Community Forums

oralei · 08-17-2013, 10:10 AM

Now I am really confused, of course the DW would tell you I am that way all the time, but here goes. I recently took my MH, 03 Beaver Contessa, roadmaster 8 air bags, for its yearly check-up at the local cummins dealer and was told the air pressure regulator was bad and needed replaced. I ask the mechanic why it was bad? The first thing he asked me was if I dumped the air when parking the rig more than a few days, I told him NO, as I don't dump the air unless I am staying for a week or more. He said that is probably why the regulator went bad because it allowed moister to build-up in the system. What is the Air Dryer for if not to keep the water out of the air system? Do any of you old and maybe new RVs have an opinion on this? It cost me $250 to have it fixed $150 parts and $75 labor.

Skip426 · 08-17-2013, 10:22 AM

There is an pressure regulator , mounted on the compressor , before the air dryer.
That being said , I haven't heard of them having to be replaced for this reason / cause.

Did the mechanic , say it was part of the leveling system ?
Did you get the old part?
Did he recommend an air dryer service? or was that part of what you were having done ?
Speaking of confused. Your showing up as a Workhorse Chassis Owner??
Is the Beaver a recent purchase?

Triker56 · 08-17-2013, 10:33 AM

Do you get any moisture out of the tanks when you open them?
If not then they shouldn't be any moisture in the lines.

Has the air dryer filter been changed in the last 36 months?

oralei · 08-17-2013, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skip426

There is an pressure regulator , mounted on the compressor , before the air dryer.
That being said , I haven't heard of them having to be replaced for this reason / cause.

Did the mechanic , say it was part of the leveling system ?
Did you get the old part?
Did he recommend an air dryer service? or was that part of what you were having done ?
Speaking of confused. Your showing up as a Workhorse Chassis Owner??
Is the Beaver a recent purchase?

Ya, I noticed that also, traded the southwind and just updated the owners profile. It is part of the leveling system, and also serviced the air dryer.

oralei · 08-17-2013, 01:09 PM

[QUOTE=Triker56;1689542]Do you get any moisture out of the tanks when you open them?
If not then they shouldn't be any moisture in the lines.

Has the air dryer filter been changed in the last 36 months?[/QUOTE
I have only seen a few drops when bleed the lines. When they replaced the valve they also replaced the air dryer filter and serviced it at an additional cost.

BFlinn181 · 08-17-2013, 02:40 PM

I agree with Skip426, I've not heard of a malfunction of pressure regulator due to failure to dump air. If moisture was a big issue with the regulator they would have put it in after the dryer, not on the compressor head. Wondering if mechanic meant he changed ride height valves, which are technically pressure regulators, but not the same as the one that controls compressor.In addition, the ride height valves are in lines after dryer and wet tank, there shouldn't be moisture there at all if dryer works.

jtermini30 · 08-17-2013, 07:42 PM

Did the tech mention if the system should be dumped when in storage and not on the jacks? Currently I only dump the air when using the auto leveling system.

Kuzzy · 08-17-2013, 07:56 PM

It cost me $250 to have it fixed $150 parts and $75 labor.

$150 sounds a little high for an air pressure regulator.

KSCRUDE · 08-17-2013, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oralei

Now I am really confused, of course the DW would tell you I am that way all the time, but here goes. I recently took my MH, 03 Beaver Contessa, roadmaster 8 air bags, for its yearly check-up at the local cummins dealer and was told the air pressure regulator was bad and needed replaced. I ask the mechanic why it was bad? The first thing he asked me was if I dumped the air when parking the rig more than a few days, I told him NO, as I don't dump the air unless I am staying for a week or more. He said that is probably why the regulator went bad because it allowed moister to build-up in the system. What is the Air Dryer for if not to keep the water out of the air system? Do any of you old and maybe new RVs have an opinion on this? It cost me $250 to have it fixed $150 parts and $75 labor.

I think the only moisture problem is your tech, he is all wet about this. Air governors and ride height valves do go bad, but not from not dumping your airbags frequently. And they will take a gross amount of moisture before any failure. Trucks used to not use air dryers and you was supposed to drain every air tank daily. Didn't happen very often on most rigs. It would give you fits in sub freezing temps. That's the only reason most all air brake vehicles have air dryers is due to cold weather and valves freezing. Other wise moisture in the air system causes very few problems. It's not good for o-rings and other components but usually does not cause failure.