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RE: Camping at 27 degrees.
At night we turn our furnace down to the lowest setting. That is 52 degrees with an old school honeywell thermostat (non-digital). If you are camping with electric hookups, turn on a couple of electric heaters. Our 17' camper only needed one heater and it stayed nice and warm. Our furnace never turned on.
In my experience, THIS is where one has to be careful with electric heaters being used on the inside and wanting to use the propane furnace to keep the water from freezing.
Obviously, the thermostat for the furnace is inside the RV. If you keep the RV warm with the electric heaters, it most likely won't get cold enough inside to cause the propane heater to light. Not a problem if you're not counting on the furnace to help keep the water bays warm. But if you are, that heat won't be happening, and the water lines might freeze because of that.
There are a couple of solutions.
One is to fire up the furnace every once in a while by cranking its thermostat up to 75 or 80, or whatever it takes to get the furnace to kick in. That will get some heat down into the bays.
The second plan is my usual if I have electrical hookups. What I usually do is put a small 150W electric heater in the water pump bay and that's usually good for our rig down to the high teens, again, assuming it's over 32 during the day for several hours. If it is below freezing all day, then the heaters will get a workout. It also helps if the rig is in the sun and not in shade. IF the temps are forecast to drop mid-teens and below, I up the heater in the water pump bay to a 600W heater and put another 600W heater in the back bay next to our water tank to keep the water in the tank and the lines running to the front of the RV from freezing. This setup will keep things working down to about evening lows about 0. Yes...it uses a lot of electricity, but it does keep the rig usable. Plus, we always keep a couple of 2 liter bottles of water inside in case a water line does freeze, so we can flush the toilet and do some washing.
I guess the bottom line is that every rig IS different, so you have to figure out what one needs to do to keep their rigs functional in those cold temps.
I'm hoping that in the NEAR future, my THIRD solution will be to head south in November and not return until up north April! LOL Ahhhh....retirement! :)
~Rick
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Rick Jay
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11/10/22 05:15pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Camping at 27 degrees.
We have ducted heat,2 furnaces,with supposed basement heat so say's owners manual. I am going to disconnect from shore water and just use fresh tank,keep heat on 70,leave luggage lights on (1156) in wet storage,leave gray water open as always & empty black then shut and add antifreeze.Should that be good enough ?
My $0.02 is that will work, but it's WAY overkill. I'm basing my advice on what I do with our 36' Class A. You'll waste a ton of propane keeping the inside at 70*F. If you have electricity and electric heat as an option, I would use that, and only to keep it comfortable in your bedroom and bathroom overnight. During the day, you can put the furnace on to take the chill off, then use electric heaters during the day.
Disconnecting from shore water is a good idea. The fresh water tank will take A LONG time to freeze and won't do it at all at the temps you mentioned.
The 1156 luggage light bulbs do not put out enough heat to make any difference. IF you were going to be in colder temps (25*F or lower for 8 hours or more) I'd recommend a small 150W portable electric heater to put in the bay with the water pump. That'll keep things flowing down into the low 20's, and probably into the high to mid teens.
I NEVER leave my gray tank open. I think that's a bad practice as your rig now becomes a sewer vent for the campground septic/sewer system. But in cold weather, the gray water that flows into the drain hose will freeze. Plastic gets brittle as it is in cold temps, let alone having ice in it. If you go to move it with ice in it, you probably run a high risk of the hose cracking. Like someone else said, keep the drain hose in a bin, protected from the elements and ice.
I'd only dump the gray or black tanks when they need it. Let them fill until it's convenient to dump them. Convenient based upon your schedule and above freezing weather. The MORE liquid you have in the tank, the LONGER it will take to freeze the liquid in them at any given temperature.
Antifreeze won't be needed at all. UNLESS you're talking about winterizing the rig at the end of the camping trip. But I wouldn't add it in until you put the RV to bed for the winter. If you put the antifreeze in the traps before you leave, it might slosh out of the P-traps while you travel.
We've camped in our rig down into the single digits. For that, we went through about 20 lbs. of propane in less than 24 hours AND we used 3 electric heaters, 2 inside and 2 small (150W) outside (one in the bay with the water pump, one in a bay near the water tank). We were nice and cozy, the kids were comfy. The water kept flowing. But that was COLD for us, though I know there are those on here that have braved even lower temps.
Have fun & Good Luck,
~Rick
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Rick Jay
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11/09/22 04:44pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Cargo trailers to tow behind an RV
Hi,
As dedmiston asked, Are you planning to keep the Sprinter?
If so, the first thing you need to do is to determine the true towing capacity of your Sprinter RV. I don't know much about the specifications of the various Sprinter chassis', but I do understand that different years/models/manufacturers will have different tow capacities.
Once you know the towing limits, you can then see if there's even an option to tow a trailer with all of the stuff you want to put into it.
Good Luck,
~Rick
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Rick Jay
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10/30/22 12:46pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Propane feed question
Ronnyjoe50,
Glad to hear you found the issue and thanks for posting the problem & solution.
I have a question, though. You said that there was supposed to be a Barbecue connection on your motorhome but you couldn't find it. And in your first post you said about the manifold "...which then threads into the top of manifold & then 4 lines coming out to provide propane to appliances."
So my question is, what propane appliances are in/on your motorhome? For the manifold connections I'm thinking 1 for the refrigerator, 1 for the furnace and 1 for the range/oven. What is the fourth appliance? :) So...what am I missing? :h
ON EDIT: DOH!!!! :S The water heater. I need to get another cup of coffee! LOL
~Rick
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Rick Jay
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10/25/22 09:16am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: You tube Fulltimers getting squeezed
LMHS,
Thanks for sharing your experience & insight. It sounds like yours is beautifully personalized. :) In your case, you obviously knew what you were doing and used proper and safe construction techniques. Unfortunately, my niece's daughter and her boyfriend have literally no experience with construction or home maintenance at all. They're at the mercy of fellow "skoolie's" to guide them in the right direction. I guess time will tell.
I hadn't even thought about the titling and insurance, but those are two big issues for sure.
Thanks again,
~Rick
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Rick Jay
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10/17/22 08:20am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: You tube Fulltimers getting squeezed
My niece's daughter just got into the whole "Skoolie" thing. She and her boyfriend think they're going to save money over paying rent. They bought a good sized school bus and now they're fixing it up. Problem is, they're in Massachusetts. (Well...that's a problem for A LOT of reasons, but I'll stick to the weather related ones for now! LOL) Yup, winter is coming. There are very few campgrounds that are open during the winter, there are some cities & towns which don't even allow you to keep an RV on your property and many more that won't allow you to live in such a vehicle. I've winter camped in our RV several times. And our rig has dual pane windows and OK insulation. Their bus has neither. I can tell you it took A LOT of propane and electricity to keep the interior livable and water flowing, especially as the temps dipped into the single. Sadly, I suspect they are destined to be another couple who pumped gobs of money into such a project with grandiose dreams only to lose it all in the end. I hope not, for their sake. I guess time will tell.
I believe another reason it's so easy to sway today's youngster into ideas of this type is that the vast majority of students who graduate from high school in the U.S. have never taken a home economics course of any type. They don't have a clue of how to budget properly, how to prepare for the proverbial "rainy day", or even how to save so they're not living paycheck to paycheck. None of that is taught.
It makes them very vulnerable to the sales tactics of "It only costs you $xx dollars per month. You can afford another $xx dollars/month, can't you?" That's the way everything is sold now, with the final cost barely mentioned.
I'm not making excuses for them, but it is easy to see why it's not too hard to sway these youngsters into shaky deals.
As an aside, I went to this website: Finished Skoolies for Sale and can't believe the asking prices for most of the units for sale. In my opinion, they're not very attractive and even the cheapest of commercial RVs look better. I think many of them look like excursion buses you'd see in some South African nature show. LOL Regardless of how nice you make it look on the inside, from the outside, it looks like a school bus! Obviously, there's more to it than just looks. But still...if you buy one of these conversions, you have NO IDEA how anything was wired, plumbed, constructed and if it was done with any regards at all to safety. Let alone the engine and drivetrain components. It's just a wild shot in the dark.
Well, hopefully this will be a short-lived fad as folks realize that this is NOT a cheaper way to live for the vast majority of us.
~Rick
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Rick Jay
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10/15/22 04:56pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Early Television
As a young child, I remember the "Test Pattern" posted on the first page of this thread. But I didn't know what it actually was about, being only 4 or 5 years old. I had forgotten all about it, until I read this thread.
I found this link that explains the meaning behind the patterns & information.
Interesting that this pattern could be used to adjust TV operation.
~Rick
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Rick Jay
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10/07/22 10:06pm |
Around the Campfire
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RE: 2004 Forest River Georgetown - questions
grey2112,
Have you seen the rig yet? I don't know why but every time I see or hear "bought at an auction" I tend to be more skeptical of the vehicle. It's probably just me, but I guess I just think that if it was as good as they said it was, it wouldn't have had to be sold at an auction. But, I guess there are some reasons why it could be that are valid.
One minor correction, the chassis is an F53, not an F550.
Is this your first Class A RV?
Our rig is about the same age and our roof is in pretty good shape. BUT I have kept after it and have used eternabond tape on many of the roof penetrations and self-leveling sealant on the others. I wash it once a year. Proper roof condition would be a top priority and any evidence of leaks should raise a red flag or two. If the leak was tended to promptly, not so bad. But if not, be very cautious.
How many hours on the generator? Generators usually need regular use to keep the carb from gumming up, so low hours on a generator might signal that there could be potential issues in that area.
I don't know exactly what "updated interior" means specifically. We haven't done much to ours other than replace the old CRT TVs with larger LCD screens, and replace the refrigerator with a regular 120V household unit. But if a lot of renovations such as carpeting, upholstery, new ceiling, etc. were done, I'd be a bit cautious about that as well. Perhaps it's an attempt to hide something.
Repair to slideouts and/or leveling jack problems can ring up some big repair bills, so make sure they work properly.
Awnings can be replaced, but best if they were already in good shape. At that age, the main awning will probably need to be replaced, if it hasn't been already. If it has awnings over the slides, those, too, will probably be in need of replacement soon. We've replaced our slide-out awnings once already and will probably have to do it again next year. They get a lot more exposure to the weather than the main awning, which we rarely use.
Hope this helps.
Good Luck,
~Rick
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Rick Jay
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10/05/22 09:02am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Thinking about investing in Crypto currency?
In my experience, it's not investing, it's gambling.
If it's money you wouldn't mind losing on the casino floor, then have at it.
Personally, I think it's seen it's day. It really has no value, and the number of folks who are willingly suckered in to buy yours at a higher price than you paid for it are dwindling. Of course, there are always new shills and suckers, and the pump and dump process continues, but unless you're feeling lucky, don't expect much.
What gets me is on the bitcoin/crypto sites, they always show a gold coin with the bitcoin logo on it. Bitcoin has no relation to physical gold in anyway, yet they keep pushing the narrative that its "digital gold". No, its little pieces of NOTHING. Gold has been valuable for thousands of years and will be forever. Bitcoin will ultimately return to it's true value: zero. Remember, the first reported purchase made with bitcoin was two pizzas, valued at $25 for 10,000 bitcoin....making 1 bitcoin worth about 1/4 cent. It will return to that value before it disappears.
The other thing is not to confuse bitcoin/crypto with blockchain technology. Blockchain technology will most likely survive and be at the heart of whatever digital currencies finally manifest themselves. But the cryptos as we know them now will go away.
If you're not the gambling type, I'd find other places for your money.
~Rick
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Rick Jay
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09/27/22 07:44am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Alcohol Detection Systems in All New Vehicles
So in the link is this statement: "Meanwhile, a pickup truck — occupied by a driver and seven passengers, ranging in age from 6 to 15 years old — was traveling north on State Route 33."
A pickup truck with 8 people in it? Perhaps the problem here is operator error? I'm not up on all aspects of pick-up trucks, but I thought their maximum capacity is either 5 or 6, depending upon the front seat. How do you get 7 passengers, and several of those were most likely supposed to be in booster seats at the younger end of the age range. Nowhere in the NTSA article is it mentioned that the pickup truck was overloaded and that the operator/driver of the pickup was negligent in ways, as well.
On a related link was this: "Although the postcrash toxicology tests that were conducted at the request of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) detected evidence of cannabis use, the NTSB was unable to determine whether the effects of cannabis use contributed to the driver’s impairment." So...drunk AND high! The driver was a moron!
Plus, excessive speed was the real cause of this accident, and that could've happened with a perfectly sober, albeit stupid, driver. Geeze!
As someone else pointed out, we need an "idiot detector" before these foolish things are added to our vehicles. It's bad enough that now when we get new tires, we have to have the air pressure sensors checked/replaced or new batteries added. All an additional expense. And for what? Because a certain segment of society chose to drive their high center-of-gravity SUVs and not check their tire pressure regularly. THEIR FAULT, not ours. Yet we ALL pay for it now.
~Rick
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Rick Jay
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09/26/22 11:22am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Rear Fiberglass Cap Damage
TechWrite,
Wow, great start!!! It looks really good. I think I would've been tempted to just replace the ladder, but your repair is probably stronger than a new ladder would be! ;)
~Rick
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Rick Jay
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09/25/22 11:11am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: How many folks just want to gripe about EVs?
It's in our best interest for people to buy EVs...
I really have to disagree with this statement. From beginning to end of the entire process, there is no clear "best" between EVs and ICE vehicles. As a daily work commuting vehicle, sure, an EV might possibly be a good solution. But for those who routinely have to travel further than the allowed range? Not so much. Or travel with young kids who'd have to deal with the recharging breaks on a vacation trip? Or hauling heavy loads, like our RVs? These things aren't ready to handle those challenges.
Sure, overtime the technology will allow this and folks will then naturally move in that direction.
As I said in my previous post, we SHOULD BE pushing PLUG-IN HYBRID vehicles now. It's a sensible compromise that has the best of both worlds. EV use for short, local trips. Gas engine hybrid use for long trips which will make use of a refueling infrastructure which is already in place. Should you come home from work and you don't have any electricity to charge due to storms, or such, no problem, you can still get to work the next day on the gas engine. They're a sensible compromise. Smaller batteries, less charging required, they can cover the round-trip range most commuters need going to work and back. But if something happens and there's not enough charge? No sweat, the gas engine will get you to wherever you need to go.
To the best of my knowledge, there is not an electric vehicle made that would replace the convenience of our Honda Odyssey minivan on a long trip. And I don't see one becoming available for 5-10 years, so no EV for us any time soon. But a plug-in hybrid minivan, should Honda decide to incorporate that into their offerings, would definitely get my attention.
~Rick
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Rick Jay
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09/17/22 12:10pm |
Around the Campfire
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RE: OBD Port F53
Best way to find it is to take a good dose of Advil....
I loved this advice. I, too, have reached the point in life where taking a "dose of (insert favorite pain reliever here)" is the first step of many things I now do around the house and the vehicles. LOL
GREAT ADVICE!!!! :)
~Rick
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Rick Jay
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09/17/22 11:55am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: How many folks just want to gripe about EVs?
Tax incentives encourage all sorts of stuff including home mortgages and having kids.
I had to chuckle at this. It is an entirely correct statement, of course. But anyone who could be persuaded or convinced to have a child (or another child) for the sole purpose of tax benefits, in my opinion, would easily be swayed by the "savings" arguments to purchase an EV. LOL :)
There is A LOT more to most things than tax liability. ;) According to this post it costs over $300,000 to raise a child through age 17. KHN Morning Breakout - Cost to Raise a Child in 2022.
~Rick
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Rick Jay
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09/17/22 09:59am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: How many folks just want to gripe about EVs?
Sure, I'll jump on this bandwagon.
I think EV's are being pushed upon us and forcing technology upon us that will be outdated and very expensive to repair for those of us who keep our vehicles for a long time.
Do I think that eventually that will be the way vehicles are powered? Most likely, unless something better comes along. But we're forcing the technology, creating powertrains and batteries that will be obsolete before the useful life of the vehicle has been reached, and ultimately will just add to the ever increasing landfill piles.
I think Plug-In HYBRID vehicles should be what is pushed now and probably for the next 10+ years to give the EVs a chance to develop an infrastructure AND to allow the electrical grid time to expand and grow to fill the demand for widespread use of EVs. The batteries are MUCH smaller so each plug-in hybrid battery made is much less damaging to the planet. Or, put another way, more than a half a dozen plug-in hybrid batteries could be made using the resources for just one EV.
A plug-in hybrid has an effectively an unlimited range, except for fuel stops. Long distance travel can be done with little change to our current life style. Short distance travel such as typical work commutes, can make use of the batteries for the first 40-60 miles, which is well within the average work commute. If you need to run extra errands that day, the gas engine will get you where you need to go. The distribution network for gasoline is already in place, so we don't have to search high and low for charging stations.
I can't imagine having an EV minivan loaded up with the kids, heading out on vacation, and having to stop for potentially a few hours to recharge. And the EVs I've researched would could carry such a family are in the $80k+ range. A good gas powered minivan is in the $40-50K range, and plug-in hybrid hardware would only add a few thousand dollars to that platform. MUCH more economical, affordable and practical for middle-class families.
Like I said, I think EVs WILL be the way we travel in the coming decades. But I don't like seeing "bleeding edge" technology forced upon the population, especially when it doesn't make good sense, given all of the issues. It effectively becomes a burdensome tax upon the lower and middle class citizens.
For the time being, I would like to see the plug-in hybrids be the technology which is developed. In my opinion, it's a sensible compromise. :)
~Rick
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Rick Jay
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09/16/22 08:33am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: RV AC condenser w/integral oil cooler
Well, it definitely looked like it needed to be cleaned. Nice job! :)
By any chance, do you know if that was the original radiator? If so, I'd probably be tempted to change it out as well. I always beat myself up making these type of decisions when repairing things. It would just be my luck to get everything back together and a month later the radiator would start leaking!
I've found that by doing the work myself (free labor), that it's sometimes better to change certain items while it's easy to do so. Maybe this radiator isn't that hard to get to, but some are. And I guess it depends upon the price of a replacement.
But cleaning it you should've gotten a good look at it, so hopefully it's still sound and has some good years left on it.
Anyway, good job cleaning things up. Hopefully the cleaning along with your new bug screen system will help keep the rig cool for years to come! :)
~Rick
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Rick Jay
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09/11/22 11:17am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Front grill filter
udidwht,
I think I'm going to have to side with the folks that think this might create a worse problem due to excessive heat. As wolfe10 mentioned, take a piece of that material (I'd think 1' x 1' would be enough) and while someone else is driving, you hold onto it with both hands and stick it out the window at highway speed. The air rushing toward that material will see that material almost like a wall, a higher pressure area will be created in front of it, and incoming air will be deflected around the material by that higher pressure. The same will happen in front of your radiator and you'll be limiting the amount of fresh, cooler air, getting to your engine. Vehicle manufacturers usually spend a lot of time making sure that proper air flow exists under a wide variety of environments. Remember that fluid flow is from high pressure to low pressure. A high pressure area in front of that material will cause the air flow to find a lower pressure route.
As others have said, carefully monitor your temps. Even if things are just running moderately hotter, higher operating temps tend to shorten the life of lubricating fluids, transmission fluid especially, so you might wish to shorten those change intervals.
The material you purchased is used in an application where there is a low pressure area created behind the filter by the circulation fan in the A/C. It is also (usually) contained in a rigid frame so air must flow through it, and it is not exposed to the elements (moisture especially). The air is drawn in THROUGH the filter. The air filter in your engine operates the same way, the low pressure inside the intake manifold (due to the intake strokes of the pistons) draws air through the air filter with atmospheric pressure on the outside creating the pressure differential.
One other thing I thought about...you said you held it in place with zip ties. LOL...I'm a "zip tie guy" myself. But that foam material isn't that strong. If the material rips free, can it get "sucked in" to the radiator or go underneath and get wrapped around the fans and belts? Just a thought. I could be way off base with that, but figured I'd mention it.
Oh...just had another thought...what about in the rain? That material will get heavier and stress those zip tie connections even more, while further limiting air flow.
Personally, I'd think you'd be better off with hardware cloth (actually wire mesh). I think the size they recommend for "rock catchers" is 1/2" x 1/2" holes. It might not catch everything you want it to, but it should help and will pass a lot more air. Until/if it becomes clogged.
Hey...it's your rig. Maybe it'll work and won't cause you any problems. We'll keep our fingers crossed for ya'! :)
Good Luck,
~Rick
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Rick Jay
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09/10/22 11:41am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 2020 Equinox Charging Battery While Towing
I'm puzzled how the rear wiper, which isn't running, has a draw of 6 amps? How the heck much does it draw when it's operational? LOL
ON EDIT: I just found this which might explain the issue. Apparently the rear wiper might not "park" in the proper position when shutting off and attempts to correct itself continually, whether the wiper control is on or off.
Parasitic Draw on Equinox
~Rick
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Rick Jay
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09/09/22 06:36pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Slideout stuck in half way position
Situation has been resolved,
The slide is apparently wired to the engine/chassis battery getting a full charge on the a battery has allowed it to work normal and be pulled in, it's now weather safe , for the coming rain tonight
Great news! Thanks for posting the update! I hope you're safe from the impending storm.
~Rick
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Rick Jay
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09/09/22 11:16am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Slideout stuck in half way position
MrWizard,
I'm sure you checked this, but I didn't see it specifically mentioned in your post....
Are you sure there's sufficient hydraulic fluid in the system? If you checked it before you moved the slide, check it again with the slide mid-deployed.
Sorry, I don't mean to annoy if you've already checked that, but in troubleshooting, it's always important to start from the beginning.
Good Luck, and I hope you're able to get this resolved quickly.
~Rick
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Rick Jay
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09/09/22 07:28am |
Class A Motorhomes
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