use the gas stove. The water pump if use very sparingly can be used. Think about using camp water in place of the camper water for big jobs. You onboard water and waste tanks will have a hard time going 8 days but you can manage that too to make it last. Take showers at a shower house (if there is one) wash dishes outside on the picnic table and heat the water on a camp stove. Again, think tent camping but with extra luxuries, just not full RV mode.

Hope this helps

John
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Prior Sunlines: 2004 T2499 - Fern Blue
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Old 04-26-2017, 09:43 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Courtney View Post
RV auto correct I doing all this from my phone sorry

RV, OK got it. You mean "auto incorrect"....

Walmart sells deep cycle batteries, also some auto parts stores as well as RV dealers.

Try to get a true deep cycle battery if you can. A Marine/RV battery is next best. And worst for a camper is a car starter battery as the car battery is made for high power quick car starts and not long slow drains of power like a camper is using.
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Current Sunlines: 2004 T310SR, 2004 T1950, 2004 T2475, 2007 T2499, 2004 T317SR
Prior Sunlines: 2004 T2499 - Fern Blue
2005 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.8L V10 W/ 4.10 rear axle, CC, Short Bed, SRW. Reese HP trunnion bar hitch W/ HP DC

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Old 04-29-2017, 05:23 PM   #12
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Courtney,

Welcome to SOC & congrats on your "new-to-you" Sunline. We love ours! When we bought our Sunline we too were newbies to RV camping and we found that the SOC is a great place to get questions answered - knowledgable, friendly people!

Some things which really helped us when we started: We read the manual, which as JohnB said, you can find on this site; we picked threads on this site of things that we didn't know much about, like the water tanks, and read through them; and this might seem obvious but we went overnight camping close to where we live. (Some people even recommend doing this right in your backyard.) Since you want to go on an 8-day trip in July, try to get out for a few overnighters or weekends. If you know someone who is experienced and willing to go camping at the same campground, even better! The hands-on experience will make your July trip go much smoother.

Enjoy your 16.5 Sunline & happy camping!
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