The latest in our RV repair issues is the fridge. It was working on propane and last week went out completely.
The RV is 23 years old and with all the other repairs I'm having to make, I decided not to spend more money repairing a unit that old. So, I went to Walmart and got a 2.7 CU FT fridge for $79.00 and it's working great.
I need everyone's recommendations if I could...I don't know how much I should continue dumping into this RV. There are MANY other issues that I've posted videos and photos of on our blog. Please take a look at the pending repairs and let me know your thoughts.
Thanks :)
-- Edited by dannick on Saturday 27th of June 2015 10:26:25 AM
Sushidog said
06:58 AM Jun 28, 2015
The water damage looks pretty bad. Have you fixed it yet?
A 23 yr old RV like a 23 yr old house is going to have some maintenance issues. Fortunately its usually cheaper to repair than a S&B. For example the AC unit on my old S&B went out (simple hole in the condenser coil) but since it is a type of AC that uses the old Freon the whole thing needed to be replaced - to the tune of around $6,000. At around $1,000 each (less if you do it yourself) you could replace an overhead RV ac about 6 times for that. Roof repair on an RV vs on a S&B house, same thing. Homeowner's insurance vs RV insurance is also much higher, etc.
Sadly even new RVs often experience quite a few problems till all the bugs are worked out.
Repairing the burner assembly on an absorption fridge is not too bad. Not long ago I had my fridge quit while off boondocking, 300 miles from nowhere. Good thing I had my remote thermometer which warned me of the temp rise so no food was spoiled. I determined that the burner would not light, though the piezoelectric lighter was sparking ignaling a lack of gas. Incidentally, I replaced the igniter not long ago - found it on-line for 1/3 the price that Camping World wanted. So I determined the problem to be a stuck gas valve, since gas was flowing to the valve. I removed the valve and tapped it upside down a few times to remove any contaminants causing it to hang up, and insured the needle inside was free. I hooked it back up and it has been working perfectly for about a year now. Had I brought it into the shop there'sno telling what they would have charged me. It pays to be able o do a few things yourself. If, however you smell ammonia then your entire cooling units should be replaced with an Amish unit - if you decide to keep it.
I assume you are on-grid so have plenty of AC power available and are not running off batteries/inverter. If not, a cheap compressor type fridge consumes quite a bit of battery power, possibly requiring an upgrade in the battery dept. too. An efficient residential size/type fridge typically requires 2-4 GC-2 golf car batteries and about 300 watts of solar to replenish them - unless you want to run your generator daily.
Good luck with your repairs,
Chip
-- Edited by Sushidog on Sunday 28th of June 2015 07:02:14 AM
TRAILERKING said
05:01 PM Jun 28, 2015
Myself I would polish it up and have it presentable and working best as possible. Advertise and sell it private then upgrade to a little newer and better. Keep doing that.......Buy low, Little elbow grease, Resell for more, Then upgrade. Continue that a few times and you'll be ahead.
dannick said
06:28 AM Jun 29, 2015
Chip,
Thanks for the feedback...no, I haven't repaired the water damage yet. With the hot, dry days we've been having I'm letting it dry out as long as I can and will then make the repairs.
As far as the fridge is concerned, the seller said that it's a "relay" that has to be replaced on a fairly regular basis. I have no idea if that's what it is or if more repairs are needed. The small fridge I bought is working great so I'll be sticking with that for a now while I contend with other repairs.
I know there are more repairs that I'll need to make including windows. Some don't close all the way and as a result I'm loosing AC now and will be a problem with heat in the winter.
I'm in a nice RV park and with the facilities I'm able to shower do laundry etc. so no problems there. In case you didn't know, I am full-timing in this RV.
Trailerking: That's kind of what I'm thinking. If I go this route my goal is to have something more suitable for 4 seasons by fall. Don't know if it will happen but that's the goal.
I knew when I bought this RV there were and would continue to be issues. But, I got it at a good price and it was an opportunity to be sure this lifestyle was for me before investing a lot of money into an RV. After several months now, repairs and learning day by day I have concluded that this IS the lifestyle I want to live. As Trailerking suggests, the next one I get (presumably better) with feel like the Ritz though will still have issues as any home does.
PIEERE said
10:13 AM Jun 29, 2015
dannick: Lucky Mike seems to have good luck finding; buying and upgrading to better units. I repaired and replaced mant components on older RVs. My first being a popup tent campe in 1985, then to a pop up truck camper 1998; to a 17' TT 1998 to 2000 when i got my 1975 Cl-C and in 2005 a 1988 Cl-C. Plenty of experience with renovation and repairs. However, getting to old now to do much. Last Spring I replaced the 1988 with a 1996 34.5' Western Recreational 5th wheel. Had to do much cleaning, then rebuild the wall behind the kitchen stove, damaged from improper venting when the previous owners never opened the range vent. Also the water heater froze and split, replaced it. The roof AC went out last Fall. Now i have a 10K Portable AC in the LR and an 8K in the hall to the bedroom. it was a sultry humid 102 degrees last week and kept it at about 82 with it parked in the afternoon sun. Such is the lifesyle of us not so affluent RVers, but I have always enjoyed refurbishing from Autos to Bicycles, Etc.
cherylbrv said
11:52 AM Jun 29, 2015
My thoughts were to check with Mike and Pierre - they seem to be experts in flipping RVs
Sushidog said
01:01 PM Jun 29, 2015
It sounds like you're having the same problem with your fridge that I had. If it happens often then there is probably rust, corrosion or trash getting to the solenoid valve. These valves are rather expensive (over $150) so I'd try to clean it, like I did, first. Once you either clean or replace it, next you should either replace the gas line going to the fridge or at least disconnect it and blow it out with compressed air. The trash may be getting in it from an old regulator assy. (they fail often) or an old tank. If it's a 20lber, I'd just swap it out at a tank exchange station at a grocery or convenience store just for good measure. If it's a 30lber you might need to buy a new tank if the old one is rusty inside, if just for the peace of mind it brings. If it's the original 23yr old tank that came with your rig, the propane company won't refill it anyway.
Yeah it's going to be rough FTing in that one with all the water damage. Budget permitting, I'd look to upgrade it to avoid any mold spore issues since you are living in it FT. There used to be a show on TV called "Rock my RV with Brett Michaels" that would do RV makeovers. Maybe someone in the know could contact those folks - sounds like your RV is an excellent candidate!
Thanks for all the great feedback...yeah, the mold is my biggest concern.
Brett if you're out there I need your help ! :)
Steve C said
11:25 PM Jun 29, 2015
Sorry you have had so many issues. We have owned three new RVs since 2011. There have been issues with all of them and twice because of the issues the manufacturer extended the warranty. My last bill would have been over $6,000 had it not been under warranty and recently paid $1,500 to $2,000 repairs, can't remember. So, my point is, old or new, you're going to have repairs. No payments because it is old and repairs may be less than newer with repairs and payments. They don't build them to last IMHP, they do as little as they can for as long as the traffic or consumer will bear it. We, as consumers, need to demand more from the RV manufacturers. Wish you the best.
-- Edited by Steve C on Monday 29th of June 2015 11:28:48 PM
The latest in our RV repair issues is the fridge. It was working on propane and last week went out completely.
The RV is 23 years old and with all the other repairs I'm having to make, I decided not to spend more money repairing a unit that old. So, I went to Walmart and got a 2.7 CU FT fridge for $79.00 and it's working great.
I need everyone's recommendations if I could...I don't know how much I should continue dumping into this RV. There are MANY other issues that I've posted videos and photos of on our blog. Please take a look at the pending repairs and let me know your thoughts.
Thanks :)
-- Edited by dannick on Saturday 27th of June 2015 10:26:25 AM
The water damage looks pretty bad. Have you fixed it yet?
A 23 yr old RV like a 23 yr old house is going to have some maintenance issues. Fortunately its usually cheaper to repair than a S&B. For example the AC unit on my old S&B went out (simple hole in the condenser coil) but since it is a type of AC that uses the old Freon the whole thing needed to be replaced - to the tune of around $6,000. At around $1,000 each (less if you do it yourself) you could replace an overhead RV ac about 6 times for that. Roof repair on an RV vs on a S&B house, same thing. Homeowner's insurance vs RV insurance is also much higher, etc.
Sadly even new RVs often experience quite a few problems till all the bugs are worked out.
Repairing the burner assembly on an absorption fridge is not too bad. Not long ago I had my fridge quit while off boondocking, 300 miles from nowhere. Good thing I had my remote thermometer which warned me of the temp rise so no food was spoiled. I determined that the burner would not light, though the piezoelectric lighter was sparking ignaling a lack of gas. Incidentally, I replaced the igniter not long ago - found it on-line for 1/3 the price that Camping World wanted. So I determined the problem to be a stuck gas valve, since gas was flowing to the valve. I removed the valve and tapped it upside down a few times to remove any contaminants causing it to hang up, and insured the needle inside was free. I hooked it back up and it has been working perfectly for about a year now. Had I brought it into the shop there'sno telling what they would have charged me. It pays to be able o do a few things yourself. If, however you smell ammonia then your entire cooling units should be replaced with an Amish unit - if you decide to keep it.
I assume you are on-grid so have plenty of AC power available and are not running off batteries/inverter. If not, a cheap compressor type fridge consumes quite a bit of battery power, possibly requiring an upgrade in the battery dept. too. An efficient residential size/type fridge typically requires 2-4 GC-2 golf car batteries and about 300 watts of solar to replenish them - unless you want to run your generator daily.
Good luck with your repairs,
Chip
-- Edited by Sushidog on Sunday 28th of June 2015 07:02:14 AM
Thanks for the feedback...no, I haven't repaired the water damage yet. With the hot, dry days we've been having I'm letting it dry out as long as I can and will then make the repairs.
As far as the fridge is concerned, the seller said that it's a "relay" that has to be replaced on a fairly regular basis. I have no idea if that's what it is or if more repairs are needed. The small fridge I bought is working great so I'll be sticking with that for a now while I contend with other repairs.
I know there are more repairs that I'll need to make including windows. Some don't close all the way and as a result I'm loosing AC now and will be a problem with heat in the winter.
I'm in a nice RV park and with the facilities I'm able to shower do laundry etc. so no problems there. In case you didn't know, I am full-timing in this RV.
Trailerking: That's kind of what I'm thinking. If I go this route my goal is to have something more suitable for 4 seasons by fall. Don't know if it will happen but that's the goal.
I knew when I bought this RV there were and would continue to be issues. But, I got it at a good price and it was an opportunity to be sure this lifestyle was for me before investing a lot of money into an RV. After several months now, repairs and learning day by day I have concluded that this IS the lifestyle I want to live. As Trailerking suggests, the next one I get (presumably better) with feel like the Ritz though will still have issues as any home does.
Yeah it's going to be rough FTing in that one with all the water damage. Budget permitting, I'd look to upgrade it to avoid any mold spore issues since you are living in it FT. There used to be a show on TV called "Rock my RV with Brett Michaels" that would do RV makeovers. Maybe someone in the know could contact those folks - sounds like your RV is an excellent candidate!
www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/05/23/rock_my_rv_with_bret_michaels_best_reality_makeover_show_yet_really.html
Chip
Brett if you're out there I need your help ! :)
Sorry you have had so many issues. We have owned three new RVs since 2011. There have been issues with all of them and twice because of the issues the manufacturer extended the warranty. My last bill would have been over $6,000 had it not been under warranty and recently paid $1,500 to $2,000 repairs, can't remember. So, my point is, old or new, you're going to have repairs. No payments because it is old and repairs may be less than newer with repairs and payments. They don't build them to last IMHP, they do as little as they can for as long as the traffic or consumer will bear it. We, as consumers, need to demand more from the RV manufacturers. Wish you the best.
-- Edited by Steve C on Monday 29th of June 2015 11:28:48 PM
A-MEN, Steve!!!!