wolfe10

Carl, But, do you have structural damage?? Roof coating and repair of structural damage are quite different.

gregsisk, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Yes, a tech who works on RV roofs for a living can usually tell if a roof is not structurally sound just by walking on it. And, since he made zero $$ off you, he had no reason to tell other than the full truth. As far as whether this is a job for you/you and a helper to undertake, only you can answer that. There is nothing complex about removing roof-top accessories, roofing material and continuing to "dig down" until you find undamaged beams/luan. You would likely need a covered place to work, as pop up showers this time of year in FL would be a real hassle.

Another fine-tuning point-- make sure the "restrictor" is in the end of the refrigerator condensate drain, OR form a drip loop so that warm humid air can not flow up the drain hose into the refrigerator.

Absolutely, if flame is too small due to low propane pressure, it will not cool properly. And defrosting is important-- ice is a great insulator, limiting heat transfer. See if anyone around you has an ice chest you can borrow for an hour. If not, even a cardboard box will work. Turn off the refrigerator. Wait one hour. Remove everything from the freezer and put in an ice chest or cardboard box. If box, cover with towel or something to minimize defrosting. Remove things from the refrigerator section top shelf so you can access the cooling fins. Open both freezer and refrigerator doors. Use a hair dryer on low heat, NOT sticking the front inside the refrigerator-- you don't want to warp the plastic. Defrosting should not take more than 10 minutes. Close doors and turn on refrigerator. Return stuff after it has been running for 20-30 minutes.

We have done 7 in our 36' DP. It is a beautiful drive. BUT (big BUT) it is a very "technical drive". To do it safely it would require your rig to be in good condition and more importantly for the driver to be an experienced mountain driver. Said another way, this is not a route for a "put it D and go" driver!

OK, if it cools properly on 120 VAC but not on propane-- then the cooling unit is probably OK. You say you cleaned the burner tube-- did you remove it to clean or just blow it out? Were the vertical slits still in good shape or rusty? Have you checked gas pressure-- low PSI (11 column inches of water is spec) will cause smaller than normal flame and therefore less cooling? Propane regulators are cheap-- around $25 and not unusual to be bad after 11 years. Do you have an auxiliary fan behind the refrigerator (in the outside area)? If so, and it is running, it will move more air when on shore power (battery voltage higher) than when dry camping. Verify that you have the correct (very minimal) clearance between the coils and outside wall-- specs are in your refrigerator owners manual. Lastly, if that side of the coach is in the sun, cooling unit will not perform as well. ALL these factors are cumulative. It is often small degradations of several factors that cause loss of cooling performance rather than one big one (assuming the cooling unit is OK).

Thanks, Roger. Always good to get the "inside story". One of the things I like about the FMCA Forum-- having a retired tire forensic engineer answer tire failure issues is a real asset.

Locate the boost solenoid. Check voltage at the small "sense" wire that receives 12 VDC when the switch is pushed. Because it takes very little current to close the solenoid, you could use a small jumper wire from the house battery lug of the solenoid to the sense terminal. Be aware that that would be very hard on both the solenoid and the house battery, as it would cause a very large amount of current to go from the charged battery through the solenoid to the deeply discharged battery. Said another way, only do this in an emergency. Best advice is still to use an auxiliary battery charger to bring the discharged bank up.

Gary, Suspect part of the wide range of estimates is that in many cases the battery and electrical system must be upgraded to accommodate the residential refrigerator. So, let's start by your telling us: Battery bank size (in amp-hrs @ 12 VDC). What inverter or inverter/charger do you have? Is it MSW or True Sine Wave? Another cost variable is what cabinet modification is needed to accommodate the new refrigerator. This may include closure of the outside access door area. Also, one of the other cost variables is how you will get the old refrigerator out/new one in-- removing a windshield, for example is more expensive than if it will go through the door. So, until more detail is known, I would expect a wide range of quotes.

In many coaches the power to the "battery boost/combine switch" comes from the chassis battery. If not enough voltage, boost solenoid/relay will not close to combine batteries. Best answer is to use an auxiliary charger to bring the chassis battery up.

Many shops to not have the room to accommodate an RV. But the mechanicals are not "exotic"! You may need to go by and visit--- take pictures of the valves-- that will make them more comfortable!

Absolutely nothing special about the dash A/C. Anyone who works on automotive A/C's can do it. To save time/money, locate the low and high pressure valves for him. Only possible difference is if the A/C condenser uses the CAC/radiator's fan (i.e. the A/C condenser is outboard of the CAC) the fan may not turn fast enough at 1000 RPM to move sufficient air. I have had to lightly spray water (garden hose or even pour water on it to cool it down. Verify both those items (valve location and location of the condenser) and anyone with gauges can work on it.

Yup, measure your space and take a yard stick with you when you go shopping. May have to settle for your 2nd choice TV to get the right size. And, I for a bedroom where you don't have a sound bar, make sure the speaker is on the FRONT.

Concept is OK. Agree, mechanism securing door/TV to cabinet doesn't look up to the job.

The valve stem/stem extension is certainly a likely source of an air leak. Soap bubbles will hep identify that-- blowing bubbles is BAD.

Wow, a Davco is a great fuel filter. So, does the DD engine have a secondary fuel filter (assume so) and the other filter is for the generator?? A common/good set up.

I suspect we will have some pilots weight in. I know that when it is very hot (desert SW in summer) that lift is enough less than they have to be concerned about take-off weight. Cold air-- more molecules to create aerodynamic drag/lift. Was in Anchorage last week. Went by an incredible FedEx facility when we went from a viewing area of Denali (park on Cook Inlet) to the airport. Denali was visible-- over 130 miles away. A rare site. Doubt heat is too much of a factor there. 70 degrees F would be a real heat wave!

Actually, cold weather is NOT a friend to higher MPG. Cold air is dense air and contributes to added aerodynamic drag-- a significant factor pushing that huge "box" down the road. Yes, intake air temperatures will be a little cooler, but with the CAC (Charge Air Cooler) your engine will see pretty cool air all the time (compared to a turbo diesel without CAC).

Joey, Very few of the on-line RV forums allow one to advertise their coach for sale. irv2 does. Craigslist as another free option. Good luck.

Nan, Glad you are back working. So, what was the problem?

Nan, Yes, the breakers on the generator need to be ON for power to go to coach. Sometimes hard to tell if they are tripped. Best to turn them both OFF and back ON. If you have an ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch) and you are safe working around 120 VAC, you might pull the lid off the ATS and check for power IN and OUT to the main breaker box. If no power on the IN side, there will be J box where wiring from generator connects to coach wiring on its way to the ATS.

Wow, never ran into THREE fuel filters unless one is for the generator. For the main engine: Primary/water separator and secondary yes. What are the PN#'s?

Bobandjanie, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. You might post a picture of how yours is installed. Would give us a better idea of the problem. Thanks.

I agree on the Skagway train ride. BUT (large but) there was a rock slide last week, so the RR was down until they get it dug out. We did it on a previous trip. Amazing that there were those on the ship expressing dissatisfaction with the ship excursion desk when their RR excursion was cancelled due to the slide. Must not THINK MUCH-- like the ship personnel (or even RR personnel) have control over rock slides in that very steep, narrow valley. Dianne is going through editing her pictures from the trip right now. Lots of whale (Humpback and Orca), bald eagles, sea otters, sea lions, etc. We never get tired of visiting, particularly in the Texas summer heat. Guess we will start a new slogan-- "To see better wildlife in Alaska look outside, not on the dance floor".

What brand jacks?