RE: awning repair
thanks all for your replies! DW says no to duct tape, dont know why though, something about "trailer about trash look?" so it clear awning tape for this job!
awning repair
have a few small places in awning and one tear (where awning attaches to unit aprox 1" out) will awning tape make a good repair in these areas? will replace awning fabric later this summer. just need it for 2-3 months. or is there a method to do a more permanent repair?
question on awning setup,
is it recommended to leave the release latch in the roll down position or change it to the roll up position after extending and locking everything down?
RE: intermittant furnace problem, wife asks for explosives!
Well... I'm reminded of an old Foghorn Leghorn Cartoon show.. Foghorn reads the long term weather forecast. IT is going to be one COLD winter. So he pays a call on "Widow Hen" and tells her I need, I say I need your LOVE to keep me warm"
She says "OK, but......" (I will leave this part out)
At the end of the show he goes back to Widown Hen and tells her "The Marraige is off" She says "What about needing my love to keep you warm" and he replies I got, I say I got MY BANDAGES to keep me warm" It is a very funny cartoon.
You should tell your darling wife that if she were more loving then your love would keep here warm.. (Then you should run like blazes :))
Now a serious answer:
For a RV furnace to work several things must happen: First, as you have already figured out, you gotta have (Sing this to the tune of "Cocaine") Some: PROPANE, it's the stuff that keeps your warm, PROPANE. But you said you got that
Then, you need a well charged battery,, Yes, I know it runs on propane, not electric but guess what,, It needs both. If the battery is low, cold air it will blow... Two reasons
Finally, you need to make sure ALL the registers are clear of obstruction, along with the ducts and such.
Here is what happens when the T-Stat calls for Heat
First: There is a control board that, controls everything.. They can go bad (Doubt it but it can happen)
Now: The blower starts, A low battery means it won't blow hard, likewise a bad motor or dirty blower or obstructed ducts or registers, these will all prevent it from blowing full speed.
Then a "Sail Switch" (A switch operated by a plastic sail that is in the air path) closes,, This switch can fail.. It signals the control board (remember that) "Fan up to speed"
now the control board sends power to the gas valve which opens to allow the flow of gas.. If, that is the battery is powerful enough, and it starts the spark generator (Igniter) to generate the electric sparks that ignite the gas. Of course if the gap it too wide or the battery too low.. That's not going to happen.
Finally, once the burner is burning, a flame sensor (Which can fail) signals the control board "WE HAVE IGNITION" and the Control board says "ok, keep on heating"
Finally the T-stat says HOT enough and everything stops.
As you can see. there are several chances for a problem
IN addition, I left out debris (rust or such) in the burner orifice blocking it so that gas can not flow, Since I do not THINK that is your problem.
Now: Problem 2, the 30 year solution, running out of gas at 2am.
You have two tanks, (I think you said you have two) you have some kind of changeover regulator, Many of these are semi-automatic, On a semi automatic regulator you select the PRIMARY tank, and open both tank valves, You can then monitor the gas level in the primary tank by various means, including, a pressure gage (Red/Green) when the gage turns red, or you see by one of the other means that the tank is dry, you close it's valve, switch the regulator over to the other tank and haul the empty to the re-fill, re-connect open valve and test for leaks.. Then when the other tank is empty, follow the same procedure, only switch back to the first tank and re-fill the second.
If you have ONE tank (Class A motor home) you get a Marshall Brass "Extend-a-stay" and install it, you also get a 2nd tank, say a 20 pounder (or even a 10 pounder) which you can use with your grill. 10 pounds will get most class A's through the night and you can refill both in the AM In this case you are going to run out, but you can quickly open the second tank's valve.
One option for measuring the amount of gas in the tank is a special scale that mounts under the tank.. Just so you know. Might be hard to find though
thanks for posting wa8yxm!
1) got propane and 2 12pks beer. (just in case!)
2) checked 12v supply... disconnected 120v ac cord and tested battery..good, reconnected 120v ac,recheck battery..still good..check incoming 12v supply at furnace ..good..attempted to start furnace while checking 12v incomming supply.. still good..
3) checked all vents and registers ..clear, checked air flow while I was at it very good. still no heat.
4) since I still havent got to sail switch to check it, next on list
I think this will be the problem since the ingitors dont even try to fire and this switch is next in line to complete the secquence. I think this because when it does fire, I hear a faint click (gas valve opening?), then ignitor fires and then a sound like my blowtorch makes when lit,(simular, that is) and then we get heat. I dont think the board would fail and then work several times over..could be wrong though. then it will cycle several times before turning into a air conditioner again.
Problem 2, the 30 year solution
we had the automatic switchover one installed. tech was suppose to only open ONE tank and stated that is what he did...should have checked because he opened both tanks and the regulator worked perfectly!! now to find those guages you mentioned...
BY THE WAY mentioned your suggestion to DW, you know about the loving...does loving have anything to do with a broomstick? if so she was in a REALLY loving mood!!!
RE: intermittant furnace problem, wife asks for explosives!
11" water column is correct plus you need to check the battery to be sure you have enough Voltage to turn the Blower fast enough to trip the Sail switch!
When the Furnace does light, does it sound as if the "Fire" is exploding as it lights? If yes the Burner may need to be replaced. It looks like a small metal spoon or bowl with a Screen over it. Theses eventually Rust/Burn out. They are fairly easy to remove and change on that design! While You have the Gas line disconnected Blow out the Feeder line or pour a little alcohol through it!
Be sure to disconnect or Shut Off the Propane tanks before doing any service work and Test the Gas Line Connections with soapy Water before trying to Light It!
As always "Good Luck"
thanks robatthelake for posting. gas tech verified 11 WC when installing new regulator. furnace sounds fine when it lights.. but the hot water heater sounds as you describe, so I need to check that.
and I will check and clean all the gas lines while I'm at it.
RE: intermittant furnace problem, wife asks for explosives!
You may have ingested some oil with the propane refill which is blocking your furnace line (and not necessarily other lines). Remember, you have a seperate copper line to each appliance from the distribution manifold underneath your unit, the one to the furnace could be the lowest and collecting the oil. Just a thought, have seen it before.
thanks for posting Harvard! how would I go about cleaning out this line? disconnect both ends and just blow it out with air?
RE: intermittant furnace problem, wife asks for explosives!
First thing to do is look for the make/model of your furnace and download a manual from Here
As for the propane, invest in a auto change over regulator and hope you aren't too lazy to check it every so often to tell if one tank is empty.
Mike thans for posting, i do owe a appology as I miss identified the model, it is a hydro flame excalibur 8500-ll. I do have the manuel.
next the auto switch regulator is installed. the gas tech who installed it told DW he had turned on 1 (one) tank as requested. DW wanted to see how long a tank would last. that way we would have the other tank as back up. First lesson learned. double check what any one else tells you!
as to the compliment, thanks, my DW calls it something else but cant spell it! yours is easier to say and spell.
intermittant furnace problem, wife asks for explosives!
DW is currently serching online for a small explosive to use on oure furnace!! say if it wont work properly she will "blow it out" so it will either work or be replaced!
the story starts about 4 wks ago when we took delivery of our used 92 Prowler FW. every thing worked fine. She decides to "move in" to get practice for when we really go to full time! our 2 40 lb lp tanks lasted 3 wks before running empty. (of course ran out around 4 am!) fist question asked, can I fix it so gas wont run out in middle of night? answer; yes honey, but it will take a while to figure it out. I will let you know when I do! ( I figure that fix will take around 30 yrs to accomplish! but dont tell her! shes a bit impatient.)
Anyway got tanks filled and hooked up again. every thing fired upagain and seemed to be working good..........THEN it began.......
2nd night (low that night 31 deg) 2am DW wakes up furnace blowing fine but is acting as a REALLY GREAT AC! ( DWS words not mine) Of course I have to get up and dig out the buddy heaters and fire them up. DW is insisting the tanks are empty again! after 30 min I an able to show her that we do have gas as the range and the water heater are workin fine! ( she was by this time QUITE BLUE with cold, almost SMURF BLUE, and worried about the 7, 3 day old pups our companion Patches had graced us with!) she had the electric blanket out and warmed up with the pup snuggled in the center of it!
good thing I'm off that day, work on furnace 3 hours. found mud daubber nest, reg wasp nest, 12 leaves and assorted other things (unidentified), blew out entire compartment and attempted to fire up furnace. after 3 mins it fired up! let it cycle through twice, worked fine!
that night around 3am guess what? YEP the furnace was a AC again!! cant tell you what DW was saying as I was too busy scrambling to get heat going with the buddy heaters again! All I know was the next morning I found the paint next to the door was blistered and dark brown! I dont remember any heat strikes or other strange things that night and the paint was fine (a little faded perhaps) the previous day.
well to make a long story short..... some times the furnace works fine. and then sometimes it dont.. after reading and figuring and tracing the elect diagram I think the problem may be the SAIL? switch. is this a SAILboat?
so the question is posed (in order to save our furnace) and DW from jail.
furnace is a hydro-flame 5000 series furnace. intermittant ingiting, recently externally cleaned of all visable debris. am i missing any thing? if so please post! if not please post and give me insite on how to access the SAIL switch. ( is it big or only when unfurled?) any input would be welcome! I really need to get this done before DW finds some idot willing to sell her some explosive material. ( I havent told her the gunpowder from the shotgun shells would work as she would use up all my shells and I wont be able to go hunting next week!)
RE: heavy clorine smell & taste
Does your home have a water softener? If so, it's likely that the outdoor water faucet supply line bypasses the water softener. I have my outdoor faucets plumbed so that I can either get soft water or not, simply by switching a lever. Naturally, I fill the camper's fresh water tank with soft water and water the trees with hard water.
You're kinda jumping the gun with water in your camper aren't you? Whew! You must be in a hurry for spring! You'd better winterize that new toy quickly or you'll have busted water lines and a pump to replace. Here in Gillette it's supposed to be in the 20s or colder every night for the next week or more. (Probably a LOT more. Spring's still a long ways off!) :(
no softner yet! on list though!
here in south carolina it got to 29 deg last sat nite and 33 deg sun night.(our first 2 nights in unit) other than that high 30's to high 40's so far no freezing nights forcasted in next 2 wks! (knock on wood that holds up!) as we are expermenting with fulltiming, we are camped next to our house till we are comfortable with the unit. DW is already planning on a larger unit though! I fulltimed for a year in a small tent, and again for 8 months in a small pop-up before she finally allowed me to marry her. Now its her turn to experence what I have talked about doing this! so far she is cool with it. but big change goin from 1800 sq ft to 400! shes still trying to figure out how to fit in all the things shes used to. and finding out she hardly ever used most of them anyway!
RE: heavy clorine smell & taste
Previous owners "never had problems" what ever the case. If this RV is new to you I would sanitize again myself, for sure JMO. It only takes a little time and then you can feel safe about it. Your manual has instructions on how to with chlorine. If not then ask someone how. I can't see this as some kind of defect or something.
PJ
DW is a sanitizing "FREEK" so she scrubbed and poured clorine bleach everywhere! took 3 days to clear that smell! she had me back flush all the lines with a clorine solution after we had run all the water to clear the rv antifreeze out. as I posted earlier she filled the grey tank twice! (takes a long time to empty tank using 5 gal buckets!)
RE: heavy clorine smell & taste
If you have an outside shower, you can try flushing water through that line.
Is the bad water coming out of the fresh water tank and water pump? The solution might be to fill a 1 gallon container 1/2 full with water and add 1 cup of vinigar. Then put that into the tank, add water to fill it, drive around the block to slosh it around, then pump it out.
I have an adapter so I can hook up a garden hose to my sink, and could use that to pump the water out into the front yard. Or perhaps your shower head will reach out the back door? Or use buckets, so you don't end up filling the grey tank over and over.
Perhaps someone treated the camper with a cup of clorine bleach and a few gallons of water (way to strong) and that is why there is still excessive clorine in the tanks.
Drain the water heater too - that is probably where the clorine has been hiding at!
Fred.
on this unit when connected to city water it bypasses the fresh water tank. (no water in tank so none can come from it. when using tank you must use the water pump, on city water it has pressure without the pumps use)
I had not thought of the hot water tank, but we did flush entire system at all outlets for 15 min when we hooked up water so that should have cleared it as boyh hot and cold taps were open.
heavy clorine smell & taste
having set up our camper in the drive way and practicing "camping" this weekend, we noticed a very heavy clorine smell and taste in our water. using new hoses (white for potable water only) and city connection. house does not have this problem. (thought water co had been treating again) flushed all lines (DW flushed so much she filled grey tank! twice!) still have problem. called prev owner and they said they had not had this problem. any ideas? DW says water "messes up her hair!
done deal!
FINALLY after a year and a half (seems longer) our new 1992 fleetwood prowler model 25 5b is sitting in our yard! Best part is its paid for! now to really get down to learning all the systems.got a great deal and the previous owner spent over 2 hrs showing and teaching me about it!
so please bear with us as i begin to ask some stupid questions in the next few months!
THANKS TO ALL for you knowlege freely shared and for all the patience I see shown daily on this board! (lord knows I will probably strain the patience!)
RE: propane dryer is it safe and feasable?
I know it is more expensive than electricty. that was not the question. besides its expensive to upgrade the electrical systen to 50 amp from 30 amp too! probably why the gas dryer was installed! Now is it safe? the owner loves their unit and dont want a new one! DW reminded me it is CERTAINLY FEASABLE as they had already installed it! so I was a dumb cluck for asking that question in the first place! OH well she does have a way with words...
propane dryer is it safe and feasable?
saw a 95 nuwa fw 30 amp service with a proane dryer...DW wants to ask is this safe? of so why dont more people use them? they dry faster and use less electricty
RE: downpayment???
1st, I admire you for your courage in moving from tents to a FW, that is one heck of a leap up the food chain. When I started, I went from tent, Pop-Up to Fiver, this took some 20+ years.
No wanting to spoil your dream, but would not a good used unit fit your needs for a few years? That way you would know more accurately what your needs, and lifestyle toward camping are. Even a good pop-up would be a leap up from a tent. Plus they are easier to store.
Good Luck
we have looked at used units for over a year, and will still look at them! dealers indicate to us a better deal new with rebates ect. and as DW & I are now in our early 50's with the attending aches and pains from life....a nice warm, dry trailer sure looks inviting!! storage is not going to be a problem. as we intend to eventually FT. (10 or so years) sooner if we get a unit we enjoy!! we both are tired of being tied down in one spot and enjoy seeing new sights and meeting new people! besides with kids strung fron canada to sc to calif, its easier to get to see all the grandkids!!!!
RE: downpayment???
not a credit union member, bank I use (15 yrs) dont do rvs, finance company we did last 4 vehicles through only does 3 yrs, so am limited on options. all quotes were in budget an reasonable rate (9-10%) no extended warranty wanted or needed! this will be out first rv as DW wont tent camp any more!! I'm jaded out on it too. but dont want to give up on our quality time either! and looking forward to meeting a whole lot of NEW friends!
downpayment???
almost ready to do the deed! 3 dealers 3 set ups same price... 3 diffrent downpayments? 2 using same finance co??
what is the general % of down payment? one asked for 10% next 20% last 35%????
first was used king of the road, 2nd new montana, last new carrage, all 29 - 32 ft FW's all at 22500 stated price. did not haggle or try to deal just yet.
