Joe Lee

Hi all! I have had my 1996 Monaco Sig for about a year. I think my RV-30 solar controller isn’t working correctly. I’m currently in TX with full sun all day long. The RV-30 only shows about 5.8 amps max and my House batteries were at 12.3 volts. I really needed a charge and the solar isn’t doing much. Is that all I could except from this system? And, does anyone have a manual for this controller? Thanks in advance for any help or guidance! Joe

Hi - I ordered the door latch that Gary M suggested. It worked well for me on my ‘96 Sig. I got it installed yesterday. Thanks Gary and everyone who replied to support me!

Thanks Dr4Film - you are correct. I haven’t followed all of the troubleshooting steps. Several months ago, I got help from John Carrillo. His support yielded that I needed to have the material that attaches the copper piping to the boiler replaced, so I might as well just do a rebuild at his shop. I’m kinda stuck on the east coast right now, so can’t make it to him. This forum renewed my energy to try again and I found the Stir Pump wasn’t wired correctly. (Yay!). But, now, I can’t figure out why the diesel burner doesn’t turn on before I run out of hot water. I will start over and follow the steps provided. Thanks for all the help everyone!

Thanks Ivan and Ray! My hot water problem isn’t new. I have replaced all 4 thermostats at the recommendation of John, the AquaHot guy. Also, replaced the antifreeze with the Aquahot fluid. The diesel burner will come on with the system is cold. I just can get the burner to turn on to support continuous hot water. With this forums help, I did see that the wire coming out of the diesel burner and eventually connecting to the Stir Pump was mis-wired. Made the correction, but didn’t have any luck in the diesel burner coming on to help with hot water. (I wrote more about this earlier in this thread) Last winter, I determined that the electric element wasn’t working at all. It was just a bad thermostat, but with the diesel burner being the only source is heat, I still didn’t have continuous hot water. I will try jumping the thermostat next. Thanks!

Update: I have replaced the wire with the diode that connects the diesel burner to the stir pump. I ran the hot water and monitored the diesel burner and the stir pump, but these devices didn’t turn on. Also, I ran out of hot water in about 90 seconds. Then, I ran the heat exchangers in the bathroom and bedroom. My thinking was that this would trigger a drop in temperature of the boiler and the diesel burner would turn on. No luck after about 5 mins. Question: Does anyone know how the diesel burner is activated when you need the burner to run to support the Stir Pump and continuous hot water? Thanks!!

UPDATE: As always, thanks to each of you for sharing your time and knowledge. It is very much appreciated! As for my lack of continuous hot water from my Aquahot 431/12. I followed the advice shared and I discovered 2 issues: 1) The diode inline on the wire that powers the stir pump was bad. I have a new one ordered and hope to install it on Tuesday. 2) This same wire that should be attached to the B Zone (B 6 terminal on page 76 of the service manual) was attached to C Zone (C 4 terminal). My B Zone pump is a bit noisy, so I was wondering if the prior owner moved it to the C Zone to use a better pump. So, my question, does the stir pump have to be the B Zone pump or would any of the pumps perform the same “stir” function? Thanks!!! Joe

Thanks for taking the time to write this up and share!

And, I’m only getting about 115 degrees at the point where the water comes out of the boiler tank. Wish it was almost 200 degrees! And, this temperature is before it gets to the Tempering Valve. I have replaced the fluid, tempering valve and the thermostats. Thanks! Stir pump?!? I didn’t know about that!! I was led to believe that it was the connectivity issue from John. I can’t wait to see if I can identify the stir pump. I do have hot water on the road and I have an engine loop. I don’t think the engine loop pump works. The engine loops switch was disabled by the prior owner and I try to stay out of cold environments or use the block heater. Does this affect the domestic hot water? John has been great but I’m calling Roger too!! This is such great news! I’m so appreciative of all the ideas, website links and repair people contacts. Thank you!!!

Thanks everyone! I have the diesel burner on but can’t get continuity hot water. It’s good for a few mins only. Since my system is old, I believe the material that attached the Cooper piping to the outside of the boiler tank is failing. And, yes, my system has the domestic hot water pipes on the outside of the boiler tank. Newer models have the piping inside the tank. It doesn’t sound like anyone has needed supplemental hot water for your systems. I saw some 110v water heaters that are used to supplement hot water under a sink. I was hoping someone would have tried this. I do OK when dry camping, but it would be nice to take a longer shower when I have shore power. Thanks again for taking some of your time to help me! Joe And, I’m only getting about 115 degrees at the point where the water comes out of the boiler tank. Wish it was almost 200 degrees! And, this temperature is before it gets to the Tempering Valve. I have replaced the fluid, tempering valve and the thermostats. Thanks!

Hi! I have an old 431/12 Aquahot system. The heat works well but I only have a limited amount of hot water. I think the bonding that connects the copper domestic water pipes to the Aquahot tank has started to loose it’s effectiveness. I’m thinking of adding a 6 gallon 110v hot water system to add a bit more hot water for showers when I have shore power. Does anyone have any experience with this or do you have a better idea? The cost to replace the Aquahot is more than I want to spend at this point. So, I’m looking for a cheaper enhancement. thanks! Joe

Thanks for all the help!! Very Appreciated !

Hi All - Today, my door handle broke on my ‘96 Crown Royale Signature. See attached picture. I have disassembled the door and removed the handle. I have been looking for hours and can’t find a replacement in stock. Would anyone have a source for a replacement or an idea on a substitute part I could use? Also, I’m trying some JB Weld. Has anyone had any success repairing this handle? Thanks! Joe

Thanks everyone! Great insight. Anyone need a Mini? Hahahah!

Hi all! I have a Mini Cooper as my TOAD for my ‘96 Crown Royale Sig. I’m a full timer and planning to head West. Would anyone have experience using a Mini on the remote desert roads? Could my Mini do the job or will a 4 wheel drive be required? Thanks for your insight! Joe

Thanks everyone for the advice! And, I will provide the details on which coach I have the next time I ask a question. Rookie mistake on my part. I’m going to take what I have learned from each of you and try again. Thanks for taking your time to help me out! Joe

I have a 1996 Monaco Crown Royale Signature. I have 2 A/Cs and a washer with separate dryer. A/Cs and washer/dryer work well. I’m on this quest because I can not get the electric element working in my Aquahot. I can hear the top 2 relays ‘click’ and I can see them move. But, still no power to the element. The element tested at 8.7 ohms so I believe it is good. So, just trying to see what these relays do and then figure out if they are working correctly. Thanks!!

Hello Friends! Does anyone know what the relays are for that are located between the electrical panels? I think the top to control the electric element in my Aquahot, but that element isn’t working. Any ideas are appreciated! Joe

Thanks a lot, Richard and Wayne! I do use the ice maker and washer. I will have to protect them as well. And, Wayne - I like the comment about hobbies! Hahaha! I still have lots to learn.

Ok. I need one. Thanks!

Thanks everyone! I’m working on my coach now. I don’t have the equipment to pump antifreeze into the system so I am charging the batteries and heating the Aquahot. I’m new to the coach so I’m concerned about letting it run unattended. I appreciate the insight.

Thank you NCSteve! I’m in NC as well. I appreciate you sharing your experience with me.

Hello All! I’m heading into my first cold weather season and need some advice. I have my coach at a storage facility without power for a week. The weather turned colder than expected and tomorrow night, the temperatures will below freezing for about 6 hours with a low of 27 degrees. And, I have an old Aquahot system. I would prefer no winterizing my coach for just a couple nights. What do you all do in this situation? Thanks!

Wow! This has not been my experience yet but good to know. It disappointing that our experience with AJ Electric had been so different. Or, maybe in a few more miles, I may run into the same issues. Thanks for the reference to another alternator that you have had success with! Thanks Willbo777

I worked with this guy. He’s in my home state of NC, but I bought it on Amazon. I had a question and he was completely awesome to work with. Highly recommend him.

Wow! All great information. I will weight it, consult the manufacturer’s chart(thanks for the chart, Dr4Film!) and look into new comfort control values. This is a great community of people! Thanks for the support!