RV-Dreams Journal

Maintenance Day - (Summerdale, AL)

So it was another damp, cloudy day.  But here are the pics of our site.

After Linda's lengthy morning coffee time, she joined Danielle for a trip to Walmart.

While she was gone, I started on a few chores.

The first thing I did was replace our inhouse water filter.  The filter cannister sits behind a removable panel in our basement.

I disconnected the outside water and opened all the faucets in the rig to drain the pipes.  You don't want water running through while changing the filter.  :)

Then I unscrewed the cannister.  The filter just sits down in it.

A dirty or clogged filter can cause low flow through the rig.  Sometimes, if you are not getting the "pressure" you think you should, it might just be the filter restricting flow.  We were amazed at the difference the first time we changed it out.  :)

Here's a look at the filter out of and next to the cannister.

The filters we use are the Flow Pur GAC-10N.

I just took the old one out, put the new one in, and screwed the cannister back into place.  Piece of cake ... even for me.  :)

The next item on the list was to drain the water heater.  That should be done at least annually to make sure there is no build-up of sediment in the tank.

The process is pretty simple.  You're supposed to turn off the power to the water heater - we hadn't had it on, so that was done.  And I had already drained the lines inside the rig.  I made sure the gas supply and the water pump were off.

I opened the exterior access door of the water heater.

The drain plug is at the bottom.

I made sure the pressure release valve was open, so the water would drain more freely.

Then with a pair of pliers, I slowly removed the plastic plug ...

making sure to stand to the side when the water released.  I learned to stand to the side after the first time I did this, and the water gushed all over me.  That's really bad news if the water heater had been on and you don't give it time to cool.  :)

Our water heater is an Atwood, so it just has that little plug.  Most RVs have either the Atwood brand or the Suburban brand of water heater.  The Suburbans have an anode rod which basically is a "sacrificial" part that draws corrosion to it and away from the other interior metal parts of the water heater.

If you have a Suburban, you have to check the condition of the anode when draining/flushing.  It's designed to corrode and needs to be replaced from time to time.

Anyway, I got the flushing done and everything looked just fine.  So I replaced the plug.

Next, I added a "quick-connect" to my fresh water inlet.  I've resisted that for years because I've always felt it just provided another part in the chain that could fail or leak.  :)

One part screws into the inlet where the hose would normally screw in directly.  The other part screws onto the hose end with the intention of just leaving it on the fresh water hose.  Then it is a very easy connect and disconnect - no more fussing with screwing the hose on.

It's pretty easy.  Now I'll just have to wait and see whether my original fears were right or wrong.  :)

About the time I finished that, Linda returned with a new exterior water filter (from the Walmart RV aisle) that goes on at the water source.

Back when we did a couple of seminars at Life On Wheels, the RVIA Certified Master Tech told us to always use a cheap filter at the water source and change it out every few months.  He said even if you have an interior filter, sediment gets into the pipes inside the rig before it reaches the internal filter.  Therefore, he said it's best to filter the water, even if minimally, before it gets inside.

By the way, always run water through a new filter to clear it out before hooking up the hose.  Otherwise, you may have some black, charcoal water coming out of your sink faucet.  :)

Of course, most of you know to have a good water pressure regulator to make sure your RV pipes aren't exposed to more pressure than they can handle.  We prefer an adjustable model with a gauge.

We get ours from the RV Water Filter Store.  Most newer RVs have plumbing that can handle up to 60 psi.

Okay, now I was ready to turn the water back on and make sure 1) the new exterior filter didn't leak, 2) the new interior filter and cannister were re-connected properly, 3) the new quick-connect didn't leak and was working properly, and 4) the replaced plastic plug on the water heater wasn't leaking.

I turned the water on, and everything worked.  Whew!

But then, Linda says "You're just now turning the water on?  I turned the water heater on when I got home."

Oh no.  She ran to turn it off, but it was too late.  With no water in the water heater tank, we'd already burned out the heating element.  Arrrrgggghhhh.  And I was doing so well today.  :)

At least we can use the propane to heat the water until I get the heating element replaced.  Hopefully, I can do it myself and get that done tomorrow.  It was too late to start that project today.

In the afternoon, Jack & Danielle came over with chairs and we chatted in our yard.  I continued a couple of other chores while we talked.

I installed a pull bar on the inside of our screen door.

Another Camping World purchase.  It was something Linda saw on Roland & Nancy's rig at the Kerrville Rally.

Also, we bought new connectors at Camping World for our Rhino-FLEX sewer hoses (RhinoFLEX Swivel Coupler).  I had been able to splice two hoses together with what I have, but I wanted connectors that were actually made for those hoses.

However, I didn't expect to use them so soon.  When we parked in the dark last night, we parked about four inches short for our 20-foot sewer hose.  I had it stretched as far as it would go.  It would work, but it would be under a lot of stress.

So, I spliced my two hoses together using the new coupler to take some pressure off.

So that pretty much took care of all my RV maintenance for the day.  However, there was one other task we got into.

This one is sort of embarrassing, but you seem to like those stories.  :)

Remember the other day when we bought that fresh shrimp in Biloxi?  Well, I told you that we had a cooler in the Jeep.  However, we didn't have a cooler specifically for buying shrimp.  The cooler we had was one we use to haul additional canned goods - our secondary pantry.  :)

When we bought the shrimp, it was iced down and double-bagged so we just set it inside the cooler on top of the canned goods.  But as the ice melted, the water leaked from the bags and into the bottom of the cooler.

We didn't really think anything of it until we opened the Jeep yesterday morning for travel day.  Whew, it was an awful smell.

So, this morning, I scrubbed out the cooler and rinsed off all the cans.  But the labels on the cans all reeked of bad shrimp.  My inclination was to throw it all away - it couldn't have been more than $30 worth of stuff.

But we worked together, and we soaked all the cans in the cooler in dishwashing liquid.  Linda used a permanent marker to write the contents on each can because we knew the labels would come off ... and they needed to come off.  :)

After a while, we took out all the cans and put them on a towel in the yard to dry.

I was calling it "Redneck Lawn Art".  :)  It's not specifically restricted in the park rules, but it's probably not something the landscape committee would approve.  :)

Anyway, it seemed to do the trick and we'll be able to use the food.  Now I ask you, who else in their right mind would tell you stories like that?  :)

While all of this was going on, I saw a familiar face walking toward us.  Is that ....?  Could it be ...?  Yep, it sure was.  Nick Russell of Gypsy Journal fame (and Nick's Blog) stopped by to say hello while he was walking the park.

He and Miss Terry have had a recent change in travel plans, and they stopped here to stay through the Thanksgiving holiday just like us.

Later, at the 4:00 social hour, we got to see Nick & Terry along with Darrell & Judy, and Norm & Linda Payne (See Ya Down The Road).  Norm & Linda are pioneers in blogging about full-timing and putting a budget out on the net.  We met Linda briefly a couple of years back, but today was our first chance to meet Norm. 

I've mentioned it before, but Norm & Linda are also from Louisville, KY.  And before they took off on the road, they lived about ten minutes from where we were living when we left.  But we are not related, and didn't know about each other before.

While I learned about Norm & Linda during my research of full-timing, they didn't know anything about us until they read a Louisville newspaper article about our transition into full-timing.  In fact, Norm told me this evening that they happened to be in Louisville and happened to pick up the newspaper the day that article came out.  :)

After social hour, we returned for the Tuesday night dinner at the clubhouse.

We had quesadillas and taco soup.

During dinner, we once again joined Darrell & Judy and Norm & Linda.  Over the years, several people have asked about the "other Paynes" and this was our first opportunity to get a photo of them.

They look great and seem to be doing well. And they are as nice as everyone told us.  :)

I think the two Lindas are going to have a good time when folks do a double-take when they look at nametags.  :)

After dinner, we made our way back to our humble abode.  We have some plans for tomorrow, so we'll see how it goes.  Until then.  :)

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Short Travel Day, Long Service Day, & Short Extended Warranty Discussion - (Summerdale, AL)

It was another gloomy morning.  But we were up early and needed to get on the road no later than 8:30 to make our 10:00 appointment at the Camping World (formerly Emerald Coast RV), in Robertsdale, Alabama.

Of course, this was one of those days where folks in the campground came by to chat as we were breaking camp.  It's that awkward time where I didn't want to be rude, but I needed to keep moving.  So I stopped and answered questions for a couple of minutes here and there.

"Why does your rig have such low clearance?  Ever have any problem with dragging?"

"Is that satellite dish for internet and TV?"

"Who makes the Cambridge?  Haven't seen many of those."

"What year is your truck?  Have any problems?"

"Where y'all from?  Where you goin' from here?"

Some of those can lead to long conversations.  :)

I did the polite thing and stopped to give short answers.  But if they kept talking, I had to tell them we had an appointment to make.  I'd be happy to keep chatting, but they might have to follow me around while I kept working.  And that's what they did.  :)

Still, we managed to pull out of our site about 8:00.  In this campground, the dump station is near the bathhouse.  About a third of the sites can dump on their way out, but the rest of the sites have to go around the campground loop and re-enter the campground to dump.  That's what we had to do.

We got the dumping done and we were on the road about 8:20.  It was a nice easy trip across I-10 through Mobile to U.S. Hwy 59 south.  I didn't get any high pressure warnings on the tires today.

But once we made it to the Camping World, I did notice that the one hub on the driver's side rear of the trailer was warmer than the others.

The folks at Camping World were great.  They got all of our information, we told them exactly what we needed, and they granted our request to look at the brake drum once they pulled it off.

Our goal was to get a diagnosis, get the extended warranty approval, get a new brake assembly ordered, and we would come back next week to get it installed.  With it being Thanksgiving week, we didn't have high expectations and were willing to make it all happen over the next week or so.

With the Escapees Rainbow Plantation being only ten miles away, we hopped in the Jeep to go get a spot.  However, they wouldn't allow us to get a site without the rig being there.  Not exactly sure what that was about.  :)

But we did get a list of the sites that were available and narrowed down our choices.  We also checked out the clubhouse and looked at the activities for the week.

We headed back to Camping World where Linda dropped me off while she went to get us some lunch.  Before she got back, Ray & Barb stopped by to meet us.  We knew they were in the area and they had invited us to join them for a meal on Wednesday.  But, since they were driving by and saw our truck, they stopped in.  :)

Linda came in right behind them, so we did the hugs and handshakes and solidified our plans for later in the week.  We've been corresponding for a long time, but hadn't yet met.

After they left, we were back to waiting to hear about our service.  The Camping World service department did a great job of keeping us updated.  Often, when waiting, that's all we want.  :)

Just like the last dealership, they couldn't get the brake to release and struggled to get the drum off.  They got the warranty approval for a new brake assembly.  But they also found they could get the brake assembly today.  That was unexpected.  :)

While we waited for the brake assembly to arrive, we had them fix an exterior light, replace our malfunctioning propane detector, and check out a couple of other things.  Most of that, along with the new brake assembly, was covered under our extended warranty.

In the afternoon, Jack & Danielle had to make a stop at Camping World, so we got to see them again and they helped us pass some time.  Our plan was to park right across from them at the Escapees park if we ever got to leave.  :)

We were there from 10:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m., but at least we don't have to go back.

For some background, we bought our RV through Sirpilla RV in Ohio in 2005.  They were members of a network of dealers called Freedom Roads.  Freedom Roads had purchased several top dealers across the country, but let them operate under their own name.  When we bought the rig, we also bought a 7-year extended warranty offered by Freedom Roads called FreedomCare.

The extended warranty was good at any dealership across the country, but we would have to pay a $50 deductible except at Freedom Roads dealers where it would be waived.

Now, over the years, Camping World was purchased by the Affinity Group (now just Affinity) which owns Good Sams, Trailer, Life, Woodalls, RV.Net, Coast to Coast, Camp Club USA, and several other RV related businesses, publications, and websites.  Check out all their brands here:  Affinity Brands.  Perhaps they changed from Affinity Group International (AGI) so they wouldn't be confused with AIG.  :)

Eventually, Camping World was sold by Affinity to Freedom Roads.  At that point Freedom Roads starting changing the names of their dealers and branding them with the Camping World name.  To make things more confusing, there are still several Camping Worlds at many dealers across the country that are not part of Freedom Roads.  Sheesh.

To tie it all together, a guy by the name of Stephen Adams owns a controlling interest in both Affinity and Freedom Roads/Camping World.  So, unless he has sold in the last couple of years and I haven't heard about it, it's all owned (for practical purposes) by one billionaire investor and his family.  :)

There was quite a mish-mash of products offered by these companies that are slowly being combined and cross-marketed.  So the FreedomCare extended warranty, while still being honored, is no longer offered as far as I can tell.  But, it's still working well for us.  :)

Though Camping World is offering its own roadside assistance plan, and they have a RV Product Protection Plan for RV components, they don't offer a "whole rig" extended warranty.  I suppose the RV sales division is offering the Good Sam Extended Service Plan, but I haven't confirmed that.

Now before you go buying an extended warranty or service plan, do your homework.  We're certainly glad we purchased our plan, but there are a lot of people that have had problems getting warranty companies to pay up and that think the extended warranties are a complete scam.

When looking at these plans, know what is covered, know the procedures you have to go through to get a claim covered, and know the financial backing of the company.

Make a few calls to some of the larger dealers around the country to see if they work with the warranty company you are considering.  If they won't work with them at all, it's a red flag.  If they will work with them, but require you to pay the bill and get reimbursed, that's also a red flag.  It's much, much better if the RV dealers doing your warranty service file the claims and the warranty companies pay them directly.

Now, I say make calls to larger dealers, because smaller dealers often simply can't take the risk of not getting paid from any warranty company.  Many will require you to make payment no matter what.  It's sort of like the sign in many small businesses "We don't care who you are, who you think you are, who you know, who you think know, or who your daddy is, you still have to pay like everyone else".  :) 

Once you've done your homework, then you still have to make your own judgment as to whether the plan is a good value or whether you'd be better off putting the cost of it into your own savings account for repairs.  :)

Okay, so we paid our $118 bill for the "wear and tear" repairs not covered by our warranty.  But the warranty covered the other $1,000 worth of parts and labor.  Of course we picked up our share of other Camping World items on the way out.  More on those another day.  :)

By the time we hitched up and headed toward the RV park, it was dark.  This would be the second time in our four plus years that we would park in the dark.  Both times were after service appointments and were in Escapees parks.  :)

Fortunately, we didn't have far to go and we had scouted the park and knew right where we were going.  Jack & Danielle helped us get backed in.

Once we were backed in and unhitched, we hustled to get set up.  We were supposed to have dinner with Darrell & Judy (wanderingamerica.com) who had prepared a "travel day" meal for us.

With our later than expected arrival, they were starting to get worried about us and called.  We promised to be there in a few minutes.  :)

Darrell & Judy were some of the first people way back in 2005 to start corresponding with us, and we had the privilege of meeting them a couple of years ago.  We found their site and were greeted with hugs and a wonderful meal.

We talked for awhile and then departed knowing we'd have about a week to chat some more.

Back home, we finished up a couple of minor set-up things and relaxed.  We started watching our TIVOed shows, and we both fell asleep during the first one - it was about 9:30.  :)

Guess our earlier than usual start, the travel, the long wait, and our wonderful meal all caught up to us at the same time.  I'll get pictures for you tomorrow.  :)

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