jmowrey

As Linda said, new 3-burner cooktops are fairly inexpensive. I would highly recommend you replace your existing unit. The four-burner units have tiny little burners that don't cook evenly, and the spacing is so tight, it's difficult to fit even just two larger size pans next to each other over the burners. The 3-burner units solve the problem, for the most part. The burners are larger and the space around each one is greater. Still not like a regular house stove, but definitely an improvement. Also, you can get them with piezo igniters so you don't have to do any wiring or hand light the burners every time you use them. You may need to be handy as a carpenter though to adapt the newer cooktop to the original installation location. I know I did on my 85 Dolphin. The new one fit, but I had to do some modifications to make the counter top line up with the front edge, and also some trim work to hold it in place.

I use a 30 amp RV extension chord. Big ol' fat thing. Not sure the gauge. As a matter of fact, I use 4, 15 foot chords hooked together, for a total of 60 feet. No problems at all pulling the current I need.

Yes. I do it all the time. No problem.

My 100 watt solar panel output drops off by about 80% in the shade. Even more if it's a cloudy day on top of being in the shade. And I have not noticed any drop in efficiency with the 30 foot cables I use. I even have an additional 25 feet of cable which I've used on occasion, and again, no significant drop in charging ability when the panel is properly angled in direct sunlight. I use the heavy, code rated cables and connectors. The connectors are soldered, not just crimped.

Solar panels on the roof won't do you any good if you park in the shade. You will be wanting to park in the shade to keep your unit cool so you don't need as much power to cool it using the AC. Catch 22!

I use the dual controller to provide a trickle charge to the both the cab battery and the coach battery when the vehicle is idle for lengths of time. Otherwise, when we are using the Dolphin, the controller can be switched to provide 100% of the solar charge to the coach battery. This setup maintains both batteries throughout the winter when the Dolphin is in storage at my home.

Mine drain out onto the ground. Sounds like maybe yours drain out onto the top of the holding tank, then onto the ground. Good luck with the fix. And welcome to the world of Toyota Motorhomes. Sometimes frustrating, but always interesting. Never a dull moment!

If these are the low-point valves that open up the system for drainage, then it might be an easy fix. These look different than the ones on my 85 Dolphin, which are plastic "T" shaped things. Yours have that metal "handle" on them. But I found that if I pull mine up and completely out they have O-rings on them that were easily replaced. That fixed a leak problem I had with them. It would be a bit scary to try pulling them up and out. But it they are already leaking anyway, might be worth a try.

What batteries are you using? I've been looking at lots of different AGM batteries and haven't found any definitive information on which ones are the best.

https://www.amazon.com/360-Siphon-RV-Fume-Extractor/dp/B001FC7DUC/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1480531784&sr=8-6&keywords=rv+pipe+vent+cover This is what I used for both our vents. In your case, as Linda said, you will need to do as the previous owner did and modify to fit. I also had to modify the pipe coming up to make mine work since the vent wasn't the right size for the pipe. I cut the pipe off flush with the roof, then siliconed the vent cap to it. These things are ridiculously overpriced, and they don't even give you screws to install it, but it did make a big difference in the odor level in the coach. So it works as advertised if you can get it to fit your installation. Also, watch out for where the vent pipes come out. On my Dolphin, the vent pipe for the waste tank was right next to the ceiling vent for the bathroom! Lousy design feature. I had to install a plexiglass deflector so the pipe wasn't venting directly back into the bathroom, especially after installing the new vent because the new vent draws more odors out of the tanks than a regular vent. But my deflector did the job.

As for the vent fan: per suggestions here at this forum, I replaced mine with a computer fan. Of course, that would be if you can find out how to vent it to the outside. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002XISTXM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Fairly easy install. Had to make some minor modification to the hole, closing it up some using gorilla tape. But it's 12 volt and wires right in. You need to contact the manufacturer to find out which wires to connect to get the highest speed. I emailed them and they got right back to me. Can't remember now which ones it was. The fan works great. Moves somewhere around 100 com. Plenty for venting cooking smoke and odors over the stove. And it's incredibly silent. Almost too silent. You have to be sure it's off if you are boon docking so you don't accidentally leave it on and use up precious battery power. I prefer to have a vent right over the stove. That way the smoke and stuff doesn't have a chance to fill the coach and set off the smoke detector.

I've never really understood the idea of mounting a solar panel on the roof. If you are parked in the shade, which is the primary objective most anyplace you go, you are going to get little or no use out of a panel on your roof. We carry our panel inside, mounted conveniently on the bathroom wall, then take it out and connect it to a long set of cables that unwind from out of the shore power access door. That way we can follow the sun around throughout the day and get maximum benefit from the 100 watt panel. We sit comfortably in the shade and can move our panel as much as 50ft from the coach to catch the rays.

I may have to resort to that. I did try it. It was pretty tedious and not working too well, so I tried a different trick and wrecked the part. I also wrecked the previous Camco set I ordered. So I'm going to go into denial and just hang in there with the duct-taped repair job. Tired of spending money on this at this point. The repaired panel works, it just offends my esthetic sensibilities to have duct tape on the door. Actually, I used black Gorilla Tape. So it's not too bad. It's what we here in Santa Fe call the "handcrafted" look!

I order this from RV Nation. Still not the right part. Too thick to fit in the grooves on my screen door. If anyone has a source for the original slide panels on a screen door in a 1985 Dolphin, let me know. In the mean time I'm holding my old ones together with duct tape. Tacky, but functional.

I used Proflex RV for some seams on my Dolphin. It stuck real well initially. Three seasons on, I'm not impressed. I've also had some problems with it splitting and cracking. I suspect I'll be peeling it off and doing it over after another season or two. Dang.

Just a friendly reminder. If you use this monster anywhere near any other campers you will be ruining their camping experience to enhance your own. I've had to leave more than one campsite because of some rude arsehole who thinks his need for power outweighs everyone else's right to peace and quiet. Want all the comforts of home? Either stay there or go to campsites with hookups. Stay out of boon docking sites. Be considerate.

Thanks. I'll give this a try.

I posted this in miscellaneous, but I see it's pretty far down on the list and may not get viewed. So I"m reposting in General Discussion. Where can I get screen door slides (for reaching through to the outer door handle) for my 85 Dolphin. I ordered a set of Camco slides that are the correct size, but the plastic is too thick and won't fit in the grooves in my screen door.

Where can I get replacement screen door slides (for reaching through to the outer door handle) for my 85 Dolphin? I ordered a set of camco slides that are the correct size, but they are too thick and won't fit in the grooves on my door.

Actually we didn't lose a bed. Our dinette setup never made into one. Our couch does. It's one of those clever fold down mechanism types. But I removed that back portion, despite how cool the mechanism was, because it wasn't a very comfortable bed with that big seam in it when folded down. And when folded out it made for tight quarters in there at night. We use bolsters on the couch for a back for leaning, then hang those up above the couch at night and use the couch bottom for a bed. Works out fine.

Our 85 Dolphin is the rear entry, rear kitchen version. The dinette set along one side has two captains chairs and the whole shebang sits on top of where the fresh water tank is located. The swivel chairs are nice, but you can't turn to face into the table because of the water tank compartment. No place for your legs. You have to sit sort of sideways and this can get to be hard on our backs. So I mounted the chairs on slide platforms, moved the table leg forward and added a removable extension to the table. Pull the chairs out, swivel them to face the table, add the table extension, and Voila! Cafe dining with plenty of leg room and without a twisted back. Here are some picks of the setup in it's stowed position, then one with the table-extension holders pulled out, then with the extension in place and the chairs pulled out and facing the table. Also a couple of shots of the slide mechanism. I used some heavy duty drawer slides (400 lb capacity). A regular set installed vertically, like you would for a drawer, then an additional slide installed flat in the center to prevent sideways movement. Works great! Still leaves enough room to scoot by in the aisle if need be.

On a recent trip I set it up so my frig (propane and 120 only) is plugged in to my inverter while driving. Has anyone ever done this? It seemed to work fine for about a 2 hour drive, but I'm unclear about how may amps my frig draws. It's a Dometic 2400. From what I can decipher in the manual it seems it draws 10 amps. Could be wrong about this though. It's unclear. My concern is whether or not the alternator generates enough juice to maintain the cab battery while there is a 10 amp draw happening on the coach battery, since the alternator is also charging the coach battery too. I don't want any surprises. It's an 1100 watt inverter wired direct to the coach battery. The frig is plugged into a heavy duty extension cord which runs from one of two plugs provided by the inverter. Once we parked, I switched the frig to propane.

Hey now! Watch it about the cats. We have a 16 year old hospice foster cat we took in from the local shelter. He loves to camp! We're switch hitters. We love dogs and cats. Our hound is a Blue Heeler German Shepherd mix. In defense of cats, dogs can't purr! Until you've snuggled up with a purring fur ball you don't know what you're missing.

I used a dual controller when I set up my solar system which I wired to both my coach and cab batteries. It allows for adjustment as to how much juice is going to each battery. When I'm using the RV it is set to charge the coach battery only. During non-use times I set it to 50-50. My solar panel is not mounted. I can move it around on a cable which comes out of the shore-power access door. I prop the panel up outside the carport wall so it receives plenty of morning sun. Both my coach battery and my cab battery receive a maintenance charge every day. Especially useful during the winter months here in Santa Fe.

Is this something you upgraded in your system? Should I assume my stock charging system in my 1985 Dolphin will not be adequate for AGM batteries?