Class A Gasser .... Parking

[wa8yxm]

For 4 months.... Many RVers park it sometime berfore Thanksgiving (usually long about Halloween) and do not start it again till Mother's day with no ill effects. Did that myself the first few winters (well i did make a trip in Jan/Feb the first two years) Only thing I ran was the Generator once a month under space heater loads (Special outlets installed to handle the heavy load, NOT plugged into factory outlets.

Generators are a bit more "Demanding" on that monthly run

Change oil before you park.. And if you are really paranoid when you "Un-park" is the only special advice. For much LONGER sessions you can "Mothball" but for 4 months. (or six) I did not.

[emcee]

Zeke,

I believe we have the same rig.

As built, your chassis battery does not charge from shore power. I installed a disconnect on ours.

We also experienced heavy condensation in cold weather. Leave both roof vents cracked open at night. Experimentation will reveal how much they need to be opened.

Your driver seat will rotate to face the living area.

As far as the cab area feeling colder: the increased glass up front is the main cause (we have reflectix on all of ours). However, one other possibility is air flowing through the chassis HVAC system. Make sure to place the mode selector to "Off" or "Max A/C" before shutting off the engine. If left in any other position, the fresh air inlet door is open.

One other thing I have not seen mentioned is that when leaving the leveling jacks extended, it is a good idea to apply a light coat of silicone lubricant to the (clean) shafts. This is especially true in corrosive environments such as near salt water.

[zekethomas]

So... the saga continues... So far I have NOT started the engine and do not plan to after all the sage advice. Oil is new, a pure coincidence as I wanted to change it at a shop I know than on the road where I don't know.

I will be pouring a can of Sea Foam into the gas tank as she sits (later today). A relative gave me a few cans saying it was ... you know... "sliced bread" ....

I rummaged through a few of my old water hoses (the pack rat that I am) and found a good gasket. And voila, ... you are all right! A new gasket and no leaking. Geez oh pete... you would think I could figure that out...

If you have not guessed, I am not the most mechanically inclined... I dont think that way, but I have found if someone tells me how.. I can do most of it. Of course, I you-tube the rest!

I have a few projects planned for when the weather gets a bit warmer (now low 60's in day for high and low 30's at night). One is to Zep the gelcoat after I clean, clean, clean. I have seen from the forum and you-tube that the prep is the key to the lasting shine. Has anyone used Mequiars oxidation remover on their rig? I have 3 bottles and want to use it to remove some of the oxidation in the cleaning process. The rig is not too bad for only 4 years old but its starting to show its age. It sat in a couple of Texas summers before I bought her and she looks like it. I think most is recoverable.

Another is to work on the truck battery. As I have now been informed by this forum that shore power does not charge this battery, I want to use a trickle charger from the basement plug (on shore power) and run it to the coach battery.

Other than that... I see some maintenance coming with leaks at the shower hose connection and squeaking plastic faucets in the bathroom. Replacing those will be next.

Though many posts are about poor quality I have to admit that 6 months into this rig, 7,500 miles, and living in it 3 of the six months (including the travel) it has been pretty good to us. Yes, Winnie puts cheap stuff in it as fixtures. Fit and finish are not so great. The slide (and I have slide-a-phobia) has worked and been forgiving when I left the supports or the chair was in the way. The bunk over the cockpit has also worked perfectly (daily). So it appears that the major appliances are working ok, the build (can you say short screws?) and the fixtures are ... well I already said that.

I knew when I got in this that it was the low end model, and my expectations were not high, but it has been very functional and I dont know how I or my wallet could ask for more.

thanks for the advice.

[Arch Hoagland]

Some Seafoam advice. I suggest you start your engine and, more importantly, your generator. Let them run long enough to get the Seafoam into the engine.

Especially the generator as fuel sits in it and starts to gum up from lack of use.

Once a year I add five cans of Seafoam to my 75 gallon gas tank just before a long trip. I run the generator at least a half hour to get the Seafoam into it.

[Quincy]

Originally Posted by zekethomas

Washer is the next stop... when we go into town... which is 30 mins from here... thanks for the inputs... had not thought of that... DUH...

You are welcome, it is only because of SB and my vast RV knowledge that we were able to arrive at that possibility and, in my case, many years of making that and similar mistakes.

Glad it is settled.

[zekethomas]

Ok... all you experienced folks out there did not warn me of this one!?!

DW decided she liked another spot in the RV park????? Whoa... so after all the work of learning how to stay put, we packed it all up, moved things to bring in the slide and the levelers, and whooosh... away we went a few spots down the line...

of course then re-hook, slide out ... etc, etc, etc.. you all know the drill.

This is a new experience for me. Did not even see it coming.

As I mentioned before, this is the longest we have stayed in one place... ooops .. now 2 places in the same park so it was unexpected.

But... I will have to say it went off pretty well (only took a few hours) and all is working, Of course I sweat the slide as I have "slide-a-phobia" waiting for it not to work. Water is tight, no leaks (thanks Quincy), and all the rest is pretty ok... so the washing machine is chugging along today as we start a new day in a new site.. in the same park!

Ok... I know this post has little meaning, but it is here to make YOU smile if it has ever happened to you.. and to write about our continuing saga...

Thanks to all who help us all....

Living the Dream....

[sbleiweiss]

Just gives a new bar to shoot for in all those "how far should I drive each day" threads. Glad its working out.

[bblack]

The worse thing you can do is let it idle to warm up. Retired for service mgr.

[zekethomas]

As we move from winter to summer in Arizona (where we are parked for the first time in our Class A life) we of course are beginning to notice the pounding sun on ourselves and the rig.

The site we are in (after DW wanted to move) has the sun crossing from passenger side to drivers side always to the rear. Before it gets smokin' hot here, I was curious to see if anyone had innovative ideas on how to either shade or reflect the sun on the rear of the coach.

In a few weeks I will begin the process of Zep-ping the gelcoat (removing oxidation first) and wonder if anyone has put some sort of awning or reflective coating on the rear of the coach to reduce the effects of the sun, not just on the exterior, but the temperature of the interior?

I am a big fan of Reflectix and use it in all windows in cold and sun heat but not sure how one would attach it to the rear of the coach and have it survive the AZ wind.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance....

[zekethomas]

Ok.. February is coming to a close and its time to update on our "staying in one place" experience. Actually, we are in our third place in the same park! Yes, we moved one more time. DW found the back area of the park to be quieter (we have a US highway that crosses the front of the park).

Also, no way to come to a reasonable propane solution, so I have to pack up and take the rig to propane instead of getting a bottle to cover the usage. The propane companies want arms and legs to bring you a tank, fill it and then not have clear definitions of the amount "left" for refunds. The $300 bucks to get and fill a tank and not use all of it cannot work for the $26 bucks and an hour of prep to go get it myself (a 10 minute drive).

Now, the fun stuff, we bought a zero-g hose (thanks Joe!) and got the sections of 3 foot insulation to put around it. Most of the folks here have similar setups though some have heater wiring on their hose lines, and after asking around most said it works fine. I was disconnecting my hoses each night if it was to get around 25 degrees. So I stopped disconnecting after my 3rd move
Anyway, when it got to 20 at night I got up in the morning and whoops.. the water ran for a minute and stopped... shoot sticks! ... but alas.. I turned on the pump, ran water from the tank for a few minutes, then went back to the park water and voila.. it came through... dont understand why this happens.. but it has worked for 3 straight days... (days are nearly 50 now). but soon it won't matter as the spring is coming after this week, no more freezes at night... and soon it will be HOT here in central AZ.

Thanks to all for telling us newbies to put shop lights and small heaters in the basement.. which I have done.. .and it works.. if anything freezes and blows out it will be outside the rig, not inside. thanks again for all the advice.

We still have a lot of condensation building each night, but I am hoping that here in AZ that will not have an adverse long term affect on the bus.

Today we will be replacing a hose in our portable washing machine that is leaking and see if life can improve with that. ..

Again, thanks to all.. you have made this better for us.. we are appreciative of this group...