tbutler

If it were my motor home and I was going to be gone for several months, given the temperatures you cite, I would drain all water from the supply and waste side. If temperatures were to dip just a little below freezing, your strategy would work but if the possibility of temperatures in the teens are a possibility, I'd drain the water. With storms power disruptions are a possibility. Take electric away for one very cold night and you've got a big problem. In addition, even with the electric, there are some lines that are on outside walls in most coaches, they will be at risk on very cold nights. The ice maker supply line on some RV refrigerators is one of these. Think about the worry factor if you were reading about a cold snap in Phoenix and couldn't check on your motor home. Think about the cost of replacing broken water lines, water heater, tanks, etc. The prudent strategy is simply to give it the standard winterization for motor homes before you leave. Drain tanks and lines and either blow out the lines or refill with antifreeze (formulated for RV water systems) and don't forget to treat drains with antifreeze. You'll sleep better while away from the motor home!

Welcome David and Linda, From another Texas resident! We settled here after full timing for ten years. We came to Texas each winter. The first winter we just kept moving south until we found warm temperatures to suit and found friendly people to share the winter experience. It looks like you have a very nice coach. I hope it brings you as much joy as our coaches have. Good travels!

If you have owned a boat and loved it, you are in the same boat now, it really isn't that much different. One works in water, the other works on land. The same thing you said about boats, small is easier to care for, large is nicer to live in, applies to motor homes. The old saying, a boat is a hole in the water that you pour money into also applies to motor homes, call them a land yacht on the road! Pilots say that there is lots of money in aviation, they know because they put it there. The truth is that any complex vehicle, boat, motor home or airplane has a high cost of operation and maintenance. Owning a motor home is a pleasure but it never stops taking your money! We've had two motor homes in 15 years, full timed for 10 years and that was, without a doubt, the best of all times. We bought our first, a 38 foot 1994 Dynasty, in 2001. We full timed in it for 3 years and then bought our present coach as a brand new coach. We parked her at our winter home this season with 150,000 miles on the odometer. We bought it November 2003 so it is 12 years old this year. I like having tried things out with a used coach (minimum investment while learning) and then moving to a new coach for the long run if the lifestyle suits. Find a good used coach and give it a whirl. Do your best to ensure it is in good condition. You don't want to end up with something that is in the shop just when you want to take it on a special trip. For my money there is just no better way to travel on land. When it is your home you can travel with "no worries." Wherever you are is home and you deal with the rest from there. Your choices are... Do I like it here? [stay] Do I think the grass is greener over there? [go]. If it is too hot, go north. If it is too cool, go south. Sea and mountains are also alternatives for adjusting climate to suit. Wherever you go you will find as many friends as you want. It is called the Family Motor Coach Association for a reason.

Here is a link to a web site that should be very helpful for your understanding of the basics of wiring for RV outlets. There are lots of diagrams and good explanations of what to look for and how to conduct tests and what readings you should expect. Every RV'er should have this site bookmarked for ready reference! One of the things you might check is the main cut-off switch for the house batteries. In our coach it is located near the battery compartment in a separate compartment just behind the battery compartment. Ours melted down this spring and everything was going goofy before it completely failed. The cause of failure was a washer left off the replacement switch when the original was replaced about 5 years ago. One side of the post for the battery feed to the switch had the cable against plastic instead of a conducting surface (the washer). As a result, the cable connection was getting hot to the point that the plastic switch finally melted. If the house batteries are registering 1V, then many things that work on DC in the coach will be inoperable even when plugged in to a good 50A shore power outlet. If the switch is good then verify that the batteries are in good condition. If the batteries are capable of taking a charge, charge them up and try the inverter again. I've had the house batteries go dead and it really does render the rest of the coach electric DOA.

Here is a link to Power Gear. If you contact them with your model and serial number, they should be able to give you the parts information you need and also should be able to suggest possible solutions for the problems you are having.

Regarding propane rules. There are certain tunnels which prohibit vehicles with propane. I know of tunnels around Boston and New York City with this prohibition. I'm not aware of others but there likely are a few other locations. Just be watching for signs regarding vehicles with propane in those situations. Also, loading your coach on any ferry will require shutting off the propane at the tank. They will typically issue a tag that must be attached to the propane tank valve stem indicating that the propane is turned off. In your travels you may never encounter these rules but it is good to be aware of them since you are transporting propane.

Hello Gene, Enjoy the RV lifestyle, no hurry, no worry, you are at home wherever you are... We have traveled in our RV's for the last 15 years, full time for 10 years. We just traveled from Oregon to Texas for the winter. Unless you have a good reason to go north, why not hang around in the southern US for the winter and enjoy the mild temperatures and the good times along the southern border. Whatever your interest you can find friends with similar interests somewhere along your voyage. Life is a banquet and most people are starving. Keep us posted on your travels.

When you turn on the water does the water pump run? if so it has circuitry that is monitoring the water pressure. Is there a charge going through the inverter/charger that is charging the engine batteries and/or the house batteries? The CO2 sensor, smoke alarms, leveling system, any of a host of other systems might be drawing a small charge on the system to keep monitoring the condition of systems in the coach. It is hard to find all these ghost charges in a modern system. As Brett says, pull the DC switches one at a time to eventually find all the ghost loads. Keep in mind that even with a zero load, the batteries will eventually lose their charge. The answer is a solar panel or other small feeder AC charge to the coach while in storage. I recommend the latter if the solar panel isn't easy to arrange.

The operation manual for the Onan generator has a list of error codes. When the generator shuts down, the light on the manual switch should be blinking. The number of blinks translates to a code that should tell you the reason the generator quit. Fuel starvation, low coolant, overheating, low oil pressure, etc. will all cause the generator to shut off to protect itself.

Ron, I am puzzled by the link between the main air tank/braking system and the leveling system. We have a Monaco with air leveling only and the two systems are independent when the coach is parked and in auto level mode. Yes, you can run the engine to raise air pressure on the leveling system but the leveling system shouldn't lose pressure to the braking system when it is operating properly. If that is the problem then there may be a leak from the leveling system back into the braking side of the operation. Air pressure on the braking side will drop while the pressure on the leveling system is maintained by the auxiliary pump . When the system is put in travel mode, and only then, the main coach pressure maintains the air bag system. Our auxiliary pump is located near the front axle where the auxiliary pressure tank is located. Our pump makes a noticeable noise but isn't what I would describe as loud. The sensor/controller for the leveling system in our coach is located in the basement compartment, on the ceiling under the refrigerator. Our system is HWH instead of Power Gear so there may be some differences in components but it sounds as if the basics of the system should be similar. I have never heard our auxiliary pump activate the relief valve. Our leveling system operates at 110 PSI. When we went to Alaska, the mounting for the auxiliary air pump broke and I had to improvise repairs. Our pump was mounted with springs used to reduce vibration noise. The springs weren't up to the rough roads and gave out. I replaced the springs with rubber bushings and those have worked fine since 2006. If the mounting springs for the pump are shot, the pump will make more noise. Undoubtedly, if there is an air leak, that would cause the pump to run frequently so finding the leak anywhere in the system, supply lines, air bags, etc. would be a priority. We have found that there are times when the leveling is difficult that will cause the pump to run more frequently. The system is designed to keep the coach level and it will adjust the coach when the level is changed by shifting load by using water from fresh water tank and running it into the grey water tank for example. Temperature will also cause a full airbag to swell or shrink more than a mostly empty air bag and this will cause the coach to go out of level and will initiate operation of the pump to raise a low point on the coach. The size of the auxiliary pressure tank is not sufficient to prevent the occasional operation of the auxiliary pump. The automatic system will also adjust level by dumping air from a high point in the system which causes a loss of pressure. When it comes to leveling the coach, the auxiliary pump will operate for longer periods of time when it is necessary to raise the rear of the coach since that is the heaviest part of the coach. The auxiliary pump is designed for intermittent operation so if it operates for long periods of time I would not be surprised to find it very hot. Our operation manual recommends dumping all air from the leveling system before initiating the automatic system. This lowers the coach and also minimizes the amount of air in the air bags which minimizes the changes in level due to temperature change. We are in Edinburg and when I need work on the coach I have taken it to Burt Ogden RV (956-585-4444) in Mission. I don't think they do on site service but they may be able to recommend someone who does. There are lots of mobile services in the RGV but I've never used any so can't make a recommendation there. Feel free to message me if I can be of further assistance.

Gerard, If you are a backpacker, you should be able to handle a solo trip to AK! It's really a great adventure and while some like everything arranged for them, there is no problem going it on your own. We spent the summer of 2006 (June, July and August) wandering around BC, YT, NT, AK and managed to survive the trip with only a few minor incidents (dropped a bike and got it repaired in Anchorage within a week, mounting for the leveling system pump gave out and self repaired with hardware items in Fairbanks). No flat tires, no broken windshields though we saw others with those problems. For my money, I'd go back again, solo, free to be me (or we). We had to skip Anchorage on our first stop. We stayed for two nights then moved on. We made reservations for several weeks later and went on to explore the Kenai Peninsula, Seward, Wittier, Homer, Nikolaevsk,and then stayed two weeks Anchorage on the way back. We spent two weeks in Fairbanks, 4th of July in the city park, playing golf at midnight. Then flew from Fairbanks to Barrow, a day trip. We spent a week in Denali, saw, Valdez, bears in Hyder, We enjoyed Wrangell-St. Elias NP including Kenicott. We walked on the Matanuska Glacier and hiked miles and miles. All on our own schedule and at our own pace for a lot less than the cost of a tour. We spent almost a month getting through Canada because there were so many great things to see there so the trip isn't just Alaska. Each town along the way offers its own insight into the frontier. We enjoyed some time in Dawson City and drove the toad to Inuvik inside the Arctic Circle! It is all there to enjoy and we'd love to do it again but not next year! Our next trip to AK will be on the ferry so we can spend time at the ports of call that aren't on the land based tour, Ketchikan, Juneau, Kodiak, etc. We plan to put the motor home on the ferry and see everything we can on the way north then return via the land route for an encore there. The FMCA communication mentions the Milepost which is still in publication and is the definitive guide to traveling along this route. It is updated annually and had just about everything that you might be interested in seeing with good descriptions and route information, tips for driving, etc. Any way you go, it is a wonderful adventure and one that I'd recommend to anyone!

There are circuit breakers built into our inverter. I believe that is what Rudy is saying in his posting. You need to locate your inverter and/or instructions for inverter operation to locate those breakers. They are typically just buttons that you depress to reset. If you don't know where your inverter is located, contact Thor or one of their dealers for help in finding the inverter.

Document your oil change in a manner sufficient for your coach and engine warranty. Warranties are frequently based on regular scheduled maintenance and lacking proof of that maintenance your warranty could be voided. Keep receipts for oil and filters, etc. Check with the manufacturer of coach and engine to ensure the information you keep is sufficient proof and get that in writing to avoid arguments and disappointment later. This is even more important if you have purchased a separate or extended warranty on your coach and engine/drive train. Extended warranty companies are notorious for demanding proof of maintenance before approving payments for needed repairs.

Traveling in a Class C is in no way comparable to traveling or living in a Class A coach. We rented Class C coaches for our trip through New Zealand and Australia. The cost there was about $5000 per month. Still way cheaper and more convenient for exploring than hotels. At best it was roughing it. We endured it because it was a grand adventure but what we really looked forward to was getting back into our own Class A! Rent a Class C for budget considerations but the experience is completely different in a Class A. I also suspect that the experience will be much more fulfilling in your own Class A than packing a few things into a rental Class A for a week or two. Keep in mind also that you will "learn" your own coach in a way that you can never 'learn" a rental. The first week will bring a host of challenges, learning about the operations of the coach. As you live and or travel in the coach for a longer period of time, each week brings fewer lessons and more enjoyment. Still, you never stop learning! I agree that while the rental fee for a Class C or a Class A is steep, considering the price of the purchase and what you stand to loose if it doesn't work out, renting is a good way to get into motor homes. We chose to purchase an older used coach. We lived in it for about 2 1/2 years before purchasing our first (and so far only) new coach. Used coaches have a much lower price and the depreciation curve is not as steep. We have used our coaches to their max, living full time for almost 10 years and still getting out to see new territory every summer for the entire summer. Factor in how often you expect to use the coach, it's an expensive toy if you use it only a few weeks a year. And, no, my toothbrush isn't for rent either!

Welcome Kent and Margaret, We bought our coach at a Monaco International Rally in Raine, LA in 2003! Lots of good memories there! Lots of frogs too... Hope you can get on the road soon and enjoy exploring the USA and her neighbors as much as we have. If you enjoy it, there is no better way to travel.

Maybe they fail because we hang out in the swamps! Seriously, our vehicles frequently are parked for months at a time. Run, then parked again for a week or two. Who knows? I do know that there are other engine components that don't last as many miles as TT engines do, simply because of the nature of the usage pattern for motor homes.

You have a 2007 45' Dynasty with the same engine as my 2004 40' Windsor, same radiator configuration. It sounds to me as if the engine is, dare I say it, too small for the weight of your coach? We tow a car and have never had a temperature over 190 to 192 in any ambient temperature. What is the GVW with your tow? Ours runs between 39,000 and 41,000, loaded with the tow. We have 150,000 miles on the coach and never have had an overheating problem.

Our trip through Labrador picks up on Sunday morning as we depart the Paradise River Rest Area. The bridge over the river is a long metal bridge and it was talking to us as the morning sun began to warm the cold metal structure. As the metal expanded there were occasional loud metallic bangs that echoed through the canyon of the Paradise River. We crossed the river and continued on our way. Traffic on a Sunday morning was very light. I counted five vehicles in the first two hours on the road. The condition of the road was excellent for a gravel road. We made good time with few delays. Later in the morning the construction crews were out again and we had numerous short delays. We began seeing construction crews for a private company. They were assembling the poles for a electrical distribution line from a new dam being built near Goose Bay. Near the north end of Highway 501 we encountered paving crews. It was only the last 20 miles but we were glad to see paved road. Highway 501 ends at Labrador Highway 500. A right turn takes us about 20 miles into Happy Harbor and Goose Bay. We stopped in Goose Bay for fuel. Fifty gallons of diesel at $3.53 per gallon (conversions from liters to gallons and Canadian Dollars to US Dollars) topped off the tank for the remainder of the trip. From Goose Bay to Labrador City Highway 500 is paved road in good condition. We left Goose Bay about 3:00 and got to Churchill Falls about sunset. We had hoped to tour the Churchill Falls Power Plant but everything we heard indicated that the tours were no longer available. The Churchill Falls Hydroelectric Power Plant is completely underground. The town of Churchill Falls is a company town, built to support the building and operation of the dam and power plant. We found a vacant lot and parked for the night. The next morning we set out for Labrador City. The trip took about four hours with a short stop to take pictures of a black bear that crossed the road ahead of us. Arriving in Labrador City we found the Grenfel Hotel where we turned in the Satellite Phone we had picked up in L'Anse-Au-Claire. We had parked at a large parking lot for a shopping area just across the street from the hotel. It was now about noon so we had lunch in the motor home. As we were finishing our lunch there was a knock at the door. Opening the door, I saw a couple, an older man and woman. They were just curious as to what brought us to Labrador City. This isn't a place that attracts many visitors. Labrador City is a mining town. We talked for a while, gave us some tips about the road ahead and answered several other questions for us. One of their tips was a suggestion for a stopping place for the night. There was really only one suitable place to pull off the road and spend the night. That was an abandoned mining town. The town had been a thriving town until the company decided to close the mine. With the stroke of a pen, the town disappeared. The only thing left are the streets. I looked it up on the internet, Gagnon. Labrador City is on the western border of Labrador. Leaving Labrador City the road turns south and we cross into Quebec. As this happens the road becomes a gravel road again. In fact the road was now more like an operating mine road. The road was rough and heavy truck traffic was constant. We could manage little more than 15 to 20 miles per hour and we had about 40 miles to go. We had also been warned that the road would cross railroad tracks a dozen or so times. Most of the crossings were rough. Completing this gauntlet, we arrived at a stretch of paved road and made better progress. We arrived in Gagnon shortly before sunset. The pavement divided into a boulevard with numerous side roads visible. Most of the roads are now overgrown with trees. All the buildings are gone, removed, salvaged, not decayed. The sidewalks are there, visible in places. This mining ghost town sits on the edge of a large meteor crater, Manicouagan which has been dammed up and now forms Reservoir Manicouagan. The crater measures 60 miles across and was formed about 300,000 years ago. The iron and nickel being mined in the area were likely associated with the meteor though I don't know that for sure. At any rate, the dam has produced a large circular lake which can easily be seen on a map of Quebec. The highway, Quebec Route 389, skirts the eastern edge of this crater. To the south of the crater the outlet is dammed by a dam identified as Manic 5. It is the first (or last depending on how you view it I guess) of five dams across the river on its way to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It was the only dam we saw, the others are away from the road but there were signs for the road to each of the remaining four dams. Quebec Route 389 is partially gravel and mostly paved. The road runs through rough mountainous terrain with curves, climbs and descents which makes for slow travel. The road is also heavily traveled by truck traffic in support of the mining and power generation industry to the north. We learned that signs indicating Traveaux meant road work or detour in French! There were many traveaux along the way. We drove from Gagnon to Baie-Comeau in one day which completed our exploration of the loop through Labrador and Quebec. We had driven the entire route, approximately 1030 miles, in four days. Each of our three nights we boondocked where we could find a place to park. There were few places to stop and no tourist activities. This area is poorly mapped, our mapping program only shows the roads we traveled if we zoom in very close and then many of the features are not labeled. There were biting flies in the remote areas which made outdoor activities very unattractive. So why go there? I learned a lot about the area by simply seeing the terrain and activities along the route. This is a very remote area to visit and being able to tour any remote and little explored area is exciting in its own way. I would love to go back and spend more time if the roads were all paved and there were more facilities for tourists, RV parks, scenic viewpoints, information signs, and parks. I don't think these will be available any time soon and if they were, they would destroy the very wilderness nature of the area.

I've been rotating tires as I purchase new tires. I put two new tires on the front and move the front tires to the rear, both on the same side. I replace the oldest set of tires on the rear and they are discarded. This way I always have the newest tires on the front and the oldest tires on the rear. I recently switched from Goodyear to Michelin on the front so my next purchase will have to be four Michelins. The Michelins on the front aren't showing any unusual wear after two years and 25,000 miles which is better performance than I experienced in the past. Once I get the set uniform then the next front tires will go to the rear after two years and I'll be purchasing a pair of new tires every two years.

One way to handle the hose connection when temperatures are not too cold is to simply put pipe insulation available at hardware stores in a variety of sizes. Then if you have an open sewer connection you can leave a faucet or two dripping to keep the water in the hose moving. I've looked at heated hoses and the ones I saw were quite bulky so I've never used them. I always open cabinets that have plumbing under them to allow heated air to keep the pipes warm. Make sure that the ice-maker feed tube for the refrigerator is protected. Look at the basement plumbing and the sources of heat in the basement. You may not have to worry about the plumbing, our coach has heat sources built in that keep the waste and water supply pipes well above ambient outside air temperature. Our water tank has a heating pad installed on the bottom of the tank. It is part of a winterizing kit that was factory installed. There should be after-market versions available. Electric heating sources are high wattage consumers and will require an AC source or a huge battery bank for operation for an entire night. Be very careful with heaters, light bulbs, etc. used for heat. Keep them well away from all possible combustibles and check them frequently to ensure that nothing is being discolored or melted by the heat source. I would use extreme caution with any heat source that involves a flame. Batteries release hydrogen gas, the fuel tank vents combustible vapors and heat sources with flames emit carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. The latter is the killer. Dealing with condensation on walls involves good insulation in the walls of the motor home and minimizing moisture in the air in the coach. I would expect that your coach has good insulation. Vent all cooking moisture from the coach as it is produced. Dry the shower thoroughly immediately after use, use a squeegee to wipe all the water down the drain. Minimize moisture from wet towels and clothing by hanging them outdoors if possible. If not possible, store them in a plastic bag for the night and dry them the next day. Surprisingly, cold air from outdoors is quite dry and is the best way to dry the air in the motor home. Ventilate and then heat the cold air from outdoors. The wet air goes out and the dry air comes in. Heating the air makes it even drier. All this will minimize condensation on walls. Windows if double pane insulated won't fog but the windshield is likely to fog up except for the driest air. Place rolled towels on the dash at the bottom of the windshield and they will collect the water that drains off rather than letting it get to the dash itself.

I just purchased a slide relay control board for our coach. It handles the storage door, ignition switch, allows only one slide to operate at a time, etc. Ours was showing some corrosion and a tech suggested replacement. We had one incident this summer when a slide wouldn't work. I tried a bunch of things, eventually it worked, don't know what if anything I did made a difference. it could have been the control board. Ours is located in the main battery switch compartment in the right rear compartment - different model, different year so don't know where you would look. Other than that, the battery condition, our slides are to be operated when plugged in or generator running to supply charge to batteries. If everything else works normally, that would eliminate things like a faulty main battery switch. Next on my list would be fuses. Maybe ignition switch is not in off position. After that, I'd call and talk to Monaco Support, 877-466-6226, 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. Pacific Time, M-F. Ever notice problems happen on weekends when everyone is closed?

For years we have used cell modems for internet service. Things have gotten better but depending on where you do most of your travel, you will find a few to many gaps in coverage. If you mean dependable service nationwide "8 to 5" it won't be available via cell modems. If most of the time will work, you can go with cell modems. I don't think there is an in-motion satellite service for internet.

Here is a link to RV Salvage Yards. We had a panel that had to be replaced on our motor home several years ago. The insurance company and the body shop were able to find a similar piece and modify it to match our coach. You might be best off finding a suitable body shop to do the work and offer them assistance but letting them find the needed part or something they can work with to make the part you need with the least expense.

I would give Monaco another call, (877) 466-6226. Give them details of the most recent failure. They most likely will be able to identify the problem and/or perhaps the tech this time will be more familiar with the location and description of the fuse which would have been my first suggestion.

Call Monaco Customer Service, (877) 466-6226, business hours M-F. Give them your coach number, that is the last six digits of the unit serial number. Don't confuse the VIN with this number, the coach number is Monaco's serial number for the coach and the last six digits is all they need to know to find the records on your coach. When you call, ask for technical support. If you are having a problem with your leveling system, be ready to give them details of your problem, they may be able to suggest possible solutions or identify problems with parts that need replacement. You can also reach the parts department using this phone number and can schedule factory service center visits to get work scheduled for your coach through this number as well. Good luck.