First, the good news: Oliver’s Nest has a working inverter and is pumping out electricity to the outlets. My phone and tablet are happily charging away right this minute. So amazing how easy it is when stuff works! The tech who did the replacement looked over the system and commented on how the layout makes sense and will be easy to work with if needed. I had a little lump of pride in my throat, as I made most of the decisions for what/where/how the whole system would function.
However.
Why oh why didn’t I remember how easy the inverter was to deal with?! I could have replaced it myself in less than 15 minutes. Or less, if I misplaced my screwdriver, which I haven’t. My brain, argh! So very bad with the memory type stuff.
Here’s what it took to install the replacement.
- Unplug the top plug which gives power to the breaker box.
- Unplug the battery connectors at the bottom.
- Unscrew the ground wire.
- Unscrew the inverter from the wall.
- Screw the new inverter into the same space.
- Reverse steps 1 through 3. Done.
I could have easily saved myself the $60 minimum they charged. Some lessons are free, some cost money, and some take just a bit of your pride, hehehe.
Not everyone has the dead-simple hook-up like mine, of course. This system is wholly sun-powered, without a way to charge the batteries from either shore power or the truck engine. Still, it pays to really know and understand (and remember) your own system, as it’s often just not that hard to handle your own repairs. Now that the inverter has been replaced, anyone know of a spare brain with working memory out there?
I am glad you got it fixed. Any repair under 100 is good news. It is quite natural for your memory to be poor as you have been through a lot in the last couple of years. Loss and upheaval and change make the brain not hang on to some of the other details. Relax and take heart knowing you are on your way to life lived your way. You will change along the way and make adjustments but you are on your own path and that is great.
That’s true. I also had several concussions when I was in my teens, one severe, which contribute. And of course the medications. It seems to me the memory problems have exponentially increased over the last decade, so you might have the most on-point answer.
Parker
If I had a £ for every time I kick myself thinking I could have done the job myself after someone else has fixed it then I would be able to pay for the repair 🙂
That moment when you realize you’ve basically given money to a repairman for nothing. Ack, the wincing and internal head whacks!
Parker
Just checking to see if you are OK….you dropped out of sight! Hope all is well.
Oh…it’s me from LittleBittyLiving.