LotsaKidz

Anyone? Where would you go to buy a replacement part for your fridge?

There is a light fixture at the foot of the overcab bunk; if I bought a 12V fan and mounted it on the wall there, couldn't I pull the light fixture out and attach the wires from the purchased fan to the light fixture wires? I barely know much about electrical wiring (though I did replace my light fixtures not too long ago), but don't know if this would actually work. There is no cigarette-lighter plug on that end of the coach, that's why I am dreaming up these odd solutions.

In boondocking, we have to use coach battery powered fans to keep cool. I have a box fan I plug into the one (!) 12V plug in the back of the coach, set on the counter, and blow toward the rear bed. But I would also like to have a fan which would blow on the overcab bunk. Has anyone done this? What have you done in your rig, where would you get this type of fan, and how can you wire it in to the coach? I can't even picture a setup like this and how it could work, but I figured some of you have done such things and might be able to advise me or at least offer a vision of how it could work. My Toy has the rear dinette with the bathroom in the middle, so a portion of the overcab bed is the shared wall to the bathroom, FYI. Deanne

I have a Dometic RM461 fridge, and the plastic of the spring housings has broken. Can anyone advise me where is the best place to find parts to repair it? I watched a video on replacing them and it seems simple, I just don't know where is the best place to order replacement parts like that so that I can be sure they are the right ones for this model.

Thanks, everyone, for your help. Husband took the single battery and had it tested, and it needed replacing. Now that it's done, we have had no other issues (fingers crossed). I just couldn't figure out how a bad battery could affect the power when the camper was plugged in to shore power. The other two batteries are labeled "golf cart batteries", so they could not be tested at the facility we went to. We are undecided if we should replace them when they expire, or just function with the one battery. Any opinions on that? Didn't the original camper only have one coach battery and one engine battery?

Husband recently cleaned some corrosion off the batteries, refilled them with distilled water, and replaced them. He thinks the polarities are all correct. There are three batteries in this camper; one in a compartment by itself on the driver side, and two more in what appears to be the old generator compartment on the passenger side. Oh, four if you count the engine battery, but I wasn't. The single battery is quite warm. We have been out there all morning working on things with it plugged in and the power keeps turning on and off, and it pings every time it turns on or off. No one is messing with it and the plug is firmly seated, but it will randomly turn off and then a few minutes later turn back on. When the power turns off, it switches to the battery, but the lights are dim, so the battery isn't strong. I guess the next step is to check that the batteries are working. But any idea why it would continually turn on and off even when plugged in? Not sure if photos would help, but attaching just the same.

We are prepping for a weekend trip, but when I went out to the (unplugged) camper, the lights were all dim and the battery level on the panel showed "Low". When plugged in, I noticed from inside, a noise coming from the power panel: a click and then a "ping" sound. Then again about 30 seconds later. Any idea what this could be? Please be simple with any replies; I am not very electrical-savvy and husband is not either.

We had a friend build something similar to this for us to haul our kayaks and bikes: http://www.rvkayakrack.com/

Our camper has one 12 volt plug in the camper body and the 12 volt plug in the dash of the truck. When boondocking, the plug in the back will run a fan and keep things cool (we are in Florida and need the fan!). But the kids sleeping in the loft complain about being hot. I was considering plugging in a fan to the front (dashboard) 12 volt plug for the kids, but I'm concerned that this likely draws power off the truck battery and not the coach battery, which would spell trouble when we got ready to depart the next morning. Can anyone confirm if this is right: DOES the dashboard plug most likely connect to the truck battery? If so, what other solutions do you use for this kind of scenario, short of some type of rewiring, which I likely cannot do?

Thanks to all for your encouragement and advice. The carpet is now gone and a new city water inlet is installed. I would love to replace all the plumbing with pex, and may just do that some day, but for now it is good enough. Husband did the carpet removal and put peel and stick tile down in those places which matched the ones used in the rest of the camper. He even put tiles around the base of the wall as a buffer in case our young boys "miss", it will be easier to wipe clean. Painted and installed the new toilet at a slight angle, providing more knee space while sitting. Thanks again. It's nice to have this forum; your input made me brave and now it's DONE! Huzzah!

Well, I did it. Discovered what is in the picture. Also learned more about the covered "City Water Connection" hookup; it was covered and caulked shut, but I don't know why. Did they damage something with water pressure? Who knows. My question is: can I restore it inexpensively, and how? While it's all pulled out is the best time to try, and I'm praying someone here can guide me. I opened all the closets and compartments and attempted to follow the trail, but some of it is beyond me. There appears to be some kind of drain you pull then it drips water. Some odd elbow connections around the hot water heater. I am attaching them in hopes that someone can make sense of it and advise. I can easily see how to hide the black pipe (spray paint will work well!), so my initial question is answered - thank you to all who encouraged me to go for it. Maybe I can restore the plumbing and be able to use the water hookup again! The first picture is what I discovered when we pulled the carpet out. You can see the hole where the city water hookup should have been. The water hookup and the electric hookup are next to each other. You can see that the water hookup is caulked shut. I opened the electric hookup door to take the following photos. You can see into the bathroom from the electric compartment. Note the remaining carpet on the side of the shower as well as the hole the toilet mounts on in the right side background. There appears to be some kind of drain you pull with the metal ring to relieve pressure, perhaps? A better view of what runs into the electric compartment and below the hot water heater. A view from the hot water heater compartment with the odd elbow. Any advice whatsoever? I feel like my husband and I can recreate the plumbing pathways, but we only know the basics, and nothing camper-related, so we could use some help. Thanks for reading!

The area behind it isn't solid. It feels like pipes and wires, but I only felt it with my foot...didn't want to touch it with my hands. I think something (besides carpet!) will have to be placed over those, like maybe building some kind of box to cover them or ??? Any idea what might be under there?

We are replacing the toilet, so I am doubly aware of the carpet which covers - I don't even know what - behind it. Carpet in a bathroom is a nasty thought I cannot allow my mind to dwell on, and I'd like to replace it before we put the new toilet in. I'm sure someone here has addressed a similar situation and I am hoping to glean from the collective ideas of a forum like this. What would you cover the place behind the toilet with so that it won't absorb - ahem - things? I do realize that not everyone has the same floor plan and may not have that particular area in their coach. My bathroom sits just behind the driver's seat with a shower directly behind the driver and the toilet to its left.

Please forgive me if this is a repeat; I'm new here. I searched but couldn't find answers to my questions. Recently bought an 84 Coachmen. Working my way through the coach, learning and upgrading where we can. Had some trouble with the toilet (Aqua Magic IV, low, hand-flush), so we pulled it and are going to replace it (it's nasty and yellow with blue splotches anyways!). Don't need the queen mother of all toiletswe don't live in the camper, but weekend in itbut since I'm picking, I want to pick the best for my needs and budget (low!). Leaning toward the higher profile toilets this time. Was thinking of going with the Aqua Magic V, but read a few complaints of bad odors with this toilet; are there known problems with them, or are those isolated cases? Hand or foot flush? Is one more durable than the other? Are the dimensions the same for RV toilets generally, or do I need to be careful what I pick? Our rear-dinette floor plan puts the bathroom just behind the driver's seat and the toilet faces the door, meaning you almost bump your knees when sitting on it. I don't have a lot of space to play with; it needs to be the same size as what we had. In the same vein: when replacing the toilet, is there any way to remount the toilet at a slight angle so as to provide a skosh more space? Any advice on where to find the cheapest price? I'm looking at Amazon right now since I have Prime membership, but open to suggestions. Thanks ahead of time for any crappy (LOL) advice you can offer. Deanne 1984 CoachmenThe "Happy Camper"