22 - Winter Water Woes

We planned our annual departure from Colorado to Yuma for early December. The Orion had been in storage since our October trip except for one outing for dealer service. We had some very cold freezing weather and I found out how good my winterizing procedure was. Answer: not good enough.

In prepping the coach for travel, I connected to city water to flush the system and fill the tank for the trip. I immediately had a flood of water coming out from the cabinet under the kitchen sink. So an emergency mop-up and analysis. My first discovery was that I had forgot to remove the drinking water filter under the sink, which froze and split open. Not having a spare filter, I was glad to find that the water would bypass directly to the filter faucet through the filter unit without a filter being installed. But then when I turned on the sink faucet, water flowed from the head and base as well as the nozzle. Turns out that particular type of faucet head retains a considerable amount of water, and the air I had blown through and the meager amount of anti-freeze pumped through it was not enough to displace all the water. The plastic waterway inside the faucet extension was cracked. I smeared some epoxy glue on the crack which helped to get most of the water to the end with minimal side drips.

Once we got past the water woes, we had a good trip to Yuma. We used the kitchen sink sparingly. Fuel mileage was good for being well-loaded and towing the Smart at 13.3 mpg, with one tank at 14.6. I had more water woes in our Yuma house, but that's another blog. After getting settled, I ordered a filter and a new Peerless faucet from Amazon. Received them in two days and installed in an hour. I opted for a plain high-rise faucet with no spray which my wife said she didn't need in the RV. Less parts. All metal unlike the cheap plastic OEM faucet. And I have added two more steps to my winterizing procedure. Hopefully next year will be less dramatic.

21 - Two years with Orion

Update to October, 2018. We have now had our Orion for two years and have put about 14,000 miles on it. The coach continues to perform well for us and fits our needs well. Since arriving in Colorado for the summer, we have taken one 4-day camping trip in the Colorado mountains (reported in previous post) and a 13-day trip to Branson, MO.

The trip to Branson in October provided a couple of different experiences. While overnighting en route in east-central Kansas, we were in an all-night torrential rainstorm that started about 10 PM and didn't let up until breakfast time. I'm not sure how much rain, but it had to be over three inches. There was a lot of flooding at some intersections in towns and in fields, but we had no delays getting on. The good news was that the Orion was tight and we had no leaks. It was rainy and cool for most of the trip, but we were very comfortable all the time. We saw another advantage of our set-up. Some of our campsites were tight, and being only 24 ft. with no slides was an advantage.

I would have to say that the total of problems we have had in two years is pretty normal and relatively minor overall. One of the low point drain valves developed a slow leak which would cause the water pump to cycle ("burp") every couple of minutes. Very annoying when we were not hooked up to city water and needed to use the pump. I am not fond of the cheap plastic valves Coachmen uses. But I found they can be dis-assembled to replace the O-rings, which solved the problem for now.

The drain valves

Another problem that cropped up was with the rear/side view camera and monitor system. When we started home from Branson, the monitor was stuck on one side camera view and was unresponsive to input from the controls. It was intermittent after that--occasionally working or stuck on one view or not working at all. Now that we are home, it is functioning as if nothing was wrong. I sent a request to Coachmen and got a response of where the control unit is located to do some trouble-shooting. I'm just waiting to see if it misbehaves again.

Coachmen has been pretty supportive to my requests for information. They sent me a set of electrical schematics which I like to have for reference. I have asked twice about the tow hitch capacity but have had no response so far. I want to know if I can tow more that 2000 pounds, up to 3000 pounds because we might consider getting a bigger tow car, like a Ford Fiesta which is about 2600 lbs.
I also took the coach to the Ford dealer for an oil change and for the Transit recall which had something to do with auxiliary wiring. The bad news was that it took four hours to get done while I waited. The good news was my bill for under $100 for elective service. Again, happy not to have a diesel unit and the extra cost.

Finally, since we are not going to AZ until December, I had to do my first total winterizing. Everything was straightforward until I tried to suck antifreeze into the water lines from a container using the water pump. Nothing happened. After some inspection of the plumbing setup, I discovered an in-line shut-off valve between the water tank and pump. Closing that allowed the pump to draw from the antifreeze container rather than the tank. No wonder people pay the price to have a professional do the winterizing. If you don't have the experience and aren't analytically inclined, you would be lost.

20 - Mountain Driving and Camping

End of July 2018. We did five nights of camping in the Colorado mountains. We drove from Parker to Frisco and spent two nights in a USFS campground on the shore of Lake Dillon. This was totally dry camping; no hookups. All systems performed perfectly and we had more than adequate battery capacity thanks to the solar setup. The first site was only a bit uneven but not too long. This is the advantage of having a shorter rig.

Then we drove to a CO state park on the Colorado River just east of Palisade. Here we had a nice pull-thru site with full hookups. Good thing as it was over 90 every day and the A/C ran from about 10 AM until dark.

(aside) There are some comments and concerns about the bed covering a vent and A/C outlets when it is stowed against the ceiling. The vent is no problem, because it wouldn't be open when running A/C. The two A/C outlets would be helpful in cooling the forward part of the coach. I found that opening the main register halfway directs some air to the ceiling vents, but most comes out directly in the middle. This seems to be the most effective for total cooling. I will sometimes drop the bed about 4 inches which allows some air to come out to the front. I also set a small electric fan on the floor by the bath door blowing forward. Overall, no real issue with the bed "up there" affecting cooling or ventilation, in my opinion.

After four days of use, I emptied the holding tanks and refilled the fresh water before departing.

Our return trip took us back to the Lake Dillon campground where we found one empty site. The pad sloped quite a bit but I was able to get "bubble centered" level with a bit of work using ramps and a jack. The jack under a frame crossmember got me the last inch I needed. Some criticize those who strive for perfect level saying it isn't necessary because new refrigerators have more tolerance for slant. That may be true, but I like the comfort factor, not having doors swing, as well as being nice to the fridge. If I can get it level, why not?

TRANSIT MOUNTAIN PERFORMANCE. We had full water tank, full fuel tanks, moderate household goods, and towed the Smart car. Our route is from 5,900 ft. to over 11,000 ft. elevation at the I-70 Eisenhower/Johnson tunnels, and Vail Pass. Going westbound seems easier than eastbound due to the longer approaches. The most strenuous tests for our rig were the 6% grade from Georgetown to Silver Plume westbound, and the eastbound climbs to Vail Pass summit and I-70 tunnels from Silverthorne. I was able to maintain 45 mph at 5,500 rpm in 2nd gear on the steepest parts; otherwise, 50 to 55 was practical. I have no complaints about performance since these extreme grades and altitudes are such a small part of our travels. As I stated earlier, a 1978 Minnie Winnie 20' Class C we once owned barely maintained 35 mph in low gear all the way up the I-70 climb to the tunnel, and that with a 400 cu.in. big block Dodge V8, nothing in tow, much less weight.
I also applaud the tow-haul transmission mode. I rarely had to tap the brakes on the steepest downgrades to keep speed in check. The transmission usually downshifted itself while I just steered and kept my foot off the pedals, and the speed held well.

SOLAR PERFORMANCE: Refer to details on my solar installation in a prior post. With three days of off-grid camping, the two 12v house batteries always had adequate charge for our needs. Below pic shows charge and battery data for three days off-grid, one partial and one total day on shore power. The "Today" reading is incomplete as we arrived home then. The panels are putting out over 40 volts and somehow a full 100 watts at peak. The system is performing as I had hoped, and I love the Bluetooth monitoring app.

19 - Solar Installation and Gen. Oil Change

I've just completed a maintenance item and the installation of a solar power system on the Orion. The generator oil change was straightforward and easy: run the gen. a bit to warm the oil; remove the cover panel; remove the fill cap/dipstick; put a catch pan underneath and remove the drain plug and wait for all oil to drain; replace drain plug; add 600 ml new oil; run gen. a few minutes; recheck oil level; tidy up. I only spilled one drop of oil and that was off the funnel when I removed it. I used a 15w-50 diesel oil (Wal-Mart brand). In researching oils, the better diesel oils met the viscosity and service standards recommended by Cummins/Onan. I have used such oil on previous RV generators and never had any problems. Future oil changes will be dictated by time rather than hours of use, as I've only put 18 hours on it since October 2016.

The solar installation went pretty smoothly. My main components were two Renogy 50-watt mono-crystalline panels, a Victron MPPT charge controller, and a couple of 15-amp circuit breaker switches. I installed the controller and switches inside a drawer cabinet to be out of sight, yet accessible.

I ran the battery positive lead to the always-hot terminal of the battery cut-off switch located low by the entry door. That will provide charging whether the cut-off is on or off. The components are next to the refrigerator, which made for an easy way to route the cable from the panels through the vent stack behind the refrigerator without having to drill holes through the roof.

The two panels were attached just forward of the A/C unit and near the fridge vent to minimize the length of cable run, and in some unused roof space. The brackets are screwed to the roof as well as glued with marine-grade poly adhesive.

On previous RV's, I had a 60-watt panel for two batteries and a 30-watt panel for one battery. My main objective was to keep the batteries charged through long storage periods, and provide some extra recovery charging for camping without hookups, and those served my needs well. The Orion has two batteries, so I decided on a bit more power (100 watts total). We don't boondock enough to require several hundred watts of power, and budget also was a factor. The panels are wired in series to provide 37 volts nominal output while keeping the amps the same so the feed wires don't need to be heavier gauge. Victron recommends the higher voltage setup for better efficiency.

This particular controller has Bluetooth connectivity with an app that Victron provides for smart phones. After I started the system and got the app synced with the controller, there were immediately two firmware updates that installed automatically. When those completed, I got status readings on my phone. This was morning, and the app showed 56 watts output along with charge parameters to the battery. Later near noon, I saw 84 watts output.

I believe this setup will keep the batteries in good shape. There are four modes of charging including equalize, which can be configured to be off or repeat as desired. Other parameters can also be set via the app. I am very happy with the outcome and performance so far. No more significant projects contemplated--time to go traveling and camping.

18 - April 2018 Weight Check

We made our spring migration from AZ to CO in April. We load all our clothing and food for transfer between our houses, and that was about 6 packing boxes worth. In addition, I pack a couple of bags of tools and other miscellaneous gear that we need wherever we are. So, the Orion is pretty well loaded along with towing the Smart car, plus a tank of fresh water for use during our four day trip. Since this was more heavily loaded than we would normally be, I thought it was time to get a weight check to be sure I wasn't overloading the coach.

I stopped at a CAT truck scale in Willcox, AZ. It was nice to have the 3-segment scale to get separate weights for the Orion front and rear axles and the car. Because I had to get out of the RV to press the call button, I didn't get my own weight added, but the numbers are helpful anyway. Here are the scale weights in pounds compared to the maximum GVWR published for my RV:

                                     Scale               GVWR               Margin

Front axle                     3220                 4130                    910  (740 if I deduct my weight)
Rear axle                      5940                 7275                   1335

Total                            9160                 11300                  2140

Smart car                     1960

Total combined           11120                12300                  1180

I was happily surprised that there is plenty of reserve capacity with our combination. I could load a ton more on the Orion if not towing, or I could tow a car weighing over 1,100 pounds more if desired. Another reason that we didn't seriously consider a Promaster based unit because they only have a 9,600 # GVWR. Just not enough reserve for my comfort.

The trip home was good. We had some strong tail winds and I was showing mid 14 mpg on both gauges, but I never did a hand calculation. The RV is now partially winterized and in storage. I have two 50 watt solar panels and a MPPT charge controller on hand to install in the next few weeks. I also will be changing the generator oil; a bit overdue since it hasn't been changed since purchase in Oct. 2016, but I only have put about 14 hours total on it. Looking forward to some relaxing local camping around Colorado this summer.

17 - Winter 2017-18

We came to Yuma, AZ in early December of '17 and took up residence in our park model home at a golf/RV resort. Since then, Phrynie has mostly been tucked away in the storage lot (above). I took her out for a good cleaning and one solo 3-day camping trip to the mountains between Yuma and San Diego in early February, and then to the local Ford dealer for her second oil change and checkup. The Transit and all coach systems continue to perform well with no new problems or anything needing attention. I have kept StaBil in the gas for storage and faithfully exercise the generator and A/C every three to four weeks.

We took a leisurely seven days on our trip from Colorado to Yuma in December. One night was dry camping at a Wal Mart; the remaining were with hookups in commercial campgrounds. I did not dump tanks until the last night as we had plenty of capacity.

One addition I made earlier was to add a second Group 24 deep-cycle battery under the entry step. I ordered a hold-down clamp from the local dealer but it did not arrive in time for my use, so I simply cut a piece of OSB to fit around the battery to keep it in place, and that is working fine. If I get the clamp, I will have to do something with that thick encased cable so the battery will sit tight against the compartment side like the original on the left. That cable has zero slack which is why the new battery is slightly slanted.

Another minor thing was the fire extinguisher recall. I filled out the claim on Kidde's web site but never got a confirmation or heard anything from them after a couple of months. So, I filled out a second claim and sent another email saying I needed to get the replacement extinguisher delivered before we left Yuma. Again, no feedback. But without any notification, the replacement showed up via Fed Ex finally, and it fits in the original wall holder even though it is shaped a bit differently.

I was asked about my tow hitch extension. The Orion has a stock 1-1/2" receiver, but I need a 2" receiver for the car tow bar. I bought a 3000# rated 1-1/2" to 2" adapter and hoped the Orion hitch was also rated 3000#. If it had been a 2000# hitch, the solid bar part of the adapter that goes into the receiver would be too long and I would need to cut some of the bar off. But it was indeed a 3k hitch, so all was good. I bought a high strength class-8 1/2" bolt to use as the hitch pin. Then I went to a weld shop and had the adapter welded to the Orion hitch for security, strength, and to eliminate rattles. This is permanent; I have no need for a 1-1/2" system. The weld is circled.

I plan to get a true scale weight of the coach and the Smart car when we are loaded for travel. I need to know if we have much reserve capacity for load and towing. We will be returning to Colorado around the third week of April.

Summer projects will include the installation of a solar charging system. I have two solar panels awaiting back home, and I will be ordering a charge controller shortly. More later.