chucknewman

Chris, A statement in your first post "Part of the problem is that I'm a real novice with electrics..." is revealing. That is not a derogatory statement, just plan fact for most people -- RVers included. The statement "...it looks like a simple replacement." is not necessarily so. Particularly with energy management systems. They can have separate control boards, remote relays/solenoids, current and voltage sensors -- some on the circuit board, some not, and lots of control wiring. Many wire harnesses have keyed plugs, but many harnesses require individual wire connection to terminal strips. The latter requires far greater attention to rewiring in the proper sequence. Don't forget to open (turn off) any circuit breakers on the output the inverter/charger as well as the shore power in breakers. Also keep in mind many panels/systems use 12 vdc from the house batteries to control the circuit board logic and this must be taken into account when removing/replacing boards. I encourage folks to do more of their own maintenance and repair on their rigs. But unlike water or sewer repairs, roof repairs, window leaks, etc.; 120 vac circuits and LPG systems can hurt you, and some basic knowledge and safety procedures are required. Chuck

I have to agree with Bill. The macerator is another marketing push to convince you that you can't live without it. We've been RVing since 1977 and full timing for two years, and I haven't found a valid reason for one yet. But I've found many reasons not to have one. As Tom pointed out the pump impellers don't last forever. And ask anyone who works for a sewer district. Waste is waste whether it is wet or dry. If a campground doesn't have the common sense to install sewer outlets at an appropriate grade, we move to one that does. Paying for a stupid design just perpetuates mediocrity. Larry posted "An approved backflow assembly is either a Reduced Pressure Principle Assembly or an approved Air-Gap." Actually, having worked for a water & power agency for 25 years, an approved back flow assembly is whatever the individual State dictates. And that varies from state to state. In today's environmental atmosphere, if you have any locally non-approved direct connection between potable water supply and a sewer system, you're asking for major legal trouble. I don't care what the marketing literature says. And if I see anyone with this configuration I will be calling the local health department and code enforcement agency. In California, even a private potable well water system directly connected to a public potable water system is illegal. Jmgolden posted "...it's just a matter of time before you will have that "unique" experience with the 3" hose." In 30+ years I haven't had any "unique" experiences with 3" hoses. If the macerator pundits are saying 3/4" or 1" hoses don't leak, or don't break, or don't require care and periodic replacement; that just is pure fantasy. As in Tom's case, if we had a need due to specific "up hill" circumstances from time to time, I would get the portable version macerator that comes in a case with hose and pump for those few occasions. But to pay around $500. when all is said and done to have another maintenance intensive mechanical item that requires several times longer dumping periods, is not a choice for me. Chuck

A quick Google search listed many forums and parts sources for the F53 speed sensor. Prices from $18 to $26. Most of the time I've been able to find a forum that get me close to what I need to know. On most engine/chassis issues, someone has already been there. For all the vehicles I've owned I have purchased the factory service manuals from http://www.helminc.c...homepage.asp?r= That included a GMC P-30 chassis manual that carried a National Seebreeze we had many years ago. If you can't find what you need give them a call. Most of the manuals I've purchased ran from $30 to over $100. Generally CD format is less costly than paper, but I've found in every case the first self repair money saved more than paid for the cost of the manual. Chuck

UPDATE TO ALL We had a new cooling unit and high temp module installed in February 2011 as part of the latest Norcold recall. No charge to us. Our Norcold 1200LR ran in the mid 30's for a few months on the lowest (warmest) temp setting, then we had to increase the temperature setting gradually to the max just to maintain 45F in the refer. Not cold enough. The weather cooled off and the unit began to run again in the 30's. While following this thread about two weeks ago in 20 and 30 degree temps outside, the refer interior temp went from 36F to 50F in two days. The back of the cooling unit was cold. I thought it went out. So this time around I got out my CD of Norcold and Dometic manuals, and put the Norcold into the diagnostic mode. What a wealth of information it gives you including past events. It showed my thermistor had failed in the past, then apparently recovered. I tested the thermistor and it indicated OK, but I had read a post on another forum that these thermistors can test good, but actually still be bad. The documentation showed the problem had to be either the thermistor or the power board. I learned my model has a backup operating system (BOS) and placed the unit in this mode which bypasses the thermistor and controls the cooling unit by electronically controlled duty cycle instead of voltage from the thermistor. Within 24 hours the refer interior was back down to the mid 30's. The temp setting was at mid range. This clearly indicated the cooling unit was OK. It had shut down because the electronics told it to do so. I purchased a new thermistor for $26.49. I've been logging the refer interior temp, and outside temp every few (waking) hours for 6 days. The outside temps have varied from 14F to 55F, and the refer stays at 36F all the time at the lowest (warmest) setting on the temperature selector. Even when we leave the refer doors open longer than we should at 72-74F inside the coach, I notice the interior cools back down at least three times faster than before. My point here that the basic information about ventilation and fans (only for very hot weather) from Brett and others is valid and good advice. But it can be very costly to assume the cooling unit is defunct every time one has a cooling issue with an absorption type refrigerator. If you want to save time and aggravation running the RV back and forth to a dealer, and save money on parts and labor -- the latter not necessarily skilled -- get a CD of manuals that has just about every absorption model listed. I got my CD from an eBay seller for five to ten dollars. It has saved me more than a magnitude of bucks over what it cost me. Chuck

We have the same model inverter. Two years older. I haven't had any "faults" via the remote, but otherwise the inverter/charger is full of ripple and noise. On one TV with a cheap power supply you can hear the noise and see 60 Hz and 120 Hz hum bars on the screen. And as you would expect, that all varies somewhat depending on the output loads, both the AC and DC side of the inverter. The ripple and noise increases when battery charging to the extent the A/D converters in cheaper multimeters cannot scale the RMS properly. We have a new Magnum 2800 in storage and plan to swap it for the Freedom while snow birding this winter. It has far more programming versatility than the Freedom unit. I don't think the latter would even make a good boat anchor. What is the fault condition? Does the Freedom turn off on it's own, or something else? If you have some MOV's you can try a simple transverse and common mode line filter on the AC input. I used GE V150LA20A MOV's for years and they worked great in diverse applications. But I doubt it will help your condition. And if it does, that tells you something about your Freedom unit. Chuck

John & Jen, As Tom said, welcome to the forum. We retired out of California a few years ago and are full timers also. We both had Blue Cross/Blue Shield managed by Anthem through Cal PERS. As part of my research before moving our domicile to South Dakota, I found our existing Blue Cross Basic plan could be transferred to "Blue Cross Out of State" status. It cost another hundred and something dollars per month to initiate that plan. So we have Blue Cross/Blue Shield coverage everywhere in the U.S. We have had no trouble finding Blue Cross/Blue Shield providers (doctors, hospitals) during our travels. Since then I went onto Medicare as Tom described, but my secondary insurance still is Blue Cross/Blue Shield out of state. Call your insurance and ask if they have an out of state program. If no go, talk to a supervisor (or more), read everything on their website, and have them send you written copies of their plan's policies. I found some phone reps are not familiar with the out of state coverage. And you may find another alternative in the process. Yes it is time consuming but worth it in the end. Chuck

Rather than change to #1 diesel just put an additive into your #2 so it won't gel at really low temps. Available at all truck stops. Keep in mind some home furnaces (NG or LPG) use the equivalent of a sail switch in the burner compartment to sense exhaust air flow. It actually is a vacuum switch connected to the fire box by a 1/8" vacuum line. When these units will not light the problem frequently is soot, dirt, or bugs in the vacuum line. Has saved me a service call on several occasions. Chuck

If the sail switch is defective, the furnace's control board's starting sequence will not get to the spark function. When it does spark, it will try three times. If no current from the flame sensor, the board locks out. A safety design. You may have a regulator issue when very cold and Bill's suggestion with the burner is good. You should have a mostly blue flame with a small blue cone within the larger flame. If the flame does not look right, then I agree you need a manometer check. What I have experienced in cold weather are sticking solenoid LPG vapor valves. The control board opens this valve as it begins the spark sequence -- lighting the burner in normal operation. Assuming you have good DC voltage, the next time it sparks but no flame, warm the fuel line solenoid with a heat gun or hair dryer until it is fairly warm to the touch. Then start the furnace. On some solenoids you will hear it "click" to the open position. It that doesn't work, you need to manometer the LPG system. If that is OK, you will require volt and ohm testing of the board, switches, and solenoid. Most solids contract as they get colder and poor solder joints and/or crimp connections sometimes open or increase resistance to upset the logic circuits on the board. Tell the shop to get a can of "circuit freeze" or something similar at their local electronic part store. It cools circuits and components quickly. Great stuff for troubleshooting cold related problems. Chuck

Thanks Clay. While reading my "Trailer Life RV Repair & Maintenance Manual" yesterday at the laundry, it stated "A defective diaphragm can cause .... [pump] cycling when all faucets are turned off." In addition it said cycling could be caused by a defective toilet valve, failed pressure switch, or an internal leak in the pump. So the easiest thing to do now is replace the pump. And I'll add some flex hoses to "quiet down" the pump noise. It is now connected directly to the PEX lines. It lasted 13 years so I guess I got my monies worth. New toilet valve next. Chuck

Brett, a couple questions re the above post: "Replaced the coolant filter (zero unit SCA filter, as my coolant is ELC which does not use SCA)." I know ELC does not require SCA testing, but did you have a "non-sca" (as in plain) water or coolant filter on your 3116? If so, should I expect to have one (inline or screw on) or is it something the coach manufacturer would have added. Please elaborate? Also, would you recommend a non-sca coolant filter in the system? Regarding "...you must "burp" the air from the engine thermostat housing." While watching the CAT tech replace the thermostats several months ago I asked him about burping the cooling system. I don't remember his exact words other than he did say that was not necessary on my system. Is it due to the fact that my coolant poly overflow tank runs at coolant system pressure and bleeds out air via the pressure cap (12 psi) vent line to the ground? Is a pressurized overflow tank typical on larger diesel engines? All the overflow tanks I've seen on cars, pickups, and motor-generators were at atmosphere and not system pressure. Can you enlighten me on this please? Many thanks, Chuck

Our water pump runs fine and shuts off as soon as the faucet is closed. Then a few seconds later I hear about a 1/4 second run of the pump. Sometimes this happens 2 to 5 times then stops completely. Other times it continues for several minutes then stops. And sometimes their is no short running of the water pump. I realize short run cycles of the pump with everything off indicates a water leak. Been there before. But my experience has been when something is leaking under pressure, it leaks all the time, not some of the time. That said, has anyone had intermittent leaks that cause this problem? Could a defective toilet water valve cause this without actually seeing any water come down the bowl walls? Could it be a defective pressure switch on the pump? If so, is there any way to test this without replacing the entire pump? Thanks, Chuck

Dean, In addition to Brett's good advice, keep in mind in most coaches/trailers you will not (easily) see the actual switch or solenoid. You will see, generally, a red paddle type of handle about 2" long or a round knurled red nob about 1-1/2" to 2" in diameter. Different looking than all the other toggle or rocker type switches in the RV. These handles physically move a high current switch from the on to off position. It may be labeled and it may not. My coach has no label on or near the handle. But the actual switch is behind a wall/bulkhead and sometimes not easily accessible or visible. That said, some RV's use a standard low current rocker switch that looks identical to the other switches on the dash or somewhere on a wall panel. This low current switch applies 12 vdc to a high current solenoid contactor that will open and close -- open position cuts off current flow from batteries. It sounds like your father did not receive the rig's user manual when he purchased the unit. That is not unusual. As recommended, I would call Monaco for assistance. If the McKenzie has a "master cutoff switch" they should be able to direct you to it. And while talking to them I would ask them to send you a user's manual for the unit. Sometimes you get lucky. Chuck

Brett, When Hendersons installed the Safe-T-Plus they leveled and aligned the coach. When Brazells added the Tiger Trak bars 3K miles later the alignment was not correct. Who knows. I'll certainly take your word for it. Mechanical systems are not my strong point. During the test drive the mechanic told me how to adjust the the Safe-T-Plus as you mentioned. But the "centering" adjustment appears to be "straight" for the particular road crown it is tested on. More or less slope of the crown tends to negate readjustment, unless you drive the same road all the time. That said, I really don't find driving "out of center" an issue. And I agree with Pat's point about a dash adjustable system. Just another gadget to malfunction and take your focus off the task of driving. Chuck

John, The addition of our Safe-T-Plus has made a tremendous improvement in the coach's drive-ability. Under all conditions. But as noted in the posts above, any system you purchase must be installed by someone who does so on a regular basis and knows what they are doing. It is not a bolt it on and drive away installation. Beside the adjustments mentioned for both products, front end alignment should be checked before and after install. Chuck

I finally pulled out my old, highly calcified hot water heater and replaced it. Eliminated or replaced other components in the system and now all is well again. Researching this and other forums made it clear that a water softener will prevent this calcium build up again. Particularly with very hard water we seem to find at most locations. Thanks to other posts, I realize I need one that is easily accessed for salt charging, and use quick disconnect brass fittings. From the little installation data on the web it is clear most of the units are basically the same: Water in. Water out. Brine drain. My question is about the "brine drain". Depending on the manufacturer, they recommend draining the unit for anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes when recharged with salt. Someone locally told me to drain to the gray tank. That would be easy for me since the unit will sit permanently next to the gray tank, and the top of the gray tank is exposed for tube or hose installation. Those of you with RV water softeners, is this the typical installation? Do you just drill a hole in the top of the gray tank and silicone seal a fitting in it for the brine drain? Or is there a better way? Any other tips or tricks on this subject are greatly appreciated. Chuck

Sounds like an intermittent (defective) high limit switch or the sail switch. Easily checked with an ohm meter when in the failed mode. Generally when either the striker circuit or solenoid valve go bad, they remain so. Chuck

Herman, In my case, each AC (only 2) is on a separate leg and I haven't measured the starting current. But you are correct in that it does affect the amps required for compressor start. Keep in mind the starting current duration for a typical RV roof top AC is 500 to 1000 milliseconds. Not enough heating time for a typical thermal circuit breaker. It has been a very long time since I studied this particular part of NEC, but the standard was to design a circuit to accommodate 1.25 times the running current of the motor. So my 17 amp draw AC's individually would draw 21.25 amps on compressor start. Theoretically! In the real world we found some inductive devices required less than 1.25 times the running current, and some required up to 8 times the running current. It depended on several factors: Age, mechanical drag, load, stator and rotor efficiencies, type of start circuit, amount and duration of inductive kick (if any), and regulation of supply voltage during start. The supply voltage regulation being a major factor as Brett and others have pointed out. The point I was trying (maybe poorly) to make was I've seen many bus conversions with three AC units that run fine on (most) 50 amp plugs. Typically you would have 2 AC's on one leg with no other loads, or minimal loads. The third AC would be on the other leg. And then the wiring may be totally different relying on a pricey load management system. And, in general, the coaches with 4 or 5 AC's don't connect to a post -- at least without some type of load management. On a power post, you have finite volts and amps, and they don't stay the same around the clock and with different loads in the coach. One of the best statements here was Bill's point that you must be aware of your working loads vs the supply -- whether 30A or 50A service. I can run the fans in my two AC's simultaneously (with the compressors off), heat my coach, run the microwave, wash the clothes, and charge the batteries while on a 15/20 amp service. I just cannot do it all at the same time. The same when connected with 30 amps. But most users don't want to be bothered with load management. I have found measuring the voltage drop vs amp draw using my HW50C that the greater the amperage available at a post, the less voltage drop in general. This is because NEC requires larger conductors for applications using larger amperage. But other factors in any particular park can affect the voltage drop even more than your individual loads. Chuck

Having been stuck in California most of my working life, we enjoyed the Pomona and Redmond locations. What is the official reason these are now bust? Costs??? When RVIA reports for the last couple years something like 80% or more of all RV sales are towables, it becomes apparent the substantial drop in motorhome sales will have a profound long-term effect on FMCA. And having been asked to hold office in FMCA, we attended various "board meetings" in New Mexico last year. The very apparent top heavy management structure combined with a strong and arrogant "preserve and protect our personal domain" attitude at these meetings directly stifled the many suggestions for improvement from various club members. If the Association doesn't change, the future is obvious. By the way, we were in Good Sam for more than 15 years, and I can remember paying annual dues of more than $40.00. We left them for several reasons, but are you saying GS annual dues now are less than $40.00? Chuck

As an afterthought, I should elaborate on my question "Has anyone messed with your system lately?" I had studied Webasto and AquaHot hydronic systems when we were into bus conversions. When we got the Safari it has a system from International Thermal Research out of Canada. They market mostly to marine users but installed several hundred into coaches. Our ITR Hurricane had a couple issues and I quickly found most RV "techs" don't do a lot of work on these systems and are not 100% up to speed on the technology. Fortunately, I was able to contact a person at ITR that knew the system inside and out. Plus he put me onto their excellent website of documentation and instructional videos. The point being in my system and other's I've helped with, RV "techs" have installed wrong size fuses, left valves closed that should have been re-opened after troubleshooting, etc. And tapping solenoid valves to get them to work? That's just mediocre folks. But it is life in the RV world. I highly recommend you call or check the hydronic manufacturer's web site to locate a factory trained and qualified technician to service/repair your system. Chuck

I believe a spare tire for the coach is important. And I certainly didn't want to lose space in a bay for one. We tow a full size Ford van and our spare tire (no rim) is mounted over one of the van's rear wheel wells, sandwiched between the wall and two folding tables. Space otherwise wasted. Of course this won't work if towing a sedan. Having a tire only means much easier handling. Any tire service truck can change rims in the field, but many won't have the size tire you need that day. Chuck

Coachman, Everything Brett posted is right on for propane forced air furnaces, but based on your model coach and your statement "and of the 3 zones the bedroom (zone 3) did not work" I suspect you have a hydronic heating system such as a AquaHot. The coolant for each zone is controlled by it's own thermostat that itself controls (via a logic board) flow solenoids in the coolant lines. The individual radiator fans are controlled by zone, via relays. The fact your fan runs but you have no heat tells me you have blocked coolant flow due to a closed valve or flow solenoid. Has anyone messed with your system lately? Chuck

Most of the "entertainer" bus conversions I've seen had a 50 plug available, but generally they don't park at a power post. And most of those had a single "basement" AC of several tons powered by a 12KW generator or greater in a sound box so it could be run while parked (as well as on the road) and not bother anyone. A 12KW generator will give you 100 amps on L1 and 100 amps on L2. 24,000 watts total. More than enough to run a large basement AC or 4 or 5 roof top units plus electric HWH, electric cook top, etc. that you generally find in this class of coach. A 50 amp post supplies 6000 watts per leg. 12,000 watts total. If you put two med efficiency roof top AC's on the same leg, on a hot day, with high humidity, you would find each AC would pull about 17 amps. Mine do! With 50 amps per leg you will be OK with very little voltage drop in from the post. At those currents, little voltage drop can be engineered, but in the real world is not generally what you will find in any park. As stated, with a large enough generator, the sky is the limit. But no park I've been in will allow you to run it in the park. As opposed to casino dry parking, truck stop, and rest stop areas. Chuck

Brett, I replaced my poly/plastic expansion tank for the radiator a couple weeks ago. When adding the lost gallon of ELC it looked burgundy color in the shade. But lifting the bed and looking through the expansion tank today with daylight behind it, the ELC did appear red. With all the lines in a coach using ATF (red) you would think the ELC engineers would have come up with another color. Yellow, green, and orange are taken. Burgundy and violet are too close to red. How about blue? Chuck PS: Brett, since I was asking about that subject recently, how much ELC did you have to drain/refill to replace the heater? Can you minimize the coolant loss by quickly pulling one heat element and replacing it with the new one? Thanks.

Gary, You posted "There is a black box on DS with the radiator fluid sticker and it has the sight glass I refer to. I stuck a paint stick into the box and got "0" Be careful. I've seen purple, yellow, green, and orange coolant, but never a red color like ATF. That said, there are a lot of things I haven't seen. The important point is you really need to be sure what goes in that leaking hose. Assumptions can cost lot's of money and/or work. I know! I have seen reservoirs with a sight glass. All of them were ATF for power steering system. Trace the leaking hose to it's end. Does it have only a "hose clamp" on the end? Then it is either water or (possibly) transmission fluid. If the hose has a type of "screw on" connector, that will be your power steering hose -- which uses ATF (or equivalent) also. Chuck

Posted by Koliver, "...I think your trailer should always brake when the MH brakes..." is absolutely correct. The key here is when the Pacbrake is operational, the MH brakes are not being used. At least in most applications. The problem stems from the fact the trailer brake controller "wakes up" when it sees +12vdc from the MH's foot brake switch. As it does in any vehicle. The issue being when the Pacbrake is being used (as going down a hill) the ECM activates it with a voltage command to the "Pacbrake relay" as it normally would, but is also activating another relay that puts +12vdc on the brake light circuit. Unfortunately, this voltage is now placed onto the "brake switch" line to the trailer brake controller. It wakes up and is trying to do it's job when it really isn't needed. I did a quick search of Pacbrake documentation. Didn't find a simple solution. Please let us know if Pacbrake has a solution. The basic problem is the trailer brake controller does not know where the brake switch voltage is coming from. It just knows to proportionally apply the trailer brakes when the brake switch line goes hot. It assumes you are pressing in the brake pedal. As Koliver also posted "I have a Pacbrake that keeps the brakelights on when it is activated, and that also keeps the trailer brakes on. Mine works just as it should, so yours should too." It may simply be one or more adjustments to the brake controller need to be made. More exotic fixes for this exist, but it does not appear to be a widespread problem (from lack of posts) and indicates a simple solution. Check with the brake controller manufacturer as well as Pacbrake. Chuck