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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: water heater works fine - IF- I leave door open
My guess is the airflow mixture/regulator needs to be adjusted to get more airflow into the burner. Have you travelled to a higher elevation than you are normally at?
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rdhetrick
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05/08/21 06:31pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Fish bowl cooling class A
I have always had a problem cooling and heating the fish bowl on my RV.
The dash air has never cooled the fish bowl and the front air does not send enough air while driving to the front.
I’ve tried directing the flow to the front, using a fan to push the cool air to the front, nothing works.
Also I do drive mostly out west with temps over 90 many times.
So has anyone done any creative ac mods to help this situation ?
Like replacing the dash ac system and putting in something that works, or adding some type of stand alone ac unit in the front ?
Let me know
Jcat
2004 Mandalay 40 D
Having a very similar coach as you, I face the exact same problem. Hot in the summer, cold in the winter. In the winter, I can feel the cold air, in the summer, it's just generally hot. I suspect air leaking in from outside but I haven't been able to pinpoint where it's coming from. I even put a fog machine in the generator bay while parked looking to see where the air came in, with no luck.
In the summer, I've had the most success opening the louvers on the front air so most of the air blows straight down, and a fan a few feet behind that blowing forward. Certainly not cold up front, but made it a little more tolerable. My bigger problem is keeping the engine from overheating in those conditions!
I recently got a thermal camera and will be using it on my next trip to try and see where the air is coming in from - I suspect it might be around the stair well. It will probably be more revealing in the winter, but I'll try it anyway. If I come up with anything useful, I'll follow up here.
Forgot to mention - I had the dash air serviced a few years ago, it seemed to help in the sub 90 temps, but didn't make a difference above 90. The next year, it didn't seem to make much difference at any temp, and I'm not about to spend $500 or $600 each year for a marginal improvement.
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rdhetrick
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05/03/21 11:35am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Towing with Auto Leveling
As mentioned before, the purpose of the weight distribution is to put weight back on the steer axle. The only way you can effectively do this is to use a scale. Just looking at whether or not the truck is level is not a good indication. After you've got the weight shifted to the steer axle, you'll probably only have a very slight "out of level" on the truck.
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rdhetrick
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04/13/21 03:39am |
Towing
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RE: Park suggestions/opinions in or near San Jose, CA.
I've stayed at Coyote Valley RV several times while working in Cupertino. It was always well kept and clean and quiet. Far enough away from the "big city" but close to all the grocery and shopping stores in Morgan Hill. I'll stay there again next time I need to be in the area.
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rdhetrick
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03/29/21 07:10pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: backing up 4 down jeep jk
As far as I understand, the issue with backing is the steering wheel going one way while you want the vehicle to go the other way. I've seen people get around this by using a heavy bungee strap through the steering wheel attached to the brake pedal (only when backing up, not when moving forward).
I've backed up a few feet also with no ill effects.
I find it hard to believe that backing up a few feet would hurt he transmission/transfer case and the note about towing backwards means just what it says - don't TOW it backwards.
Furthermore, it backing it up a few feet really caused damage, I would certainly expect to have heard about it somewhere. To the contrary, seems like a lot of people have said they back up a few feet when absolutely necessary without any damage.
Just my two cents...
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rdhetrick
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03/29/21 05:58am |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Used Tow Bar Values
I don't know how anyone gets their tow bar "inspected" or rebuilt or repaired. I have a Blue Ox that I have attempted to have looked at but Blue Ox NEVER responds to email.
Interesting, mine is also a Blue Ox. I've not tried to get it checked out, but was thinking about trying this summer.
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rdhetrick
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03/28/21 12:27pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Used Tow Bar Values
I'm sure there are lots of opinions on this, but for me, I wouldn't take the chance buying a used towbar. The manufacturer of mine recommends "service" every year or two if I remember correctly. If a new one cost $1k and a used one was $500, I personally couldn't justify saving $500 for something that has a lot riding behind it! For others, it's an acceptable risk.
Don't get me wrong, I buy used stuff all the time, but in my mind, some used things just aren't worth the risk. Fire Extinguishers are another thing that comes to mind!
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rdhetrick
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03/23/21 04:40pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: 2006 Hurricane is this a great deal or a big headache
You’re right . . . They’re not junk . . . They’re Garbage
Well, I guess Tiffins are junk too since they're now owned by Thor!
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rdhetrick
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03/16/21 07:17pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 2006 Hurricane is this a great deal or a big headache
A Hurricane is a Thor. I would not buy any thor product if my life depended on it.
Just my opinion as they are known to be JUNK
Go for a used Winnebago, Tiffin or Newmar
They're not junk, but they're not high end motorhomes either...they are what they are...
What's your budget? I can practically guarantee you won't find one of the three listed above in similar condition for a similar price - that's to be expected.
The best thing you can do is go look at different motorhomes. There are always deals to be found, no need to rush into something without knowing anything about it.
You may not like travelling in a motorhome, you may love it. If you get an expensive one and don't like it, it's a mistake. If you get a low cost one and love it, you upgrade.
I'd expect there are very few people here that are still travelling in their first RV. You have to learn what you like, what you don't like, and often, your needs will change over the years.
Don't be afraid of a Thor product, just understand what they are and have the right expectations. If you bought a Chevy expecting it to have the bells and whistles of a Cadillac, you'd be disappointed, but if you expect it to be equipped like a Chevy, you'd be quite happy.
Look around, go to shows, talk to people. Without knowing your expectations, no one can tell you if it's the RIGHT deal for you.
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rdhetrick
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03/16/21 06:07pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Bought a new coach & what about address
Be careful with some of the advice here. It depends on the state you end up with. I can say that in Texas, a box at the UPS store isn't good enough for a domicile and you can't get a drivers license using one. I use one for other reasons, but I have a lease at a campground that is my official domicile. Escapees in Livingston TX is a popular one for those looking to domicile in TX.
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rdhetrick
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03/14/21 02:22pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Damage at Palo Duro Zip Line RV - Texas south of Amarillo
That's terrible, I feel bad for those folks. It looks like the coach didn't get blown over, but maybe one of the others was blown into it. I'm curious how insurance would handle something like that.
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rdhetrick
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03/14/21 05:47am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: What is It?
I think it's the top half of a cake ball pan/mold...
https://www.cakecentral.com/tutorial/39221/make-polka-dot-surprise-inside-cake
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rdhetrick
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02/28/21 09:26pm |
Camp Cooks and Connoisseurs
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RE: Electrical Wire Identification
OP here, to make a short story long...
Dad's coach is a 07 or 08 Fleetwood Bounder Diesel.
He recently had the 12v JC Refrigeration compressor unit installed and has had several problems with it. I've been helping him troubleshoot the problems.
The latest problem could possibly be a result of excessive voltage drop in the 12v supply to the JC unit. The JC unit is supplied with a connector that plugs directly into the 12v supply wires to the original Norcold unit after the Norcold is unplugged. They also state that the 12v supply wires should be minimum 10 gage. I have doubts that the original factory wiring to the Norcold was 10 gage, thus the question about the markings.
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rdhetrick
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02/22/21 06:14pm |
Tech Issues
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Electrical Wire Identification
Hi all,
Trying to help my dad identify some wiring in his coach for a project. Manufacturer hasn't been any help so I thought I'd try here.
He has two wires that we are trying to identify the wire size. Seems the obvious method would be to use a set of calipers, but he doesn't have any.
Anyway, there are two stranded copper wires, each with different markings. Anyone recognize the markings or format?
Wire 1: "150 FA Ground"
Wire 2: "603c GLY LPS"
I've not been able to find anything.
Thanks in advance!
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rdhetrick
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02/22/21 12:51pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Jeep towing questions.
Might depend on which Jeep you're interested in - Wrangler, Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, Compass, etc....
I've got personal experience with the Grand Cherokee, and can definitively say that some, but not all, automatics are flat towable. It depends entirely on the transmission. I suspect this to be true with other Jeep models, but I'm not certain. If you let us know what model you're interested in, we can give more advice.
No vehicle comes from the factory with the necessary baseplate installed, or wired for the rear signal lights. The baseplates vary by manufacturer - Blue Ox, Roadmaster, etc...I'm partial to Blue Ox, but there are others available.
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rdhetrick
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02/21/21 07:25am |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: JC refrigeration AC or DC upgrade?
I think that's true if the inverter only has the losses when the compressor is running, but there is a dead load to the inverter even when it's doing nothing. I admit I haven't ran the numbers, but I've got to believe that unless you're turning the inverter off when the refer doesn't need it and on when it does, it's got to use more power over the course of a day.
Of course, but we haven't turned off our inverters except for firmware updates. Our systems (and I guess I should be abundantly clear that this is in no way unique to us) are designed around 24/7 operation in both rigs. If you don't have such a system, then DC makes more sense.
Gotcha. I don't have solar on my coach so when I'm boondocking, I turn the inverter off unless I need it.
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rdhetrick
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02/04/21 09:13am |
Do It Yourself Modifications and Upgrades (DIY)
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RE: JC refrigeration AC or DC upgrade?
I'm late to the thread, as it looks like you've already made your purchase.
I have the 120V version in my truck camper, which uses 1.0-1.3kWh per day. I chose it because I have a native 48V bank, so it's being converted one way or the other, and I wanted the slightly extra cooling capacity.
The following is directly from their FAQ:
Q. what is the duty cycle (run time) A in our testing @ 80F the AC compressor will run approx. 56% and the DC approx. 64%, that is not opening and closing the doors. So, this will vary some according to your usage
Q. which is most the power efficient 120V or 12V A. on paper the 12V is the most efficient @ 7.5A 90W, but it runs some slower than the 120V, so in the end they are practically the same. But if no inverter is on board then the 12V is still much faster than your gas/elect.
Our compressor pulls 90W on the AC side (not 96W). At the 56% duty cycle mentioned above, that works out to 1.209kWh/day, which is in line with what we've observed.
The DC compressor is advertised to pull 90W. At the mentioned 64% duty cycle, that's 1.382kWh/day.
By those numbers, the AC version is 13% more efficient. Inverter losses are usually a little under 10%. That indicates the AC version may actually be more efficient overall, even accounting for the inverter, but just like their FAQ says, it's more or less a wash.
I think that's true if the inverter only has the losses when the compressor is running, but there is a dead load to the inverter even when it's doing nothing. I admit I haven't ran the numbers, but I've got to believe that unless you're turning the inverter off when the refer doesn't need it and on when it does, it's got to use more power over the course of a day.
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rdhetrick
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02/04/21 09:08am |
Do It Yourself Modifications and Upgrades (DIY)
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RE: JC refrigeration AC or DC upgrade?
Why convert is my question!
In my dad's case, it is for performance reasons - his current absorption unit doesn't work great, can't get his ice cream cold enough!
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rdhetrick
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01/30/21 02:15pm |
Do It Yourself Modifications and Upgrades (DIY)
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RE: JC refrigeration AC or DC upgrade?
Why not just run on propane?
Because the conversion isn't an absorption refer - it's a compressor similar to a household refer.
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rdhetrick
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01/30/21 01:12pm |
Do It Yourself Modifications and Upgrades (DIY)
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RE: JC refrigeration AC or DC upgrade?
My Dad just got one this week, it's not installed yet so no feedback on that, but we talked it through and he went with the 12v version on his coach.
Reasoning was that when connected to shore power, the converter will provide the power, and while on the road or boondocking, he wouldn't need to run the inverter with it's losses. If by chance, the refer draws the batteries down faster than the alternator can recharge them (doubtful because I think it draws 7 or 8 Amps only when the compressor is running), he can always start up the generator.
For anyone that is planning to be mobile, I don't see a compelling reason to go with the 120v version.
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rdhetrick
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01/30/21 01:10pm |
Do It Yourself Modifications and Upgrades (DIY)
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