Replacing That Smelly Toilet Bowl in a Roadtrek Agile

The new Dometic 300 Series Low Profile Toilet

 

My 2011 Agile came with a Thetford Aqua Magic V toilet which I've replaced twice with same model due to holding tank fume leakage around the flush valve assembly. The last replacement lasted about 2 years of use then it started to leak fumes again! 

 

Thetford Aqua Magic V design is not very well thought-out IMHO; the space between the toilet bowl and the toilet outer casing/base is hollow and open to the black tank. Waste splatter can get stuck in that hollow space during flushing, very unhygienic. The flusher arm seal is also unreliable, it is basically sealed with packed grease. When grease seal starts to dry up, it starts to leak fumes from the holding tank especially when there is negative pressure inside the van like driving with windows open.

Building a Wooden Shower Mat for the Agile

 

A fellow sprinter forum member made a really nice teak shower mat on his Agile and that got me interested in making one for my RV. Currently, there are no commercially available wooden shower mats for the Agile so you have to make your own if you really wanted one.

Custom K-Cup Coffee Brewer Station

 The stock 120-volt coffee maker was replaced with  800-watt Aicok Single-Serve K-cup coffee brewer. The Aicok runs off our 1000-watt Magnum Inverter/Charger. There is no initial current draw spike, it consistently pulls around 765 watts (@120 volts) for about 2 minutes (heating an 8-oz. water), then current draw drops to about 4.2 watts with the pump running to  percolate the heated water through the K-cup pod. The brewer automatically shuts-off when brewing cycle is finished. We really like this brewer; it is easy to use, and easy to clean/ maintain. The unit is relatively compact in design measuring about 3.94"W × 8.66"D x 9.45"H. Aicok customer support is also very responsive and helpful, a big plus in my book.

 

The brewer station with built-in slider is made from 1/2" Birch plywood with edge treatment using hardwood stock; it's then stained to match the existing cabinets. To prevent the brewer from sliding out while underway, a Decorite 5838 push latch was used. The clear door and the hinges are made out from Acrylic plastic. A strong magnetic latch holds the door closed, the small cubby is perfect for storing K-cup pods.

 

Amazon link for the Aicok Single-Serve K-cup Coffee Brewer, you'll also find reviews, specs, and  pictures of the brewer in the link provided. Enjoy your coffee!

 

Note: If not for the size limitation, I probably have bought the 700-watt Keurig In Room Coffee Brewer instead. The Keurig In-Room is about 1.6 inches taller than the Aicok and will not work with my setup. I have a 2.5 gallon water holder located under the coffee-maker and the extra height of the Keurig makes it impossible to load/ unload the 2.5 gallon water container into the DIY holder.

 

Adding a Stowable Upper Bunk Bed in a Roadtrek

After a weekend of sleep deprived nights at the campground, I finally had it, I decided that we need another bed in the RV. Our kids are growing up too fast and I now find it uncomfortable and claustrophobic sleeping in the rear bed with DW and our youngest. Our youngest now sleeps in the upper bunk bed and my eldest in the DIY bed across the front seats. 

After hours of crazy brainstorming for ideas how to add a third bed in a short Agile, a light bulb suddenly lit in my head…I realized that there is enough space on top of the rear bed for an upper bunk bed! So the built goes. The upper bunk bed design is removable and the bed frame pieces can be disassembled then tucked/rolled into the bed top fabric cover minimizing storage space.

Our Gears (Part 2: Pots, Pans, Grill, Stove, and Camp Oven)

 I have put together some of our favorite RV camping gears, gadgets, and accessories. Most of our camping gears are compact by design thus minimizing storage space in the RV.  This post covers our Pots, Pans, Grill, Stove, and the Camp Oven.