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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Converter noise
You might want to turn it off, stick something small in to block the fan and turn it back on. If you still hear a squeal with the fan immobilized, it's probably a noisy, failing capacitor in the electronics section. They do that when the electrolyte paste inside dries out over time. While they can be repaired, usually by the time components start going bad it's better just to replace the converter with a new one considering the cost of the part and the labor of getting it changed. Another electronic device that prices have stayed pretty stable over the years and now seem pretty reasonable. If it is the fan, usually the little "computer type" fans have a foil name sticker on one side of the hub. Peel it off and you will find a small rubber disk that closes off the bearing cavity. Pick it out with a needle, put in some 3-IN-One oil (WD-40 dries back out too quickly), replace the rubber, and you should be good to go!
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garyemunson
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07/15/19 05:07am |
Travel Trailers
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Rear Camera Intercom
Pretty much all the old "picture tube" display rear RV cameras had a microphone on the camera so you could hear your rear spotter giving directions (usually all you need is to hear them, they don't need your input). Was much more convenient than having to juggle a walkie talkie as you are trying to back up your rig. I have not seen any newer RV camera systems with that feature. Has anyone come up with a mike and small amp that accomplishes this simple task?
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garyemunson
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06/10/19 10:02am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: satelte entena
Have had satellite in our RVs for years. At first, having bought an RV with a manual, rooftop dish, I though "having a 'loose' antenna I can move around the campsite would be better so I can dodge trees". After several years of that, with the next RV, I finally went up and mounted it to the roof. I found it was a wash, either dodging trees above or bushes on the ground. Having it permanently mounted was one less thing to deal with setting up and breaking camp. Sat is so common now, RV parks are quite hip to placing you at a sat friendly site if you just ask when you reserve/arrive. I've never had an issue with the handle not pointing north. Dishes I've had were always able to lock onto a sat. We've always just used our small sat box in both our house and RV. We never use the DVR functions of the bigger boxes so just one works for us.
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garyemunson
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06/10/19 05:33am |
Technology Corner
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RE: Refrigerator Change in a Class A Gasser
If you always camp in RV parks with hookups, you'll never notice a difference using a residential (wait, your ice cream will always be hard!). If you occasionaly bookdock or get caught some night without reservations and no capmground within 100 miles, gas is still king.
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garyemunson
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06/09/19 12:27pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: House Battery Maintenance
Next time, get 2 6 volt golf cart batteries from Costco or Sam's Club and wire them in series. Same price as 12 volts, but, with maintanence, will last much longer. You can get the battery watering kits that will let you keep them full with a couple pumps on a squeeze bulb so you never have to open the caps. The golf cart batteries are the most bang for the buck and are true deep cycle, unlike a lot of the RV/boat batteries out there. If they will be "unattended" for 3 months, just fully charge and do not put a trickle charger on them. Last thing you want to happen is for them to boil dry over 3 months. Sitting unused for that length of time is tough on any battery but that will make the best of it.
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garyemunson
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06/04/19 08:40am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Dometic refrigerator keeps tripping the thermal limit switch
Over the decades I've had to replace 2 cooling units. Both were in RVs I bought used so I suspect they were not operated correctly in the past. Since I've done them myself (pretty easy as they were older, smaller fridges), it was far cheaper than replacing the entire fridge. At this point, you should take stock of how you use your RV. If you always go to RV parks wth hookups (nothing wrong with that, lots of people prefer the comforts provided!) it's time to switch to a residential type fridge. Cheaper than repairing yours even if you do all the work yourself. If you boondock at all or go to state/national campgrounds without hookups, gas fridges are still king. Switching to a residential in those cases usually involves more batteries and an inverter upgrade so you end up spending the same or more. As said above, operating out of level can make fridges run hotter outside increasing the risk of springing a leak from the repeated flexing of the steel from the greater temperature swings. You don't have to be spot on level, what happens occurs on a "sliding scale", the more out of level, the hotter the coils run. Just do your best to get the coach not too far off level and you will be OK. I've seen the obsessed using a 3' level feverishly adding/subtracting blocks to get their rig perfect. Not necessary. Also, if you live in a humid climate, leaving the RV plugged in and the fridge on electric will keep the outside coils hot and lessen chance of them rusting out at one of their welds.
https://rvcoolingunit.com/Dometic-Cooling-Units-remanufactured-C4380.aspx?sid=298
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garyemunson
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06/04/19 05:03am |
Tech Issues
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RE: 2013 freightliner chassis horn
Air horn and rope on the ceiling!
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garyemunson
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05/30/19 04:29am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Love them KOA's
There is certainly more to the story but the immediate optics are horrible. KOA needs to be proactive and get in front of this with a thorough investigation. I really have a hard time seeing how this would be justified. This should have been a job for the police if it were a trespass situation that was out of hand. You NEVER pull a gun without the need to use it immediatley. This waving it around nonsense is what earned the West's "Wild" knickname.
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garyemunson
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05/28/19 04:44pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: WiFi Boosters
I see Winegard has 2 different systems. A "dome" type and a 3 antenna one. Are they basically the same thing?
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garyemunson
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05/23/19 07:29am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Costco battery?
You may not need the golf cart batteries...but... If you have room (many TTs are putting the batteries in a compartment now), 2 6 volt golf cart batteries from Costco wired in series will be about the same price as one marine deep cycle. They will provide more power and last longer. The one time you are out and every campground is full and you are forced to WalMart it, you will be glad you went that route. If you are stuck with the single battery box on the tounge, stick with the marine.
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garyemunson
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05/23/19 05:25am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Slide question? My first slide on K.Z. spree 261RKA
Slides on TTs are what has given slides bad names. TT walls are generally weaker than motorhomes and the flexing of the slide frames (and slide boxes) have been known to cause issues over time. I'm guessing yours comes with the Schwintech type with the aluminum "gear tracks" top and bottom on the slide sides (and sometimes in the middle, too, on large slides). The very good part of that slide design is that you do not have to worry about jamming crutch tipped pieces of broomstick between the slide top and inside wall when retracted. The Schwintec secures the top of the slide from moving in and out on rough roads that, over time, wrecks the structural integrity of the slide box and the wall frame. If that is your type slide drive, look online for videos on keeping it lubricated. Do that at least once a year. As time goes by the gear tracks get loaded with dust and dirt. I use a rectangular margerine tub with some mineral spirts in it and a 1" chip brush to clean the track before relubricating. Mine are close to 5 years old and still work like new. We are close to 50K on the rig so we use ours a lot.
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garyemunson
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05/23/19 05:19am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Water pump
You said you "filled the tank". Do you have a tank fill valve by your city water hose inlet (not talking about the gravity fill port for the fresh water tank, but where you connect the hose for city water use in the RV)? If that fill valve is left in the fill position (instead of "city water pressure to the coach" position), the pump will just be circulating water back to the tank nonstop.
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garyemunson
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05/23/19 05:06am |
General RVing Issues
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WiFi Boosters
What is the latest on WiFi boosters? Anyone have good or bad experiences with them? I see many new higher end coaches are coming with them. Reading the reviews on Amazon, PCMag and CNet, I see almost as many people who don't like them as think they are great. Some of these devices have to wire direct via USB to your computer, some are stand alone, some have rooftop antennas, some don't.. If one works, I'd like to permanently install it in our motorhome. So many different types out there it's beyond confusing.
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garyemunson
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05/23/19 05:03am |
Tech Issues
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Blue Beacon Truck Wash and paint protective film
Our 2015 Winnebago came with paint protection film on the front of the RV. Until our last trip I have always hand washed it myself and have been pleasantly surprised at how well the film has protected the front from rock chipping and any other damage. On our last trip, we stopped in Kingman AZ after seeing a Blue Beacon Truck Wash sign. We'd endured quite a bit of light rain on our 3 week trip that was enough to cover the RV with dirt but not heavy enough to wash any off. Blue Beacon did an outstanding job, thoroughly cleaning off the filth. After we got home, I only had some bugs to clean off the front from Nevada's farming district. I then noticed milky white streaks I'd never noticed before on the film. The rest of the RV's paint showed none of this. The cleaner/polish sold by the film manufacturer that had previously done an outstanding job shining up the film would do nothing for the streaks. The streaks were obviously made by water/cleaner flowing down the surface as where there were trim pieces that concentrated the streams, the milkyness was more pronounced. How long has the film lasted for everyone? The film company has a 10 year warranty but I doubt they'd cover something like this. Has anyone else used Blue Beacon and noticed film damage after a wash?
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garyemunson
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05/08/19 10:53am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Fueling a gasser...
The fill and vent hoses are suspect. I'd check to be sure one or the other wasn't either cut a little too long or not pushed far enough onto the metal fittings causing a kink in the rubber hose.
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garyemunson
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05/03/19 05:08pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 1000 hp 426 crate engine from mopar
This would be much cooler....
https://chargedevs.com/newswire/next-gen-tesla-roadster-will-be-the-fastest-car-ever-produced/
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garyemunson
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04/30/19 05:03am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: How to clean the weep holes?
Be sure to tighten all the screws around the inside perimeter of your window frames every year. Going down the road the flexing and twisting of the RV will compress the butyl sealer between the window and the RV and allow water to get in. Every 10 years is about right to pull the windows and put new butyl tape sealer on. Don't waste your time putting sealer around the edge of the window frame. First trip or two and it will break free and be useless.
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garyemunson
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04/30/19 05:00am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Streaming movies and jet packs and phones
I apparently camp in more remote places than other people. I rarely am able to have a strong enough signal to stream anything in my RV. Went with satellite years ago. I don't go camping to watch TV but I do like to watch the news while I'm drinking my morning coffee. All I have to do for that is dodge the trees.
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garyemunson
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04/30/19 04:56am |
Technology Corner
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RE: Just found water damage
Every year it's important to tighten all the screws around the perimeter of the inside window frame. They loosen up because the flexing and twisting of the frame keeps compressing the butyl tape between the frame and the sidewall. After about 10 years you really need to pull the windows and replace the tape with new. Trying to use any kind of sealer around the window frame to wall is an exercise in futility as the first few flexes going town the road will likely break it free. Butyl tape has been the only thing that has proven to last but still needs annual attention and replacement every 10 years.
https://www.amazon.com/XFasten-8-Inch-30-Foot-Sealing-Patching/dp/B07663NFZZ/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=14ES67WMT2JQT&keywords=butyl+tape&qid=1556621494&s=gateway&sprefix=butyl%2Caps%2C210&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1
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garyemunson
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04/30/19 04:51am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Leaving the trailer in Florida for the summer
Before you leave, get on the roof and put your eyeballs on EVERY square inch. If there is the slightest leak, a hot, wet Florida summer will cause a whole lot of damage. I'd put all the hoses away. No reason to let the sun do it's dirty work on them if they are not being used.
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garyemunson
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04/30/19 04:45am |
Snowbirds
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