If it can go wrong

Ray · Post by **Ray** » Sun Jun 01, 2014 11:19 am

I do the same as Dallas, I never hook up the water, I use the water tank.

I have seen water running out of the doors or RV's and I have seen boats sink when water was left hooked up and turned on in unattended RV's and boats.

larihack · Post by **larihack** » Sun Jun 01, 2014 11:50 pm

So we had the coup de gras today. As we were driving along we heard a loud crash outside of Bertha. Quickly pull over to find our awning in the middle of the highway with the metal brackets banging up against the side of the RV. Another CW issue. They not only inspected it, but they "fixed it". We never even got to use it. So we spent an hour by the side of the road with a nice KS state trooper watching the traffic while we dismantled what was left of the awning and left it all by the side of the road. This has not been the trip from heaven.

As far as water and cooking go, we tried to boil water for pasta inside and it took an hour to heat up to almost boiling. That is why we elected to use the old coleman stove.

And I appreciate the input on the water hook ups. We were trying to limit weight when we planned to tow our son's car, but then we chickened out, thank goodness, so the added weight of the water only affects gas mileage I guess.

Dallas Baillio · Post by **Dallas Baillio** » Mon Jun 02, 2014 9:31 am

I think I can assure you that your trials and tribulations are not the normal daily routine of BF travel!!!

It has to get better, but as I follow your story I will not be surprised to read of more "things gone wrong."

It will take the passage of time for your experiences to become a funny story to tell your friends and grandchildren

Mike Astley · Post by **Mike Astley** » Mon Jun 02, 2014 10:22 am

larihack wrote: As far as water and cooking go, we tried to boil water for pasta inside and it took an hour to heat up to almost boiling. That is why we elected to use the old coleman stove.

The flame on the stove, as you probably know, should (ideally) be completely blue or (less than ideally, as for my RV) mostly blue. Again, this is something CW should have checked and corrected, if needed.

I haven't timed how long water takes to boil but would estimate for us about 10-15 minutes for a full coffee pot's worth.

Sorry to hear of your continued RV troubles. Hope things turn a positive corner soon!

stevek · Post by **stevek** » Mon Jun 02, 2014 10:26 am

On my 2011 BF, the awning brackets for the Awning support arms are held on with
4 Lag Bolts. 2 for each bracket.
To me this is a poor design and just waiting for an accident to happen.
I was able to drill a hole all the way thru to the interior and fasten with a 1/4" nut and bolt w/ large washer.
That way I was darn sure the awning wasn't going any where driving down the road.

harrisgowing · Post by **harrisgowing** » Mon Jun 02, 2014 10:38 am

Getting water to boil for pasta was a problem in our 2004 RSB as well. We got a Tupperware pasta cooker that we use in the microwave and it works pretty well for portions for 2. It is a simple blue plastic thing with a lid and cooks the pasta in a couple of minutes longer than the directions on the pasta package suggest. Hope your luck turns soon! This coach must have been really neglected because the magnitude of your problems is very unusual.

whemme · Post by **whemme** » Mon Jun 02, 2014 1:29 pm

larihack,

Was the awning latch on the front of the roller tube in the locked position before you left on your trip. If not latched properly, the awning can and will unfurl aided by the wind as you drive down the road. Once it unfurls, the wind probably will wreck the awning.

CuJo's Pride · Post by **CuJo's Pride** » Mon Jun 02, 2014 2:00 pm

I sure hope things turn around for you soon. I'm sorry you've gone through so much, but you are teaching us newbies by your experiences. Thank you for posting what you're going through. Hang in there. It will get better !!

tomzleapin · Post by **tomzleapin** » Mon Jun 02, 2014 2:34 pm

When the Suburban cooktop in my coach started giving me grief I decided to upgrade to a residential cooktop. I opted for a Smeg 24" model. The biggest obstacle was filling in the front of the countertop. I built a shallow drawer to fill the void.

cmeadows · Post by **cmeadows** » Mon Jun 02, 2014 3:55 pm

Tom

Wow! That's an impressive cook top. You probably gained 3 times the BTUs in that swap. My guess is that you don't stray too far from it when it's fired-up. I like your custom shallow drawer to fill the void. Very nice work!

Chuck

CuJo's Pride · Post by **CuJo's Pride** » Mon Jun 02, 2014 4:06 pm

Impressive... and the drawer is an extra bonus.. great job !!

bcope01 · Post by **bcope01** » Mon Jun 02, 2014 4:12 pm

Nice upgrade Tom. Others considering upgrading to a residential cooktop should ensure that it is outfitted with the proper LP/propane burner orifices.

Bill

Dallas Baillio · Post by **Dallas Baillio** » Mon Jun 02, 2014 4:51 pm

Me thinks the thread was accidentally hijacked.

larihack · Post by **larihack** » Mon Jun 02, 2014 5:34 pm

Thanks for all the words of encouragement. Nothing happened to bertha today. Of course we are now in OK City, dropping our son off to begin his new adventure with Teach for America, so we are driving a rental car!

As far as the latch on the awning, I assume it was latched. We never even opened it. It was noted to be a little loose by the guy at CW that we paid to give us a 2 hour orientation to her, not by the guys that did the inspection, so they took her in back and supposedly fixed it. No one said anything about checking the awning before driving if it wasn't used.

I like the idea of the newer cook top and may look into when I get home in October. Until then I just hope there aren't any more surprises.

Also, how do you guys get the info about your rig on your signature?

And does anyone have the extended warranty by US Warranty? I think that's what we have. Wonder if they will cover the hot water tank, the plumbing or the awning.

mockturtle · Post by **mockturtle** » Mon Jun 02, 2014 6:26 pm

I note that Bertha has been demoted to lower case....