A 25-year-old RV like our 2001 SeaView requires a fair amount of yearly maintenance, especially in preparation for long trips. So there are several things that need to be done before we leave in May . . .
WATER HEATER CLEANING
Though our hot water heater works, it leaves a sooty deposit on the side of our motorhome.
This isn’t our SeaView, but our RV looks similar.
This soot is caused by a poorly adjusted gas flame. To fix this, soot must be removed from the heat channel on the water heater. Then adjustment of the water heater gas flame (not shown).
First, an air hose was used to blow out the soot.
Next, wet towels were pulled through the heat channel.
After three towels, most of the soot was cleaned out.
Finally, a bug screen was attached to the water heater vent.
GENERATOR TUNE UP
We’re mightily impressed that our 25-year-old Generac Q55 generator is still running . . . even if it occasionally gets rough. Lately, our Generac only ran for a few minutes before it stopped in a cloud of white smoke.
We thought that generator’s carburetor could use a cleaning. So . . .
Dirty carburetor
After bathing in carburetor cleaner . . . a clean carb
Earlier this month we had our last camping trip of the year. We had hoped for cooler weather in November, but the temps were in the 80s. I think we’re finally realizing that California weather, even in the Sierra foothills, is not the same as Wisconsin weather. It’s just warmer here.
The Highway 140/145 Route was the best
We stayed in the Meadows Campground which has full hookup sites
Recently completed adding our third Winegard Travler satellite dish onto the roof of our RV.
We’ve had one on each of our two other motorhomes . . .
Our first RV . . . a 2004 National RV SeaBreeze (with a Travler on the rear)
Our 2nd RV . . . a 2001 Newmar Mountain Aire (with a Travler up front)
Our 3rd and current RV . . . 2001 National RV SeaView
However, unlike the previous two times, this time we purchased a used Winegard Travler from eBay for $450. The eBay Travler kinda-sorta worked. The motor that turns the Travler around – the azimuth motor – was misbehaving. Sometimes it moved the dish back and forth in a single location over and over. So instead of ordering a replacement motor, we drove up north 300 miles to just south of Redding to pick up a free Winegard Travler:
The free Travler . . . bolts, spiderwebs, and all.
From the looks of it the free Travler had been sitting around in a barn for a few years. After getting it home, we discovered the insides of the dish were very corroded, and, of course, it didn’t work at all.
So instead of using the azimuth motor from the free dish, a new azimuth motor was ordered and installed in the eBay Travler:
. . . and it finally worked:
Then came some necessary wiring updates to our RV’s entertainment center (we had all the parts from our last Travler install) . . .
Finally, the Winegard Travler was installed on our SeaView’s roof . . .
. . . and it works!
We’ll see if it’s waterproof after tomorrow’s rain.
rvSeniorMoments 