22MLE Hacks

October 16, 2022 Keith Davies Off RV hacks / Modifications, Travel

These are ideas many RVers have thought up and added to make their RV nicer or better.
They consist mostly of sufficient details to complete but some are just pics for easy mods. There are also some YouTube videos included.
Most of these are described specifically for the Grand Design XLS 22MLE. However, there are so very many improvements (‘Hacks’) that can be made for any unit.
I will be listing mine here as I complete them and hope you might find some useful.
There are a lot of very simple yet very helpful hacks that you can do. Most require NO handy-man skills.
I am listing these first then the more complex ones are the numbered items below. The You Tube videos are listed after that.

RIGHT click on any picture then select Open Image In New Tab to see it full size.

List of hacks:
1 – Adding a backup camera.
2 – Grill Bracket for Swing Arm
3 – Shoe Storage
4 – Under Bed Drawer Storage
5 – Under Bed Side Drawer Storage
6 – Kitchen Trash Can
7 – Basement (Front Pass-Through) Storage
8 – Dirty Laundry Storage
9 – Pantry organization
10 – Slide-Out Broom / Mop
11 – Corner stabilizer power crank
12 – Room Darkening shade for Door
13 – Bed Cubbies
14 – Hot Water Tank Drain
15 – Low-point water drain valves
16 – Fresh water overflow drain valve
17 – Back-up Cam Display Mount
18 – Simple Bed Cubby Shelves
19 – Window Valence Trays
20 – Safe Shower Storage
21 – Winterizing Made Easy
22 – Theater Seat Switch Guards
23 – Aluminum Inside Bike Rack
24 – Basement (Front Pass-Through) Storage (V2)
25 – Rear Bumper Caps
26 – Large Hidden Storage Area
27 – Under the Sink Storage
28 – HDMI outlet for TV
29 – Convenient AC outlet by table
30 – Quieter Range Hood Fan
31 – Under Oven Drawer Travel Stop
32 – Inside switch for outside outlet
33 – Separate GFCI circuits.
34 – Dinette area bike rack.
35 – Small safe.
36 – New Bathroom Sink
37 – Drain Pipe Storage
38 – Welded Custom Rear Bumper Hitch
39 – Under dinette bench storage.
40 – Pantry Drawers with metal slides.
41 – Convert your wardrobe to shelves.
42 – Additional dinette seating.
43 – How to remove theater seating backs.
44 – Blackstone griddle outside mount.
45 – DIY Stabilizers.

	You can secure many kitchen items with a simple screw in cup hook – like the oven utensils in the pic. They hold wire baskets in place perfectly when the hook is placed even with the top loop of the basket – like the oven utensils in the pic. Others can be secured with very small bungee cords – like the coffee pot and fruit basket in the pic.		A great way to safely store spices without using up cabinet space is with magnetic cans. These are available from Amazon. Don’t worry – they hold on even over the roughest roads.
	A handy shelf over the ding area mirror. I moved the mirror down to add this. You can build your own shelf or purchase one.		A handy idea for grilling. Attach some command hooks to the outside of your RV near where you use your grill. You can hang your tongs, fork, and/or spatula and have convenient access while cooking.
	Handy bubble levels to help with leveling your RV.		A great place to mount a paper towel rack.
	Easy access door, inside the MLE, to all the plumbing that enters the MLE through the pass-through. You have to move the outlets. You can get extra matching panels by using the ones under the bench seats.		Spruce up your bathroom sink with a stick-on backsplash.
	You may find that moisture collects inside your 30A/50A connection to your RV at times. Simply drill a very small hole in the bottom of the lip to allow it to drain out. Just be sure you locate the hole on the bottom when it is connected to your RV.		A popular place to store your portable black water tank is on the rear ladder. Add two pieces of pool noodle sliced to go over the rungs to protect the ladder and use good straps to keep it firmly in place. Also, place the straps under any lip on the tank to keep it from sliding down should a strap get a little loose.
	Here’s a handy use of the space between the TV and the pantry in your 22MLE. Thanks to John Lock on the 22MLE Face Book page. They found this danyab.com shelf that they liked. He had to trim about 2.5” off of the top and bottom panels that have the mounting holes to get it to fit. He mounted the top to the external wall with a #8 rivet to grip the thin wall panel and used a machine screw. The lower end against the pantry wall used a #8 wood screw as the mounting hole lined up with and existing support piece inside the pantry wall that gave the screw something to bite into.		How about a handy – fold away shoe rack by the door? Thanks to Patricia Hall Infante on the on the GD 22MLE Facebook page. They are available from Amazon : Hanging Plastic Shoe Rack Add a mirror to the bathroom door.
	Add a small but handy storage area by the door and in the back of the dinette bench.		Another easy access door, inside the MLE, to all the plumbing that enters the MLE through the pass-through. Posted by Larry Moss on the GD 22MLE Facebook page. Here’s a door he fabricated out of birch plywood.
	A third easy access door, inside the MLE, to all the plumbing that enters the MLE through the pass-through. Posted by Tom Trane on the GD 22MLE Facebook page. He didn’t like having to open the door every time to work the control panel and radio so removed the door from there and put it here.		A simple organization idea for your kitchen drawer. Posted by Cathy Kennedy on the GD 22MLE Facebook page. Best upgrade . . .added an extra sliding drawer within both deep drawers beside sink. Other one holds silverware. Just brace them so they do not slide when traveling.
	A handy Pass through door storage idea. Posted by Unknown. Door needs to be opened for tray use.		An easy addition of individual lighting over the dinette. They even match the lights over the bed. Posted by Douglas Worm on the GD 22MLE Facebook page. $25 ea on Amazon. Super easy wiring to the stereo 12v +/-
	Improved ceiling fans. Posted by John Windsor on the GD 22MLE Facebook page. He extended the vent cover mechanism down from the crossbar using four washers on each side so that it would reach the new fan’s opening mechanism. He also had to move the opening mechanism on the fan to line up with the vent cover mechanism.		Add a side access door to the pantry. The pantries are so deep that you cannot reach into the very back of them. Some people add drawer slides (see ideas below) while others simply add a side access door behind the mirror over the dinette seating. This was posted by one of the members of the GD 22MLE Facebook page.

Hack #1
Adding a backup camera.
This was a basically simple task but I did encounter a few things ‘out of the ordinary’. See this hack at Hack #1.

Hack #2
Grill Bracket for Swing Arm.
I had looked at several rear bumper swing arms for grills and settled on one that came with the mounting brackets (or so I thought) so that all I would need to complete it would be a grill.

When I mounted the swing arm, there was nothing included for mounting the grill to it. What a ridiculous arrangement! I had heard that the RVing world was full of frustrations and now I understand why. This is all you get with it . . . .

See this hack at Hack #2.

Hack #3
Shoe Storage.
I saw the storage area under the bed as a missed opportunity for Imagine to use as great storage. The first idea was to add shoe storage here.

See this hack at Hack #3.

Hack #4
Under Bed Drawer Storage.
I saw the storage area under the bed as a missed opportunity for Imagine to use as great storage. One idea was to add clothing storage here. Do this before adding storage above it to make the work much easier.

See this hack at Hack #4.

Hack #5
Under Bed Side Drawer Storage.
I saw the storage area under the bed as a missed opportunity for Imagine to use as great storage. One idea was to add clothing storage here.

See this hack at Hack #5.

Hack #6
Kitchen Trash Can.
Combine 2 cans for 2 gal of space.

See this hack at Hack #6.

Hack #7 & 24
Basement (Front Pass-Through) Storage.
I have 2 options here. The first is scratch built and cheaper while the second clearly has a more professional look to it. An economical rolling cart system. This brings fantastic organization to that space you always find jumbled up.

See this hack at Hack #7. ————————————– And this one at Hack #24

Hack #8
Dirty Laundry Storage.
A handy space under the dinette bench for hiding your dirty laundry.

See this hack at Hack #8.

Hack #9
Pantry organization. (Tackling the beast of the dark abyss)
I love the mass storage of the pantry but, at 34 inches deep, it is scary monster that swallows up items. Here’s an inexpensive solution.

See this hack at Hack #9

Hack #10
Slide-Out Broom / Mop
Clean the top of you slide out off with ease.

See this hack at Hack #10

Hack #11
Corner stilt power crank

Crank those corner stilts with power. See this hack at Hack #11

Hack #12
Room Darkening shade for Door

Save by modifying a standard blind for the door window. See this hack at Hack #12

Hack #13
Bed Cubbies
S
Add a handy bed side cubby in the wasted space below your closets. You can even add an outlet with USB charges too. See this hack at Hack #13

Hack #14
Hot Water Tank Drain

Drain your hot water tank without fighting with that old nylon plug. See this hack at Hack #14

Hack #15
Low-point water drain valves

Drain water lines completely without fighting with those old nylon plugs. See this hack at Hack #15

Hack #16
Fresh water overflow drain valve

Make sure you arrive with a full fresh water tank.
See this hack at Hack #16

Hack #17
Back-up Cam Display Mount

An inventive way to mount your back-up cam display.
See this hack at Hack #17

Hack #18
Simple Bed Cubby Shelves

A simple way to add bed cubbies.
See this hack at Hack #18

Hack #19
Window Valence Trays

A useful storage idea for window valences.
See this hack at Hack #19

Hack #20
Safe Shower Storage

A simple way to make useful storage of the shower areas.
See this hack at Hack #20

Hack #21
Winterizing Made Easy

A simple to follow post on winterizing.
See this hack at Hack #21

Hack #22
Theater Seat Switch Guards

Prevents accidentally pressing switches on the theater seats..
See this hack at Hack #22

Hack #23
Aluminum Inside Bike Rack

Safely store 2 bikes inside your 22MLE Hack #23

Hack #25
Rear Bumper Caps

See this hack at Hack #25

Hack #26
Large Hidden Storage Area

There is a big unused storage area behind the dinette inside your 22MLE Hack #26

Hack #27
(Way) Under the Sink Storage.

There is a big unused storage area behind the panel under the sink of your 22MLE Hack #27

Hack #28
HDMI outlet for TV

Add a convenient HDMI outlet hidden in the window valence. Hack #28.

Hack #29
Convenient AC outlet by table.

Add a convenient outlet by the dinette table. Hack #29.

Hack #30
Quieter Range Hood Fan.

Replace that super noisy cooking center exhaust fan. Hack #30.

Hack #31
Oven drawer travel stop.

Keep the oven drawer from opening while traveling. Hack #31.

Hack #32
Inside switch for outside outlet.

Keep the outside outlet turned off when not needed. Hack #32.

Hack #33
Separate GFCI circuits.

Unlink your outlets from a the single GFCI breaker. Hack #33.

Hack #34
Bike Rack #2.

Store 1 or 2 bikes on the dinette benches. Hack #34.

Hack #35
Small Safe.

Add a secure safe for small valuables. Hack #35.

Bathroom Sink.

Add a bigger bathroom sink and backsplash. Hack #36.

Drain Pipe Storage.

A great rust-proof way to store drain pipes. Hack #37.

Welded Custom Rear Bumper Hitch.

A custom made rear bumper hitch.. Hack #38.

Various dinette bench storage ideas.

Under dinette bench storage. Hack #39.

Pantry Drawers with metal slides.

Pantry slide. Hack #40

Convert your wardrobe to Shelves.

Wardrobe shelves. Hack #41

Additional Dinette Seating.

Add to the seating at the dinette. Hack #42

Removing the backs of the recliners.

Here’s how to remove the theater seating backs. Hack #43

17″ Blackstone Griddle Exterior Mount.

Blackstone griddle outside mount makes an outdoor kitchen. Hack #44