First Trip on the Books..Thoughts and questions

[DatacomGuy]

Received our TT on Tuesday, 5/20, and took our first trip this weekend..

Some observations and questions.

#1. I need new tires. Towed just fine, but I know it could be better. Averaged 9.5mpg.

#2. I still need air bags, even with the equalizer. Squat is driving me nuts. I blame the weak(er) rear springs in the 4th gen rams.

#3. The AC struggled to keep up with the Florida heat. May need to find other places to go during the summer.. or shadier sites? But in the heat of the day, the camper struggled. Was almost better outside with fans.

#4. The fridge (Atmood Helium) ran very well on propane but VERY poorly on electric. Ended up using propane the whole trip, scared to see how much i burned through. Electric just didnt keep it cold, and i came close to having to throw some things away. I've read thread after thread about how propane is faster cooling, etc - but i need to be able to use the AC to power the fridge some times. Could i have a defective fridge? Should i bring in for work?

Other then that, i have some projects i want to undertake. Better lighting, window tinting, etc. Had a great long weekend, and anxious for the next trip.

[Iraqvet05]

Here is the fridge fan that I bought linky. I had to run a wire down the drain tube to access a constatnt 12V power source but it really helps circulate cold air across the fridge cooling fins.

[bound4fl]

We were at two different state parks this past weekend. The first park we were at, we had trouble with the fridge not cooling well on as. We used propane and it ran great. As worked a little harder to keep up. When we got to the second park hooked everything up and all ran great. Fridge cooled great ac kept it cool. The best we can figure is that we were not getting all the, power we needed. I would sugest before you do a lot of $$$ work try it all out at another park.

[fla-gypsy]

When camping in Florida shade is essential. Run the AC on high cool and fan always on. My 13.5 works fine in the shade. Refrigerator should not struggle. Get it looked at. Can't help with 1/2 ton Ram trucks at all.

[dave17352]

How many btu is the AC. Can you add a second one. One thing that is a must for me is a AC that can keep up!

[Old-Biscuit]

John Wayne wrote:
Don't know which refrig. you have but on some there is a sliding thermostat on the inside on one of the fins in the rear of the frig. moving this down on the fin makes it cooler in the refrigerator. Adding a fan inside the refrigerator will help cool things they make one that runs on 2 D batteries. And adding a fan on the out side of the refrigerator blowing up over the rear coils helps also.

As stated he has an Atwood HELIUM (vs hydrogen absorption fridge).
New model.....with adjustable temp controller so moving thermistor will have very little affect on food section temps.

On fridge without an adjustable temp controller moving the thermistor up/down on fin will affect food section temps by 6*-8*F.

BUT moving it UP will make it cooler and moving it DOWN will make it less cooler

Adding a fan inside food section helps circulate cool air and even out 'hot spots'

That new model of Atwood probably has fans in outside compartment area (especially if it is installed in a slideout)...up near top to pull air in bottom vent and help it flow better across backside of fridge cooling unit.

OP:
The electric heating should cool just as well as propane..btus are btus
Sounds like loose connections on electric element. Check where it plugs into lower control module..make sure they are making a tight connection.
Otherwise replace heating element.

[opnspaces]

Glad you had a good time regardless of the issues. I sat home all weekend with no plans.

As far as the noisy equalizer even with silencing jackets, I'm assuming you mean equal-i-zer (brand name with square bars) not equalizer (generic name with round bars) and it sounds like grease is probably the answer. Make sure you grease both the top and the bottom of the sockets as they both come into play making noise. On mine 90 percent of the noise comes from the square sockets, not the bars on the L brackets.

[bguy]

How much are you squatting?

[2gypsies1]

Try getting a site so the refrigerator isn't in the hot sun - in the afternoon, anyway. Also, try to find somewhere cooler. 🙂

[John_Wayne]

Don't know which refrig. you have but on some there is a sliding thermostat on the inside on one of the fins in the rear of the frig. moving this down on the fin makes it cooler in the refrigerator. Adding a fan inside the refrigerator will help cool things they make one that runs on 2 D batteries. And adding a fan on the out side of the refrigerator blowing up over the rear coils helps also.

[DatacomGuy]

Hot water heater ran on propane.

[GaryWT]

I get a lot of noise out of the equalizer but no big deal. What were you running your water heater on and did you have any issues. There is a possibility that the voltage was low, this would cause you AC and fridge to overwork and not cool properly. Granted I am no in FL but on real hot days I run the water heater on gas and crank the AC at night so it can catch up and hopefully hold on the next day. When starting out in the middle of the day sometimes it does not catch up until night.

[DatacomGuy]

Thank you.. I need to read more on tuning the equalizer..

Also, noticed i got a LOT of creaking with the equalizer, even with the silencing jackets. Going to add more grease and see if it sounds better next round.

[the_bear_II]

1. 9.5 MPG is good ... new tires won't improve the mileage. Based upon the posts in this and other RV forums, most RVers average about 10 MPG. Best way to improve mileage is to travel at a steady 55MPH. Don't try to race up grades use lower gears and enjoy the scenery as it goes by at 30 miles per hour.

2. You may be able to readjust the equalizer to take care of the squat. Be careful not to take too much load off of the rear axle of the TV.

3. If you don't have them add outside window awnings, deploy the patio and window awnings, keep the window shades turned to keep the sun out. Leave the A/C on all day and night to get everything inside cold to help the A/C work more efficiently. Keep the thermostat to just above the lowest setting. Use small portable fans to direct the air into the warm areas of the RV. If you are travelling with guests or kids tell them they either stay inside or outside no going in & out. Especially during the hottest times of the day.

4. When the sun is shining on the side of the RV where the fridge is located you will see the temp in the fridge climb. Place a fan at the back of the fridge to help circulate air better. The fans can be purchased at RV supply stores or some folks use computer type fans. Make sure the thermometer you are using is accurate. I've had readings that were 20 degree wrong on some of the cheapo thermometers you can buy for fridges & ovens.