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Old 09-10-2018, 07:51 AM   #253
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I also pink, it is cheap and the pipes never break where you can get to them. Walmart is my source for the pink, they usually have lots when winter approaches.

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Old 09-10-2018, 08:10 AM   #254
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So far I have never had to winterize the coach. In the spring and fall I leave the heat on as our temperatures generally do not get much below freezing and the coach is in the shed. Winter time it is in the warm. So far the shoulder seasons requiring heat have been very short.

The 5er I winterized several times. The system was very efficient and took less than a gallon of pink.
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Old 09-10-2018, 08:45 AM   #255
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Thanks for all of the very helpful replies.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lloyd in S.C. View Post
I also pink, it is cheap and the pipes never break where you can get to them. Walmart is my source for the pink, they usually have lots when winter approaches.
The Walmart website says the local store has it in stock now. $2.58/gallon. Thanks.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gordon Dewald View Post
So far I have never had to winterize the coach. In the spring and fall I leave the heat on as our temperatures generally do not get much below freezing and the coach is in the shed. Winter time it is in the warm. So far the shoulder seasons requiring heat have been very short.
Given our local weather, and following your advice of leaving the heat on in the coach during the few cold snaps, I may not ever need to winterize either. But, just in case the coach breaks down, in the winter, in someplace cold, I want to be ready.

I will acquire a couple of gallons and store them in the basement. I probably will put them in a plastic tote just in case they spring a leak, or want to wander around the basement.

Is there a shelf-life on RV antifreeze?
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Old 09-10-2018, 11:07 AM   #256
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Quote:
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Thanks for all of the very helpful replies.



The Walmart website says the local store has it in stock now. $2.58/gallon. Thanks.



Given our local weather, and following your advice of leaving the heat on in the coach during the few cold snaps, I may not ever need to winterize either. But, just in case the coach breaks down, in the winter, in someplace cold, I want to be ready.

I will acquire a couple of gallons and store them in the basement. I probably will put them in a plastic tote just in case they spring a leak, or want to wander around the basement.

Is there a shelf-life on RV antifreeze?
Good idea. Am going to think about this for the next while. Having the aquahot makes it more problematic if something goes sideways. We do carry a compressor with us so the first option would be to blow the lines out.

Don't think there is a shelf life.
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Old 09-10-2018, 11:47 AM   #257
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Quote:
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We do carry a compressor with us so the first option would be to blow the lines out.
Assuming that the main engine is operable, there is compressed air at the tow-truck connection. For my air-leak trouble-shooting sessions, I constructed a special device that has a gate valve and a pressure regulator between two male air-line connectors. This reduces the 175PSI shop air to 120PSI for the coach.

All I would need to do is physically connect the device in the opposite direction and turn the regulator down to 30PSI to blow out the water lines.

Of course, if the main engine isn't working, I have bigger problems. But, it would work if I simply needed to put the coach into storage mode in extremely cold weather and could not keep the heat running.

Now, I just need to figure out where to connect the compressed air to blow out the lines, and get the correct adapter(s).

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Old 09-10-2018, 12:10 PM   #258
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cwk View Post
Assuming that the main engine is operable, there is compressed air at the tow-truck connection. For my air-leak trouble-shooting sessions, I constructed a special device that has a gate valve and a pressure regulator between two male air-line connectors. This reduces the 175PSI shop air to 120PSI for the coach.



All I would need to do is physically connect the device in the opposite direction and turn the regulator down to 30PSI to blow out the water lines.



Of course, if the main engine isn't working, I have bigger problems. But, it would work if I simply needed to put the coach into storage mode in extremely cold weather and could not keep the heat running.



Now, I just need to figure out where to connect the compressed air to blow out the lines, and get the correct adapter(s).





I bought a connector that goes from the water city water connector to air input.

https://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/...yABEgLuo_D_BwE

Mine is all brass but you get the idea.
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Old 09-10-2018, 12:15 PM   #259
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Just a quick aside to the air blow out is some compressors have a slight oil bypass or other contaminants in the air stream that you are now blowing into your drinking water system, I have to run several traps/ filters when I paint to get this out.
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Old 09-10-2018, 01:08 PM   #260
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We have an oil less compressor by Campbell Hosfeld.

I created an adaptor with a water hose on one end and an air connection on the other. The compressor has a pressure regulator. I ran between 40 - 45 lbs to blow out the line.
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Old 09-10-2018, 05:52 PM   #261
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I'd be more worried about that Storm headed your way .
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Old 09-10-2018, 06:50 PM   #262
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Quote:
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I'd be more worried about that Storm headed your way.
Thanks, Chuck. You are correct.

Current forecast track has Hurricane Florence making landfall about 350-400 miles NNE of us around Wilmington, NC. Then it is expected to keep going NW inland, slow down, and degrade into a lot of rain possibly for days. We are in NE Florida, a little bit below the GA border.

We are currently on the "left" side of the track, which typically is spared. However, we are keeping a careful eye on this. Our area has felt the effects of two hurricanes in the past two years. Each year we lost a large oak tree in the yard. I am very careful to discern the projected wind direction then park everything correctly. I have avoided two vehicle losses with careful planning. The safe parking spot for Hurricane Matthew two years ago was exactly where Hurricane Irma deposited a tree last year.
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Old 09-10-2018, 07:24 PM   #263
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I'm only a few hundred miles west of y'all ... A hurricane is a major pita.... I do watch the weather, but I'm always prepared... make sure everything fueled up, coach, cars, any extra gas cans for cars, house gen-set etc, l buy lot of extra water around August before the rush...
We went a week no power two years ago, only a few days last year.

It would have to be a very bad storm before I left. Once gone, maybe a while before I can return. But looters seem to show up as soon as it quits raining!

Anybody here in the Carolina's should be getting busy right about now!
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Old 09-11-2018, 08:22 AM   #264
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Good luck with missing the worst of the storm. Be safe.
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Old 09-13-2018, 04:31 PM   #265
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Trailer wiring questions

There is a 7-way plug on the back of the coach for a trailer. However, only 4 wires are connected to it. I need to add the Auxiliary Power connection. This is a 12VDC always-on wire.

I can figure out which terminal I need on the plug. I can use a wiring diagram if I look on line. OR, I can check the plug on the back of my Jeep. I know the Jeep and my trailer are wired properly. Both the Jeep and the trailer were wired by the factory and they work.

The questions that I have are:

1) What size fuse? I know to check the wiring size to be compatible.

2) Where to connect it?

What I need here is some help thinking this through. Please.

Regarding question #2, there is a fuse block in the battery compartment in the right rear of the coach. I can pretty easily run a wire from the 7-way plug to the fuse block. There are some "SPARE" fuse locations marked on the block's wiring diagram. The question is which one to use.

The answer lies in how I will be using the Auxiliary power.

There are two uses.

One is for the interior LED strip lighting that I have installed in the cargo trailer. The lighting strips are on a pair of 3-way switches. One switch is located by each door. Also, the wire runs through a fuse block when it enters the trailer. So, any internal issue should blow the fuse here instead of the fuse on the tow vehicle.

The second use is for the trailer brakes. Here I need to explain. Yes, I know there is a separate connection on the trailer plug for activating the brakes. However, that requires a trailer brake controller located in the coach. Often that is located by the driver.

I use a different system. The brake controller is a "Tekonsha 90250 Prodigy RF Electronic Brake Control" that is physically mounted on the tongue of the trailer. It uses G-forces to activate the trailer brakes. It is a wireless system. There is a hand remote that plugs into a cigarette lighter outlet by the driver. The remote is used to a) set up and adjust the braking power, and b) manually apply the brakes. As an aside, if the remote is not connected, the braking system still works fine.

Physically, the brake controller has a 7-way plug that connects to the coach. Then, the trailer's 7-way plug connects to the brake controller box. The wiring for the turn signals, stop lights, and aux power simply flow through the brake controller (with the brake controller stealing a bit of power for its own operation). The brake controller sends power to the trailer brakes when activated by the G-force.

As an aside, the wireless brake controller allows me to change tow vehicles without a need to have a brake controller on each tow vehicle. And, DW did Not like the idea of an after-market brake controller being installed in her "new" Jeep. The DP does not have a brake controller. With this system I do not need to install one in the DP. The controller is already on the trailer.

So, back to the question on hand.

That being said, here are some of the conditions that I am trying to meet.

I need the Auxiliary Power to be on when the coach is running down the road, of course. This powers the brake controller and the trailer brakes.

I think i want the Auxiliary Power to be on when the Chassis Battery switch is ON. And, Aux Power off when the Chassis Battery switch is OFF. This would keep the chassis battery from discharging if someone accidentally leaves the interior trailer lights on.

I do NOT think I want the Aux Power to be controlled by the Ignition Switch being on or off. I want to be able to use the interior trailer lights without the DP engine running. Also, if the ignition is turned off in an emergency situation (run-away engine), I want the electric brakes on the trailer to still react to the G-forces of slowing down. Remember, the air brakes on the coach will still work for a bit.


I am not sure if I am over-thinking this, but I want to get it right. Once I figure out which set of conditions i need, then it should be a simple task of reading the fuse block wiring diagram and using a test light to determine which SPARE fuse location will work.

What am I missing here? Comments welcome!

Wow. Looks like I just wrote a short book.

I am all ears.
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Old 09-13-2018, 10:45 PM   #266
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Charles,
Would run a 12 gauge wire with appropriate size fuse(20/25amp) from the fuse box. At least one should be hot all the time(with the chassis battery on).If you have a freightliner chassis, you can call the help line to find out which spare space you can use. I like the sound of the way your brake controller is hooked up.
Hope this helps,
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