Lenp

When I am connected to 50 amp service my amp meter on the load center DOES NOT show any amps at all - just a blank screen. I did, however, discover that if the water heater breaker was OFF the load center thought I was on 30 amp service. On my coach the load center "looks" at the water heater circuit and one other circuit (notsure which one) and if it sees 240VAC (two 120 volt circuits of opposite phases = 240VAC) it confirms your on 50 amp service and ceases to control/shed any loads. If your on 30 amp service and using a dog bone it will see ZERO volts (two 120 volt circuits with the same phase) and assume your on 30 amp service and the amps meter is enabled. IF your connected to a pedestal that is wired incorrectly with both hot leads connected to the same phase your load center will think your on 30 amp service and the amp meter will be showing amps being drawn. To verify if this is the case measure (with a voltmeter) across the two hot leads (L1 & L2) at the pedestal. if it is wired correctly you should have 240VAC. If it is not your measured voltage will be zero when measured across the two hot leads (L1 & L2). Regardless of whether it is wire correctly or not you will still see 120VAC between L1 and Neutral AND 120VAC between L2 and Neutral. If wired correctly with L1 and L2 180 degrees out of phase you will see 240VAC between the two but if both L1 and L2 are tied to the same phase they will be in phase and there will be no voltage between the two. Hope this helps, Lenp

Tripping the hot water heater breaker????? There should not be any connection. Are you connected to 30 amp or 50 amp service? If you on 30 amp, perhaps something is weird in the load share circuit. If on 30 amp and both compressors (or maybe even one compressor if there are other loads) are trying to run, the hot water heater should be shed (disconnected). Perhaps the momentary surge to 50 amps is also dropping the voltage which, in turn, would cause the water heater (and everything else) to draw more current and trip the breaker. If your on 30 amp try running your generator and see if the same thing happens. Lenp

What are you looking for? Service manual, service centers or what? Do you want to service it yourself? Are you looking for routine maintenance (cleaning, lubrication) or do-it-yourself repairs? Tell us what you want and we may be able to help, Lenp

I just switched to State Farm which allows me to put the liability on hold when I am not using the coach. Former (Nationwide subsidiary) carrier would not allow that - saved me some money. lenp

My F150 does not have any accident avoidance system on it. I certainly don't know how they would react but would expect them to not be operational when the key is OFF but not in the LOCKED position. Certainly worth checking though. Lenp

Pulling a rig that heavy WILL require supplemental braking. Depending on which brake system you choose, there may be some battery drain involved. I tow a F150 4x4 and use an RVI brake system. Three to four hours of towing seems to be OK but longer times will draw the battery down some - perhaps not enough to prevent starting the toad but I chose not to drain the battery at all and installed a charge line from the coach. I left the RVI plugged in overnight once and woke up to a dead battery. Lenp

You may have issues with satellite and teleconferencing and/or bandwidth requirements. The latency (delay) can be real annoying with live conferencing, Not sure what bandwidth is available today but when I was using it ten years ago it was quite limited unless you paid BIG bucks. Back then each satellite beamed down coverage to the entire US (or other areas). While they still do that, their main focus is now on spot beams which provide (I think) higher speeds. Mobile users were locked out of the spot beam service when it was first initiated but I think there is now a third party provider that can set you up with spot beam service. My main reason for dropping the service was slow speeds and arrival of 3G Verizon. They touted "speeds up to xxx" and delivered much less saying "we don't guarantee anything" . They may be better today but.... Now with 4G Verizon almost everywhere I would never consider going back. Another BIG disadvantage to satellite is you MUST always have a clear view of the southern sky - NO trees allowed - thus no shade. You will find many campgournds where a clear view (or a hole in the trees at just the right spot) is not easy to find. Suggest you visit the datastorm users forum for additional information. http://www.datastormusers.com/ Expect to have to register before being allowed access. The fellow who runs the datastorm site is also an RVer and very knowledgeable. Good luck, Lenp

If the Brake Buddy and Even Brake are anything like my RVI 2 brake system, it relies on an inertia sensor in the unit sitting on the floor. When it senses rapid deceleration it will apply the brakes on the toad. There is no connection between the motorhome brake system and the RVI 2 system. Lenp

Cool representation!

You might try a well-nut. Google "well nut" to see what they look like. Pick them up at any hardware store. Simply drill the hole out so it has a clean edge and insert the well nut and tighten it down - leak sealed! Lenp

What brand water heater? Atwood heaters use a "fuse" link on the 12 volt side. Looks like a jumper wire with a small fuse in it. It is supposed to open when there is a flame back from the burner but I have seen many open for no reason. Lenp

Recommend a VERY well insulated coach! Lenp

There are a few "resorts" that are dedicated to upscale class A rigs only. I wouldn't want to visit them anyway! Lenp

Roland, Just sent you a PM Lenp

Can you describe the noise? Lenp

My ice maker is also supplied by the filter under the sink. There is a shut off valve under the sink for turning off the ice maker water. The sink is also located in a slide. Just hope none of the lines ever develop a problem! Lenp

You might note where your located. Someone here might want one and be close by. Lenp

In addition to what Rich says, you can also pull the drain plug and get a "tank rinse wand" like this one at Camping World: http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/water-heater-tank-rinser/49070 You have an Atwood that has an aluminum tank that is essentially rust proof. The other brand (Suburban) does not us aluminum, thus requires an Anode Rod in the drain plug hole to keep it from rusting through. These anode rods need to be checked and/or replaced at least yearly. Those who neglect to do this will soon find themselves with a leaking tank. Lenp

While a voltmeter is a valuable tool when troubleshooting electrical problems, a trouble light can be even more valuable. I would guess that IF you used a trouble light on both sides of that fuse location (with the fuse removed) only one side would illuminate the trouble light. The voltage your reading on the load side is simply leakage from (as previously noted) a corroded socket or something similar. I once had a 12 outlet (cigar lighter) that had a 12 volt reading with a voltmeter (between the center pin and the sleeve) but when a phone charger was plugged into it, the phone would not charge nor did the little LED on the plug light up. I discovered a blown fuse for that circuit. The DC distribution panel had the LEDs that were supposed to tell you if a fuse was blown, BUT they only light up when a load is attached providing a path for current flow With no load, the LED stayed dark but it still passed 12 volts to the outlet. Sure had me fooled for a while. A trouble light would have caught it immediately. Also great for checking fuses - simply probe each side of the fuse and if the fuse is good, the light will light. Another tip for ensuring a good ground for the trouble light - get a 120 AC plug (three prong) and attach a long wire to the ground (round) connector and use that for your trouble light ground. Leave the other two (flat) connectors un-connected. This solves the problem of finding a good, known ground. Lenp

Not sure how your Fleetwood compartment doors are configured, but, if like my Winnebago, the handle is in the center of the door and connected by rods to the door latches on both sides of the door. I have had two of the latches break preventing access. The latch is a plastic or Teflon "pin" tapered on one side so that it will retract automatically and then extend into the receiver when the door is closed - kind of like a household door latch. The tapered end of my latch broke resulting in it no longer being connected to the rod on the handle assembly. Fortunately, I could access the latch receiver from an adjacent compartment and get the door open. If that is your problem, the latch assemblies are easy to replace. As for your drawer..... Again I had one that would not stay closed. Mine DO NOT have any latches on them. Only a slight drop down when they are fully closed. To open them I have to first lift the drawer and then pull it out. Close inspection of my drawer glides revealed the small tabs that hold the drawer closed were bent preventing it from firmly latching. A pair of needle nosed pliers solved the problem quickly. Suggest you have a close look at a good drawer glide and then compare to the bad one. Lenp

Are they really lady bugs or are they the invasive Asian beetles that look like a lady bug? The Asian imports stink if you happen to smash them - lady bugs do not. We had problems with the Asian imports a few years ago and just used Raid flying insect spray. Problem is they had laid their eggs and every time we hit warm weather they began hatching again. Took a few cycles to get rid of all of them. Lenp

If you want to leave your gray valve open, route the sewer hose so that is has a "P" trap in it. That will prevent the sewer gas getting into your tank(s). Lenp

If the vent is plugged, odor would most likely come from the admittance valve closest to the tank. Lenp

Continuing from what Bill said..... Could a loose connection anywhere between the Surge Guard and the coach breaker panel cause the intermittent problem? I had a loose (read that as not connected) neutral in the male plug end of my cord. The surge guard saved my bacon by shutting down immediately. I was surprised that it shut down the power as I only expected it to "look" at the pedestal side. I would expect an intermittent connection could very well cause you some problems. Suggest you unplug from the pedestal and check ALL connections in the cord (both ends) and your AC breaker panel(s) before purchasing a new surge guard. Lenp

Check all of your GFI outlets. Something may have tripped it (them). These are the outlets with the two buttons between the two plug receptacles. These receptacles are the first outlet in a chain of many and when they trip, all the remaining outlets on that "chain" (circuit) will be dead. A power surge could have tripped them or you may have simply bumped the test button which would "trip" the circuit. Sometimes your outside outlet will get some moisture in it and trip the GFI outlet for that circuit and that outlet is usually located somewhere inside the coach. Lenp