richard5933

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.

If you are looking into the Loves credit card just to turn on the pump, all you need is the Loves app. ASFIK you can load any payment card into the Loves app wallet. As long as you have a payment card loaded into the Loves app it's supposed to allow you to start the pump from the app. I use the Loves app with the TSD/EFS card and it works fine.

It was my understanding that the cash advance feature is there more for the commercial drivers than for RV drivers, as it provides a way for companies to give their drivers a daily 'allowance' to cover meals and incidentals. If you don't need it don't use it. The only discount is the fuel discount.

I believe they are talking about a $200 limit on cash advances, not that they are actually taking a $200 from your account. I just double checked my bank's online records, and there is no indication that EFS or TSD ever pulled a $200 debit from my account.

I think that the larger problem is that with more and more industry consolidation comes less competition and less need to be innovative. There used to be many companies producing appliances, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. With only a few producers left, we're faced with a lot of the same from all. As customers insist on lower costs, the industry responds. The result is inevitably lower quality, with rare exceptions.

It was my understanding that the only thing available for RV users was the diesel and def. Found after that it's also possible to use for cash advance (within the limit set) at some stations, like Loves.

Wayne beat me to it. The program in this case works at Loves, but it is not a Loves' program. It is a negotiated price program run by TSD.

The OP mentioned 2013 tires.

There are also discounts at Flying J/Pilot, but not really better than the Good Sam discount. I've seen some discounts on TA that look pretty good, but the Loves discount is still the biggest I've seen.

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.

Tank can be pulled, flushed, and if needed coated. No telling how the rubber got in there, but I'd suspect that it was from a fuel line that was in the tank. Maybe part of the pick-up system? I once had a tank on a Yanmar tractor develop a problem when I was it was half full. The engine would suddenly starve for fuel and die when heading uphill on our driveway. Wait a few minutes and it would restart, only to stall again next time I went up a hill. In the end the tank was pulled, and the problem was found to be a mass of dead small spiders that was floating around inside the tank. Every time I went uphill at half tank it got sucked onto the intake. My point - hard to tell specifically what caused the problem, especially with a vehicle that was once part of a motor pool and probably not given personal care & attention. Getting a tank flushed on a school bus should be pretty simple since the tank can be dropped out of the bottom.

Sorry, but if that were the case the county wouldn't require re-testing when a well has to be sanitized as a result of a positive test result. They'd just give it a sniff test. Chlorine/water solution will smell like bleach long after it's lost it ability to sanitize anything. My take on all this is that the majority of times people are sanitizing their RV water systems it is done as a precautionary measure. Most of the time people don't know if they have an actual problem (other than possibly an offending smell or taste). And unfortunately in those situations where there is an actual problem without testing there is no way to know for certain whether or not the problem has been abated.

You probably already know, but sometimes a smell coming from the hot water side is indicative of a failing hot water heater and/or anode rod.

I've read more threads about sanitizing fresh water systems than I care to admit, and one step seems to be missing from all of them. In all the various threads and hundreds of comments, in all the online articles about methods to sanitize, I don't remember reading about anyone testing their system to evaluate the actual condition of things - not to see if sanitizing is necessary and not to see if it was successful. Seems like the reason we want to sanitize is to ensure that the water we're drinking is safe. In order to know this, the water needs to be tested. Anyone living in a house with a well should be familiar with this process. You take a small sample (following the proper procedure) and bring it to the local testing office. In a few days you get a printout with details about what's in your water. At our house here in Wisconsin, the local county office charges only $30 for a basic test which includes a bacteriological test. The complete test is about $50, and includes testing for various other possible water components and/or contaminants. If your local county office doesn't offer this service, there are many places you can send water for testing across the country which can be found online. So now we have this current thread about removing the taste of the bleach after sanitizing. What's the connection to my point about testing? Simple - I'd suggest that the best way to avoid having to deal with removing the bleach taste is to not sanitize unnecessarily. I've read about some people sanitizing their system multiple times a season, all in the hopes of removing some contaminant that may or may not be present. For many (most) RVs, I'd suggest that sanitizing multiple times is a waste of time and effort. Rather than going through all this by sanitizing needlessly, just take a sample for testing. If it comes back clean, then you can skip the sanitizing and carry on. If it shows some type of contamination, then you have work to do. But, you at least have a printout in front of you showing exactly what it is you're trying to clean. Then, after running through the sanitizing procedure, you can re-test the water and learn if your process actually accomplished what you needed it to and resulted in safe water. If after running through your normal procedure you still have a contamination in your water system, then it would be time to figure out what went wrong with the process and why it didn't clean things out properly. Once you get things figured out, sanitize again and retest. This way we're not guessing and will know for certain the status of the water supply in our coaches. Many of us test the oil and coolant in our coach engines to determine the status - why not do the same for our water supply?

Staying with both the original topic and the off-shoot, our LP tanks are actually forklift tanks. They are mounted horizontally in a bay, inside an airtight partition which has vents on the floor of the bay to the outside. One big word of caution I received when I had an issue with our tanks last year was to be absolutely certain that any LP which leaks from the tank(s) cannot be ingested by a diesel engine, either on the coach itself or on the generator. Nothing like a little stray LP gas to get a diesel engine running way too fast until something catastrophic happens (like a runaway engine). Since some diesel engines use LP injection to boost power, it's easy to see the problem stray gas could cause. LP tanks should not be stored in the same bay as your generator to prevent problems.

Have you checked all the neutral and ground lines to be sure that they are all tight? Almost sounds like the washer/dryer breaker is acting as the conductor for the neutral or ground. Shut those breakers off and the remaining lines are faulting out. If you have a loose neutral terminal somewhere this kind of thing can occur.