nvrtoofast

Great information. Thank you all.

Welding on cast iron is very difficult and takes a very knowledgeable welder to do it. It will require grinding, preheating and post heating. I would suggest NOT doing this option.  Will likely cost more than the manifold.

Typically not a fan of JB and am unsure of how it would react to the metal and the temperature.

I would like to know how hard it is to change out the gasket and the whole manifold. I know mine is leaking and have not had the time to deal with it.

Aluminum Oxidizes too. Just differently. It will cause the issue that Hex_nut has seen. Paint is really there to seal the substrate.  Caulking and paint will help to seal the area to keep from this happening.
 

I hate these issues. They look terrible and once you see it, you can slowly retard but the only way to fix is strip and clean thoroughly. A terrible cycle.

Bubbling paint is a sign of oxidation (rust on a steel object). To stop it you would have to sand down to the oxidation layer. After cleaning out the area you will need to primer the area, a rattle can can do this. Won't look fresh and new but will stop the oxidation. Left un checked it will continue and get worse. eventually it will crack through the paint. could take a month. Could take a year. It is all a factor of variable you can't know by looking at it.

Sanding will help but is only the first step in the repair. It must be fully cleaned out.

Hey All,

I've enjoyed my AuqaHot Unit. The furnace heat is great in cold climates. As the unit is aging I'm entertaining the possibility of swapping the AuqaHot system for the Espar system. The Espar seems smaller overall and the details seem to show the ability to put out enough temperature. I'm curious how it merges with the furnace heat, etc.

I would like to hear any hands on experience for the swap and any possible reasons why not to do it. I'll be doing the swap myself and photos are always welcome.

I look forward to hearing your experience.

Nice did you install the shower?

Nice work.

It all depends on the tile thickness. Ceramic is typically a bit lighter as it is less dense than porcelain. Porcelain is the strongest with its higher density. In 40 footer i would imagine it to be 600 to 900lbs. Really hard to say because of where it is cut and not (cabinets, bed, etc) taking that into account it is probably only 500 lbs. So not much more than a few more body builders riding with you.

Not enough that I would be concerned. Considering that my 40 footer GVW is around 38K lbs. Another 500 isn't a crazy amount. Interesting thought though.

I have been studying this and using LVT in the RV typically requires gluing down the planks. You are correct that full floating is not a good approach in the RV. My personal preference is always tile but I have laid it personally for many years in homes.

Unfortunately for the RV it is the heaviest option and I'm unsure of the possibility of cracks in the grout. The new epoxy grouts are likely the right route but you have to know what you're doing as they are the hardest to deal with.

If you like LVT, that is likely the option for you. It just needs the extra step of glue to make it work in the RV.

Based on what you're describing I don't believe it is a leak. I had a leaking cylinder and it would leakdown after placement and gave CLEAR signs of the leak with fluid around the base of the jack.

After removal and repair of the seal it was back to normal. Never gave any sensation like an earthquake. Sounds more like a solenoid as that would cause the start/stop sensation of an earthquake.
 

I'm unsure of a diagram. Best wishes on the hunt.

You're correct. Not ignorant. It plays no part in the function really but it makes it much harder to diagnose when I can't see the amps, etc. Just a next step.

Not a fan of the Dometic  Thermostats. They aren't easy to read either. I replaced it with a MicroAire unit. Like it so far. Haven't connected it to my phone yet though.

Closed. This problem was from a bad thermostat. Replaced the thermostat and it's good to go. I've got new problems but what else is new.   The manual above is highly useful.

CLOSED.  Somewhat. My EMS readout was fried. in process of replacing with a new one to finish troubleshooting.
Dropped a photo. You'll have to look closely but one of the soldered points is fried. 

Unsure if it will fit my need,  but will look into it.

12 hours ago, Tom Cherry said:

Per MAGNUM…and my own “learning through experiences”, you will probably NEVER, EVER get a GFCI protected outlet to work feeding your MH.  These are the ways to make it work.

totally charge the batteries using your generator.  If the are almost dead or need charging, then you will have issues overloading the 115 A circuit.  Takes maybe 3 1/2 hours.  The will be close to charged….but not fully. Will read FLOAT for at least a day or so….then be OK.

YOU MUST HAVE a real 15 ot 20 amp outlet.  It cannot be GFCI protected.  Odds are, if you plug something into the outlet you used, you are gonna have to chase down the GFCI upstream or on the outlet and reset it.  Do not use this outlet.  Most garages and outdoor outlets are GFCI Protected.

Once you find a conventional outlet, you must see if it is 15 ot 20.  A 20 amp will have a small horizontal notch .  OK, THEN….

On the Magnum inverter remote, there is a SHORE OR LINE BUTTON.  Push it and set the current to either 15 or 20 depending on what amperage you have.

Then in setup, I would turn the charge rate down to 60 or 70%….otherwise, you risk going into an overload and getting a fault.

Next, when ou plug in, then make sure t use the 20/30 button n the EMS panel and toggle to 20.

Magnum says SOMETIMES you have to set the SHORE to 10 amp to keep from popping the circuit breaker.

thats it

Well laid out. Tom you clearly have some good experience on this. I'll work on this through the week. Hopefully I'll get it sorted easily.

While my rig is parked, I wanted to hook up to keep the batteries charged. I don't have a dedicated 50 amp or 30 amp plug. I was hoping to get 15 or 20 amps. I purchased an adapter to go from the Coach's 50 amp plug to a standard 15/20 amp wall plug. I plugged it up and nothing registered. it seemed like the inverter was working but my batteries died  (the inverter was likely running something in the rig).

Any tips on how to get the system to recognize the power and keep things moving?

Read the manual: http://www.rvtechlibrary.com/heatair/HydroHot_Shop.pdf
 

A great manual. I'll be starting down some troubleshooting this week to see how it goes.

I hope everyone is staying warm!

Merry Christmas all!

I've been a bit slammed the past few weeks and am just now circling back to my heater issue. I confirmed the hot water heater is a Hydro-Hot unit. I dusted off the RV and filled up the Diesel. Getting ready for a New years trip.

So this showed that the zone heaters work as the engine heats up and heats the zones. The diesel furnace seemed to be working today also. Not 100% sure on this as the engine heat keeps the zones running for a bit.

With it being intermittent up till now. I think the problem lies in one of the pumps.

Still not sure though and am open to input on how to chase it down.

The location of the shear makes sense with these photos. With a step down extender like that the loads on that location during turning is very high. Likely started with a micro crack and slowly grew into a full shear. definitely lucky on the location of the accident. Go buy a Lotto ticket!

Aggressive. Approximately how many miles on the bar?

Thanks for all the input. A closer look at my current setup showed 4 6 volts, flooded. I don't have a lot of time to devote to the system right now so I sold out and replaced with the same.

I will mention though that the former batteries lasted 4 years with HORRIBLE maintenance. I went a year and a half with no maintenance. Fortunately, they had zero corrosion. I hope with correct maintenance the current set will go another 4 years or more. I may be upgrading to a Lipo solar set up soon though. I do love being off grid...

Thanks again!

Very true unhooking the hose is an important step. Just overnight is the most important. You can hook back up in the morning while the sun is out. Unless it is really cold. My last house had great freeze proof exterior faucets. However, I forgot to disconnect the hose. The residual water in the hose froze and cracker the faucet. Fortunately it only leaked when the faucet was turned on.

Last winter trip in Wyoming we followed the procedure and disconnected through the night and reconnected in the morning. Saved us any issues and was not a problem as our tank was full and the coach was well heated throughout the night. We also dripped the faucets to make us feel better. Temperature was in the single digits through the night.

Freezing lines are no joke. They sneak up on you and wreak havoc when the melt.

My body/paint guy saw the same on my coach and said that the corner area has a lot of stress and the usual way they fix it is to cut a grove and then cover with a molding strip to allow for continued flex without increasing the crack. (controlled demolition)

Not my favorite method but he insisted it was how several manufacturers fixed the issue.

 

My house bank of Lead acid batteries finally bit the dust. I've been searching for information on replacements and have seen a bit too much information. I think I'm going to limit my decision to cost. I don't really want to pay near $500 per battery.

I have a 2006 Camelot. It has 12v Lead Acid now. I would prefer to move to AGM but like I mentioned cost is a decision point.

I'm looking for your input on best band for value and place to buy. For the coach batteries I have a pair of 12V Napa truck batteries that I picked up on the road. They work for the coach.

Thoughts?

Very helpful Tom. I will take a look at the unit and the posts.