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RV Doctor ColumnRV Doctor #321 Dear RV Doctor, my wife and I are ordering and buying a new Class A motorhome; a 33-foot, gasoline powered RV with a 7000-watt generator and a 50-amp shore power service. The RV comes with a 300-watt inverter as standard equipment. Do we need to or would it be wise to purchase the optional 2000-watt inverter as factory installed by the manufacturer in place of the 300-watt inverter? We probably won't do much dry-camping/boon-docking at first. Please give us some sound advice, this is our first motorhome. We plan to travel America and not stay in any area more than a week. Marion King, (e-mail)
Marion , I've always said you can never have too much power when it comes to AC or DC in any RV. Even though you do not plan on boon-docking often, I would still get the larger inverter just in case. However, if cost is a main contention, then I may opt out and stay with the 300-watt inverter. You can always upgrade later, albeit at a higher labor cost. But realize 300 watts will not power much. I carry a 400-watt inverter in my vehicle as an emergency back-up just for my laptop and a few peripherals. Plus if you sell or trade at a later date, the 2000-watt unit adds value to the rig. Also keep in mind that most campgrounds restrict the use of generators after certain hours. If you become accustomed to using 120-volt AC appliances late in the evening or at night, you're stuck without the larger inverter. And the newer models, such as the Xantrex RS2000 pictured here, comes equipped with some nice features such as networking with other systems in the RV.
Dear Gary, I have a Dometic 3-way refrigerator that just hums when I try to set it to LP gas. We had the unit serviced and the circuit board and igniter were replaced. Also, when placed in the "auto" mode it will periodically bounce back and forth from AC to LP while we are plugged into an AC power source. At least it still cools. Any ideas? Tim Cable, ( Bangor , ME )
Tim, without being able to take specific measurements, it sounds like the gas solenoid valve is either faulty or not receiving the correct amount of voltage. The humming you are hearing could be the coil on the valve struggling to open the gas valve. A resistance measurement can be made of the coil to determine if it's shorted or open. You might try running bench tests on the solenoid once it's been isolated from the unit controls. Dometic's PAL tester, (most worthwhile RV service shops will have one), will be able to tell if the board is good or not. The problem with it switching from AC to LP when plugging in is probably due to voltage spikes or other transients to the board. Always be sure the refrigerator is completely off when plugging or unplugging the rig from shore power. High or low voltage situations may also cause the unit to go to check. Also, verify the correct voltage and polarity of the power source. As sophisticated as modern RV appliances evolve to, it seems they become more prone to electrical variances, (RV Doc's RV Fact of Life #123).
Dear Gary, I've read your article on steering and handling, and am hopeful I can extract a more customized opinion of what direction I should take with our motorhome. We have a 1996 Thor 27-foot Class A machine on a P37 chassis. We bought it three years ago and it now has 56,000 miles on it. We installed Bilstein shocks on all four wheels and replaced the original steering dampener so although the steering is not as nice as our cars, it is acceptable. I would like to take smaller back roads when we travel but the roads are not as smooth of course, and last week we rattled our teeth out on a bumpy road. How to make the small bumps smoother (more comfortable) is my question. I've seen a few different things advertised; air bags, extra springs, etc., but cannot figure out the degree that they will affect the performance. Most items seem more directed at directional control, which is nice, but I want smoother bumps. What would you do, short of buying a better unit? Rob Ball, ( New Bedford , MA )
Rob, I have been a big fan of the Firestone air bag system with independent air filler hoses ever since they came into the market. Adding leaves to the hard springs will help some, but remember you are adding steel to steel. It will effectively raise the rig and it may provide a touch more smoothness to the ride due to the weight shift, but by and large, the ride will still be "stiff." A stiff ride that hits a moderate bump will amplify the "bounce" that occurs after the bump. The added spring dimension may lessen the distance of the resulting bump (the overall upward and downward movement), but the bump will still be there. Riding on two cushions of air at the rear axle will absorb more shock and not only lessen the up and down distance, it will better control that first abrupt hit the motorhome takes. It will be smoother with air bags. This will also raise the rear accordingly, throwing more chassis weight to the front axel, thereby, improving steering and handling. Independent air inlets will allow you to vary the air pressure in the bags. No coach is built symmetrically and perfectly balanced so, invariably one side will need to be lifted more than the other. You've done well to install the Bilsteins and the steering dampener, but the addition of air bags will probably yield better results for smoothing the ride. Slower speeds will also improve handling and ride-ability. But don't expect perfection; it'll never happen. At best, these add-ons will minimize the dynamics of a big box bouncing along the highway.
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