RE: Our new 2010 Roo 21SS is Home ***update***
There is no need whatsoever to use the slide struts when towing...
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-11/892154/tow2.jpg width=640
-- Chuck
This photo appears to not only show a slide-out that's fully extended, but also shows at least one extended stabilizer jack, an extended entry grab handle and perhaps an extended & bent-up/mangled entry step.
Now Chuck, did this really all occurred because the slide locks weren’t used? Or, could it be that the poor fellow couldn’t take one more day of an abusive mother-in-law and simply opted for a quick exit from the campground?
RE: Our Stove & Oven Mods
Leaf-Peeper,
… I've been wanting to do this mod for a while but was unclear on how to proceed since if I made a mistake it could cause a fire.
That’s why I did this mod. :W
We purchased an ignitor kit from Wal-Mart (it was cheap). But, its electronic module only has outputs for 3 out of 4 needed, so only the ignitors, bracket & screws and wiring parts of the kit were used for 2 of the 3 top burners and the oven (it’s ignitor is made different to handle the heat). To provide ignition for all 4 devices, I bought a replacement 4-output electronic module for an Amana BBQ grill (although I think Lowe’s might actually sell a 4-output replacement unit). I already had a spare ignitor for the 3rd top burner, but that can be bought at Wal-Mart, Lowes or Home Depot.
The ignitor wire for the oven feeds down along side the thermocouple lead & gas supply for the oven burner. The oven ignitor wire was too short as is, so I had to splice in a short section of wire to be able to make it to the module. I bundled the extra wire for each top burner to the side using a zip-tie & then each one with heat-shrink to keep them from shorting to ground.
The stainless steel ignitor bracket for the oven ignitor was modified with tin snips to attach it close to the oven’s pilot light. It’s tight quarters; you’ll need to remove heat diffuser for the oven burner to install the ignitor & it’s bracket.
Hope this helps
Our Stove & Oven Mods
It’s not like Suburban or Atwood are new to the RV appliance market. After all these years, how come they can’t build a better stove/oven that’ll perform better than they do now?
Here’s a few things we've done to make our stove and oven perform a little better. Some of you might have seen some of these before.
http://inlinethumb17.webshots.com/42960/2927817730036062993S500x500Q85.jpg
Most BBQ gas grills have an ignition system, many have had an electronic one like this for years now. But having to lite the stove & oven on our ’08 Roo with a match or lighter, what’s up with that? At least the ‘09 units and up come with that turn/clunk ignition knob for the stove (not the oven though). Here’s a grill igniter kit we installed.
http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/37510/2526775620036062993S500x500Q85.jpg
Setting up the igniters on the top burners was easy… check out that juicy blue spark! Push the igniter button and 1 or 2 zaps lights the burners!
http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/41696/2643498730036062993S500x500Q85.jpg
Setting up the igniter in the oven was somewhat more tedious, but oh does it work nice. Getting down on the knees, holding the pilot knob in, and trying to light the oven pilot was pain in the behind (err, knees).
Here’s the spacious cooking area inside the oven. Careful, there’s not much more than about 4-1/2 inches of space between the rack (in the lowest position) and the top of the oven. Sorry, no turkey or chicken I’ve bought is going to fit in here, probably not even a Cornish Game Hen. Kinda silly, we can’t even put the cover on our round casserole dish without it hitting the top of the oven (we use tin foil when needed). Those of you who haven’t burnt the bottoms of their first Dough Boy biscuits, croissants or cinnamon buns haven’t done it yet, probably because they haven’t tried cooking them yet. Some folks have good luck curring this problem by using a pizza stone or ceramic tile. The ceramic tiles we tried just broke apart when they got hot. The pizza stone we used was probably too big; it covered much of rack (folks say you need space around the stone or tile). For us, the pizza stone just meant a longer pre-heat time and resulted in more of the Dough Boy burn factor. We tried those double layer air-bake pans. They’re okay I guess, it was a little tough finding one that fit the smallish oven. Now the problem is it takes much longer than usual to get things cooked, but at least it doesn’t burn (that’s a welcome sight).
http://inlinethumb20.webshots.com/27795/2903873830036062993S500x500Q85.jpg
Here’s our cure for the burn factor (it works for us)… We tried the “Chicago Metallic Commercial Pizza Crisper” pan. It’s placed (up side down) below the wire rack, just on the top of the burner diffuser. Might be tough to see, but there are many small holes throughout the entire surface area of the pan. Now we can cook a batch of Dough Boy’s cinnamon buns in a single layer 9” cake pan without experiencing the burn factor. Got this from Amazon.com, >> >> Here << .
http://inlinethumb20.webshots.com/44819/2622778960036062993S500x500Q85.jpg
When installing the oven igniter, I decide to lower the oven burner assembly down a little, 5/8”. It didn’t help improve the burn factor one bit.
http://inlinethumb52.webshots.com/34419/2389213780036062993S500x500Q85.jpg
Nothing fancy here, just an old towel sewn up to create a storage bag for the pizza and air bake pan. Removed when cooking, it keeps the inside of the oven surfaces and the pans from getting beat up when traveling down the road.
On edit: I meant to post this to the “Show your mods!” thread, maybe a moderator can move it there?
Sorry Leaf Peeper - I can't move posts within categories in the same forum - if you want to do a cut and paste and repost it in Mods I can delete it here after you post it there - let me know if you do that please... BTW - great mod!! I have the clunk-clunk ignitor on my oven and we use a pizza stone - works good for us...
Moderator
RE: Show your mods!!
... Here is the stuff placed under the furnace vent plate. The furnace is in operation and has been for about 10 minutes when I took the picture. Wanted to make sure the aluminum screening was durable enough.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i277/flounderhead59/Camper/bugscreen001.jpg
...
I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, but the screening covering the furnace air inlet & exhaust outlet has effectively reduced the size of these openings (a larger amount than one would think). The furnace needs to expel exhaust the gasses and have sufficient air available for combustion. You might check with Suburban and see what they think of this screening.
RE: Need help finding new tenting....
Someone I met who has a ’04 (?) Shamrock and had some tenting issues. He contacted the manufacturer who made the tenting back then. I believe Forrest River gave this contact info to him.
Veada Industries
19240 Tarman Road
New Paris , In 46553
Their telephone # is 574-831-4775.
Becky Templton (btempleton@veada.com)
http://veada.com/index.html
RE: A fix for leaky tent ends...cheap!
... Anyway, to cover the hinge you could use a thin sheet of rubber that is long enough to cover the top and bottom sections of the hinge and fasten the top section to the hinge with a good adhesive or contact cement. The rubber would cover the hinge when the bunk is closed, keeping out water, and flex out of the way when the bunk is open.
Regards...
http://inlinethumb27.webshots.com/41882/2933104400036062993S500x500Q85.jpg
Here’s our front bunk door hinge. It’s been wrapped with RV roofing material to help keep out water when towing in the rain. The Roo’s have a rubber dam inside between the bunk door and camper (hidden underneath the mattress). I simply replaced the rubber dam, but lowered it’s position so it covers the hinge.
RE: I've had it with tent ends and water...so I fixed it...cheap
I’ve thought about installing some “RV Rainkap” over the front and rear bunks of our Roo. Problem is, it’s pretty expensive and is sold in longer lengths than needed to fit over the two bunk ends.
http://www.rvaccessorypart.com/i//RainKap_Coil_Part_Web.jpg height=400 width=400
http://www.rvaccessorypart.com/i//RainKap_Remove_Insert_Drawing.jpg
http://www.rvaccessorypart.com/i//RainKap_Install_Drawing.jpg
One Note: Earlier Roo’s & Shamrocks that have received the “field repair kit” have the new seal/trim added to the outer perimeter of the bunk door. Unfortunately, this new seal/trim has to cope with trying to seal on top of the white “round head” screws that secure the outer bunk frame to the camper. These screws protrude above the surface of the frame where the new outer seal/trim seats (not really a completely thorough fix). The later built 2009’s & 2010’s use new white “flat head” screws to secure the outer bunk frame to the camper. I replaced the screws on our ’08 Roo with the newer flat head screws (from Forrest River’s parts dept) so the seal/trim has a better chance of being able to do it's job. I hadn’t though that filling the drive slot of the screw with caulk would make much difference.
RE: 2010 rockwood roo have larger tanks?
Here is a link for a 2010 Roo. They have gone with darker decals & now the windows & the door are trimed in black instead of white.
http://www.forestriverrvsource.com/rvinventory_item.asp?id=592480
Hmm, the unit shown in the link above has the “Tuscan” colored cabinets, so it looks like the Roo’s will be able to get them as an option as well. I don’t care for the black framed windows and also the black hardware and electrical cover plates, but that could be because of the lighter colored Tuscan cabinets. Looks like curved “radius” bathroom door might have gotten axed, it’s not shown on the current floor plans on FR’s website like it did in the recent brochure I’ve got from a nearby dealer.
RE: 2010 rockwood roo have larger tanks?
Hmm, just check FR’s website and your right, at least that’s what the specs say. That’s nice, especially the bigger fresh water and gray water tanks.
Another item to take note of is talk about the availability of different cabinet colors… “Cream” is supposedly out, “Oak” is still standard and “Cherry” is now optional. The new optional “Tuscan” on some of the other lines won’t be available on the Roo’s.
Here’s the clicky for more info… >> http://www.forestriverforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4168 .
RE: rain gutters and rv covers
We just cut a section of pool noodle and stuff it over the gutter extension/spout before putting the cover on. We also slip or zip-tie pool noodles over other areas around the camper that we feel might also puncture or abrade through the cover during storage.
So... your not done camping for the season, are you???
RE: Possible Galley Mod in Roo 21ss
Chuck’s idea is a good one to start looking into.
Buying Rockwood cabinets and a countertop for a different model unit could certainly be the easiest way to do this mod. I’ve been a little surprised on the cost of replacement parts from Forest River, sometimes they’re expensive, but other times they seem quite reasonable. Might be that the OEM cabinets may not be too costly if (like Chuck said) you can pick them up at the factory. You can call and deal with FR’s parts department directly, don’t bother going through your dealer.
Get a measurement of the length of your existing lower cabinet area and compare it to some of the other Rockwood models. Check and compare the placement of the screws securing the cabinets to the wall. I believe you’ll find these screws locate to the internal aluminum framework, which can very depending on the model unit. You might have to keep your existing overhead cabinet section, as the placement of aluminum framework in your existing ceiling may not exist for the likes of an “L” shaped overhead cabinet.
RE: looking for outdoor wall-mount cook stove
http://inlinethumb24.webshots.com/39575/2876534550036062993S500x500Q85.jpg
We really liked the high-pressure stove that came with our Coleman popup. Found a new one on ebay for short money for our Roo. Outfitted the stove using a piece of shelving board so that it has some counter space to either side.
Being a high pressure stove, it’s not really a simple mod to do. We had to plumb in a high pressure LP regulator and separate high pressure line to feed the stove. You can click on the above image to jump over to our webshots page and see more on this mod. A simpler mod for a decent outside stove might be to buy a low pressure Camp Chef Stove and tie it into the camper’s existing low pressure LP system.
RE: Getting heat to the back bunk
You might first start by installing a damper on the front heat vent to help direct more flow towards the rear vent. You can also install a “T” near the rear duct (pull the converter to gain access) and run ducting (we used 3”) up high, against the outside wall inside the lower cabinets of the wardrobe to a vent register on the cabinet wall at the rear bunk.
http://inlinethumb34.webshots.com/41825/2802677560036062993S425x425Q85.jpg
The heat vent in the front of the 23ss is just about a foot away from the heater. Because it's so close, it blows out much more heat than the rear vent located near the fridge. I installed a 4 inch damper (made from a 4” connector & 4” damper at Home Depot) to help direct more of the heat to the rear of the camper. It helps push a little more heat to the bathroom vent that I added.
http://inlinethumb62.webshots.com/41853/2940214500036062993S425x425Q85.jpg
Added some heat to the bathroom. Installed a "T" in the ducting for the heat vent near the fridge, then ran 3 inch ducting through the lower cabinets over to the wall behind the toilet.
RE: Permanent Rope Lights on HTT
We hang clear rope light around the perimeter of our awning. It provides ample lighting to see by without being too bright. Since ours is 12v rope light, we can use it during dry camping. It’s available on Ebay.
RE: Toilet paper
Toilet paper science fair experiment << This be a clicky.
The scientific tests results had concluded favorable results using Angel Soft brand of toilet tissue. Based on the test results, we switched from Scott single ply (not the wife’s favorite) to Angel soft. She finds it has much more softness and I find no visual signs of it, nor any clumping when dumping using the clear flush king adaptor.
RE: KZ21 Electrical problem
>> This post would likely get much more responses over on the Tech Issues forum. <<
Make sure I got this right, some stuff works on DC/Battery power, but some stuff doesn’t? All DC stuff works fine when plugged into AC? What your saying baffles me too.
When plugged into AC, the charger/converter supplies power to the DC circuit panel with circuit protection from 2, 30 amp fuses on the DC side.
When on DC/Battery power, power is supplied from the battery to the circuit panel with circuit protection from a 40 or 50 amp fuse and/or a DC circuit breaker (usually located near the battery or underneath along the frame towards the front).
In either case (AC or DC/battery operation), I’d think it should be an “all working” or “nothing working” situation (not some stuff working and some stuff not working).
The stuff that doesn’t work while on DC/Battery power is much more than what would be on just a single circuit, so the problem effects stuff on multiple circuits.
A few things to check…
- For the stuff that drops out while on DC/battery power, use a multi-meter and find out what side of circuit is lost (meaning the Hot/+ side, or Negative/- side).
- For the stuff that drops out while on DC/battery, identify what circuits they are on and verify if all, or just some of items on that circuit are affected (You might have to be plugged into AC in order to help find them all).
RE: Lots of new ROO owners - Bathroom door on 10' models?
This new radius bathroom door showed up on the ’09 Roo brochure, but this is the first time I’ve seen a unit that actually got one built with one.
I wouldn’t mind a little more “knee” room in our ’08 23ss bathroom, but this isn’t the way I’d want to get that extra space. I think the “ventilation” spaces above and below the new radius door looks kinda goofy. If they wanted to make the bathroom bigger, maybe they could have simply extended the wall beside the slideout out to the wall in the hallway and then just hang a normal door on it.
http://i1.imagesrv.com/1/228/i/516964/i_228_516964_1716135.JPG width=640
Note: Moderator edit to re-size picture to forum limit of 640px maximum.
RE: No "Living Room Lights" .... help ! ! !
…as it turns out the piece of trim in the corner of the front part of the slide (where I put my window) ...... isn't just a piece of trim - it covers (and 'protects') the wires for the reading lights ! ! ! This is what I didn't realize ! ! ! ! :o Anyway, the screws that attach my hardware for my mini blind for the new window, pierced the wires and shorted the + and - causing the fuse to blow. Mark.
I looked at that piece of trim on our Roo. Am I also a moron if the two screws that hold our curtain valance are located into the same area, but haven’t (yet) pierced the wiring? I had no idea that trim piece covered a hidden passage for wiring. I think I better pull the screws, make sure they’re short and grind off the sharp point on them.
Guess I should be thankful to you… when/if our lights go out, I’ll know right where to look!!!
Weighed Your Roo Lately? We did…
Loaded the truck and camper and hit the scales. Threw in just about everything I could to create an absolute worst-case scenario. 50 gallons of fresh water (we have two tanks), 2 tanks of propane, beer, food, cloths, junk, more junk, 4 kayaks, full tank for gas in truck, Dutch ovens, generator, fire wood, more junk & me (wife and 2 kids did not participate in this festive event).
12,500 lbs, Truck & Camper
(Truck’s CGWR is 13,000 lbs)
6,140 lbs, Camper Only (calculated 5,724 lbs without fresh water)
(Camper’s GVWR is 6,367 lbs, Truck’s towing capacity is 7,500 lbs)
6,360 lbs, Truck Only
(Truck’s GVWR is 6,900 lbs)
With the wife and kids onboard, we could be knocking on our max rated limits for sure. Now, if I can lay off the jelly doughnuts and switch over to a low fat ice cream…
