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NanMWright

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Posts posted by NanMWright

  3. Posted · Report reply

    Hi Folks,

    I drive a 2010 Winnebago Vista 30W...Class A.  My water heater...fueled with propane...no longer produces hot water.  It gets lukewarm at best. I recently cleaned the connectors so that the pilot would come on...but only lukewarm water is produced.

    Could someone tell me how to troubleshoot the problem? 

    Thanks...Nan Wright

  4. Posted · Report reply

    Hi Carl & J,

    It's good to be back. I spent a long, quiet spring boondocking in a remote forest. My dogs both died, I adopted a UTV (less pain upon demise), I started up a mobile saddlery, working rodeos and repairing saddles and tack, and I upgraded to this lovely Winnebago. The saddle shop has taken over my kitchen, bed, passenger seat and all cupboards...so I think I'm ready for the enclosed trailer.

    I'll start with the weight calc, as Ray suggests.  Beyond that, I'd prefer a 7' height, dual axle, ramp for the UTV, a V-nose, and a vent for an AC or fan. Good lighting will be important. I'll mount 100+W solar on the roof (which probably means I need a flat roof, not convex) plus some battery setup - 12v or 6v? I'm not sure about the wiring and the floor specs. The UTV is a Polaris Ranger that weighs 1,250. The Winnie does not like wind...or at least her driver (me) does not like wind. Will I have a problem with this trailer?

    It only takes a slight breeze to empty my bank account, so some of this work I'll do myself. But starting off with some brand suggestions...so I'm working with a good foundation, would be really helpful.

    Thanks for your replies.   Nan

  5. Posted · Report reply

    13 hours ago, RayIN said:

    The first, and primary consideration is the maximum tow rating for your MH, and hitch capacity. I suspect your hitch rating is 5,000#, which should also have a 500# weight rating. This would mean the loaded trailer could weigh no more than the rating, even less if your MH is already at maximum weight.  A special weight distributing hitch  may also be required, depending upon rear axle rating and actual weight on the rear axle.

    This online travel trailer weight calculator will be of immense help when matching your MH with a trailer it will safely tow.  Substitute your MH weights for  the tow vehicle blocks. Please note, this calculator requires actual weights in many blocks, it even offers the 20% safety factor many full-timers go by to insure longevity of the tow vehicle.

    Thanks Ray - I'll start with the calculator and work from there on the buy or buildout of a trailer. I appreciate the link.  Nan

     

  6. Posted · Report reply

    Hi Folks,

    I'm now driving a 30' 2010 Winnebago Vista 30W. I'd like to tow a 14' tandem axle enclosed cargo trailer for my UTV and a small workshop. I have reviewed cargo trailer building specs and I'm still baffled. I can't afford to just buy the top of the line, but I don't want to end up with something that won't hold up.  I am full-time on the road, mostly in the hot southwest. (I have been towing a 10' open trailer for the UTV but need to enclose it and my shop.)

    I would really appreciate suggestions regarding higher-end brands that meet the basic needs. 

    Thank you so much.   Nan Wright

    20190319_134309 (2).jpg

  7. Posted · Report reply

    Thanks again for your comments,

    I had my 2 12V batteries load tested and they are still good batteries - testing in at 14.4V. I understand from lenp's analysis that I may have limited their life, but for now they are okay.

    My plan is to expand to 400W monocrystalling solar panels with a 40A MPPT controller. Later on I'll upgrade my 2 12V batteries to 4 6V batteries and manage my daily load better. 

    Thank you for these many posts. It has helped me manage my energy use more realistically...looking at the long game and not just what I need seasonally.

    As always, I'm glad I'm an FMCA member, and grateful for your help.

    Nan

  8. Posted · Report reply

    On 2/4/2019 at 6:51 AM, wolfe10 said:

    Nan,

    Tell us exactly what brand/model solenoid/battery combiner you have.  As soon as you mention "board", it is certainly more than a basic solenoid that combines batteries when the ignition is on and separates them when the ignition is off.

    Another suggestion-- go in and edit your signature to include info on your rig, That will often shorten the guessing time and give you quicker answers.

    Thank you for your response on the solenoid and panel comments. This RV is a 1999 Bounder that I have been considering swapping for my 2007 Sunseeker. I want to trade up (?) to a Class A and I've decided that this Bounder has too many problems for me to tackle. I won't work on the Bounder any more, but I will keep looking for a small Class A for a future purchase.  Thank you for your time responding to my questions.

    Nancy

  10. Posted · Report reply

    I'm full-time on the road and I only boondock. 

    My generator (Onan) does not really charge the batteries unless I run if for hours. I don't have shore power. I usually run my Ford 450 engine to recharge the house batteries.

    I'll call the dealer where I got the batteries. Interstate has a 12 mo warranty and they are less than 1 year old. So, I will need to fully charge and test, per Lenp:

    On 1/30/2019 at 10:50 PM, lenp said:

    To measure the REAL State Of Charge (SOC) you need to remove ALL loads (and charging sources) from the batteries (disconnect them) for 10-15 minutes and then read the voltage with a multi meter.  Or measure the specific gravity of each cell in each battery.

    I'm not sure that I have not voided the warranty by my use/abuse. Any suggestions on that?

    Nan

  13. Posted · Report reply

    Ugh.

    I can't say I fully understand the math behind battery use and maintenance, but your explanation certainly helps. I believe I have (mostly) destroyed my batteries which are less than a year old, Interstate 12V.  I have too large a draw being supported by mis-matched and inadequate poly/mono solar panels which, when used together, are incompatible with the MPPT controller. The solution will require some education, several replacements, and better management of my load...an expensive bit of ignorance on my part. 

    Thank you all for your input. 

    Nancy

  15. Posted · Report reply

    Hi Folks,

    I have two 100W Renogy solar panels on the roof of my Class C Sunseeker, wired in parallel and connected to  a 20A Rover Controller.

    One of the panels is monocrystalline and the other is polycrystalline. (This was not intentional.)  I'm having a lot of trouble keeping my two 12V batteries charged with the solar and I wonder if the problem is because I'm mixing different types of panels.

    If I need to change one of the panels out, do I stick with the poly or the mono?

    On a very good winter day, the panel monitor shows 18V / 9A from the panels, but my batteries rarely stay charged, frequently falling to 11.5 V.

    Thanks for your suggestions.  

    Nancy Wright

  16. Posted · Report reply

    Hi Folks,

    "Your describe the propane burner as working "OK" regardless of using propane from your on-board tank or external tank.  My suspicion is the chimney above the burner is restricted with cobwebs/dirt or a bird's nest or something else meaning inadequate hot gas flow along the boiler/perk tube.  Typically the chimney "exhausts" through a rectangular opening through the top of an RV's roof.  The chimney has a rectangular cover to keep rain, branches, leaves, etc. out of the chimney.  To check the chimney I'd suggest removing the top cover and peer down into the chimney with a suitable flashlight to look for an obstruction.  If there is an obstruction, a small width broom could be used to push the "stuff" out the bottom of the chimney.  Also  check the baffles in the bottom of the chimney above the burner to assure they are not partially plugged."  FAGNAML

    This has been a very helpful thread.  I finally made it to a town with RV repair and this contribution from Mike was exactly the problem.  I originally thought I might have low gas pressure, but it only took a few minutes with a high pressure air hose to send a black cloud of debris up through the vent on the top of the rig. Within an hour, my fridge temp moved from 60 degrees to 35 degrees. The gas pressure still seems low to me, but the fridge has stayed in the low 30's for the past 5 days, so I'm considering it 'fixed'.

    Thanks for all your contributions.  I certainly learned a lot about troubleshooting all the possible Dometic fridge problems.   

    Nan

  18. Posted · Report reply

    I shut the valve to the house tank, then connect the external tank and slowly turn on the gas from the external. The fridge burner lights as soon as I turn on the gas setting on the fridge and it burns roughly the same whether I'm on the house tank or the cylinder.  I thought at first it ran better on the house tank, but after a number of tests, I really don't see a difference.  It will need to be tested with more precision.  I have another tank I can try.   And I'm recleaning and realigning the gas burner. 

    I'll look for a propane store (not gas station) that can test my external tank for pressure.  I found someone to replace the regulators if that's an appropriate step.

     

    N

  19. Posted · Report reply

    Excellent. Thanks for forwarding that to me. How do I determine that replacing the regulators is the next step?  Process of elimination?  Everything else seems to work fine, so the regulators are the next logical point of breakdown?

    I've been studying the 2652 Diagnostic Service Manual and there are a couple other things I probably need to do, like clean the flue, replace the door seal, re-check all the gas lines for restrictions....

    The regulators are inexpensive enough that may just be an easy step to take.   Thanks again.....

  20. Posted · Report reply

    Brett -  I'm going to re-examine the burner...make sure nothing is blocking the fuel or flame.  I think I did a good job of cleaning it, but it's easy enough to check and re-do if necessary.  I'm more than 100 miles from a small town and 200 m from a large one with RV repair. But I can get on the phone to see where I'll get a repair.   I've removed the gray cover over the regulator....there seem to be two 'regulator-type' insertions along the horizontal from the gas valves (internal and external) to the coach appliances. Does that mean I have a 2-stage regulator?  I'll go back through the manual and see what I'm missing here.  

    A little history:  I was running all appliances on house propane and it ran out...leaving air in the line.  When I hooked up my auxiliary tank and fed new gas through the line, the stove came on ok and the fridge burner lit but never cooled the fridge again.  That's when I took the fridge burner apart and cleaned it. I don't know if my running out of gas was coincident or causal with the fridge breakdown.  

    Thanks...nan

  21. Posted · Report reply

    17 minutes ago, wolfe10 said:

    Nan,

    The propane regulator is under the gray/silver plastic cover on the right of the top picture.  So, line pressure to appliances should be the same on coach tank or outside tank-- above you mentioned that flame was higher on coach tank?? Not sure that makes sense unless the auxiliary tank is empty OR you opened the valve on that tank too quickly and it is not allowing full gas flow. Try turning the valve on the auxiliary tank off and back on SLOWLY with all propane appliances OFF.

     

    Please confirm from my first post above: " 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? "

    Brett: The first thing I originally tried was to open the burner area, remove the tube and completely clean the tube and igniter with an alcohol swab...then re-insert it and confirm that it burned blue and consistent. Vertical slits were in ok condition. Small amount of rust, mainly on the frame of the tube. I never thought about the way I open/close the house or external cylinder.  The flow to my cooking stove (from the external) is strong so I assumed the flow to the fridge would also be strong and consistent. My perception that the fridge burner worked better on the house tank could be totally subjective.  Using the house tank did not improve the fridge cooling.  I'll try the slow-on recommendation...Nan

    Richard:  I'm using some of your suggestions to continue troubleshooting.  The external tank works fine for my stove and furnace, so I don't think there is any problem with the tank. I'll work through your other ideas.  Thanks for taking time to help me think through this.  Nan

  22. Posted · Report reply

    19 hours ago, WILDEBILL308 said:

    Do you have a regulator on your external tank? Where does it connect to your propane supply, before or after the regulator on the coach? I think the main issue is low propane preshure off the external tank as you say it works good off the RV tank. If you are plugins in after the regulator on the Rv you might try a new 2 stage regulator. If plugged in before the regulator on the coach you may need to eliminate the regulator  on the external tank because going through 2 regulators may be restricting the flow.

    Bill

    Bill: Attached are a couple pics of my Extend-a-Stay setup.  The cylinder comes in after the valve on my house tank. What kind of regulator do you suggest? One for the cylinder? Something that attaches to the house side?

    Rich: I can pass a dollar bill all the way around my door when it's closed and hooked. Ugh.

    I defrosted the fridge, then set it to cool again on house propane.  The freezer came on immediately. The fridge stayed at 60 degrees.  I'm running my generator now and the fridge is cooling rapidly.

    Nan

    extendastay.jpg

    extendsetup.jpg

  23. Posted · Report reply

    Thanks Folks,

    I'm working through your suggestions and I see that the cumulative small problems may be the culprit.

    I am running the RV off of an external propane cylinder and I don't have the ability to test the gas pressure from the cylinder. But I put it back on the house propane tank (which should be the default pressure) and the flame burned higher and hotter visually.

    I am not totally level...canted to port so that the fridge is facing slightly (not excessively) downward. Front to back are in spec.  I can attempt better leveling. 

    I use solar but I haven't been keeping the batteries (brand new) above 12.5.  I keep them above 12V but you indicated that the fridge needs 12.5, so I can shut down my inverter earlier in the day and keep the batteries at 13V when I go to bed. That way the voltage should not drop below 12.5 during the night. 

    I have some ice build-up in the freezer so thawing might help.  I'll do that when I have someplace to put the food.

    I'll test the thermistor after I've worked through the simpler corrections. 

    Thanks so much for the suggestions.....This really helped.   Nancy

  24. Posted · Report reply

    My follow-up to this post is that I found the thermister was set all the way to the coldest setting, or at least was sitting at the upper-most point on the fridge fin. Still, the fridge is not cold enough to keep food.  I wonder if the termister is not working, since I can't see any other dials or tabs that would allow me to lower the temperature.   Nan

  25. Posted · Report reply

    Hi Folks - I have a Dometic refrigerator (Model RM2652) in my 2007 Class C FR Sunseeker.  If I'm on shore power, it seems to cool perfectly, well below the 40-42 degrees I want.  However, I boondock for weeks at a time and the fridge on propane can't seem to get cooler than 50 degrees.  The freezer stays extremely cold and frozen food is fine. But normal fridge foods - milk, yogurt, meats - only last 7 days at the most.

    I cleaned the air flow tube, verified that the igniter works, and the unit is getting adequate propane. I've taken it off the auto electric/propane option and set it to only use propane. (It tried to run the fridge on electric whenever I turned my inverter on...sending the coach batteries into a downward spiral.)

    This Dometic has 'automatic, factory specified' temp control, so I don't have the option to turn it down. 

    Is there anything else I can try...  Thanks, Nan

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