| |
Subject |
Author |
Date Posted |
Forum
|
 |
RE: No DC power to RV
J,
Many DC systems have either a gunga monster fuse (like 100~200amp) or a "fusible link" that is nothing more than a small piece of wire with high temperature insulation. One of these probably fried during your catastrophe. If any live power cables were damaged, it is a virtual certainty.
Follow the cables from both batteries until you find something you didn't know about.
Yes, the converters most all have fuses in the output (12V part) but that can't be all of you current problem.
Good Luck Guy....
Matt
|
Matt_Colie
|
05/25/13 10:10am |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Paranoid!
RR,
Glad to hear it...
Bear is dead on. I would agree with most everything he wrote. (Except I usually tell people that a coach owned by non-retired will be luck to run 3~5kmi/year.) If the coach is owned by recently retired, then maybe they discovered that now they have more time they also want something else.
I think I'm just luck that DW loves both living in and driving our old coach.
Matt
|
Matt_Colie
|
05/25/13 07:30am |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Parking Surface can effect an RV
R,
The remark about grass is quite true, but the same cannot be said about all gravel. If gravel is deep enough to stay dry on top, then it is almost as good as solid pavement.
Matt
|
Matt_Colie
|
05/25/13 07:19am |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: An unofficial survey - cost and setup of used MHs
I'm sure that is basically and unanswerable question because each MH out there is unique a year or two after the sales date. 30~40yo makes it even more so.
In our crowd there are a couple of lines that are just standard...
The one that applies here is,"
"A nice clean, comfortable, dependable and road worthy coach will cost you about 25K$. That can be all at once or kit that can take years to assemble."
People prove this axiom every year....
Matt (Who has proof of above)
|
Matt_Colie
|
05/25/13 07:08am |
Class A Motorhomes
|
 |
RE: Gas prices
My standard answer when some one ask -"This motorhome gets better gas mileage than Al Gore's limo"
I love (and will use this one).
I have lived my life at the bottom right corner of a spreadsheet for many years. The ROI of everything gets looked at. We currently have a classic coach that is inexpensive to maintain and I use 9.3 for my fuel management and I am always real close.
If we compare something the recent 3800 mile excursion to anything else, the coach comes out a winner.
OK,
150$/day for fuel vs 45$ for our best traveling car.
10$/day for food and drink vs 40$ for restaurants and small packages and things that have to be carried in a cooler (needs ice).
Average 5$/day for overnight vs 50$/for ho/motel (we blacktop a lot)
OK cash out of pocket is close depending on the location we are traveling. But,
We Never have to be groped by TSA.
We are never worried about where things get packed.
We sleep in our own bed and the dog along (oops, that's 30$/day that I forgot above.
We eat only what we want never what is written on the wall.
We always know where the nearest clean bathroom is.
I'll take it.....
Matt
|
Matt_Colie
|
05/23/13 11:03am |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: One battery burst today
OK...obvious question, Why did it burst? It appears you have 2012 unit, so I assume the batteries are 1 year old. What happened and why?
He may just never know why.
Without a truly knowledgeable person to inspect the now open battery, there is no way to know.
Odds on are that a cell in that battery shorted, then was overheated with the power for the other batteries and the gas in the cell ignited. This is not uncommon in situations with LA batteries in parallel. The real snare is that the short heavy load on the other batteries in the common bank may also have been damaged. This is difficult to detect.
Just one of the reasons I don't like to build systems with LA batteries in parallel.
Matt
|
Matt_Colie
|
05/22/13 07:34am |
General RVing Issues
|
|
RE: Denver to Dearborn
Hopper,
I cannot tell you about the north shore of Superior. I know of two that have done the around that lake tour and there were adequate motels and such, so I suspect that there would be campgrounds as well.
I can tell you about the upper peninsula. Nice campground abound. Do stop at the locks. National forest all over. The lower peninsula, you had better plan. Still lots of what you seek, but you won't trip over it.
Matt from SE Mich
|
Matt_Colie
|
05/21/13 06:11pm |
Roads and Routes
|
|
RE: Sightseeing in a C w/no toad
I am going to be no help here at all except that what I have may start some thoughts that work for you...
We have a very small old A (that is why I read the C forum) and at 23.6 (w/ spare), we can get to and park just about any place a large van can go.
We don't usually drag the toad just because it is not worth the hassle or cost.
We usually carry two folding bicycles under the dinette table because they are just too convenient to leave home unless we KNOW we won't want them. (They are clean and safe there - too.)
If we get to someplace and decide we really want a car, we rent one. That often has turned out to be less than the cost of the additional fuel that it would have required to drag the toad. (And, we didn't pay for the extra axles on the toll roads either.)
I hope this is some help.
Matt
|
Matt_Colie
|
05/21/13 08:59am |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Adding a second battery?
Carolyn,
What I fear you do not understand (don't feel bad) is that two 12V batteries in parallel will be hard pressed to give you capacity X 2. Even if they came off the assembly line together, they will never be that well matched after the second discharge. Also, real deep cycle 12V batteries are rare and expensive, but 6V (three cap) golf cart batteries are very available and very durable.
There is also a new twist to all this. Theft....
I believe that most often batteries are stolen to be used by the thief. As scrap, they only bring about 5$, but if you can replace you bad car battery, the relative value is much greater.
So, when they rip open your battery box and find batteries that won't fit under the hood of the wreck they are trying to drive, they leave empty handed.
I've been doing boat electrics a very long time.
Matt
|
Matt_Colie
|
05/21/13 08:26am |
Beginning RVing
|
|
RE: woman travelling alone
Critternut,
You have much less to worry about than many would think. First off - just by your writing, I would guess that you are WAY to the right of the Bell Curve.....
In our select group of owners of antique/classics, we have several women that travel alone. One did the trans-Canada rally last season.
Go for it.
Matt
|
Matt_Colie
|
05/19/13 08:42pm |
Beginning RVing
|
|
RE: Charging 12V Batteries in Parallel
If you put 12V batteries in parallel, you will be hard pressed to get capacity X2 from them. Lead acid batteries just do not play well together. If the two are not of the same line the same day. They will never both come to full density (charge) at the same time. And, if they are different ages - just forget it....
If you are stuck with it that way, separate the batteries for charging, but the weaker battery will still drag the better down while they are connected.
This is true of all banks of paralleled LA batteries.
IF this is just for a season, do what ever, but if you are going to replace either or both then go get a pair of golfcart batteries and put them in series for 12V.
I made a living do DC electric on expensive boats for many years.
Matt
|
Matt_Colie
|
05/16/13 08:24am |
General RVing Issues
|
|
RE: Problems with batteries
With on hint what you are working on, it is kind of hard to even guess. If it is the solenoid that is hung up, then a tap with a hammer will usually make it let go.
Good Luck
Matt
|
Matt_Colie
|
05/15/13 07:08am |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Need drawing of fuel tank set up??
I hate to tell you that I know exactly what your problem is. Everybody in our group of venerable old classics has dealt with this. All the hoses for fuel are shot. This is always an issue with old rubber parts, but the mandated alcohol in fuel has caused this problem to become much worse than could have normally been anticipated.
The smart move?
Get the tank(s) down and replace every piece of rubber you can find with new alcohol resistant material. Then go back and hunt for more rubber to replace, like all the fill plumbing, vent lines and what ever rubber is in the engine compartment.
Matt - BTDT (the Tshirt wore out and I lost the picture)
|
Matt_Colie
|
05/15/13 07:04am |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Ohio, Kentucky, or West Virginia??
This is a bit of a stretch, but if you could get to Cherokee NC and start the Blue Ridge Parkway, you would get plenty of scenery and opportunity to hike your feet right off. You had better start working on the planning, there aren't many campgrounds along the BRP.
Matt
|
Matt_Colie
|
05/14/13 05:20pm |
Roads and Routes
|
|
RE: Boat or RV ?
Do you know the Difference between a Boat (Recreational Vessel) and an RV?
Water can leak OUT of an RV.
If you are not already a water person, don't buy a boat. It is just too easy to get into trouble you never imagined.
This from a lifelong waterman, congenital sailor and licensed mariner.
Matt
|
Matt_Colie
|
05/14/13 05:03pm |
Beginning RVing
|
|
RE: A L T E R N A T E gas guage sender unit
My coach is a lot older and I have had many of the same problems, most caused by alcohol in the fuel. There are a number of crud and alcohol proof sending units out there, but none for a 6" deep tank (like mine). If your tank is deeper, then the extra tank just for gaging and one of these might work for you. Level Sensors
Matt
|
Matt_Colie
|
05/14/13 10:41am |
Tech Issues
|
|
RE: Converter not charging gen battery in trailer
Kelley,
I often find things like this. The nearest I can figure, if you buy Package A - they install Package A. If you buy Package B - they install Package B. If you buy Package A and Package B, both get installed, but nobody looks for how they might be interconnected to considerable advantage for the owner....
In this case, I thing a thing called a combiner would help him a lot. This is a device that when either battery is above resting voltage (aka being charged by something), it connects the two together so both get charged, but as soon as both are not being charged, they are separated.
Matt
|
Matt_Colie
|
05/14/13 09:59am |
Tech Issues
|
|
RE: I can not get my fresh water pumping again
Bill,
A lot of potable pumps used in Rv and marine service air bind very easily. The air in the pump just does not push hard enough to close the check valves. If you can get to the pump and disconnect the discharge long enough to get water in the pump, the problem will probably go away. I have a by-pass fill that lets my put city water from the pressure feed back in the tank, and it works very well for this purpose as well.
Good Luck
Matt
|
Matt_Colie
|
05/14/13 09:02am |
General RVing Issues
|
|
RE: Wisconsin Dells
I'm afraid I only sort of agree. The Dells is a lot like Pigeon Forge and not as good for adults as Branson. It is mostly tourist stuff and largely for younguns. Everything is expensive.
House on the Rock was also expensive and left me completely cold. It is a great example of artists gone wild for no particular reason. That was twenty years ago and maybe it has improved.
If you are going that way, the circus museum at Baraboo is not expensive, but it is a lot of walking. It would be a bargain for just the circus wagon barn, but if you get there when they are doing shows (not year round) then you get a special time.
If you are a aircraft fancier, you have to stop by the EAA museum in Oshkosh. There is also a warbird annex that I could not make on my last trip.
There is a lot more to see if you have the time.
Matt
|
Matt_Colie
|
05/14/13 08:50am |
Family Camping
|
|
RE: Gad...how stupid...
I have one just about as good.
I had discussed batteries with an owner. (I often do this and encourage them to do low technology and value jobs rather than involve me in something I think it simple.
One owner called me back to say things were great at first, but a few lights went out for some reason and now things weren't so good. When I started to look things over, I saw the problem pretty fast. He had traded off the two 12V batteries for golf cart batteries in series, but one had three caps and the other had four. (Yes, some golf carts use 8V batteries.)
He settled it with Sam's somehow. I never asked.
Matt
|
Matt_Colie
|
05/14/13 08:20am |
Class A Motorhomes
|
