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Post by lynnmor on Apr 3, 2018 17:25:39 GMT -5
Never use a pressure washer on a trailer, besides destroying decals and other visible damage, there are many places for water intrusion that you won’t see. Get a soft, long handled brush, some car wash and rinse with a garden hose. Even then, just mist it around appliance vents.
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Post by lynnmor on Apr 2, 2018 18:11:07 GMT -5
i have a 2015 spree escape E196s bunhouse, and absolutly love it!!! welcome from Pittsburgh PA If only they would have had bunhouses when I was a teen! When you have questions or issues that might pertain to various models, it might be better to post on the General Board using a title that includes the topic. Trailers are much the same and there is usually no need to isolate the topic to just one series.
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Post by lynnmor on Apr 2, 2018 13:41:03 GMT -5
Hi, You said you want a bunkhouse but didn’t say how many, or the size of those that will be traveling with you. Those weights need to be considered as well.
When you consider batteries, propane, fresh water, water in water heater and initial charge of water in black tank, things are going to be too close. Some will travel with no water, but that defeats the purpose of having a self contained trailer.
Whatever you do, do not rely on stickers, sales brochures or dealer estimates. Before purchase, have the trailer weighed on a certified scale with the aforementioned provisions, as a condition of purchase. Then you can estimate the weight of all those personal items that still need to be added. My guess is that will be 500 to 800 lbs. You are marginal at best with that tow vehicle and I have my doubts that a satisfactory setup can be done. Using my trailer as an example, the hitch weight is about 300 lbs. more than the nonsense stated.
Now that I rained on your parade, come back with more information, maybe we can find a solution.
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Post by lynnmor on Apr 2, 2018 9:24:26 GMT -5
It is a circuit breaker, not a fuse. There is a type that you manually reset, but that is rare. I mentioned the water issue because they are not sealed well and can corrode inside. Yes, it would be better if you could position it inside a plastic box or some protected area. It should not be inside the trailer or propane cover because a short between the battery and the circuit breaker is not protected and has the possibility of causing a fire.
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Post by lynnmor on Apr 2, 2018 9:15:36 GMT -5
Hmmmmm, I didn't realize that 12.2v was only 60% charged. I will have to put the battery maintainer back on it. Thanks. A "maintainer" might not have enough power to get the battery anywhere near fully charged. If you can plug in the trailer, the onboard converter/charger will do a much better job. Leave a maintainer on for at least five days, or the trailer plugged in for two days. After you believe that the battery is fully charged, disconnect power and run some 12 volt loads in the trailer for maybe 15 minutes to dispense of any surface charge and then check voltage again and you should be over 12.5 volts. Always disconnect the battery, by removing the negative cable or use a disconnect switch, soon after disconnecting from external power. Devices in the trailer will discharge the battery in a few days. A battery should NEVER be discharged below 40% and ideally never below 50%. As you can see, the 12.2 volts is near the limit of discharge. Keeping a battery at full charge, as much as possible, will prolong its life. Do read all the information in the website I linked earlier.
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Post by lynnmor on Apr 1, 2018 20:46:54 GMT -5
That is actually an auto reset circuit breaker available at any auto parts store. One trick is to mount them with the terminals down so that the can shaped housing is up and not collecting water inside. No, they are never mounted that way from the factory. link
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Post by lynnmor on Apr 1, 2018 20:35:53 GMT -5
Nice addition. Print out a state of charge chart so that you can quickly determine how much charge is left in the battery. For example, that 12.2 volts you show equates to 60%. Here is a good website with a chart and a lot of information for an RVer. link
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Post by lynnmor on Apr 1, 2018 8:52:41 GMT -5
Lynnmor is right on target. What was probably happening is the resistance in the negative circuit to the battery is higher than the resistance to go "backward" thru the LEDs and then thru what ever else is on that same circuit maybe the voltmeter you installed or maybe thru the fuse block itself, as some have circuitry that has small LEDs to indicate if a fuse has blown. Good question Edd505, LEDs are polarity sensitive, but maybe the LEDs used here have a current regulator that isn't polarity sensitive (just a guess). Thank you, you saved me some typing. I was going to draw an illustration or explain how that might happen. I mentioned checking grounds so he might find that less than ideal connection. LED lamps might be plain with no circuitry to correct polarity, or they might have a rectifier that does the correction, or they may have circuitry that corrects polarity and voltage. The first must be installed with polarity correct, the second can be installed either way, and the last should have a longer life but may cause TV interference. I use the second type.
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Post by lynnmor on Mar 31, 2018 18:25:17 GMT -5
If the working circuit has a less than perfect ground, some current can travel thru the dim bulbs to the ground on that circuit. It only takes a small amount current to light an LED. You would do well to track down and improve any ground connections you can find.
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Post by lynnmor on Mar 31, 2018 16:00:11 GMT -5
The bulbs that were dim were providing a path to ground.
What I don’t understand is that you connected to an amber light, I suppose you mean a porch light, not a clearance light. A clearance light would only have power when lights are turned on in the connected tow vehicle.
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Post by lynnmor on Mar 28, 2018 11:17:56 GMT -5
I am currently arguing with a Andersen advocate on another forum. In my opinion, it is a halfwit design because of the ridiculous bracket design, and the idea of those chains pulling against the coupler latch. Some models of couplers are not to be used with that hitch, and the others would still take the loads just the same. With your heavy truck, I would do without before using something that beats the heck out of the coupler latch.
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Post by lynnmor on Mar 28, 2018 6:22:22 GMT -5
You need to look over the caulk on the roof and anywhere above the level of the lamp. Water can follow framing and travel some distance from the point of entry. Do not waste any time correcting this, water entry will destroy the trailer in short order. If you find no obvious places for leakage, report back for more ideas.
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Post by lynnmor on Mar 27, 2018 18:38:10 GMT -5
If a water pump is plumbed with ridgid pipes, the vibration can be quite annoying. Kits are available that have the braided hose and proper connections so that about three feet is flexible on each side of the pump to reduce the racket. I added those hoses as well as an accumulator and a better mounting board.
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Post by lynnmor on Mar 27, 2018 11:52:02 GMT -5
You would need to contact someone in the factory repair department for the frame prints. Wiring diagrams are pretty much non existent.
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Post by lynnmor on Mar 26, 2018 13:48:47 GMT -5
If you could post some photos of the drain pipes from some different angles, maybe we can figure out an improvement. That black ABS plumbing is easy to work with and not very expensive.
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Post by lynnmor on Mar 24, 2018 8:41:59 GMT -5
Picked up our Connect 241rl today and the tech said the biggest cause of failures was due to people running their generators at too high a voltage. He said they don't like 14volts! they stock them now. "Tech" should know that the 12 volt system, that powers all the low voltage things, is regulated by the converter. The high voltage system can be powered by the external shore power or a generator, it makes no difference. Yes, the converter also charges the battery and voltage is regulated from 12.8 volts to 14.4 volts, depending on the state of discharge of the battery. These voltages are normal and necessary to properly charge the battery, but LED lighting is sensitive to low or high voltage, and life of the bulb can be shortened. Many LED bulbs now have a built in voltage regulator and that will increase life, but those regulators often interfere with over the air TV reception. Some voltage regulated bulbs are better than others, but the price might be outrageous. What I do is buy spares of the cheap unregulated LED's from Ebay and not worry about failure. So far, they are doing fine and the TV works. The regulated bulbs could not be used with the TV.
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Post by lynnmor on Mar 24, 2018 8:24:02 GMT -5
I'm not seeing the tire size you quoted. If you increase tire diameter, the overall revolutions per mile will decrease resulting in some loss of towing power. It is a good idea to use a TPMS and if an external sensor is used, metal valve stems should be used.
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Post by lynnmor on Mar 21, 2018 16:09:39 GMT -5
The Wingard Sensar is a directional antenna that has been used for many years. Some have done very accurate testing and found it the best. To use it, a hole for the shaft needs to go down thru the roof and the crank up and rotating parts are screwed to the ceiling. A directional antenna has maximum gain in one direction only and needs to be pointed at the transmitter. The advantage being a much higher gain in that direction only. Your current antenna is an omnidirectional unit that many describe as equally poor reception in all directions. The bat wings on it are non-functional and are there to mimic a good antenna like the Sensar.
As you said, the more clearance the better for the jack. Your jack might have less travel than what would be optimal. You could cut a couple inches from the end, but maybe a taller jack is in order. Of course none of this matters if you never strike something with the jack, but that can make for a bad trip. Consider installing an electric jack that gives the desired extension and retracted position. I do like to spend other peoples money.
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Post by lynnmor on Mar 21, 2018 9:32:36 GMT -5
First make sure that shower faucets are off and winterizing valves are in the correct position. If you know that the electric heating element is good, then it may be the thermostat. Test the element and you should find only a small amount of resistance across the terminals. If you need one, they are available at hardware stores and home centers. If the power to the element is cutting off early it may be the thermostat. VideoSome water heaters could have a control board problem, without knowing your model, it would be best to refer to the factory manual.
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Post by lynnmor on Mar 19, 2018 17:05:00 GMT -5
It looks like there is quite an angle on the pipes putting the drain cap lower than it needs to be. If you can figure a way to move it up, Lowe's and/or Home Depot might have the black ABS fittings. The pipe only needs a drop of 1/8" per foot. The valve body should be angled up as much as practical, because there is a cavity where "stuff" will collect and eventually make operation difficult or impossible.
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