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Forum
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RE: Has anyone removed Eternabond tape to make repair?
THANKS Sidney!
I'm going to have to replace my skylight one of these days & I was wondering how to handle the Eternabond.
Dave
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dbates
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09/05/08 10:25am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: 50 AMP surge protectors
pfunk,
The better models by Progressive & SurgeGuard have surge protection plus cover most everything a UPS will, except battery back up. When you connect your power line to the CG pedestal they will not allow power to your RV if they detect high/low voltage, high/low Hz, revered polarity, open ground/neutrals, a 240 instead of 120 power supply from the pedestal. Afterward they will disconnect the power whenever any of those problems occur. If there is fluctuating power they will also delay reconnection for a period of time to prevent damage to your AC & other electronics.
These problems are not all that uncommon. With aging CG & power grids they are occurring more frequently. I've encountered low voltage once and reveres polarity 3 times. If I were encountering low voltage more frequently I would consider an autoformer also but my experience does not justify that expense yet. Now I either move elsewhere or use the generator.
Dave
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dbates
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09/05/08 08:44am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 50 AMP surge protectors
Bumpy,
I've concluded that many people don't realize that there is as much (if not more) risk from faulty & old pedestal wiring than from surges. Plus brown outs are becoming more prevalent all over & will continue to increase as power grids become more & more overloaded. We camped in Minnesota two years ago & our Progressive unit shut down for a while. Later TV news reported that the state's power companies had the money & desire to upgrade their grids to prevent brown outs but couldn't get right-of-way to install additional towers.
Prolonged low voltage many not hut the toaster or space heater but it will shorten the life of your AC, TV, Refer, Microwave, etc. and those "plug in at socket" units won't protect anything from low voltage, reverse polarity, open ground/neutrals, no/off power, etc.
Dave
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dbates
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09/04/08 04:03pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 50 AMP surge protectors
Chevylover1965,
The comparison chart that I incorporated in my previous post included AEC’s lesser models and they compared even better than Progressive’s. When I was trying to make a decision as to which company’s product to buy I looked for AEC prices. They were hard to find and what I did find were almost doubled Progressive’s prices. I didn’t feel that I needed a transfer switch so I chose Progressive.
Today you can go to SurgeGuard’s website you will find that they are marketing AEC products under the SurgeGuard label but no prices are listed. Tweety has SurgeGuard’s a lesser AEC 50 amp model (40250 with transfer switch & 3,350 Joules) priced @ $620 & model (40240 without transfer switch & 3,350 Joules) for $455.
At Tweety’s Progressive’s 50 amp without transfer & 3,640 Joules is $322.24.
Yes, the AEC model you inquired about has a much higher Joules rating but I could not find a price for it but I imagine it is even higher. So I guess its up to you as to what you want in protection & what you're willing to pay.
Dave
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dbates
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09/03/08 07:48pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Bought a MH with outdated / damaged tires?
Sorry for your misfortune & welcome to the Forum.
When I bought my (new to me) MH I was unaware of the dangers from outdated tires but I was lucky in that they were not that old.
It appears that you purchased this unit from a dealer & since he claimed the unit was A-OK I do think that the dealer should have some responsibilities for not advising you about the tires. If you haven't already done so, I would make it very clear to the dealer that he failed to consider your welfare and that you will advise others of his failure to act responsibly. He may or may not do anything about it though.
Dave
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dbates
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09/02/08 08:12pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 50 AMP surge protectors
If you’re main goal is to protect from surges then the higher the Joules rating the better the protection. The SSP-50 is only rated @ 950 for $114 & the Progressive’s EMS-HW50C is 3,640 Joules @ $322 both at Tweetys's.
But the more prevalent problems that you can encounter are high/low voltage, high/low Hz, reverse polarity, open ground/neutrals, rapidly fluctuating current & improperly wired 240 vs. 120 pedestals. Continuous low voltage can damage many of your RV appliances.
Click HERE for a chart that compares Progressive’s & SurgeGuard’s products. Although this chart was created by Progressive supplier it is fairly accurate with the exception that it does not include SurgeGuard’s most recent 50 amp unit (which is $455 @ Tweety’s
Click HERE for Tweety’s to compare prices & details of both Progressive & SurgeGuard. Tweety’s used to have the lowest prices but don’t know if they still do or not.
I chose Progressive's hardwired (EMS-HW30C for 30 amp or EMS-HW50C for 50 amp RVs) unit because of its remote monitor, longer warranty and higher Joules rating.
Dave
Edited 9/3/08 "He was right, link was wrong but now corrected."
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dbates
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09/02/08 07:43pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Ford 275 hp Engine
John,
I have a 30' 1998 Itasca with a 1999 Ford F53 (same engine you have). It can get a little sloooow climbing at times but the worst time we'ver ever had was going all the way up Tioga Pass (3,000 foot climb) two years ago while entering Yosemite's East entrance. We stopped once & that’s because we wanted to see the lake. Whenever the temperature gauge got high the cooling fan kicked on & brought it back down.
Ford’s newer units also have an improved transmission that helps on those long climbs.
I wonder the same question you had and many posts on this forum toot the benefits of the Bank's system but I it will be a cold day in that warm place when my DW will let me spend $3,000 for one and I’m not sure I could justify it myself.
Dave
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dbates
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09/02/08 02:32pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: emerald ash borer
Very well said "Sea Dog".
Dave
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dbates
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09/01/08 09:38am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: 97 Adventurer Ford Chassis OBD Connector Location?
I've got a 98 Itasca over a 99 Ford F53 V-10 and it's on the right side of the steering column just under the dash. I couldn't find it but while on a trip the engine warning light came on & the truck service center found it & told me where it was.
Dave
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dbates
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08/31/08 05:56pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Windshield Wipers
Our Wal-Mart super store had a choice of 3 brands all with sizes I needed.
Dave
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dbates
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08/31/08 05:51pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Excel question
Click your cursor into the box which you want to lock in (just below the header you want to continuously show & to the right of the column you want to continuously show). From the toolbar menu click "Window" and "Freeze Panes". Vertical & horizontal lines will appear showing the areas that are frozen in place.
If you want to unfreeze the panes just return to the "Windows" toolbar option & click “Unfreeze Panes”.
Dave
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dbates
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08/31/08 06:56am |
Technology Corner
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RE: TV Converter Box Question
I'll second Wadcutter's post on the Zenith DTT901 (which recently added the pass through & replacing their model DTT900) and it is available at RadioShack also.
Dave
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dbates
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08/30/08 12:51pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: emerald ash borer
Nick & Paul (Mouse),
Most areas are enforcing their ban on both commercial firewood suppliers and timber companies. I read a while back that Wal-mart was forced to destroy a supply of commercially wrapped firewood because it couldn’t be proved that it didn’t come from an infested area. And a raw timber man’s truck load of timber was confiscated and destroyed when caught entering a ban area. Moving processed timber is not a problem because there is no bark (where the borer live) and the drying process rids it of borers.
Ash is a beautiful clean hard wood shade tree that provides a light & tight grained, elastic wood. It is used to make tool handles (rake, hoe, hammer, etc.), bowls, baseball bats, etc. It would be a shame if we lost these trees as we did the Elms.
Dave
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dbates
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08/30/08 12:40pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Dolly or Bars
I've towed with a Demco KarKaddy SS dolly (for 3.5 years & 28,000 miles) and have had no real problems. That said, if you have a toad that can be pulled 4 down and plan to keep it for a LONG time I recommend you go 4 down. If you anticipate regularly trading toads then get a dolly (replacement base plates, brakes & light rigging can be expensive) .
Dolly loading is a little less convenient (especially in bad weather) but on the road it will follow you just as well as 4 down and backing up is equally limited. Unless you have an age or physical impairment a good dolly is not as much of a CG storage & moving problem as many say. And if the toad is properly strapped down the straps will not come off.
Dave
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dbates
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08/30/08 10:09am |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: emerald ash borer
Dear Jaseun,
Do a Google search on the net & you'll find the Emerald Ash Borer is a REAL threat to anywhere there are ash trees. These little insects, on their own, can’t travel far but epidemics of their infestation are showing up all over because of the transport of infected ash wood. Officials know that the banning of brought in firewood won't stop the borer but it will slow it down until they can find a less expensive way to eliminate it.
I can remember when there were millions of Elm trees and now there are virtually none so a little cost now isn't something we should complain about.
Dave
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dbates
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08/30/08 09:12am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: camp grounds in Grand Canyon
We were there in early July 2006. Trailer Village was full up & said we should have had reservations. We camped at GrandCanyon Camper Village just south of the park. It had plenty of room & good faculties.
Dave
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dbates
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08/29/08 08:56pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Navigating on thisForum
“Next” & or “Prev.” has always been available at both and top & bottom of a page if there are additional pages. It’s right below “Page # of #”. I've never had to scroll up for additional pages.
Dave
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dbates
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08/29/08 02:35pm |
Forum Technical Support
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RE: surge protector installation
Installation is easy unless your bay is real small. I did the same as "hershey" with a 30 amp hardwired Progressive unit. The bay was right under the galley so I was able to run the monitor line through the floor under the cabinets then mounted the monitor above a drawer facing the exterior door (if I could have afforded it I would have gotten 2 monitors & mounted the 2nd one in the bay but I couldn’t & didn’t.)
I did use a plug between the unit and the MH so that I could unplug it if I ever had a problem with it.
Dave
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dbates
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08/29/08 02:25pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Problem Filling Fresh Water Tank
I had the same problem & found that the manufacturer had tightened a nylon tie too tight around the air vent tube & collapsed it. I replaced that section of tubing with copper pipe and now I don't have a problem.
Dave
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dbates
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08/28/08 10:24pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: surge protector
Do you carry collision insurance? A good surge protector is just like insurance. You may never need it but if you do you'll be glad you have it. Progressive & SurgeGuard not only protects you from surges but will protect you from all pedestal wiring problems like high/low voltage, high/low Hz, reverse polarity, open ground/neutral, etc. which are more common than surges.
Yes, they are a little expensive but so are insurance, replacing a TV, AC or refrigerator.
Click HERE for a comparison chart created by a Progressive supplier (but is very accurate).
Click HERE for a supplier that market both Progressive & SurgeGuard but if you decided to get one shop around for the best deal.
Dave
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dbates
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08/28/08 10:17pm |
Tech Issues
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