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We have had a fiberglass roof on both coaches we have owned. There are several factors that I haven't seen mentioned. A white fiberglass roof is comfortable to walk on in full sun in the summer. I doubt that is true of a rubber roof. That should make a vehicle with a fiberglass roof much easier to keep cool in the summer. I have not had a single crack in either of our roofs. As with any roof, the holes for the vents, air conditioners, TV accessories, etc. will require constant attention. Keeping the caulk fresh on a fiberglass roof is easy. Old caulk can be cleared away with a putty knife and cleans up nicely. A good self leveling caulk will seal things nicely and lasts for many years. While construction of a roof varies considerably from one manufacturer to another, our roof is very firm and walks comfortably without breaking or cracking. I wash ours with clear water using either a wash brush or when washing is restricted, a bucket and sponge does a nice job though it does take longer. Streaking on the sides of the coach are the result of dirt on the roof. If it is kept clean there is little or no streaking.

I'll start by celebrating the return to life by the FMCA Computer System. Today is the first day I've been able to log on in the last two or three weeks! That doesn't explain my long absence from blogging. When we returned last fall I fell right into some intense volunteer work as Education Chair for the Rio Grande Valley Chapter Texas Master Naturalist. We had a class of 22 trainees who will become new members once they complete their volunteer commitment. With classes and field trips to plan and conduct, my winter was pretty busy. It is also hard to write the blog when I'm not in the motor home traveling. Now that we're back on the road I should be contributing regularly again. We left our winter home in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas two months ago, May 9. In the week before we left we had 5 inches of rain from a single storm. That was followed by several other storms. Portions of our park including the road in front of our mobile home were flooded. Since we left, there have been other storms resulting in at least two subsequent flood events. We keep watching the weather reports and are pleased that the last two weeks have brought a return to drier conditions. The drought conditions in Texas have been resolved but the fact that it occurred within two months was responsible for a great deal of damage and loss of life. Our flooding was very minor compared to what happened in other areas of Texas. From Texas we made our way to Golden, Colorado for a week stay with Louise's family. The trip was made more interesting as we traveled through flooded lands near Lubbock and into cold rainy weather in the Denver area. In fact the weather was a positive factor in our decision to leave a day early just to give us more time to travel to our next destination. A family wedding in Cincinnati was a fun event with many of my cousins attending. Our family is scattered over the country and keeping in touch has been difficult. Our motor home has facilitated many visits that would have been impractical under normal circumstances. As much as possible we try to get our visits in as we take planned trips to other destinations. While in Cincinnati we stayed at the FMCA Campground on Round Bottom Road. It is a nice place to stay, a well maintained campground. I was surprised to see that the building at that location is now empty. No doubt FMCA is facing a number of challenges. From Cincinnati we backtracked to Missouri to stay with my son, daughter and our amazing grandchildren. They span a wide spectrum, from a year and a half old to the fifteen year old who just got his learners permit to drive. We enjoyed attending softball games, graduation celebrations, Eagle Scout leadership training graduation, dinners, several birthday parties and a St. Louis Cardinals ballgame. While in Missouri we endured numerous rain events. We were parked in a high location so water levels never threatened us though flooding was occurring regularly throughout the area. Leaving Missouri we traveled to eastern Kentucky to visit my brother. While there we endured another series of rains that delivered over 5 inches of rain in 48 hours. At this point I figure we could travel to California and solve their drought conditions in short order! We will go to California in October so we'll get to test this theory. Our motor home is showing its age. When we got ready to depart this spring the electrical system in the coach shut down completely. After trying everything else, I went to check the batteries which were good and then checked the battery cut-off switch. Bingo! The switch wouldn't turn. It had melted down. It is a small plastic switch which connects the total load of the batteries to the coach itself. The cables were clamped to a plastic surface which held the post in place. After years of use, the heat had melted the plastic enough that the post came loose. I didn't have a replacement switch so simply bolted the two cables together. Viola! Problem solved. Without DC current, the systems that control the current in the coach also stop working so everything is dead. Now it isn't convenient to pull apart wires to cut off the electrical supply from the batteries so I've replaced the switch. I found a much better switch, rated for twice the current of the previous switch. I also replaced the old switch for the chassis battery at the same time. It was identical to the other switch except there was a nut between the plastic and the cable attachment. With metal on both sides of the cable lug, that switch was in fine condition. The house battery switch had been replaced before and I'm guessing that the tech who did that either discarded the extra nut or it wasn't there and they didn't think to install it. I have a spare now in case you are parked next to me and need a replacement for your melted switch! Today we're at Cummins in Harrisburg, PA. This is our second Cummins stop this spring. In Colorado we had the alternator checked but they could find no problems even though we traveled for 100 miles with the alternator alarm sounding before it mysteriously quit and the voltage came up. This has occurred again after parking a month at our daughters home but was resolved before we left their driveway. I guess we'll have to wait for complete failure before they can diagnose the problem. I may have it rebuilt next winter if it lasts that long. While in Colorado they did find a leaking fuel boost pump and replaced that. I now know what the spot on the driveway was when we pulled out this spring. They also noticed that the exhaust gasket on the number 3 cylinder was leaking. We had just had all the exhaust gaskets replaced last fall and had traveled less than 1500 miles so either it was a bad install or we have a more serious problem. That is the reason for our stop in Harrisburg. We didn't have time to deal with the problem in Colorado and it hasn't resolved itself so now we'll take a day or two to get it fixed. Meanwhile we've had intermittent generator problems with it failing to run smoothly and then dying when the load is connected. They have diagnosed that as a failing inverter in our 7.5 KW Onan Generator. This is a DC generator which has a built in inverter to provide AC current. We're not getting out of town without leaving a few bucks behind. Fortunately fuel costs are down this year.

Our first coach, a 1994 Monaco Dynasty had no slides. We purchased our present coach with two slides and have been delighted with the additional space they provide. In a coach with no slides movement within the coach involves compromise. As with anything, there are compromises. Our pantry is behind the large slide when the slide is in. Louise is good a planning our needs and getting things out of the pantry for meals on the road. We were full time for seven years in this coach and the slides have been in and out many times. There have also been periods each winter and a few longer stays where the slides were out for extended periods of time. We have had very few problems over the years. We had an leak in the smaller bedroom slide which was fixed under warranty. A later adjustment of the positioning of that slide was done at a repair shop and that was the last problem we have had with that slide. The larger living area slide has performed flawlessly. It has never leaked and has never failed to move when commanded except as described below. Our slides are driven by electric motors which are geared and interface with toothed channels on each slide. There are physical means to bring in the slides but they are not easy or convenient. It would be a last resort to mechanically retract the slides but it could be done. This spring I had electrical problems with the coach as we were ready to depart on our summer travels. The slides were out and with no electric (neither 12V nor 120V) we weren't able to travel to a repair shop to fix the electric. Fortunately, I was able to identify the problem as a failure (meltdown) of the main house battery cutoff switch. I bypassed the switch and we had the electric that we needed. Had I not been able to resolve the electrical problem we would have delayed our departure until a mobile repair service could identify and solve the electrical problem for us. I would have tackled the physical retraction if absolutely necessary. Regarding the additional weight, we have had no problem. It may be a problem with some coaches, depending on many other factors including the type of chassis that supports the coach. We traveled for years full-time and were well within the GVWR for our coach. Given our experience with slides, I would purchase another Monaco coach with slides. If I were looking at a different manufacturer I would have to be satisfied with the operation of the system. If the sales representative can't answer your questions, ask for the manual and read the section on the operation of the slides. Sales representatives can only know so much about each coach. If you sell a variety of models and/or from different manufacturers and systems change each year, it becomes very difficult to be completely knowledgeable on all aspects of these very complex vehicles.

What model refrigerator is this? There are dozens of domestic refrigerators or do you mean Dometic? A check of references on the internet indicates normal freezer temperature should be 0 or slightly below. Is the temperature set at the lowest possible setting?

Maybe she could find a vehicle with 15 seats and pull a trailer with the gear. As to the law, more than 15 people is a lot of valuable cargo, one mistake in judgement could result in a lot of loss of life. I guess she is lucky the law isn't set at more than 11.

I had to revisit this posting to answer a question and thought I would update the information with my latest observations. Now, four years after the installation, we have the same refrigerator and it continues to perform flawlessly for us. We still have the standard 4x6V battery set-up that was installed in our coach. The last set was replaced in 2014 which was a little early but I wanted to replace them with AGM sealed batteries to protect our driveway and winter parking spot from the staining that lead acid batteries can produce. We had the driveway sealed and coated with an decorative epoxy design. I had wanted the AGM batteries before but never been able to get them on an immediate basis, always had to be shipped to where I was when the batteries failed. All that said, the AGM's are performing as well or better for us with the refrigerator. Last winter we left the refrigerator on during the winter. Louise wanted the extra freezer space and it made a nice place to keep a quantity of beer cold as well. Being far south, we don't have freezing temperatures often and I keep the furnace set at 50 degrees to keep the humidity low in the interior of the coach. In a cool coach much of the time, the operating cost for the refrigerator would be low. The refrigerator is low on my list of things that I worry about now.

We drive from Valley Springs, CA through Hwy 88 to Nevada one or both ways each year. As ObedB says, it is a safe route but as Brett says, it is a test of your mountain driving skills. You will have two ascents and two descents of considerable length to get through the mountains. There are a few passing lanes and some slow vehicle pull-outs along the way to let traffic pass. On weekends or holidays traffic can be pretty steady. There are several viewpoints and parking lots along the way for rest stops. There are steep grades in both directions, up and down, and many limited speed curves. You will have to watch your speed carefully on descents in order to slow for sharp curves. Use the recommended speed for each curve and be at or below that speed before entering the curve. If you or your passengers are uncomfortable with the dramatic vistas of mountain roads you will not want to take this road. While not the most dramatic over-the-edge views I've seen, these are unsettling to some travelers. There is always some kind of shoulder but not necessarily a guard rail in all places. If you are uncomfortable with the above, US 50 is an alternate. US 50 is divided highway to South Lake Tahoe and the grades are not as steep, curves not as tight. Traffic however is much heavier on US 50 and there are a few stop lights on the way.

If you are near Elkhart, Indiana, that might be a good choice. While it may be a distance to travel, Elkhart is a manufacturing center for RV's and there are many technical people there with factory experience. You haven't given a manufacturer or model for your vehicle. There are factory repair centers in the area as well. If you can get to a factory repair center for your coach you will get the best possible service in most cases.

So I'll start things off at the beginning. Start attending RV Shows so you can look at lots of different kinds of motorhomes. Discuss the pros and cons with your spouse. Look at prices and decide what your limits are. You will develop a sense of widely varying quality from the least expensive coaches to those that are out of the range of all but the wealthiest purchasers. What is the quality of construction and materials that you will make you comfortable with your purchase. Look at facilities, kitchen, bath, bedroom, cockpit, storage in the coach and below the floor. Consider floor plans, engine types and power. Make a list of the things that you absolutely have in a coach and those things that you would like to have. Now the trick is to reach agreement on the list and the amount to spend. You can use size or quality to help reach an acceptable price range. Now I haven't told you what you or anyone needs. If you read the postings on this site you will find that people have differing ideas on what is necessary in a motorhome. People also have different needs, some are using their motorhome for a few vacation trips a year, others live in theirs full time. How you use your motorhome and how often it is used affects the answers to many of your questions. All these differences is why there is such a wide range of motorhomes available. Each model on sale will meet the needs of a fraction of all people buying motorhomes or the model/company would be out of business. As a first time buyer I would strongly recommend that you purchase a used coach. This has the advantage of limiting your investment while giving you a chance to learn what you really need/want in a motorhome. You will find things you wish you had and others that you really don't need or don't use. With miles of driving and months or years of living in your used unit you will now have a much better idea of what you want and need. As a motorhome owner, attend FMCA rallies and the national convention where you can continue to look at a wide variety of coaches on display. Drive any you are interested in at the rally. You will be able to assess them with an experienced eye and your choice now will be much better informed. Your experience with a used coach may lead you to consider another used coach or new coach. You can enlist a discussion of each of dozens of factors but in the end, each person or couple must make their own personal decisions. Those are best made from careful consideration following some use and experience before deciding on the purchase of a new coach. Even when you find the perfect coach for you, your needs may change and you may find yourself purchasing a different coach.

I'm curious. We've had lots of suggestions but we still don't have a definite manufacturer or model information. Power awnings operate in a variety of ways. We're trying to diagnose a problem in very general ways. Can you give us the specific information for your awning? It should be in the owners manual or product files for your coach. As the awning is under warranty, I would take it in and get it fixed. It could be that you have a defective part and any temporary improvement might result in delay addressing the real problem. If the awning finally fails after the warranty expires, you will have to pay to repair or replace the awning. The fact that the coach is a new coach and the awning is not retracting properly (multiple tries to eventually bring the awning in fully is clearly below performance expectations) indicates that the awning is not performing normally. At the very least, call your dealer and discuss the awnings performance with them. If their answer is unsatisfactory, call the manufacturer of the awning and discuss the problem with them. Taking these steps will put your concern on the record which could support an eventual warranty claim. When we are faced with a repair item, I try to incorporate a visit to the dealer or repair shop in a planned trip. An appointment on our way to/from a destination can result in a quick fix or at least an assessment of the situation and ordering needed parts. Then when it is time to install the parts you will know how long it will take and can plan another trip to the shop into another outing. Killing two birds with one stone makes the trip to the shop a little less painful. This strategy is easier for those of us who are retired but if you schedule the work on a Friday, you could take a vacation day for the appointment and still have the weekend for the rest of your outing.

Thanks Rich, We're looking forward to the trip. According to our friends, the road from Labrador back to Quebec proper is now paved all the way. I'll report back after our trip. Anyway, the route looks pretty lonely but we've done and enjoyed that before. After my post above I realized that Brian's information was now going on two years old. I've checked on the ferry and it can accommodate loads over 70' and also wide loads so I don't anticipate any problems. We'll make reservations as soon as we get a good idea of our schedule. The links in the posts above are still active and a good resource for trip planning.

We're headed to Newfoundland, taking the ferry to Port Aux Basques on the 23rd of July. We planned to take the ferry to Labrador but saw the caution above (Brian). What is the challenge there? Heavily booked or not suitable for big rigs? We have friends who have been giving us advice for this trip and they didn't indicate any problem, in fact they were encouraging us to visit Labrador with our coach and then make the drive on to Quebec from there. We've been in Alaska and all over Canada and driven many smaller roads and have been on small ferries (Top of the World Hwy, Grand Manan small ferry, etc.). Do we need to change plans or is the advice to avoid that ferry for the feint of heart, i.e. is it difficult or impossible?

Our electric awning (Carefree Mirage) goes out faster because it is spring loaded to extend it. The motor simply unwinds the fabric and the springs drive it out. On the way in the springs are being compressed so it makes the motor work much harder than when the springs are expanding and helping the motor extend the awning.

Not familiar with the area but if the campground operators indicate this as a possible problem, I would expect that to be correct. I would call them to discuss exactly how steep and how long, is it a sudden change on a short grade that causes problems dragging or is it a long steep grade that can overtax the engine and transmission? Then you can make an informed decision for yourself. You may want to change your plans and go somewhere else.

Mike and Jennnifer, What a horrible event. This is not the first time I have heard of people stopping at a restaurant along a highway and being burglarized. I guess thieves can assume if you go into the restaurant you are planning to be there for a while. Traveling with a fully equipped RV, we are particularly vulnerable because of the many prizes that we have inside. Your story should be a caution for us all. Thanks for posting and best of luck with the insurance company.

What is this thing we call a motor home? Is it a car or a truck? The answer is of course neither. So if the signs say truck, that doesn't apply to us. If the signs refer to vehicle weight (bridge weight limits) then our weight is in question, not classification as a truck. Similarly, if signage specifies vehicles with trailers, e.g. California, it would apply to us if we have a toad or a trailer. Unfortunately, there are times when the signs leave us totally in mystery. Several years ago we were traveling through Sault Ste. Marie from the US to Canada. As we approached the Canadian Customs entrance there were a series of exits but no way to see what each entry point looked like. There was a sign for trucks. I passed that sign. Then there was a sign for cars. I hesitated, trying to get through a car size entrance can be impossible with our height and width. Should I have used the truck entrance? With a toad I wasn't going to be backing up, so I continued on expecting that there would be another choice. The next choice and the only one remaining was buses so that is where I ended up. The agent who came to check us wasn't pleased but I explained that there was nothing to tell me where they wanted RV's to go. There are frequently times when I will follow rules and directions for trucks. Sometimes signs direct trucks to drive in a certain lane, especially in work zones. In those cases I'll line up with the trucks and leave the other lane for the smaller more nimble vehicles. It may have to do with the strongest part of the road that will support heavier loads or it may have to do with vehicle clearances, either way, it is to my advantage to be in that lane. When it is specified that there should be no trucks in the left lane, the purpose is to allow cars a way to pass the truck traffic. As a large vehicle I will follow the no trucks directive. This is voluntary on my part, not required by the signage. Following the truck directive in this case is being considerate of other drivers who are trying to pass larger and frequently slower vehicles. I understand that we are a very small percentage of the vehicles that travel on our roads and highways. Clearly some people don't even think of us when they are planning signage. One of the challenges of road travel is the fractured nature of the administration of our roadways. There are 50 different states with different ways of engineering roads, building roads and putting us signage. There are 50 different legislatures and traffic safety departments determining the rules of the road and enforcing those rules. Add in a myriad of local governments administering local roads and traffic laws and you have a constantly changing set of road and traffic patterns, speed limits, restrictions and enforcement. For the average citizen that drives only in their local area, this is of no concern. For those of us lucky enough to be mobile and moving throughout the country, this presents a constant puzzle to be solved.

j, I can't say that I notice the fan noise while traveling. I'm sure it is there but I can't separate it from the rest of the engine noise. Maybe I just haven't focused on the noises from the engine. dd69, The dust cloud is definitely from the fan as you can see the dust only on the radiator side and see it billowing as directed by a fan. Even at very slow speeds when tires hardly raise dust, the dust will billow from the fan induced air movements. Given the alternate, a rear mounted radiator, I am happy to have the easy access to the engine that a side mounted radiator provides. I regard the dust cloud as a minor irritation. In my experience there really aren't many locations where this is a problem. It seems to be only the dustiest of locations that I notice this.

We get the same cloud of dust that you refer to when in dusty conditions. I know my fan isn't running full always, just when the engine is hot from highway travel. If you watch the temperature (we have the Aladdin monitor) it takes quite a while for the engine temperatures to cool down. Just because you are off the highway doesn't mean that the temperatures and the fan speed should drop immediately.

It isn't my table, just a reference that I passed along. You could contact the AR Department of Transportation for clarification. It wouldn't surprise me if it were correct. There are tons of laws on the books which are outdated and haven't been revised or repealed to reflect current practices. You can search the internet for dumb laws and come up with dozens of examples.

I've had mine out several times to replace the computer board. With ours it is possible to take it out of the cabinet in one piece. I'm sure each manufacturer does this differently. For ours there is a trim piece across the front that can be removed, look for screws that hold it in place. Ours is carpet covered so the screws weren't immediately obvious. The next step is angle brackets that secure the W/D to the floor. Ours had one on each side at the front. Ours is in the floor of a closet space and the shelf above is the next thing to remove. That also is secured by screws. Pull the unit out far enough to shut off the water, disconnect hoses, unplug the electric and stand on your head to remove the dryer vent. Get several friends to help from here. I've done it single handed but it's a heavy unit. I've never taken it all the way out of the coach but if it won't fit out the door, it could go out through a window. While it's a lot of trouble if it is a working W/D and you can get it out in one piece you might find a buyer on Ebay! We had our Norcold refrigerator removed and a household model brought in through the drivers side window. Removal of the window was not difficult. A crew inside and outside can do the job with no problems.

Too bad you don't have the owners manual. All that information would be in the manual. Our fuses for most of the house 12V operations are in the outside compartment below the drivers feet. There are about 60 of them and the key to them is on the inside of the cover of the fuse panel. If yours aren't there, call Monaco, 877-466-6226. Have your coach number (last six digits of the coach serial number, not the VIN) ready. Go to Customer Service in the menu and the operator can direct you to technical support. They should be able to help you. You might inquire about getting a copy of the manual for your coach. The manual has good descriptions of each system in the coach and basic trouble shooting steps to take.

That phone number still works. It will get you to their parts and service centers and you can get technical information from the service centers using this number. You will need the coach number. Monaco uses the last six numbers of the unit serial number to identify the coach in their records. This is a different number than the VIN. It is shown on the unit ID panel, ours is on the wall behind the drivers seat. Write that number down and keep it in a convenient place. Any time you need to contact Monaco, have that number at hand.

Everyone has their own way of handling their waste water tanks. After living full time for almost ten years we adopted the following procedures as our routine for waster water. We treat the black water tank regularly. Our 40 gallon tank will last the two of us for about two weeks. Unless travel plans necessitate dumping before the tank is near full, we'll go for 10 to 12 days before dumping the black water. It isn't a septic tank but with that holding time I think it helps to treat the tank to reduce odors. Even flushing will allow some odor to escape the tank into the interior of the motor home. We use "5 Star Happy Camper." It's a product that I bought at a rally many years ago. A pair of 40 ounce containers will last us all summer. It is a dry powder and we've found it very effective. It is available in a variety of package sizes. When we were full time we would purchase several years supply and store the excess in the storage shed on our winter campsite. Each year we would fill two 40 oz. containers when we left for the summer. It an easy to store, a single container or two will last you for a long time. As a bulk product, you don't have a lot of containers to deal with. The cost is very reasonable. If you can't find a dealer at a rally, it can be ordered on-line. The gray water tank sometimes causes a problem, usually when our washer/dryer hasn't been used for a while. If the trap in a drain goes dry then the odor from the gray water will feed back into the motor home. It can smell almost as bad as the black water tank. Putting water down the drain to fill the trap will once again establish the seal and prevent odors. We occasionally add some of the Happy Camper treatment to help break down the build-up of food in the gray water tank. We always do that when we are on the road so the mixture will slosh around while we drive, then empty immediately after parking and hooking up. When hooked up to a sewer our gray water tank is always open until the time for dumping the black water tank is near. Then we'll close the gray water and build up a supply for flushing the dump hose.

Bypass the dealer, go directly to Cummins/Onan for service if you can't fix it yourself.

I don't know how everyone's system is set up or whether the inverter set-up for inverters is standard throughout the industry. Our inverter is always on. If it isn't something is broken. We have 120V electric in the house 24/7. The inverter works with the generator and the shore power. In fact if our inverter is turned off, we lose the circuits that the inverter powers. If we were to store our motor home over the winter without a power connection, then the inverter would be shut down but we never do that so we're always on. This has never caused a problem with the system. The inverter does use electricity while on even if nothing is connected so if you are boondocking you may have times when you want to shut down the inverter but for us that isn't the case.