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RV Doctor ColumnRV Doctor #338 Dear RV Doctor, do you know of any service shop in my area or who I may contact to get repairs done on my motorhome? Thanks! Buford Rowe, (Waynesville, GA)
Buford, every month I get quite a few emails like yours, but unfortunately, I do not maintain a database of RV repair facilities. I do recommend service centers from time to time, but only those dealers and service shops that I have had a personal relationship with. I would certainly hate to steer you wrong based on hearsay. However, having said that, here are some suggestions for you to consider. All the repair facilities high on my list have a proven track record. In other words, they have been around a while. Not that a brand new shop couldn't be considered a Class A shop, longevity in the repair field is always a good indicator. While on the road, a call to the local Better Business Bureau is always recommended as well. Even at home from time to time. The local yellow pages are a good place to start your search. Seek information from local RV clubs if any are located in your area. Your local chapter of FMCA is also another vital source. Additionally your motorhome manufacturer or local campgrounds may have some recommended shops on their list, but this isn't always a sure bet. Better are recommendations from fellow RVers. Keep a written list of the good shops you hear about as you travel. Likewise, keep a list of the not-so-good shops you hear about too! Talk with other RVers wherever you travel. You can sometimes read about outstanding service by certain shops in the "Reader's Forum" section of this magazine. And keep in mind even mediocre facilities perform good service some of the time. Look for shops that may specialize in your particular area of need. Shops that narrow their scope to LP appliance repair or generator service, for instance, are usually pretty adept at what they do or they wouldn't last. Another recommendation of mine is to locate shops that employ "RVIA/RVDA Certified" service technicians. Facilities that spend money on technician education and hire certified techs tend to be the better shops. Though the above suggestions cannot always guarantee a pleasant repair experience, your chances of running into poor service may be minimized by at least considering them.
Dear Gary, is the floor of the typical Tioga motorhome from the 70's wooden or metal? Should I use linoleum, hardwood or carpet to cover the sub-floor? This is my first RV. Stephen Grooms, (La Mesa, CA)
Stephen, the flooring on your motorhome, as well as those on the majority of coaches built in the 1970's, is definitely plywood. There would be a covering of aluminum on the bottom; that portion exposed under the rig and on top of the frame rails. Yours originally came with carpeting in the living area of the coach along with possibly linoleum in the lavatory and galley areas. As long as the plywood underlayment is properly prepared and there is no water damage or dry rot, it is possible to refinish the floor with any of the materials you mention, or even tile in some cases. Proper preparation includes making sure each section of plywood is flush at the joints and all the screws or staples are fully seated and well below the level of the top of each sheet of plywood. Common wood filler may be used to close cracks and fill holes. A final sanding to make the floor as even as possible is yet another step in the process. Finally a clean sweep will have that old flooring ready for any type of top floor material you choose. Of course, if there is any evidence of water damage, that will have to be taken care of first.
Dear RV Doc, I have a 1999 Class A motorhome. The bottom step at the side entry door always gets wet, and I mean soaked, every time it rains. It seems like the water accumulates at the bottom of the door on the out side of the seal, then fills up and over the lip of the threshold. I've checked the seal on the door and it seems to be okay. How can I stop this? Mike Litchfield, (Manchester, MD)
Mike, in some cases it is possible to place small shims under the bottom of the door frame creating a slight ramp downward and outward towards the exterior. Of course, this may also raise the bottom of the frame such that it will require an adjustment to the action of door closing. A careful inspection of the construction of the door frame from inside the coach will determine where best to place the shims. The shims should be aluminum so that any contact with moisture will not cause additional problems; I've used strategically placed aluminum washers in the past. And I would indeed double-check the integrity of that door seal. But I would wager it has more to do with the actual slope of the threshold itself.
Dear RV Doctor, I have a 1990 Fleetwood Southwind with two air conditioning units. They are on a front/rear switch so you can only use one unit at a time. The rear one works great but if you turn the switch to front nothing happens. They both worked last week and I haven't done anything except take it to have the oil changed and an alternator replaced. My question is other than the main panel is there another set of breakers or fuses on the unit? With the generator on and the rear air going if I turn off the A/C breaker, nothing happens; in other words the rear A/C unit keeps going. The front unit will not even turn on now so I am really puzzled. Any ideas? Phillip Todd, (Berea, KY)
I know it may appear slightly confusing, Phillip, but there is a logical explanation. Your Southwind was wired for two installed roof air conditioners, but because the shoreline cord is only rated for 30-amps, you are only able to run one roof A/C at a time. Remember each air conditioner must be on its own 20-amp circuit. That "either/or" (front/rear) switch lets you choose which air conditioner to run while plugged into shoreline power. Running both units off the shoreline, as equipped from the factory, is mathematically and electrically not possible; hence the need for the "either/or" switch. The generator adds another factor into the mix. It is rated to power both roof air conditioners at the same time.it has enough output capacity. Typically, the rear air conditioner is hard-wired directly to the generator output. On the side of the control box on the generator, you'll find two, push-button circuit breakers, one is wired directly to the rear roof A/C, (that's why the rear unit runs with the generator operating), and the other breaker is wired to the coach distribution panelboard which protects all the 120-volt circuits in the coach, including that front A/C. Chances are, given your symptoms, the front air conditioner breaker in the panelboard distribution box is faulty, the "either/or" switch is faulty or there could be a problem with the wiring to the front roof A/C. There is also an outside chance a problem in the front air conditioner could exist as well. A few simple continuity measurements with a volt-ohmmeter will clear up the mystery. If there is continuity through the "either/or" switch from the panelboard breaker to the front A/C then the problem lies in the air conditioner itself. If there is a break in the continuity anywhere between the breaker and air conditioner, it would implicate either the circuit breaker itself, the "either/or" switch or a wiring connection somewhere in between. A competent RV tech should find where the problem lies in about an hour's time. The repair, however, make take longer depending the actual cause of the symptoms.
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