New owner questions (insert eye roll here)

[BdBartlett]

Hello all,

My wife and I bought a 1998 T2363 twin bed Solaris in the fall of ’23. We did our thing to it over the winter and early spring. We put it on the road last April. So that is the nickel background of our current status.

I am currently working on the secondary priority list leftover from last year, so I have some questions.

1. Is there a battery disconnect switch anywhere on this model? I have traced the battery cables into the coach but have not found it yet. Nothing in the breaker panel space either. For my self install of said switch I am of the install in on the negative cable, side of the fray. Is there a compelling case not to be? I had it there on my 35’ sailboat.

2. Is there a low pressure LP port for an outside grill? Again I can’t find one by tracing the line. Can I put one in?

3. I have read through the manual for the waste tanks and it says there is a fitting for flushing the black tank. If so where. I don’t see it where they say it should be.

4. I bought an accumulator tank for the fresh water system. I want to eliminate the water pump turning on and off with every touch of a faucet or flush. It is loud inside and out. Any gotchas in this project? I’ll install it under the port bunk next to the FW tank. Thoughts?

5. Any great modifications I NEED to do?


Thanks in advance to all. Glad to be here.

Brian

 

[JohnGB]

Hi Brian,

Welcome! And congrats on your Sunny.

Some answers to think over.

1. Your 1998 camper will not have a battery disconnect from Sunline. They started adding them later in 2003/2004 models. Sunline installed the disconnect on the hot wire, not the ground. Also, ensure the emergency breakaway switch (EBS) is always powered when the disconnect switch is off. That EBS switch must work if you accidentally forget to turn the disconnect on when towing. Just tap on the upstream lug on the disconnect switch, not the downstream, and you will have a live feed to the EBS.

2. I'm unsure what model year Sunline started prepping the main LP gas line for a low-pressure (11" WC) grill tap. I know that since 2004 and the newer, they have all capped off, and you add your hose, etc. You can add your own and do a leak check when done.

3. A tank flusher was an option. If your camper was not ordered with that option, it will not have one. They do sell aftermarket add-on kits. I have installed many of them. They are handy additions. If your 3" dump pipe is straight into the tank, the Valterra RV hydro flush works very well. https://valterra.com/product/rv-hydroflush-45/ If you have a 90-degree dump fitting setup on the 3", go with tank sprayers. On my big T310SR, I added the tank sprayers, and I use the hydro flush. You can rinse the dump hose and see when the waste water runs clear from the tank sprayers. On my T1950, the 3" dump is straight into the tank, and the Hydroflush works well at cleaning out the black tank.

4. A water pump accumulator tank: If you have the standard on-off water pump, adding the accumulator tank will do just what you want. Stop so many pump cycles. It's good to do if you have room to add it. Many layouts cannot accommodate a bigger tank. One of our members added a 2-gallon tank; his floor plan allowed it, and it worked well for him. He was after saving battery power with off-grid camping and noise reduction. Others used the regular Shurflo tank, which is approximately 1 quart; it helps, but it is just not as good as a gallon plus size. Go for it.

5. Other mods—well, there are lots of mods, but I will pass along two that often get forgotten on most older campers in case you have not found these yet:

A. Replace the 1998 LP gas leak detector. The old ones had no auto-signaling of when they died. Yours may have stopped working in 2003/2004. The new ones are good for five years, and they will alarm until they are replaced. They only have an LP sensor system that lasts so long; most are in the 5-year mark.

B. Replace the Emergency Breakaway Switch. These are another 5-year thing; even the instructions say 3 to 5 years as they get water intrusion and will not work the day they need to.

If you use a weight-distribution hitch, as most of us do, get a power tongue jack. Hand cranking gets really old quickly. Once you convert, you will never go back to the crank.

Read on the modifications forum here for lots of other ideas.

Happy camping this season.

John

 

[Sunline Fan]

Hi Brian,

Your 1998 Sunline will not have a grill port hookup. The outside grill option first appeared as a brochure option in 2002, so I don't think it would have been gas line prepped before that. At some point later, Sunline started adding the grill brackets on the sidewall of every trailer, which I would assume the regulated gas port was added at the same time. However, like John described, it was just capped off with a black pipe cap in most cases. It only came with the actual quick disconnect valve on those trailers if it was optioned with the optional grill.

 

[BdBartlett]

Hi Brian,

Welcome! And congrats on your Sunny.

Some answers to think over.

1. Your 1998 camper will not have a battery disconnect from Sunline. They started adding them later in 2003/2004 models. Sunline installed the disconnect on the hot wire, not the ground. Also, ensure the emergency breakaway switch (EBS) is always powered when the disconnect switch is off. That EBS switch must work if you accidentally forget to turn the disconnect on when towing. Just tap on the upstream lug on the disconnect switch, not the downstream, and you will have a live feed to the EBS.

2. I'm unsure what model year Sunline started prepping the main LP gas line for a low-pressure (11" WC) grill tap. I know that since 2004 and the newer, they have all capped off, and you add your hose, etc. You can add your own and do a leak check when done.

3. A tank flusher was an option. If your camper was not ordered with that option, it will not have one. They do sell aftermarket add-on kits. I have installed many of them. They are handy additions. If your 3" dump pipe is straight into the tank, the Valterra RV hydro flush works very well. https://valterra.com/product/rv-hydroflush-45/ If you have a 90-degree dump fitting setup on the 3", go with tank sprayers. On my big T310SR, I added the tank sprayers, and I use the hydro flush. You can rinse the dump hose and see when the waste water runs clear from the tank sprayers. On my T1950, the 3" dump is straight into the tank, and the Hydroflush works well at cleaning out the black tank.

4. A water pump accumulator tank: If you have the standard on-off water pump, adding the accumulator tank will do just what you want. Stop so many pump cycles. It's good to do if you have room to add it. Many layouts cannot accommodate a bigger tank. One of our members added a 2-gallon tank; his floor plan allowed it, and it worked well for him. He was after saving battery power with off-grid camping and noise reduction. Others used the regular Shurflo tank, which is approximately 1 quart; it helps, but it is just not as good as a gallon plus size. Go for it.

5. Other mods—well, there are lots of mods, but I will pass along two that often get forgotten on most older campers in case you have not found these yet:

A. Replace the 1998 LP gas leak detector. The old ones had no auto-signaling of when they died. Yours may have stopped working in 2003/2004. The new ones are good for five years, and they will alarm until they are replaced. They only have an LP sensor system that lasts so long; most are in the 5-year mark.

B. Replace the Emergency Breakaway Switch. These are another 5-year thing; even the instructions say 3 to 5 years as they get water intrusion and will not work the day they need to.

If you use a weight-distribution hitch, as most of us do, get a power tongue jack. Hand cranking gets really old quickly. Once you convert, you will never go back to the crank.

Read on the modifications forum here for lots of other ideas.

Happy camping this season.

John

Thank you so much for the info! I had bought a 2 gallon accumulator tank and will shoehorn it in under the bunk. I’ve been ogling power tongue jacks and will moan and whine enough about not having one, so maybe my wife will suggest I get one.

Thanks and safe travels. Or as sailors say; “Fair winds and following seas”

Brian

 

[BdBartlett]

Hi Brian,

Your 1998 Sunline will not have a grill port hookup. The outside grill option first appeared as a brochure option in 2002, so I don't think it would have been gas line prepped before that. At some point later, Sunline started adding the grill brackets on the sidewall of every trailer, which I would assume the regulated gas port was added at the same time. However, like John described, it was just capped off with a black pipe cap in most cases. It only came with the actual quick disconnect valve on those trailers if it was optioned with the optional grill.

Cool I’ll start searching for the OEM brackets and grill a something suitable in a low pressure LP grill. Until then I’ll just keep using my portable table top grill 1lb tanks.

Thanks!
Brian

 

[Sunline Fan]

Cool I’ll start searching for the OEM brackets and grill a something suitable in a low pressure LP grill. Until then I’ll just keep using my portable table top grill 1lb tanks.

Thanks!
Brian

I've heard that it's more popular to get extension hoses and run it from the quick disconnect to the picnic table or wherever you have the grill. The heat up against the trailer isn't necessarily great, and the actual grills that were made to attach weren't the best at grilling.

Just food for thought unless you're set on having the OEM look/function.