Serendipity's First Outing
Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2015 11:22 amGuess most of you know I traded Flitter in on a 2013 Pleasure Way that only had 4700 miles on it. Now I'm having so much fun figuring out what I can't take along in such a small rig, and just how does everything work since the PIO (Previous Idiot Owner) removed all the owners' manuals. He also removed the bathroom door, the window coverings along with the fixtures, the table, and, can you believe - the brains to the satellite dish! After packing and repacking, trying this and that, I decided I needed a shake-down cruise. I checked into a local RV resort. I wanted to stay close to home so my son could come help me check everything out. Well, it was over 100 degrees out and check-in was 1:00 p.m. Fridge didn't like that hot sun on its vent and only worked on the very line between safe and unsafe. Terrific.
Plugged in and turned on the A/C, which blew cool for about 2 minutes and started belching hot air. When I bought Sere, the sales guy and RV tech raved about how the PIO wired a separate circuit so the A/C could run on 20 amps. They enthused about how nice that would be at rallies when they only provide 20 amp service. Well, when my son checked, he discovered the PIO had rewired the A/C to ONLY run on 20 amps. Here I was pumping 30 amps into a 20 amp system - no wonder the wires got hot! Poor Elsa had done nothing but cry ever since leaving home. Now, with the inside temp hovering around 100, her little tongue was hanging out and she was panting so fast I worried about her getting heat stroke. So, now the cat is crying. I'm crying. We're all so hot and although there is a lot of shade on the site, none of the shade is protecting the fridge and door side of the rig! I asked my son to run us home. I figured I'd leave Elsa alone and return to the rig when the sun went down. After my crying jag and a glass of wine. This isn't the first problem I've had, but that's another whole story.
My son remembered that the RV park's power pole had a 20 amp outlet and in a light bulb moment suggested we bring a heavy duty extension cord and plug in the 20 amp circuit PIO installed. That way I would have two cords, my regular 30 amp and this 20 amp extension. I made a call to Sharon, my very patient RV guru, and she told us to check the starting amps needed on the back of the A/C unit. It couldn't be over 20. Sure enough, the plate said 20. Well, it worked. Not extremely well, but it worked. I need a serious talk with the dealership. I know they weren't aware of how this dumb thing was wired, but it's a good thing their buyer and her son have so many years of RVing under our belts. Shooting 30 amps of electricity into a 20 amp system and a wire that gets hotter and hotter is never a good sign. We're lucky we didn't ruin the compressor or start a fire!
The rest of the trial run was fine. I was able to check out the micro, hot water heater, furnace, etc. and discover hanging a bulky bathrobe on the inside of the bathroom door means you have a face full of bathrobe. And who the heck decided the sink fixtures should be on the right? Some of us are left handed, you know! But Sere and I will be just fine. She really is a dream to drive, the sofa is a very comfortable bed, and she sure is pretty.
Pooker
Plugged in and turned on the A/C, which blew cool for about 2 minutes and started belching hot air. When I bought Sere, the sales guy and RV tech raved about how the PIO wired a separate circuit so the A/C could run on 20 amps. They enthused about how nice that would be at rallies when they only provide 20 amp service. Well, when my son checked, he discovered the PIO had rewired the A/C to ONLY run on 20 amps. Here I was pumping 30 amps into a 20 amp system - no wonder the wires got hot! Poor Elsa had done nothing but cry ever since leaving home. Now, with the inside temp hovering around 100, her little tongue was hanging out and she was panting so fast I worried about her getting heat stroke. So, now the cat is crying. I'm crying. We're all so hot and although there is a lot of shade on the site, none of the shade is protecting the fridge and door side of the rig! I asked my son to run us home. I figured I'd leave Elsa alone and return to the rig when the sun went down. After my crying jag and a glass of wine. This isn't the first problem I've had, but that's another whole story.
My son remembered that the RV park's power pole had a 20 amp outlet and in a light bulb moment suggested we bring a heavy duty extension cord and plug in the 20 amp circuit PIO installed. That way I would have two cords, my regular 30 amp and this 20 amp extension. I made a call to Sharon, my very patient RV guru, and she told us to check the starting amps needed on the back of the A/C unit. It couldn't be over 20. Sure enough, the plate said 20. Well, it worked. Not extremely well, but it worked. I need a serious talk with the dealership. I know they weren't aware of how this dumb thing was wired, but it's a good thing their buyer and her son have so many years of RVing under our belts. Shooting 30 amps of electricity into a 20 amp system and a wire that gets hotter and hotter is never a good sign. We're lucky we didn't ruin the compressor or start a fire!
The rest of the trial run was fine. I was able to check out the micro, hot water heater, furnace, etc. and discover hanging a bulky bathrobe on the inside of the bathroom door means you have a face full of bathrobe. And who the heck decided the sink fixtures should be on the right? Some of us are left handed, you know! But Sere and I will be just fine. She really is a dream to drive, the sofa is a very comfortable bed, and she sure is pretty.
Pooker