Winter - 2021-22
We are again at our winter residence in Yuma, AZ. I had a couple of maintenance items on my to-do list that needed professional attention. These were (1) inspect and re-caulk roof seams as needed, and (2) fix the side/rear view camera and monitor system. I don't much care to do roof work any more and wanted a thorough inspection of it. No problem there, just doing preventative maintenance. The camera/monitor system has not been working reliably as reported in previous postings, and had been more intermittent through last summer and fall. It seemed the rear view would not come on just at the times I needed it most for backing up, and the left view wasn't working at all. On our trip from Colorado to Yuma in late October, a new problem surfaced. The furnace would not come on, and that on a very chilly night in Las Vegas, NM. Naturally!
Since I didn't buy our Orion in Colorado, I don't have a dealer or go-to service shop there. When I called the one listed dealer for Coachmen motor coaches, they were booked up way beyond our departure date. So, I contacted the Yuma dealer, RV World, and was able to get a mid-December appointment -- the earliest available. I have taken Phrynie to RV World before, and they are very good. The service manager is super and very considerate to make sure everything needed is done. I don't consider their charges to be unreasonable either.
Upon completion within one day, the roof was cleaned and nicely caulked. The furnace needed a new limit switch. That is not something I could have fixed on my own. And the cameras and monitor system now work perfectly. It turned out to be damaged wiring somewhere between the left camera and control module. After rewiring, they did a "reprogramming" of the camera system. When I picked the coach up, the service manager showed me how to set the various options on the monitor. I have it so that it is on the rear view all the time. I never liked the side views and never used them as I think they are more distracting than just looking in a rear view mirror. Bottom line cost was right at $400 for all that, and everything in Phrynie is working great now.
I made a short three day trip to Quartzite in January to attend the big RV "circus". I had never been to that event before. I spent two nights dry camping with my brother in the desert west of town. It was a good chance to test the lithium battery. I was extremely pleased that the battery easily ran the furnace and refrigerator through both chilly nights with almost no drop in voltage. My 100 watt solar system had the battery fully charged in a fairly short time. And it easily maintains charge while Phrynie sits in storage.
