Fred
Forum Replies Created
-
You guys done yet?
Why don’t you get a new coach then you don’t have leaky pumps and wheezing compressors. Just sayin’………
That’ll help the economy.
-
A/C repairman on site today. Discovered a charred wire and lose wire leading to interface board and causing primary compresser to not run. Cleaned up wires and connections and we are back in business. He said it looked like several wires had been spliced, etc. and many looked like they had been hot at one time or another.
Since the RVAC is 13 years old it looks like a replacement is in our future.
Thanks for all your help.
Terry
-
I am not sure since the purchase by Dometic that the Cruise Airs as we know them will continue to be available. They were and may still be a heavier unit built more like commercial equipment. That is what made them not only reliable, but serviceable. They weren’t cheap, but they weren’t considered a throw away device either.
Their cooling was never greater than comparable roof air units, but with the SMX controls and enough units to cool a coach (at least 4 for a 45 footer, especially if it has slides) they will do a great job and go about doing it quietly with the variable speed fans and no resonance from the roof structure. But as we owners know they could have marginal performance when drawing the very hot air radiating from a heated highway. If I had to rely on Cruise Airs instead of Prevost OTR, such as in an emergency, I would fire up the generator and turn on all four units and get the coach interior cool and the units cycling. Waiting for the coach to get hot, and to rely on limited capacity AC units to bring down the temps to a comfortable level is going to be difficult.
Using a mister to cool the condensing unit coils or jamming more air past the fins via increased condensing fan performance is the only way to offset high cooling air temps .
-
Only one needed, Al, when you drive a Liberty. No gang required!
Welcome to PC (and hopefully PUP) Bob and Terri !!
-
-
Sheep, did someone say sheep? Glad to see people signing up for OKC, it will be big fun.
Hope you have a sense of humor….
-
Fred, like many folks looking at solar power, you’re grossly overestimating its capabilities. It takes more panels than you have roof space to make a significant impact on the power requirements of your all-electric coach. A 145 watt panel will not run your fridge or TV and it will probably not keep up with your phantom loads. You must multiply the wattage and time of each appliance then add to come up with your personal total need. I’d forget the solar kit and buy a good charger along with a timer to charge batteries for an hour per day while the coach is in long-term storage. No power at your storage site? Minimize your phantom loads or disconnect batteries between periodic battery charging drives. Solar panels have no impact on inverters. They simply charge batteries. No, it is not possible for today’s solar technology to do all you’d like it to do for the coach you have because it appears you’re interested in more than just storage.
Your generator is rated at 21 or 24 THOUSAND watts because the engineers feel you need that much to enjoy your coach’s comforts. ONE thousand watts of solar is a large array for an RV. That array is only generating its full capacity for a few hours when the sun is overhead on a cloudless day. So realistically, you’re looking at trying to operate the systems in your coach on a small fraction (1/48th?) of the wattage they are designed to use. Compare a big solar array to a Honda 1000 generator that is only run a few hours per day. If your goal is to avoid listening to your big generator, you can see that it would make more sense to run your new Honda 1000 to power your TV and a small light bulb in your stainless steel pup tent than to depend upon a solar system that is less reliable and is much more expensive.
If I had your coach, I’d take a different approach to minimizing the generator noise and air pollution at that beautiful lakeside dry camping spot. I’d look at the highest power consumption appliances first. Air conditioning – have those wheels take you to a summertime destination that is 7500 to 8500 feet elevation where you’ll be cool and comfortable. Most air conditioners will drain batteries quickly. Cooking – use a portable induction cook-top, propane burner or charcoal grill instead of that old power-hungry electric cook-top. Television – trade that old plasma or LCD TV for a newer LED TV. They use 40% less power and give off far less heat. Water heater – don’t be heating water when you don’t need it. Turn it on ten minutes before your shower, then turn it off. It will be warm enough for most of your needs throughout the day. Electric air compressor – minimize its running time by fixing your air leaks. Refrigerator – fill all empty space with beer. Cold liquid reduces recovery time when the door is opened. Lights are a small draw, but LEDs and CFCs help. Phantom loads – your Bose music system and televisions use nearly as much power when they’re turned off as when they’re on. Use an amp meter to find out exactly what all the loads are so you can manage them better. Run your generator when you can combine loads to load it up heavily. Make the most of every minute it is running.
Roughing it smoothly is possible, but it takes a combination of things to make it happen, not just 14 solar panels and 8 8D AGM batteries. I’ve gone for years at a time without hookups. No, I’m not reading books by candle light. My batteries are normally charged before noon. I’m using my fascination with technology to maximize efficiency and enhance my comfort. For instance, I have added two 24 volt refrigeration systems to my 115 volt 24 cubic foot refrigerator/freezer. Along with the extra four inches of insulation all around, the energy efficient compressors will significantly reduce the load on my 24 volt solar array, freeing up power for other uses. The solar water heating system on my roof will be tied into my AquaHot to reduce the diesel fuel required to provide hydronic floor heat and hot water for showers and washing dishes. I intend to use my home automation system to extend and retract my full length Girard awnings as necessary to control the coach temperature. The six inches of insulation I’ve added to the ceiling is very effective in keeping the heat or cold where I want it. It’s the total of all these things that allows me to live in quiet comfort next to that pristine lake or trout stream for weeks or months at a time without hookups.
‘Sorry bout rambling on. I hope you find something of value in what I’ve tossed out. -
Glad you found someone close and it always helps to hear about good service facilities. Good job…
-
That sounds like a lot of panels, how many house bats do you have? I have three. The guy I talked to at Outsidesupply.com sugested that I get two pannels, one for the house and a separate one for a “trickle” charger for the gen battery. It would be nice, while dry camping, not to have to run the gen all the time.
-
There is enough oil in the hub if maintained at .. min level. When the oil heats up it will be inbetween the min and max level. Most techs only fill to just above the min level. The high level probably has caused the cap to push out from the ridge it fits into.
As long as the gear oil is not milky looking from water getting inside the hub you should be fine. A small suction gun can remove enough oil to arrive a the preferred level just above the min. Without a suction gun use a small clear plastic hose inserted into the hub and draw the excess into the hose.
Good idea to check the other side also for overfill of hub oil.
The red cap in the photo looks OK
AL
-
Here’s another option for new Tom:
-
That explains is all Charles, I believe it’s called a turdenator.
-
Mine has a little plastic container that the hose is hooked to. In the steering bay mine just drains out on the metal floor, but it rarely has any moisture at all. I just routinely open the drain and let a little air out. The aux compressor makes water, so most of mine is caught in the plumbing bay before getting to the aux tank up front.
-
We bought our first motorhome back in 1972. I have owned most every make out there since. Back in 2001 when we bought our first Liberty and went to our first Liberty rally, Donna asked “what if these people who own busses are snooty?” I told her that if they were that way, we would not fit in with them. We were pleasantly pleased to find everyone we met with a Prevost conversion to be down to earth, really good people who had worked very hard to achieve success so they could enjoy the best coaches. We have far more friends from all over the country (and even Canada) from the motorhome lifestyle than we do on the Mississippi coast after living there for over 30 years. This is a great lifestyle!
-
Fred, The devices in question are electronic dimmers, they will be connected to rotary switches to dim lighting in the front of your coach. You will find these through out the coach where ever you have dimmable lights. In my coach there were two forward, two behind the main panel and one in the bedroom.