Load Bearing
Dear RV Doctor:
How do you put a load on a generator in the winter? You recommend running the air conditioners to exercise the generator, but that doesn’t seem practical during the cold winter months.
Dennis Daniels, F392656, Northport, Alabama
I mentioned the air conditioners only because they typically require the largest current draw of any appliances in the motorhome. You are correct; it may be difficult to get the air conditioner compressors going in the dead of winter, so other appliances may be better options for putting a load on the generator.
Actually, the load can be a combination of any current-drawing appliances that add up to approximately 50 percent of the rated output of the generator. So, you could bake a pan of brownies in the microwave oven, turn on the refrigerator using the AC mode, plug in various AC devices, etc. If you have a diesel-pusher motorhome, you may choose to turn on the engine block heater, since most elements draw 1,000 watts or more. A portable heater also can put a healthy load on the generator.
When combining appliances in this manner, you’ll have to do the math to determine your 50 percent requirement based on the wattage rating of the generator. If the loads you use have only a known amperage rating, simply multiply the amperage times 120 to obtain the wattage. Run the generator at 50 percent capacity for two or three hours every month and your exercised generator will thank you.
Fiberglass Folly?
Dear RV Doctor:
I have a Holiday Rambler motorhome with a fiberglass roof. The dealer said that I need to seal the roof once a year with a rubber sealing product. I have read that a fiberglass roof does not need any special treatment unless there is a crack or other damage. Do I need to seal the roof each year as the dealer said, or just check it now and then to see if there are any cracks and repair them as needed?
Bob Post, Fort Worth, Texas
Typically, a fiberglass roof does not need to be sealed unless it has been damaged or other circumstances demand it. That’s one of the advantages of having a fiberglass roof. But you do need to periodically inspect it and perhaps apply new sealant along the cap or center seam, or around anything attached to the roof, such as sewer vents, skylights, refrigerator vent, roof rack, ladder, antennas, air conditioners, etc. But sealing the entire fiberglass roof surface with a rubber product is not necessary unless severe deterioration has taken place. Just inspect it often, keep it clean, and apply a protectant a few times each year and you should be good to go.
Size Matters
Dear RV Doctor:
How do I determine what size awning will fit on my motorhome? It has an awning rail that does not extend from end to end. I have asked nearby RV dealers, and they all recommend that I bring the coach in so they can determine what size awning my motorhome can accommodate and they could then install the awning. I would like to know how to determine the size myself so I can make sure I get the longest awning possible before I take it in.
Mary Lapelle, Greensboro, North Carolina
Most RV manufacturers install support blocking inside the sidewall for a very specific awning length. Typically, if the coach did not come with an awning, a decal or sticker may highlight the location of the blocking. Or there may be a mention of the length in the owners manual. Depending on the age of your motorhome, it may indeed necessitate a visual inspection to determine the exact length. There must be unimpeded room for the vertical arms to reach from the rail to the floor, without interfering with the entry door, storage bay doors, slideouts, appliances, or other obstructions. Proper support blocking is essential for a successful awning installation. You may be able to identify the location yourself, but I’d suggest an inspection by a professional technician just to be sure.
Silence, Please
Dear RV Doctor:
My family often gathers just outside of Yuma, Arizona, for some fun in the sand. We have a Type A motorhome that is usually full of friends and family. It is dry camping at its finest. I am an early bird and like my cup of coffee first thing in the morning. However, I usually wake everyone up when I start the generator. Is there an easy (alternative) solution to making coffee without running the generator? I have tried an inverter from a cigarette lighter adapter, but the coffeemaker requires too much power.
Jeff Beard, Gilbert, Arizona
Actually, you have several options for making coffee without using the generator. You could have a larger inverter installed in the motorhome, which would provide the necessary AC power to run your coffeemaker. Or you could purchase a 12-volt-DC coffeemaker to utilize the available DC power from the house batteries.
You could also boil water on the stove, or even a camp stove or grill, and make coffee using several methods. One is to purchase a stove-type percolator that is available in the camping areas of many mass merchandise stores. If you can find a coffeepot with a filter holder and filter, boil water in a separate pot and pour the water through the grounds, which replicates the action of an automatic coffeepot. You also might check into purchasing a French press coffeemaker, which doesn’t require any power, only hot water and coffee that’s been ground specifically for the device. Of course, as a last resort you could make instant coffee.
One other suggestion: Purchase a quality vacuum flask — more commonly known as a Thermos bottle — brew a pot of coffee, and fill the flask with it before heading to bed. That way you will have coffee ready in the morning.
Stubborn Tubing
Dear RV Doctor:
I have a drain valve on my fresh water system that needs to be replaced. It is a plastic valve on a 1/2-inch opaque plastic water line. I have completely backed off the locking rings and can spin the valve easily, but I can’t get the water line to budge off the single barb fitting. No amount of twisting, prying, or pulling seems to move it. I have considered cutting the line and replacing it, but I’m leery of damaging the tubing. I want to keep the old tubing, as I don’t have a source for it around here. Another idea is to heat the water line with a hair dryer to soften it and then I could slide the old valve out, save the tubing, and replace it with the new drain valve. Any ideas?
Dave Freed, Rutherford, New Jersey
Nothing is more frustrating — well, there are a few things — than trying to disengage a water line fitting once it has taken set. Once those lock rings clamp down, they distort the tubing to the extent that it will not easily slip off the fitting. In the shop, we either cut the tubing with a razor knife parallel to the barbed fitting and extend the remainder of the tubing to reach the new valve (or perhaps add a longer section of tubing), or heat the tubing with a hair dryer to loosen the grip. It sounds as though you have PEX tubing, since you say it’s opaque. You can order a short piece of the tube online, or you may find it at one of the major home repair stores. And since it’s on the non-pressurized side, you won’t need any special crimping tools or fittings. Just a common hose clamp or the proper size O ring should work for a drain line. One of the attributes of PEX is that it can be heated and cooled many times over without altering its molecular structure. That’s a good thing!
{loadpositionEndBlurbHouseCalls}