Is Your RV an Orphan?

A lot of us are rolling around the countryside in older RVs. Some of them are "so durned ancient," that the company that built our rig has long since gone out of business. That leaves us with what's popularly called an "orphan" RV. Nobody to fall back on for those unique parts. But hang on, when something breaks, we may not be completely out on a limb.

Yep, there really are RV parts orphanages. Think about it, they’ve got wrecking yards for automobiles, how about RVs? Those old hulks have gotta go somewhere. In addition to RV wrecking yards (many of whom do business by mail), there are also RV surplus stores, many located in RV manufacturing hubs where all those "leftovers" go when there’s been a change on the assembly line.

One excellent Internet resource that lists a variety of salvage yards, surplus outlets, and other sources is found at www.rv.net. Click on the "RV News and Reviews" tab, thence on "Parts and Manuals."

For a couple of frequent problem areas, here are some good tips. Older but "modern" gas-fired RV appliances like refrigerators, water heaters, and furnaces just seem to "eat" their electronic control boards for breakfast. Even when you can find a board through the manufacturer, you may pass out at the cost. Check out www.dinosaurelectronics.com, who provides brand-new "replacement" boards. They’re often less expensive than the OEM, and on one occasion, their tech support folks even saved me the cost of a new board by diagnosing over the phone what my board problem was. A friend with an electronics background was able to replace a couple of inexpensive components on the existing board and we were back in business.

RV refrigerator problems are notorious. Just because your cooler won’t cool doesn’t necessarily mean that you need a new refrigerator, or even necessarily a cooling unit. A visit to www.rvmobile.com will lead you to a huge section on troubleshooting. And if you do really need parts, these guys will pretty likely have what you need.

Finally, another note on hunting for manuals. If you’ve tried everywhere and can’t seem to find what you need, posting a question on an appropriate RV forum will often locate somebody who has a copy of the manual. An offer to pay for postage and copying costs can often net you what you need. And keep an eye on those forums--you might just have what somebody else needs.

Which Circuit Did You Blow?

Every rig comes with a fuse panel, but not all of them are adequately marked. Lighting circuits can be oh, so clearly marked: "Lighting 1," "Lighting 2," etcetera. If you do blow a fuse then it's a matter of not knowing which circuit is which, and pulling fuses until you get the right one. In some rigs it's even worse: Fuses without identification.

Here's a simple identification assignment: Shut off all your 12 volt users, lights, water pump, et al. Now pull out a single fuse and see which appliances don't work. Label the fuse appropriately and repeat until you know which fuse operates what. Keeping a batch spare fuses close (or inside) the fuse box really helps.

The Generator "DUH" Factor

If you read our "Boondocking" blog, you'll know that for years we've been strict proponents of alternative energy for RVing. Solar panels, wind, that's been the hardline from our camp. And then (gasp) we bought an RV with ("Mama! Cover the kid's ears!") a generator.

It's been an experience. We haven't fore sworn solar, and when we'll soon be transferring our wind generator system to the new research rig, but we've actually grown slightly fond of the generator. But as things go, there has been a bit of a break in period.

For starters, there wasn't much time on the clock on our little Onan LP generator when we first got it. Unless they turn back engine time clocks like odometers on old cars. We had the most cussed time trying to get the thing to run. We finally replaced the spark plug, which is a bit of story in itself. (Built-in generator, little tiny hole to maneuver the plug wrench on a swivel, up from under the rig, and finally get the thing out). The new plug was all she needed.

We hit the road a few weeks ago from our normal stomping grounds, and half the party got sick on the road. Las Vegas, hot August days, nobody likes lying around feeling yucky in sticky heat. Turn on the genny! A quick run up, a few turns of the engine, and "silence." Not the time for a dead generator. I nearly expected the buzzards to start circling.

Happily, the problem was a quick fix. An inspection of the oil level dipstick proved us way down, and a few ounces of the precious petroleum product restored Onan's good humor, and air conditioning was ours.

So generator newbies, keep close in mind the simple fixes first. Check that oil level. Check out that sparky plug. Air cleaner clean? Sufficient voltage to turn over the starter? Is the fuel supply sufficient? (Gasoline or diesel in the tank, or LP in the cylinder?) RV generators are, for the most part, pretty happy little creatures if you keep up on the ordinary care and feeding.

Everybody's Favorite RV Toy

Sewer hoses: Not something with a lot of glory. It's a lot more fun to go shopping for something with a little more bling--laptop computer maybe. But those things which have, "a purpose lacking honor," namely sewer hoses, are still a necessary thing.

The other day we found ourselves in a commercial RV park (something that rarely happens) with a full set of tanks. I'm embarrassed to relate however, that not only were those tanks full--the gray water was very full. Call it 2" of standing water in the shower. Sad to say, the layout of the site didn't allow my 10' hose to reach the port, so we called on a friend to bring his l-o-n-g ranger hose over. With everything in place, I pulled the lever for black water, and quicker than you can miss a freeway exit, that horrific stuff was squirting out of a series of pinholes in the hose.

We quickly revaluated the situation, and decided it would be best to simply "offload" enough of the gray water to safely pull the rig within our 10' hose range. After all, I was afraid the minute I put the throttle down, all that smelly gray water would slosh throughout the bathroom. When we got our own hose hooked up, I again started after that old black water tank. This time the evil stuff made its way out of our hose. Fortunately by cramming the hose together and holding it carefully (with neoprene gloves) we were able to contain the stuff to the inside of the hose, but it was touch and go.

The upshot of this wet and windy story is this: It doesn't seem to matter what "grade" of sewer hose you buy, sooner or later, the thing will give up the ghost and leave you wading around in unwholesome liquids. Experience does teach us that the less money you spend on your hose, the sooner you'll be looking for another one. We bought a "single wall" budget hose for a trailer used for a week every few months. In less than the first week, the thing could have been used for irrigating the lawn. On the other hand, our "triple wrapped" expensive hose that gave up the other day has lasted a couple of years of fairly frequent service. My friend's "no wires" hose too, lasted far longer than the cheapies.

Over the years we've struggled with the sewer hose question. At one point we went to an industrial hose supplier and bought a length of "self flattening" fire hose, put fittings on it, and hoped the thing would be just the ticket. After all, self flattening hoses roll up tight, and this we figured would save lots of space. Save lots of space it did. The trouble is the outfall of sewage just didn't provide enough pressure to "unflatten" the hose more than a few inches. Boy was that ever a mess! Sewer hoses are like members of the opposite sex: Can't live with 'em, Can't live without 'em.