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RE: Norcold has New Recall
After 2 new Amish cooling units and replacing just about everything else that could be replaced, we now enjoy a Kitchen Aid 2 door 21 cu.ft. One caution though, I have to be very careful with the temp settings or my ice cream is just too hard to serve.
Should have done it when these clowns first started the drill. I will NEVER, NEVER, EVER have another Norcold Fridge.
John
Well, this all just fine if you have shore power on all the time. Like for me it would work because we belong to private preserves where we have shore power all the time, BUT! what would concern me on a residential refrigerator is when you dry camp out with no shore power. I have four six volt house batteries and a 3000 watt inverter. Wouldn't that type of refrigerator run my batteries down overnight? Or on long drives with the inverter running, would the batteries drain down or would I have to keep an eye on the Heart interface panel and start the generator every so often.I understand your concerns, but I think you're being a bit pessimistic. We found with 6 6V bats, we lose about .2 (2 tenths) volt on the bank overnight. That goes to .3 or .4V with the heat on all night. We did find a considerable electrical overhead on the main 3000w inverter, even when we shut down everything we could think of. To remedy this, we put in a dedicated inverter just for the fridge, and run it with the house inverter shut down whenever we can. We boondock a lot, for a week or longer, and find we needed the generator for about 45 minutes AM & PM, and this is with an hour or two TV and checking email and doing about an hour on Hughes Net Internet. We are in the process of adding three 140W solar panels to the 120W panel we already have on the roof. As to how the rig charges when running, we've found all batteries are fully charged (at FLOAT) after an 8 hour run. This is when starting at 12.3 or 12.4 in the morning. Of course this will all depend on how electric conscious you are when operating your rig. We all live differently and you need to fine tune your system to how you live.
John
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JUrban
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03/14/12 09:31am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Norcold has New Recall
First Amish unit I did myself and it went for about 6-7 months. Then refrig side temps started climbing and wouldn't hold below 50 then 55 then 60. Freezer was OK, at +5 to + 15. The second Amish unit (replaced under warranty was replaced in Tucson by a refrigeration professional (in case I was the problem). It lasted from March to September when we were on the way down from Alaska. Then temps got to 70, but the freezer stayed below 32. That was all she wrote. As I said, I replaced thermistors, boards, plugs, rebuilt the compartment EXACTLY to size specs, added fans, and on and on and on.
We removed the driver side window and the doors on the KitchenAid and it went right in. Had to pull the driver seat, but that was only 4 bolts. DW and I did the work alone. We're both 70. Lifted it from the roof trusses in the barn with a deer lift, and slid it in on 2x4's. I had to rebuild the compartment to fit to the right size, but that was just carpentry. We did do a LOT of measuring of the hole we had to put it into before we bought that unit, and also the window size. We did add 2 additional batteries. A good project. Took about 2 weeks once I had all the parts and pieces.
John
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JUrban
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03/13/12 08:55pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Norcold has New Recall
After 2 new Amish cooling units and replacing just about everything else that could be replaced, we now enjoy a Kitchen Aid 2 door 21 cu.ft. One caution though, I have to be very careful with the temp settings or my ice cream is just too hard to serve.
Should have done it when these clowns first started the drill. I will NEVER, NEVER, EVER have another Norcold Fridge.
John
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JUrban
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03/13/12 05:10pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Fairbanks rv parks
Santaland campground, closed as the end of the 2010 season. Last summer part of it was being used as a flea market/farmer's market.
Here is the closing announcment for Santaland. http://www.santalandrv.com/
I was not aware of this.
Thanks for your info joe b.Yep. We were there last summer and it was closed. Other places available though, but some can be a bit pricy for what you get.
John
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JUrban
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03/13/12 05:00pm |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Water heater adjustment
All a trade off. Hotter water uses more gas to get it there and keep it there. Cooler means shorter showers and greasy dishes if it was used too recently. Try all three settings and pick one that works for how you live on the road. TANSTAAFL(there ain't no such thing as a free lunch)
John
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JUrban
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03/11/12 07:37pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Flying J / Pilot RV Plus Card
I'm sorry, but Pilot has been screwed up since the day they purchased Flying J. It took me over a year and 2 trips across the country to get an RV fueling card, and their prices have risen to the point where they are the highest around, instead of one of the lowest.
A mistake like this should NEVER EVER be allowed to happen.
Just one more of a long line. I can run up to the maximum charge amount allowed on their highly touted card in 5 days of driving or less. I guess I just need to park it until the end of the month, or figure out how to keep transferring funds into my account multiple times a month. Yeah, that's a bright idea. Sure to make me a lot of friends at my bank too.
John
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JUrban
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03/10/12 07:21pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Air Brakes Won't Release
When was the last time you had the drums off and lubed the brake rub points and "S" cams? Meritor recommends each 6 months, which in my opinion is way too often. I do my own maintenance and do the cleanup and re-lube every 2 years. We run between 10 and 25,000 miles a year. The wheels and drums need to be pulled, the cams, the roll pins and the rub points need to be cleaned and re -lubed with a special high temp brake lube. NAPA has a special brake lube that's purple and it works well.
No doubt you had a rust issue, but keeping the rest of the parts correctly lubed goes a long way to keeping the brakes from binding up when left engaged for a long time.
John
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JUrban
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03/07/12 04:18pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: leaving in a month or so for Alaska Which Route?
You mare starting quite early. Last year CG water in Tok didn't thaw until around the last week in May-early June. I'd expect to see very few parks fully open on your way up, and limited water/dump sites available. Lakes will still have ice on them and it will be quite chilly at night. We've been up 7 times and will go again in 2013, and early June would be the earliest I'd get to Tok.
John
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JUrban
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03/06/12 02:49pm |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Recommendations for upgraded fire extinguishers
This topic comes up periodically, and I try to respond with my own experience when it does. The following is a post I made on 10/25/2011 and I believe it is still true. That post addressed the extinguisher supplied with the RV that is found adjacent to an outside door.
This is that posting: "Sorry, but I don't think the extinguisher furnished is a joke, or that one should simply stand back and let-'er-burn. As a matter of fact, it saved my rig in January (2011). I had a T-shirt I used to check fluids tucked away in the rear engine compartment, and coming west out of San Antonio in January, the rag worked loose and fell down on the hot exhaust pipe just inside the rear cap. I saw the resultant fire in the rear view camera and pulled over immediately. By the time I got to the rear of the rig, there were flames 3' high from the exhaust area both inside and outside the rear cap. I ran forward and got the "joke", hit the flames with it and they immediately extinguished. Result: No wires burned, no major RV fire, and the paint WASN'T EVEN DISCOLORED. You can bet I got the extinguisher recharged at the next stop, even though I had 2 additional extinguishers in the rig. Did learn a valuable lesson though. DON'T KEEP LOOSE OILY RAGS IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. Even after you get one (or more extinguishers), make sure you check it regularly. Pressure should be in the green, pin in and safetied with the correct seal, and the powder inside agitated. Shaking or turning the extinguisher over and hitting it with a rubber hammer or piece of wood will keep the powder loose and flowing when you need it. Commercial establishments need to do and document this check monthly, so it's just a good thing to do. If you have any question on how to check it, take it to the nearest fire department and they'll show you how to do it. I keep two additional 5ABC's and one 10lb CO2. The choice is yours, but they work when taken care of and used."
As I said in that post, whatever extinguishers you have, THEY NEED MONTHLY ATTENTION. Do it and you have a good chance of taking care of a critical problem. Even the small ones in the rig work, and work well when they are taken care of.
John
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JUrban
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03/05/12 04:59pm |
Beginning RVing
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RE: Death Valley gas prices
It was well over $5.00 at Furnace Creek when I was there 3 weeks ago. Sorry I don't remember the exact figure, but we'd fueled before arrival and didn't need to when on site. Gas Buddy has no listing.
John
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JUrban
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03/05/12 04:31pm |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: flag poles
Lots of these available. Just pick one you like, but be careful when you use it. We had a cat at a NASCAR race a while ago who put his pole up under a high voltage line. The pole didn't come in contact with the wires, just somewhat close. Result: One crispy critter and a few others badly burned. I knew the EMT's who responded. Not at all nice. Just be careful.
John
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JUrban
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03/02/12 08:34pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Gas/diesel prices getting scary...
It ain't just camping and RVing. Just wait till you see the food prices in a few months. They need this high price fuel to grow and/or transport it too. Hold on to your sox, baby. They've got an inbound for ya'.
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JUrban
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02/26/12 10:19am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Refrigerator not working properly
I had the same problem a while back. After changing just about everything on the fridge without any permanent resolution (including 2 Amish cooling units), I put a Kitchen Aid 2 door household refrigerator in and couldn't be more pleased. NO ONE really understands the problems these 12 cu ft units experience, and they therefore cannot fix them. Do what you have to do, but problems like this can be a real money pit. Just be aware. There are not too many new coaches using these units any longer, with good reason.
John
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JUrban
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02/24/12 10:45pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Pole Barns for storage
I made mine 28 x 52, with a 14 x 14 door, 18 ft ceiling. I can walk on roof, do any maintence necessary, open all slides and awning. During winter time, I am able to store my parents do inside also. Go as big as possibleAbsolutely!! We use the equipment building on the farm. 42X96 with 14' high doors and 4 bays on the long side. Could have been bigger, though. Unless I put a coach longer than 40' in catty-corner, I'm limited to a 40' coach. Bummer!!! Make it as big as you can and you won't be sorry.
John
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JUrban
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02/24/12 10:36pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Internet when bonndocking
" but don't expect that to work in the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix".
We've been to Lost Dutchman State Park, (Apache Junction), twice in the last month which is the Superstition Mountains and the Verizon Cell/Internet signal was five bars, no problem whatsoever.Lost Dutchman is just about in town. Try it at Tortilla Flat and see how well it works.
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JUrban
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02/24/12 10:23pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Internet when bonndocking
Depending on WHERE you "boondock" you will not have any Internet by any conventional means. There are ZERO companies that have a great data service area in the deep back country.You really need to say where you are going to be going to get a reasonable answer. We boondock at MANY places in the US and Alaska that have absolutely NO cell service, so we've chosen and use a Hughes Net rig with a large dish. If you're going to be in the east or only at developed campgrounds, something that ties to a cell phone company is fine, but don't expect that to work in southwest Texas, Stovepipe Wells, Death Valley, or the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix. North Dakota, Montana, and Idaho can have lots of thin areas for coverage too. WIFI in a CG is often impossible to use due to internal system problems, or bandwidth hogs playing games and watching movies.
First figure where you'd like the coverage, then check out what's available there.
John
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JUrban
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02/24/12 01:39pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: going to quartzsite from north idaho
I just drove it a week ago. Great run and smooth road. All the construction from former times was complete. Watch closely, or you'll be across the bridge before you realize it.
John
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JUrban
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02/21/12 05:42pm |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Life of a tow bar?
When my Blue Ox get's around 70,000 tow miles, I replace it. I've had problems with the bolted together joints elongating the holes. They definitely could use stronger, tougher materials for these joining pieces. This is particularly true where the toad hook up knuckles join the bar, and on the Aventa II where the arms join the tow bar. I've had some success with shimming these joints, but as I said, Blue Ox materials quality in these areas is poor in my estimation. The Aventa™ LX has the ball joint and we find it needs annual attention to keep the joint tight enough. I've towed over 200,000 miles over the last 10 years, but they seem to be getting worse rather than better. I'll be ready to try some other brand in a year or two.
John
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JUrban
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02/15/12 03:57pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Wal-Mart in WILLISTON, N.D.
This Wal Mart has a very special problem. Williston is in the middle of an unbelievable oil boom that must be seen to be believed. Oil field workers have severe problems finding accommodations anywhere, despite oil camps going up as fast as they can. That parking lot is just about always full, and very busy.
From what we've seen, Wal Mart is being very tolerant in this case.
Been there-- seen it. Cut them a bit of a break, folks.
John
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JUrban
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02/08/12 06:50pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Winegard SK3005 powering off while camping
Rather than play with the controller, I just added a toggle switch to the power going to the controller. Power on or off, the system still works fine once it locks on. When switching it back on, the dish does not search again.
John
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JUrban
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02/08/12 06:41pm |
Technology Corner
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