RE: Question about A/C wiring on a 1995 Fleetwood Southwind
Sounds like one of your 120v wires is damaged/kinked/chewed, raising it's resistance to a substantial level such that it limits the current so much that the AC cannot run. Can you tie new 15amp wires to the old ones and pull the new wires through the walls? If not, I think you are going to need to pull panels and rewire from junction to AC unit
One thing to check is resistance of the wires to the AC unit. Should be <0.01 ohms.
RE: Jacks Down for storage?
To solve everyone's concerns, why not just buy four jack stands, lift half the weight off the wheels with the hydraulics, then rest it down on the jack stands (on the frame) and raise up the hydraulics while in storage? I do this with my camper, and it helps keep the wheel bearings from developing flat spots.
RE: Kitchen sink- drain to the outside?
As for dumping grey water out the side of the popup, my MH (motorhome) buddies have always told me that popups were only allowed to dry camp, being that popups are so primitive (compared to their MHs) ;). I have never collected gray water because every time we return to the same sites, I see new things growing there, where the garden hose empties out about 15 or 20 feet from the camper (down hill side). Our gray water is probably 99.5% water and the rest is "vitamin-enriched" hand soap and shampoo. Not much else but nitrogen by-products.
RE: How many hours does a gas genny go?
Does anyone else use Fuel Stabilizer in their gas? Mine can sit for more than several months with the essentially the same gas in the tank before it's used up. That might help keep it from gumming up too much.
RE: washing popups.
I Was Wondering what is the best way to wash my popup, by hand or a car wash.
I would not recommend driving it fully popped up through a car wash. The brushes are a bit rough on the canvas and can't reach the high parts. The wheels on the blower at the end can also rip the canvas.
RE: Question about gas inverter generator for RV
My DW both looks and sounds a whole lot like George Lopez. I hope my previous suggestions will help you with your generator noise. On the other hand, it could be very expensive to buy a new one! If you have a whole lot invested, I would suggest modding it.
RE: Leaking Propane Tanks
I was just going to ask about a small leak that occurs when opening the tank valve. I noticed that if I get it in just the right spot, partially open, it will have a small continuous leak. Should the valve be opened up all the way, tightly, each time to avoid any leaks? Is this how they are designed? I was going to look into this more, but maybe they just need to be opened all the way.
Thanks.
RE: Need Storage Idea for Bunk End Support Poles
I think I'd stash them on top of the mattresses and not have to worry about mattress tear/puncture. They'd be easily accessible and one would not get on a bunk seeing the supports there - until the ends have been supported.
That might cause punctures in the tenting, which is even worse than holes in the mattress...
RE: Need Storage Idea for Bunk End Support Poles
Since the beds push into the camper far enough to leave a 5 or 6 inch gap, I just put the poles in that space. When I open it up, they are right there. No worries about poking holes in the mattress.
RE: How to attach level ?
Out of all the replys, I can only see one person that read the initial question and gave a reasonable answer. He didn't ask how to level the trailer, he asked how to install a new level to show its correct present angle even while the trailer is not level on the ground.
You have to get the RV level first, and then attach the leveling device showing it centered. If you can't get your camper level, what's the point? You will need a carpenter's level, or something similar to initially get the camper level, then attach the new bubble level for the camper, centered.
RE: How to attach level ?
I check the frame front/back and side to side, then check the beds. I can't sleep if the bed is not very close to level. The body will flex slightly, so make sure the parts you want super-close to level are actually level.
RE: Does battery reconditioning work?
It appears that you cannot revive a battery with permanant, hard sulfation. I leave mine on my PD9260 charger all the time to prevent any sulfation in storage. See the following page for more details on various desufation procedures and suggestions.
From http://jgdarden.com/batteryfaq/carfaq16.htm-----------
Lead sulfation actually starts when you remove the charging voltage a full charged lead-acid battery. The lead sulfate crystals are converted back to lead during the normal charging cycle. The real question is, if all of the lead sulfate crystals are not turned back into lead, how long does it take before they become so hard that they can not be converted? The answer is that varies--it could be weeks or months and depends on a number of factors such as the quality of the lead, temperature, plate chemistry, porosity, Depth-of-Discharge (DoD), electrolyte stratification, and so on.
During the normal discharge process, lead and sulfur combine into soft lead sulfate crystals are formed in the pores and on the surfaces of the positive and negative plates inside a lead-acid battery. When a battery is left in a discharged condition, continually undercharged, or the electrolyte level is below the top of the plates or stratified, some of the soft lead sulfate re-crystallizes into hard lead sulfate. It cannot be reconverted during subsequent recharging. This creation of hard crystals is commonly called permanent or hard "sulfation". When it is present, the battery shows a higher voltage than it's true voltage; thus, fooling the voltage regulator into thinking that the battery is fully charged. This causes the charger to prematurely lower it's output voltage or current, leaving the battery undercharged. Sulfation accounts for approximately 85% of the lead-acid battery failures that are not used at least once per week. The longer sulfation occurs, the larger and harder the lead sulfate crystals become. The positive plates will be light brown and the negative plates will be dull, off white. These crystals lessen a battery's capacity and ability to be recharged. This is because deep cycle and some starting batteries are typically used for short periods, vacations, weekend trips, etc., and then are stored the rest of the year to slowly self-discharge. Starting batteries are normally used several times a month, so sulfation rarely becomes a problem unless they are undercharged or the plates are not covered with electrolyte.
As a consequence of parasitic load and natural self-discharge, permanent sulfation occurs as the lead-acid battery discharges while in long term storage. (Parasitic load is the constant electrical load present on a battery while it is installed in a vehicle even when the power is turned off. The load is from the continuous operation of appliances, such as a clock, security system, maintenance of radio station presets, etc.) While disconnecting the negative battery cable will eliminate the parasitic load, it has no effect on the natural self-discharge of a car battery. Self-discharge is accelerated by temperature. For batteries that are over 77° F (25° C), the self-discharge rate doubles with a 18° F (10° C) rise in temperature. Thus, sulfation can be a huge problem for lead-acid batteries not being used, sitting on a dealer's shelf, or in a parked vehicle, especially in HOT temperatures.
