Aluminum Camper Forum

Can you tape right over the old (cleaned) caulk?  It looks quite difficult to remove.

I found the breaker you identified at Home Depot.  Unfortunately it is not an FPE StabLok.  I will keep looking.  Interestingly, I noticed that you can buy a 30 amp RV Pedestal that comes with a 30 Amp plug and a 20 Amp duplex plug.  The 30 Amp is not GFCI but the 20 Amp is.  That's not to say that the breaker in the house panel isn't GFCI.  Some of the articles I have read is that 30 AMP GFCI is not necessary but may be coming soon. One of the obstacles is the thousands of campsites that would have to modify their systems to accommodate this change.  My investigation continues!!

Thanks for the info in the Inverters.

Thanks Merlin,

1.  I'll check further into the GFCI rules in Canada.  Prices for a 30 amp GFCI range around $600.00 but I'm still looking.  One of the problems I have is that Federal Pioneer StabLok breakers are becoming obsolete.

2.  In Canada, trench depth is 24 inches from Grade level down to the top of the cable/conduit and then another 3 inches of sand under the cable, so 27 inches.

But, if you are adding mechanical protection by way of concrete or treated lumber (untreated cedar may be okay depending on the province) you can reduce the grade level to cable/conduit to 18 inches + the sand under the cable, so 21 inches.

Both call for 3 inches of sand above the cable but I'm going 6 (I have a lot of sand!).

3.  I saw a ground terminal on my inverter and made me wonder if I needed to ground it when plugging in to the trailer.

Hi All,

I am in the process of running an underground 30 Amp line to my trailer so I can avoid having my power cord run across my driveway. In Canada, we are required to have a GFCI circuit for outdoor 15 amp circuits so it would seem  logical that the same would apply to a 30 amp circuit.  However, when I was researching this on the web, most of the comments said it was not necessary.  I also went to our local library and looked at the electrical code with no luck.  I'm sure the answer was somewhere in the 1000 page document, I just did not have time to find it!
If anyone can shed some light on this it would be appreciated.

On another note, is it necessary to ground a generator?

Cheers

Mike

Thanks for the tips.  Great to know that there is an option of a second border crossing  We will keep that in mind.

Thanks very much for the information, Merlin.  We are heading across Canada from our home in Metro Vancouver and travelling through to Newfoundland.  It will be a somewhat leisurely tour, and we anticipate taking four months before we head back home.  We decided to travel back through the United States, and we will be heading south at Windsor, Ontario towards Chicago. 

My wife is the "travel agent", and gives a big thank you to you for your recommendations.

After our trip across Canada, we are heading south to Chicago and St. Louis, west to Kansas City, then continuing west through to Portland.  We are considering travelling Highways 80 and 84 to Portland.  I would love to hear of any campground recommendations that are on the outskirts of Chicago, St. Louis and Kansas City that are within transit commuting distances.  Also, recommendations for campgrounds along Highways 80 and 84.  The Columbia River Gorge in Oregon is already on our list.

Cheers

Mike

No, there are two pieces of plastic that ar meant to keep that brass part from spinning.  I did fix this by punching out the broken backflow preventer and adding a new one (much better) and a barbed fitting.  It's quite long but it all fits nicely inside the pump closet.  Thanks for responding Merlin.  Here's picture of the final result.

Hi All,

Has anyone replaced the backflow preventor where the fresh water supply hose attaches?  I can't get it apart to install a new one.  I have attached pictures of the front and back of the housing.  Here's the sad part, I did replace this item in 2016 when I pushed the valve (white part in the middle) while the system was under pressure.  I just cant figure it out this time. 

Alternatively, could I purchase an in-line one that might be easier to install?

Cheers

Mike

Does anyone know where I can buy a replacement camera for the Voyager WVOM541AP (wireless)?  I purchased this system back in 2016 but the camera now has moisture in it, sooo all I can see are the drops while travelling.  I have found a few but they are over 400.00!!, more than I paid for the entire unit.

Mike

Well, we think so!  We are leaving Vancouver and heading over to Vancouver Island to Nanaimo.  From there we travel up to Port Hardy and catch a ferry for an 11 hour sail up the inside passage to Prince Rupert. And barring any forest fires, heat domes, flooding its a series of loops through Northern BC, Alaska, Yukon and finally, the Arctic Ocean in the Northwest Territories.  Then wind our way back down to Vancouver.  Looking at about 2-1/2 to 3 months.

Mike

Did you ever come up with a solution?  I too want to take advantage of the space under my 2015 RBS21.  I would like to have my two spares for the TT and an extra spare for the TV.

Cheers

Mike

Thanks for the quick reply David. So, just to clarify, you are okay with non-OEM parts in certain cases?  I guess the QC processes have improved over the years for some products (like brake and wheel components) that the outsourcing of these products is acceptable.  One brake repair shop and a mechanic I know said they regularly use brake components manufactured in China because they have developed good QC/QA practices but avoid newer startups like those in Malaysia and Indonesia as their QC/QA is just not there yet.  For the brake shops, I guess $ are the bottom line.  I was quite surprised that the cost of the "plug and play" approach to wheel and brake components was so much cheaper than replacing just the broken part.

Mike 

I was just doing some maintenance on my 2015 21 RBS, checking the bearings, brakes etc.  This project made an assumption (and we all know "assume" means) that I was going to inspect, repack the bearings and confirm that the brakes were in good condition.  As part of my prep for our upcoming trek to the Arctic Ocean I purchased a left and right brake kit along with a spare inner/outer bearing and replacement seals should something go wrong along the way.

For the most part the brakes and bearings were in good shape but the magnets 2 out of 4, so far, showed signs of irregular wear and have scored the drum to the point where I thought I could just get the drums turned and then install new backing plates that come with brakes, magnets all ready to pop in place.  After a few calls it seems not many people even turn the brakes and fewer still who will turn the surface where the magnets make contact so it looks like new drums may be in order. (I guess I really do need to get my mind out of the 70's where we fixed everything from scratch!).

I went to a local axle shop (Dexter recommended) and purchased the above noted parts but they are not Dexter and appear to be from a secondary market.  I am looking into the pricing of Dexter parts now but I suspect they will be quite expensive.
Is the secondary market ok for these parts or should I be sticking with Dexter brand?  Any recommendations would be appreciated. 

Merlin, I noticed from an old post that you may have replaced your manual adjustable brakes with self adjusting ones.  Is that true and is there anything I need to be aware of if I go this route?  I really do hate (and put off) adjusting them.

Cheers

Mike

I have been outside doing some pre-season checkups on my 2015 21RBS and found a few items that caused me concern.

1.  I gave the brake breakaway switch a tug and the whole mechanism came off the trailer.  The head of the screw attaching it to the trailer broke free leaving the rest of the screw in the frame.  The screw used to mount it to the trailer was a thin flat headed screw.  It broke due to corrosion.  The placement of the switch, in my opinion, was poor in the first place so this now gives me the opportunity to mount it in a better spot.  I don't even want to think what would have happened had it come off whilst on the highway!

2.  While cleaning the factory installed awning (Dometic 8273000.401U - Sunchaser) I noticed that the awning appeared lifted on the left side (back of trailer).  Upon closer inspection,  the mounting bracket was bending outwards and upwards due to some friction in the sliding mechanisms of the awning.  I believe, this in turn was putting stress on the mounting screws and may have caused them to bend slightly. After aligning things I checked the screws to see if they were loose by tightening them slightly.  SNAP, and out popped one of the screws.  The attached picture shows it broke at 1-3/8 inches from the head and was corroded at the breaking point.  According to the installation instructions, that screw should be a #14-10x3" screw.  I suspect a shorter one was used and not of good quality. Investigation ongoing!  Again, this could have had a disastrous outcome on the road.

3.  My toilet was wobbling.  Upon investigation, I determined the floor flange was broken.  Finding a replacement flange proved difficult.  I did find one, but the alignment was off due to the poor installation of the original. Also, the new flange only had 4 mounting holes. Normally, that would be enough....but, because the aluminum decking planks that form the floor are relatively thin and have an I-beam type (for lack of a better term) construction for strength, when self tapping screws are driven into the floor to secure the flange, and by chance, hit the "I" portion of the beam, they deflect and go in crooked.  Needless to say, two screws were crooked (during construction) and one of them was broken, probably due to too much torque.  An additional two screws had been driven in to the point of shredding the aluminum floor.   In the end, I had to re-use the old flange by rotating it 90 degrees.  In the meantime I will think about how to address the issue should it break a second time.

4.  I am worried as to what I will find next!!

So, this was a long story of frustration.  Due to the potential dangerous outcomes that could have occurred (Items 1 and 2) I thought it important to share.  I have been researching types of screws and bolts, stainless, aluminum, etc. as well as strengths and coatings to prevent corrosion but this is proving to be rather arduous.  If anyone has experienced these problems and can provide solutions or ideas it would be greatly appreciated.   Merlin, you had mentioned a coating that may assist in preventing corrosion (Tough Gel?)  Can you provide a picture of the product? 

Cheers everyone.