Tom Wallis

I just recently got the Garmin RV780. I don't have anything to compare it with since I wasn't using one before. There are several thing things I don't like but much that I do like. As I get used to using it I'm pretty happy with it.

My coach came with this Inteli-Power charge wizard which plugs into the converter/charger. I assumed it was from the factory that way but I don't know that. I leave the motorhome plugged in to 50 amps at all times when not in use. I rarely have to add water to the batteries and they are 5 years old. All of the trailers that I owned previous to the motorhome had smart converter/chargers built in that worked the same way. I left them plugged in all the time also. I had assumed that all or most modern RVs were equipped this way but perhaps not. If they are you can pretty much plug them in and not be concerned about overcharging your batteries. Inteli-Power_20221007_0001.pdf

Seems like many have had the same experience including me. It's usually just a matter of the hydraulic reservoir being a little low. It seems they use a fluid level sensor to determine if the jacks are down. If the level gets a little to low it thinks the jacks are still down when they're not. Add a few ounces of fluid and the problem is solved..

I like it also. What type of glue did you use?

As I mentioned earlier in this topic, I used the WFCO T57 to replace the IOTA because the terminals are not reversed but in almost the same positions. I was able to hook it up without out a single change to the wiring.

Not a problem. 🙂

I went and checked it today. First let me say that I believe the board you can see with the cover off is just the generator start delay and always has the same load on it no matter what the load on the generator is. It just turns one of the big relays on and off. That being said, I started the generator and turned on both ACs for about 15 minutes and took some readings with my heat gun. One of the resistors got up to 125 degrees. Again, I'm not an expert on this but I don't think there's anything to worry about on yours.

Good job on the change over. I didn't test things quite as thoroughly as you are. After installing it I had it do some switching with no load and with the load of both ACs. Then I let both ACs run for a while on both the generator and shore. First with cover off and later with the cover on and I only checked for heat with my hand on the cover. There was nothing I could detect either way. I didn't think of checking things with a heat gun like you're doing. I'll give it a try tomorrow. I would expect resistors to get warm but I don't know what are the acceptable limits.

I have a weBoost Drive with the antenna mounted to the TV antenna mast. It definitely helps when signals are marginal. It can mean the difference between making a call or text or not. I also have a wifi repeater with an antenna on the TV antenna mast and it has been helpful over the years. And finally a Netgear Nighthawk M1 router as a mobile hot spot. Then came Starklink and it made all the other equipment just about obsolete. We were never big into TV when we travel but If you can get by with streaming all your TV you're all set. And cost wise I have less money in the Starlink than all of that other equipment.

Update: The WFCO T57 arrived and I've installed it. It only took about an hour to install because the terminals are all so close to the same as the old IOTA. I ran it through it's paces with both ACs on shore power and on the generator and so far I'm very satisfied. My main apprehension was concerning the possible hum that was mentioned but it is absolutely silent. Best of all, no more IOTA and no more fire hazard. I'm a happy camper.

Some motorhomes charge only the coach batteries on shore power and some were designed to charge both chassis and coach on shore power. If it's not charging both sets it could be by design or a malfunction in either case it's not that hard to resolve. There have been many discussions on this forum with lots of suggestion on how to both diagnose and resolve the issue. If you browse through the battery or charging system topics I'm sure you'll find lots of info. The other side of the coin is, your chassis batteries should not go dead in a matter of days with the key turned off unless there's a drain. If that's the case let us know there are a number of ways to track that down.

If individual bags had check valves there would no way to deflate them. The only way they can deflate individually is if the each bag had a control valve and I doubt that's the case. I'm pretty sure it's normal for more than one bag to go down when one leaks. It will depend on how many control valves there are. All the bags on the same control valve will go down together.

On the subject of Workhorse vs. Ford I'll have to admit I've always been a GM guy and I've never owned Ford powered motorhome. We have had a 2003 Monaco Monarch for the last five years and have traveled about 50,000 miles in that time. I am very pleased with the reliability of the Workhorse. Other than routine maintenance the only power train repair was a fan clutch. I have done some extensive upgrades to the chassis for improved handling and drivability but all the experts seem to agree that is needed on all gas motorhomes no matter the age or brand. Aside from the many other advantages of a diesel chassis I believe that the gas power train is actually lower maintenance than diesel and I am a retired mechanic and I've worked on both. I hope this is helpful info. Good luck with your search.

Thanks for the feedback. I checked it out pretty thoroughly and decided to order it. I don't feel like it's so expensive that I can't give it a try. I also looked very carefully at the Elkhart and I see a lot of difficult getting the wires where they need to be. I'll be installing the WFCO as soon as it arrives.

I've been using a Zero G for several years and love it. I us a 25' hose and I have room to coil it in the water bay (no hose reel). I pull out just what I need, usually 2 or 3 loops, and leave the rest coiled and never a problem. When I'm ready to go I can put a few coils back in a matter of seconds.

No one replied to the question about the WFCO T57 and I was curious and looked into it a little. The company has been around since 1976 and is based in Elkhart, IN. I'm happy to pay more for quality and I respect all of your opinions about which are the better brands, however, looking at the WFCO T57 it's almost an exact replacement for my IOTA. All the terminals and knockouts are in the same position and won't require any modifications or rerouting of wires. The Elkhart LPT50BRD has the shore power and generator connections on the opposite sides causing problems like Dennis Z ran into. So unless someone knows of a problem with the WFCO I would be inclined to go with it just for the ease of installation.

If the motor shows 0 ohms (shorted) I would look no further. 3 ohms sounds about right for a good motor, it would draw about 4 amps when operating. You'll have to replace the motor anyway. Do that first and see if it works.

We used to have the same problem. It only occurred while driving with a front window open. Apparently that causes a negative pressure inside and we got a bad smell from the bathroom. I installed the a 360 siphon on each roof vent and never had it again. https://smile.amazon.com/Lippert-Components-389381-Siphon-Roof/dp/B01CZQ9Y6M/ref=sr_1_2?crid=B2KNB91EVLBO&keywords=360+siphon+waste+vent+for+rv&qid=1661230787&sprefix=360+si%2Caps%2C175&sr=8-2

And even if the batteries are no good it should provide enough power while plugged in to run all or most of your 12v accessories. If you have AC for chargers why can't you plug in the coach?

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think a 50 amp RV plug can provide 100 amps. Each of the two 120 volt circuits can provide 50 amps.

If it's a GFCI that keeps tripping it's probably not an issue of too much power usage but rather a ground fault problem. I would start by looking for a grounding problem and if you can't find one you might just try replacing the GFCI receptacle, the do go bad. The above comments about the energy management are correct. Whenever you have any amount of shore power all the light will be on unless the energy management is actively managing the load by turning off circuits. My system has a button to manually choose between 30 amps and 20 amps since the system can't automatically tell. If you are on 15 amps you can still pop a breaker because it's only trying to keep you below 20 amps.

I think all of these suggestions are good. I've found found that if a gray water tank goes "septic" as Tom Cherry said, they can actually smell worse than the black water tank. One other thing I found helpful is the 360 siphon vent cap. I helps create a negative pressure in the tanks so the fumes only go out the vent on the roof. https://smile.amazon.com/Lippert-Components-389381-Siphon-Roof/dp/B01CZQ9Y6M/ref=sr_1_3?crid=303GD291A3SXC&keywords=360+siphon+vent+for+rv&qid=1659565878&sprefix=360+syph%2Caps%2C287&sr=8-3

I'll be following this closely. I've been looking for a new striker bolt for mine for a long time. What makes it particularly difficult is that most of them are sold by application but rarely give all of the dimensions.

I used an old telescoping flag pole I had laying around. I fabricated the mounts to attach it to the ladder. I've seen some Youtube videos that tell you about parts that you can buy for that. Some allow you to hing the pole at the bottom so you can put on the dish without climbing the ladder. Also, the dish was a loose fit in the pole and so I had to shim it and cut a hole for the locking mechanism on the dish. If you're not a fabricator there's info out there about pieces you can buy to solve all these issues.

No, I'm not that confident of my mount. I put it away when traveling.