My wife is gonna kill me, please help

[JTMills]

Hi all, just bought a used trailer so we r brand new to owning an RV. A 2011 Milan Eclipse to be exact. Anyway, the light-up flame electric fireplace, which is very pleasing to look at, won’t turn on. My wife is going to kill me because it was one ‘must have’ for allowing me to buy it. It came with an extra bulb, but I can’t get it to do anything when I turn it on. Any recommendations? Is there reset buttons, a fuse inside, or anything else that isn’t in plain site?

[toedtoes]

2112 wrote:
I would be concerned of why the previous owner unplugged it. Why go to all that trouble to get behind it to unplug it unless there is a problem with it? Maybe it turns itself on?

Keep an eye on it and have a fire extinguisher at the ready until it proves itself reliable and safe.

Maybe remove it and run in your garage for a few days to flush out any problems

Very good point.

[wapiticountry]

"My wife is gonna kill me, please help" That was a pretty big ask for fellow RVers to take on. Glad to see that things finally got worked out, but in the future you might want to cast your net into other waters. I hear Soldier of Fortune is a good place to start to find someone who would be willing to assist your wife is engineering your demise.

[MFL]

bucky wrote:
"The latest response has been invaluable. One, my wife is my most prized possession. Understand that my post was made more out of fun than reality although her father did come over."

Anybody buying this?

Maybe...he could have a trophy wife! Everyone considers a trophy they earned, a prize possession. A posted picture could clear this up!

While many posts were lt hearted, I agree with 2012's last post. The fireplace may have been unplugged for a reason, since removal was required to plug in.

OP, be safe, keep an eye on it for a while!

Jerry

[2112]

I would be concerned of why the previous owner unplugged it. Why go to all that trouble to get behind it to unplug it unless there is a problem with it? Maybe it turns itself on?

Keep an eye on it and have a fire extinguisher at the ready until it proves itself reliable and safe.

Maybe remove it and run in your garage for a few days to flush out any problems

[bucky]

"The latest response has been invaluable. One, my wife is my most prized possession. Understand that my post was made more out of fun than reality although her father did come over."

Anybody buying this?

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Remember
Few if any made-in-China devices are checked. Especially true of small appliances. Nothing like paying $20 return shipping on a $40 item.

[Boon_Docker]

Have fun with the new toy!

[JTMills]

I will need fo spend some time replacing seals and adressing some water damage from orevious owners. Not gonna stress about it on this trip. I have tarps if any leaks develop in rain, but forevast isn’t calling for anything major if at all. Thanks for all the tips and suggestions. I have valued everyone who chimed in.

Rubber side down, the husband.

[dedmiston]

That's all good news. Less of a happy ending than the end of one chapter and the start of another.

It always takes some time to shake out the problems with a new RV. Hopefully your list of items to fix keeps getting shorter and you can focus on the good times with your family.

[JTMills]

Many people asked if the fireplace was plugged into hose or the trailer. My reply was ‘the trailer’. I realize the idiocracy of how easy it was to diagnose I just wasn’t quick enough.
The latest response has been invaluable. One, my wife is my most prized possession. Understand that my post was made more out of fun than reality although her father did come over.
I am working on checking all systems. It has never had water in holding tank before but I did flush out alll antifreeze. In so doing, I noticed the water wouldn’t prime which ended up being a broken filter knob. Luckily for me, my father-in-law happens to have an extra one. Go figure.
I installed a new toilet as the flusher pedal on this one was broken. Found a Thetford on Amazon for $100 and installed after tracking down the right hose connection.
The fridge works great and is propane or electric. I got an air circulator that was recommended to u to even out temperature between racks. Stove, furnace, AC works too. I know what I can haul and all that goes on there so feeling confident in that department. Just that **** fancy fireplace which I didn’t care about in the first place. My wife is super excited and so are the kids and I. She has it all packed and loaded and we depart tomorrow morning after a quick stop at Les Schwab to replace a valve stem in one of the mew tires I bought.

I also got that Campendium app that was suggested to me for finding water & dump stations and all konds of camping places. I only looked at it last night so I can’t write a full review, but so far I think it will be a helpful app. I am going to haul dry and grab water in Pullman.

[time2roll]

JTMills wrote:
Father-in -law fixed the fireplace. And it was simple. He removed the device and it wasn’t plugged in.

OK so is this an actual heater that will draw 12 to 15 amps? Is this a 30 amp trailer?
Best to run the fridge and water heater on propane if using the fireplace/heater. All could still go dark if the hair dryer is used on high along with the heater.

[toedtoes]

2012Coleman wrote:
Definition henpecked:

A man, thoroughly and continually dominated, intimidated, bullied, or browbeaten by a woman, especially his wife or girlfriend.

I hope you checked the other systems out like:

The fridge - does it come on and get cool? Runs ok on propane? You know that you have to bleed air from the lines by lighting a burner in the stove first - right?
Water heater - does it heat water?
Air Conditioner - comes on and blows cold air?
Water Pump - runs and pumps water from sinks and shower?
Furnace - comes on and blows hot air?
Stove - burners come on?

Hopefully you saw all this stuff working before you bought it - except the fireplace didn't work, so chances are high that's a no.

You understand that you can't test most things by plugging the TT into a 120 volt plug via an extension cord running from the garage - right? You should have a 30 amp RV outlet (not clothes dryer) outlet installed where your power cord can reach it.

Do you know how old the tires are? You know what psi to fill them to before leaving and have a good spare? You understand the TT tires can look better than they actually are and the older they are - especially if they are made in china, the more prone to blowouts?

Did the roof and caulk seams get inspected - or had maintenance done in the last year? Even seen the roof?

Do you understand your tow vehicle's capabilities? Know about payload? Know how much weight a full tank of fresh water will add? And - has the fresh water system ever been used? Been sanitized? How do you know it doesn't have antifreeze in it?

She was having a meltdown about an electric fireplace - imagine if any of these other creature comforts are all of the sudden taken away?

I personally wouldn't go anywhere with someone who treats me like you describe - and now your going on a long trip to spend time with this person in a confined space? Life must be great as a punching bag.

Lots of luck to you - you will need it since we all know how that will go for you if things aren't picture perfect...

Wow. Way to put your own issues onto a complete stranger.

[toedtoes]

JTMills wrote:
Father-in -law fixed the fireplace. And it was simple. He removed the device and it wasn’t plugged in. How many of you said to do the same thing? Plenty. I hadn’t had time to before reinforcing were sent. She doesn’t like waiting. Relieved it wasn’t a major problem because we all know how that would have gone for me.

As for the good news, I caught 2 mice running havoc inside and sealed the undercarriage so they can no longer get in. I also replaced broken vent covers from our recent rain....which is how I knew to replace them. I am now in the good graces and all clear from my wife.

On a other note. We head out this Friday for a 10 day virgin run. Do you guys haul WITH water tanks full or do you fill closer to destination? If you do fill en route, are there typical places one can go to fill with potable water? We will be going from Spokane, WA to Pullman, WA

Glad it was an easy fix!

I always fill my water tank at home for several reasons:

My local water is good (it's actually been identified as the source of several bottled waters).

I don't want to get somewhere only to find out they have no water (busted pipes, contamination, drought, etc).

I've seen the condition of water tanks at various campgrounds - animal carcasses, animal sh!t, extreme rust, molds and mildews, etc. I'd rather not chance that if I don't need to.

Living in a drought region, I value the amount of available water. If I CHOOSE to fill at the destination, I may well be reducing the amount of water available for someone who HAS to fill at the destination (for example someone who needs to refill their tank mid-trip).

I mostly stay in actual campgrounds (versus RV parks) and they rarely allow for filling your tanks on site, let alone have actual campsite hookups. Some have to actually haul water in for campground use.


And, in the end, if I am so worried about my mileage that I won't utilize my tank for what it was meant to do, and would rather hope that there will be water AND that it is decent water, I figure I can't afford to have an RV.

[way2roll]

I always carry water if for nothing else than to use the facilities while travelling. If I am headed to a state park or some other place without water hookups I will carry a full tank. If I know I will have water hookups at my destination I will carry 1/4 tank. We don't drink water from the taps - we have an RO for drinking water, so quality is less of a concern.