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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Lube on Lug Studs
I have used anti seize on all lug studs for at least 20 years and never had an issue.
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PatJ
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05/20/12 10:05pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Need Advice on Generator
I will agree with everyone else that has posted.
1. You will likely never actually get 80 amps out of your 9280. I have a 9260 on 2 batteries and I doubt I have ever had 60 amps out of it. Maybe for a few seconds right after it is started on boost with nearly dead batteries. If we had 4 batteries then maybe, but not with two.
2. I have two eu2000i and when they are fully loaded they are loud and annoying. I am not sure about the Yamaha 2400 but the Yamaha 2000 is basically the same as the Honda. If I were in a situation where the eu2000 where going to be running full-tilt for a length of time and I was concerned about it then I would find another way. Like I said though I think your converter would be fine with a single eu2000i even in boost with dead batteries.
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PatJ
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05/20/12 10:00pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Type of gasoline for small engines?
Here in Eastern Washington all the Conoco stations are ethanol free. All say so right on their sign. The gas is the exact same price there as it is at all the E10 stations on the same street. For some reason those other E10 stations are still in business. Some people are stupid I guess.
Needless to say I only buy gas at Conoco around here. For me I put regular in everything except for my one motorcycle the specifies 92. All the gas cans get regular (generators, pressure washer, chainsaw, leaf blower, tractor, etc.) Also, all the gas cans get Stabil measured out in to the can before I add the gas. I have never had any issues. I had a friend that basically ruined his pressure washer on E10.
E10 is nasty stuff especially for older equipment and smaller engines. Where I work the grounds keeper uses the Stabil made especially for small engines on E10. The company gas card is Cheveron which is all E10. He has had good luck with the E10 treated with that E10-specific Stabil in the groundskeeping equipment for the past few years.
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PatJ
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05/05/12 09:54pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Tire Balancing Beads ?
I too, have had good luck with smooth running tires using an internal balancing agent but got stung on the warranty when they didn't honor the mileage portion of warranty
I have also had good luck with internal balancing media, but in my experience tire dealers never honor the mileage portion of the warranty anyway regardless of weather internal beads were used or not. They always have an excuse/loophole as to why the tires did not last their advertised number of miles.
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PatJ
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07/07/11 12:01am |
Tech Issues
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RE: #1 Tip for a new TT owner
For me (as a weekender) the size of the thing would be much less important than it would be to say a full timer. Even if the weather is "bad," we still spend very little time inside our rig (in our case a class C MH.) We have an awning and canopies for the weather. All we really do is sleep and shower, use the bathroom, and sometimes cook inside. So I prefer to not have a slide out as it is not worth it to me. If I did have a slide out, I would want it to be one that allowed full access (at minimum - access to the fridge and bathroom) without sliding it out for those quick pit-stops. A million different types of RV's for a million different types of campers.
So my must-haves would be an awning and good storage with small overall size for those tight NFS and state park campgrounds that our family uses most. It is different for everyone.
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PatJ
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06/27/11 10:22pm |
Beginning RVing
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RE: Does anyone run an AC with honda 2000?
My eu2000 will run my old 13k5 AC unit in eco mode. It will start it and it will cycle it with 100% reliability. I usually use it driving down the road with my home brew bumper mount bracket. If I turn eco mode off then it will rev up above what it is running in eco mode with the AC, so it is not running at full load with the AC. I do start the fan first but that is simply because I have to turn the knob through all the fan settings before I get to LO COOL or HI COOL. My eu2000 has almost 150 hours on it. I am not sure if the AC has a hard start cap but if it does I didn't install it. I have used the 2000 to run the AC at over 95f outside.
I have not tried this combination at "high" altitudes because I have not needed AC in the mountains but I can confirm it will run at 1900 feet, again in ECO mode but it is obviously working harder than it did at 400 feet (home.) It would still start and cycle in eco mode.
My fridge is always on gas weather I have hookups or not, and I have not needed to turn off my converter yet (PD 9260c) but I would if I needed to. I had the 2000 before I had this MH and I did not expect it to work. I had actually planned on replacing the AC with a polar cub as it was cheaper than a second gen. But it does work and it works reliably. Just reporting my experience.
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PatJ
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06/24/11 08:46pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Portable Generator Opinions Please
Yep this is a question with lots of answers and everyone has an opinion. Personally, I totally agree with Dan and everything he said. I have two Honda 2000, a family we camp with a lot has a pair of Yamaha 2000 and as far as I am concerned they are the exact same. If you go that route I would go with whatever you get a better price on or have better local support for (not that you will ever need it.)
Next up from a pair of 2000's is a 3000 generator. The Honda 3000 is very popular and very quiet but it is a lot to lift in to the back of your truck at over 100 pounds. There are many styles/types of 3000 watt portable generators including Chinese units that are much much cheaper than the Hondas. I have had a Champion 3000 which is one of these Chinese units and it is also very good quality just slightly louder than the Honda (under load. With light load the Honda is much quieter.) Again, a 3000 watt gen is going to be over 100 pounds regardless of brand.
I don't think either of those options (a pair of 2000 or a single 3000) is going to run a pair of AC units at the same time, so if you plan to run both of those AC units at once with a single portable gen you are going to be moving up to something in the 5000-6000 watt range which is a lot to lift. Do you need both AC units from a portable gen?
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PatJ
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06/22/11 08:23pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Swap out faucet. or commit suicide?
So is it really a Delta faucet or a "delta-type?" If it is a Delta faucet then just rebuild it from above and don't do anything under the cabinets at all. Most single-lever Deltas take the ball style rebuild kit you can buy anywhere and the double knob types of course take two cartridges. Either style there are complete rebuild kits available. With a cheap, easy-to-install rebuild kit the faucet will be like new. Even if it isn't a Delta, all American-made faucets have rebuild kits available at almost any hardware store (Price Fister, Moen, Chicago, Peerless, Delta, etc.) The kits come with every wear item in there, every seat and O-ring, etc.
Where I work I have rebuilt many Chicago faucets that are original 1920 units (91 years old) and they take the same cartridges as the brand new Chicago faucets do, and once rebuilt are as good as brand new. Those faucets will be rebuilt and continue to be in service long after I am gone and that is in a commercial application. No reason to replace the entire faucet for one minor problem.
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PatJ
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06/19/11 01:21am |
Tech Issues
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RE: First time MH owner and Glad to be here
I also own a Chevy Class C of the same vintage and I agree with the above statements of tires tires tires! You probably have tires that are either 8.00R16.5 or 8.75R16.5 Call around and you will see that these tires are now very very rare. If you can find a tire dealer with them in stock you are very lucky. What I am trying to say is you do NOT want to be in the middle of nowhere and blow one of those. A replacement will likely be many days away unless you are in a very large city or get very lucky. So make sure your tires (and spare) are less then 7 years old (based on manufacturer date code stamped on the tire.)
If you do have the 16.5 tires, when it does come time for replacement you may choose to do what me and many other "vintage" class C owners do and that is replace the wheels with 16" so you can use the much more common 16" tires. The 16" tires are so much cheaper then 16.5" that the wheels almost pay for themselves.
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PatJ
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06/18/11 12:06am |
Beginning RVing
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RE: I'm newby
the difference is you can run more stuff in your rig with 50 amps rather than 30.....and at the same time....that means you could run the air conditioning,t.v.,and dvd player all at once
You can easily run your AC, DVD, and TV at once on a 30 amp.
I think of 50 amp rigs as usually having two or more AC units to run at once.
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PatJ
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06/16/11 07:45pm |
Beginning RVing
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RE: Fantastin Vent Fan help
I emailed them a few years ago because the dome cracked on my 6-7 year old (at the time) Fantastic Fan. I inquired about part numbers/prices so I could order a replacement. They replied asking my address which I sent to them (I assumed they were sending a catalog or parts list.) A few days later a new dome showed up in the mail. They never asked for any proof that I originally purchased the fan or how the dome was damaged or anything, they just sent the new dome.
When I purchased my Fantastic Fan there really wasn't any American made competition for similar fans but now there is - doesn't matter to me. I have purchased two new fans from them since. I don't care who else pops up, Fantastic Fan has earned my business for life. There just isn't enough good American companies that stand behind their products anymore. Fantastic Fan is a rare breed these days.
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PatJ
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06/09/11 09:00pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: 12 volts in 14-2 wire
To answer your question why do I think it's different...
Bob, re-read my post please. I did not say that the wire size for a given load was the same AC or DC. I simply said the criteria for choosing a conductor was the same AC or DC. Those criteria, to quote you, are "based on the amp draw, the distance of the wire run, and how much voltage drop you can live with." Those criteria are the same for AC or DC. I never said the wire size was the same AC or DC.
Now, back to my original reply (which was to the original poster,) I stand by my statement "the 'keep it under 15 amp' statement (for 14 ga) and you will be fine weather it is AC or DC." Seems like a simple reply to a simple question posed by the original poster. The reason for this is that in my opinion when it comes to wire lengths relevant to an RV, the difference between AC and DC matters so little as to be negligible.
It seems that many others in this very thread feel that 14GA is fine for 15 amps in this case weather AC or DC. I am just one of those many posters, and I stick by that.
That link that Bob Landry posted here is telling me that for a 12 VDC, 15 amp load across a conductor 30 feet long with 2% loss, I need to use 000 (3/0) wire. That made me laugh out loud. It may very well be true, I have no idea. But back here on earth no RV'er is using wire that is several dollars per foot and more than 5/8" in diameter (each conductor) to run a couple lights and a fantastic fan.
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PatJ
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06/06/11 09:45pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: 76 Dodge Edson project.
I didn't change hoses or anything else and I didn't drain oil or anything. I didn't open the system at all. Like I said, the extremely popular Interdynamics kit that you can but at Wal-Mart or Autozone or Kmart or anywhere else in the USA comes with fittings, a retrofit oil, and R134a. Follow the directions in the kit = screw the new fittings right on top of the old, add the oil with the included fill hoses, and then add the R134A. Done. If you leak the R134A now or at any point in the future, just go to basically any store in America with an automotive department and buy another can of plain-jane R134A and add it with the hoses you already have because they came in the $40 Interdynamics kit. I retrofitted mine using the $40 kit in 2004 and it still works great. Like I said it still leaks so I add an $8 can in spring and I am good to go all year.
I have never used Freeze 12 so I am not implying anything negative about it, I am just saying the 134 kit is a piece of cake and works great and you can buy R134 anywhere if you ever leak it out again while on the road someday in the future.
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PatJ
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06/02/11 11:41pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: 12 volts in 14-2 wire
The 14ga/15Amp spec only applies to AC, not direct current. Wire for DC applications is sized based on the amp draw, the distance of the wire run, and how much voltage drop you can live with, which is 3% for most DC applications. Ther are charts all over the internet depicting this.
So you say wire for "DC" is sized based on "Amp draw, the distance of the wire run, and how much voltage drop you can live with." What criteria do you think are the used to size "AC" wire? What makes you think it is any different?
I agree with the "keep it under 15 amp" statement (for 14 ga) and you will be fine weather it is AC or DC. I am NOT an electrical engineer but I know a piece of 14ga copper will reliably and safely blow a 15 amp fuse or trip a 15 amp breaker as long as it is under any length that would reasonably be used in an RV.
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PatJ
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06/02/11 11:02pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Engine Oil Question
I use Shell Rotella T SAE30 in my Honda 2000i as well as my big Troy Built generator I use for home backup, pressure washer, tractor, riding mower, "old" motorcycles, and generator welder. My thinking is that it should go in everything that will never start when it is really cold out but will run hard when it is warm/hot. All those items have flat tappet cams and benefit from the extra zinc of a heavy duty oil like Rotella or Chevron Delo.
All my "older" street driven vehicles (with flat tappet cams, Chev chassis class C, Chevy K20) get Rotella T 15w40.
My "newer" street driven vehicles (with roller cams, Crown Vic, Chevy Trailblazer) get Mobil 1 5w30 Full Synthetic.
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PatJ
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06/02/11 10:41pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Water Heater Pressure Relief Valve
How bad is the drip? Mine drips maybe a drop every 5 minutes, and only when it is hot (I light the water heater in the morning for showers and then turn it off for the rest of the day.) I'm not going to risk tearing up the aluminum tank in my 20 + year old heater to fix that until something else goes wrong. Maybe your drip is worse than mine though.
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PatJ
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06/02/11 10:36pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: 76 Dodge Edson project.
I retrofitted my AC to R134A with the interdynamics kit you can buy anywhere. Didn't have to drain or change the oil or open the system at all just change the fittings, dump in the can of oil included in the kit, and fill with a few cans of R134 you can buy at any auto parts store/walmart across the country. It works very well. Since I never did repair the leaks that caused the loss of R12 to begin with, the system still had a slow leak. I just add one can of R134A in the spring and it gets me through the whole year. Haven't done it this year though and may not because we have just run the generator and used the roof AC. It works much better and I think it actually uses less fuel than the dash AC.
My 84 Chevy chassis C does not have any hose clamps on AC lines. I think you have some "custom" work there. Maybe just bag the whole dash air thing and use the roof air from the gen?
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PatJ
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05/31/11 07:00pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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