blakeloke

You are right...she's a beauty! Welcome to the forum! Blake

Thank you for checking Herman. I just checked Home Depot and Lowe's and didn't see a 16 cu. ft. model. Trying to log onto Samsung's official site but it's not coming up now. Will check in a bit. Jim...we're going to have to move a few things around to lower the fridge base too. Wish we could get that added couple inches. Nevertheless, getting a residential in there is going to be sweet! No more worries of the coach going up in flames and cold beer when I stop for the night! Now, Deb puts a couple beers in the freezer about half an hour before we stop. Blake

rfsod48......engineers at Fisher & Paykel haven't tested it on modified sine wave. They are 80% certain it will be fine. My luck is that I'll fall into the 20% category which usually happens with me. Then I'm out the $$'s, and perhaps a broken frig and would still have to get an inverter. I run 4 - 12v deep cycle for house batteries. Jim.....Thanks.....looked at that one but I have a furnace under the fridge hole and can only get a max height of 67.75" tall even by modifying the cabinet. The RF18 is 70.87" tall. Blake

All, Starting to document this process for anyone that is considering swapping out their Norcold 1200 for a residential. I've gotten some feedback from several others that the Samsung models may fit but they no longer offer the model that was a perfect swap for the Norcold. We were also limited on space to get the refrigerator in the hole without removing walls. So, there are no other companies that offer a model with the correct size. However, after extensive search, I was able to find a Fisher & Paykel unit that will work with minimum mods. This swap out is above my paygrade so credit goes to Action RV in Conroe, TX. They are letting me be involved as much as I want. For the junk pile - Norcold 1200 Residential to replace - Fisher & Paykel. 16.9 cu. ft. Looking into stacking a stand alone true sine wave inverter to accommodate or replacing existing 2,000w modified inverter.

I think we can rule out campground supply since OP states he can fill his tank from a hose through tank opening. And also rule out electrically actuated valve. Starting from coach inlet (where he attaches hose from campground supply) first place I would check is the three way valve. Should be something similar to this: Ours is a Watts three way valve. I carry a spare now since I've had one fail. It's just a simple ball valve that should last a long time but our didn't! Blake

Tracey, For not being mechanically inclined you're doing a great job pinpointing the problem area under not so ideal conditions. Narrowing down to the vanity area is a good start. Try this: hopefully your vanity cabinet has a "false" or removable floor so you can look at supply and drain lines. Take a spare wood screw and screw it into the cabinet floor through the felt cover. About 3/8" of so should be good. Then pull up on the screw to lift the floor. I learned this trick from Ernie Ekberg, fellow member and friend, when he was changing out our tile and carpet floors to engineered wood. As Joe mentioned above, there are access areas in our coaches. Finding them is the fun part. Blake

Tracey, On your Monaco you should have a manifold block that supplies water to various systems throughout the coach. This will be accessible from the basement probably in the same compartment as your freshwater hose reel. To locate it what you'll see are blue and red PEX flex lines. The block will have labels that tells you what lines supplies particular systems (water heater, frig, faucets, toilet shower etc.). On the block you'll see a few "keys" that you can unsnap (hopefully still there) and use to turn off individual lines. The red pipes are hot water supply and the blue are cold water supply. So, if you still have a leak with supplied water from the campground or water pump, you should be able to isolate the leak through process of elimination. If you need more help please feel free to PM me and I will send my phone number to walk you through it. Blake

Tracey, I would start by looking at your refrigerator water line (for ice). It's a small 1/4" plastic line that should be accessible from the outside. It will be a panel with vents. The blue 1/2" line is the supply to the ice maker line. A leak at the ice maker line is fairly common. If that's the culprit you will see a small valve you can shut off. Needless to say, it's important to keep the OSB wood subfloor dry. Good luck......Blake

Jim, Do you need to re-tape or will Dicor sealant work? Blake

Brett, Thank for the reply and understand exactly what you are saying. I hope the OP doesn't upsize then think he can load up to max capacity of the tires without ensuring axle is rated to handle the added weight. Blake

Good discussion regarding upsizing tires. But, does upsizing tires necessarily increase the axle gross carrying capacity? Blake

Jayson, We changed out our TVs early last year. Hardest part was finding the right sizes to fit existing holes. This took several trips to Walmart, Sams, Best Buy and Costco! We lucked out on the front TV and a 42" Samsung fit perfectly with minimal facing trim adjusting. The rear TV was a bit more of a challenge but with a false back and locking bracket arm a 32" flat screen covered the existing hole nicely! A bonus we have now is a hidden compartment that once was a hole for a 23" TV. Our old TVs were not HD and neither was our satellite receiver. So, we had our receiver upgraded at the same time. Blake

RonandSue, I can think of some interesting places between Texas and Chicago that a young person may enjoy. How about Silver Dollar City in Branson? Blake

Happy New Year Folks! Upcoming in August the U.S. is going to be treated to something that hasn't happened in the lower 48 since 1979. The eclipse will start in Oregon and exit the States in South Carolina. Us Texans won't get treated to the total eclipse but that means we get to go camping if we want to see it. http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/path_through_the_US.htm Since we'll be in Bristol for the race.....we'll head south from Bristol to Lebanon TN and have reservations at the KOA there. We've also ordered eclipse viewing glasses from Amazon at about the price of a bottle of 2 Buck Chuck. Just thought we'd let the Community know in case you have never seen a total eclipse and would like to treat yourselves and the family! Blake

Flight Eagle, Welcome to the Forum. According to the FMCA 2016 Towing Guide you can only flat tow a Frontier if it has manual transmission. If the case with your truck, your owner's manual should tell you what needs to be done to flat tow. Look under "recreational towing". https://www.fmca.com/images/stories/pdf/towing_2016.pdf Blake

Thank you Bill and Michael.......Merry Christmas to all and safe travels! Blake

SquireDude, Look at the classified section in FMCA monthly magazine. There is a "towed vehicle" heading. Most of those vehicles are already set-up to be towed. Some offer the tow bar also. Blake

https://tyron.com/ UK based, run flat technology with applications for military, armored, VIP and commercial. Didn't see sizing or RV application but didn't spend a whole lot of time on their website. Blake

Agree....and volume is lower. I have a Craftsman pancake 120v compressor that I keep in the basement. It's rated at 150 psi.....works okay in a pinch but not nearly as well as it the large compressor in the garage. Blake

Joe....have read your fridge conversion post a few times. That's how I got the inspiration! Blake

Thanks Bill! Next project is to rip out the NoCold and put in a residential fridge. Blake

Hello Everyone, Closing the loop on this modification and upgrade. As a refresher, we took our 2005 Monaco Windsor to Ernie Ekberg in Weatherford Texas for a much needed updating. On the menu was a complete change out of our tile and carpeted flooring and recovering of our old sofa, J-lounge, copilot and pilot seats. Not to brag too much on Ernie, but we found him to be a master craftsman and all around great guy. All credit goes to Ernie on this....Deb and I just supplied the coach and a bit of grunt work. The pictures below tell the tale of Ernie's work.....just wish the colors showed the true beauty of it.

Ray and Hana, If your route takes you through Houston area you are more than welcome to hook-up at our house. We are 35 miles north of I-10 along the I-45 corridor. We have 50a, 30a service and you'll be on concrete. No sewer dump yet though. Send me a PM and I'll forward our address to you so you can google it. Safe travels.......Blake and Deb.

Thanks Jim....credit should go to Ernie Ekberg! The doghouse, or raised area above the engine bay and the closet floor have been redone in carpet. The wood flooring is engineered in Acacia with a Sayell color. Blake