RE: Do I Have This Right?
LarryJM
Moving the location of the thermistor to change the temperature inside does work, but moving it to the left is the way to lower the temperature. The reason is that the coolant enters and moves from right to left through the cooling coils and that is what you are measuring, and not the air temperature inside of the box.
The catch is that you really can't adjust the temperature inside of the freezer without also changing the temperature inside of the cool box because of the way the RV units work. The coolant enters at the top of the expansion coils and then runs downward through the coils. The first several coils that all coolant must pass through are those in the freezer. From the freezer the coolant then enters the coils located in the cool box, using any remaining capacity to expand to remove heat from the cool box.
Since cooling is actually removing heat, the expanding of the vaporized coolant must absorb heat from the area as a basic law of physics. But since it always starts in the freezer, that means that it will always cool first and most. As yo lower the temperature setting, the amount of cooling capacity remaining in the coolant when it enters the cool box will increase as the temperature in the freezer drops, and thus the temperature in the cool box will also begin to drop. Whether this extra cooling comes due to a lower temperature setting or from moving the location of the thermistor, it has the exact same effect.
Since there is only one control for temperature, the two will always be tied together.
RE: House Battery problems
Ron, there is good advice here but no motorhome that I am familiar with has a selector switch for charging the coach batteries from the chassis alternator. It should happen automatically, as you drive.
The first thing that I always check when dealing with suspicious battery issues is the battery cable connections. I would remove them(always remove the negative cable first) and then clean the connections and the posts thoroughly. While the cables are lifted, measure first between the battery posts to see what battery voltage is. Next, with shore power connected, measure between the two cables because with them lifted, the voltage that you will see is the peak voltage from your converter. It should be about 13.5V.
Another test is while you have the cables lifted from the batteries, disconnect shore power and then start the chassis engine. After a minute or two check the voltage between the two again as that will show what charge voltage you are getting from the alternator.
Before you put the cables back, take a resistance reading from the negative cable to the chassis of the RV to make sure that you have a good solid ground connection. The connections to the frame do at times corrode and cause problems.
When you reconnect the battery cables, use one of the products sold at auto parts stores to prevent contact corrosion and make sure that all connections are good.
RE: Pillows don't help
I suspect that you do have a broken down seat. That is a fairly common thing especially if it has had a lot of time with a very heavy driver. Re-padding of seats is pretty common for upholstery shops. But do try the wedge type of pillows first and there is a good chance that will work. You could buy some dense foam and then use a bread knife to cut it to taper to the edge at the front.
RE: Problems Volunteering for NPS
Roland H.
I doubt that you will ever convince him. I have tried before but failed. The fact is that the IRS does not seek to tax the value of the RV site for RV volunteers and no agency ever files a for 1099 so it isn't really an issue. There will always be those who say that it is taxable income, but fortunately for us, none of them work at the IRS.
RE: Atwood hot water heater clean out
Good advice but with one addition. Atwood recommends the replacement of the plastic drain plugs at least every other year. They also make a brass plug that can be used as a replacement. The brass one costs much more but it also lasts far longer. You should never use any other metal in the aluminum tank of the Atwood water heater and never put in an anode.
RE: Inverter Help
I would add a bit on the line of the last post.
Have you checked the electrolyte levels in your batteries lately? If the water level gets too low the batteries will not hold a charge, or accept a charge. Before you do too much, check to be sure that they are at proper level and if not, use distilled water to bring them to the proper level.
I also agree with Fred that you should use a meter to check the voltage out of the converter before you do anything. Three years is a pretty short lifespan for even a cheap converter. I would suggest that you lift the negative cable from the battery and measure across the battery to see what the voltage is there and then with shore power connected, measure from the positive post of the battery to the lifted negative cable, which will then tell you the voltage being supplied by the converter.
The converter voltage should be about 13.5V, +/- 0.2V. Battery voltage will give some indication of charge level, but not a good one. You can take the batteries out and take them to most battery shops and they will test them for no cost.
RE: Thermastat question
A part of the question is also what type of thermostat you have. If yours simply controls the furnace, there are many that will work. Some thermostats also have a control function for the air conditioner as well and that complicates things but still don't mean that it is impossible. But you need to be sure that the one you choose has all of the functions of your present one.
Our present thermostat controls the furnace and the air conditioner. It has a selector switch that has three positions, air condition, off and furnace. It also has a second switch that controls the air conditioner blower with positions of low, and high and another that has auto, and on for constant blower operation. Most home thermostats won't have the extra switches.
RE: Branson MO for Christmas
We just returned from spending a week in Branson and I am sure that we were told that most shows will be closing down for winter in the first week or so of December. I don't think that most start back up until around the first of March. I checked a few of the major shows on the official Branson website and didn't find any that were open during Christmas week.
RE: RVing with Livestock?
I won't say that it can't be done,but I will say that in more than 35 years of RV travels and 10 of full-time RV living we have not yet seen anyone doing what you have in mind. We have seen just about every kind of pet that I could think of, including a small pig, but no goats or chickens.
I talked with the owner of the pig and it was leash trained and house broken but the owner did say that he found that he was not always welcomed in RV parks or public campgrounds. That was a few years back and I've not seen them since to know how it has gone.
All of that aside, I suspect that what you are thinking of is possible, but very difficult. As one who grew up on a farm with livestock, I know that they need food, exercise and they leave behind droppings which would not be appreciated by the next visitor you a location. I would advise that you do a lot of planning and thought to this before you attempt it.
Can it be done? Probably but it will be a great deal of work and may not prove to be worth the effort required.
RE: Volunteering for a full timer
The Service and a lot of refuges must want to keep their resident volunteer programs a secret as the USFWS Volunteer Website last updated on July 17, 2009 lists 178 field stations with resident volunteer programs some of which are at Fish Hatcheries. It seems that you have some big need to attack but I will try to put my response a bit more politely, rather than to respond in kind.
To put this simply, what you have linked to is the page where volunteer coordinators can go to list any openings that they have which they are seeking people to fill at this time. For example, there are no listings at all in the state of Missouri, but we spent two months this summer at Swan Lake NWR at Sumner, MO and I assure you that there are two RV pads there and they are going to be interviewing for next summer very soon.
Yet another example is Lee Metcalf NWR near Missoula, MT where we spent three months and they have two RV pads there also. Next fall we will be volunteering at Wolf Creek Natl. Fish Hatchery, on Cumberland Lake in Kentucky, yet there are no listings at all in Kentucky.
This is only three examples, but I could list several more,so the point should be clear now. The page that you linked to only lists those locations that are presently seeking volunteers and is not a listing of every location that has facilities for RV volunteers. If you watch that page on a regular basis, you will find that facilities come and go from the listing on a frequent basis. Some stay there all of the time, but many do not.
RE: Problems Volunteering for NPS
trailertraveler,
If that is true, then the NPS in Everglades NP sure didn't but much value on the time that my wife and I spent there. We both attended the exact same training as the two seasonal rangers that we worked with and we also worked the same schedule and duties as they, except that the two seasonal rangers worked 40 hours each and were paid $14.75/hour and then were charged $54/week each for an RV pad exactly like ours.
On the other hand we each worked 32 hours per week, for a total of 64hr./week in return we didn't have to pay that $54/week fee! That would then mean that the NPS considered our work to be worth a big $0.85/hour for doing what they paid others $14.75/hour for. Needless to say, I think that I would rather not look at this as a barter exchange, but rather as a volunteer position which allowed me to use the RV site.
RE: Disabled and volunteering as Camp Host
Since there is no taxable income from the majority of volunteer positions, and there is nothing reported, no W-2 or 1099, you won't have any problems unless you accept one of the few positions that pay a stipend. We have been living most of our time as "live on" volunteers for the past ten years. In that time we have worked with people on disability pensions many times and places. None of them have had any problems.
One thing that could be a factor is your ability to perform the duties that are asked. Most campground hosts have only a few duties that involve physical labor and chances are that with your spouse's help that would not be difficult. Other volunteer positions are maintenance work and then physical limitations could prevent your being able to do the job needed. There are also many volunteer locations where you work in a visitor center and most likely you would be able to do what would be needed there. Others involve leading tours and giving nature talks and I suspect that at least some of these you could do.
The key is to contact the agency that you are interested in and be completely honest about what your limitations are. Most applications for such positions ask about physical limitations. In most cases there are ways to accommodate, but there will be some that you just won't be able to do. Do not let that bother you as few if any of us can qualify for all of the positions that are out there. I see no reason why you should not be able to find positions to match your abilities.
If you have any doubts, check with some of the agencies to see what you might be able to do, before you commit to the fulltime lifestyle.
RE: Comfort Control- Duo Therm Wall Mounted Control
While I am not familiar with what you have, the first step in trouble shooting is to determine if it has any power. If not, that is the problem. If you have no indications of any kind, that clearly does sound like a power issue.
Do your appliances work? What about the water pump? And lights? All of those require 12V-dc power, which is probably the issue that you have. There must be a way to get inside of the system?
RE: Problems Volunteering for NPS
Interesting new posts. One thing that I think may have been taken differently than was my intent, with my posts. I happen to like the NPS volunteer system and have had some great experiences there. But the NPS is more demanding than most agencies as all that I have seen advertised recently asked for 32 hours per week, each for a couple.
Most other agencies have lower time requirements and in our view, some other advantages. But I still support the NPS and their system, just am reaching an age where fewer hours worked are better for us. As hard as our work was last winter at Everglades National Park, we will long remember the experience and do not regret going there. But after the great difficulty in getting my wife's broken ankle treated(which happened on the job) along with the other things mentioned, we will still consider the COE and the USFWS as higher on our choice list.
One thing to think about in reading this. Isn't it marvelous that we have such a variety of interesting places to volunteer that we can have favorites and pick one over another? It isn't that any of them have been bad, just which we liked best. A pretty good problem to have!
RE: Workamping Opportunities in Branson MO
We just returned from spending a week in Branson and while there we also visited the Table Rock Dam facility of the Corps of Engineers. They have a visitor center and four RV sites for resident volunteers at one end of the dam and three more volunteer sites near the shop area at the Branson end of the dam. They said that they are looking for more volunteers and have only three of the seven sites filled at present.
RE: Volunteering for a full timer
Last time I checked, less than half of the 550+ National Wildlife Refuges had RV sites for volunteers, but almost all have a Volunteer Program. Actually, according to the regional volunteer coordinator that I just spoke with, there are about 300 to 330 of the refuges that now have RV sites with the number growing every year. The USFWS has a very strong sense of value in the services of volunteers.
Even so, the point about volunteers who do not live on the refuge is very valid. They typically want a volunteer to stay for at least three months if they supply an RV site, but most of them do have things that just about anyone could do.
If willing to stay for a month or more, I suggest that you check with the state parks of any state you would like to visit. Most state parks have a one month minimum, a few even less. Since there is some training involved in most resident volunteer positions, one can easily understand the reason for the time asked for. Also, most places supply some type of uniforms to the resident volunteers.
RE: rookie fulltimer 2 months in
Welcome to the full-time RV lifestyle! We started out just to see how we liked it and now ten years in we are almost sure we like it! I invite you to look through our website,(link in my signature line) and get a feel for how we do things and where we stay. We live about as cheaply as most and spend very little on RV sites.
You may just be the person making a post like this, ten years from now!
RE: Invisible value: how to spot it?
There are many things in an RV which age with no relationship to the fuel that you put into the tank. Some examples are, tires(no more than seven years), belts, hoses, and any fluids. Ten years is a long time for belts and hoses.
In addition things like caulking around seams and openings as well as at edges of roof panels and such cracks and dries from sun and heat no matter what the RV may be. Appliances have a lifespan that has no relationship to the fuel powering the chassis. The same is true of upholstery, carpet, and interiors in general.
Since you have already made up your mind to choose a diesel pusher, I don't understand what you mean by hidden values? Are you not yet sure if it is worth the price and so want assurance? Each chassis has its good features and its weaknesses, so choose what you want and what fits your budget and think positive about it. We love our motorhome after ten years on the road, even though many say it can't serve because it is fueled by gasoline. The point is that even a tent will serve well when matched to the right people.
RE: jacks what brand
I strongly suggest that you find the manufacturer's name somewhere on the controls or on the jacks themselves to make sure that you follow the proper directions. Not all leveling jacks use the same fluid. Adding the wrong one could be a very serious mistake.
