Second Fiddle

This has been a disappointing Pumpkin year. Starting with generator issues, then the LP tank, Russ's surgery, new pups, and my bum shoulder. We just weren't able to get off the ground. But, the generator is fixed, we have a new propane tank, Russ's surgery went great, but there is still the new pups. We haven't settled on just how they are going to travel. Ditto always rode on a pillow between Joyce and the door. That won't work now, with two dogs. We're hoping we can train them to each take a back seat, but I fear that will take some doing. So, until we get them ready to ride and get them both leash trained, any long distance trip is unlikely. We might make it up to Stephen's in St. Joseph. He has a well fenced back yard and Izzy to keep the pups occupied. Or, we might make it to Dustin's in Chesterfield, but it would be a hassle since Hannah doesn't have a fence. Maybe we could get some quickie fence posts and a roll of chicken wire and make them a temporary pen. But, if we have to go through that much trouble, Dusty would owe us a steak or something. In the meantime, Pumpkin is having to play second fiddle.

I've not been totally stagnant with Pumpkin. A couple of weeks ago, Joyce heard a beeping sound coming from Pumpkin (she had to hear it because I can't hear squat). It turned out being the LP leak detector. It is designed to sound an alarm if it detects propane (or dog farts, etc.). The sensor has a lifetime of about 5 years. Ours was original equipment and we bought Pumpkin a little over six years ago. So, the beeping was the alarm telling us it was about to die. I ordered a new one and installed it easily, so that's done. Then just a couple of days ago, Joyce heard a beeping again. Assuming the new LP detector was either bad or we actually had an LP leak, I went out to see what I could do. It would beep about every 30 seconds. I could hear it easily. However, when you can only hear in one ear, determining just where a sound is coming from is quite difficult. I looked down at the LP detector (they are located close to the floor because LP is heavier than air). It has an LED that lights up green if it is good, blinks red if not good, and is extinguished if off. It was glowing solid green. I still wasn't sure and could not tell if the beep was coming from the LP detector. I slowly got down on my knees so I could place my good ear close to the alarm. It still sounded somewhat distant. Groaning, I got back to my feet and listened. "Beep". I still couldn't tell where it was coming from. Then I looked up and there it was, the smoke alarm. Of course, the battery was, no doubt bad by now. I popped it open and...no battery at all in it. It had a place for a 9v battery, but none there. I wondered if this alarm was hard-wired to the 12 volt coach battery. To see what was going on, I took the ceiling mounted smoke alarm down, but there were no connecting wires...and the beep continued. Obviously, it wasn't coming from this smoke alarm. It was then I recalled having to remove the battery shortly after we bought Pumpkin because Joyce would set it off every time she cooked something. But, as I said, the beep goes on. I moved toward the rear of the coach and it did seem to get a little louder. That was when I noticed the red light flashing on the CO (carbon monoxide) detector, also mounted to the ceiling. I popped it loose and tested the battery. It tested a little low (with no load), so I'm assuming it was a weak battery. I should receive a new battery...oh, today! I haven't checked the mail yet.

Begrudgingly, I winterized Pumpkin a couple of days ago. It is obvious we aren't going to need water in the tank any time soon. It's still ready to roll except we can't use the toilet which is pretty much a show stopper for both Joyce and me. Well, not entirely, just less convenient. But, Pumpkin is ready for winter. I am not, however.

The money pit thrives. Oh, not just yet, but all the batteries (3 of them) are 6 years old and could go any time now. The engine start battery will cost around $150-$200. It's in a totally inaccessible area under the driver's side floor so it ready needs to be a totally maintenance-free battery. It has an AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) which is good, but expensive. Then there's the two batteries that power the coach. They are also in inaccessible areas (one behind each rear wheel well underneath) and they are even more expensive AGM batteries. Money, money, money. But, that's all it is. Just money. Maybe I can nurse them along one more year.

Alley Pups

We left Elephant Rocks and made a big loop up around Salem and then back down to Alley Spring where we spent the night. We had planned on going there for some time now. However, while at the campground we decided we did not feel like touring the place and we headed on home. At morning coffee Joyce asked if Ava was on our way home. I said, "It could be. Why?" Then she said she'd like to go be there to look at a Westie pup that was advertised there. We had been looking at Westies before we came on this trip. This was one she had found nearby...and we missed Ditto terribly. For the rest of this story, go to https://westiegirls.blogspot.com/. That will explain what happened.

Elephants and Dogs

After our canceled trip plans we were still itching to go somewhere in Pumpkin and maybe try out the generator. As long as we were within phone reach and less than a day away, we felt comfortable leaving Russ and Mike if we were needed (Russ is OK, as it turned out). So, we decided to make a little 1-2 night shake-down cruise. Tues. the 3rd, we headed east toward Elephant Rocks in Eastern Missouri. We stopped and spent the night at Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park. But, something wasn't quite right. This was our first trip without Ditto. I was looking back over the past posts and realized I had not mentioned Ditto. We lost our little Ditto on July 24. We were, needless to say, heartbroken. Ditto was our traveling buddy. She took every trip we ever made with us in our first Pumpkin and in our current Lil' Pumpkin. This trip was difficult when we let ourselves think about it. So, we tried not to, but not too successfully.

The next morning, we headed out to Elephant Rocks State Park. It was only a few miles, so we arrived there just before noon.

Johnson Shut-Ins and Elephant Rocks are beautiful places to visit, but something was missing.

Trip Interrupted

We were working our way up to a nice trip to New York and on to Nova Scotia (another try). We did not want to be on the road over Labor Day weekend as finding camping spots can get trying. So, our plan was to leave about August 26 or 27. We wanted to arrive by Friday before the holiday weekend.

Then things began to fall apart. Russ was having heart problems and it looked like he was going to have surgery. He had an appointment shortly before the holiday to determine the next step, which most likely surgery. So, we felt we needed to stay home a while longer, at least, until we knew what was to happen and sure enough, he was to have surgery. Then, we were told Tom and Julie were flying to Idaho on Sept. 5. This meant the most time we would have with them would only a few days during which they would be preparing for their trip. The last straw was we were both (Joyce and I) feeling rather depleted. It just wasn't going to be a fun trip under those restrictions.

Since we backed out of the trip to New York, we began considering a trip to Idaho to Skyler's where Tom and Julie were going. Skyler was planning a camping trip for all an invited us. We would have to get there by the weekend to join the party. But, then the news came that Russ's surgery would be Thurs. the 5th. If all went well, we could leave about the 6th and that was "if". We're old and can't change direction like we used to anymore. We gave up. But, the generator runs well.

Tanked

Well, 'RV' Mike got the new tank and regulator installed a couple of weeks ago.  Looks pretty, but did not fix the generator problem. I was afraid of that. So, I bit the bullet and took it to Cummins Generator. The last time I had them do anything for me cost $854. Needless to say, I wasn't too happy to have to depend on them again. I was given an estimate of about $1,200 (gulp). We considered not getting it fixed and just using the little 2000 watt portable we had bought. But, the portable would not run the air conditioner and would require space to haul it around, plus carrying a 1-2 gal. gas can. I opted to get it fixed.

I dropped the RV off on Monday afternoon. They (Cummins) hoped to have it ready late Tuesday afternoon, maybe Wednesday. They called me Tuesday afternoon to tell me they had to order a regulator and it would probably be in Wednesday, the next day...and it was.

Late Wednesday, it still wasn't fixed. The regulator was not the problem. Thursday passed and still no fix. Friday I was told they would continue working on it next Monday.

Monday afternoon the tech determined the problem was the fuel line between the regulator and the carburetor. He didn't have the right part in stock but was able to temporarily install a piece of hose to prove it was the problem. It was! Of course, that meant one had to be ordered and, of course, hope it would come in Tuesday and the generator fixed Tuesday afternoon. It did, but it wasn't. It was finally fixed and ready for pick up Wednesday afternoon. Cost - $594 (better than the last repair, but still danged high for replacing a piece of hose.

The good news is, the generator starts immediately and supports the air conditioner, no sweat. In fact, it starts better than it ever has, even when new. I think the old hose may have been leaking all along. So, where to next?

Long Time No See

It's been a long time since I've posted on Pumpkin. We haven't done much since winter. As usual, we've had some big plans, but seems like something always gets in the way. However, that doesn't mean Pumpkin has been totally dormant.  I'll try to catch you up.

Last fall, I winterized Pumpkin as usual.  As winter set in, I would check on Pumpkin about once a month and during that check, I would start the generator and let it run for 30 minutes or so under a medium load. This is recommended by Onan to help keep corrosion off the windings. 

Last April, I decided it was time to de-winterize (drain and flush the antifreeze from the freshwater system) and prepare for hitting the road again. In the process, I tried to start the generator again, but it wouldn't start.  Funny, because it started without fail throughout the winter months.  I had just had it worked on (to the tune of nearly $900 last year), so I was a little surprised and a bit miffed.  I've had a lot of trouble with the propane regulator in the past and have had several changed beginning about a year after we bought Pumpkin in 2013.  So, I suspected the same problem even though the symptoms were a little different than before.  The generator would start then immediately shut down.  The error code (3-6) wasn't very helpful, but still implied a propane problem (it is a propane-fueled generator).  I managed to change the filter I had added a couple of years ago, but other than that, it's getting too difficult for me to crawl around under the RV.  So, when the filter did not help, I took it to an RV shop in Forsyth that I'm familiar with and trust.  I had him change the filter.  In the process, he said he detected liquid propane coming from the vapor outlet, which is a no-no.  A propane tank is filled to only 80% full to leave a space above the liquid for LP vapor to collect as a gas.  It is this gas that is supposed to go to the regulator, not liquid.  He recommended I take it to a propane supplier/repair shop, which I did.  They reported liquid propane coming from the vapor outlet, too.  The tank was bad.  There is a pipe or tube that sticks up into the vapor area of the tank with the other end connected to the vapor outlet or main outlet valve where the regulator connects.  Apparently, this tube or a weld is fractured or has a pinhole in it, allowing liquid propane to get into the vapor outlet tube and work its way into the regulator.  This is not a good thing.  It will damage the regulator diaphragm and cause malfunction of the regulator, either pressure too low or, possibly, pressure too high, so we couldn't use the gas system at all.  Not even the cooktop.  Dang!  I checked online to find out replacement cost, but could not find one that would fit.  So, I checked directly with Winnebago.  Yay!  They have them in stock.  Boo!  They want $1359.00 for one!

I tried RV salvage yards and other possible sources, but no luck.  I finally resigned myself to paying Winnebago's price.  Then it occurred to me to check with the manufacturer directly instead of Winnebago.  I contacted Manchester Tank for a replacement quote.  First, they wanted the specific cat# off a plate welded on the tank.  So, I managed to crawl under again with my cell phone and got a couple of photos.

The Manchester Customer Service was interested in the rust, as well, so I gave them a couple more photos of the valve area.

I asked the Customer Service agent for a quote on a new tank and was told they do not sell retail.  I would have to get a dealer to order one, and immediately, I pictured that $1359.00 Winnebago price.  I decided to beg a little and asked if Manchester would consider helping with the cost of replacement.  The Customer Service agent said she would present it to their Quality Control Dept. for determination.  It would take a few days, so I had to wait.  In the meantime, summer is ticking on by.  It was June 6 and it appeared we weren't going camping any time soon.

Days passed and finally, I got a response from Manchester on June 17.  They agreed to replace the tank at no cost!  They weren't even going to charge shipping!  But, they would not ship directly to me as that would, apparently, put them at some liability risk since I was not a certified servicer.  I gave them my servicer's name and address.  The agent responded back that they would make a production run of that cat# on July 19.  That chews even further into our summer travel plans, but I wasn't going to look this gift horse in the mouth.  Looks like it's Labor Day or later for us.

In the meantime, we're waiting for a call from the RV servicer to tell us when he receives the new tank.  Once he has it, it should not take more than a day or two to be up and running again.

But, after all this, I still don't know if the generator will run.