Evergreen Bay Hill ?

[mo5er]

CorbandErin, Thank you for your post, and sorry about your issues.

#1....I have no information about Evergreen and any shakeup.
#2....Can't help with the water heater, we have the standard tank water heater.
#3....This RV is the first we have had with the Schwintek slides. I'm doing some research to see if other manufacturers are also using this system. If Forest River, Jayco, Heartland, and others are using them, are they having any issues?
#4....DH,DW are the dishwashers

[texascowboy]

I really hate to hear people with such problems on these new RV's. I sure hope Evergreen gets it together and makes it right with everyone. I am still a couple weeks out on taking delivery of my 385BH so I cant help with the water heater, besides I ordered a standard 12 gallon because I prefer to use electric and the tank heaters are just ol' reliables. As far as the Schwintek slides, I do know Heartland is using them on their big expensive Redwood 5ers or at least a system that looks exactly like it because my boss just bought a new Redwood with that system. Maybe the Heartland forums have some insight from the Redwood owners. Worth a shot.

Edit: Just googled "redwood RV schwintek" and the first listing was redwood owners having some difficulties also. They mentioned lubing them with silicone to correct small alignment problems and also mentioned the controller being replaced or reprogrammed. Either way, their having issues as well, but they have a bigger customer base so maybe with a little snooping we can learn from their results. Well, it sounds good anyway.

[JayC]

I don't know how much of a shakeup they are having but they do have a new service manager for the Bay Hill and Tesla lines.

Slight correction in the previous poster. Redwood is not made by Heartland, although both are owned by parent company Thor. I don't believe that Heartland uses the Schwintek system for their slides.

[KenInCA]

Hello all...
Here is some information I gleaned from the Redwood users' forum. Item #2 I was not familiar with.

Ken
********
Schwintek Slide Operation
Hi everyone,

There may be some of you who know this already, but I wanted to let everyone know this, because it can save a lot of headaches.

Most Redwoods use a Schwintek slide system on the bedroom slide and slide-in-slide applications. These are easily identified by the "worm gear" on the outside of the slide. These have come under fire a bit over the last few years because their motors were failing. While Schwintek has taken steps to correct the issue, there are some things that everyone should know about this type of slide mechanism regardless.

The main problem with these is the alignment. If the slide box becomes misaligned, it puts a strain on the motor which can cause it to fail. The misalignment is caused by unintentional operator error. When you are operating the bedroom slide(s), remember a few things:

1. When extending and retracting the slide(s), do so ALL the way - don't stop the slide mid-operation.

2. After extending or retracting the slide(s), KEEP HOLDING the slide extend/retract button for 3 seconds after the slide has stopped. This resets the motors and ensures proper alignment.

Now don't feel bad if you didn't know or haven't done this in the past. Most people - myself included - were never told to do this. If you keep it in mind though, it will hopefully save you a headache down the road. (Now obviously this isn't the "cure-all" for slide problems, but it's one thing that will definitely help.)

Happy camping,

Jeff
__________________
Jeff Muffoletto
Regional Sales Manager
Redwood RV

[texascowboy]

Oops, ya know you are correct. I for some reason had Heartland in my head but its actually Crossroads which as you pointed out is a Thor owned company also. And I believe you are correct that Heartland doesn't use the Schwintek, not even on their higher end models. Yeah, it was late when I replied. Sorry.

And I am glad there was some useful info on the Redwood forums about the Schwintek slides. I know I will be a little wiser out of the gate when I pick up mine now that ya found that Ken. Hopefully it will save some headache. Thanks!

[JayC]

No prob Cowboy!

[mo5er]

Ken, Thank you for sharing the information on the slides. I have been releasing the switch as soon as the slide completely retracts, but will now hold it as least 3 seconds. Seems like quite a few manufactures are using the Schwintek slides.

[texascowboy]

Well I can absolutely say thanks to all you folks for your information now. I went up to the dealership today to check on the extra work being done on my RV and noticed they had filled up the rear holding tank to check it out and yup, I saw it.....the tank was falling down and tearing the underpinning loose, not to mention filling the underpinning with water. AWSOME!!! I was like " I told you guys the people on the forum were saying this is an issue!" But this dealer is awsome, the owner said no problem, he would ensure it was correctly fixed and reinforced if needed. Just glad I read about it here so I knew to look for it!

[KenInCA]

Very good post Cowboy. Better to discover your water tank's shortcomings at the dealership than out on the lone prairie somewhere. In the case of my first dropped water tank, the gauge of the angle iron frame was not sufficient to support the tank while it was only modestly filled with water.

[RVn Texan]

Originally Posted by Desirade

Hello Trudi,
Please share with us the info from Evergreen about freeze proof Atwood tankless hot water systems. Thanks and have a great day !

This is from Atwood..

[COLOR="rgb(65, 105, 225)"]"The cold weather kit keeps it from freezing. You have to leave the switch turned on all the time, to keep the water heater active, so it can keep itself warm."[/COLOR]

I asked if it is using propane the whole time the switch is on.

"No. Only when it needs to keep it from freezing. It only comes on for a few seconds and shuts off every so often."

I had the dealer contact Evergreen and change ours from the tankless to the 10 gallon tank. If I am in below freezing temperatures for several days, it will always be trying to warm it up.

[vinecat]

Thanks to all posters for the good information that is shared on the Bay Hill forum. Thanks also to the IRV2 posters, the info and opinions we all submit makes the RV experience more pleasurable and less stressful.
I am wondering if all Bay Hill 5th wheels have the water tank brace problem by design or is it a quality control issue. I haven't checked my 295RL and I haven't filled it up {only pit in about 10-15 gal}. Should I take it to dealer and have it checked before 1yr guaranty is up? I have not had any problems with the slideouts but I will do what was recomended and hold the button for 3 seconds.

[KenInCA]

Hi Vinecat...

I think I would have the water tank checked while it's is still under warranty. After my first tank let loose on a busy highway, the responding CoachNet technician intimated the tank frame did not appear to be thick enough to support a partially filled water tank much less a full tank. We have read enough instances on this forum of water tank issues that having your water tank inspected would be prudent. I know it's a pain to have the undercoating detached to have the inspection made, but I don't think you would want to jeopardize your personal safety or you trailer's integrity if a problem did exist.

Ken

[vinecat]

hi Ken
thanks for your comment, I agree that its better to check before you develop a problem. I'm going to get an appointment with the dealer in Oregon to see about this problem. By the way, is the tank on the drivers side by the drain thats hanging thru the bottom cover?

[mo5er]

Originally Posted by vinecat

hi Ken
thanks for your comment, I agree that its better to check before you develop a problem. I'm going to get an appointment with the dealer in Oregon to see about this problem. By the way, is the tank on the drivers side by the drain thats hanging thru the bottom cover?

The water tank is about 4 foot square and mounts in the center of the frame. That makes the drain on the road side of the coach.