The following is the contents of the last email news sent out.
News from B-Haven / STG.NET
(931) 3BHAVEN — service@stg.net
Schedule is now filled for year!
Due to taking off a few days each week to work on stacking logs for our log cabin, we are already booked through the rest of the year.
Note that we will always do our best to fit in an emergency service, separately from regularly scheduled upgrades that we stay booked months in advance with.
Updating the website and newsletter
I'm currently in the process of making updates to the STG.NET website along with the email newsletters. For the most part the content you see on the website isn't changing, but the stuff behind the scenes is. The first effort has been to operate our own newsletter mailing system (which sent you this email), rather than pay a third party with increasing costs. Additionally we're adding internal features to allow us to better keep track of customers, schedules, packages, parts, etc. Eventually this will include a new service signup procedure including the ability to select the packages or parts you want all through the website.
The calendar on STG.NET has now been updated to run directly from the live scheduling data, so that will always be up to date showing our scheduled and open dates.
Package VSL discontinued
As a means of simplifying both our offerings and our product stock, we have dropped the rarely purchased VSL-900 package that was previously offered. This was the in-between package that included the inverter, battery monitor, and auto generator start, but not the advanced touchscreen controller. The price break from the higher end package wasn’t large, there was limited interest in the package. This simplifies the parts that we need to carry that are different from the touchscreen (VAL) package. For anyone already on the schedule for this package, we will still complete the VSL-900 upgrade unless you want to switch.
Basically, this reduces our offerings to three tiers: Just battery (L-xxx), Battery plus inverter (VL-xxx), and the everything package (VAL-xxx). We hope that this reduces confusion.
New product online: G/K Shower Track
The SDT-1 is a replacement shower door track for both G and K models with the sliding door(s) with silver slats. The kit comes in a set of short sections that are fit together and includes some extra screws (in addition to re-using the original ones) to attach it to the ceiling. There is now a link to directly purchase it on from the products tab of our website, along with an installation video.
Testing 12v & Variable Speed A/C
There’s been a lot of discussion about 12v air conditioners recently, with lots of Youtube videos of people installing them and claiming how wonderful they are. It makes sense that a 12v air conditioner would waste less power when run from batteries since an inverter is not required to generate 120vac to run the motors. However, it’s not a simple install due to the thick battery cable that has to be run from the air conditioner directly to the batteries (you can’t reuse the original 120vac power cabling). Additionally, these 12v air conditioners are generally lower cooling power, and ultimately drain the battery nearly as fast as a conventional air conditioner through an inverter. They scale the power used to match how hot it is (how far away from target temperature it is), but will take as much as 700 watts (60+ amps), and drain the battery faster than solar could possibly restore it.
To get some hard data on exactly how much power these units take, and how much comfort you can expect from running just with solar power in an off grid situation, I’ve set up a spare trailer as a test platform and have purchased a few different 12v air conditioners to try out. I’ll be publishing my data when completed. But basically the myth that these are drastically more efficient than 120vac air conditioners is already busted. They do take less power, yes, but it's more like 25% less, not half or more. They can end up costing a lot more to install due to other things needing to be upgraded as well. I’m also going to test the latest 120vac variable speed compressor models such as the Furrion Chill Cube to see how much better they are. The best option(s) will then be offered along with the Houghton 3501 model that we already sell.
Modnay Mod Meetup
Each Monday at 8PM EST (7PM CST, 6PM MST, 5PM PST) I host a zoom meetup. These are open to all and mostly consist of people discussing mods, sharing something they’ve done, or asking questions. Occasionally we delve into general happenings around B-Haven or other topics. The meeting event is on the “Travato Mods” facebook group, but you can also
use to join directly. The meetings are recorded and available online through a private unpublished link (which is on the facebook event). Whether you have questions about mods or just want to sit in on the conversation, feel free to join us any Monday.