First Snow

Mariposa had the first snow of the season early this morning.

We like the first snow, but after that Spring can’t get here fast enough.

Gen Fix

A couple of weeks ago our RV generator refused to start. It turned over, but that was it. Bummer. Expensive repair here we come.

Though we almost never use our generator when we camp, we do use it during hot summer driving as it allows us to run our RV’s air conditioners. So there was no real rush to fix the gen as we’re a few weeks away from storing the RV for the winter.

However, I remembered that when we bought our 2001 Sea View, the dealership we bought it from had replaced the generator’s fuel pump and/or the fuel pump filter.

So knowing nothing about generators, I thought I’d attempt fixing it by replacing the fuel pump and found a replacement pump on Amazon for about $25. A few days ago I removed the old fuel pump and installed the new Amazon pump.

Sure, a total crap shoot as many other things could wrong with the gen. But it wasn’t the same as cutting holes in the side of our RV . . . I hoped.

So after tightening all the fuel pump connections, I checked for leaks. Nothing.

Then I pressed the button to prime the pump. For a couple of seconds it sounded like before – just a lot of clicking. But then the sound changed . . . like fuel was flowing, so I stopped priming the pump.

Still no leaks.

Next, I pressed the generator start button . . .

After several start-up tests over a few days, I pronounced it a success.

RV Water Leak Postscript

There were two frequent comments on my previous Anatomy of an RV Leak post . . .

Did You or Why Didn’t You Use an Endoscope?

I did use one. It didn’t help much because my scope wasn’t sensitive enough to clearly show water.

Did You or Why Didn’t You Seal the Outside Patch?

I did seal it with ProFlex RV.

Anatomy of an RV Water Leak

---

Postscript to Anatomy of an RV Leak

---

My wife said that I’m “fearless” when I do RV repairs. On the other hand, I’d describe my attitude as something between the OZ’s Cowardly Lion and a bull in a China shop.

Anyway . . .

On our last (actually our first) Sea View RV outing, I noticed water leaking into one of our motorhome’s basement compartments. At first I brushed it off, hoping it would just solve itself and go away, but the water just kept a coming.

So when we returned home after our outing, I decided to try tracking down the cause of the water leak.

Here’s the story . . .

DISCOVERY

THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST

The leaking water lines ran underneath our shower tub and were pretty much inaccessible.

At first I thought the leak was coming from one or both of the basement 90-degree water line connections. But I wasn’t sure, and even if these connections were the cause, I couldn’t access them.

So . . .

THE SECOND CUT WAS A LOT EASIER

Now I knew that the leak originated under the shower tub . . . somewhere.

I decided to make another inspection hole so that I could see under the tub near the shower faucet . . .

FOUND THE LEAK!

To pin down the exact thing that was leaking, I figured the leak had to originate in the shower controls.

THE FIX

Originally, I did not want to attempt to fix the leak. We are leaving on another RV trip this Wednesday, and I didn’t want to do anything that would put our Sea View out of action.

But what the hell . . .

So, I needed to remove the leaking fitting and replace it with another. Easier said than done.

First, remove the shower head controls. No problem.

Next, remove the leaking fitting (a 1/2″ PEX elbow). Dicey. I used my Dremel tool with a rotary cutting head.

Finally, enlarge the shower head control opening so that attaching a new fitting wouldn’t be a problem.

CLEAN UP

Patching those holes . . .

First Camping Trip in the Sea View

Before we left, the two RV chairs we ordered arrived, making things much more comfortable . . . and they both fit in a small space . . .

Bakersfield River Run RV Park

Our first stop was in Bakersfield about 180 miles from Mariposa.

This was one of the LOUDEST RV parks we’ve ever stayed in. Between the morning power washing, lawn mowing, and leaf blowing, it was too much.

Barstow / Calico KOA

We’ve stopped here several times. It’s dependable with a nice view . . .

Crazy Horse Campground (Lake Havasu, Arizona)

Our previous “home”. This time we camped on North Beach. Great view & really windy on our last day . . .