richard5933

Simple - budget for upgrades is shot for this season. I did a full upgrade of the electrical bay as well as upholstery, carpet and some interior lighting. Also did quite a bit of unseen work on the chassis and coach systems for reliability. I'm holding onto enough of a cash buffer to cover things that may go wrong while traveling this spring/summer, and then in the fall will pick up again with upgrades once the accounts have a chance to recover some. Plans for this fall so far include upgrading the fresh water and waste water tanks as well as having Jake Brakes installed. Might also get started on solar install if there is room in the budget, otherwise that will wait until next spring.

We have the usual remote battery switch that can be turned off from inside. However, there are still a few circuits that stay energized even when I push the 'off' button. For just this reason, I also installed a manual switch on the house battery bank. When it is 'off', it is truly off and nothing gets power. Maybe it's time to install a master 'off' switch. Also, if you have a residential fridge and its controller is still energized, then I'd guess that your inverter is still energized as well. An inverter can draw power even when it's turned off.

Added a secondary valve to the waste discharge for now. Hopefully in the fall I'll be able to swap out the tank for a new one, and at that time switch over to a modern 3" discharge valve. Since we only have the 2" discharge right now, I've also added a water jet inside what used to be the clean-out cap on the final 'T' fitting. This should make it easy to break up anything that clogs the valves or discharge pipe. Under the 'T' fitting I connect a normal/modern flex hose to dump. I'm hoping that the combined gray/black water tank should keep things liquid enough to flow through the 2" valve. Since this has worked for 43 years I assume that it will be able to keep working for a few more months.

That's why I mentioned the 12v compressor units specifically. I'd personally never install an absorption refrigerator in anything I owned. As far as I know, the refrigerators that use a 12v compressor are more reliable in general than the absorption machines and don't share the same propensity to self immolate (but that's based on what I've read, not on science or thorough research.) Whether it be a Norcold 12v compressor or one of the more expensive units designed for a yacht, I still don't see how the math of using a residential refrigerator works. There's a power loss when using the inverter, and there is the added expense/upkeep of the batteries & inverter. I know that many enjoy the size and convenience of the residential fridge, but for me the ability to go for days on battery is more important.

Or get a high-quality 12v compressor fridge. We've got the original issue 12v compressor Norcold in our coach, and after 44 years it still makes plenty of cold. I'm not saying that residential units don't work. But, I'm still waiting for someone to help me understand the math that makes them more ideal than a well built and properly functioning 12v unit, especially when the extra batteries/inverter/etc. are factored in. To me it looks like trading one potential set of problems/expenses for another.

Just two seasons here in Wisconsin... Winter & Road Construction.

Spring? That must be a southern thing.

Only thing that I can add to this is that it's really important that you actually sit in whatever you're buying before buying it. I've seen & read about some really great seats out there, but when I put my seat in the seat they just don't feel right. That's why I'm still in the OEM driver seat in our coach. Everyone has different leg length and other measurements so the final determining factor has to be how it feels with you sit in it.

If you look at the photo where the current valve meets the flange, you'll see that the way the valve would come off is by spinning the entire valve. In order to do that, I have to pull the tank (or at least lift it a few inches to give clearance for the valve to rotate). Once I separate all the connections to the tank I'm just asking for trouble, since it's inevitable that at least one of them will either be stuck in place and refuse to come off easily. Then I'll have multiple problems and possible leaks. My experience has proven that once you start messing with old plumbing (43+ years in this case) problems multiply quickly. Even putting an impact wrench to the top of the valve to get it open scares me, since the momentary torque on the valve body might be enough to break the seal between the flange and the tank. All this is why I'm looking at only few options until I'm able to replace the entire tank. My first choice is still to add a secondary valve downstream of the current one for now. However, if someone knows of a method for adding a bolt-on flange to an existing tank when there is no access to the back side of the flange I'm all ears. The way the tank is situated, there is no physical way to reach the back of the flange area other than through the flange itself. What I'm imagining is some type of bolt-on flange where the inside portion is in two pieces and can be held in place by reaching through the new flange while the flange/gasket/tank/gasket/backer are all bolted together. Maybe I'm dreaming, but I can't be the first person to ever have to replace a black tank flange.

That was my first thought too. Problem is getting the top of the valve off, as it doesn't seem too inclined to move. The flange connection to the tank is a bolt-on one and any movement in the pipe causes the flange to want to flex the side of the tank. Right now the tank is basically empty other than a few gallons of RV antifreeze, so it would be a great time to try and clean the valve if I can get it apart. My biggest nightmare would be causing a leak at the flange while fixing the valve, and then I'd be looking at replacing the entire tank. Not something I really want to do right now. Hence my thought to just add another valve downstream until I came up with a better plan. How would I get the top of the valve off with an impact wrench? Huge socket? I've just been using an adjustable spud wrench so far.

We have two tanks on our coach - a 90-gallon freshwater and a 90-gallon combined gray/black waste tank. The conversion was done by Custom Coach in 1974, and for whatever reason they used a 2" outlet on the black tank, which is controlled by a pneumatically-controlled discharge valve. The outlet flange on the black tank is bolted on using gaskets. The tank appears to be made from polyethylene, although obviously it's older and has a slightly different color than modern ones. Things work pretty well, and with the combined gray/black tank things are usually liquid enough to empty okay. Here's the problem: The discharge valve is starting to let liquid seep past it and down the discharge hose. It's not seeping all that much right now - maybe a few drops a week. But, the tank is not full at the moment and I suspect that things will get worse when there are 90 gallons of liquid pushing behind it. (There are no leaks external of the valve - the green crud is corrosion from condensation) Possible solutions: 1. Continue using a cap on the outlet to catch the drips between one dumping and the next. Messy and not ideal. 2. Repair the valve. It's a bronze valve that theoretically can be opened on top, but I cannot get the top to spin off. I'm sure if I really bear down on it the thing will open, but I'm afraid that I'll damage the bulkhead connection in the process. 3. Install a secondary (modern) discharge valve downstream from the current valve. The discharge valve has about 18" of 2-3/8" rubber hose after it that leads to the point where the discharge hose connects outside. I could cut out a portion of this rubber hose out and install a secondary gate valve. This would catch whatever gets past the original valve. 4. The more dramatic step would be to remove the bulkhead fitting and replace it with a 3" fitting. Then I'd be able to retrofit a modern discharge valve. My concerns/questions about this: a. Is it possible to retrofit a bulkhead fitting on an existing tank? b. Are bulkhead fittings still made that can be bolted onto a tank instead of doing a spin-weld? If so, can they be mounted blind (without having full access to the inside of the tank)? 5. Even more dramatic, get a new (custom made) tank with modern fittings. My tanks are very easy to access. While it would take a while to reconnect the fittings and install the necessary adapters, all parts are easily accessible in the bay without being a contortionist and without taking anything else apart. Right now I'm leaning towards #3 above. It would help ensure that nothing leaks out and would make dumping cleaner than it is right now. However, not sure it's worth the effort and I'm wondering if it's better to just bite the bullet and have a new tank made. Thoughts? Suggestions?

Guess I haven't been lucky enough to cross that path yet. I'll have to rethink my plans...

I got mine in Illinois, even though I live in Wisconsin. They have a pretty good website and don't charge a monthly fee. Theirs works on all the E-Z Pass roads just fine. Not so much in states like Texas though. One word of caution... I had mine set to refill when it hit $20. I was traveling from NJ to home in Wisconsin. As I approached the toll booth coming off the bridge from Indiana to Chicago my tag kept failing to read. Paying a toll through the driver's window (about 4"x4") is impossible. The booth on the other side kept me from opening the passenger door. Had to sit and wait for the attendant. Apparently my tag had triggered the refill point earlier in the day when my balance hit $20. Another $20 was added to the balance (sort of). Then I continued to drive and used up the remaining balance before hitting this last toll booth. I couldn't figure out why there was no money available. Only when I got home and called did I find out that the refill process can take 1-2 business days to fully become available. In other words, that $20 refill that was triggered earlier in the day wouldn't be available to me to use to pay tolls until sometime the next day. Who knew? Now I have the trigger point set to $40, and when this point is reached another $40 is added to the balance. Haven't had a problem yet since the change.

Did he at least have his wheels properly chocked? I see lots of people using chocks that are way too small to keep the wheel from rolling right over them.

Wow - I just realized how much I'd love to be stranded for a while in a park with no wi-fi, cell phone, or cable. What a perfect excuse to disconnect for a while.

Thanks Dan.

Cell service would depend on the location of the carrier's towers in relation to the park. The parks really has nothing to do with it other than location. There are maps online which you can use to find out how far the nearest tower is that services your phone and which direction it is in. Here is one of them: http://www.cellreception.com/ We just purchased an external antenna for our Jetpack. It allows us to connect to a tower that is further away than we could get to without it. Since the body on our coach is metal, it really helps for us to put the antenna in the window facing the nearest tower (of course, you'll have to know that little piece of information before you get to the dead zone).

Up till to point where Kiley stopped being the vendor, it was possible to order the plates with the raised letters. That's what I did and have one on our coach. The flat ones with the vinyl decal instead of raised letters had become 'standard issue' items when someone joined. When I called membership, I was told that the new vendor would be making them the same and with the same text as the old ones. I guess we'll see once the information is posted. I understand that I just spoke to someone about this yesterday, but there is nothing new posted about the new FMCA plaques yet, that I can find. Really, how hard would it be to write a few paragraphs and post an announcement to the forum letting members know what's going on. Instead, we're just left here to wonder what the story is.

Congratulations on the new ride!

Thanks Dan. I didn't think that anyone was trying to 'pull one over' on me or anyone else. I understand that sometimes vendors change. My only point really is that it would have been so easy to let members know about the change by posting a note in the forum so that no one needed to search for information on a vendor that is no longer supplying the plaques. Do you know, when/where we should expect to find more details about the new supplier, ordering replacement plaques, etc?

I called the FMCA office today. Apparently Kiley is no longer the supplier. I wasn't told who the new supplier will be, but I was told that moving forward orders will be placed through FMCA and not directly through the manufacturer. The membership office says that the plaques will look just same. I've got to say, I'm disappointed that FMCA hasn't communicated this change to the membership. Even if all the details are not yet in place, it would have been easy to just post a note on the forum to let us know a change was coming. Instead, we were left guessing what's going on when the Kiley site was down and nothing is posted on our site.

Might be the case that the supplier of the plaques has changed. Don't know for certain. Just tried looking on the new FMCA website for information about the plaques, but for the life of me I cannot find anything. I swear it was there before the new website, but now I cannot find it. Anyone know if there are plans in the works to change the layout/design of the plaques? Just asking since everything else seems to be changing nowadays.

I finally was able to make contact with Winegard. The sole purpose for the loop tacked to the roof is to allow for extra cable should the mounting base ever need to be lifted off the roof for some reason. Since I can always just replace the cable should I have need, I'll be installing it with a straight run of cable to keep things looking tidy. I'll report back once the antenna is mounted to let people know about the quality of the reception. Since our current antenna is a 1970s-era model designed to be mounted on a yacht high above the sea, and since it's tucked inside the rear cap of our bus (which is metal), just about anything would be an improvement over the reception I get right now. Actually, I'm surprised I can get any reception at all.

If you order them from Kiley Mold you can specify the 3D molded plates instead of the flat ones with just a vinyl decal. They are similar to the old style aluminum ones, except that they are molded from plastic now. Their website appears to be down right now. Their phone number is: (513) 875-3223

Our rear plaque is the molded plastic type. Stuck to the rear of the coach with industrial-strength double stick. Front 'plaque' is a vinyl sticker (like the ones that come standard from FMCA, only without the plastic backer). Got the sticker from Kiley Mold. Needed to be flexible to fit in next to the front license plate. Since we are on a bus chassis, we also have a destination sign above the windshield. We're going to have a custom roller made up for the sign, and one of them will include the FMCA decal along with 'Private Coach'.