paulm999
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Re: is this big enough??
Yes, by the numbers. No in practice. Here's what happens. Gen starts up putting out 127v. After running for a while, the volt output decreases 5-7v. AC goes on and the available volts goes from 120/122v down to near 110v the minimum to keep the AC going w/o damage to the compressor. You have no practical voltage left for anything else on the circuit. Minimum gen watts for 1 AC, lighting, TV, computer, fridge should be 5500 watts. As far as the brand, buying without listening to the generator's noise, is a terrible idea.74Views0likes0CommentsRe: Which State Has the Best Drivers?
Water-Bug wrote: nevadanick wrote: Hawaii has the most considerate drivers of anywhere i have been. X2. But it is only because they don't have to deal with drivers from other states. :) Actually, Alaska has the best drivers. You gotta be good to drive in snow 9 months of the year. I've driven 1000s of miles on all Islands since the 70s and have never encountered the road rage, reckless driving, reckless endangerment, and apathetic law enforcement, that I experience daily in SoCal. Hawaii actually has speed limit signage relative to safety, and 90% of kamaainas and tourists obey the limits. BTW, at any given time, depending on which Island, 5-10% of drivers on the roads are from out of state.351Views0likes0CommentsRe: Burning Plastic
When plastics burn, they emit phosgene gas, since phosgene is one of the chemicals used to make plastics. Phosgene gas is nerve gas used in chemical warfare since WWI. It is only slightly less toxic than the another well known nerve agent Sarin. The gas will permanently harm or kill you by inhaling it. And like any nerve agent, it can be easily absorbed thru the skin. Interesting fact: When you hear about deaths in a fire attributed to "smoke inhalation", it's usually not the smoke that kills, but all the plastics burning in the house.540Views0likes0CommentsRe: Coleman AC fan shuts off, but compressor keeps on humming
Problem solved, after a little more head scratching. Like I said, I've been able to turn off the compressor by dialing the t-stat to the warmest settings. I thought if I didn't ever find a switch, this extra step isn't too much bother. Then I woke up to 56 degrees in the trailer. Seems the t-stat didn't cycle off/on at it's minimum temp of 68*. That's when I got to thinking I have more of a problem than the selector switch. Maybe the t-stat is gone the same way as the selector switch. Maybe that large relay by the capacitors (that's there only for the capacitors.) Actually, what was happening is the selector switch was going from bad to worse and now affecting the t-stat. I found an exact replacement switch and traveled the 120mi RT to get it for $32. Leonard Howell, who I thought left the RV appliance business 10 years, is now working out of his home with about $67,000 worth of parts. Leonard's been doing RV appliances longer than most of us have been alive. I think he's 90. He assured me that all the troubles I've had with the old AC are because of the selector switch. Right he was. Just got the AC back together and it's working perfectly. So, if anyone has an older RV and needs old obsolete parts, this is the guy to call. His number is on his web page. He is located in Lakeside, California, which is pretty close to Santee Lakes Campground. http://howellsrv.com/149Views0likes0CommentsColeman AC fan shuts off, but compressor keeps on humming
Shut off the AC last night and found the fan went off, but not the compressor. Discovered I can get the compressor off by dialing the t-stat to it's warmest setting. However, today it was 87* and the compressor went on all by itself. I've been keeping the circuit breaker off to the AC until I have to use it. It's an old model, probably as old as the trailer (1977). Still cools good, except it's only a one speed motor. It has no circuit board or relays. Just all mechanical and heavy duty wiring. Pretty much certain it's the selector switch. Internet and all the RV parts online are useless. Problem is it's so old, the model number and the switch part number don't show up in any meaningful way on any searched. Even Coleman websites are useless. Where can I goto for old parts? The switch is an easy out & in operation, if I can find one.701Views0likes2CommentsRe: Cell phone service in Yellowstone & area
In the Rockies and West of the Rockies is where you'll see the most difference in cell technology. CDMA which most carriers use, including Verizon, works the best. AT&T (and T-Mobile) use GSM. That being said, both technologies will have their share of dead zones in the Rockies far from the Interstate, with AT&T being the worst.320Views0likes0CommentsRe: Smog Issue
Mbrown wrote: paulm999 wrote: DMV rule is (read: rule not law) that the seller is to provide a smog cert when sold. If you bought the vehicle without asking for the smog cert, you bought as-is. DMV is not going to enforce any rule after a sale. Your recourse is to fix it and smog it so you can register it. Then file a claim in small claims court against the former owner. He will argue you assumed liability for the smog when you bought it as is. It's 50/50 if a judge will act as DMV's agent and award you anything. I've bought and sold many vehicles without a smog with the understanding by both parties the sale is as-is. BTW, What did the 87 Minnie fail in the smog test? Running 7x too rich...New holly was put on from previous owner but not adjusted to motor..My mech said that guy must have been getting 3-4 miles a gallon :S The new carburetor just won your case in court, and DMV and CARB will pay attention to a complaint by you about the previous owner. CA smog law (read law, not rule) states: "The manufacturer of replacement carburetors determines which of their models are considered replacements for original equipment. These replacement carburetors are then listed by vehicle year, make, model and engine size in the manufacturer's catalogue. Carburetors not listed as replacement parts by their manufacturer must have an Executive Order to be legal for street use." The previous owner is guilty of tampering with emission control devices among other things. http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/aftermkt/replace.htm379Views0likes0CommentsRe: Smog Issue
traveylin wrote: 4.20 per gallon of gas in San Mateo and you need a smog license to use the gas. At that price you think they would have added enough ethanol to make it carbon neutral. I really do not need to visit such a state of imbalance. Pops Excuse me, but while I agree that many parts of the smog laws are nonsense waiting to be updated and legislated out of existence as new car technology improves, CARB (CA Air Resource Board) has made life breathable in California. If you lived here in the 60s, most days in the LA basin resembled what Beijing is like now. The smell of gasoline was everywhere. Visibility was such that most people never saw the mountains 30 miles east of downtown. Life expectancy, measured in todays standards, was 12-15 years shorter than the national average. It all began with the first legislated smog control called the PCV valve, thanks in part to all the 60's Ford Falcons running around spewing clouds of blue smoke. Today, one can jog thru Griffith Park, up and down the canyon roads without dying of asphyxiation.379Views0likes0Comments
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