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RE: Thetford toilet won't flush.
Can you see the model number anywhere so we can get a better look at what you're dealing with?
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bondebond
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05/17/13 12:50pm |
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RE: hooking up a battery
You can actually tear into the furnace quite a bit with the proper knowledge.
I just found the Atwood Mobile Service Training Manuals PDF when looking for something else. It covers ALL of the Atwood products and is quite technical but written such that regular folks can read it and understand.
The troubleshooting section for the furnaces is quite extensive. Between that and the exploded diagrams and parts lists, I think you have a clear path to disassemble and reassemble just about everything they sell.
Chances are, you have an Atwood 7900 Everest series furnace but you'll need to confirm.
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bondebond
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05/15/13 12:42pm |
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RE: switching to a pop up again
I can't speak to new models on the showroom floors but Fleetwood/Colemans on the used market are usually pretty good units if you find one to suit your tastes. Somerset (http://somersetrv.com/) is sort of the indirect lineage of Fleetwood these days. Many of the floor plans and construction are direct descendants of Fleetwood.
Coachmen, Palomino and Flagstaff/Rockwood are owned by ForestRiver and are having mixed results with the quality that actually hits the sales lots recently. It's a matter of working through the warranty on any issues as is all too common in the industry right now. Otherwise, there are some really great floor plans.
In an effort to simplify, the less you get on the PUP, it seems to reason that there would be less to deal with. This CAN be the case, but not always.
We went from a great but pretty basic PUP to a high wall with everything except a slide-out. I found that my set up time is less now with the high wall because so much of what I had to set up is actually included. On board storage is about triple what I had so I have left to shift around just during set up and then throughout the camping period. But that's my experience.
You still have to crank it up (manually or electric motor/cordless drill), pull out the bunk-ends, put down the stabilizers, make the electrical/water/sewer connections (if equipped), fire up the water heater regardless of the PUP.
There are alternatives to the standard canvas type PUPs.
One example would be something like the A-frame hard walled, fast setup type of PUPs. It would certainly be a step down in interior space but for setup, is hard to beat. Some manufacturers are A-Liner, Chalet, Flagstaff has a series of hard walled folders, and some others I can't recall.
Then there's the collapsible type of hard walled RVs such as HiLo and TrailManor. These are all hard wall construction and have amenities like a traditional TT but still do collapse down for a low towing wind profile.
If you find some specific models, feel free to post back with questions on them. There are model years to avoid due to manufacturing and quality control issues but it's too difficult to just list everything out as such.
I would start at a dealer that a couple of models opened up for display and you guys sit in them and imagine running through camping in them to give you a feel. BTW, both of my PUPs have been through Craigslist even though the second one was a dealer listing.
Good luck and happy hunting.
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bondebond
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05/13/13 02:57pm |
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RE: hooking up a battery
The change in volume of the sound is a bit puzzling but otherwise I would have said it is likely the electric piezo ignitor trying to light the gas.
During the same run cycle, does it happen only at the beginning and then stop and then come back? Can you pinpoint when it does and doesn't occur? I'm very curious to know if it starts during the beginning of the cycle or elsewhere in the same heating cycle. This may help indicate if it's the ignitor or something loose rattling around in there.
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bondebond
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05/13/13 01:13pm |
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RE: generator question
tsanjose,
No one runs an A/C from battery. Not even RoyB. He has a battery bank yielding a total of 255 amp hours. Taking the rule of not dropping below 50% capacity, that leaves 127.5 amp hours.
A typical (Coleman Mach 3) 13.5k BTU air condition runs at 15.3 amps on 120v AC. Using an AC Amp to DC Amps conversion that incorporates the inefficiencies of an inverter (I used THIS site), you end up with a pretty hefty draw on your batteries.
At 168.9 DC amps required to run the air conditioner, RoyB's set up would effectively power the air conditioner for 45 minutes before needing to be shut down and prevent overly discharging the batteries.
There may be some rough calculations and things not taken into account, but you get the idea. The calculations do not even take into account the start-up amps required to get the fan and condenser running.
It's not going to last overnight. A generator would be needed to run an air conditioner.
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bondebond
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05/13/13 11:50am |
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RE: hooking up a battery
On the furnace, are you talking about a single click when it the furnace comes on or a repetitive clicking throughout the cycle? If it is the single click when it comes on, that is the sail switch activating and allowing the gas to flow to the ignitor. There is no problem nor no way that I am aware of to silence the clicking sound. It is part of the design.
We generally camp with 120v power when it is cold enough to require the furnace. Recently, overnights were in the mid 30s. I had the furnace set as a backup to the two electric heaters in case they couldn't keep up. Combined with some upgraded weather stripping I installed, the furnace never came on and the heaters were significantly quieter than the furnace. I ran one heater from the onboard 120v service and the other heater through a heavy gauge extension cord from the power post.
I would highly recommend one or more electric heaters as it also saves on LP usage.
If you do not have 120v service, then you're looking at getting accustomed to the furnace or supplementing in some other fashion as you mentioned. I can't think of any other supplemental heating (not powered by 120v) that doesn't consume O2 or produce carbon dioxide/carbon monoxide (in a worst case scenario) and water vapor inside the living space. The combustion, even a catalytic process, happens inside the PUP with you.
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bondebond
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05/13/13 10:00am |
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RE: Aliner running fridge while traveling?
I would (and do) run the refrigerator while travelling. Personally I use LP for the trip and often onsite. At home, I pre-cool on 120v electric.
If you have some concerns based on something in particular, let us know buy otherwise you should be hood to use it.
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bondebond
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05/11/13 11:56pm |
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RE: Coleman Fleetwood 12 volt system problem
And on the sidebar, I think I am both proud and insulted at the same time.
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bondebond
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05/11/13 11:50pm |
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RE: Coleman Fleetwood 12 volt system problem
Congratulations onfinding the problem. There is a lot of good knowledge on this forum.
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bondebond
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05/11/13 11:48pm |
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RE: Pop-up Winch Motor Parts
That's an "all hands on deck" when it's time to be out in the camper and you can't. Let us know if any of those links don't pan out for you and we'll see if anything else can be done.
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bondebond
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05/10/13 07:53am |
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RE: hooking up a battery
All good info. Sorry I missed busting you, JLTN_James. 2oldman and RoyB are on the job.
This one had me scratching my head until I got home last night to verify how mine was wired. It seems I'm switching too much between wiring the shop to suit and projects on the PUP to keep them straight from pure memory.
I stood for a couple of minutes in front of the new 120v 30 amp outlet I added in the shop for the PUP before I came to on the wiring. It's not the years...it's the miles.
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bondebond
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05/10/13 07:49am |
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RE: Electric Water Heater install?
Without going to the trouble and expense, you can add an electric heating element to your existing water heater, such as the Hott Rod kit at AdventureRV.com. There are a few other similar products.
The upside is you just need to find an existing 120v AC circuit or run a new one and install an outlet that is handy. I would install the outlet on the inside and route the cord to the inside to make it easier. Technically, I would install an actual switch with LED light to visually confirm that it is turned on - quite a common installation.
The downside is that it is not as strong of a heating element as the dedicated or OEM elements.
This is a relatively easy route to try before you commit to something more intensive.
I'm not sure if you have a particular model picked out but a Suburban 6 gallon with electronic ignition and 120v heating element is about $325 here before shipping.
You would still need to run 120v service just as you would above but then it's a relatively swap out with what you currently have, most likely.
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bondebond
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05/09/13 09:44am |
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RE: generator question
Did you measure the voltage during start up and run times? Were you able to do so without installing a hard start capacitor? By any chance did you have a Carrier AirV air conditioner?
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bondebond
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05/08/13 11:07am |
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RE: 13" Tire Rec for Popup
I have them on my utility trailer and have had no issue with Greenballs but I also don't consistently put as much weight on them (15" wheels) as I do on what's on the PUP wheels (which are 14"). I do run full out at highway speeds with the utility trailer though and they haven't had a problem. I would buy them again as needed.
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bondebond
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05/08/13 07:27am |
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RE: generator question
Basically, a 3,000 watt generator is the minimum size. Some folks report getting the Yamaha ef2400is to run an A/C but it seems to me that it might be rather low on the current.
I have had fine performance with (2) 2,000 watt generators with a parallel kit, yielding 3,000 watts. The A/C starts just fine and runs without issue. There is not a significant drop in the voltage that I have yet measured. Using a pair of generators allows me to use one relatively light-weight generator when I only need to recharge a battery, or both if the A/C is needed but still not having to individually lift a heavy generator.
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bondebond
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05/07/13 11:37pm |
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RE: More Battery Questions
You also need to ensure that the tow vehicle is not connected via the 7-way pig tail connection. This will send voltage back up to your brake controller and damage it, as per the instruction book that came with my controller.
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bondebond
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05/06/13 09:07am |
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RE: Jayco popup door help please
RoyB has you covered with "turn buttons". I had to learn that when I had a Jayco.
Try here for a 4-pack of them for $7.
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bondebond
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05/05/13 09:56pm |
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RE: FW Westlake axle bearing size?
Especially with the newness of your PUP, look at the axle tube itself. It will be a Dexter and it will have a model number.
Cross reference on Dexter's website and their parts diagram PDFs will tell you exactly the part numbers and what the sizes are for sourcing them elsewhere. It is often on the upper side of the axle tube towards the curb side. You'll have to crawl under there but it will remove the guess work.
When you say there's a zerk on the axle, do you mean on the very end of the hub, pointing straight out when you remove the black rubber seal on the end? If so, those are Dexter EZLube hubs. Just pushing grease in there is ok for occasional maintenance but you still need to break it down every so often, especially if you're not the original owner and know the history of use and maintenance. The other concern with EZLube hubs is that rear seal is only good for so long before it will allow grease to seep out the back side and coat your brakes, rendering them useless. That seal needs to be inspected every year and certainly replaced every couple of years, certainly if it has messed up the rotors and pads. When I got my newest PUP, the PO had never inspected but kept pushing grease through, which never really replaces the old grease. The pads were bad enough I tossed them and replaced. It took a good cleaning with brake cleaner to get the rotors grease free again.
When I bought replacement seals, I got 4 extras beyond the immediate need so I have them handy as needed.
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bondebond
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05/03/13 10:59am |
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RE: Is a battery required?
You can completely do away with the battery with a few thibngs kept in mind, provided that you always have 120v AC power where you camp. Otherwise, if you get caught in a situation, you have to go cold turkey on all electrically-powered appliances for the duration.
Your refrigerator does not require any electrical power to operate if on LP unlike TT-sized refrigerators. There is no control board to manage the thermostat, so you would be fine with using LP or 120v AC.
Your furnace does require 12v DC to operate. This will be supplied by your onboard converter taking 120v AC to 12v DC as you pointed out. This also includes the 12v water pump and anything else on the 12v system. Again, as long as you have 120v AC, you'll be fine.
Where the camping neighbor ran into problems sounds like the converter could just not keep up with the demand. That's where the battery came into play, providing some of the required power.
You can pull the fuse on the charge line to the battery, bundle up the cables from the terminal connections and secure them to the A frame of the PUP for future use as needed. I would not remove any wiring or connections as you never know what the future holds and you may want to go back to a battery or selling to the next owner might want that option. Just protect them from moisture and corrosion and see how it works for you.
You might try camping a time or two with the battery disconnected and see how it works for you and where you need to make an adjustment, if needed.
Thankfully, I have dual LP tanks with a group 31 battery. For weekenders, it works out well when I don't have shore power. For trips longer than that, a second battery and/or solar would great. I have generators so that works, just louder than I want. I'm there for nature sounds among other reasons.
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bondebond
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05/03/13 10:46am |
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RE: Storeage Covers, yes or no?
Right - something like an ADCO breathable cover would do just what you want without harboring water and moisture issues.
I am in the same boat as you with space contention in the shop. I can even extend the beds but I just can't raise it to full height due to the trusses.
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bondebond
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05/03/13 10:32am |
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