Alite Mods - Electric

Chandelier

Since I added a hanging light to the Classic and the LXE, a chandelier has been my signature mod. So the Alite had to have one, too! At Home Depot one day, a small low-voltage pendent lamp, intended for residential use, caught my eye. It was a good color for the Alite decor and low voltage was perfect. I cut the male end from an extension cord and wired it directly to the battery (wire is wire, it doesn't matter if it carries 12v or 110v!), running the female end to the front corner of the bed. Then I removed the canopy and transformer from the pendent lamp and replaced it with clear lamp cord long enough to reach the front corner and connect to the male cord from the battery (the male plug is marked "12v only!). I put a loop in the lamp cord to hang from a large S-hook on the overhead pole, and added an inline switch.

The lamp travels in a little bucket velcroed to the top of the door-side wheel well, under the "countertop" lid. At the campsite, I hang the S-hook on the pole, run the lamp cord down along the A-wall edge (where it's caught in a couple of self-stick clips), and plug it into the extension cord from the battery. Simple!

Note #1: The 12v 50w bulb that came with the lamp was too bright and too hot for the small camper. I replaced it with a 12v 30w LED bulb that's much better.  

Note #2: With a 110v bulb in the lamp, and a different extension cord plugged into a 110v outlet, I can use shore power instead of battery power. Same lamp, just different bulb and power source.

Kitchen Light

The original fixture on the door-side A, over what became my kitchen sink, had 2 incandescent automotive bulbs. I wanted to change to LED bulbs, but couldn't find any with the right base. I finally replaced the entire fixture with one that accommodates LED bulbs and has a switch for 2 bulbs, 1 bulb, or off. I bought 1 each of the warm white and the cool white LED arrays. The warm white bulb is the one that comes on alone; with both warm and cool bulbs together, I have very good lighting in the kitchen.

Water Heater

The Eemax 120v 20amp tankless water heater required the addition of an additional 20amp circuit. Since there was an empty slot in the converter distribution panel, this was easy to do. The hard part was running the 10awg wire into the converter. I had to open a knockout in the side of the box, cushion the edges with a rubber grommet, and work the stiff wire through. From the converter, the wire runs along the water line across the back of the camper and d own into the sink cabinet. I knew that making wiring connections in that small space would be almost impossible. So before installing the sink, I wired the new circuit to a GFCI outlet and mounted the outlet inside the cabinet. Then I added a 3-prong plug to the water heater. For the final electrical connection, all I had to do was plug the heater to the outlet.

Kickspace Heater

A portable cube heater was OK for heating this small camper, but it took up valuable counter space. When another owner mentioned installing a "kickspace" heater in his Aliner, I saw possibilities for the Alite! Kickspace heaters are designed for installation in tight quarters, and a Google search  turned up a heater that would fit in the space next to the porta-potty - the only space available. The 120v 1500w/750w Qmark QTS1500T has a built-in thermostat and measures 3.5H x 9D x 15W. Electrical connections were simple. On the heater, I pulled the jumper connecting the 2 heating elements (750w was all I needed and this would keep the heater a bit cooler) and I wired it to the male end of a utility extension cord. I already had a nearby junction box, where I'd had to splice a 120v wire to modify the porta-potty cabinet, so I replaced the junction with an outlet. Allowed spacing for the heater is as close as 1/2" to the finished floor, but I set it on 3" wood spacers to protect the camper floor and rubber-backed rugs. (The specs also specify 12" from a corner; that was not an option for me, but the adjacent panel barely gets warm.) Thee heater grill does not cover the top or bottom edges of the cabinet hole, so I measured very carefully before cutting the opening with a utility knife. The heater is held in place with only 2 screws through the grill and paneling, but I reinforced them with wood strips on the back side. It feels very solid. Although the heater takes away some of the storage space in that cabinet, I still have room on top of it for my food box. Two wooden strips screwed from the front of the cabinet provide a spacer between the heater and the food tub. 

New 110v Outlet

I found that I needed an outlet in the "kitchen" for appliances. I added one to the front of the kitchen cabinet, wiring it to the male end of a heavy-duty extension cord that I plugged into the new-circuit (water heater) outlet inside the cabinet. I just have to be alert not to run hot water and a hotplate at the same time, so I don't trip the breaker. The 2 brown spots on the front of the cabinet are covers for the water-heater screws.

New 12v Outlets

I added an interior 12v outlet in the cabinet near the converter, a convenient location to power my "fridge", a 12v cooler, as well as an exterior 12v outlet for an exterior post lamp and a tire pump. It wasn't easy to find one with a cap and nice faceplate, but I located one at Advance Auto. The next problem was where to locate it. The outlet is longer than the thickness of the exterior wall, and I didn't want it to stick out into a storage area where it

would be in the way or get damaged. I also wanted it near the battery. The best spot was next to the shore-power outlet, in the rear corner. After I measured carefully inside and out, I drilled a 1" hole in the exterior camper wall, ran a bead of caulk around it, and set the outlet into the hole. It's secured at each corner with small through-bolts and nuts. I'd previously installed a 12v switch for a small converter cooling fan. When I replaced the old Elixir converter, I took out the fan and left the switch. Now it's perfect for the outside outlet. On a cold rainy night, if I'm ready for bed and realize I didn't turn off the post lamp outside, no problem. I can turn off the outlet from inside!

Detachable Power Cord

One of the first things I did to the Alite was make the power cord detachable, using a Marinco Park Power Conversion Kit from Camping World. It's been as convenient in the Alite as in has been in both our other Aliners, freeing storage space in the electrical compartment. For travel, I coil the detached cord and store it in the front bin.

Post Lamp

In the Alinering world, there's a certain amount of "keeping up with the Joneses". So when I saw the clever tongue-jack-mounted 12v post lamps sported by a couple of other campers, I decided I needed one for the Alite. The first problem was finding the right kind of light. Regular residential lamps (modified with a 12v socket) are find for larger campers, but they dwarfed the little Alite. I saw exactly what I needed in the Landscape Lighting area of Lowe's. The lamp itself needed little modifying. I removed the short screw-on pipe, added a length of regular lamp cord to the existing wire, and reattached the pipe, which now hides the wire nuts. To the other end of the new cord, I added a 12v male plug. Finally, I added an inline switch to the new cord.

The next problem was where to put the lamp. It didn't  look right on the tongue, but was perfect next to the kitchen window. And since I put my camp chair there, it would be good lighting for sitting outside at night. But how to attach it? In my collection of "stuff", I had a rigid tapered fiberglass pole. I have no idea what it was, originally, or where it came from. But it was perfect to support the post lamp. The tapered end slips into the short metal pipe and resulting lamp height is just right. The pole supports the weight of the lamp, but I needed some way to stabilize it to the camper. A galvanized pipe clamp worked. Using the hold meant for attaching the clamp to a wall, I screwed a 5" aluminum strip. I put hook velcro on the back side of the strip and matching loop velcro on the camper. To the carriage bolt that tightens the bracket, I added a wingnut. Then I spray-painted the whole thing black. With this bracket velcroed to the camper, I set the pole in it, up against the carriage bolt, and tighten the wingnut. I slip the lamp pipe over the top of the pole and plug the cord into the exterior 12v outlet on the back side of the camper. Perfect!

Travel and storage proved to be another issue. The glass panels surrounding the bulb rattled during travel. Not a problem - just stuff some plastic bags inside the fixture. But the lid of the lamp was screwed in place, and I wasn't going to use a screwdriver each time I set up and packed up! I removed the 2 lid screws, nipped off the sharp ends of 2 roofing nails, and epoxied the nails in the holes of the lid. The nails act as pins, so I can lift off the lid easily, add or remove the travel stuffing, and set the lid back on the lamp. To hold the lid in place during travel, I slip a small mesh bag over the light. I threaded a cord through the mesh at the bottom of the lamp, with a cord-stop (Joanne Fabrics), so I can pull it tight around the lamp. The fiberglass pole travels on the floor of the camper, next to the bed, and the lamp fits nicely in a narrow space next to the battery. Easy setup, easy storage. And it's awfully cute!