All ActivityMost RecentMost LikesSolutionsRe: Hot Water HeaterI'm not sure why but I tend to not trust RV water heaters unattended. Call me paranoid if you want but I fear returning from a day of fishing to a trailer that burnt to the ground. This fear may be unfounded and I may be too cautious but I just feel more comfortable when I switch it off when away or not using it.Re: RV wave billkaufmann wrote: Yaj wrote: I always thought the "high beam flash" was to tell others that there was a radar trap ahead. :E We live in open range country. "high beam flash" means cattle on road ahead. We always wave. We were taught in drivers ed that people flash their bright lights at others that "forget" that they have their own bright lights on and are too close to you. It's too difficult to even notice during the day. I have heard of flashing your lights on then off to alert someone of a speed trap. Someone else mentioned that everyone waves down south. From my experience, you can expect more initiated waves and return waves anywhere rural, no particular part of the country. I have found that the nearer you are to large population centers, the less friendly people are in general. Where I grew up and lived for 30 years it was not uncommon to pass friends or family while driving (very rural). It was also not uncommon to recognize someone in an oncoming vehicle and give a very slight swerve in their direction, at a safe distance of course.Re: Getting things fixed, now for the furnace Mandalay Parr wrote: It might be the sail switch. Maybe stuck if not used often. I'm sorry, afraid I don't know what the sail switch is. Is it easy to access and inexpensive?Re: Larger Campsites?I sometimes boondock at county parks. Some of them are quite undeveloped and only sport pit toilets and a water pump for $10 a night and that is based on the honor system, you fill out an envelope put $10 in, and slip it into a locked box. Once a week a park maintenance guy empties the box, replaces the toilet paper, and leaves. Some of the sites are so huge you could easily park 2-3 trailers plus vehicles and many are literally water front property on beautiful lakes or rivers. Last year we stayed at a nice place that had water, sewer, electric, and cable TV hook-up. The site was large enough to also park my boat, 2 vehicles, and plenty of room to spare including trees surrounding for privacy from neighbors. It was about $250 for a week but well worth it. If you google boondocking campsites you will find a lot of opportunities.Getting things fixed, now for the furnaceI recently purchased a '94 StarCraft Leisure Star 27FB. When I checked out the TT everything worked properly. After I towed it the less than 10 mile trip to where I store/use it, the A/C and furnace would no longer work. I posted on this forum a few weeks ago asking for ideas about what could have gone wrong. I just about had it nailed down to the thermostat but decided to climb up on the roof and pull the hood off the A/C unit. Glad I did. Turned out the shroud was slightly bent and the fan was stuck. After bending it back the A/C worked great. One problem fixed. I can return the thermostat I purchased because it's unopened. Next I tested out the water system by filling the fresh water tank. The pump worked and I had running water without any leaks. The toilet flushed and I had cold running water in the shower (inside and outside) plus the bathroom and galley sink. I then decided to open the bypass valves to the hot water heater. Water poured out the drain hole. I replaced the missing plug and now have no leaks. I flipped the switch to fire the water heater and it worked properly and had hot running water in a matter of minutes. The water heater in my previous TT required lighting a pilot light, as did the oven and furnace. This trailer only requires a pilot light for the oven. The furnace is going to be my final hurdle. When I switch the thermostat to heat the furnace fan starts. When I turn the heat up the furnace does not ignite. It should light automatically right? It is an Excalibur 8500-II series by Hydro Flame. I opened the outside door to the furnace and everything looks in order and there are not even any burn marks on the exhaust. It looks like it was never used. Is replacing the igniter the best idea to start with or is it more likely the problem lies elsewhere? Thanks for any suggestions.Re: Newbie introduction.Welcome from another Wisconsinite.Re: Campground pricing.The cost of our vacations often depend on our plans. If we plan to travel for many days it's much cheaper for us to stay in a motel/hotel than to pull our trailer. I have to factor in gas along with accommodations. The extra cost of a full day of towing a trailer and the CG can far exceed the cost of a motel room. On the other hand, sometimes we only travel a short distance and spend a week or two in one place. With this route the trailer is less expensive. The trailer is always more comfortable than most any other lodgings though.Re: Old 60's TT tow lights Wiring Question, HELP!!! Sokniw wrote: See that's what i was thinking is that it makes ground though the ball hitch too. So i wired a plug on it. and put my battery charger to it and i just cant get the lights to shine! lol. We were going to get a magnetic set of lights as a temporary solution also so we could use it. But now my wife is telling me to pull the siding and just rewire it. Unless the trailer is rotted and you plan on pulling off the siding for another reason, don't do it. The chances of something going wrong with the wiring in the walls is very slim. The other poster had a good point...does the hitch double as the ground? If it does I believe the lights need to be grounded to the trailer frame either via a white wire or sometimes directly by bolting them to the frame similar to small boat trailers. You can use a tester not only to check voltage but to also test continuity from the trailer plug to the light receptacles if you have a jumper wire. I once spent an entire day trying to resolve a trailer light problem only to find that a wire had worn through and was contacting the frame of my truck and short circuiting...the trailer was fine. Try one of those little 4-flat tester plugs to make 100% sure the tow vehicle is working properly. Just because all the lights work as they should on the vehicle by itself doesn't mean there isn't a problem with the wires that run to the trailer receptacle.Re: Old 60's TT tow lights Wiring Question, HELP!!!Since you mention brakes I assume you are working with a 7-round plug. You also mentioned teardrop so the trailer should be light enough to safely tow without brakes. Quick solution for towing now and solving the real problem later: Buy new lights and wiring combo. This should include the lights, all wiring, and a 4-flat plug. All of it should be connected already so all you need to do is ground the white wire, find a way to mount the lights, and zip-tie the loose wiring up. This should get you to where you need to go without any problems. You can easily remove everything at a later time and place to work on the actual problem. Later: Since all the wiring is preexisting and just the housings are rusted, you should be able to remove the original lights and housing to expose just the wires hanging out, most likely 2 wires. Find new lights that match what is hanging out of your trailer, 2 or 3 wire. Some require grounding, some do not.Re: Anybody flush their black tank with a hose onto the ground? jfkmk wrote: JohnnyG73 wrote: Did your parents intentionally expose you to chicken pox when you were a child not only to make you immune but because it's much safer than contracting it as an adult? That's pretty sick and is probably considered child abuse. http://seattlemamadoc.seattlechildrens.org/chickenpox-parties/ http://parenting.stackexchange.com/questions/1513/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-a-chicken-pox-party-vs-immunization A vaccine has only been available in the US since 1995. Prior to that children were often exposed intentionally because it's much more dangerous to contract as an adult. The above links are examples of how common it is for parents to expose their children to chickenpox so they become immune. Child abuse...hardly. It was VERY common practice while I was growing up in the 70s and early 80s. Parents used to run ads in news papers for "chickenpox parties" during the summer months so parents that wished their kids to be exposed could do it when school was not in session and prevent their child from getting it during school and missing many days of school.
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RV Newbies We all start out new. Share lessons learned or first-time questions!Jun 15, 20174,026 Posts