RV Maintenance and Technical Tips - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Zircon123 · Zircon123

We have our camper in the back yard covered with a normal RV cover..... we will be away from Jacksonville, Florida for about 7 months, through the summertime. 6 containers of Damp-Rid turned into solid chunks with an inch of liquid water on top of each in just one month inside the camper. ..... two in the...

arcaguy · arcaguy

I am just wondering where you would get your RV height checks. Do truck stops do this or what. I saw one video where the guy used a 2x4 and a level but it seems like that would be subject to some variation due to ground slope etc.

RonC · RonC

On our last leg, our refrigerator (Samsung residential) tipped out about a foot. This was due to it rocking past a vertical board at the back of the refrigerator, which was supposed to prevent this. However, once it happened (the overlap between the vertical board and back of fridge was too small),...

NWescapee · NWescapee

Thought I'd share a "real life" experience using the CoachNet Discount Tire service. Howard wrote about this in his blog several months ago and I was interested, knowing that after we had an alignment completed in February after an issue with our shackles, we'd most likely need to consider tire repl...

Team Murc · Team Murc

Good morning! our 2012 New Horizon 5er is in need of some new slide seals. Some bulb seals and some are wiper seals. As I look at them the bulb seals on the sides seem pretty straight forward to replace. The wiper seals are a different story as they are attached to the sidewall of the camper. And more diffic...

arcaguy · arcaguy

I've run across some information recently about certain models of Norcold and Dometic refrigerators having problems with fires. I know this is from the Internet so that's why I'm bringing it here, I trust the folks here not to be alarmist. That said, apparently there are 3 models that have been rec...

vonda · vonda

I live in a stationary 5th wheel and the grey water is directly sent to the sewer. The black water, however, must be emptied at least once a month. Then I get the odor. I have been here one year and have never ran the grey water into the black water holding tank. (I can't do this) I just open the black water and...

Scotsman · Scotsman

Hello, I'm a new member - just joined today for the very purpose of sorting out this problem (and hopefully others): I wish to add to the efficiency of a single 100-watt solar panel I added to my small trailer camper last summer. My wife and I like to camp wild without hookups - and we do so mostly in the earl...

Howard · Howard

Liz & Ed Wilcox over at the Virtual Campground website launched their "Fix It Yourself" course yesterday and they are offering it to a limited number of people for one week only (Week of March 18, 2019) at the introductory price of $97 (with a 30-day money back guarantee). Click the link below to ch...

arcaguy · arcaguy

OK gals and guys I have a problem I need to solve before I move into my RV in while. I have way too many tools to take in the RV, way too many. I have tools from a 1" drive socket set to micro sized torx drive tools and everything in between. I know that I will need to carry a complete complement of sockets, ra...

Terry and Jo · Terry and Jo

If one has a fifth wheel, and if the fifth wheel hitch in the pickup has pins and "clips" to hold those pins in place, be sure to check those on occasion.I went out today to clean out a bunch of leaves. Our F450 stays parked under a tree and it had a bunch of old leaves in the front of the bed around our fifth whe...

Jscott285 · Jscott285

What would you say would be the best antifreeze to use? I am new to RVing and do not want to deal with any burst pipes. We have had our RV sitting outside in the cold and so far so good, but I want higher levels of protection to be sure. I have been researching and found this site that offered some reviews, but I...

meow 2 u · meow 2 u

Has anyone replaced the door frames on an RV? We live in a 44 foot Heartland Cyclone fulltime. We are experiencing a lot of water seeping in at the bottom of the sliding glass door. Would appreciate any input Thank you

bikerv1369 · bikerv1369

My RV has an Onan Microlite 4000 generator that has been well maintained. It now starts but stops running as soon as I release the Start button. My mechanic identifies the problem as electrical and mostly likely due to wires being chewed by a rat or mouse. To fix the problem he says he'll need to drop t...

arcaguy · arcaguy

Much like the composting toilet I asked about a couple of weeks ago on-demand water heater sound like they may be a good idea, but are they? I know that Nexus used to put them in some of their coaches but stopped a couple of years ago. My question is: What are the advantages and disadvantages between on-...

Dave MW · Dave MW

Good Morning All: I have read most, if not all, threads here and on other forums with the word "battery" in the subject lines and have not found a qualified answer to this question. And the sad thing is, I've not been able to find anyone at a dealer's shop that will give me a straight, qualified "yes" or "n...

Idamatt · Idamatt

94 Winnebago Ceiling is separating from foam and has started to pull away from plastic seam strips. tried to re glue worked for six months. Would like ideas on repairing problem.

Dave MW · Dave MW

Does anyone have a good idea of how much water pressure is lost through filters and a softener? Has anyone taken rough flow rates upstream and downstream of their installations? Much has been written about water filters and softeners in this, and most other forums. However, I've not read any info...

ChefMom · ChefMom

At the end of the camping season here in the northeast, the manual jack at the front of our 2003 Springdale tt broke. We are looking at the electric jacks in order to replace in the spring. Can anyone tell me how we determine if we need the 3000 lb., 3500 lb., or 5000 lb. electric jack? Your knowledge on this...

MAYBE2021 · MAYBE2021

I have what seems like a strange malfunction of my six gallon DSI gas only Atwood water heater. The malfunction has evolved over the last year. Back in January the heater would start and heat okay but when hot water demand called for it to cycle back on it would attempt several times then I would get a D...

Dave MW · Dave MW

G'day all: I came across a passing reference to a possible limit value in the Energy Management System software for maximum current or power draw that caught my attention. I can't remember which forum I found this on, but it raised a very interesting point. The writer mentioned something abou...

Den-Bev · Den-Bev

Looking at a 2015 Lifestyles 39FB are there any rollers under the dining room slideout? Den.

jvcoach23 · jvcoach23

was just curious if anyone has ever tried a 110 tankless water heater as a preheater to the gas/electric hot water heater in your rv. Some in my family like to take a long hot shower and the current heater can't keep up. I was wondering if putting in a 110 tankless electric that hooks to the 110 15amp on th...

Neil and Connie · Neil and Connie

After 7 years the seal in our toilet is leaking a bit and the bowl drains. Before I get a repair guy to rebuild it...thought I might try lubricating the rubber seal with something...the seal doesn’t appear torn or falling apart. Whats the best thing to use...Vaseline, dielectric silicone grease, or...

AZMILVETS · AZMILVETS

We're glad this didn't happen on a dark, rainy night in an unfamiliar campground. The cargo door handle (pot metal) made by TriMark broke on a jammed, side-swing power cord bay door, making opening the door nearly impossible. A motorhome mgfr phone tech suggested "getting a putty knife and prying th...

dmorse68 · dmorse68

Hello All, I have a San-t-flush or San-a-flush question for you: Can you close the gate valve when flushing the tanks through the flushing system on our Mobile Suites? The reason I ask is because I was told no by the dealership I purchased our 2018 36rrsb3 from. The technician said that I shouldn't clos...

arcaguy · arcaguy

As many of you may know my wife and I are planning on going full time in a couple of years. For quite a while now my plan has been to get a Super C motorhome and pull a trailer big enough to house my motorcycle and a small car, likely an older jeep. However, as folks on here have pointed out carting around a coa...

RonC · RonC

We have a Truma Aqua Go water heater (love it). Our automatic switch on our two propane bottles switched, but never showed the red indicator ... resulting in BOTH tanks being sucked dry. Always happens when the shower is going ... so I got both bottles filled, opened the valves and turned the Truma on...

MAYBE2021 · MAYBE2021

A heads-up on an issue that is likely common knowledge but somehow escaped me: not an unusual occurrence.I had one of my TST TM 507SE tire pressure sensors fail this weekend. Since the system was a little over a year old I decided to check the sensor battery. When I unscrewed the cap the first thing I no...

sourdough · sourdough

So when I converted my Ram 3500 diesel 4x4 DRW to SRW's, the tire pressure info on the door jam became null and void. I was told an interesting formula for finding the proper PSI by a Nitto tire Rep.. Here it is...... Start with the tires sidewall information. Maximum load rating and divide that by Maxi...

Topic		Started By	Replies	Views	Last Post
	Long-term storage ..... how to prevent mold ??? (Preview) We have our camper in the back yard covered with a normal RV cover..... we will be away from Jacksonville, Florida for about 7 months, through the summertime. 6 containers of Damp-Rid turned into solid chunks with an inch of liquid water on top of each in just one month inside the camper. ..... two in the...	Zircon123	7	1008	06:27 PM Jun 25, 2019 by arcaguy
	Where/how to check RV height (Preview) I am just wondering where you would get your RV height checks. Do truck stops do this or what. I saw one video where the guy used a 2x4 and a level but it seems like that would be subject to some variation due to ground slope etc.	arcaguy	12	325	02:26 AM Jun 21, 2019 by lonesomerider
	How to secure our residential refrigerator for travel. (Preview) On our last leg, our refrigerator (Samsung residential) tipped out about a foot. This was due to it rocking past a vertical board at the back of the refrigerator, which was supposed to prevent this. However, once it happened (the overlap between the vertical board and back of fridge was too small),...	RonC	6	287	06:53 AM May 28, 2019 by Den-Bev
	Coach Net - Tire Discount Service Coach Net Tire (Preview) Thought I'd share a "real life" experience using the CoachNet Discount Tire service. Howard wrote about this in his blog several months ago and I was interested, knowing that after we had an alignment completed in February after an issue with our shackles, we'd most likely need to consider tire repl...	NWescapee	10	342	06:02 PM May 23, 2019 by LarryW21
	Slide Seal Replacement (Preview) Good morning! our 2012 New Horizon 5er is in need of some new slide seals. Some bulb seals and some are wiper seals. As I look at them the bulb seals on the sides seem pretty straight forward to replace. The wiper seals are a different story as they are attached to the sidewall of the camper. And more diffic...	Team Murc	1	137	04:12 PM May 13, 2019 by Neil and Connie
	Refrigerator Fires (Preview) I've run across some information recently about certain models of Norcold and Dometic refrigerators having problems with fires. I know this is from the Internet so that's why I'm bringing it here, I trust the folks here not to be alarmist. That said, apparently there are 3 models that have been rec...	arcaguy	2	258	03:02 PM Apr 13, 2019 by A-S Travelers
	smell after black water drained (Preview) I live in a stationary 5th wheel and the grey water is directly sent to the sewer. The black water, however, must be emptied at least once a month. Then I get the odor. I have been here one year and have never ran the grey water into the black water holding tank. (I can't do this) I just open the black water and...	vonda	12	398	01:22 PM Apr 9, 2019 by Terry and Jo
	Two-way tilt solar panel solar panel tilt mount two-way tilt mount (Preview) Hello, I'm a new member - just joined today for the very purpose of sorting out this problem (and hopefully others): I wish to add to the efficiency of a single 100-watt solar panel I added to my small trailer camper last summer. My wife and I like to camp wild without hookups - and we do so mostly in the earl...	Scotsman	9	218	08:57 PM Mar 31, 2019 by Scotsman
	New Online "Fix It Yourself" Course For RVers (Preview) Liz & Ed Wilcox over at the Virtual Campground website launched their "Fix It Yourself" course yesterday and they are offering it to a limited number of people for one week only (Week of March 18, 2019) at the introductory price of $97 (with a 30-day money back guarantee). Click the link below to ch...	Howard	3	314	02:13 PM Mar 23, 2019 by Howard
	What tools to get rid of... (Preview) OK gals and guys I have a problem I need to solve before I move into my RV in while. I have way too many tools to take in the RV, way too many. I have tools from a 1" drive socket set to micro sized torx drive tools and everything in between. I know that I will need to carry a complete complement of sockets, ra...	arcaguy	11	629	12:38 PM Mar 19, 2019 by Dave MW
	Something Else to Check... (Preview) If one has a fifth wheel, and if the fifth wheel hitch in the pickup has pins and "clips" to hold those pins in place, be sure to check those on occasion.I went out today to clean out a bunch of leaves. Our F450 stays parked under a tree and it had a bunch of old leaves in the front of the bed around our fifth whe...	Terry and Jo	4	351	05:14 PM Mar 12, 2019 by Terry and Jo
	Help with RV antifreeze (Preview) What would you say would be the best antifreeze to use? I am new to RVing and do not want to deal with any burst pipes. We have had our RV sitting outside in the cold and so far so good, but I want higher levels of protection to be sure. I have been researching and found this site that offered some reviews, but I...	Jscott285	10	307	09:30 PM Mar 7, 2019 by Jscott285
	Replacing Door frames on RVs (Preview) Has anyone replaced the door frames on an RV? We live in a 44 foot Heartland Cyclone fulltime. We are experiencing a lot of water seeping in at the bottom of the sliding glass door. Would appreciate any input Thank you	meow 2 u	3	240	11:26 AM Mar 4, 2019 by jayc
	Is an RV generator worth it? (Preview) My RV has an Onan Microlite 4000 generator that has been well maintained. It now starts but stops running as soon as I release the Start button. My mechanic identifies the problem as electrical and mostly likely due to wires being chewed by a rat or mouse. To fix the problem he says he'll need to drop t...	bikerv1369	12	607	07:12 AM Feb 22, 2019 by Bill and Linda
	On-demand water heater? (Preview) Much like the composting toilet I asked about a couple of weeks ago on-demand water heater sound like they may be a good idea, but are they? I know that Nexus used to put them in some of their coaches but stopped a couple of years ago. My question is: What are the advantages and disadvantages between on-...	arcaguy	9	310	06:01 PM Feb 21, 2019 by olderthandirt
	Unanswered battery installation question??? (Preview) Good Morning All: I have read most, if not all, threads here and on other forums with the word "battery" in the subject lines and have not found a qualified answer to this question. And the sad thing is, I've not been able to find anyone at a dealer's shop that will give me a straight, qualified "yes" or "n...	Dave MW	7	369	10:01 PM Feb 15, 2019 by arcaguy
	interior foam is seperating from vinyl (Preview) 94 Winnebago Ceiling is separating from foam and has started to pull away from plastic seam strips. tried to re glue worked for six months. Would like ideas on repairing problem.	Idamatt	2	293	05:29 PM Feb 11, 2019 by LarryW21
	Water Filters and Softeners ... (Preview) Does anyone have a good idea of how much water pressure is lost through filters and a softener? Has anyone taken rough flow rates upstream and downstream of their installations? Much has been written about water filters and softeners in this, and most other forums. However, I've not read any info...	Dave MW	7	593	11:26 PM Jan 28, 2019 by Howard
	Which electric jack do I purchase? (Preview) At the end of the camping season here in the northeast, the manual jack at the front of our 2003 Springdale tt broke. We are looking at the electric jacks in order to replace in the spring. Can anyone tell me how we determine if we need the 3000 lb., 3500 lb., or 5000 lb. electric jack? Your knowledge on this...	ChefMom	6	406	08:56 PM Jan 28, 2019 by dovenson
	Water Heater DSI Fault (Preview) I have what seems like a strange malfunction of my six gallon DSI gas only Atwood water heater. The malfunction has evolved over the last year. Back in January the heater would start and heat okay but when hot water demand called for it to cycle back on it would attempt several times then I would get a D...	MAYBE2021	8	639	09:03 AM Jan 28, 2019 by DaniellTaphous
	Energy Management Systems??? (Preview) G'day all: I came across a passing reference to a possible limit value in the Energy Management System software for maximum current or power draw that caught my attention. I can't remember which forum I found this on, but it raised a very interesting point. The writer mentioned something abou...	Dave MW	4	329	08:37 PM Jan 22, 2019 by mjdenn
	2015 Lifestyles 39FB (Preview) Looking at a 2015 Lifestyles 39FB are there any rollers under the dining room slideout? Den.	Den-Bev	10	530	01:30 PM Jan 11, 2019 by Bill and Linda
	Hot water preheater tankless hot water heater (Preview) was just curious if anyone has ever tried a 110 tankless water heater as a preheater to the gas/electric hot water heater in your rv. Some in my family like to take a long hot shower and the current heater can't keep up. I was wondering if putting in a 110 tankless electric that hooks to the 110 15amp on th...	jvcoach23	12	3019	08:44 PM Jan 6, 2019 by Terry and Jo
	Dometic 510h repair (Preview) After 7 years the seal in our toilet is leaking a bit and the bowl drains. Before I get a repair guy to rebuild it...thought I might try lubricating the rubber seal with something...the seal doesn’t appear torn or falling apart. Whats the best thing to use...Vaseline, dielectric silicone grease, or...	Neil and Connie	33	709	09:41 AM Jan 3, 2019 by bjoyce
	Recovering a from a broken cargo door handle / replacing same (Preview) We're glad this didn't happen on a dark, rainy night in an unfamiliar campground. The cargo door handle (pot metal) made by TriMark broke on a jammed, side-swing power cord bay door, making opening the door nearly impossible. A motorhome mgfr phone tech suggested "getting a putty knife and prying th...	AZMILVETS	0	280	09:16 PM Dec 30, 2018 by AZMILVETS
	San-t-flush question (Preview) Hello All, I have a San-t-flush or San-a-flush question for you: Can you close the gate valve when flushing the tanks through the flushing system on our Mobile Suites? The reason I ask is because I was told no by the dealership I purchased our 2018 36rrsb3 from. The technician said that I shouldn't clos...	dmorse68	6	456	07:20 PM Dec 18, 2018 by RonC
	Trailer or Flat tow?? (Preview) As many of you may know my wife and I are planning on going full time in a couple of years. For quite a while now my plan has been to get a Super C motorhome and pull a trailer big enough to house my motorcycle and a small car, likely an older jeep. However, as folks on here have pointed out carting around a coa...	arcaguy	4	377	06:12 PM Dec 18, 2018 by LarryW21
	It finally happened to me ... RV dreams to the rescue (Preview) We have a Truma Aqua Go water heater (love it). Our automatic switch on our two propane bottles switched, but never showed the red indicator ... resulting in BOTH tanks being sucked dry. Always happens when the shower is going ... so I got both bottles filled, opened the valves and turned the Truma on...	RonC	4	628	10:03 AM Dec 5, 2018 by RonC
	Tire Pressure Sensor Fail (Preview) A heads-up on an issue that is likely common knowledge but somehow escaped me: not an unusual occurrence.I had one of my TST TM 507SE tire pressure sensors fail this weekend. Since the system was a little over a year old I decided to check the sensor battery. When I unscrewed the cap the first thing I no...	MAYBE2021	16	631	08:53 AM Nov 19, 2018 by dianneandsteve
	how to calculate tire PSI to tire load tire pressure formula (Preview) So when I converted my Ram 3500 diesel 4x4 DRW to SRW's, the tire pressure info on the door jam became null and void. I was told an interesting formula for finding the proper PSI by a Nitto tire Rep.. Here it is...... Start with the tires sidewall information. Maximum load rating and divide that by Maxi...	sourdough	18	526	10:53 AM Nov 18, 2018 by Cummins12V98
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