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Subject |
Author |
Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Brake and Running Lights wires suddenly grounded
First thing I’d check is bulbs. They are the common item between the circuits.
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jkwilson
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11/21/20 07:21am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Gone through 5 water pumps in 2015 cedar creek
I’d try securing the lines so the can put any force on the fittings.
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jkwilson
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11/21/20 07:18am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Harbor Freight Predator 3500 Generator On Sale!
The Predator 3500, Echo Bearcat IG3500E and Northern Powerhorse 3500i are all the same generator, and are a good quality unit for the price.
But $799.99 is the regular price at both Harbor Freight and Northern Tool, so it’s not on sale. Harbor Freight occasionally has a coupon that applies to the Predator. I think it was 15% a few weeks ago, but they are rare.
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jkwilson
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11/18/20 07:55am |
Tech Issues
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RE: The sad part of pet ownership—The sad update
Well, the day finally arrived. We put her down today.
The treatment really helped for the first couple of months and she was her old self.
We managed a road trip to the Boston area to take her to see our children who she loved.
About the 1st of November we found the cancer had spread and we knew the clock was ticking quickly. She was still comfortable and happy, so we took a short camping trip to one of our favorite campgrounds last week. She loved hiking and she walked an amazing amount, then would lay on her bed by the fire looking like a queen. We all had a good time.
She began to decline earlier this week. Wouldn’t eat and couldn’t get comfortable on her bed, so today we made the call. Lots of tears, and our male is pacing around trying to figure out why she isn’t here.
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jkwilson
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11/14/20 01:51pm |
RV Pet Stop
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RE: Best mouse trap?
Please do not use poison. Eating a poisoned rodent is one of the main causes of death for raptor-type birds. It might also be found by a dog or cat who is someone's loved pet.
I prefer the snap traps.
Possibly the mice are long gone. Just keep an eye out.
X2 because as noted you potentially introduce a poisoned mouse into the food chain
It’s only an issue for animals the size of a mouse. The most common poison is Coumadin, the drug used for people with clotting issues. Called warfarin when used as poison, but the fatal dose for a mouse won’t cause an issue for a larger animal.
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jkwilson
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11/11/20 04:34pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Best mouse trap?
Peanut butter on a simple snap trap will tell you if there are mice in there. If they are getting away, “glue” a chocolate chip to the trip mechanism with Karo syrup. The mouse will have to work at it and even the sneakiest mouse will be caught.
I maintain bait stations all over the farm and around the house. Never had a mouse die inside something. I’ve heard they seek water when the poison takes effect which causes them to go outdoors. I have no idea if this is true or not, but since the poisons cause internal bleeding it would seem reasonable.
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jkwilson
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11/10/20 07:29am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Folding Camp Chairs
You said no bag chairs, but we have found these chairs extremely comfortable.
Amazon Link
Same here. We have a friend that loves them and she's comfortable in them with her bad back and hip and can easily get up from it.
X3. Very comfortable chairs.
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jkwilson
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11/09/20 09:37pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Turning off the Charging Process
Battle Born batteries have a built in BMS (Battery Management System) that prevents charging at temps below freezing. No need to disconnect battery. You can still discharge well below freezing.
X2. The whole purpose of the BMS is to keep things from happening to the battery that shouldn’t. A BMS isn’t required to charge a lithium battery. It’s what is needed to make an acceptable lithium battery for use by non-technical consumers.
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jkwilson
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11/08/20 08:03am |
Tech Issues
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RE: DECA AGM Batteries
You can get a Deka group 31 AGM (labeled Duracell) at Sam’s Clubs east of the Mississippi for $179 each. If you are patient, they have a sale most years where you can get $20 off on each battery. 4 decent batteries for $640 plus tax is not bad.
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jkwilson
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11/08/20 07:59am |
Tech Issues
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RE: GFCI outlet is popping when I plug in coach
The GFCI doesn’t care about a missing ground. I’d certainly try a new adapter, but the pin missing is not the cause of the tripping. The hole in the adapter might have let moisture or debris in that causes it to trip.
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jkwilson
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11/03/20 06:00am |
Tech Issues
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Upgrade to 5G without increases in data allowances?
Upgrading to faster speeds while bragging that users can watch 4K movies and have 4K video calls without at least an order of magnitude data allowance increase seems like an inexplicable move from cell providers. 4K is about 7.2GB per hour which will quickly eat through any current data allowance. Kind of like having a car with a sports suspension and high horsepower engine when the only place you can drive has a stop sign every block.
I know data allowances, at least for more expensive plans, aren’t hard limits, but it seems that more subscribers with phones capable of eating data at a very high rate will result in the need for providers to throttle more often.
Is 5G going to result in a less usable network? Will 5G get the priority so the provider has bragging rights for the fastest 5G while 4G users effectively get downgraded performance?
My 2 cents is that a bigger pipe would have been a better upgrade than a faster one.
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jkwilson
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11/02/20 05:08pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: GFCI outlet is popping when I plug in coach
The problem is almost certainly a ground/neutral connection at the transfer switch as time2roll said. A GFCI. will also trip on a ground/neutral connection downstream, and transfer switches are often miswired. The breaker won’t affect this as it doesn’t disconnect the ground or neutral.
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jkwilson
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11/01/20 05:02pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: How fuel stabilizers work...or not
Every drop of gas that goes into my small engines and outboard motor is ethanol free and has Seafoam in it. Before starting that regimen, I had a lot of trouble with gummed up carburetors, since, I have not had a single problem. I don't know if it is the ethanol free or the Seafoam, but I am not going to test to find out.
Ethanol-free is the way to keep a small engine happy.
I love Seafoam. It may be snake oil, but three or four times out of ten that I try it the carb straightens up quickly and it saves me the labor of tearing down the fuel system. May just be dumb luck, but I’m sticking with it.
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jkwilson
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11/01/20 06:38am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: winter vs battery
I am of the opnion, that for long term (over a month) storage, a lead acid battery should not be left on ANY charger, 24/7.
Mine have been plugged in constantly for 15 years now, except when I am camping. I do have to replace them next season, you think thats because I always leave them plugged in? ;)
Friend of a friend of a friend handles simple maintenance on sewage pumping stations in their small town, maybe a dozen or so. Each has a generator that automatically starts when the power goes out longer than 1 minute. He was replacing the starting batteries (maybe this was the issue - starting batteries) every year or two until he hooked the trickle charger (Battery Tender ?) to a mechanical lamp timer set for 4 hour per day. Life expectancy jumped to 4 or 5 years.
Likely the issue was temperature. At around 80F, a battery can self-discharge 15% in a month, quickly reaching a state of charge where permanent battery damage occurs. For winter storage, the discharge is greatly reduced by cold temperatures.
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jkwilson
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10/29/20 04:35pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: winter vs battery
If it's a decent quality multistage charger, just plug it in and ignore it. When the battery is full, it will stop charging.
Very, very few, if any work that way. The overwhelming majority of good chargers don’t stop charging when the battery is fully charged, but reduce the voltage to float level when current flowing indicates a full charger. This is not a problem on a battery with no loads. But if you have things like detectors hooked to the battery as RVs are wired or you forget to turn off a storage compartment light, the chargers see the load as an indication the battery is not at full charge and increase the charging voltage. This results in the battery spending 24/7 at nearly a full charge with a charging voltage above the gassing voltage. Not good for a battery.
With cold temperatures, self-discharge is minimal, so if you are going to disconnect a cable to remove the load there is little reason to bother with a charger.
I have a boat, RV, mower and several pieces of farm equipment that sit most of the winter. I use a 2A battery tender charger that I swap to another vehicle every Sunday evening after supper. Easy habit, and I generally look at the battery Monday morning to see that the charger thinks it is full. That way nothing gets cooked by a failed or fooled charger and I don’t have to keep checking all the batteries regularly through the winter.
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jkwilson
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10/29/20 03:18pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: winter vs battery
FYI, a typical residential dehumidifier does very little below about 60F ambient temperature.
An amp or amp and a half battery tender will keep it charged. If cold enough, you can just leave the battery unhooked.
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jkwilson
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10/28/20 05:44pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Trouble with my Honda 2000 genset
Is this an EU2000?
I’ve never seen one shut off for an overload, even with something wrong with the generator. Are you sure it’s not the low oil light?
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jkwilson
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10/25/20 09:17pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Unusual tank sensor issues.
Factory sensors never work. Quit worrying about them.
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jkwilson
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10/22/20 05:48pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Help figuring out DOT tire code
Thanks Old Biscuit, but there are no numbers next to the DOT code, just letters.
Did you look on the opposite side?
This is your answer OP. They only have to stamp it on one side.
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jkwilson
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10/20/20 05:51am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Out side marker lights.
Exactly which lights are lit? Tail lights, or the marker lights at the top?
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jkwilson
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10/17/20 06:46am |
Tech Issues
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