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RE: Where to camp in B.C.????????
We stayed at the Kettle River Provincial campsite last weekend and it's one of our favourites. Lots to see and do especially if your into hiking or mountain biking, great tubing in the summer too. We like to ride on the old railbed, you can see alot of beautiful BC in this way. Plenty of places near Kelowna but they all book so fast, our favourite provincial spot bookings are all 3 months in advance and are filling up daily :(
A great spot near Vernon if you want to get out of the RV for a night is Lakeside Illahee Inn a 4.5 star B&B that is great. Sry not sure where to fit a 40' out that way. :)
My vote is for BC Provincial Parks This site lets you search a bunch of ways, we love to search by activity and find loads of new places to go
Best of Luck, I know you'll enjoy the area. :)
Rob
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MaddogBC
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05/16/08 12:33am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Sanitizing fresh water system for the first time...
I sanitized with bleach for 4 hours. 1/4 cup per 15 gallons of freshwater capacity.(too long can damage plumbing) Then let it sit with a vinegar solution for several days, I used 2 gallons for my 45 gallon system. I drove around a bit to shake it up during the vinegar stage. I then had to rinse twice to get rid of the odd taste. All this was described very well in my owners manual.
I have no experience with any FW additive products and frankly I'd be hard pressed to trust anything but Bleach. It's how my daddy cleaned the water system for the little town we grew up in :)
To properly drain the system you have to drain both the tank and all your lines. You should just have to use your low point valves, and the drain on the or near the FW tank. Check to make sure your hot water tank is not bypassed and is filling and emptying. I flushed all my water lines the old fashioned way into the grey tank.
Good luck, it's not a quick easy job :)
Rob
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MaddogBC
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05/16/08 12:10am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Wheel chocking question...
For the wedge style drive on type i saw a mod on this site where a fellow added a strap that the tire sat firmly on to prevent theft.
For the 4x4 type I'd guess if it's good solid wood and crank, longer lengths would work fine. Mine are about 10 inches long and i use an old pipe clamp to crank.
Where did the lowlifes make off with your stuff? It's a shame cause who other than another RV'r would need a sewer hose?
Good luck
Rob
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MaddogBC
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05/15/08 09:06pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Jayco floor rotting
I'm on break from fixing my 2000 Jayco Qwest. Have found leaks at all three windows up front and I first noticed it in the same way. The front storage compartment being discolored. The leaks allowed water to flow into the floor system and then be trapped. the cover on my front window leaked somehow as well as lowest corners of both side windows. has caused a sickening amount of damage, I'd suggest cutting the belly fabric open and pulling out the insulation to let things dry and also to make sure you don't end up with a halfway repair job. I'd want pictures of the warranty repair to make sure they completely replace the floor in the affected areas
Good Luck
Rob
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MaddogBC
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05/15/08 08:09pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Hmmm leak on a new unit
Get it fixed FAST. Here's a pic of what i found in my 2000 a couple days ago from a small leak that made it into the underbelly.
http://photoshare.shaw.ca/image/5/7/d/130063/img_3226-0.jpg?rev=0 height=640
Leak could be anywhere. i think mine is from window seals. request a pressure test of your unit to search for leaks and try to witness the test yourself. Many ppl here on this forum recommend
http://www.rvleaks.com/
Some have even done DIY tests that have worked quite well but yours is all warranty work anyway. Level in your driveway will make a difference in where the leak shows up in the underbelly, but i don't think it should be able to cause a leak in any way.
If it were mine i would make them cut open the underbelly and make sure it is properly dried out. if the insulation is saturated to the point it's leaking through it could take months to dry on it's own and that alone will definitely cause damage.
Good luck
Rob
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MaddogBC
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05/14/08 10:13am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Portable Waste Tank - Opinions?
I use a 22 gallon Barker. It attachs to a ball for a noisy pull to the station. Barker makes many accessories including a fill gauge to prevent overfilling. I find it an easily manageable size to move around. Here is a thread with some great storage ideas:
Storage
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MaddogBC
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05/14/08 09:46am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Tire question: What would you do?
My Marathons were made in 99 and show very little, if any signs of age. I plan to replace them but did not get an opportunity before last weekends trip. We went about 400 miles round trip without any problems at all. I carried 2 spares, drove 55 or less and checked tire temps at every stop. Only time they broke 100 degrees was descending a steep hill and then only a little over. My RV dealer thinks I'm crazy to replace tires that are still in such great shape.
Good luck on the trip!
Rob
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MaddogBC
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05/14/08 09:25am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Shore-line electrical cable gett'n thrashed.
When I had my shoreline box apart recently for some plumbing work I black taped the heck out of a tennis ball to create a stopper at the maximum cord length. I now wish I had actually screwed to something solid to save my converter in case of theft. Jdubh2 is right shorelines will be a big target if the clowns ever figure it out.
Rob
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MaddogBC
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05/13/08 08:38pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Trailer rotting from the belly up
Time and money my favourites :)
I think a flood would show alot more staining in the underbelly. There was no water damage to the interior woodwork. Frame definitely shows some rust but nothing substantial yet.
Grit Rot sounds like fantastic stuff, great tip. It's just one big lego set. I'm going to keep pulling things out until I hit solid wood. Too late for the leafblower I fear, good thought.
I had parked nose up to keep draining water off the front. I tilted it down after work today and got a good drainage test in, due to a days worth of rain. Window was leaking in the front right but it was running down the aluminum and not really touching the wall members at all. I removed the inner window ring yesterday so it may be a new leak. Running some heat on it now to dry everything out an i'll cut open the fabric underneath in the back to inspect the rest of the joist. Hopefully the rebuild won't weigh too much beyond original specs, it will be hard to put such flimsy framing back in.
Thanks for your thoughts
Rob
Edit: First real project on this thing was bearings and brake adjustment. More cobwebs than anything else...
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MaddogBC
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05/13/08 08:25pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Campers Beware
We had a brainiac fry himself several months ago for trying to steal power lines. I guess the warning signs and 12 foot fence with razor wire wasn't sufficient for him to figure out in time that he was inside a power substation. They never identified him.I love a happy ending. :B
LMAO!!! :B
They should be more strict at the recycling depots. Photo id required for copper. /shrug
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MaddogBC
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05/13/08 12:10am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Trailer rotting from the belly up
The FW tank is well back and I've put alot of work into it as well, don't think it was the source, can't rule anything out though.Pic #13 shows a discolored stud but when i look close it almost seems to be sun darkened from before it was installed. seems to be very little water staining on it or that window corner, but it's hard to say. hose idea is great i'll be sure to do that once i've got it all stripped.
Thanks Sue for such a detailed reply, the measures you are taking will no doubt be worth every penny. I didn't realize that vinyl discoloration was a major thing to look for before I bid, also should have made a much more thorough inspection.
I added a few more pics from the evenings work, I'm amazed at how thick the white mold grew, up to a 1/4" in some places. How long might it take for this level of damage? I can only guess where it came from but I live in a mild climate. I'm horrified to see a design that will trap and hold water to this extent, it was pooled in the low spots of the underbelly wrap. Thanks for all the advice. I'll fix it all eventually.
Rob
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MaddogBC
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05/12/08 10:57pm |
Travel Trailers
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Trailer rotting from the belly up
2000 Jayco Qwest 25' bought from an auction
I have yet to find the source but i have a sickening feeling the entire 25' of floor is like this. My first hint came in the FW tank ripping free from the rear of the trailer. This caused some rippling of the floor in the rear bunk. I never noticed the vinyl discoloring under the bench until shortly before her maiden voyage this past weekend. I do not yet know how the water got in but it seems to have traveled a long ways under the floor sheathing. all the places i've ripped up so far have been rotting from the bottom up. Has anyone seen a leak destroy an entire floor? All the floor joist across the front are totally compromised yet the wall studs are not even stained. Seems like a poor design that would trap water so well under the floor system. Thanks for your help.
Rob
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MaddogBC
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05/12/08 06:02pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Pressure testing TT for leaks
great advice and good link thanks. Seems you don't need alot of pressure just large volume. I started ripping everything apart and it's bad.Looks like both windows have been leaking for a long time.... makes me wonder if all the windows are leaking. It's in a bad spot, to get the panelling apart i have to pull apart the entire front end including the forward storage compartment lots of wiring and at least 10 million staples so far... Looks like it will be a while before we're back out on the campgrounds, at least i have the tools to get the job done myself. taking pics as i go if anyone is interested
Rob
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MaddogBC
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05/12/08 03:38pm |
Travel Trailers
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Pressure testing TT for leaks
I discovered evidence of a leak in the front right floor paneling. It has gone on for some time as there is some advanced rotting. I am reluctant to start removing wall panelling until i have found the source of the leak. Wall framing around the area seems solid and there is no evidence of water stains on walls or ceilings that i can see. The entire front of the TT was wet when i pulled up the vinyl but rot only showed up in the lowest corner when it is stored. We have only owned this TT for a couple months but it looks to me like the front right side was usually low judging by streaks. A local dealer (who has been very good to me) thought perhaps i should check for window leaks before blaming the roof. He suggested i hook it up to a diagnostic machine which pressurizes the interior, they then use a solution and watch for bubbles. My trailer is a 2000 Jayco and i have noticed several areas which are not airtight underneath. In order for this to work i would think they need some serious pressure to overcome all the standard leaks. Does anyone have any experience with this? Can anyone offer any insight into the possible damage this could cause on all the seals that are currently holding at standard pressures? Thanks
Rob
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MaddogBC
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05/12/08 12:09pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Pullrite or ProPride
As i understand it Jim Hensley designed the Proride Hitch. I think most ppl agree the Hensley Arrow is the ultimate hitch if you can afford it. The Arrow is a very old design of Jim Hensley's, the Proride is his latest. Based on his reputation alone IMO it's a no-brainer. I have zero towing experience with any of these hitches though, tis just my two bits.
Rob
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MaddogBC
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05/09/08 11:02am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Can you parallel two inverters?
I have two very large batteries in a 93 F250 7.3L diesel. I can't afford/justify 1600 bucks (local yamaha 2400) for a generator and would like to use the TV as a quick charge for the TT battery. I currently have a 45 amp iota converter that pulls a little over 800 watts when charging over 14 volts. This weekend I will try this off one inverter and bring my little 10/2 charger for the other inverter. Hopefully this will give a decent charge in 15 to 30 minutes of idling. That 50 amp RV box adapter is interesting, for my use I would have to adapt each leg to standard 15 amp and then adapt for my 30 amp trailer plug. Could I not just make my own? I've installed many 30 amp dryer circuits in homes before. Does this adapter box assume all AC comes from the same source and is synchronized? (in phase?) For me it would allow use of a big AC battery charger, my air compressor(tire flats), and perhaps even my rooftop AC on 60$ worth of inverters and a few bucks in diesel. Would take a long time to equate to the current cost of a good generator. I've thought about running large gauge welding wire and installing a second alternator for charging but don't want to have to do it multiple times if I change TV. Much cheaper to run AC the length of vehicles. Thanks for your thoughts.
Rob
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MaddogBC
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05/06/08 11:05pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Can you parallel two inverters?
ahh did not search for "parrallel" I did try to find a similar discussion. Thank you :)
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MaddogBC
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05/05/08 09:56pm |
Tech Issues
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Can you parallel two inverters?
I have been using a coleman 800/1600 watt for a couple years now and am very happy with it. Today I found the same model without the deluxe case and wires for less than 30$. How could I parallel these both into one AC line for double the wattage. Thanks
Rob
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MaddogBC
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05/05/08 07:57pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Another (different) traveling with LP on question
Peace of mind, thank you very much.
Rob
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MaddogBC
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05/05/08 07:47pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Rollin on the floor
That's very funny, thanks for sharing that mistake. I'll be sure to watch out fer that one. Ohh man DW would string me up.....
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MaddogBC
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05/05/08 12:01am |
Travel Trailers
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