THE HIDDEN FUSE BOX

 Most know that the Roadtrek fuse box containing the fuses and circuit breakers for the Roadtrek RV appliances and components is on the wall of the Roadtrek next to the passenger side door into the Roadtrek. This is where you will find the main 30 amp circuit breaker for the coach, the breakers for various other 110/120 volt electrical components like the air conditioner, the television, etc.. Also in this box on the wall are all of the fuses for the 12volt components  of the Roadtrek such as the hot water heater, the furnace, the water pump, the lights, etc..  In the photo below it is the large black panel below the generator switch, the hot water heater switch and the monitor panel with the battery disconnect switch, the test switch, and the water pump switch.  You open this panel by pulling up on indentation in the center, pulling toward you and out.  On the back of that panel is a diagram that shows what circuit breaker and which fuse goes to what. (Some Roadtreks do not have that diagram. It is in the manuals of some Roadtreks and apparently in most recent Chevy Roadtreks it was not put into the manuals (why is a good question).)

That box contains everything for the Roadtrek part of the van. Nothing in this box is connected to anything in the Chevy part of the van. 

There are two fuse boxes that have the fuses for the Chevy. One is in the engine compartment. The second fuse box is hidden. The hidden fuse box is under the driver's seat. If this were just a Chevy Express van it would not be hard to find and get to that fuse box, but when Roadtrek removed the stock Chevy seats, installed swivel mechanisms under them to allow them to swivel around to be lounge seats for the Roadtrek, and then put in Roadtrek's own front passenger and driver's seat, accessing the hidden fuse box becomes a mystery. Like some other parts of the Roadtrek it is a puzzle that is a challenge to solve. 

We have solved that puzzle for you and will give you the steps for you, too, to be able to get to and into that hidden fuse box.  Some Roadtrek manuals will tell you that to get to the fuse box all you have to do is turn the driver's seat counterclockwise. That sounds very simple, but it is not quite that simple. 

HOW TO GET TO THE HIDDEN FUSE BOX:

1) Put the back of the driver's seat straight up. Pull the large handle on the right side of the bottom of the seat. 

2) Remove or move anything you might have behind the seat. In the "Popular" models of the Chevy Roadtrek  there is a wardrobe cabinet right behind the driver's seat that is fairly close to the back of the driver's seat. We keep a small folding table behind the seat and I removed that before I did the following steps. The "Versatile" models of the Chevy Roadtrek have a seat behind the driver's seat. If there is nothing on the floor between that seat and the driver's seat, then you should not have anything to remove or move.

3) Using the bar below the front of the seat cushion, move the seat about half way back on the slide so that it is in the position the seat is in the photo below. You can be sitting in the driver's seat of you can be standing outside the open driver's door, just pull up on that bar and slide the seat to where it needs to be. 

4)  Look again at the photo above.  Leave the armrest down. The black handle in the center below the side of the seat facing you looking from the open door inside is the handle that swivels the seat. This handle is on a spring and also is connected to a latch that locks the seat in place so that it will not swivel while you are driving. With one hand or two, pull that handle UP. You will hear the latch unlatch and you will be able to now swivel the seat COUNTERCLOCKWISE -  do that the front of the seat comes toward you.  If it gets stuck on the curtains that hang down from behind the door post, just move the curtains.  Below you see the front of  seat facing you! 

5) In the photo above you can see the slide handle for the seat right below the seat cushion. With one hand pull that handle up and with the other hand push the seat back as far as it goes on its slide. Let go of the handle and the seat locks into that position.  If you look to the left on the floor at the black box on the floor - YOU HAVE REVEALED THE HIDDEN FUSE BOX!

6) The box cover has two clips that keep it closed. They are on the sides at the top - on facing the driver's door and the other facing the passenger side.  Reach in under the seat and  feel for them. It is a simple move and release clip. They are hard to see and it was not possible to photograph them in place. Release each clip and the cover will come right off. Putting it back on is just as easy. line up the edge of the cover with the front of the box and put it on top and it just gently pushes down and clips into place.

 

7) The photo above is the extent of what you can see in the hidden fuse box. You pretty much have to reach in from the open driver's door getting your head and eyes around to see the inside of the fuse box from the floor below the steering wheel.  It is far from convenient and very awkward.  There is some reaching and eye straining to see and get the the fuses further back in the box. The Chevy Express owners manual will identify what each of the fuses in the box are. There is NO chart on the cover of the box.  There are also no labels other than the amps on each fuse. These are "MINI FUSES". There are also what the manual calls "J CASE FUSES". These are You should be able to find them in any auto parts store. These are smaller than the fuses that are in the "Roadtrek side" fuse box. There are also 6 relays and 2 circuit breakers. One of the circuit breakers is for the power seats and the other circuit breaker is for the power windows. Some fuse spaces are left empty.  

8) To put it all back together again just reverse the steps.  Use the slide handle to pull the seat back to where you started in Step 3. When the set is swiveled it will continue to swivel until it is facing front to the steering wheel again. To do that all you have to do is swivel the seat back to the front without pulling up on the swivel handle again. The seat will lock in facing the steering wheel. Move the seat forward or back to where you like it when you drive. That is it!

If you do not have a Chevy Express Manual for your year Chevy Express van - and remember that the Chevy Express is not always the same year as your Roadtrek is, so you go by the Chevy year and not the Roadtrek year as far as the Chevy Express manual is - there are a several websites that have manuals for all cars and vans of various years and they will let you download the manual for free. It is a good idea if you only have a downloaded manual to put the PDF file for the manual in your smart phone or other device you have with you on trips. 

So now you too can find the hidden fuse box and get to it whenever you need it. Let's hope you never have to get to it. 😃

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONTACT US TO ASK A QUESTION ABOUT ANYTHING YOU READ IN THIS ARTICLE PLEASE EMAIL US USING THE LINK IN THE RIGHT COLUMN OF THIS PAGE.

A RAMBLING: FIRST DAYTRIP OUT AFTER NOT QUITE POST COVID-19

 It has been a year and a half since we took a trip in the Roadtrek. We have taken it for two hour drives sporadically while we were on lockdown due to Covid-19 to keep it running and I have been running the engine for thirty minutes every week. It has been to the mechanic twice for inspection and maintenance, and recently had new tires put on. We had expected to be off on a week long trip the week before July 4th. We had reservations made a year ago at the campground we spend that week at every year and attend a festival that I have been attending annually since I was a boy. This year, again, like last year, that festival was cancelled. We were going to go anyway until we saw that the weather was to be high heat and high humidity with severe storms predicted almost daily where we were going. On top of that other places that we go to in the area were running on limited hours due to Covid and some were not open at all.   We decided to change the reservation and wound up changing it to next year.  But as I told Meryl, we must take the Roadtrek on a long trip even if it is only for one day and back that night.  It had to be driven and we had to see that all was working as it should be - as at some point, hopefully, this summer we are going somewhere for several days or longer.  We agreed that it would be a good idea to go to where we would have gone at the beginning of the month for the day to check things out down there for ourselves.  That daytrip took place this past week.

 Over the past year and a half with the Roadtrek on the driveway we had taken many things that we normally keep in it out. We had to start searching around the house for where they were and get it all back inside.  We filled the tanks with water. We went through every cabinet to see what was missing from a list we have of what to have in the Roadtrek. It took a couple of days to find almost all of it and move it back in. Almost all because we have a mystery disappearance.  We have three spring extension curtain rods that we put in the aisle under the bed from side to side against the cabinet doors to keep items we put under the bed when traveling. We are pretty sure that we took those out before we took the Roadtrek to have the generator serviced - along with all of the cushions so that should the generator service tech need to work inside to get to connections none of this would be in the way. It came into the house and was stacked on a large folding table.  The cushions went back into the Roadtrek at the end of June we assume - as we remember we did - took the curtain rods back into the Roadtrek and put them SOMEPLACE.  The curtain rods are not in the Roadtrek - ANYWHERE. They are not in the house - ANYWHERE.  We have looked multiple times - EVERYWHERE. Where are they? We do not know. This happens more than it should at our house. Things will disappear - really gone. I check, She checks. We both check, over and over again.  They reappear months later just where they should be and where we have both looked many times.  There is a folk tale about The Borrowers. The Borrowers come and borrow things - use them for a period of time - and then return them to where they took them from. Well, that implausible explanation is the only thing that could explain the disappearances. We are the only ones in the house - no one comes into the house but us.   So The Borrowers have the curtain rods. We have bought new ones -  silver color to distinguish them from the missing white ones. Some day we will find the white ones in the Roadtrek where they are not now.  We were ready. 

 We have been keeping stay at home hours for a year and a half. Up to early morning hours and asleep to mid-day. We started preparing for getting up early a few weeks ago so that when we got up to leave at an hour that would get us the 150 miles to where we were going we would arrive at an hour where we could do things and not be time to have dinner and then head back home.  We made it out of the house before 9 am and on our way after turning on the fridge. We thought we might avoid rush hour traffic heading toward New York City which we would loop around but had to cross two bridges to do so but wound up in bumper to bumper traffic - though we avoided the roadwork crews that start at 10:30 am to work on roads that they continually work on year after year - in the same places. Once on the New Jersey Turnpike heading south we were clear. 

Having not driven very much in a year and a half I have found in the past several months of driving more regularly locally that I tend to not drive as fast as I used to. I find myself just below the speed limit which does not make cars around us very happy. This was also my first trip in the Roadtrek that I have to wear eyeglasses to drive - and that has been a bit strange for me.  I had to focus on getting up to highway speeds with the Roadtrek as we started out and by the NJ Turnpike I was up there over 65 keeping pace with the rest of the vehicles. Once we got to Pennsylvania, the speed limit goes to 70. I have always found that with the 6L engine in the Roadtrek, it is very easy to let the speed get away from you. And with a speed limit of 70, 80 is just a small push of the gas pedal further.  Our Roadtrek holds the road and the speed very well.  Too well - and I backed down every time I glanced down at the speedometer. Of course at 75 we were being passed by some very small cars, but that was OK. We were passed by two Class Cs along the way. I told myself that we don't need to prove anything to them. 

We were heading to Lancaster County, PA. This has been my home away from home for many, many years and it always has been my go to place to relax with rolling farm fields and Amish buggies clip clopping along the road. We like to go to a particular farmers market which is a mix of locals, Amish, Mennonites and some tourists. That was were we were heading for the day - and we can easily spend a whole day there. We arrived about three and a half hours after we left - almost exactly what the ETA was from both the dash GPS and my phone's CoPilot RV GPS app. While we have been at home this was where I was missing the most. 

At the end of June, the Governor of Pennsylvania ended all Covid mask requirements.  We are both fully vaccinated, but we are both also in two high risk categories so we have maintained caution and we still wear masks when in public. With the Covid variants now on the rise and numbers going up instead of going down, we were surrounded by people of all ages not wearing masks. We were not the only ones wearing masks but where we live many are still wearing masks both inside and outside - perhaps because we live in one of the hardest hit counties in the country from Covid. It was strange to be out there with masks wearing in the minority. That was OK, though, as I was where I wanted to be. Meryl was a little more hesitant. 

The day had to be a Friday for this market to be open and this was a Friday with low humidity and a temperature that was not to go over 82. Finally, a day that was comfortable to be outside. There is little that is air conditioned at this market - some smaller buildings have A/C, most do not. There were some things we were looking for that we knew would most likely be there. Some were and some were not.  It was comfortable enough to have lunch outside at a picnic table and the hero sandwich (hoagie,sub, grinder - depending on where you are from)  that I bought from one of the stands was one of the things that I thought about all the time I was home and wanting to be here. When it is hot out, we would have gone back to the Roadtrek to eat the sandwiches with the generator powering the A/C.   We walked more than we have walked in a long time. It was a good tired.  We were there until about 5:00 pm and we headed back to the Roadtrek to go toward the restaurant I had planned to go to for dinner - with a couple of stop offs along the way. 

Dinner was another treat and something I have been looking forward to for what seems like a very long time. It did not disappoint. It is a restaurant that we have gone to many times in the past and one that I did miss not being in this area for so long do to Covid and lockdown. It serves a combination of local Pennsylvania Dutch foods and American together with plenty to eat. It is one that attracts the tourists more than most of the other restaurants that we dine in when in this area, but it reopened following being closed due to Covid - as were the other restaurants in the area closed - with dinner being served later than the other restaurants that we would have gone to that are much more local. 

After dinner we did not head right home. I stopped for gas - which was 20 cents a gallon more than it is at home and a half a tank that I filled cost $50. I like to put gas in the Roadtrek when it needs just half a tank as the total cost on the pump for a full tank is too shocking to see. Even the $50 was a bit of a shock.  We then headed to a Walmart that we knew would have things we were not finding at the Walmart at home - and they did. No special reason why other than the Walmarts at home have had empty shelves now for two years. And it delays leaving where I don't want to leave - but I have that feeling even if we have been in this area over a week. We started driving home after 10:30 pm.  

There was very little traffic heading home.  When we come home from a trip I go to a local 24 hour gas station to fill the tank of the Roadtrek back up. It is difficult getting the Roadtrek out of our driveway into the four lane, busy street in front of our house, so filling the Roadtrek at the end of a trip at home gives me a full tank of gas to have for our next trip. Miles per gallon for this trip came out to over 17 mpg - that has been better, but it was not bad. We put almost 500 miles on the Roadtrek in just the day, down, around, and back.  After the gas station it was almost 3:00 am that we got to the house and then shut the Roadtrek down. 

 One of the best things about traveling in an RV like the Roadtrek, even for just a day's outing, is that you have a bathroom with you, no matter where you are. I never really understand those who won't use the bathroom in their Roadtrek. There is not always a convenient place to stop when one is needed and too often if there is, it is not in a condition that one wants to even walk into.  Having the Roadtrek during this day trip, it came in very handy. 

Many of our readers have figured out that we don't take the types of trips that many others do. We don't much travel to be in nature - though most of the places we go to are outside. We use the Roadtrek as our traveling hotel room. We rarely cook in it  When we travel we eat out. It has always been this way when we travel. If you are on vacation, you eat out. If you are in an area where foods are different from what is common to you when you are home, you go out to try them. So to many, our trips are not that exciting, but they are to us.  We are out to relax. We would rather things not be too exciting, as given some of our "adventures" in the Roadtrek that I have written about over the past ten years now, exciting meant problems. We don't want any problems when we travel. It was good to take this trip even for a day. It has been too long since the last trip we took in the Roadtrek and it was an excellent re-introduction to packing the Roadtrek for a trip, getting in and heading off and putting some much needed miles on it after it has been sitting on the driveway with just a few two hour drives for so long. 

The title of this article starts with "A Rambling" and that is what this article has been. Just a rambling on about a great day in the Roadtrek to a place we love to go to.  There was no how to do this or that. No how to solve this problem or that. It was just a bit of pleasant rambling. There will be more articles about how to do, and there will be more ramblings.

Thanks for rambling with us! 

What's next? I wish I knew!

DRAINING THE HOT WATER TANK

Roadtreks have a Suburban 6 gallon hot water tank and water heater.  At one time the hot water heater that Roadtrek used propane or electricity to heat the water. The more recent Roadtreks use only propane to heat the water. There is an automatic igniter to ignite the propane to heat the water and this requires that the battery switch be turned on to provide 12 volts DC. There is a switch on the wall of the Roadtrek - usually near the monitor panel - that when turned on starts the ignition of the propane at the hot water heater and the propane flame heats the water. The hot water tank is glass lined inside for insulation and the hot water tank is covered in Styrofoam to insulate it to keep the water hot to warm inside.  With 6 gallons of water to heat, it can take a number of minutes (longer on cold day)  to heat the water in the tank from cold to hot.

An important thing to understand is that once filled, the hot water tank will remain full. The tank is filled by cold water coming from the water pump or a city water connection through a hose from the Roadtrek to an outside spigot that flows into the bottom of the hot water tank. The water then fills the tank to the top. When a not water handle is turned on at the sink or shower, cold water will go through the water pump or hose and go into the hot water tank and PUSH the hot water at the top of the tank out of the tank and into a hot water pipe that will take the hot water to the sink faucet or shower head. Water cannot come out of the hot water tank unless there is water to push it out - from a fresh tank or an outside hose connection. As water in the tank comes out, more water goes into the tank to refill it. It is NOT POSSIBLE to empty the hot water tank by running hot water through the sink or the inside or outside shower.

The hot water tank must be drained. This is done outside the Roadtrek on the driver's side toward the rear of the van.  There is a vented metal panel that must be opened and removed to drain the hot water tank.

 

 

 

To open this metal panel you must turn the ring catch at the top middle. The white ring you see there in this photo is on an elastic cord. To open, turn the ring so that it is straight with the up/down slot that is under it. Pull the panel from the top edge toward you and once the top is clear pull it up. There are two small "pins" at the bottom that you will lift this off panel off of - and then out. Take the panel and put it someplace safe while you drain the hot water tank.

 THE OPEN HOT WATER HEATER/TANK

You will need a few things to drain the hot water tank:

1) A RATCHET SOCKET WRENCH

2) A 1 and 1/16" SOCKET - DEEP WELL OR REGULAR WITH EXTENDER

3) PLUMBERS TEFLON THREAD TAPE

4) A SCISSOR TO CUT THE PLUMBERS TAPE

Take a look at the photo just above. This is the workings of the hot water heater. The rest is just the tank that holds the hot water and that is directly behind what you see here and inside the Roadtrek. There are two things in this photo that are of interest to you right now in draining the hot water tank.

                                                                                 

PRESSURE RELEASE VALVE

ANODE ROD/DRAIN

 The Pressure RELEASE VALVE or PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE shown in the first photo releases any pressure built up in the hot water tank. This is a safety valve that will automatically open should pressure build too high in the hot water tank. This valve can be opened MANUALLY.

The ANODE ROD/DRAIN is the head of the ANODE ROD screwed into a threaded hole into the hot water tank. This is, when removed will open a hole into the hot water heater and the water will drain out.  The valve is located in the top middle of the hot water heater as shown in photo of the open hot water heater/tank above.

 ANODE ROD

The Anode Rod is a long rod of magnesium or aluminum that is used inside the hot water heater tank to prevent the inside of the metal tank from breaking down.  This rod breaks down instead of the metal of the tank. It will become pitted and then start to disintegrate - and it will also attach to mineral deposits that form in the water. The rod over time will become whitish grey and the surface full of these mineral deposits will become sharp - sharp enough to cut yourself if you grab hold of the rod tightly. The head of the rod is a hex head that you will use to unscrew the rod. Inside the rod is a thin metal rod that the magnesium or aluminum are molded around. That inner rod will become partly visible over time. When the all of the rod or a good portion of the rod is no thicker than a pencil it is time to replace the anode rod with a new one.  How long they last can range from a year to a few years. New ones can be purchased in either magnesium or aluminum - each have advantages and disadvantages which are personal preference. You can Google the differences.  Suburban sends the hot water heater out from the factory with a magnesium rod. (For this reason I have always replaced the rod with a magnesium one.)  The anode rod is located in the bottom middle of the hot water heater as shown in the photo of the open hot water heater/tank above.

TO DRAIN THE HOT WATER TANK:

1.  FIRST TURN OFF THE PROPANE. NEVER DO THIS WITH THE PROPANE ON!

2. NEVER START THIS PROCESS WHILE THE WATER IS STILL HOT INSIDE THE HOT WATER TANK. To test the water go inside - leave the hot water switch OFF. Turn on the hot water handle on the faucet on the sink and feel the water temperature. IF IT IS HOT WAIT UNTIL IT FEELS COOL!

3. YOU ARE GOING TO MANUALLY OPEN THE PRESSURE RELEASE VALVE.  TO DO THIS GENTLY TAKE HOLD OF THE HANDLE THAT YOU SEE IN THE PHOTO THAT IS DIAGONALLY SLANTED TO THE LEFT.  PULL THAT HANDLE TOWARD YOU AND WHILE DOING THIS STAND AWAY TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE HOT WATER HEATER.  Water will shoot out from the opening that you see to the bottom right of the pressure release valve. It is going to get very wet all over the inside of this area - that is normal and it is OK for the hot water heater. WAIT UNTIL NOTHING MORE IS COMING OUT.

4. WITH THE SOCKET ON THE SOCKET WRENCH YOU ARE NOW GOING TO REMOVE THE ANODE ROD AND OPEN THE DRAIN HOLE.  A DEEP WELL SOCKET WILL ALLOW CLEARANCE AWAY FROM THE GAS IGNITION TUBE You can see the brass ignition tube in the photos as it crosses on top of the end of the anode rod.  YOU CAN ALSO USE A REGULAR SOCKET WITH AN EXTENDER WHICH WILL ALSO BRING THE SOCKET WRENCH OUT OF THIS TIGHT AREA AND CLEAR THE IGNITION TUBE. (My preference is is the regular socket with the extender as it seats more securely on the hex head of the anode rod.)

5. AS YOU DO THIS NEVER STAND DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE ANODE ROD AND CLEAR ANYONE AWAY FROM THE FRONT OF THE PATH OF THE ANODE ROD - PLUS ANYTHING BREAKABLE. PUT THE SOCKET ON THE HEX HEAD OF THE ANODE ROD AND TURN THE WRENCH TO THE LEFT (COUNTERCLOCKWISE).  IT MAY BE TIGHT - USE LEVERAGE TO LOOSEN IT AND UNSCREW THE ANODE ROD FROM THE THREADED HOLE.  ONCE IT IS VERY LOOSE YOU CAN FINISH UNSCREWING IT BY HAND.   

********WARNING********

THE REASON WHY YOU MUST NEVER STAND OR BE IN FRONT OF THE ANODE ROD WHEN REMOVING IT IS IF BY CHANCE YOU DID NOT GET ALL OF THE PRESSURE OUT OF THE HOT WATER TANK  THE ANODE ROD ONCE RELEASED WILL SHOOT LIKE A TORPEDO WITH GREAT FORCE FROM THE HOLE STRAIGHT OUT AHEAD OF IT. THE FORCE IS ENOUGH TO DO SERIOUS INJURY IF IT HIT YOU OR SOMEONE STANDING BY. 

ALSO - IF THE WATER WAS STILL HOT, YOU WOULD BE SCALDED AS IT CAME OUT - OF BOTH THE PRESSURE RELEASE VALVE AND THE ANODE ROD OPENING. 

6. WITH THE ANODE ROD UNSCREWED PULL IT STRAIGHT OUT OF THE HOLE. THE WATER IN THE HOT WATER TANK WILL COME OUT WITH THE ROD AND KEEP COMING OUT UNTIL THE TANK IS ALMOST EMPTY. WITH THE WATER COMING OUT YOU MAY SEE MINERAL DEPOSITS ALSO COMING OUT WITH THE WATER. THESE LOOK LIKE WHITE, GREY, AND BLACK ROCKS.  YOU WILL SEE THEM COLLECT ON THE GROUND WHERE THE WATER IS POURING OUT.  SOME OF THESE CAN BE SHARP.  THESE MINERALS FORM FROM HARD WATER SITTING IN THE HOT WATER TANK. 

7. AT THIS POINT YOU MAY WANT TO FLUSH THE HOT WATER TANK TO REMOVE ANY MORE MINERALS THAT MIGHT BE SITTING AT THE BOTTOM OF THE TANK. TO DO THIS FOLLOW THIS ARTICLE ON FLUSHING THE HOT WATER TANK.

8. BECAUSE THE ANODE ROD DRAIN HOLE SITS ABOUT ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE TANK, NOT ALL OF THE WATER COMES OUT WHEN THE DRAIN IS OPEN. FOR MOST PURPOSES YOU CAN LEAVE THIS LITTLE AMOUNT OF WATER STILL IN THE TANK. IN THE WINTER THIS IS NOT ENOUGH TO CAUSE ANY DAMAGE TO THE TANK IF IT FREEZES.  THERE ARE WAYS TO GET OUT THE REMAINDER OF THE WATER IF YOU WISH TO.  YOU COULD USE A HAND PUMP OR AN ELECTRIC PUMP WITH A SMALL TUBE ON THE SUCTION END THAT YOU WOULD PUT INTO THE HOLE TO THE FLOOR OF THE TANK TO SUCK OUT THE REMAINING WATER. EVEN THEN NOT ALL OF THE WATER WILL COME OUT.  LEAVING THE DRAIN HOLE IN THE HOT WATER TANK OPEN FOR A FEW DAYS WILL LET SOME OF THAT WATER EVAPORATE OUT.  WHATEVER YOU DO - DO NOT - LET ANYTHING GO INTO THE DRAIN HOLE INTO THE TANK THAT CANNOT BE REACHED TO PULL OUT! 

9. NOW EXAMINE THE ANODE ROD TO SEE IF IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. IF A LARGE PORTION OF THE ANODE ROD HAS CORRODED AWAY - WHICH IS WHAT IT DOES WHEN IT IS DOING ITS JOB - OR THE ROD HAS BECOME AS THIN AS A PENCIL - IT IS TIME TO REPLACE THE ANODE ROD.  IT IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE ONE OR MORE SPARE RODS ON HAND - AND CARRIED IN THE ROADTREK - IN THE EVENT THAT IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. IF YOU ARE REPLACING THE ROD, DISCARD THE OLD ROD AND FOR THE NEXT STEPS USE THE NEW ROD.

10.  LOOK AT THE THREADS THAT ARE AROUND THE HOLE OF THE DRAIN HOLE. THERE MAY BE PLUMBERS TAPE THAT WAS LEFT IN THE HOLE WHEN YOU TOOK THE ANODE ROD OUT. USING A FINGER GENTLY SCRAPE THE PLUMBERS TAPE OUT AND AWAY FROM THE HOLE. IF YOUR FINGER CAN'T GET IT ALL USE A TOOTHBRUSH TO REMOVE THE TAPE FROM THE HOLE. DO NOT LET THE TAPE FALL INTO THE HOT WATER TANK.


11. WITH THE TANK DRAINED, YOU ARE READY TO PUT THE ANODE ROD BACK IN.  IF YOU ARE PUTTING THE ROD THAT CAME OUT BACK IN, REMOVE ANY OLD  PLUMBING TAPE THAT IS AROUND THE THREADS OF THE ROD. TO MAKE THE ROD EASIER TO COME OUT THE NEXT TIME, TAKE THE ROLL OF TEFLON PLUMBING THREAD TAPE AND WRAP ENOUGH AROUND THE ALL OF THREADS ON THE SCREW SECTION OF THE TOP OF THE ROD. WRAP THE TAPE IN A CLOCKWISE DIRECTION WITH THE TOP SCREW END OF THE ROD FACING YOU.  COVER THE THREADS BUT DO NOT PUT SO MUCH ON THAT IT MAKES IT HARD TO GET THE THREADS TO FIT INTO THE DRAIN HOLE.  CUT THE TAPE FROM THE SPOOL OF TAPE WITH THE SCISSOR. 


12. INSERTING THE ROD BACK INTO THE HOLE IS TRICKY. BECAUSE THE ROD IS HEAVIEST AWAY FROM THE END YOU WILL BE SCREWING IT DIPS DOWN INSIDE THE TANK. IT WILL NOT SCREW ON PROPERLY THIS WAY.  I FIND IT EASIEST TO HOLD THE ROD WITH TWO HANDS WHEN PUTTING IT INTO THE DRAIN HOLE AND SUPPORTING IT OUTSIDE THE HOLE FOR THE ROD INSIDE THE TANK TO REMAIN LEVEL WITH THE OUTSIDE  PUSH THE ROD INTO THE THREADS OF THE HOLE AND START TURNING THE END OF THE ROD CLOCKWISE WITH YOUR HAND.  TURN IT SEVERAL TURNS - LET GO - IF IT HAS NOT GRABBED THE THREADS CAREFULLY TAKE IT OUT AND TRY IT AGAIN. IT WILL GRAB THE THREADS IF IT IS NOT TIPPING DOWN INSIDE THE TANK. HOLD IT STEADY WHILE YOU DO THIS - KEEPING ONE HAND TO KEEP THE ROD FROM DIPPING DOWN INSIDE THE TANK AND SCREW IT IN WITH THE OTHER HAND. 


13. ONCE THE ROD IS IN BY HAND GET YOUR RATCHET WRENCH AND MAKE SURE THE SWITCH ON IT IS SET TO TURN CLOCKWISE.  PUT THE SOCKET ONTO THE END OF THE ANODE ROD (THAT YOU JUST TIGHTENED BY HAND) AND START TIGHTENING THE ROD WITH THE SOCKET WRENCH.  THE ROD DOES NOT SCREW IN ALL THE WAY TO THE END. IT WILL GET VERY TIGHT ABOUT HALF WAY DOWN. ONCE IT IS GIVING A LOT OF RESISTANCE TO TURN STOP. IT IS IN AND IT WILL NOT LEAK. IF YOU FORCE IT ANY FURTHER YOU WILL HAVE A LOT OF TROUBLE TAKING IT OUT NEXT TIME. 


14. GET THE METAL DOOR PANEL YOU TOOK OFF AT THE START. PUT THE BOTTOM OF THE PANEL IN FIRST AND GET THE TWO HOLES ON THE BOTTOM OF THE DOOR TO GO INTO THE TWO SMALL METAL PINS THAT ARE STICKING UP FROM THE BOTTOM.  PUSH THE TOP OF THE DOOR INTO THE OPENING AND IT SHOULD LINE UP WITH THE SLOT OF THE PLASTIC RING LATCH.  ONCE THE RING LATCH IS THROUGH THE SLOT, TURN IT TO LOCK THE DOOR IN PLACE. 

YOU HAVE DRAINED YOUR HOT WATER TANK!

YOU CAN NOW FILL THE TANK AGAIN - OR IF IT IS THE WINTER - LEAVE IT EMPTY.  NEVER TURN ON THE HOT WATER HEATER SWITCH ON THE WALL INSIDE THE ROADTREK WITH AN EMPTY HOT WATER TANK. YOU WILL BURN OUT THE HOT WATER HEATER. 

 WHAT PROBLEMS MIGHT YOU ENCOUNTER? 

IF THE ROD WAS PUT IN TOO TIGHT AND YOUR SOCKET WRENCH WILL NOT LOOSEN IT, ONE WAY - THAT ONE MUST USE A LOT OF CAUTION WITH - IS TO USE A SOCKET BREAKER BAR. THIS IS A LONG METAL BAR WITH A SOCKET CONNECTION ON THE END. THIS LONG HANDLE WILL PROVIDE A LOT OF LEVERAGE TO MOVE THE SOCKET TO LOOSEN IT.  ONCE IT STARTS TURNING, STOP.  TAKE THE SOCKET AND PUT IT BACK ON YOUR REGULAR SOCKET WRENCH AND CONTINUE WITH THE REGULAR SOCKET WRENCH. A LARGE ENOUGH SOCKET WRENCH WITH A LONGER HANDLE IS BETTER TO USE TO START WITH THAN A SHORT OR STUBBY SOCKET WRENCH AS YOU GET BETTER LEVERAGE WITH A LONGER HANDLED WRENCH. THAT COULD AVOID THIS PROBLEM ALL TOGETHER.  i HAVE ONLY HAD THE ROD NOT LOOSEN ONCE AND I WENT OUT TO BUY THE BREAKER BAR (HARBOR FREIGHT IS THE MOST ECONOMICAL PLACE TO DO THIS). I HAVE NEVER HAD TO USE IT SINCE THEN.  I MAKE SURE THAT I DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN THE ANODE ROD.

WHAT YOU MOST NEED TO BE CAREFUL OF IS TO NOT STRIP THE THREADS ON THE DRAIN HOLE IN THE HOT WATER TANK.  YOU WILL SEE THAT THIS HOLE RUSTS - NOT BADLY BUT MORE THAN ONE MIGHT EXPECT SOMETHING THAT INVOLVES WATER. IT IS NORMAL FOR IT TO RUST. WITH THE TYPE OF HOT WATER TANK THAT THE ROADTREK USES, THERE IS NO WAY TO REPLACE THAT HOLE SECTION. IF THE THREADS STRIP OUT OR THE HOLE IS DAMAGED THE ENTIRE HOT WATER HEATER/TANK MUST BE REPLACED.  THAT IS SOMETHING YOU WANT TO AVOID!  THE ANODE ROD IS EASILY REPLACED - AND YOU WILL DO THAT MANY TIMES OVER YOUR YEARS WITH THE ROADTREK BUT THE DRAIN HOLE IS PART OF THE TANK. 

THE ONE AND ONE/SIXTEENTH SOCKET IS NOT COMMON. IT IS RARELY PART OF A SOCKET SET. IT CAN BE FOUND IN HOME DEPOT OR LOWES WHERE THE INDIVIDUAL SOCKETS ARE. I BOUGHT MINE IN LOWES - AND AT THE TIME I BOUGHT THE DEEP WELL AS THAT WAS ALL THAT THEY HAD IN THIS SIZE.  AN EXTENDER WILL ALLOW YOU TO GET A REGULAR SOCKET IN AND NOT INTERFERE WITH THE WORKINGS OF THE HOT WATER HEATER RIGHT ABOVE THE ANODE ROD. I FOUND A REGULAR SOCKET IN THIS SIZE AT A HARDWARE/TOOL VENDOR AT A FARMER'S MARKET. 

SO - the process reads long - but does not take long to do. It is important to make sure you drain the hot water tank when you are winterizing the Roadtrek and when you are de-winterizing and sanitizing the fresh water and hot water tank. You want to make sure you get your sanitizing bleach and water mixture out of the tank before you put it into use for the season. If you are not going to use the Roadtrek for a period of time you also would want to get the water out of the hot water tank. Keep in mind the a glass enclosed tank that holds hot water than becomes warm is an excellent environment to grow bacteria.

VILLAGE SCENE RV PARK, Hatfield, Pennsylvania

When we went to have the macerator replaced at the Roadtrek dealer/service center that we bought the Roadtrek at 8 years ago in April, we had to find a place to stay in the Roadtrek the night before. The appointment was for first thing in the morning when they opened and we could not do what we have almost always done in the past when we went there for service - leave our home in the morning of the appointment and drive the two and a half hours to get there at around 11 am for them to do and complete the work the rest of the day.  We could have stayed outside the service shop as they do have a 30 amp outlet to plug into and we would have had electricity overnight - but because the macerator was broken what we would not have was a toilet. The dealer's showroom closes at 8:00 pm and after that we would have a problem.  I started to look for campgrounds and there are a few in the area. One that I found was off in a wooded area and when I checked Google maps to see the route from there to the service shop, there was always a closed road - along the route. That was not going to work out at all - and I started wondering if I would ever find a campground for this excursion - even for just one night. Then I came across a most unlikely type of RV park - that is actually an age "55+ Manufactured Home Community and RV Park". I know that to some this brings up in their mind the image of a trailer park - but by the photos on their website and with Google Maps satellite view I was able to see the entire place - and it looked nice. The name is Village Scene (RV Park).

This is back now in February - and the appointment is not until almost the end of April.  I sent them an email and asked about availability for the night before our appointment. I got a very nice and prompt reply letting me know that they had one site available for us to stay in. If I wanted it to be held we would have to send a check for the one night stay and the site would be reserved for us.  While they have mostly permanently installed mobile homes and what I would say are called "Park Model" homes that are pre-fab homes, they also have some regular RV sites with 20, 30, and 50 amp electric service, water hook up, and sewer hook up. They do not have cable TV hook up - that is on site for permanent residents that arrange on their own for the service to be hooked up to their homes. They do have wifi across the park. The most important thing I had to confirm - though I know that I saw it on their website - was there a 24 hour access restroom - and I had hoped to have a site that was close to it. There is a 24 hour/7 days a week rest room building (that also has a laundry in it) and it is available to anyone who does not have those facilities on board their RV. Well, for this trip, that was us - and it was confirmed to me that it was indeed there and open - but the only site they had was not right next to it but four aisles away. That was no problem for us at all - as we have no issue with doing a little walking.

The RV park was very nice. The resident's trailers, mobile homes, RVs, whatever one would call them are all nice, well cared for, landscaping around them - flower beds, etc. While we were there we saw big Class A RVs and also large travel trailers. When we arrived (later than we expected as I explained in our recent Day 1 article about this trip we were greeted by a very nice woman in the office who was expecting us. She had put an orange cone in our space just in case we got there after the office closed at 4:00 pm. Our site was right across from the office. We were paid in full and she came outside to show us where our site was. We explained that we would be leaving for the rest of the afternoon and coming back that night after dinner - there was no problem at all with that. 

We only saw a few residents and no one took any notice of us. The site was a pull in, back out site - in other words the connections were on the drivers side and the opening of the site was such that puling in would put the connections where they needed to be. There was a mobile home next to the site so it was not a pull through - to get out of the space you just back out into the aisle. All sites are paved and the the aisles (or lanes) are asphalt.  As we always do when we get to a campground, we pull in and find where the Roadtrek will be level. This site was half paved with a concrete slab on one side and the other side the pavement was asphalt. This made the two slightly off in height from each other - but with the Roadtrek as it is smaller than most RVs that these sites are designed for, it was possible to drive around back and forth - adjusting this way or that - and on a slight diagonal I got the Roadtrek level. We marked where the tires were with our reflectors for this purpose and also checked voltage and polarity at the outlet box - all good! We backed out and were off for the day.

The restrooms were just where they were shown on the map. They were clean - though a bit old fashioned - toilet stalls, a shower stall, and a sink. You must bring your own paper towel and soap. It did take us a little bit - in each of our respective restrooms to figure out how the lights went on. I brought a flashlight with me and found that while the lights were not on any motion detector they had a switch box with buttons that were timers. Once you got the lights on with any of the buttons you could set it to how long the lights would stay on - a little different from what we have come across but just fine.  The walk to the building was no problem - even in the dark.

What I was very impressed with - and maybe it was because we were right across from the office was that the WIFI was exceptionally good! We were given a brochure when we arrived with the rules of the park and the wifi codes. There were two for two wifi units that cover the grounds. One was based in the office - and we had strong and good wifi in the site we were in.

We were only there one night. The location is straight off the exit ramp from the PA Turnpike north/south extension, a turn down a street with many businesses along it including stores, fast food, and supermarkets and knowing the street to turn down - and the help of the GPS we got right there in the day and had no problem finding our way back in the dark at night. The brochure we were given suggests where to park RVs in the city of Philadelphia and they are not that far and not at all like being in the city - to stay at to visit Philadelphia. This is located in the middle of a nice residential suburban neighborhood. There are no fences around the Park and no gate. The people living full time here have mailboxes in front of their mobile homes and the mailman comes directly to each to deliver mail.

While this park is for 55+ that is only for residents.  Children and families are welcome coming in to temporarily stay nightly, weekly, or monthly. There are no facilities in the way of a playground, swimming pool, or anything else like that. This is strictly stay in your RV or sit outside in your site - or leave the park and go exploring. This area is about an hour and a half from the PA Dutch Country in Lancaster County by way of the PA Turnpike.

We were both very pleased with this RV park. The electric service was good. The television using the over the air antenna was also very good and all of the major networks came in clearly as well as a number of other channels. We did not even put up the antenna but had good reception with the antenna flat on the roof. We both felt very welcome! Staff was nice from our first email contact through our stay. We would stay here again if we had to be in this area again. It was also very reasonably priced. I tend not to like to give prices because they always change from year to year but we only paid $40 for the night. That may be because we reserved the site early in the year - as the rate is now listed at $44 a night. Still a great price! This is the lowest we have paid for a campground in about five years.  And this is no "trailer park" - this is a nice place for a night or two.  Please note that they do not take any credit or debit cards. One must pay by cash or by check.

Village Scene RV Park is located at 2151 Koffel Road, Hatfield, PA  19440 and their phone number is 215-362-6030.  Click here for their RV Park webpage.

The Worst Summer

This summer has been just terrible due to the weather. I realize this has been the case around most of the country but here on the East Coast for the way we travel it pretty much stopped us from traveling.

I am not sure I have said this before but we travel by habit. We tend to go to the same places and look to do the same things and do this year after year. We only have the Roadtrek because we will not stay in hotels - and have not done so since about three or four years before we got the Roadtrek in 2011. There is an article about that near the beginning of the articles of this site. What we needed was a hotel room on wheels or an extension of our home that we could take with us to stay in when we travel. An RV was the logical choice and a Class B was what we could deal with to be able to keep the RV on our suburban driveway at home with local ordinances about where an RV can be kept on one's property.  At times even before all of this we talked about a summer home in one of the places we would go to, but that never happened. The Roadtrek made that possible as a portable summer home. It is a bit like comfort food. Where we go makes us happy and comfortable - it is familiar. Maybe not exciting for most but when we don't do it we feel something is lacking. At times we add a few new places in along the way.

So anyway - back to the point. We have several places that we go to regularly in the summer and through the year either with the Roadtrek for an extended stay or when for a day and back the same day either with the Roadtrek or the car. Some of these places are reenacting related. Some are related to other hobbies (and businesses) that we have. This summer it was either too hot (temps in the mid to upper 90s) with heat indexes up to 105 dF or between when things cooled down, that brought in severe storms.  Many of the things we do in the places that we go to take place outdoors. When I was younger I could much more easily deal with the heat. Now being out and active in this type of heat all day has become difficult.

We have gone to the same place for Fourth of July week since we were married. When we got the Roadtrek we found out that to go to this area with the RV we needed to make a campsite reservation a year in advance - and we have done that - including this year. We avoid weekends and go during the week - to both avoid crowds and avoid tourists in general. We  had five days reserved to go this year. The weather where we were going was severe storms - not very good for outdoor events - and while we have traveled with the Roadtrek during trips in all types of weather conditions including an earthquake - I really don't like being inside the Roadtrek when there is a severe storm outside.  If the weather is going to be rain one day - sunny the next - maybe showers another day but primarily decent - fine. Five days planned with rain and "severe storms" every day. No. And this was the week of Fourth of July where we were going.  We decided that there was no way we were going to waste the money to be in the rain and whatever else that brought with it. We called the campground and asked if we could change the reservation for a week later - which seemed like a good idea at the time. They were accommodating - they had an opening for Fourth of July week and booked a week that is generally quiet. But there was one event that would only take place that week and we kept looking for a day that the weather might be better. By the end of the week - Saturday - it was going to be clear. This had not been a day we would have been there but it was clear and we were going just for the day - and we took the Roadtrek which was ready for travel. And needed the mileage. So off we went - drove with the usual traffic and the three hour trip took over four hours but that was fine because we got to where we wanted to be, had a great day at the event - and came back home in the Roadtrek that night.

We did not look to stay over as we had plans to come back the coming week - which also did not work out between more bad weather and a business problem my wife had to go to a client about. So, surprisingly accommodating, the campground changed the reservation for us the next week. That week there were only three days that were going to not have more severe storms and we decided to put up with the temperatures. We actually did get away for two nights and three days between the storms.  While we were there an event we attend was being held but we decided to skip it and spend the day around the area which turned out to be a great decision because we stopped in a musuem shop that we visit every so often and had not been there in a couple of years and found a reproduction of something 18th Century that I have been looking for for a long time. It was an expense we were not expecting but Meryl said "buy it!". I took a look at the size and did not see how we were going to fit it into the Roadtrek and get it home with damage. Meryl took some measurements and headed out the the Roadtrek and started doing her thing in arranging space where there is no space. She came back in to the shop five minutes later and said - I can fit it in - easy! And she did.

The week after that trip, there is another all outdoor event that we have taken the Roadtrek to overnight at a campground and to the event the next day. That week more severe weather is predicted and it hit this area bad. Not far away from this we are seeing streets flooded to rooftops, cars under water, and roads broken away.  Parking for this event is in a large open dirt field. I decided that there was no way I was taking the Roadtrek - even if the ground was not flooded - as having once gotten a passenger van stuck in the mud with four wheel drive (which only pulled it down into the mud deeper) I was going to avoid even the slightest possibility of that. So we decided we would still go but with the car just for the day and back. I called the day before and asked if they were or had been flooded. I was told - "Oh, no, we have been fine". When we got there half the field to park in was roped off and flooded. A number of exhibitors had not come at all because of the flooding.  The rest was soft. I was very glad we left the Roadtrek home.


At this point we are heading into August and we usually travel for a week to two weeks during August - and I was looking to get to Virginia for the majority of that. I started looking at forecasts and dates we could go. This started to get ridiculous as the weeks started to pass. I was down to looking at where is it not going to rain and have at least a week of travel and sightseeing weather.  I was looking out as far as the Mid-West where there seemed to be more good days than bad but by the time we got there - I really don't know where there would have been but it was west of Ohio - it would have been time to turn around and drive home back through the storms.

Another event that we attend annually - an 18th Century/19th Century folk life festival - is always the weekend near our wedding anniversary and this year it was right on our anniversary. I have never taken the Roadtrek to this event because it is another grass field to park in and this one is a lot of slopes and ruts when it has been a good summer. With the excess rain, I decided that there was no way that I would start bringing the Roadtrek this year - so again we took the car. While we were there - again an all outdoor event - there was a downpour mid-afternoon. We heard later that the next day, there was heavy rains there all day. 

It seemed that this pattern of severe storms and high heat was just not going to change (and it hasn't as it is still happening as I write this). We were at the last two weeks of August and decided we would try to get away for a week if we could - to one of the usual places which seemed to be a maybe as far as the weather. We decided that we would call for a campsite on the morning we would leave and see what happened. We had planned to leave on a Tuesday morning and it was raining where we were going. We had the Roadtrek packed and ready to go. We would try the next morning and when Meryl woke up that morning she felt sick. She had been going through all of this with a pretty bad cold with chest congestion and had started to feel better. She was much better the night before, but that morning she said she felt worse than she had the whole time with this cold - and by then I was starting to get it as well. This was Wednesday. She said that if she felt better by the afternoon we would call the campground and see if we could get a campsite for two nights - there Thursday and Friday and back Saturday (at night). Not what we had planned on but it was something and it was one of our comfort spots.

That afternoon she felt better and she called. The woman on the phone from the campground was a bit uncertain about booking a campsite and she did not say why. Friday was no good - they had nothing open. When we suggested just Thursday with hesitance she said yes - and there are just a few campsites in this campground that we know we can get level in, we asked for a specific site and was told yes - reservation made. It was sunny that day here. I saw on Facebook that night that there had been bad flooding in this area from Tuesday night into Wednesday. We called Wednesday afternoon and nothing was said about flooding so it must not be here. We set out the next day. This campground has a 3:00 PM check in time so we went around to some of our haunts and arrived at the campground around 4:30 PM. Nothing looked unusual. We went into the office and told the people at the desk that we had a reservation. The man behind the counter and the woman were saying something we could not quite make out and then the man handed us the map with the site (that we have been in many times) and said, "The site might be a bit soft. If it is too soft come back and we will give you another site." I was not happy at hearing that and asked why. They had been flooded for the past two days - really flooded. The campground was 3/4's empty - the reason there were no sites for Friday was because they had to move all of their reservations to sites that were usable. Had the woman on the phone said they were flooded we would have understood the hesitancy about making our reservation. On the drive from home, Meryl had suggested that we make a reservation when we got to the campsite for the next Monday and Tuesday - two days that were supposed to be dry but extremely hot. We made the reservation there in the office and the woman said, "The sites should mostly be dry by then!"
 
As we drove the Roadtrek to the campsite around the empty sites we could see that they were moving new gravel into many of the sites. We could see a lot of mud and big ruts where large tires had gone through the grass and the mud. It may have been RVs that had made the ruts or the small tractor that we heard the next morning moving gravel into more campsites. We got to our site and there was mud around in the dirt and grass that surrounded the gravel. I found a level spot well enough away from the edge of the gravel so that getting out there would be no mud to step into. Luckily the gravel was firm and the grass area between where we needed to bring the power cord over the grass to the campground power box was actually solid. The temps were cool those two days and we had a nice, but very short time, knowing when we were leaving Friday that we would be back Monday for another two days.

The Monday and Tuesday we were going back were predicted to be the hottest days of the summer so far - with temps in the high 90's and a heat index advisory over 105 due to the extreme humidity. We left early Monday morning trying,again to avoid the rush hour traffic. It was still stop and go. We spent the day in the van driving and then when we arrived in the area we went to the places we had not gotten to the Thursday/Friday before. With the dash A/C we were able to get some relief between stops. Tuesday was to be the hotter of the two days.  During one stop on Monday the temperature in the Roadtrek hit 105 degrees F.  And the campsite as almost dry - but there were many signs still evident of the flooding and my guess is that the big tire rut in the mud in the grass next to this site will stay there for a very long time.

We had not dumped the tanks on the Friday before when we left as we decided that it would just be easier to dump them before we left the campground on Tuesday. Dumping with the macerator went just too well - not complaining. I filled the black tank with fresh water to top it off by pouring water from the campsite spigot down the toilet from a collapsible bucket that we had found at the end of last year.  The bucket holds a little over a gallon and I topped the tank at 5 buckets of water on top of what was in the tank. The tank emptied to the point that the water just stopped coming out. None of the usual spurts to show it is just about empty. It was mostly liquid and that might be why. I got nervous that there was something wrong with the macerator and I went inside the Roadtrek to the monitor panel - and rare of rare occasions - the tank read EMPTY - actually empty!  I went back out and we dumped the grey tank - and this went the same way - and the water flowed out steadily - there is nothing wrong with the macerator. I never leave the black tank without water in it so that it does not dry out. I filled the bucket again with water and dumped that down the toilet. I checked the monitor and it still read empty - then flashed the 1/3 - which it should as the tank as soon as there is anything in it will start to show 1/3 full (per the RT manual).  Seeing the tank read empty was short lived.Later in the day it read 1/3 and still reads 1/3.

We headed over to a Farmer's Market that we like to go to and spent most of the day there in the heat - with no buildings air conditioned. Before we left the RT in the parking lot I opened the roof fan vent to allow hot air to escape out the vent (not running - just the open lid).  We usually buy lunch from one of the stands and eat outside but we were not going do that in that heat. We went back to the Roadtrek and started the generator and turned on the A/C and had lunch on the front table.  After I opened the fan vent again before we went back out. When we came back to leave later in the afternoon - despite the vent being opened and having run the A/C just a few hours before- the digital thermometer that we have inside the Roadtrek was reading 107 dF. So much for the vent helping to let the heat out.

A few days after we returned home, we learned that a sudden storm came up on the area that we had just been in where the farmers market is located and 11" of rain fell within a few hours. This caused serious flooding and damaging roads.  It is just unbelievable.

The summer is still not "officially" over though I started writing this article on Labor Day. I had thought about a trip up to Connecticut at the end of this week but it is going to rain - and we are currently in another heat wave with advisories until tomorrow night. I am sure there are some of you where this is all normal and usual. It has never been so here. During the summer we had a sudden and not expected severe thunderstorm and streets flooded that have never flooded - and we are beyond the flood zone - in the well over over 50 years that I have lived in this area.  Lightening hit the ground all over - not common here at all. I don't really remember when I have seen that.  And, of course, the power went out which I wish was not that common but tends to be. There are "usual" trips still to come and hopefully we can take them. Once September comes there are a lot of things that involve us that keep us from just taking off - if the weather did improve.

So was there a point to this ramble- only that the weather this summer stunk and still stinks! 😬   Go figure that my article in April - "Pre-Season Opener for My Roadtrek" was going to be typical of our travel for the whole summer!   😩

A Review of the Classic Roadtrek Electrical System

We get a lot of questions from readers about the electrical system in their Roadtrek. We always are happy to respond and answer what we can. In 2012 and 2013 I wrote a series of articles that explain the electrical system in our - and in what I would call a "classic" Roadtrek. Classic meaning a basic system that does not include the new electric options that Roadtrek has introduced since my 2011, starting in about 2013/14. This means no solar panels, no lithium EcoTrek batteries, no VoltStart, and no Engine Generator. This does include coach battery or batteries, shore power plug in, an Onan built in generator, an isolater or separator, an engine battery, and a three in one inverter, converter, charger or two units - inverter and converter/charger.

I will start with a very important tool in understanding the electrical system in these "classic" Roadtrek electrical systems - a computer simulation of the electric system. To use you must specify a year and model in the drop down menu that is at the bottom of the left column on the page. Select 2010 for years 2010, 2011, and 2012 - and possibly 2013. If you have a basic electric system in your Roadtrek beyond those years select 2010 also. IN ADDITION, there is a link at the top of the Simulator page for NOTES.  This will open a PDF file that gives a great deal of explanation. I did not create the simulator nor write the "Notes". I was sent this link by Roadtrek back in 2011 and the author of the simulator has updated the Notes since.

ROADTREK ELECTRIC SIMULATOR

Next, some history as I know it. Originally the electric system used a converter/charger unit and in some (and not in some at all) an inverter unit. The converter/charger charges your batteries and takes 110 volt power and converts it into 12 volt DC power. The inverter takes 12 volt DC power and changes it into 110 volt AC power.

During the 2005 model year, Roadtrek began to change this. Instead of two separate units, they started to install a three in one single unit that provided all three functions - inverter/converter/charger. By 2006 the changeover was complete. If you own a 2005 Roadtrek you may or may not have the single unit - you may have the two separate units.If you have a model year before 2005 you have the two separate units. If you have a 2006 you have the single unit. The single unit installed in 190s, 170s, and 210s is the TrippLite 750. In the Sprinter models, there is also a TrippLite but a more powerful unit - greater in wattage than 750 watts. With the larger unit you can run the microwave oven on your inverter. With the TrippLite 750 you cannot.

At the end of 2010, Roadtrek made another change. They stopped using wet cell deep cycle coach batteries and started using AGM deep cycle coach batteries. The change over is complete with the 2011 Roadtrek model year.  I know many with 2010's that got deep cycle wet cell coach batteries, but some have told me that their 2010 came with AGMs - likely late in the model year.  If you have a 190 and have two coach batteries. With the AGMs these are two 6 volt coach batteries wired in series.

I am not going to go completely though each component in the electrical system again, as the articles from 2012 cover these fairly well - and those articles, I have been told, have helped many. I am going to link those articles here so that it is all in one place. Start with the first introductory article and then read the rest from there. Here are the LINKS -

THE ELECTRIC SYSTEM - Intro

BATTERIES

THE GENERATOR

SHORE POWER

THE INVERTER

LOCATING THE INVERTER

CHARGING THE ROADTREK BATTERIES

IMPORTANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE INVERTER

LOW COACH BATTERIES AND THE GENERATOR

GETTING AN ACCURATE READING OF THE BATTERY VOLTAGE

THE BEST WAY TO KNOW YOUR BATTERY'S VOLTAGE 

PLUGGING INTO AN OUTLET THAT IS NOT 30 AMPS

To give you some brief information not covered in the above, your Roadtrek has either a Battery Isolater OR a Battery Separator. Each provides the same function BUT each works a differently to do this from the other. If you have a Roadtrek before 2006 (or 2005 IF your 2005 has the three in one inverter/converter/charger) you have a BATTERY ISOLATER. If you have a Roadtrek after 2005, you have a BATTERY SEPARATOR (specifically, a Sure Power 1315-200 Bidirectional 12 volt 200 amp battery separator. Either should be located in your engine compartment on the rear wall just about in front of the steering wheel. What these do is keep your engine battery and your coach battery(ies) apart and stop one from draining the other. The engine battery and the coach batteries are linked between these units BECAUSE while you are driving your engine battery will charge your coach battery - and similarly, when plugged into shore power or running your generator, your coach batteries will charge your engine batteries. (There may be some exceptions - see the simulator as this will show you exactly what happens when the engine is running OR the engine is off and you are plugged into shore power or running your generator- specifically for your year and model).  The change from a Battery Isolater to a Battery Separator came because of the TrippLite three in one unit which did not work correctly with a battery isolater. Be aware that the Isolater or Separator do not last forever. They can go bad over time. I have been told that when odd things start happening with your batteries and electrical system the first thing to do is have the isolater or separator checked. It can be tested to see that it is working properly. Now - just a personal observation. This past year I was not certain that the battery separator in my Roadtrek was functioning properly. I have since determined that it does. When I was unsure I set out to find the Sure Power 1315-200 Bidirectional 12 volt 200 amp battery separator to replace it. I assumed - never assume - that it was a common part. It is NOT. I contacted a few local RV dealerships (not Roadtrek) and they did not stock this - some had never heard of this particular model. I did locate it on the Internet at just a few RV parts retailers - in the middle and on the other side of the country. It is not a matter if it goes bad you can get a new one right away. You will wait to have it shipped to you or whoever is going to replace it for you. Interestingly, I have discovered the same thing about AGM 6 volt deep cycle batteries - 12 volt are easy to find - 6 volt are not.

Here are three links to help with the Sure Power 1315-200 Bidirectional 12 volt 200 amp battery separator -

LINK 1

LINK 2

LINK 3

Take your time reading the different articles referenced and linked in this article. Read them more than once. It takes some time to put all of this together and understand how this or that works - or even just what it is and does. 

So there you have it. I am still happy to help and answer your specific questions. It is best to use the Email Us link that is located in the column to the right on this page and email us directly rather than putting a comment on this article. It is much easier to interact with you this way and get the specifics. When you email, please remember to include the year and model Roadtrek that you have (or any RV - we get lots of questions on basics from non-Roadtrek or even Class B owners).

How to Use the Furnace

There are a lot of things that those who have had an RV for awhile just do automatically, but for a first time RV owner there are many things that a good step by step understanding of will help a great deal. I have had several readers email and ask about some of these things and I will try to do some more articles on some of the basics. Since we are now in November and there may still be some who are not ready to set their RV aside for the winter quite yet, I will start with the FURNACE. (If you have a new Roadtrek and don't have a furnace for heat, this does not apply to you.)

The furnace in the Roadtrek and most RVs runs on both PROPANE AND BATTERY. The propane is the fuel used to make the heat. The battery is needed to:

-  Ignite the propane
and
- Run the fan to move the heat out of the furnace and into the RV

I have an article already about propane and you can go there to learn from this two part article about how to turn on your propane and also what to do when you first turn it on to make sure there is propane gas in all of the gas pipes.

So to use your furnace -

TURN YOUR PROPANE ON - Get it into all pipes (see article link above).

TURN YOUR BATTERY SWITCH ON.

The furnace switch is on a control panel. Mine is located at the rear of the cabin on the passenger side on the wall above the bed. I have a mechanical switch with slide switches. The newer Roadtreks have a digital switch with a digital thermostat display. Both do the same functions.

This is what mine looks like. If you have an older Roadtrek yours should look similar.

Here is what the digital switch looks like -

MAKE SURE THE SWITCHES ARE SET AS FOLLOWS:

FAN SET TO AUTO

FAN SPEED SET TO LO OR HIGH

THERMOSTAT SET TO TEMPERATURE WARMER THAN INSIDE YOUR COACH

THEN 

SLIDE THE SWITCH (or push buttons on the digital version) TO FURNACE

What should happen now is you will hear the blower fan inside the furnace turn on. It will be blowing cold air - that is what it is supposed to do right now. After a short time you will hear a CLICK. That CLICK is the battery run ignition lighting the propane.

IF THE FURNACE KEEPS CLICKING it means that the propane did not light. IT WILL ATTEMPT TO LIGHT SEVERAL MORE TIMES. If it does not light turn off the Furnace switch on the wall and check that all setting are as described above, that there is PROPANE in the tank, and it has been run through all the lines as that link above tells you how to do. Once checked, turn on the Furnace switch again.

HOW DO I KNOW IF IT HAS LIT?

There will be no more clicks and in a few minutes when you put your hand in front of the furnace vent inside there will be heat coming out and not cold air.

Your furnace is now in operation!

Set your thermostat lower if it gets too warm or higher if it is not warm enough. What will happen is with the settings on AUTO the furnace will turn off when it reaches the temperature set and turn back on when the temperature gets colder again. This cycling on and off is NORMAL.

OH MY! OH NO! THE SMOKE ALARM IS GOING OFF!!!

DON'T PANIC!

OPEN A WINDOW OR OPEN YOUR CEILING FAN VENT AND TURN ON THE FAN TO EXHAUST.

The first time that a new furnace is turned on, the furnace flame will burn off any packing oil that the furnace parts were coated with. This will result in a lot of smoke and a sharp burning smell. This IS NORMAL!  Once the smoke that this results in clears and is out the window or the fan, you can push the button to stop the smoke detector and it will not go off again. If it does, there is still more to burn off and exhaust out.

THIS MAY HAPPEN THE FIRST SEVERAL TIMES YOU LIGHT THE FURNACE - OR NOT.

THIS WILL OFTEN ALSO HAPPEN THE FIRST TIME THE FURNACE IS TURNED ON FOR A NEW SEASON. Dust, etc. collects inside the furnace and this too burns off when the furnace is ignited and will set off the smoke detector. IF it does, just do the same as above to stop it.

TURNING OFF THE FURNACE -

You would think that this is just as simple as moving the switch to OFF - and it IS, BUT...

When you turn the furnace off the flame will go out BUT the furnace fan will run for several minutes to cool off the inside of the furnace. THIS IS NORMAL! But it is very disconcerting. It troubles me when I first use the furnace after awhile and I never have gotten used to this. You hear it keep running. It will stop. Even though, if you are like me, you don't think it will stop - it will stop.

The furnace is VENTED outside. Here is a photo of the vent usually located on a Roadtrek just past the driver's door on the side of the van:

Always keep this vent CLEAR! If you are in the RV in the winter and it has snowed. Clear this off of snow if you are going to put on the furnace. If there has been an ice storm, clear all of the openings of this vent of ice. If you do not DO NOT TURN ON THE FURNACE. There are also special screens made and sold just for this vent to keep bugs out. Bugs can build nests or webs and cause all types of problems for the furnace.

That is it! You now are an expert in using your RV furnace!


 

Observations Based on Online Encounters with Some RV Owners

It is important - in my opinion - that if one is looking at making an investment in an RV or Travel Trailer whether new or pre-owned, that one do a good deal of research on RVs/Travel Trailers in general and then when shopping and purchasing learn as much as possible about that RV/TT about that particular RV/TT. And then when making the purchase, don't leave the seller - whether it is a private owner or a dealer - without being given a detailed tour and orientation about everything inside and outside what they are buying.

I am online a lot and spend a great deal of that time either in RV forums or RV Facebook Groups (discussion groups) - and not just those specific to Roadtrek. You can learn a lot about RVs in general that apply to all RVs on some of these groups and forums. Those relating just to Roadtreks are a wealth of information and understanding about Roadtreks - both new and old. But this is not an article about forums.

Last night I was on an RV Facebook Group for new RV owners. There was a member of the group asking for help, and since it was late at night there was no one responding to her. I decided to try to help her. She has a "Camper Van" (in her words) and has had no power for the past four days. She was asking if there are circuit breakers in camper vans. She also said that she was not plugged in and was on batteries when things went off. A Camper Van is another term for Class B RV - whether professionally manufactured or home-built. I started with a response to her to explain that the 110 volt electric system in a Class B (camper van) is generally on circuit breakers and that the 12 volt electric system is on fuses. She came back in a couple of minutes asking where to find the fuse box. I told her where mine is - which certainly would be no help to her if she did not have the same RV - but offered this as an example of places to look including other likely spots around the inside of her van. I also told her that it really depended on the make, model, and year of her Class B - and could she share that with us in a response. What she answered was a 26 year old make and model of a GMC van - she gave the specific make and model of this van, but it was only the name of the van - not any company name of who manufactured the camper van - and this told me that likely this was a camper van that someone put together themselves - which is fine - but my next response was asking her if that was so - and if so, it was anyone's guess where the builder put the fuse/circuit breaker panel/box. In the course of the discussion, I asked her if the Battery Switch was ON. Her answer - "do I have a battery switch?" I then proceeded to explain what a battery switch is - and was not certain that an RV conversion would not have a battery switch. She had been out several days when the power went out and I said to her that my guess is that her batteries need to be charged and using them drained them out. She told me that she had run the engine for a "little while" and that did not help. Well, as I explained, running the engine for a little while is not going to anything - and the van would need to be driven at highway speeds for several hours to bring the batteries up to full charge.

So what is the point of this story? Here is a new RV owner who has purchased a "camper van" that is 26 years old that she knows nothing about. It is very evident that whoever she bought it from did not show her where everything is - nor, likely, did she know to ask to be shown that. She does not understand how the systems in her RV work and while she gets a big plus for trying to get help from fellow RVers on this group, she does not know enough detail about her RV to provide information to get a good response.

This is just one example of many instances where new owners of RVs have no idea about what they own, what it can do, what it can't do, and how it does anything that it does.  If any of you are buying an RV or Travel Trailer do not leave the seller without the seller completely detailing everything to you. RV dealers will do this. Some better than others. They will take you through your new or new to you RV and show you where everything is and how everything works. Hopefully, they will know what they are talking about. When we took delivery of our Roadtrek - and I have told this story in an article here before - we met the new salesman who took over for our salesman who had left the dealership for the first time. He was the one who gave us our "demonstration" of our new Roadtrek. He was very enthusiastic and friendly, but he did not know a thing about our Roadtrek. I prepared for the delivery of our Roadtrek for weeks in advance. I learned everything that I could on a Class B forum - I don't think that the Roadtrek groups on Facebook existed then. I asked on the forum about where things were and what to ask about at delivery. I was ready to be shown it all on the day of delivery and knew what I needed to ask about and to ask how to do everything. The only problem was that the salesman knew less than I did. I have since referred to him as the "plumb dumb salesman" and when we got home - after a night in the Roadtrek trying to make sense out of some of the nonsense that he told us, I let the dealership owner know about his new salesman and our delivery. During this "walk through" or "demo", he was telling us where things are and at one point a service tech walked by shaking his head "no". I stopped him and asked and he came over and corrected what the salesman was telling us at that moment. But the salesman ventured on. He turned on a switch in the back of the cargo area of our 190 near the floor - looking in with the cargo doors open. He told me it controlled something with a name so far out that I can't even remember now what he said. He left that switch on. That night when we were at the campground - always stay near the dealership if the dealer is any distance from your home at a campground that first night after delivery in case you need to go back after finding something wrong - we got into bed and turned off the lights. We were both nervous about this very new to both of us experience. A few minutes later, , Meryl said to me, "Something is glowing back here. There is a light on." I asked where - she said "Under the bed." Yes, there was. There was light coming up from behind the bed - which is right up against the cargo doors. No one ever said that there were lights under the bed back there. Well, that was the switch the guy pushed that afternoon - and they had been on ever since. And confounded by this strange glow coming up from under the back of the bed, I realized this. I was not going to get dressed to go outside to open the back doors to get to that switch and I have to say, that it took quite a contortionist act to reach over the back of the bed's rear board and work my hand down to where that switch was and turn it off. So - more reason to know as much about your new RV as you can before you take delivery. Some RV manufacturers have their manual's for download for their RVs. Roadtrek has these going back a number of years. You can get the manual this way before you get the RV. Bottom line be prepared and get the seller to show you where everything is and how it all works.

Let's meander a little more. I come across so many people who are shopping for RVs and don't know anything about RVs in general. Someone recently was asking about what Class B to buy to go to Alaska in the winter. That question was met with a lot of similar answers about the limitations of many Class Bs - and RVs that are not designed specifically for four season cold weather travel - and those are mostly large Class A bus type RVs that have special heating units that will warm any plumbing or tanks exposed outside under the RV. And even with those systems the need to have 110 volt power generated or plugged in 24/7 to keep the heating systems working. At least this person asked before they went ahead and purchased. Some don't - some plan to live full time in their RV with no idea that there might be a problem in the winter months with freezing weather. I have read many posts from those who learned this the hard way when their first full freeze weather hit and froze their pipes.

Then there are the people who buy an RV or Travel Trailer over the Internet sight unseen - not inspected - and have it delivered to them across the country - after money has been paid. And, of course, when they get it, it is nothing as described, what was supposedly working is not working, and it in no way suits their needs - because in the photos it looked bigger and better than it really was. Photos can be taken in a way to make something small look very spacious and large. What can they do then? Some have discovered that there is little that they were able to do - but have to fix what needed to be fixed or sell with as little loss as possible. Never buy an RV sight unseen - even if buying new, if that year is not on the lot, you want to see a year model that will be the same or as close to the same as you are buying. We saw and test drove a 2010 and we got a 2011 - there was no  difference from our 2011 OTHER than the switch to AGM batteries in 2011 but later learned that we also did not get a slide out battery compartment which had been standard on Roadtreks before our year. These were OK changes - the battery change, great, the no slide out battery compartment - not so great.

No matter if buying new or pre-owned always test drive. Oh, that was a good story. The older woman who bought sight unseen from a relative's friend, had the Class B delivered to her from several states away and found out when she finally got it that she could not drive it. It was too much for her to handle - and then had to sell it - at a loss.

And please, if buying pre-owned, have the RV inspected by both a vehicle mechanic of your choosing and also by an RV technician of your choosing. There are RV techs who just do this or you pay an RV service center to do a full inspection of all systems. So many stories about how good a deal the RV was until they bought it - not inspected - and found out that it needs thousands of dollars in repairs, often to the point that they could have paid much more originally for one in good working order and saved a great deal over what they paid plus the cost of repairs and replacements. I don't know - maybe I value my money more than others? If I am buying something, I want to be absolutely sure it is going to work before I spend a dollar. A small investment in these inspections - even though they will come out of your pocket - is better than finding out you have a money pit after the sale is done.

A good book for first time RV owners or shoppers - The Complete Idiot's Guide To RVing by Brent Peterson. I bought this book in Borders, when there was still a Borders,  when we were first shopping for an RV. I wanted a book that explained all of the systems clearly. This one was the clearest. It also goes into picking and shopping for an RV - and tells you about the different types. Good book. Others have recommended this book also.  The book is still around and certainly can be found on line.

One last story - a couple bought an RV from a very nice couple not a far distance away. They did everything that they should do - just as described here. It seemed like the perfect sale. At the time the money changed hands, the very nice people selling the RV told them that they could not get to the bank vault to get the Title certificate for the RV so they will be certain to mail it to the new owners.  In most states, if not all, one cannot register a vehicle including an RV without a Title certificate. Since these were such lovely people, the new owners did not think anything of it - and the gentleman selling even drove the RV to their home. A week went by and no Title certificate. Attempts were made to contact the seller. No response. They went back to the seller's home only to find that they had moved away. Was this a scam? Maybe, maybe not, but this couple was stuck. They could not register the RV and they could not sell it with the Title certificate. I never did hear how that all turned out but I am sure it did not turn out well. These are not Internet myths - these are people reporting what has happened and are asking for help from other RVers about what to do.

So, if you have followed my wandering here, you have come away with a lot of dos and don'ts. Do the dos - don't do the don'ts.