We had rocky start with our little motorhome but, after fixing all of the problems with the basic construction, things have been pretty calm for the last four years. Our water pump failed, most likely due to poor design, and we switched out the cheap RV faucet on the kitchen sink for a residential one but everything else in the living quarters has been fine. The truck has preformed flawlessly. The tires were recently replaced at 60,000 miles and we had to get a new starting battery about a year ago. That’s it!
Well, nothing lasts forever - time to get jolted back to reality! We heard a little ticking noise in the engine and went to a dealer to get it checked out – broken bolts and leaking exhaust manifolds. Yikes! Woke up the next morning to warm milk - 45 degrees in the refrigerator. We went to a RV repair shop where the problem was diagnosed as a blocked cooling tube. Banging on the tube to break the blockage didn’t work so we have a choice of getting a new refrigerator, replacing the cooling unit with standard equipment or replacing it with an upgraded cooling unit from RV Cooling Unit Warehouse. The upgraded unit costs almost as much as a new refrigerator but it’s supposedly a much better unit so we’re having one installed in our old refrigerator.
Tony is even getting in on the repairs. :- D He’s had a couple hernias for years. Lately they’ve been causing pain at times so he’s getting them fixed. The procedure should be simple – laparoscopic so no cutting or stitches and back to normal in three days. Crossing our fingers!
So we’ll be sitting in shops and waiting rooms for a couple of weeks. We might sneak in a few side trips in but my posts on the blog will be way down. Thanks for visiting and please check back in a few weeks. :- )
Sorry to hear, never any fun having RV repairs or people repairs. Good luck with it all. --Dave
ReplyDeleteThanks Dave. At least they're all fairly simple - I hope!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your problem, I had to replace my cooling unit last summer and chose the cooling unit warehouse. The first unit worked great and was freezing food in the frig at normal setting but lasted less then a month. They were good to reply that the unit was defective after I sent them pictures of the residue under the heat source and sent me another one night away with free return shipping for the defective unit. Where I changed my own that wasn't a big deal but paying labor for replacing two units can add up. Had I not been able to do my own I think I would have opted for a new frig.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading your posts and keep notes about the places you write about that I might visit. I can't walk because of a late onset disease called FA (Friedreich's ataxia) I also can't use a manual wheelchair, co-ordination of arms won't let me keep it going straight so I use a mobility cart and power chair.
Hope your repairs turn out good.
Mickey
Thanks for the information about your cooling unit. I hope that we have better luck. Did you have help removing the refrigerator? That was a sticking point for us because I can't help and the friends that we have in Florida are not very physical. We figured the refrigerator would be too heavy and awkward for Tony to do it on his own.
DeleteI'm glad that you're enjoying the posts. Please let me know if you need more or different information. It so frustrating to travel to a place and then find out that it not very accessible.
I did it by myself, both times but I was in my yard with the required tools, hardest part was getting it on the floor from its perch in the wall.Getting it out and to the place where I changed the unit was simple, again, having the right tools helped, in this case a backhoe, then block and tackle to remove and replace the units.
DeleteBeing on SS makes for difficult choices, I can't afford to hire help and therefore tend to evaluate situations for long periods before undertaking projects. Took me 4 days to change the first unit but I wasn't pressed for time.
I've had challenges that tested my abilities but was always able to overcome them. Driving from CT home to CA was one of them, broken right leg in a cast with leg resting on engine cover in class A towing a car on a trailer. Changing a clutch in a 4X4 3/4 ton pickup in a motel parking lot was definitely one of the super challenges but four days later I was on the road, being it happened on a holiday weekend the garage couldn't even take me until 2 or 3 days after I had completed the work and was on the road. That time I wasn't sure I could complete the job but but waiting for the garage to do it wasn't acceptable, I don't do well with nothing to do.
One of the other challenges that was completed with the help of my brother, in his yard, was changing a blown engine in the same class A in December, when I fell and broke my leg. Help was definitely appreciated that time. RV living does have it's challenges but I believe that they are all worth the time and in the end all worthwhile.
Looking forward to results of your frig repairs and results.
Mickey
Wow, you have a ton of perseverance! I can't even imagine the amount of effort that it took to complete any of those jobs.
DeleteOur cooling unit hasn't arrived at the shop yet. I think that the storms have slowed shipping. I'll let you know if we like it better than the original one, although that one worked better than the one in our previous RV - until it broke! :-D
Sorry to hear the rig needs fixin, hope you have a place to stay. Tony needs that rebuilding, he is the power for your world and we dont need him going down. My mommy has endstage parkinsons and is 75 and my daddy is 77 and he is doing a lot of lifting and pushing with her and I am very worried about him. Hang in there Tony!
ReplyDeleteHanging out in a hotel room - sure makes us appreciate our little motorhome!
DeleteYes, we definitely want to stay healthy. I hope that your parents are doing okay. That must be awfully hard on both of them.
Are you going to be in the Tampa area still around the 17th & 18th? We are going to be over at the Hillsborough River State Park for a quick trip on those days. --Dave
ReplyDeleteWe really want to get together with you and Marcia before either of us leaves Florida but Tony's operation is on the 14th so he'll still be recovering while you're in Hillsborough. Our daughter is coming to Florida on the 13th and staying about a week. After that I think we'll be free to do anything.
DeleteHave a good time in park! Enjoy your time with the pups. Hope the weather is nicer this time!
Sounds good. I can always be reached by sending an email to dave at goingrvway.com, which sends the email to my yahoo email account too. Hope all goes well with his surgery, and sure glad daughter is able to come out and help. -- Dave
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