Repairs and Upgrades

[Tax_Man]

I follow three RV forums and have noticed a something. Mostly with basic repairs. What I see is people posting help questions (which is good) but it looks like common sense, remove and replace with new, has disappeared. I guess what I'm saying is don't make it harder than it is.

If your bathroom sink faucet needs replaced, what do you do? I removed the one in the MH and took it to Menard's (Lowe's, Home Depot, etc) and discovered the threads were the same as a standard residential faucet. Bought a new one and installed. I did have to make sure the base plate was skinny enough.

Replaced a light fixture with one I bought from Lowe's. I did have to find a 12 volt screw in light bulb (found at Menard's and on line).

The wiring. White to White, Black to Black.

Fixture installed

The box

The bulb..

[FloridaRosebud]

way2roll wrote:
People learn by doing, and often doing comes out of necessity - either stranded or financially driven - or both and of course some just like to do it. I fall in the financial driver slot fueled by necessity. Now, if I ever came into a lot of money, like lotto money, rest assured I would simply pay people to work on my Prevost while I have lunch and a beer in the cabana. Some folks who have a lot of money still like to do their own stuff. Hats off to you. I think in my younger years I also felt that way. Now that I am older, I am fine using my credit card as a primary tool. But - and this is important - I still could if I needed to on most things. Some stuff is still better left to the experts. The issue is finding an expert.

Well put.

Al

[way2roll]

lenr wrote:


One of the reasons that I feel compfortable purchasing 175 miles from home is that I can fix the simple stuff.

I never minded buying a long way from home, any dealer of your manufacturer can address a warranty issue no matter where you are.

[Chum_lee]

In this day and age, many products are manufactured as throw away products. They aren't designed to be repaired. When they fail, you throw them away and buy a complete new unit. To the manufacturers, it's simply cheaper that way. To the person who owns the assembly, it may not be if they can fix it themselves. That said I've always prided myself in being able to identify the actual component in an assembly that failed, then cheaply source/repair that part and put the assembly back in service. Knowing when to do that takes experience and it's not always worth my time or a good idea. The times that so called "experts" assured me that "You need a new one" is just laughable, but, . . . . . . that's the world we live in.

Chum lee

[lenr]

Mobile RV techs that I have experienced in IN and FL have been quite competent. Lucky maybe. But, they're just people--good ones and bad ones. Best way that I have found to find good ones, is ask the campground hosts.

[lenr]

When the repairman fixes it's done--when it fix (if I can fix it), it's done right. Sometimes it's even over-done. Even when we can't fix it, those of us who are handy have a better idea of where to go for professional help.

One of the reasons that I feel compfortable purchasing 175 miles from home is that I can fix the simple stuff.

[Gjac]

In an older MH it is rarely repair and replace. Secondly if something fails why just replace it with the same type of part that failed. Case in point broken plastic parts get replaced with steel, Al or wood. Parts that fail all the time like the Trimark door assemblies I replaced the Zinc alloy latch with steel. When my Kwikee steps would not work do to a bad controller, they no longer sell a control board for a 23 year old MH and Kwikee wanted me to but a whole step assembly. After some research I found a relay burned out and replaced it for $3:49. There are a lot of people on this forum that provide incite on how to fix complicated problems with RV systems.

[RLS7201]

RustyMacIntosh wrote:
I saw the cops rousting out a nice pusher diesel motorhome parked way out at the outer limit of the parking lot at a Walmart.....Wallys used to be the place to spend the night, but in Cal the homeless have squatted to the degree I guess Wally has put the kibosh on staying overnight.

I found hotels to be the best place to hide out in. Large hotels where you can get lost in the shuffle. You can get a nites rest, sponge off their WIFI and get a breakfast too....

On my Bounder, the only part I have never been able to figure out is the momentary water pump switches. I get nada at the pump. I jumped the pump with wires leading into the bathroom where I have a small riding lawn mower battery. If I need water, we connect to the battery,

I did change that intelligent box above the pump, the interesting thing is the neg was live and the pos was cold when testing the power to the box.

The red was cold, but the white with red stripe noted as NEG on the little box, was live...had power there.

Rusty, if one of the momentary switches is stuck in the closed position, the water pump controller will not change state.

Schematic

Richard

[Tax_Man]

It has been a busy year with all the traveling. This is what I did. Removed everything from the slide and replaced with vinyl plank and regular furniture. Looking for other furniture, but it works for us. Added USB ports (From Amazon), swapped the 28" TV that was changed by the previous owner to a 40", and changed the backsplash. The photo of the slide shows the old light fixture that was replaced.

I do as much as I can. Around here no one to do the inside work. The chassis work is done by a place that does commercial trucks and they don't do everything. The local RV shop does their best.

Still looking for an ABS module that has been discontinued by the manufacturer and need the slide adjusted.. Trying to figure out why an 120v outlet in the BR wont work...

If it is not one thing it is another. Have fun and keep RVing.....

[dreamer]

way2roll wrote:
People learn by doing, and often doing comes out of necessity - either stranded or financially driven - or both and of course some just like to do it. I fall in the financial driver slot fueled by necessity. Now, if I ever came into a lot of money, like lotto money, rest assured I would simply pay people to work on my Prevost while I have lunch and a beer in the cabana. Some folks who have a lot of money still like to do their own stuff. Hats off to you. I think in my younger years I also felt that way. Now that I am older, I am fine using my credit card as a primary tool. But - and this is important - I still could if I needed to on most things. Some stuff is still better left to the experts. The issue is finding an expert.

Ditto. dreamer.

[way2roll]

People learn by doing, and often doing comes out of necessity - either stranded or financially driven - or both and of course some just like to do it. I fall in the financial driver slot fueled by necessity. Now, if I ever came into a lot of money, like lotto money, rest assured I would simply pay people to work on my Prevost while I have lunch and a beer in the cabana. Some folks who have a lot of money still like to do their own stuff. Hats off to you. I think in my younger years I also felt that way. Now that I am older, I am fine using my credit card as a primary tool. But - and this is important - I still could if I needed to on most things. Some stuff is still better left to the experts. The issue is finding an expert.

[wa8yxm]

Grew up on a farm. When you are plowing the back 40 and the tractor breaks down you either fix it or .. long walk back then to the house where the phone is to call the mechanic.. (I do admit some fixes are beyond what you can do in the field) ... Thus you learn to fix it.

Plus I know many women who can bake a cake with ease.

Compared to that.. a full overhaul of a V-8 Engine is child's play.

(And yes I can bake a cake but I'd rather build a pie, do that too)

[rgatijnet1]

A lot of people like me do their own work on their RV's and their stick houses for the simple reason that they cannot find someone competent that they trust. That is one of the problems with knowing how to fix things that break. There is nothing worse than paying someone to do something you can do yourself and having to watch as he fumbles through a simple repair like it is the first time he ever worked on an RV.

[jplante4]

I do as much as I can at my age, mostly upgrades in the house part. Right now all the draws and cabinet doors are in the basement being refinished. I replaced the rotted out couch and the floor and wall that rotted out under that corner, which means I needed to pull up some carpet. Pulled up some, pulled it all and replaced with vinyl planking. Looks good, but I've been eyeing teak and holly boat deck stuff.

Chassis service, filters, oil etc I leave to Panhead Mike in the shop at the RV parts store where I work part time. He has the lifts and it fills in his schedule for a few days each winter.

[angelajonese]

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