Community Forums

cvbdsl · 10-25-2018, 08:42 AM

OK, last year got my 4th MH (now my last

). It's a 2008 HR Scepter 42PDQ and the original owner got just about every option on it.

After a year of use I've found a couple of issues with some of the options so I thought I'd start a thread on options that may not be so useful. Remember in this great life of RVing these are just annoyances that make you wonder, some things are not as great as they seem.

1. Macerater
I thought this would be a good option, smaller hose and pump to push things through. Well it just doesn't work that quick, it seems to take a looong time to empty the black tank and I feel I'm holding up the line at the dump station. Others come and go and I'm still there feeling sorry for anyone who pulled in my lane. Also if there is no water hookup (non potable) for the tank rinse at the dump station it seems that it does not fully empty, leaving "stuff" behind because it drains so slowly. (If I'm at a full hookup site, it seems to empty fine with the tank rinse on, but still slow.)

Another issue is that the "head" of the hose will not fit through the hole in the bottom of the water bay for two reasons. One, the hole seems to be too small and secondly the dump connection does not seem to swivel to get it up out of the way (either that or it is really stuck). So at a FH site, I have to leave my water bay door open to let the hose out (I use a bungee cord to keep it from blowing in the wind).
So I'm going back to the stinky slinky where most of the stuff comes out with a "whoosh" in a couple of minutes and I can put it out and leave it when on a FH site.

And just as an aside, since they put the macerater in (factory installed), they moved all the gate valves over and this has gotten me twice now. The sign for the black tank is now above the grey water valve and the black water valve is now around 12" further left beside the outdoor shower. I will re-label them now.

2. Power water hose reel.
So you need to pull the hose off the reel. That requires pulling at 90 degrees straight out, then you need to feed the end back into the floor of the water bay and pull it through again. Either that or feed it through the hole in the floor and pull straight down from the bottom a few inches at a time until you have enough out.
Bringing it in is not too bad, but you need to be there to move the hose directly under the hole to the bay. The hose also gets a lot of twists in it. The easiest way is pull it all up through the hole and on the ground and then wind it, or since I need the bay door open for the macerater, just don't put it down the hole in the first place.

Finally I'm concerned about sanitation of the hose. It is never 100% drained. This spring when I filled my fresh water tank for the 1st time black stuff came in, I'm assuming from the water hose. This is the first MH that I have had that this happen and the first that I will not drink the water in the tank. I can't drain and flush the tank totally as the drain is on side at the bottom and always leaves around 1/2 inch water in the tank.

I'd like to re-plumb the water so that I have a normal hose connection in the water bay and bypass the reel. When using a separate hose I always sanitized it and always kept the ends screwed together to prevent critters getting in.

OK, OTOH among the options I really like are the Aqua Hot and power cord reel.

Do you have options that don't really make your life easier like you thought they would?

Chris

Winterbagoal · 10-25-2018, 09:21 AM

This is more of a 13,000 mile evaluation of the many features of our 2018 Navion 24V, than just an options critique.

Cons,
1) Double pane acrylic windows - while the view through these things is beautiful and there's no break in the center of the glass, and they do seem to provide an extra layer of insulation, they're totally manual to operate. I have to drop or raise and separate the shade and bug screen to push them open, and again to close them. Winnebago should have devised some sort of manual crank or power open/close option, to allow fresh air in when desired.
2) Power stabilizer jacks. Not sure about them, as we haven't needed them yet. The coach seems pretty stable as it sits. Maybe in a windier environment, they might be useful. Time will tell.
3) Gray tank dump pump required in the 24V - takes a while to prime, and push the contents over the rear axle to the common output pipe. You can't set it "on" either, you have to press and hold it. I'm just going to use the emergency clean out and a separate hose when at a dump station. When we're stationary at a c/g, I'll have to consider my options.
4) Front/side window privacy shades - have only seen limited use. They seem to trap air and can cause the windshield to fog up overnight when temps are cooler. I have used the MaxxFan to draw some of that out and that seems to help reduce the condensation. We use 2 manual single sunshades for privacy on most overnight stops.
5) External storage doors mostly open to parallel to the ground, making access difficult unless you're the squats champion of the RV park. I think it's adjustable to some extent, but haven't pursued it yet.
6) Holding tank heaters - haven't had a need yet, but they aren't recommended to be used unless running the engine, the generator, or plugged in to shore power, all not necessarily easy or convenient to do. However, they will get used eventually, I'm sure.

Pros, (all options)
1) 3rd solar panel really helps recharging, I like the ZAMP system overall - wish there was a lithium battery option available from the factory
2) diesel generator is a brute - love it
3) we chose to keep the powered MaxxFan where the optional flip open skylight would be - it is far more useful
4) not getting the cab over bunk - the view at night of the stars through the forward overhead window is great
5) the Froli spring bed system - very comfortable
6) the full body paint is easy to clean
7) the Alcoa wheels seem decent
8) the Mobil-Eye system for lane departure and collision avoidance is great. Has helped the pilot out a few times already

9) Truma AquaGo Comfort Plus water heater system has performed flawlessly
10) 2nd TV in the bedroom - can use it as the satellite TV or as the local OTA TV, depending on our situation

Overall, we give this thing a 9 out of 10. The options that aren't as useful as we thought they might have been, haven't really been tested, except the acrylic windows. None of them are show stoppers.

Mr_D · 10-25-2018, 09:35 AM

I have the SaniCon in my rig. I always use the 3" gravity hose "stinky slinky".
I also have the fresh water reel, pull out, power retrieve and have the same troubles as the OP.

Blondiega1 · 10-25-2018, 09:59 AM

We never use the central vacuum. It's kind of a pain to drag out.
Our Dyson stick vac is much quicker and easier to use.

Mark D · 10-25-2018, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cvbdsl

OK, last year got my 4th MH (now my last

). It's a 2008 HR Scepter 42PDQ and the original owner got just about every option on it.

After a year of use I've found a couple of issues with some of the options so I thought I'd start a thread on options that may not be so useful. Remember in this great life of RVing these are just annoyances that make you wonder, some things are not as great as they seem.

1. Macerater
I thought this would be a good option, smaller hose and pump to push things through. Well it just doesn't work that quick, it seems to take a looong time to empty the black tank and I feel I'm holding up the line at the dump station. Others come and go and I'm still there feeling sorry for anyone who pulled in my lane. Also if there is no water hookup (non potable) for the tank rinse at the dump station it seems that it does not fully empty, leaving "stuff" behind because it drains so slowly. (If I'm at a full hookup site, it seems to empty fine with the tank rinse on, but still slow.)

Another issue is that the "head" of the hose will not fit through the hole in the bottom of the water bay for two reasons. One, the hole seems to be too small and secondly the dump connection does not seem to swivel to get it up out of the way (either that or it is really stuck). So at a FH site, I have to leave my water bay door open to let the hose out (I use a bungee cord to keep it from blowing in the wind).
So I'm going back to the stinky slinky where most of the stuff comes out with a "whoosh" in a couple of minutes and I can put it out and leave it when on a FH site.

And just as an aside, since they put the macerater in (factory installed), they moved all the gate valves over and this has gotten me twice now. The sign for the black tank is now above the grey water valve and the black water valve is now around 12" further left beside the outdoor shower. I will re-label them now.

2. Power water hose reel.
So you need to pull the hose off the reel. That requires pulling at 90 degrees straight out, then you need to feed the end back into the floor of the water bay and pull it through again. Either that or feed it through the hole in the floor and pull straight down from the bottom a few inches at a time until you have enough out.
Bringing it in is not too bad, but you need to be there to move the hose directly under the hole to the bay. The hose also gets a lot of twists in it. The easiest way is pull it all up through the hole and on the ground and then wind it, or since I need the bay door open for the macerater, just don't put it down the hole in the first place.

Finally I'm concerned about sanitation of the hose. It is never 100% drained. This spring when I filled my fresh water tank for the 1st time black stuff came in, I'm assuming from the water hose. This is the first MH that I have had that this happen and the first that I will not drink the water in the tank. I can't drain and flush the tank totally as the drain is on side at the bottom and always leaves around 1/2 inch water in the tank.

I'd like to re-plumb the water so that I have a normal hose connection in the water bay and bypass the reel. When using a separate hose I always sanitized it and always kept the ends screwed together to prevent critters getting in.

OK, OTOH among the options I really like are the Aqua Hot and power cord reel.

Do you have options that don't really make your life easier like you thought they would?

Chris

I have to agree, those are the two bells on my Coach I could live without. I only use my maserator if I am at someone's house and need to pump to a septic tank or sewer connection far away. I have used it only a few times.

The power water reel is good to keep the hose stowed but you need to pull it out to the length you need then feed it back through the access hole. I think I may remove it if it ever dies, it makes service in the wet bay much harder than it should be.

Other things I never use are the dual satellite systems. The first owner had one that was wired to work while driving and a HD one for when they were stopped. Each dish could feed one of the 5 TV's independently. We removed the one in the bathroom.

The slide that comes out over the stairs we never use as well as the exterior TV.

The turn signal camera, I still like the standard and dual blind spot mirrors, I do however want to have the 360 camera system installed.

I dont use the air leveling system, I prefer the hydraulic system and do not see how the air system saves any time. I do have snap pads which work great.

Mr_D · 10-25-2018, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blondiega1

We never use the central vacuum. It's kind of a pain to drag out.
Our Dyson stick vac is much quicker and easier to use.

Yep , although I got the V6 model since I have 6 cats. Also the side camera's are useless to me. I learned 50 years ago with my first TT to use the side mirrors.

cvbdsl · 10-25-2018, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_D

Yep , although I got the V6 model since I have 6 cats. Also the side camera's are useless to me. I learned 50 years ago with my first TT to use the side mirrors.

Forgot about those - DW never uses the built in vac and I'm not a great fan of the side cameras. Would like the 360 camera though.

Also have only air leveling, would really have liked to have had the jacks as well to have the option.

Chris

SarahW · 10-25-2018, 03:27 PM

Outside TV and stereo. I think they have been turned on twice in 7 years.

mbutts · 10-26-2018, 06:37 AM

After many years in towables, I love, love, LOVE the hydraulic levelers.

I find the sideview cameras to be very slow to turn on, the display too low in the dash to flick my eyes over to, and generally useless.

MarkD: No TV in the bathroom! You must really like roughing it!

biggcrisp · 10-26-2018, 07:31 AM

Outside stereo and tv have been used 2 times. Took longer to setup then actual watching tv time.

Inside stereo is not something I listen to going down the road. I would rather have a dedicated camera monitor and a separate, better house stereo.

Tv in the bedroom never gets used.

Slides, don’t get me started on slide function and quality. I wish my slides were heavy duty manually cranked out and sealed up like a Yeti cooler.

Automatic leveling. I can manually push the buttons faster and better.

Heated outside mirrors. Never used.

Clearance lights. They are a water leak waiting to happen and serve no purpose.

AFChap · 10-26-2018, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cvbdsl

2. Power water hose reel.
So you need to pull the hose off the reel. That requires pulling at 90 degrees straight out, then you need to feed the end back into the floor of the water bay and pull it through again. Either that or feed it through the hole in the floor and pull straight down from the bottom a few inches at a time until you have enough out.
Bringing it in is not too bad, but you need to be there to move the hose directly under the hole to the bay. The hose also gets a lot of twists in it. The easiest way is pull it all up through the hole and on the ground and then wind it, or since I need the bay door open for the macerater, just don't put it down the hole in the first place.

Finally I'm concerned about sanitation of the hose. It is never 100% drained. This spring when I filled my fresh water tank for the 1st time black stuff came in, I'm assuming from the water hose. This is the first MH that I have had that this happen and the first that I will not drink the water in the tank. I can't drain and flush the tank totally as the drain is on side at the bottom and always leaves around 1/2 inch water in the tank.

I'd like to re-plumb the water so that I have a normal hose connection in the water bay and bypass the reel. When using a separate hose I always sanitized it and always kept the ends screwed together to prevent critters getting in.

We have the power hose reel. Have used it for 15 years with no water quality problems whatsoever. We treat the water system in the RV just like we would one in a house. It does take a different technique for wedding hose out, but I've had no problem at all with taking the hose in. I just disconnect from the hydrant, then go to the bay and push the button to bring the hose in. Doesn't have kinks, twist or any problems. Much easier for me then rolling Hoes by hand and then finding a place to put it. My only complaint with the hose reel is that I would like to have a larger diameter hose, but you're pretty much stuck with the one on the reel.

funmoneypit · 10-26-2018, 12:29 PM

To me the most useless is the side-view cameras. They are definitely slow to come on and then they supersede anything else that may be on our touchscreen including the stereo or rear-view camera. I'm not going to look down at the center console if I am turning/merging. I am going to look where I am going or in the mirrors. I also like to leave our backup camera on the monitor to know when I can merge back over. Hated them so much I disconnected them.

The auto level feature is worthless to me also. It is slower than what I can do manually and typically goes higher than what is really needed to get level. Always do it in manual.

I am surprised to see so many that don't like the outside TV. I watch it all the time especially during football season. Was definitely on my must have list. Love it!

EdInArk · 10-26-2018, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SarahW

Outside TV and stereo. I think they have been turned on twice in 7 years.

Same here. I turned it one once to see if it works. It's just like the one inside, so I supposed it's good I got a spare.

Dutch Star Don · 10-26-2018, 04:13 PM

Simple fix for the SaniCon and hose reel...….. Notch the bottom of the wet bay frame (opening) near the bottom rearward corner. Install some rubber installation and then you can close the door on the hoses, without going through the hole in the wet bay floor.

If you look at the photo below, you can see the notch in the bottom right of the photo where the hoses fit when the door is closed.

Lastly, I've been using a SaniCon since 2005. I think it's a great device. I even ordered one on my new coach. The new turbo model empties a tank in 30-40 seconds. Even with the older models, people forget how much time they spend pulling out 3" hoses, cleaning them and then putting them away. With SaniCon, you never have to clean it, just put it away after dumping grey.