dickandlois

I do have some experience with "Lake Effect Snow". I grew up on lake Erie at the NY state line well 6 miles east. I had a uncle in Rochester who worked for Kodak. Where are you heading, what route? Bill, Sounds like the Ripley area. Well, the Rt. south is 390 to Rt.15 / 99 to 180 to Rt.83 to Rt. 77 East.down to Rt.40 West to Rt. 123 to Rt.95. Missing the larger metropolitan areas. So with snow and ice in the south. Will just watch the weather for a 2 day warm up and make a dash south. Right now it is 3 deg. and it looks like fog, but it is snow suspended in the air blowing around, with a wind chill of -25. Rich.

Herman, Like the information ! The last sentence sounds like that of a Philadelphia lawyer. Rich.

Dusty, Welcome to the Forum! When it gets this cold the compressor will actually warm the interior of the refrigerator. The system kind of turns into a heat pump! If it is an absorption style unit it will work the same way. Note, It might be advisable to start an absorption unit in the LP mode. This mode will raise the coil temperature slower - the main reason the absorption units fail is failure of the silver solder joints and the difference of the expansion rates of the materials. Stopping at a rest area in winter to get a drink from a vending machine that sets out side in the weather. The bottles never freeze unless the power goes off. Should the interior temperature of the coach be bellow freezing - start to warm the coach by what ever means you wish. We always leave the refrigerator doors open while storing. That action will warm the compressor and raise the interior temp of the fridge. From there everything should work as expected. Rich.

Thanks Brett ! Do let it slip through your fingers Rich.

Rich, I believe it was in the 50's in Katy today. Thanks Jim ! really nice to know that at least there is some warmer air somewhere. If you can hang onto some for us - it would be appreciated. Rich.

Bill. Erie is around 160 miles west of us. We live off Rt. 104, that magic ridge that gets the snow south of the lake, but when it is this cold and with some wind the snow is very dry and fluffy it can carry over the ridge add up fast. Back in 65 the weather forecast was for 3 to 6 in. and a big Low pressure got stuck on the East coast. We wound up with 3 to 4 feet and strong wind that made some impressive drifts . we where able to walk right over 4 ft. fences and do some sledding off the roof of the house,(with my little naphues) where the drifts formed. This time it is another low pressure area on the coast. People got berried in there cars and where found as the roads where plowed. So we will see if get to measure it in inches or feet. The big lawn tractor has an ignition issue, but I just figured I would not need to hookup the snowblower to the PTO. Hay I'm leaving for the winter - will clean things up in April. LOL Mother nature is laughing - got you old guy! Rich.

Eric, Warranty starts when you sign the papers, not when the coach is shipped from the factory. Rich.

Bill, Way to far North ! 10 miles from lake Ontario - Stayed home for Christmas to spend time the kids and grand kids. The plan was to exit the end of December - no joy Never planed on it being the coldest weather in over 30 years. The Bright side is - the house is built to handle the temps. and with all the mess along the East coast. Snow on the palm trees. The big girl will just set on her pad for a few more days. Think the the week of the 15th. things might open up for a few days. 2 good ones to get to the warmer latitudes. You got to believe that 40 degrees for us will feel like balmy weather . Rich.

Brett, we will be keeping you in mind if you get up to 15,000 ft. in FEB. Rich.

Warm is all relative. 50 years ago I would be out snow skying in this kind of weather. Those where the days my friend ! Sure looks like the fuel clouded up some ? Might be able to make some good candles with the much wax. You know I have to ask where the driver got the last tank of fuel. D#1 or kerosene to dilute what is left. The reason we are hunkered down - do not need that kind of issue. Even though I added some 911 to the last tank back October, no way I feel comfortable using it at these temps. An temperatures like this sure makes me wounder what the winter blend is like in the South. ???? Rich.

Sure sounds like the threads are stripped. They make different sizes. There should be room to install a larger thread size grease fitting. The issue would be - no real depth to run in a tap because of the seal and the ram being in the way. Might be able to get a discount for a defective part. Can not remember the year of the coach? Rich.

Well, the temperatures will be around 0 or below for the next 48 hrs. with a wind chill of -25 to -30. We will be staying inside. No school tomorrow. Whiteout conditions because of the wind and the addition of 12 in. of snow predicted. Will letup on Sunday afternoon. Got some wood stacked up - so the wood stove might get fired up. Then it will be 25 to 35 degrees here Monday. Heat Wave !!! So the South should be in the 50 to 60 degree range. No real good predictions for next week yet. LOL Rich.

One can get a number of items that will increase HP and Torque, but will the changes meet the EPA guidelines when it is time to pass an emission test. Every engine builder in the world is trying to meet their requirements. VW Diesel tried and failed - cost them big time !!!!! Cat just got out of the market and stayed in the off road equipment line. The items one must consider like you mentioned and is the trade off worth the extra cost. You could invest in a custom engine and transmission and add all kinds of power. Not within the Reach of many owners. I'm thinking that overall - you might be using 40% of what the HP and Torque is with the stock setup and if you customize the drive train, you get into looking for shops that understand how and what might be causing issues down the road. Cummings might cover the engine if it is not reworked to much ? Allison 4000 transmission will handle about anything you power it with, but you get into custom software in some cases. I refer it to as the domino effect. Change something and how many other items need to be modified. Rich.

Richard, I would check with Manchester. Give them a call. The Forklift style tanks are still in use and Manchester's RV tank list is dedicated towards the newer coaches. They very well could also have the same style tanks still in the pipeline. Not likely a mainline item at the time. Our first coach had 2- 20 lb. Horizontal tanks mounted in an outside bay. They where setup so they could be slid out from the securing system to be filled. Rich. Other suppliers that might be of help. https://vikingcylinders.com/products/ https://worthingtonindustries.com/Products/Propane-Cylinders Compressed Motor Fuel Tanks.pdf

Richard, The fill valve is replaceable. see the frost and wonder if there is a cover missing from the current valve ? dirt or other contamination at the vale set is always a possibility. The tanks always need to be empty to replace any of the tank parts. The fact that the valve failed and that most of the LP has discharged. Manchester Tanks is a good possible source for the parts, but a good LP service center should be able to test and repair the tank. http://www.mantank.com/products/rvproducts.htm Rich.

Eric, there is a latching relay - that the water pump switch activates. You mentioned that the light is on at the switch. That would indicate that the relay energized. So 2 items to check have been mentioned ! The 12 volt fuse in the DC power panel. Could be a 7 amp, 10 amp or 15 amp fuse depending on the current requirement of the pump. The second - is the possibility of the pump being frozen and the lines between it and the water tank and between the pump and where the lines enter the coach. Water lines running to and from the water heater also could be frozen. Cold weather prodigal, is to open all the cabinet doors to allow more heat to circulate . Also--- you might need to add a heat lamp in the water bay and pump area to warm up the area. Trouble lights work and or a clamp on light with 40 to 60 watt bulb(s) Run your furnace(s) to raise the bay temperature, internal space heater does not help in this case. No direct contact with the lines, pump or tank. Rich. Fleetwood more often then not places the DC power panel right next to the AC power panels.

We live with 2 Motto's Every Day is a good day,but one needs to remember that some are better then others ! Every sunrise is a gift and every sunset is a blessing ! A Great New Year to all ! Rich and Lois.

With it being so cold in the eastern half of the country, I started thinking of the years that come to mind. 1949 The upper Midwest snow and wind that lasted for weeks. Months to dig out. 1965 The Northeast and great lakes got pummeled. Took almost 3 weeks to dig out. 1972 Cold stretch and snowed almost everyday for 6 weeks. Big piles of snow. 1991 March Ice storm that coated everything with over an inch of ice, power outage lasted for 2 to 3 weeks and again about 5 years later when areas got hit with 3 plus inches of ice. The power grid got pummeled. 2017 Has been very cold - not that much snow and with it being so cold, the big lakes are icing up. That fact kind of makes great lake residents smile. with an ice lid on the big lakes, it turns off the snow Hopping this extended cold spell has a killing effect on the Ash Bore, the Maple Bore and the evergreen Bores that have been killing so many trees, because of the lack of extended cold spells. We mess things up - but nature can cause extreme weather swings, that have had profound effects. So I keep thinking that things could always be worse. Rich.

Thank You for posting the information! Thinking that the coach might have 4 slides? That there is very little slope to the toppers, that kind of means there is very little space between the slide tops and the topper material. Bladders - filled with air might slide between the topper and the slide roof could work to keep the center a little higher then the outer edge - the other edge connects the the drip rail. Link to a possible source. http://www.atlinc.com/inflatables.html Installing and removing them could be challenging. Anything made of ridge material could very well damage the material and the roof top of the slides. The water might drain off the top by setting the coach at a slight angle front to rear. Toppers where not designed to be extended in winter conditions. Moving the coach to add fuel and LP in cold weather is no fun. Rich.

Rick, We have the same issue. LOL DW loves to sew and being creative - she has a good number if items. Then through in my items, it is almost to much to comprehend. Kind of like birds of a feather. I have been well schooled in redundancy and back up and she has some back up equipment and a good stock of fabrics. I do a lot of my own maintenance and giving up the sticks and brick location and the tools is kind of terrifying in a way. Rich.

bdersham, Welcome to the FMCA Forum! There are a few options, but first could you post the Make, Year and model of your RV. Not all are constructed the same and the information will help the forum members to offer the most relevant information. Rich.

How long does the voltage stay at 12.02 volts? Does it continue to drop? I have run into a case where 1 of the cells of a relatively new battery had just water in it. No lie. And if memory is correct, that battery would read real close to the readings you are getting. A battery hydrometer is the only way to test the cells for this type of problem. One bad cell on a 6 volt battery would drop the voltage by about 2.08 volts. A 12 volt battery with one cell with a water reading would drop by 2.08 Volts. You have a o.72 voltage drop. That kind of reading would indicate to me that the water to acid mix in one of the cells could be off by around 50 %. I do not know the acid to water mix percentage, but I will see what I can find regarding that number ! Rich. Back to the chemistry book(s) Battery acid is sulfuric acid that has been diluted with water to attain a 37% concentration level.

Five, I installed a new sine wave inverter and the only way to stop all the power draw is to install a disconnect switch at the battery, but that resets the unit to factory defaults. The other issue is the initial high current surge when the power is reapplied. So I just let it draw a few mil. amps. A small solar panel or trickle charger covers that and One needs to remember that the chassis, ECM, TCM and other modules are also drawing a small current. Disconnecting the Chassis battery places the ECM into a relearning mode and the system will fail an emission test until driven around 100 miles. Doing that legally could be a challenge or a paper chase in many states. Rich.

Eric, See the leveling system is using power gear equipment. That being the case, power gear installs grease fitting at the bottom of the hydraulic cylinders. The shiny part you mentioned - is called the Ram. The grease fittings are in the cylinder portion. Kind of hidden from view by the foot of the jack when it is retracted. ONLY use white lithium grease to grease the fittings. I have a small grease gun I use only for the job. The grease keeps the seals clean and the hydraulic fluid in. Whip down the shiny portion with silicon when it is extended. NOTE ! only use 2 shots of the grease. !!!!!!!! Cycle the jacks 2 or 3 times. and keep an eye on things for a few days. THE jacks need to be greased after 30 cycles, that information is buried in the power gear jack manual. One of those routine maintenance issues. Rich. Been there done That including the leak ! Many service centers know they need to be greased or that the manual mentions using lithium grease !!!

Carl, There is a reason it's colder if you think about it. Warm summer and the big lakes got warmer then nominal this past summer. Got to think that the real big ponds are also a little warmer and with hot air being lighter then cold air. That leaves the door wide open for the cold air to drop in. Regarding the Great Lakes - areas around them are setting record snow levels. Hope that I mixed enough 911 into the diesel on the last fill up and fuel filter change. Will also fined out if the block heater will do it's job. Then there is the job of removing any snow build up off the top of the coach, if we need to stop because of weather. The state police do not take kindly to snow and ice flying off the roof of any large vehicle. Rich.