richard5933

If this is a prepay system, then it doesn't have nearly the advantage of the TSD card, which is post-pay. I'm not really interested in keeping money on deposit with TCS so I can take advantage of their discounts. Doesn't seem practical to have to manually predict fuel costs and transfer money to the account so that it would be available for use while traveling. Hopefully more information about how this works will be made available soon.

I believe that TCS is the name of the partner. https://www.tcsfuel.com/lp/fuel-card/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw_absBRD1ARIsAO4_D3txAlBsn8mjTcZYm8QYIesW6zZETL8z3aM5CZ8Ywt1ktTwbbDeIA6AaAt2jEALw_wcB Guess it's just a waiting game now. Disappointing that FMCA leadership didn't do a better job of getting all their ducks in a row before posting this on the website.

From what I see, the FMCA card is not through TSD, it's through TCS. Looks like a very similar program though with a card that looks similar. The reason I'm interested in getting the TCS card is that it appears the FMCA TCS card has discounts at locations/brands not covered by the TSD program. I called the FMCA office today to ask what the plan is. The person who answered didn't know, and said that someone from the TCS program would call me. So far, no phone call. Not sure how this program works, but it seems to sign up you've got to get a call from TCS since the online application only asks for the barest of contact information. I already have the TSD card and was hoping that this one from FMCA would provide additional options.

After reading about the new FMCA benefit with the TCS fuel discount card recently, I filled out the brief online application. It appeared that a phone call would follow in a day or so. Today an email was sent out from FMCA announcing the program. I still have not received a phone call or heard anything more from my application. Puzzled what the plan is. Has anyone been able to learn more about the program? Anyone gotten the return phone call to fully get signed up? Curious if this is worth pursuing or if it is the same as the TSD program.

Thanks - now I have garage envy. 🙂

This is how we did it. Leaned one section of a 32-foot extension ladder (16-feet) against the coach. I used scrape plywood and 2 x 4 to make a sled which we placed on the ladder. A rope was tied to the upper end of the sled, and once the a/c unit was placed on the ladder one person pushed from below while climbing the ladder, and I pulled the rope from above. The sled had side rails on the bottom to keep it from sliding off the ladder, and we strapped the a/c unit to the top of it. Worked really well getting it up to the roof, and then we both lifted the sled up and over the top of the ladder.

Did you measure voltage at the chassis batteries to confirm that they are in fact charging when the engine is running? If so, then perhaps the signal wire to the warning system is loose and not getting a proper voltage reading. On my coach, which is much older than yours, the warning system gets it's voltage reading from the regulator. If one of the connections on that circuit came loose or became corroded the warning system would fire even though the system was charging. If you discover that your system is not charging the chassis batteries properly, then perhaps your regulator is not doing its job. Don't remember reading about that being changed.

Not limited to just the RV world either - we bought a sofa for the house once thinking it was leather. Looked and felt like leather, but after a short time the same problem occurred. Turns out it was bonded leather, and the top layer of leather separated from the underlayer is was bonded to. We've been much more careful buying furniture since, both for the house and the coach.

I'm still using my Garmin 760 RV. There are a few models between the 760 and the current model, the 785. If it became necessary to replace mine, I'd look at those in-between models. Lots of them are still available, and even at Amazon prices you can buy one for much less than the latest model.

I'd also ask why the need to go to a 120v/ LP fridge. There are lots of options now for refrigerators, including 12vdc only compressor fridges. A little more information about where you are heading with this project will help us give more specific advice/suggestions.

The OP mentioned 2013 tires.

https://www.michelintruck.com/tools/dealer-locator/ Looks like there are at least a few Michelin dealers within 50 miles of Branson. You'll have to put 50 miles in the distance drop down to see them.

I think I understand what you're talking about - any chance you can post a photo or two of the situation so we can better visualize it?

Is your Oasis just below the kitchen sink? Has it done this since you got the coach or is it a new thing?

Based on the various ones I've been inside of at various shows, and based on my brother's experience with his trailer, Lance seems to be pretty well put together. Seemed to be more solid than others.

Thanks RayIN for the comment. You're correct - the fire department was actually called when this first happened since we didn't know where the smoke was coming from. We got lucky twice, actually. First time was when the cable shorted to the copper tube and cut the hole - we were lucky that the thing didn't turn itself into a torch and burn the bus up. The second time was when we went a few miles to the shop after the smoke cleared. The only thing that kept us from catching fire at that point was that the hole had gotten large enough to provide a small amount of clearance around the battery cable. Someone was watching out for us, that's for sure.

Maybe I'm the only one, but to me FMCA is much more than just a discount club or a way to get lower prices on tires. We joined FMCA because we wanted to belong to a group of people that all shared a common interest and enjoyed traveling and living in our RVs. We wanted to be connected with others doing the same things, dealing with the same problems, and who would understand our little moments of joy seeing the sun come up over a new lake we've never visited before in our coach. I get it that people don't want to pay more than necessary to be members, but I just don't understand how this price increase is sending people running for the hills.

Update on the repair progress with a few pictures. The first photo is the hole that was cut into the OEM copper when the battery cable insulation wore through. Nothing like a couple hundred amps arcing against a piece of copper carrying high-pressure oil to make a mess. The second photo is the new repair, where the tech installed the correct gauge copper tubing. Third photo is the repair that was done in Davenport. Quite obvious that the guy there didn't quite get the work done in a way I would consider professional - looks to me like he overheated the copper and generally made of mess of things, not to mention that he used a lighter gauge of copper than required. All that's left is for them to double check for leaks, double check that the system is bled completely, and then road test. I'm planning to pick up the bus tomorrow. Only concern right now is that the tech mentioned that he found some minor metal particles on the magnetic drain plug on the high-pressure line filter coming from the pump. There is a canister filter for oil going to the pump, so the metal particles likely came from the pump. I'd suspect this happened during the time the pump was run without oil when the line blew - probably about 20 minutes total including the time it took to get to the shop after the smoke cleared. Pump still moves oil. Tech said that he can detect no unusual noise from the pump, and the steering appears to function properly. We had no steering problems on our recent trip to VA and back (after the temp repair was made). While I hope that only minor damage was done, I've asked my parts supplier to find a replacement PS pump to carry onboard. Maybe I'm being a bit paranoid, but my hunch is that the pump will fail me at some point and probably sooner than otherwise would be the case. I'll feel better knowing that I've got a replacement onboard so the repair can be made when needed. Otherwise, I've got nothing but positive things to say about Interstate Power Systems - Butler (the Milwaukee area location). They are on top of their game and stepped up to make the repair right after the shop in Davenport let me down. Jack, the tech that works on my coach, has been doing this a long time and does meticulous work. Glad to know that such shops and techs are still out there. They do work on Class A motor homes, so if anyone needs work in the Milwaukee area this would be my recommendation.

You've balanced the tires/wheels. Have you had them checked to see if they are running true? A bent wheel can be balanced but still cause vibration. Have the hubs been serviced? Worn or loose bearings can be problematic, as can pitted bearing races. Have you checked the drive shaft and u-joints. Any slop there can cause vibration, as can an out of balance drive shaft. What about engine mounts and transmission mounts? Just a few ideas to ponder. Perhaps posting a question on one of the bus conversion sites would be helpful. Two big ones are busconversionmagazine.com and busgreasemonkey.com

From this thread, I guess we know the following: HP will not kill you when added to a water system as noted above. HP appears to remove odor from water systems. Bleach has a smell that may or may not remain after using it to 'sanitize' your water system. Everyone has their own method for 'sanitizing' a water system. Everyone commenting in this thread is still around to discuss their methods and none seem to have gotten ill from drinking/using water from their RV water systems. What we don't know is whether any of the methods listed above actually sanitize anything. Without testing, we are all just making an informed guess as to what works for us and doing what makes us feel better about using our RV's water system. No doubt that various methods can be used to 'freshen' a water system and remove odors and such, but to call any of it sanitizing without testing is a leap. If someone is truly concerned about the safety of their water supply, there's only one benchmark. Take a sample and get it tested. If it comes back clean then use whatever method you prefer to freshen your tank. If it comes back with a contaminant present, follow the recommendations of a reliable health department or other expert to properly sanitize your system. Then get it re-tested to know for certain the process was successful. Do I do this every year? No, but if I bought a used motor home and was concerned I would certainly get the water tested. Same if I suspected something having contaminated the system such as a plumbing failure which allowed waste water to enter the fresh water system. There are specific recommendations out there from many sources regarding the method to actually sanitize a water system. I have to agree with RayIN that some of the ratios being mentioned are simply not high enough to sanitize a coffee mug, let alone a 75 gal+ water supply system. Freshen it? Maybe. But certainly not sanitize it. Sorry to keep pushing the point on this, but threads like this trigger memories of all the lectures I sat through decades ago. Especially lectures where we were scolded by the professor for confusing anecdotal evidence for factual/scientific evidence. Same for confusing correlation with causation (i.e. just because HP is used to 'sanitize' a water system and no one got sick doesn't necessarily mean that the HP had anything to do with no one getting sick.) Getting back to the OP - how to remove the bleach smell from the water system after using it? In my experience the best thing is to thoroughly flush the system. From reading about its use online, baking soda appears to work for removing the odor as well. My only concern would be if the baking soda was not thoroughly dissolved before adding it to the tank. That can be remedied by dissolving the baking soda into water first, and then pouring it in. If the baking soda solution is left in the water system, there can also be some spotting when the water dries on a surface, as the baking soda will still be there. I think I'd flush the system after using the baking soda for this reason.

Can't speak for other jurisdictions, but around here you can have water tested as often as you like at the county office, as long as you pay the fee. The water doesn't have to come from your well, and there are absolutely no repercussions, reporting requirements, or required re-tests unless the sample came from a well that is feeding a multi-unit dwelling or a commercial establishment (like a restaurant). I too cannot recall reading about an epidemic of illness arising from contaminated RV water supplies. Other than the drinking water filter on our kitchen sink to remove the plastic taste, we run water straight from the tank. I fill from our well at home (via a softener), but will fill on the road if necessary once I quiz the campground to be sure that there are no reported problems or boil-water orders in place.