Corrections
Address Update
The address for the Travel Keepsake map that was included in the “RV Products” column of the March 2011 issue (page 34) was provided to us incorrectly. The correct address for the company should be 352 Motorcoach Drive S., Polk City, FL 33868.
It’s A Sine
The answer to a letter in the June 2011 “House Calls” column titled “Refrigeration Swap” (page 27) contained incorrect spellings of the term “sine waves.” FMC regrets this error, which occurred during the editing process.
A Heater Core Note
Dear Editor:
Peter D. Du Pre mentioned engine cooling in his “Cooling System Basics” article (March 2011, page 38). Then in the May 2011 “Readers’ Forum” column, Steve Haeffele described how he rerouted heat from the heater core of his motorhome engine (page 19).
Heater cores have been a project of mine since living in Florida heat and growing up without air-conditioning. I have installed faucet-style shutoffs and bypasses on the radiator hose coolant lines to the heater core of my motorhome. This prevented a lot of heat from being dumped into the passenger compartment. Even with no fan motor, running the heater core lets the heat drift into the inside of the vehicle.
The rerouting that Steve Haeffele suggested solves this problem. One caveat to his plan is that by shutting off/bypassing the radiator hose around the heater core, the inside core (tubing) of the heater core can rust faster due to an air pocket that can form. Solutions to that can be to either turn on the shutoff valve from time to time to lubricate the core tubing with antifreeze/coolant or to not shut off the flow completely.
John Merlet, F405626
Winter Park, Florida
Is TV Placement An Afterthought?
Dear Editor:
In the June 2011 feature article about the 32-foot Monaco Vesta (page 66), I noted that yet another motorhome has been designed to prevent comfortable TV watching. The television in the Vesta is mounted at a neck-tiring 90-degree angle relative to the couch. Of course, when parked, one could use the driver and passenger seats for TV viewing (which may be fine for some, but is too far from the TV for me, unless I use binoculars).
I don’t mean to pick on Monaco. Other manufacturers design coaches with a similar inconvenience. Placing the TV over the dash is just as bad. It seems that the coach designers just stick the TV wherever they can find enough wall space for it, without thinking of viewer comfort. Also, as far as the Vesta goes, the TV is blocked from view if the slideout is not extended. I am not suggesting that one should watch TV while driving, but passengers (especially children) may wish to do so while on long trips.
Robert B. Martin, F395438
Nacogdoches, Texas
Editor’s note: A Monaco RV official noted that the TV is in a different location in the 35-foot Vesta. You can take a look at this additional floor plan at www.monacocoach.com.
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