The dealer was kind enough to winterize the rig when we picked it up for free. They must have put 10 gallons of that foul tasting stuff in the tank. Getting rid of all the taste has been a real pain.
From my sailboat I know better than winterize this way. The RV needs a valve and a siphon hose just before the pump. Drain water heater and tanks. Turn valve, put siphon host into antifreeze bottle and send to fixtures. Done.
I'll add the siphon hose in the lines that have the filter in the water heater compartment.
Friday, April 27, 2018
Toilet lid won't stay up--Fixed.
Boy this seems pretty dumb. You lift the lid and it falls back down before you can sit. If I had not seen others complain about this I would believe it was just an error in our Van.
After thinking long and hard about magnets, latches, or some other solution, I finally just grabbed the toilet and twisted it about 10 degrees counter clockwise. No tools required!
Now the lid stays up.
After thinking long and hard about magnets, latches, or some other solution, I finally just grabbed the toilet and twisted it about 10 degrees counter clockwise. No tools required!
Now the lid stays up.
Backup Camera
I got a backup camera from amazon. Pulling the wires through the van was a pain. But it is nice to have now. I powered it from the van cigarette lighter so it is always on--a virtual rear view mirror.
I learned how to remove the radio and dash. Two u shaped pieces of coat hanger suffice to pop the radio out. Then just remove screws to pull the pocket above radio and or clipboard above. The cupholder panel is held in with screws and four very strong clips. So once the screws are out pull hard!
Below is a view of the cupholder panel removed to install the backup camera controller. Lots of room back there to put stuff.
I learned how to remove the radio and dash. Two u shaped pieces of coat hanger suffice to pop the radio out. Then just remove screws to pull the pocket above radio and or clipboard above. The cupholder panel is held in with screws and four very strong clips. So once the screws are out pull hard!
Below is a view of the cupholder panel removed to install the backup camera controller. Lots of room back there to put stuff.
Bike rack
A bike rack was a must for us. I wanted a tray type that did not require a trailer hitch to be installed. In my opinion a trailer hitch works badly for bicycles since the single point of attachment bounces around and blocks the back doors. Also you end up with a lot of weight, which the RT really does not need.
So we spent the $$ to get the Fiamma rack.
It was easy to install and is working very well. Doors open easily.
One not unexpected problem is bikes collect dust and crud on dusty roads or when it is raining. I would like to cover them, but that is a different project.
I did move the rack to the lower position (there are two) to make loading and unloading easier, to keep them away from the backup camera, and to eliminate the hitting of my head.
So we spent the $$ to get the Fiamma rack.
It was easy to install and is working very well. Doors open easily.
One not unexpected problem is bikes collect dust and crud on dusty roads or when it is raining. I would like to cover them, but that is a different project.
I did move the rack to the lower position (there are two) to make loading and unloading easier, to keep them away from the backup camera, and to eliminate the hitting of my head.
Trunk - outside storage
Since we do not have a spare tire, I made a trunk to keep outside stuff like the shore power cord, hoses, lawn chairs.
I used a 1/4" HDPE panel. It can be bent if you heat it up with a heat gun.
It works pretty well although some dust gets inside--I will have to seal it better at some point.
I used a 1/4" HDPE panel. It can be bent if you heat it up with a heat gun.
It works pretty well although some dust gets inside--I will have to seal it better at some point.
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Furnace failures
We have had the furnace lock out a couple of times while running it overnight in colder temps. I am pretty sure it locks up when the voltage is low. Every time the refrigerator cycles on there is a voltage sag at the meter. Not sure if the solution is better wiring, a second battery (only one 100 amp currently), or a less sensitive pcb on the furnace.
If it is so cold that we need the furnace on at night I'll turn off the fridge for now. Normally we don't need the furnace after we get in bed.
I did install a new thermostat for $14, which we like a lot. Analog is so much nicer than the digital one. We can reach it while in bed and just slide the lever Yay!
If it is so cold that we need the furnace on at night I'll turn off the fridge for now. Normally we don't need the furnace after we get in bed.
I did install a new thermostat for $14, which we like a lot. Analog is so much nicer than the digital one. We can reach it while in bed and just slide the lever Yay!
Filling the water tank--Fixed
Filling the water tank was an annoying chore. Using the provided fill tube I could only put in water at a slow pace or it would flow back out and down to the ground.
I removed the upper tank shroud behind the drivers seat to see what was going on. There was an air breather tube, but also a right angle bend that was causing the trouble.
So I bought a 90° elbow for the fill tube and sawed it off flush. Voila! Problem solved.
I removed the upper tank shroud behind the drivers seat to see what was going on. There was an air breather tube, but also a right angle bend that was causing the trouble.
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