Before dumping Bleach or other chemicals in your tank......Read all warning lables on your tank deoderizer addatives .....you could be mixing something you dont want.....
I found a very simple website that includes an easy to understand method for cleaning and maintaining tanks well worth bookmarking and reading.....hope it helps
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Thursday 27th of September 2012 05:28:05 PM
JayKim-no regrets said
07:59 PM Sep 26, 2012
Hi guys:)
Well, we are finally fulltiming in our 40ft Alfa Seeya, been living on famcamp on base now for almost 3 weeks. A couple of issues have come up....ie: Smelly toilet, we have been flushing lots of water when we flush, have put deoderiser in (SP?) still kinda stinky, any suggestions?
Have levelled rig, according to onboard levelers and seperate one on work surface, fridge still seems to be having a hard time cooling food and keeping it cooled. We have tried all the suggestions on here like seperating food, using fridge fans etc, but still not getting/staying cool enough?
Anyone have any idea where we can find/download manufactureres/owners manual for 2004 Alfa Seeya? we didn't get one from dealer and need some height/width info for GPS system
Thanx guys, any help would be appreciated:)
Huggies Kim x
bjoyce said
08:11 PM Sep 26, 2012
Your sewer vent on the roof might be clogged or the smell is actually coming from the bathroom sink area and is actually the grey tank.
Make sure your fridge is getting sufficient ventilation in back and the drain tube is not clogged. Fridges do require yearly maintenance, was that done?
Lucky Mike said
09:09 PM Sep 26, 2012
I agree with Bill....The sewer vent on the roof might be clogged or Ive seen the cap pushed all the way down on the roof so there is no venting....( might want to cut down on the mexican food too!!!!)
use a internal fridge fan during the summer months and Level is very important.....check your roof vent (above the Ref outside Roof)....they are known habitats for birds and squirrels and any other leaf tote'n...nut packing..straw carrying string baller to hang out......that being said remove the outside cover to the fridge(outside behind fridge) and make sure all the above mentioned is not in there and the flew is clear all the way to the roof............solar powered fan systems to replace the roof vent are available for short money and well worth it!!!......the air flow behind in the flew area is very important for the cooling process ....
Most of all.....Relax , Enjoy ,Breathe , and dont forget to keep us informed !!!!!!!
We are all new to this , some of us have just been out here longer than others trying to figure it out.....LOL....!!!!!!
The only question that ever went unanswered was the one not asked.............and all failures normally occur when someone fails to ask an important question Before rather than after!!
And most of all..........They thought Einstein Was Crazy!!!!!.........look where it got us!!
lindy said
11:47 PM Sep 26, 2012
Have you use a carpenters level to check that the leveling system is working properly, it could be out of calibration.
Alie and Jims Carrilite said
01:25 AM Sep 27, 2012
There is a little clip that is on the fins inside the fridge. Slide it up (I think) to make the fridge colder. I may have that backward though. The next time you need to dump your black tank, dump it then fill it up with water add some laundry detergent and bleach. Let it sit for as long as you can then dump it. Using a cup of bleach in the black tank to control odor is what we do.
RVRon said
04:30 PM Sep 27, 2012
We were always chemical using folks as far as the black tank was concerned but as a trial we decided to go no chemicals and see what happened. No difference in the amount of odors, at least when we were sitting still. We still got some odors when we were traveling so we added those negative pressure revolving sewer vent tops that revolve like a weather vane. They made a remarkable difference. Every now and then we put a mixture of laundry detergent and water softener (Calgon) and a bunch of water into the tank when its empty and we are traveling. Need to make sure the solution sloshes around good while you're on the road. With this routine we seldom have any odors at all and we've saved money by not buying the toilet chemicals.
-- Edited by RVRon on Thursday 27th of September 2012 04:43:36 PM
Alie and Jims Carrilite said
09:19 PM Sep 27, 2012
Good catch Mike!
We use the GEO method so it didn't cross my mind that they may be using the formadlhyde (sp) packets that the bleach suggestion would be bad to mix with.
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Friday 28th of September 2012 06:52:51 AM
The Bear II said
10:45 PM Sep 27, 2012
Make sure you check the actual temperature inside the referigerator with a good thermometer. Once in awhile when I grab something out of the refer it feels warmer than it should but once I check the temp inside the refer I see that it is as cold as it should be.
In addition, you'll see some temp fluctuations throughout the day depending on outside temperatures, direct sun and cycle of your refer. 35 to 43 is what we get depending on if the sun is hitting the side with the refer. Rest of the day it's 33 to 35.
Toilet smells... the gasket at the bottom of your toilet may be bad. This will allow smells from the black tank to get inside the coach. If you are handy it's a fairly simple replacement.
There is a group of folks who started an Alfa repair company here in Southern California when the factory closed. Do a Google search and you should be able to find them. They may have manuals or can give you the measurements.
RVPAINTER said
12:55 AM Sep 28, 2012
We do use the chemicals for the black tank and we also back flush it at least twice until the discharge is clean in its looks. No smells since we started RVing F/T six months ago. We also back flush the grey tank. So far so good - seems to work for us.
WestWardHo said
04:21 AM Sep 28, 2012
I typed a reply to this this morning but I hit subscribe and it disappeared so I'll try again. Above suggestions are great, one thing we learned at the Rally in Harrisburg from their head tech with 27 years of experience at Guaranty RV was how awed he was by a product called Happy Camper. That he swore was better than anything he had ever used and a customer had told them about it. Said rigs regularly come in with "the pyramid of death" in the black tank and he would put 2 oz's in the tank and return in 15-30 minutes and NO odor and he could go to work on fixing it. It doesn't perfume odors but stops them completely. Works as well in grey tanks.
Hope t his helps after you have tried above suggestions. Guess its not easy to find but you can go to their website.
~Sherry & Jesse
bjoyce said
05:18 AM Sep 28, 2012
Happy Campers has been around a while and seems to work best in warmer climates from talking to people. But others like Snowfresh, http://www.snowfresh.com/ , and SeaZyme, http://www.seazyme.com/ , also work and seem to do better when it is cold than Happy Campers. I have both Happy Campers and Snowfresh with me and use them when I feel I have a problem. My last big problem was when I tried out a different toilet paper and clogged my tank spayer, Snowfresh handled that. I forget to look at marine stores for SeaZyme so I ran out and tried Snowfresh.
JayKim-no regrets said
01:38 PM Sep 29, 2012
Thank you guys:) We will be trying some of the suggestions this weekend, really appreciate you all taking the time to answer my questions!
So, we have a splendide washer/dryer in the rig, I had heard good/bad things about them so we weren't too bothered about having one. We have been using the famcamp laundry facilities since we got here. The other day I decided to try ours out, (shouldn't be too difficult, right?) I checked all the knobs/dials/buttons etc, put in a few bits of laundry and started the washer, seemed to work fine, about 2 hours later!! I took out the laundry, Jays cotton shirt was now small enough to fit the neighbors dog! and everything else was so dry/creased, I had to wash them again in the laundry :) Guess it waasn't so simple huh? Anyway, after I came back to the rig, I noticed water everywhere underneath! we couldn't find any leaks or any water in the basement, we are thinking that the washer just emptied out under the coach? surely it is supposed to empty into the grey tank right?
Next, we had decided to put away the money to get the tow package fitted, we called a recommended company to install it, come to find out our car (ford escape 2010) is not a towable vehicle!! Funny noone mentioned that during the whole process of finding our RV, but it's our own fault for not doing the research. Jay is thinking about getting a tow dolly, buy I really don't like that idea.
Have a great weekend guys and thank you again for your experience:) huggs Kim
Alie and Jims Carrilite said
02:22 PM Sep 29, 2012
When you run the washer, you need to have the sewer hose hooked up and the gray tank valve open. Your tank just overflowed.
RVRon said
02:37 PM Sep 29, 2012
JayKim-no regrets wrote:
Next, we had decided to put away the money to get the tow package fitted, we called a recommended company to install it, come to find out our car (ford escape 2010) is not a towable vehicle!! Funny noone mentioned that during the whole process of finding our RV, but it's our own fault for not doing the research. Jay is thinking about getting a tow dolly, buy I really don't like that idea.
Are you sure the Escape is not towable? I checked Motorhome Magazine's 2010 Dinghy Guide and it shows the Escape I-4, V-6 and Hybrid models all to be flat towable without modification up to 65-70 mph. You might want to check your owner's manual or call Ford to be sure but I've seen a bunch of Ford Escape's behind motorhomes.
JayKim-no regrets said
08:37 PM Sep 30, 2012
Thanx Jim:) live n learn huh!!
RVRon, we will be talking to Ford dealer tomorrow, we have to have a service, so will definitely ask about the towing, would be a lot easier if you are right!! Again, thank you guys, you are a big help:) huggs kim
TXRVr said
09:02 AM Oct 2, 2012
I have a 2004 Alfa SeeYa 40'. Bought new. So first let me say that you absolutely need that owner's manual. There are quite a few cautions, warnings, specs, and how to fix/maintain pieces of info in it. I'd also recommend that you acquire mauals on all of the sytems as installed by other manufacturers. IE: Freightliner, Catapillar, King-Dome, Attwood, applicantes, etc, etc. There are at least a dozen of those manuals.
Here is a valuable forum site where you can sign up and ask questions about the SeeYa http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/alfaseeya/ The first question I would post is about acquiring all of the manuals.
Not a towable vehicle.....Funny no one mentioned that during the whole process of finding our RV, but it's our own fault for not doing the research. They never do and yes it is. A good learned lesson for all.
I concur with the vent tube and toilet ring solutions on the smell. Pour a cup or two of water into the bowl. If it isn't holding the water, then the ring needs replacing.
Personally, if I had a dumb buyer, I'd sell the Slendide combo. Too little load capacity, too much weight, occupies valuable F/T storage space, takes too long to wash and dry, and the handle is mickey mouse. My wife absolutely concurs with that accessment. You do need to open the gray water tank when using it so you can forget about it's use when dry camping.
I can answer other questions you might have. PM me if you would like.
Edit by moderator: Activated link. Terry
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Tuesday 2nd of October 2012 01:32:26 PM
bjoyce said
05:17 PM Oct 2, 2012
My wife is unhappy our Spendide just broke, it is not drying, and we have an appointment to get it fixed next week. She loves it and has loved having it for 8 years. I am glad to know how dumb we are.
If your toilet bowl isn't holding water you can take it apart and clean the seals in most cases instead of spending $30 or more to get new ones. Take it apart and clean first, if that doesn't work than get a new set of seals/rings.
Lucky Mike said
07:28 PM Oct 2, 2012
Bill if your dryer Quit.....shut the Breaker completely off and then turn it back on and retest..........possible one side of breaker tripped but is not showing.......also check venting , if it is dirty or outside is not clear it will blow the hi limit fire safety.......
Spendid is a good system for the purpose it was made......Ive worked on them and Equator units for years........anyone not liking them normally is overloading them and does not understand that they are for daily small loads /////NOT trying to do a weeks worth on saturday!!!!!
Of course to the complainers a simple fix is to get a 5 gallon bucket , a cheap plunger and 12 feet of rope for drying purposes......if you do your laundry this way(boondock Method)...it will make you appreciate a Splendid unit very Quickly!!!!
bjoyce said
11:00 PM Oct 2, 2012
The Spendide still washes and the dry cycle runs but has no heat. There is only one breaker. The in and out paths were cleaned a couple months back. We are in Oregon so parts come fast since the US operations are in the Portland metro area. We know someplace I trust to diagnose it.
JayKim-no regrets said
01:41 PM Oct 4, 2012
I have a 2004 Alfa SeeYa 40'. Bought new. So first let me say that you absolutely need that owner's manual. There are quite a few cautions, warnings, specs, and how to fix/maintain pieces of info in it. I'd also recommend that you acquire mauals on all of the sytems as installed by other manufacturers. IE: Freightliner, Catapillar, King-Dome, Attwood, applicantes, etc, etc. There are at least a dozen of those manuals.
Here is a valuable forum site where you can sign up and ask questions about the SeeYa http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/alfaseeya/ The first question I would post is about acquiring all of the manuals. >>>>>>>>>>>
Thank you TXRVr!! Good to know a fellow Alfa Seeya owner is around with experience and willing to share it:) Have already joined the alfa owners forum:)
I actually found someone on Ebay selling the manual, hoping to get it in the next day or two. We do have a lot of the other operating manuals for the other systems, also a maintenance schedule that will come in handy, we stopped by the dealers the other day and they gave us the system manuals, even offered to pay for the manual from Ebay, so we are not disappointed with their service. The washer incident was just a learning process, we have used it since (following advice from here) successfuly, but we still prefer to use the laundry facilities in the camp.
The toilet (stinky issue) seems to have cleared up, we are thinking that it may have been due to non-use, (about 6 months since last used before us) We did use a chemical deoderiser and we have ordered the "happy camper" powder too, thanx Westwardho amd Mike!
The escape non-towing problem hasn't been resolved yet, we are gettting conflicting info from different dealers, Jay talked to an older mechanic that told him to forget it and buy a tow dolly, younger guys tell him it can be modified, they have given him a phone # to get a definitive answer from the people that should know, at Ford. Will keep you posted on the info we get, Jay is just thinking about getting a hitch on the back of the escape and then just renting a tow dolly for one way trips, then dropping it back off at rental place when we arrive. For now our plan is to only move around every 4/5 months, so that might work. We still have the money put aside to get the tow package/brake system if we can get it done.
TXRVr, I'm sure we will have lots of questions coming up, so really appreciate you offering your experience Thank you all, this sure is a great place to learn! huggs Kim
FT Dreamin said
11:16 AM Oct 12, 2012
We tow our Honda on a Master tow dolly. Although 4 down would be easier we have become quite proficient in loading/unloading - less than 5 minutes.
I just bought a Splendide this summer and installed it - love it. It takes some getting used to and some trial & error but it works beautifully.
Ranger guy said
10:39 PM Oct 14, 2012
With the fridge I think i read that after you ajust the clip that slides up an down on the fins of the fridge that you have to turn the fridge off let the temp ajust to the same as room temp and then turn it back on to get the temp to change in the fridge I would like to know if this is true or can you just move the clip.
Lucky Mike said
11:31 PM Oct 14, 2012
just move the clip.....it also takes 24 hours roughly for any type of refrigeration to stabilize accurately after making any temp adjustment this will give the thermostat and cooling system a chance to adjust to a meeting point
Ranger guy said
12:12 PM Oct 15, 2012
thanks Mike so you don`t have to turn the fridge off just make the ajustment and wait 24 hours so is it up for cold and down for warm.
JayKim-no regrets said
05:15 PM Oct 31, 2012
Well, the smelly water issue has gone away Thanx guys for your help with that, we think that it was a mixture of a few things...standing unused, needed deoderising properly, we got the happy camper powder and it has been good since then!! Fridge seems to be working a lot better too, we rearranged how we stocked it, bought a couple fans and found a good temp level for it:) Still have to get a tow dolly for towing the car, talked to everyone we could to try and get the escape tow ready, but in the end it's just not worth the hassle. The gas rings on top work fine...
Now, we have a couple of other issues we were hoping some of you guys had been through and could offer 'fixes' for....The oven is not staying lit? It will light fine and the bar lights fine, then after a few minutes the bar goes out? the pilot light stays lit, so we know gas is getting to it, if we relight the bar with a match it will light, but only stay lit a few minutes. Any ideas?
We are also having a big issue with water pressure inside the RV, the camp host says he has never had complaints about it, we have asked other visitors here and they say it's fine. The shower is practically useless, I have given up with it and go to the shower block for mine, Jay has to get up at 5:30am for work, so he is suffering with the 'dribble' we are getting thru' the shower head. The faucets are just as bad, its not even high enough to keep the spray going in the kitchen sink, sometimes the 'pump' will bring the pressure up a tiny bit, but nothing significant. We have checked under the sink, the water coming from the hook up is fine, the water pressure monitor says 45-50psi, but there must be an issue between the outside water and the faucet/shower....anything we can try before calling in the pro's? Thank you, appreciate any help we can get :) Huggs Kim x
RVRon said
05:44 PM Oct 31, 2012
I can think of a couple of things regarding the low shower water pressure:
We had the same problem and had to resort to turning on the pump when we took a shower. It was a temporary fix but one that made a huge difference... we just had to make sure we had adequate water in the fresh water holding tank.
Check for a flow restrictor somewhere in the shower line and remove it. It will be a plastic disk with a small hole in the middle.
We replaced the standard shower head with an Oxygenics shower head. The Oxygenics makes low water pressure feel like a lot more than it really is. You do need to add a shutoff on the shower line though but you can buy one at any Home Depot.
Lastly I'd check the flow rate of your water pressure regulator. Many of those inexpensive ones you buy at camping supply places reduce the pressure but reduce the flow rate as well. We wound up with a Watts 263A that lets a much larger volume of water through while still regulating the pressure.
Hope some of these ideas will help!
Terry and Jo said
05:54 PM Oct 31, 2012
If I read Kay's first comment about the water pressure right, they have low pressure at all faucets with the shower being the worst, especially since one wants quite a bit of water coming from there for showers. So, are you using a water filter anywhere that may be plugged enough to slow things down? At your city water inlet, is there a little screen within that fitting that might be somewhat plugged?
With regards to the oven, it appears you have good enough pressure since the burner will light when you light it separately. When the pilot light is burning, does it look like the flame from it is reaching over towards the burner? If not, you may need to find a way to clean out the line going to the pilot light. I am assuming that you do have a good flame both at the pilot and when the burner is burning as well.
I would suggest you try Ron's idea of getting water without a flow/pressure regulator. Open a window and with one of you outside at the hydrant and the other inside watching the water flow, have the outside person open the valve a little at at time to prevent a high pressure situation. You might want to try the toilet to see what kind of "flushing flow" you are getting, or if your shower is on a hose, use that with it pulled down so water doesn't get everywhere.
If your pressure improves quite a bit, I'd guess that your flow/pressure regulator may be the issue. I'm basing that idea on your statement that your water flow is similar to ours with the 45 psi regulator. If you have the Camping World regulator, I was thinking that those were supposed to be set at around 50 to 55 psi. So, try that as well.
Good luck with finding solutions.
Terry
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Wednesday 31st of October 2012 05:56:19 PM
Terry and Jo said
06:17 PM Oct 31, 2012
I go along with Ron on the Watts 263A for water pressure. We are under the opposite circumstances as the water pressure in this mobile home park is really high. Enough so that it was causing leaks just about everywhere. We initially got one of those "regulators" at an RV store, but it limited pressure and flow to 45psi. We ordered the Watts 263A with stainless steel innards and now run absolutely fine at about 58 or 59 psi. The place we bought it from has a regular 23A model, the model with the stainless innards, and another that is stainless inside and outside.
Here is a link to my blog where I wrote a review of the Watts regulator If you are really bored, you can watch the videos where I did flow tests before and after installation of the regulator. At the end of the review, there is a link to the source where we bought ours.
I can think of a couple of things regarding the low shower water pressure:
We had the same problem and had to resort to turning on the pump when we took a shower. It was a temporary fix but one that made a huge difference... we just had to make sure we had adequate water in the fresh water holding tank.
Check for a flow restrictor somewhere in the shower line and remove it. It will be a plastic disk with a small hole in the middle.
We replaced the standard shower head with an Oxygenics shower head. The Oxygenics makes low water pressure feel like a lot more than it really is. You do need to add a shutoff on the shower line though but you can buy one at any Home Depot.
Lastly I'd check the flow rate of your water pressure regulator. Many of those inexpensive ones you buy at camping supply places reduce the pressure but reduce the flow rate as well. We wound up with a Watts 263A that lets a much larger volume of water through while still regulating the pressure.
Hope some of these ideas will help!
Thanx for the fast responsse Ron:) We have already tried the first two suggestions, will talk to Jay about the others when he gets home, looks like you and Terry are on the same page with the water regulator, we did buy one from CW, but it has the round glass pressure readings on a dial inside it, can't remember the price, but it wasn't $80. We need to fix this problem so that seems like a smaller bill than we would get from a callout to the pro's
Once again, thank you for the help, will let you know how it goes.
huggs Kim x
PS, Terry, watched the videos on your link, ours is pretty much the same as yours was before the new 263A was attached.
RVRon said
09:28 PM Oct 31, 2012
Kay, you probably already thought of this but the easy way to see if your pressure regulator is causing low shower flow rate is to remove it and try the pressure without it. If the campground water pressure is only 45-50 psi then you won't do any harm in removing it just as a test. I don't know as I'd leave it off for long though because even though the pressure is only 45-50 right now water pressure can vary widely depending on how many people are using the water at the same time you are.
If turning on the pump didn't increase the water pressure for the shower then I'd investigate either the new shower head or look for a flow restrictor in the shower valve.
RVRon said
01:38 AM Nov 1, 2012
Alright, I confess that I missed the part about all of the faucets being slow and concentrated on the shower problem. If removing the pressure regulator doesn't do the trick then you probably have a clogged filter or each device is plugged up. Since you don't know how careful the previous owners were with water filters or screens it's not out of the realm of possibility that some kind of crud came into the water system and clogged up each valve and spigot. You may have to take each water device apart and clean the junk out of it.
JayKim-no regrets said
01:46 PM Nov 1, 2012
Terry and Jo wrote:
If I read Kay's first comment about the water pressure right, they have low pressure at all faucets with the shower being the worst, especially since one wants quite a bit of water coming from there for showers. So, are you using a water filter anywhere that may be plugged enough to slow things down? At your city water inlet, is there a little screen within that fitting that might be somewhat plugged?
With regards to the oven, it appears you have good enough pressure since the burner will light when you light it separately. When the pilot light is burning, does it look like the flame from it is reaching over towards the burner? If not, you may need to find a way to clean out the line going to the pilot light. I am assuming that you do have a good flame both at the pilot and when the burner is burning as well.
I would suggest you try Ron's idea of getting water without a flow/pressure regulator. Open a window and with one of you outside at the hydrant and the other inside watching the water flow, have the outside person open the valve a little at at time to prevent a high pressure situation. You might want to try the toilet to see what kind of "flushing flow" you are getting, or if your shower is on a hose, use that with it pulled down so water doesn't get everywhere.
If your pressure improves quite a bit, I'd guess that your flow/pressure regulator may be the issue. I'm basing that idea on your statement that your water flow is similar to ours with the 45 psi regulator. If you have the Camping World regulator, I was thinking that those were supposed to be set at around 50 to 55 psi. So, try that as well.
Good luck with finding solutions.
Terry
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Wednesday 31st of October 2012 05:56:19 PM
Thank you Ron and Terry, Jay was out there last night checking the different entry points for water into the RV, he couldn't find any clogs or crud anywhere he looked. the toilet flush goes through phases, i'm guessing it depends on the amount of water being used in the famcamp at the time of us flushing? We have tried the pressure coming in with/without a regulator on the hose, doesn't make any difference really. We are using a water filter, it's one that fits under the kitchen sink, we had the dealer check that out and the connection to the kitchen faucet, he cleaned out the little wire screen in the spray attachment, but that hasn't helped either, he also checked the pressure without it in. I'm thinking that it could just be an issue with the pressure coming from the hookup? maybe there is a leak from root damage or something underground? seems wierd that everyone else we talk to is happy with the pressure?
Terry, yes the gas flow on the oven is good when it is going, the pilot light is lit, but as you mentioned, it isn't a large enough flame to reach the gas bar...sounds like there is an issue in that part of the pipe, will get Jay to look through the manual to see if we can clean that ourselves, thank you!!
We don't have any idea how the last owners were regarding services/maintenance, but from the way they took care of the inside/outside cleaning and upkeep and the fact that they kept the RV inside when not in use, we are hoping they were pro-active with that. (fingers crossed)
huggs Kim x
NorCal Dan said
04:50 PM Nov 1, 2012
I may have missed it, but does your rig have a whole house water filter? I know you said you have a filter on the kitchen sink but since all outlets have low water pressure could it be there is another filter that could be clogged?
bjoyce said
04:57 PM Nov 1, 2012
If your neighbors pressure is better maybe you can do the test from their faucet. With their permission, of course.
Alie and Jims Carrilite said
11:20 PM Nov 1, 2012
If you can get to the back side of your water inlet on the rv, there may be a check valve. On our CarriLite it is located right on the back of the city water connection. It could be obstructed, or just not working properly.
Lucky Mike said
12:05 AM Nov 2, 2012
or somebody put a screened o ring gasket on the hose or at your inlet connection
JayKim-no regrets said
05:12 PM Nov 15, 2012
Just wanted to let you all know that Jay finally worked out the water pressure issue!! YAY! Thank you all so much for the ideas/advice. Turns out that there was a connection attached to the inlet on the RV, Jay just attached our water hose to it, not thinking it was anything but a connection to stop hose bending...well, he just took that off reattached the hose and voila!! good pressure coming in thru all faucets and the shower!.......very happy to have been able to figure this out with all your help. Thank you!!
Also, realised there was no issue with the oven and the 'pipe' staying lit, it was supposed to go out when it reached temp' DUH!!! It is kind of embarrassing to admit to learning things by showing what true amateurs we are in this fulltime RVing thing, but hopefuly we can help someone else by showing ourselves up Huggs kim x
Lucky Mike said
05:34 PM Nov 15, 2012
Kim.....there is no such thing as amateurs in fulltime RVing.........only Masters in training!!!!!!! and as far as I know one has achieved the highest bestowed honors!!!!
you might want to tell jay to check that attachment he took off......could be a clogged water pressure regulator......might not be needed now but some parks tend to have high water pressure and without it it can cause problems fast.......
JayKim-no regrets said
05:40 PM Nov 15, 2012
Lucky Mike wrote:
Kim.....there is no such thing as amateurs in fulltime RVing.........only Masters in training!!!!!!! and as far as I know one has achieved the highest bestowed honors!!!!
you might want to tell jay to check that attachment he took off......could be a clogged water pressure regulator......might not be needed now but some parks tend to have high water pressure and without it it can cause problems fast.......
Thank you Mike, yes we think it was a pressure regulator, we do have one that we had bought to regulate the water coming in from the city water hookup, so we are not too worried about having removed that one.
Thank you though and thank you for making me feel better about our 'duh' moments
Before dumping Bleach or other chemicals in your tank......Read all warning lables on your tank deoderizer addatives .....you could be mixing something you dont want.....
I found a very simple website that includes an easy to understand method for cleaning and maintaining tanks well worth bookmarking and reading.....hope it helps
http://texasrvtravel.com/rv_maintain_tanks.htm
Edit by moderator: Activated link. Terry
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Thursday 27th of September 2012 05:28:05 PM
Hi guys:)
Well, we are finally fulltiming in our 40ft Alfa Seeya, been living on famcamp on base now for almost 3 weeks. A couple of issues have come up....ie: Smelly toilet, we have been flushing lots of water when we flush, have put deoderiser in (SP?) still kinda stinky, any suggestions?
Have levelled rig, according to onboard levelers and seperate one on work surface, fridge still seems to be having a hard time cooling food and keeping it cooled. We have tried all the suggestions on here like seperating food, using fridge fans etc, but still not getting/staying cool enough?
Anyone have any idea where we can find/download manufactureres/owners manual for 2004 Alfa Seeya? we didn't get one from dealer and need some height/width info for GPS system
Thanx guys, any help would be appreciated:)
Huggies Kim x
Make sure your fridge is getting sufficient ventilation in back and the drain tube is not clogged. Fridges do require yearly maintenance, was that done?
use a internal fridge fan during the summer months and Level is very important.....check your roof vent (above the Ref outside Roof)....they are known habitats for birds and squirrels and any other leaf tote'n...nut packing..straw carrying string baller to hang out......that being said remove the outside cover to the fridge(outside behind fridge) and make sure all the above mentioned is not in there and the flew is clear all the way to the roof............solar powered fan systems to replace the roof vent are available for short money and well worth it!!!......the air flow behind in the flew area is very important for the cooling process ....
Most of all.....Relax , Enjoy ,Breathe , and dont forget to keep us informed !!!!!!!
We are all new to this , some of us have just been out here longer than others trying to figure it out.....LOL....!!!!!!
The only question that ever went unanswered was the one not asked.............and all failures normally occur when someone fails to ask an important question Before rather than after!!
And most of all..........They thought Einstein Was Crazy!!!!!.........look where it got us!!
The next time you need to dump your black tank, dump it then fill it up with water add some laundry detergent and bleach. Let it sit for as long as you can then dump it. Using a cup of bleach in the black tank to control odor is what we do.
We were always chemical using folks as far as the black tank was concerned but as a trial we decided to go no chemicals and see what happened. No difference in the amount of odors, at least when we were sitting still. We still got some odors when we were traveling so we added those negative pressure revolving sewer vent tops that revolve like a weather vane. They made a remarkable difference. Every now and then we put a mixture of laundry detergent and water softener (Calgon) and a bunch of water into the tank when its empty and we are traveling. Need to make sure the solution sloshes around good while you're on the road. With this routine we seldom have any odors at all and we've saved money by not buying the toilet chemicals.
-- Edited by RVRon on Thursday 27th of September 2012 04:43:36 PM
We use the GEO method so it didn't cross my mind that they may be using the formadlhyde (sp) packets that the bleach suggestion would be bad to mix with.
Here is a link to Happycampers website!!!!!!!!
http://www.5starhappycamper.com/
Edit by moderator: Activated link. Terry
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Friday 28th of September 2012 06:52:51 AM
In addition, you'll see some temp fluctuations throughout the day depending on outside temperatures, direct sun and cycle of your refer. 35 to 43 is what we get depending on if the sun is hitting the side with the refer. Rest of the day it's 33 to 35.
Toilet smells... the gasket at the bottom of your toilet may be bad. This will allow smells from the black tank to get inside the coach. If you are handy it's a fairly simple replacement.
There is a group of folks who started an Alfa repair company here in Southern California when the factory closed. Do a Google search and you should be able to find them. They may have manuals or can give you the measurements.
Hope t his helps after you have tried above suggestions. Guess its not easy to find but you can go to their website.
~Sherry & Jesse
Happy Campers has been around a while and seems to work best in warmer climates from talking to people. But others like Snowfresh, http://www.snowfresh.com/ , and SeaZyme, http://www.seazyme.com/ , also work and seem to do better when it is cold than Happy Campers. I have both Happy Campers and Snowfresh with me and use them when I feel I have a problem. My last big problem was when I tried out a different toilet paper and clogged my tank spayer, Snowfresh handled that. I forget to look at marine stores for SeaZyme so I ran out and tried Snowfresh.
So, we have a splendide washer/dryer in the rig, I had heard good/bad things about them so we weren't too bothered about having one. We have been using the famcamp laundry facilities since we got here. The other day I decided to try ours out, (shouldn't be too difficult, right?) I checked all the knobs/dials/buttons etc, put in a few bits of laundry and started the washer, seemed to work fine, about 2 hours later!! I took out the laundry, Jays cotton shirt was now small enough to fit the neighbors dog! and everything else was so dry/creased, I had to wash them again in the laundry :) Guess it waasn't so simple huh? Anyway, after I came back to the rig, I noticed water everywhere underneath! we couldn't find any leaks or any water in the basement, we are thinking that the washer just emptied out under the coach? surely it is supposed to empty into the grey tank right?
Next, we had decided to put away the money to get the tow package fitted, we called a recommended company to install it, come to find out our car (ford escape 2010) is not a towable vehicle!! Funny noone mentioned that during the whole process of finding our RV, but it's our own fault for not doing the research. Jay is thinking about getting a tow dolly, buy I really don't like that idea.
Have a great weekend guys and thank you again for your experience:)
huggs Kim
Are you sure the Escape is not towable? I checked Motorhome Magazine's 2010 Dinghy Guide and it shows the Escape I-4, V-6 and Hybrid models all to be flat towable without modification up to 65-70 mph. You might want to check your owner's manual or call Ford to be sure but I've seen a bunch of Ford Escape's behind motorhomes.
RVRon, we will be talking to Ford dealer tomorrow, we have to have a service, so will definitely ask about the towing, would be a lot easier if you are right!!
Again, thank you guys, you are a big help:)
huggs kim
I have a 2004 Alfa SeeYa 40'. Bought new. So first let me say that you absolutely need that owner's manual. There are quite a few cautions, warnings, specs, and how to fix/maintain pieces of info in it. I'd also recommend that you acquire mauals on all of the sytems as installed by other manufacturers. IE: Freightliner, Catapillar, King-Dome, Attwood, applicantes, etc, etc. There are at least a dozen of those manuals.
Here is a valuable forum site where you can sign up and ask questions about the SeeYa
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/alfaseeya/ The first question I would post is about acquiring all of the manuals.
You asked about chassis specs:
Length = 39' 11' Height = 12.5' Width = 102" Gross wt = 32K Carry Cap. = 2666 lbs
Towing = 5000 lbs
Not a towable vehicle.....Funny no one mentioned that during the whole process of finding our RV, but it's our own fault for not doing the research. They never do and yes it is. A good learned lesson for all.
I concur with the vent tube and toilet ring solutions on the smell. Pour a cup or two of water into the bowl. If it isn't holding the water, then the ring needs replacing.
Personally, if I had a dumb buyer, I'd sell the Slendide combo. Too little load capacity, too much weight, occupies valuable F/T storage space, takes too long to wash and dry, and the handle is mickey mouse. My wife absolutely concurs with that accessment. You do need to open the gray water tank when using it so you can forget about it's use when dry camping.
I can answer other questions you might have. PM me if you would like.
Edit by moderator: Activated link. Terry
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Tuesday 2nd of October 2012 01:32:26 PM
If your toilet bowl isn't holding water you can take it apart and clean the seals in most cases instead of spending $30 or more to get new ones. Take it apart and clean first, if that doesn't work than get a new set of seals/rings.
Bill if your dryer Quit.....shut the Breaker completely off and then turn it back on and retest..........possible one side of breaker tripped but is not showing.......also check venting , if it is dirty or outside is not clear it will blow the hi limit fire safety.......
Spendid is a good system for the purpose it was made......Ive worked on them and Equator units for years........anyone not liking them normally is overloading them and does not understand that they are for daily small loads /////NOT trying to do a weeks worth on saturday!!!!!
Of course to the complainers a simple fix is to get a 5 gallon bucket , a cheap plunger and 12 feet of rope for drying purposes......if you do your laundry this way(boondock Method)...it will make you appreciate a Splendid unit very Quickly!!!!
Here is a valuable forum site where you can sign up and ask questions about the SeeYa
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/alfaseeya/ The first question I would post is about acquiring all of the manuals. >>>>>>>>>>>
Thank you TXRVr!! Good to know a fellow Alfa Seeya owner is around with experience and willing to share it:) Have already joined the alfa owners forum:)
I actually found someone on Ebay selling the manual, hoping to get it in the next day or two. We do have a lot of the other operating manuals for the other systems, also a maintenance schedule that will come in handy, we stopped by the dealers the other day and they gave us the system manuals, even offered to pay for the manual from Ebay, so we are not disappointed with their service. The washer incident was just a learning process, we have used it since (following advice from here) successfuly, but we still prefer to use the laundry facilities in the camp.
The toilet (stinky issue) seems to have cleared up, we are thinking that it may have been due to non-use, (about 6 months since last used before us) We did use a chemical deoderiser and we have ordered the "happy camper" powder too, thanx Westwardho amd Mike!
The escape non-towing problem hasn't been resolved yet, we are gettting conflicting info from different dealers, Jay talked to an older mechanic that told him to forget it and buy a tow dolly, younger guys tell him it can be modified, they have given him a phone # to get a definitive answer from the people that should know, at Ford. Will keep you posted on the info we get, Jay is just thinking about getting a hitch on the back of the escape and then just renting a tow dolly for one way trips, then dropping it back off at rental place when we arrive. For now our plan is to only move around every 4/5 months, so that might work. We still have the money put aside to get the tow package/brake system if we can get it done.
TXRVr, I'm sure we will have lots of questions coming up, so really appreciate you offering your experience
Thank you all, this sure is a great place to learn!
huggs Kim
I just bought a Splendide this summer and installed it - love it. It takes some getting used to and some trial & error but it works beautifully.
Still have to get a tow dolly for towing the car, talked to everyone we could to try and get the escape tow ready, but in the end it's just not worth the hassle. The gas rings on top work fine...
Now, we have a couple of other issues we were hoping some of you guys had been through and could offer 'fixes' for....The oven is not staying lit? It will light fine and the bar lights fine, then after a few minutes the bar goes out? the pilot light stays lit, so we know gas is getting to it, if we relight the bar with a match it will light, but only stay lit a few minutes. Any ideas?
We are also having a big issue with water pressure inside the RV, the camp host says he has never had complaints about it, we have asked other visitors here and they say it's fine. The shower is practically useless, I have given up with it and go to the shower block for mine, Jay has to get up at 5:30am for work, so he is suffering with the 'dribble' we are getting thru' the shower head. The faucets are just as bad, its not even high enough to keep the spray going in the kitchen sink, sometimes the 'pump' will bring the pressure up a tiny bit, but nothing significant. We have checked under the sink, the water coming from the hook up is fine, the water pressure monitor says 45-50psi, but there must be an issue between the outside water and the faucet/shower....anything we can try before calling in the pro's?
Thank you, appreciate any help we can get :)
Huggs Kim x
I can think of a couple of things regarding the low shower water pressure:
Hope some of these ideas will help!
If I read Kay's first comment about the water pressure right, they have low pressure at all faucets with the shower being the worst, especially since one wants quite a bit of water coming from there for showers. So, are you using a water filter anywhere that may be plugged enough to slow things down? At your city water inlet, is there a little screen within that fitting that might be somewhat plugged?
With regards to the oven, it appears you have good enough pressure since the burner will light when you light it separately. When the pilot light is burning, does it look like the flame from it is reaching over towards the burner? If not, you may need to find a way to clean out the line going to the pilot light. I am assuming that you do have a good flame both at the pilot and when the burner is burning as well.
I would suggest you try Ron's idea of getting water without a flow/pressure regulator. Open a window and with one of you outside at the hydrant and the other inside watching the water flow, have the outside person open the valve a little at at time to prevent a high pressure situation. You might want to try the toilet to see what kind of "flushing flow" you are getting, or if your shower is on a hose, use that with it pulled down so water doesn't get everywhere.
If your pressure improves quite a bit, I'd guess that your flow/pressure regulator may be the issue. I'm basing that idea on your statement that your water flow is similar to ours with the 45 psi regulator. If you have the Camping World regulator, I was thinking that those were supposed to be set at around 50 to 55 psi. So, try that as well.
Good luck with finding solutions.
Terry
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Wednesday 31st of October 2012 05:56:19 PM
I go along with Ron on the Watts 263A for water pressure. We are under the opposite circumstances as the water pressure in this mobile home park is really high. Enough so that it was causing leaks just about everywhere. We initially got one of those "regulators" at an RV store, but it limited pressure and flow to 45psi. We ordered the Watts 263A with stainless steel innards and now run absolutely fine at about 58 or 59 psi. The place we bought it from has a regular 23A model, the model with the stainless innards, and another that is stainless inside and outside.
Here is a link to my blog where I wrote a review of the Watts regulator If you are really bored, you can watch the videos where I did flow tests before and after installation of the regulator. At the end of the review, there is a link to the source where we bought ours.
Review of Watts 263A Water Pressure Regulator
Terry
Thanx for the fast responsse Ron:) We have already tried the first two suggestions, will talk to Jay about the others when he gets home, looks like you and Terry are on the same page with the water regulator, we did buy one from CW, but it has the round glass pressure readings on a dial inside it, can't remember the price, but it wasn't $80. We need to fix this problem so that seems like a smaller bill than we would get from a callout to the pro's
Once again, thank you for the help, will let you know how it goes.
huggs Kim x
PS, Terry, watched the videos on your link, ours is pretty much the same as yours was before the new 263A was attached.
Kay, you probably already thought of this but the easy way to see if your pressure regulator is causing low shower flow rate is to remove it and try the pressure without it. If the campground water pressure is only 45-50 psi then you won't do any harm in removing it just as a test. I don't know as I'd leave it off for long though because even though the pressure is only 45-50 right now water pressure can vary widely depending on how many people are using the water at the same time you are.
If turning on the pump didn't increase the water pressure for the shower then I'd investigate either the new shower head or look for a flow restrictor in the shower valve.
Alright, I confess that I missed the part about all of the faucets being slow and concentrated on the shower problem. If removing the pressure regulator doesn't do the trick then you probably have a clogged filter or each device is plugged up. Since you don't know how careful the previous owners were with water filters or screens it's not out of the realm of possibility that some kind of crud came into the water system and clogged up each valve and spigot. You may have to take each water device apart and clean the junk out of it.
Thank you Ron and Terry, Jay was out there last night checking the different entry points for water into the RV, he couldn't find any clogs or crud anywhere he looked. the toilet flush goes through phases, i'm guessing it depends on the amount of water being used in the famcamp at the time of us flushing? We have tried the pressure coming in with/without a regulator on the hose, doesn't make any difference really. We are using a water filter, it's one that fits under the kitchen sink, we had the dealer check that out and the connection to the kitchen faucet, he cleaned out the little wire screen in the spray attachment, but that hasn't helped either, he also checked the pressure without it in. I'm thinking that it could just be an issue with the pressure coming from the hookup? maybe there is a leak from root damage or something underground? seems wierd that everyone else we talk to is happy with the pressure?
Terry, yes the gas flow on the oven is good when it is going, the pilot light is lit, but as you mentioned, it isn't a large enough flame to reach the gas bar...sounds like there is an issue in that part of the pipe, will get Jay to look through the manual to see if we can clean that ourselves, thank you!!
We don't have any idea how the last owners were regarding services/maintenance, but from the way they took care of the inside/outside cleaning and upkeep and the fact that they kept the RV inside when not in use, we are hoping they were pro-active with that. (fingers crossed)
huggs Kim x
Also, realised there was no issue with the oven and the 'pipe' staying lit, it was supposed to go out when it reached temp' DUH!!! It is kind of embarrassing to admit to learning things by showing what true amateurs we are in this fulltime RVing thing, but hopefuly we can help someone else by showing ourselves up
Huggs kim x
you might want to tell jay to check that attachment he took off......could be a clogged water pressure regulator......might not be needed now but some parks tend to have high water pressure and without it it can cause problems fast.......
Thank you Mike, yes we think it was a pressure regulator, we do have one that we had bought to regulate the water coming in from the city water hookup, so we are not too worried about having removed that one.
Thank you though and thank you for making me feel better about our 'duh' moments