chucknewman

Don, We replaced both front and rear TV's with LED and LCD models and used the swing out and tilt up/down brackets you mention. They work great. The bedroom TV is such an angle that it never moves out of the original cabinet. The front 26" is another story. Plus I tilt it down quite a bit to use it as a backup camera monitor when driving. To keep it in place we got some black 1" width Velcro. Taped a length to each side in the back and on the cabinet walls so it doesn't show. Works perfect. We undo the Velcro and move the TV back into the front cabinet since we don't use it when parked which is between one and six months at a time. Picture quality not that great. We got a 32" Sony LCD to mount in place of the 26" LED model, but found we like it better sitting on the dash area. When moving we put it next to the sofa out of the way. We find we don't like to watch TV for hours while "looking up". Chuck

Steve & Tricia, To get to the seal or any other part on an RV toilet, you will have to dissamble the toilet to some extent -- depending on what it is you want to access for repair/replacement. On the SeaLand line that does not mean pulling the toilet up from the floor. I haven't researched the Thetford Bravuara but you can Google the name and model as I did for the SeaLand 310. If you don't have one, you will be able to download a user manual with exploded parts list for the Bravuara. Then Google for the part name and number as we've done many times. Many times debris get into and/or under the rubber ball seal (depending on configuration). I have found surgical gloves, tooth picks, radiator brush, and good lighting usually resolve that issue with no money outlay. Keep in mind many household cleaners will harden and basically destroy the seal. Follow the manufacturers recommendations on proper RV toilet cleansers. Be careful of some "home remedies". That said, we have a SeaLand 510 Plus and are very happy with it. Access is easy and parts are are all over the Internet. The only downside to the 310 I see is the height -- 18" from the floor. Our 510 is a more standard 15". We had a 17" toilet once and Elva had to sit tip toe on the seat. If you're both tall you will probably be more comfortable. Get a copy of the 310 owner's manual at http://dometic.com/ca179a93-1151-40c1-9a82-15731f3ee1ba.fodoc Chuck

Don, The previous statement "The tub,shower & commode have no traps." simply is incorrect if you have a coach built to RVIA standards and ANSI code. We've had six motorhomes since 1983 and not one of them did not have a trap in each drain. Even those with a vacuum breaker as mentioned above. With the exception of some pneumatic marine type toilets used in upscale motorhomes, RV toilets cannot use a pipe trap because they do not have pressurized water flow flush action. They relay on gravity to drop the contents into the black tank. By the way, unless you have a 45 degree offset in your toilet pipe (allowed by code), you merely look into the tank to note how full it is and whether or not it has enough water. When camping leave the gray tank valve open and the black tank valve closed. If you don't have a black tank flush, simply close the gray valve and save some water before the black tank needs to be drained as noted in the posts. All that does is flush your sewer hose. Nothing else. Either moving or parked we never have had odors from sinks or shower except once when the shower trap water evaporated over time and some odor was noted. We had the same issue with the washing machine drain before we started using it regularly because it is not valved and is open to sewer gas when at a park. I've read of a condition where a vacuum in the gray tank can pull water from a trap. Of the top of my head I can't remember the conditions that cause this and my RV plumbing book is in storage (many states away). The secret to keeping your black tank operational and trouble free is water, water, and more water. Never let it dry out. Chuck

Tom, As usual, I agree with you that NASA has done a lot of good for the Nation in it's developing many items that have found their place into the manufacturing environment, ultimately making it a better place for consumers. And non-consumer items for military and government use. But how many millions or billions did we spend putting men on the moon? And for what? So the US and USSR could run a "My dog's bigger than your dog" political game. I also have to agree with Bill that it is now time to focus the available money to real-world needs. Like our crumbling infrastructure and old and maintenance intensive power grid system -- the bulk of both was built 50 years ago. Have you noticed lately how perturbed people get when their power goes out? Or the bridge they are on suddenly collapses? While on the subject, why do we need a muli-billion dollar replacement for the Hubble telescope? So scientists can sit around and come up with more theories about the (theorized) big bang or black holes. Of course I realize these theories catch new grant monies that allow the scientific community to justify it's continued spending. Do we as a society really need quarks or dark matter? Medical research? I won't go there on the forum but all you have to do is follow the money. Enough! I'm done. Blame it on Bill. He pulled my pet peeve neurons out of retirement. Chuck

rrlowther, Having to make a trip to Oregon in January a couple years ago I purchased chains for our coach. I got them at a local truck shop where we lived. As I recall they were about $150. or more. Single tire chains, not duals. I'm too old to handle dual chains on a 40 ft motorhome in the snow. I've never purchased chains for the other coaches we've had over the years. My feeling was "avoid the snow and ice". And we did. Fortunately, we didn't have to use them on that trip. I was under pressure to be at a destination at a certain time -- in the winter. I later surmised "when you're retired, that is just nuts". Some observations: I've put chains on little trucks and big trucks. They all had one thing in common; lots of room around the tire to install the chains. Particularly if you are thinking of using dual tire chains. Coaches don't have that much room inside the wheel wells. And just my single tire chains are heavy. I'm not saying it can't be done, but at my age as a Medicare recipient it's just easier to avoid the bad weather or wait it out in a CG or other location. When we were into bus conversions I asked a tour bus driver how she put chains on her new MCI J series bus going over Donner Summit. She said if chains are required by DOT we don't go. The safety factors to her, the passengers, and liability just didn't make it feasible. All that said, I realize it sounds like you guys still are working and are probably younger and in better shape. I hope. But keep in mind also that different states have different chain requirements. I have no idea about Colorado (or other states) but in California dual chains on dual rear tires are not required. What CA DOT does require (for motorhomes/buses) is to chain up one of the duals on each side, "preferably" the inner dual. Their language on their website. It means on the road one DOT worker or CHP officer may accept the outer dual, and at another location they may demand the inner dual be chained. Something you may want to research depending on where you plan to travel/work. My chains fit our tires 255/70R-22.5. They are brand new. If you can wait, we will be in Colorado Springs most of November 2011 to visit family. I'll give you new single tire chains and bungees for $60. For me they just take up space in the bay and are difficult for me to move around. Chuck

Richard, welcome to the FMCA forums. We had a '93 Seabreeze on the P30 chassis. As I recall the brake switch is mounted under the dash, close to the brake pedal assembly. Just like most cars and light trucks. It will have two wires coming from it. One will be battery 12vdc (always hot), the other should read 12vdc (or current battery level) when the brake pedal is applied. If you push the pedal with your hand and have no effect try it again with the engine running. Some vacuum boosters are stiff and need the powered assist to close the brake switch with lower than normal pedal pressure. If you do have voltage output from the switch and no lights, I would have someone push the brake pedal and check both light fixtures with a volt meter with the bulbs removed (fixtures do go bad though normally not both at the same time). If battery voltage is not on either side of the brake switch, go back to the fuse panel. Make sure you check both sides of the brake fuse before ruling it out. If no power there, then the likely cause would be an open fusible link, but typically that issue would result in several devices having no power. Edited: As I recall the Seabreeze has a 3 way brake/turn system with no amber turn signal lights. I think it is similar to most Ford trucks I've owned in that brake light voltage also goes through a pair of contacts on the "emergency flash" switch. Turn on that switch and note if the brake lamps in the front and rear flash. That is a quick check of brake lamps, fixtures, and wire harnesses. But keep in mind the brake switch voltage comes from a different fuse -- at least on Fords. In a 3 way circuit (vs 4 way with separate amber lights) the brake light signal also is affected by the turn signal switch. When we purchased our Seabreeze I ordered the "P30 Chassis Wiring Manual" from Helm, Inc. Came in handy many times. It went with the coach to another owner. A lifesaver when you have electrical problems. Check out http://www.helminc.com/helm/welcome_select_oem.asp?Style=helm Also, have you had any work done on the brake light system lately such as tow vehicle wiring install or modifications? Any electrical work? If so I would back track from that point. Chuck

rrlowther, Our Canadian friends have a 2001 Zanzibar and the storage bay is very similar to our Serengeti. We have a thermostatically controlled heat exchanger in the bay, but I installed an electric cube heater with a "good" thermostat in storage for winter usage. When in a camp ground we have a fireplace electric heater in the living room, another cube heater in the bedroom, plus the one in storage bay; and we generally don't run the hydronic system in a camp ground. Electric is much more quiet and has kept us comfortable down to 12 degrees. More importantly, you may not need heat tape and pipe insulation. Our fresh water, gray, and black tanks plus plumbing and water pump, and dump valves are all exposed in the bay after I removed a couple thin carpet covered partitions -- permanently. If the power goes away or one of us wants a rather long shower, I just turn on the diesel furnace for endless hot water. You stated "We have put a lot of money into our coach with various upgrades and equipment we need for the coach to act as our mobile office." I recommend you keep what you have and your last post appears you have come to that conclusion. If you're not members of Safari International, I urge you to join. Lots of information, knowledge, and background on the Safari line of coaches. Safari International http://www.safari-international.org/ Chuck

John, We put a Safe T Plus steering stabilizer on our Safari and it helped considerably with cross winds and ruts in the road. I recommend a dampened hydraulic solution rather than springs. Chuck

Absolutely Tom. In fact I've been researching RV water softeners and I have decided to go that route, once I resolve the HWH issue. My concern is the HWH is mounted above the diesel furnace. Water leakage in that unit could be a real issue (dollars and parts availability), so I'm leaning toward HWH replacement at this time. Then going with the water softening. Both combined are considerabnly less than replacing the furnace due to water damage. But as always Tom, I do appreciate your input. Keep us posted on the new fridge operation and maintenance over time. That's another investment we're looking at. Chuck

I would merely "replace the OLD generator". Sorry, I couldn't resist it. The two major players are Onan and Generac. Now some people prefer one over the other. I installed, maintained, and used fixed installation and RV Generac units from 5KW to 80KW for 25 years. I've had two coaches with Onan gens that just weren't as stable and required more maintenance. I've found the Generac voltage regulators to have faster response and fewer failures. Others will swear by their Onan or whatever they have. But once you get past the brand vs price selection, you need to find a same or similar KW size that will fit your current gen's location. Generally you will want to stay with the same fuel type for several reasons. Both assuming you want to keep the new install as simple as possible. You can research all the above online, and even download installation and maintenance manuals. This way you won't have installation surprises on air flow, exhaust location and direction, mounting hole location, etc. There may be Federal Regs on this issue but I've never run across that issue. There are California emission standards, but all you have to do is purchase a generator that meets those standards ONLY if your coach is registered in CA. Chuck

I purchased a new anode rod for my Seaward marine HWH, part of the hydronic system SMC installed in the coach. After years of Arizona hard water, and years of neglect, I found the interior of the HWH looks like the Crystal Caves I visited as a kid. Large, thick calcium deposits inside the tank walls, and where the original anode rod used to be. So I can either replace the tank or try to give it several white vinegar treatments to dissolve the calcium and flush out. The inner tank is made from Alcoa Alclad aluminum. Will long term calcium deposits do harm to this aluminum lining? If that is the case, I have only one viable option. Recommendations? Thanks, Chuck

I've never heard of this toilet model, but after searching I'm impressed with it's features, as well as it's price. I didn't find the specific problem you described but the link below was informative. Probably a call to Thetford will solve your problem as it did for this gentleman. http://www.wheelestatervin.com/tech-tip%E2%80%94thetford-tecma-silence-plus Chuck

airstreamlife, I had exactly the same reservations when we looked at our Safari. And the truth is I was focusing on Monaco's when looking at coaches for that very reason. Monaco is a shell of what it used to be, as is their service facility, but at least they are in business. Since then I have found that parts are available and good service facilities can fix or replace whatever. For example, all the appliances and light fixtures still are being made and/or parts are available to repair them. When I had my engine serviced I went to a CAT shop. When I had my Allison tranny serviced I went to an Allison facility. When I broke a slideout hydraulic line several RV shops could have replaced it, but I opted to do it myself. I saved money, had the self satisfaction, and learned all about hydraulic jacks and slides. Our friends with the Zanzibar dinged one of his aluminum side panels and he found a metal guy who fabricated a new one for him. I saw it and initially thought it was original factory. But it wasn't. We were into bus conversions for several years and found out that buses built in the early 60's still have parts available. The point being that their are many excellent craftsmen and mechanics out there that can do whatever is necessary. The challenge is not finding parts, but selecting the quality service dealers from the mediocre ones. And their are web forums like this one that can help you do just that. Chuck

airstreamlife, Regarding your second post which went on the air while I was typing, we purchase our 1996 Patriot 3 months after our next door neighbor purchased his 1996 Monaco Dynasty. I liked some of his features more that the Beaver, and I liked some of my Beaver's features more than his Dynasty. Both were very good coaches for the money. The MSRP of each varied with model length, but were priced about the same at the time. If you are going to rely on subjective phrases to describe and recommend a coach you might as well go to the nearest dealer and listen to the hype. Your initial question was about Beaver and Country Coach. They are good coaches as are Monaco's and many others. I suggest you "look and feel" various coaches within your price range. Maybe have your mechanic evaluate it, and if all is well, go for it. Chuck

We had lunch in the Country Coach parking lot last year while doing some other things in Junction City. The factory was totally deserted. A local upholstery shop that did work for CC in the day said nothing of it coming back to life. And even if it did, it would be a vastly scaled down operation like Monaco is now. And in my opinion, that is not a reason for selecting or rejecting a well maintained and cared for used coach. In 1996 we purchased a new Beaver Patriot, then made by Safari Motor Coach (SMC). In 2009 we purchased a very well maintained, barn housed, very low miles Safari Serengeti built in 1998 by SMC. Basically the same chassis and quality construction as the Beaver. We weren't looking for any particular brand. Just that the Safari was the best condition at the best price of all the coaches we looked at covering 5 states. New at the time, the Safaris averaged about $200K, the Beavers averaged about $222k, and the Country Coaches averaged around $300K. Plus or minus depending on model and options for each. SMC engines were CAT and CC engines were Cummins. SMC brakes were either hydraulic disc or air-over-hydraulic disc. CC were drum and block air brakes. Both manufacturers had hydronic system upgrades and so forth. Safaris used Velvet Ride torsolastic suspension while Beaver and CC used air bag suspension. Be aware that SMC sold out to Monaco around early 2000. Being a member of the Safari International FMCA chapter I found out there, and from other sources that Monaco built Safaris/Beavers circa 2000 to about 2002/3 using mostly SMC parts/designs. But some of the builds apparently were hybrid designs that have had issues. Friends have a 2002 Safari Zanzibar that has had several problems. The largest being that Monaco mounted the wrong sized (too small) Velvet Ride assemblies on the coach. The owner now has to install the correct ones at his expense. And apparently during this transition period not every model Safari and Beaver coach came off the assembly line the same. I personally saw a Beaver coach of this period in Arizona that had Safari name and logo on the side, and the Beaver name and logo on the rear. And it had several differences inside. The owner told me it was a hybrid design and Monaco built 5 of them. The main point here is I would recommend a Safari or Beaver built in 1999 or earlier, OR after 2003. And of course, the Safaris and Beavers built by Monaco after about 2003 all look like Monaco coaches of that era. That is an issue only if you prefer the classic Safari and Beaver look of the mid 90's. The most important thing is to thoroughly inspect any used coach you are interested in. We found photographs, even high resolution, can mask certain defects on the body of a coach that are very apparent when standing next to the coach. The same for the interior. I told the salesman for our Safari to go away for 2 hours. I brought my coveralls and while Elva scoured the interior, I was on the roof and under the coach checking brakes, suspension, tranny and engine. The last thing I wanted to do was a test drive. We knew what we wanted and had the cash, and have never looked back at our decision. Good luck to you in your search. Chuck

Thanks Tom for all the great information. We're anxious to hear about the current draw issue in cooler weather. Also, please let us know how the first coil cleaning job goes. Thanks. Ron, Our bus conversion friends tell us the warm air from the RR in their coaches make a nice addition in the winter. In warm weather it does add to the heat load of the air conditioners, but most of them have three AC's so the effect of the additional heat is not noticed. For us, the additional and frequent warm air coming into our coach in warm weather would be a problem. If we go with a RR installation I will have to engineer another path for the coil heated air exhaust. Chuck

Tom, We've been looking at the RR alternative for some time. Your new install looks really nice. We would have to get a smaller RR since I cannot increase the height of the existing slot for the Norcold 1200 four door model (too much hydronic stuff below it). Can you give is a ballpark idea of the Iron Horse RV time and materials costs? Also, now that they have done one or more RR modifications, due they appear to want to do more? In addition, I was planning on leaving the lower and upper vents in place. They both are in good shape, and the lower vent is painted to match the coach. Also I thought the lower vent would assist the RR fan to pull in cool air to blow over the coils and condenser of the RR. What were your thoughts on that issue? Also, as you know, the cooling coils under the RR need to be cleaned periodically. In a house it is fairly easy to roll the RR out from the wall, take off the cover (which should be left on during operation) and vacuum the cooling coils. Have you given any consideration for that maintenance item since your new coach RR is off the floor? Thanks, Chuck

GMaterne, You posted "I found a regular frig at Lowes for around $500 that would fit my size configuration but it sticks out about 2” more. While the new frig is not a side by side as the old one was, it does hold about 10 cf as oppose to a new side by side Dometic that holds only about 8 cf." Can you tell us the manufacturer name and model of the refer you put into your coach? I like the pantry idea with the leftover width, but did the height of the new refer mandate any vertical cabinet modifications like Tom's installation did? Thanks Chuck

Brett, I agree with you, but retiredblade's WFCO charger has Bulk Charge mode, Absorption mode, and Float Mode. See the specs at http://www.americanrvcompany.com/assets/images/wf9800.pdf I have no experience with this brand. Are you saying it is not a multi-stage charger? Chuck

retiredblade, I suspect someone at some point installed the converter to charge the chassis (engine) batteries since your inverter/charger is charging only the house batteries. I was going to do the same thing on our Safari until I realized the factory routinely installed the Xantrex unit. And it works fine. In your case, based on your posts I think the converter was installed to charge the chassis (engine) batteries, but was connected in error to the house batteries. If the converter is connected to the house batteries, disconnect it from them and reconnect it to the chassis (engine) batteries. As Brett says you want only one charger for each set of batteries. A couple other things to look at. Find the battery isolator. It will be either a diode isolator with fins on the top or a solenoid isolator, usually round and fairly large. Either will have a positive wire on one side from the chassis batteries, and a positive wire on the other side from the house batteries. Check both connectors with the voltmeter to ground. You will see a different voltage on each connector. This indicates the two battery banks are properly isolated. If the voltage is the same, you have a short across the isolator at some point. The other thing is I recommend disconnecting the solar panels from the batteries at the solar regulator output (you should have one) until you get your charging issues resolved. Without a solar regulator, you can overcharge the batteries resulting in wet tops. And some panels do not have built in isolation diodes. Without a regulator this will cause the solar panels to act a DC load at night -- draining whatever batteries are connected to them. I'm not saying this is your problem, but it helps to troubleshoot systems by disconnecting accessories and starting with the basics. Chuck

Jon796 posted: "Does anyone from CA know if they can stop you just to check your license?" The narrow legal answer is no. But, in the real world of Law Enforcement once you have probable cause for any code violation, you can stop the vehicle and check license and registration, and observe anything in "plain view" to the officer. You can even search the car not incident to an arrest if given permission by the driver. When I went through the Academy I was taught this was developed from judicial law, but mainly from the many Federal and Supreme Court decisions. Miranda is an example. Most search and seizure laws are from Federal cases. Hence they are good to use in any state. In California, the CHP is tasked with traffic law enforcement. Municipalities generally due the same. The California Sheriff Departments can do traffic and sometimes we did, but the reality was we didn't have the manpower for much traffic/DUI activities. Also the CHP didn't like the SD's cutting into their domain for the most part. And the SD administration made that known to us. I'm sure that varied by department in the state. That said, one of our most effective tools to contact suspected or known drug users was to do vehicle stops. It was generally no problem finding one or several California Vehicle Code violations to pull them over. At that point you could check license (usually suspended), smell breath, check pupils, do warrant checks, etc. And most had outstanding warrants and off to jail they went. Or cited and released (legally arrested in California). But the reason for the initial stop may have been a defective license plate lamp, etal. On one hand I would be surprised if you told me your NY PD did not use the same techniques. On the other hand, departments all over the country endorse or restrict certain LE actions based on local politics and/or whether the local DA will even prosecute various crimes. Particularly in rural counties with low budgets. A good example of this is in most, if not all counties in California, Judges will not give you a conviction for speed violations unless in excess of 10mph over the limit. This is why traffic generally moves 10 to 15 over the posted limit on roads in CA. I don't see that in many other states we've been in. Regarding your post above: "Non-residents visiting California may not operate a 45-foot motorhome unless in possession of an out-of-state driver license authorizing the operation of that vehicle." According to the CVC, that is correct. But another section of the Code allows for "reciprocity" of the driving privileges afforded driver's licenses from other states. I may be wrong but I believe some states allow driving 45' motorhomes on their standard driver license for cars and light trucks. Forget about air brakes and GVW at this point because CA doesn't care about those (except trailers) in non-commercial vehicles. So can the CHP pull you over for any reason at all? No! Can they justify why they pulled you over if asked? Absolutely! Will the CHP cite you? Maybe! Depends on the violation, your demeanor, and other factors. Chuck

I had the same issue. Each time I used the hydraulic actuated slide (which uses the RVA jack pump via a separate slide manifold), and started driving I got the low level alarm. The problem was a small leak in one of two hydraulic hoses connected to the slide's ram. The one hose was defective from manufacture and allowed excess fluid to drain from the reservoir. I replaced both hoses and never an issue again. The post "...there is always a very slight leakage every time the jacks are extended..." means you have an abnormal condition. There should be no leaks anywhere in a properly maintained hydraulic system. This is particularly true in dual port rams (pressure in, pressure out) because the leak will allow the line at static pressure to bleed down to atmosphere or some lesser pressure than desired. This very condition allowed my slide to push out 1 to 4 inches while driving, depending on amount of leakage, speed, tightness of turns, etc. Again all due to the defective hose. I agree many brands of RV jack systems use a single port ram to extend, and springs to retract the ram. But still the rams and all fittings should be dry on the surface. Leakage is not acceptable. Chuck

As a retired communications engineer I find most marketing literature regarding high tech communications services is very long on hype, and very short on real (as apposed to ozone based) specifications. And when calling their sales staff, the same reality comes to light. But I will check their site. Thanks guys. Chuck

Tom, I was not picking on your situation, and I should have been a little more concise. I keyed on your upcoming trip to CA as we plan for same later this year. The information is for anyone traveling to or through California with an RV. And as usual, everything is subject to change. You're right -- it does wear on us. For many reasons I will not expound upon here. It really gripes me that the reporting process is anonymous via the Internet. It is like keyboard bashing of someone on the web, then hiding behind the computer. It's not the subject matter I take exception with, it's the method of reporting. And the subsequent defense the RVer has to generate for doing nothing wrong. As in presumed guilty until you prove yourself innocent. Have a great and safe trip. Chuck

Posted: "The other allows GPS, plus short text messages where no cellular service exists and is connected through Bluetooth to your smartphone..." Rescue with no cellular service but it uses your smartphone. I think I'm missing some data here. Mike, "...they send a "burst" of info every 10 minutes or so."and "The transmitter is very small, it can be worn on a belt or on your arm..." I understand the device knows it's location via the GPS system, but are you and RB saying it transmits it's location from your belt or arm to a separate satellite that forwards the data to a ground station that send out emails or other services? Or is it transmitting it's location via cell service? Please clarify.