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Mrsmoos's avatar
Mrsmoos
Explorer
May 28, 2016

RV Surplus / Salvage Sacramento or Nor CA?

We live apx 2 hrs north of Sacramento. We used to have a really great RV surplus here in town but they closed up years ago. I have been on Google looking for surplus/salvage places within a couple hours drive of us (Sacramento, Redding, Vacaville etc) I am coming up blank with only one I seem to keep seeing "Dr. George" and it looks like he has mostly "vintage" stuff. We need 90s and newer.
Does anyone know of a good surlpus/salvage place near us that in still in business? I have looked on the lists and just not finding any :(
  • Call Crane's RV Refrigeration in Vallejo. He deals in used and rebuilds units and knows his stuff. I did business with him 15 years ago when I lived in Dixon.

    Address: 25 California St, Vallejo, CA 94590
    Phone: (707) 552-0337
  • The last time we were at Dr. George place we were told by him that it was becoming impossible to do business in CA because of environmental laws. They could no longer buy "salvage MHs" and tear them apart to sell any longer.
    NWRV in Eugene always had refers in stock whenever we went by there. If you go tell Joe "the crazy lady, MonacoMama said hi."
    If you have any auto junk yards in your area, take a look at them on google maps, you may see some rvs in their lots. There are some shown in the recycle lots on Sunrise blvd in Sacto, but I don't know how old the pics are.
  • I was hoping for "surplus" stuff not used "salvage stuff. The store that was here in town (Chico) used to have all kinds of new goodies. We got a replacement refrigerator-actually like the one I am looking for now for about $700 if i remember right. I think it was scratched but who cares? Thanks for the advice going to locate a mallet...
  • Mrsmoos wrote:
    Looking for 8 cf refrigerator to replace the one that is evidently not working. Doesn't get cold. No ammonia smell that we can tell but husband says the (I think he said freon) gets really hot.
    Also toilet.
    And probably 8 gazilllion other things by the time we are done. :(


    If you do not have an ammonia smell, and there's no yellow residue on the coils, then the refer is probably fine. It just takes a long time for it to cool down. At least 24 hours. If the coils are getting hot, that's a good sign.

    If it's been sitting for years without operating, the chemicals inside (there is NO Freon in an absorption type refer, it's ammonia, sodium chromate, Water, and hydrogen gas), can precipitate out and cake together and cause a blockage. What I do with the refers that happens to is use a rubber mallet and stroke the coils. This causes vibrations that help unclump the chemicals and allow them to flow freely again. Still takes quite a bit of time and patience working on a refer with that problem...so, keep at it.

    Replacement RV toilets aren't very expensive new, and you can get them from Amazon. I wouldn't bother with a used one unless the salvage lot let me know the age, it was only a couple years old, and it was half price of a new one.
  • Living close to San Francisco, I was driving to RV yard in Gridley. but I think that one closed. Bought generator from them, but it did malfunction and had to drive it back.
    What I still remember from those salvaged RV, very seldom you could find something salvageable. Either burned down to the floor, or everything shredded to splinters.
    Tho only intake RV you could see were 30 + years old - junked due the age.
    With internet era and affordable shipping you can buy lot of new stuff for the price salvage yard would charge you.
  • Looking for 8 cf refrigerator to replace the one that is evidently not working. Doesn't get cold. No ammonia smell that we can tell but husband says the (I think he said freon) gets really hot.
    Also toilet.
    And probably 8 gazilllion other things by the time we are done. :(
  • Forty years in No Calif and I do not know of one. What are you looking for?

    You must be in the Chico/Willows area.

    YC1 is for Yuba City 1. An old call sign for my busisess.
  • Try Northwest RV in Eugene, OR.They used to buy all of