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Old 12-09-2012, 10:44 PM   #1
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Still a "newbie"

we have taken 4 trips since our purchase, we have enjoyed it much! but i have a couple of questions and some comments.
first on our last trip, i used the plastic coathangers and they worked great. but i also have to say that we bought a new tow vehicle silverado 3500 not a dually. and i think it pulled much better, nothing was out of place in the trailer.

now for the tough questions,

1. our batteries keep going down while plugged in. so we think the converter is gone. in a previous conversation 6 months ago i believe yall said progressive dynamics was the better replacement.

is that an easy do it your selfer? or best left to the dealership.


2. even after i dump all tanks, it shows various levels in the tanks. even the fresh water tank that i have never filled up.

i bougt one of those pvc gizmos to used to clean the black tank but even thou i know it is empty it shows 2/3.

3. we have had the dealership work on our slide 3 times now. when we pick it up they run it and it does great. ya have to push on it while someone operates the button.

yet when we start to set it up we have to crank it out a little bit before it will work on its own.

4. i also dont understand why the lights do not work while the land line is plugged in when the batteries go down. shouldnt enough power get in thru the shore line?


im also afraid to turn on the furnace. we turned it on once last weekend and it wouldnt go off! had to pull the fuse. we have a gas leak somewhere at the tanks but at this time cannot find it therefore we leave the valves turned off. so i bought an electric heater to keep it warm.

5. we do not have a barn or building to store our RV in - weve been looking at the adco rv covers in the camping world ? does anyone use them? do they cause mold and mildew? can two older people put it on or do i need to get help to do that?
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Old 12-10-2012, 05:02 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mlwright16 View Post
we have taken 4 trips since our purchase, we have enjoyed it much! but i have a couple of questions and some comments.
first on our last trip, i used the plastic coathangers and they worked great. but i also have to say that we bought a new tow vehicle silverado 3500 not a dually. and i think it pulled much better, nothing was out of place in the trailer.

now for the tough questions,

1. our batteries keep going down while plugged in. so we think the converter is gone. in a previous conversation 6 months ago i believe yall said progressive dynamics was the better replacement.

is that an easy do it your selfer? or best left to the dealership.

You can do it your self but a little electrical knowledge helps


2. even after i dump all tanks, it shows various levels in the tanks. even the fresh water tank that i have never filled up.

i bougt one of those pvc gizmos to used to clean the black tank but even thou i know it is empty it shows 2/3.

They're notorious for giving false readings

3. we have had the dealership work on our slide 3 times now. when we pick it up they run it and it does great. ya have to push on it while someone operates the button.

yet when we start to set it up we have to crank it out a little bit before it will work on its own.

Not familiar with slides

4. i also dont understand why the lights do not work while the land line is plugged in when the batteries go down. shouldnt enough power get in thru the shore line?

If converter is bad your not getting any 12v except from batterys. When battery goes dead you loose anything using 12v


im also afraid to turn on the furnace. we turned it on once last weekend and it wouldnt go off! had to pull the fuse. we have a gas leak somewhere at the tanks but at this time cannot find it therefore we leave the valves turned off. so i bought an electric heater to keep it warm.

Furnace needs gas so it's trying to start but with no gas it can't. DON'T try till u get leak fixed

5. we do not have a barn or building to store our RV in - weve been looking at the adco rv covers in the camping world ? does anyone use them? do they cause mold and mildew? can two older people put it on or do i need to get help to do that?
Cover help keep TT clean they are breathable but somewhat heavy. By older you didn't say how old. I'm 68 and can do mine but remember u can't walk on roof.
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Old 12-10-2012, 05:15 AM   #3
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thank you Jim for your quick answers, is the progressive dynamics the converter everyone suggest?
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Old 12-10-2012, 05:40 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by mlwright16 View Post
thank you Jim for your quick answers, is the progressive dynamics the converter everyone suggest?
JohnB would be a good one to answer that .
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Old 12-10-2012, 08:35 AM   #5
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I just replaced my WFCO convertor with a PD. I wasn't that hard, but then again I'm an electrician. But, if you possess basic handyman skills it's not that hard. For the WFCO replacement it was just a direct movement of wire to wire from old board to new.

The lights don't work because they are 12v. If your convertor isn't put out 12v, they won't work.

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Old 12-10-2012, 10:55 AM   #6
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thanks Mack.

I see a firetruck in your profile picture, my husband is a retired firefighter!


thanks for your information - my husband is very handy and is a mechanic. i looked on line to try to find the PD and seems like camping world does not carry them. i went to PD website and I assume i need a 30 amp as that is what they told me to always hook up to (no more, no less) they have one that has an added battery charged auto detect so it will stop charging the battery when charged. when we first started having trouble on our last trip in PortAransas he added a second battery so now wer are using double batteries.

which converter do you recommend?

thanks so much for everyones help
mary lou
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Old 12-10-2012, 11:05 AM   #7
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Marylou,

We're newbies too and also had problems with our converter after we bought our 2363 in August. At first we thought it was the battery but, with the help of the SOC members especially JohnB, we discovered it was the converter. You can read about our "electrical adventures" in this thread:

http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f6...s-14073-2.html

Part of our problem replacing the converter was that in the 2363 model the converter is located between the shower and the pantry which limits the space & size of the replacement converter. Hopefully you won't have that problem. Based on reviews and the fact that it is made in the USA, we bought a PD converter but it didn't fit. We ended up buying an IOTA converter (IOTA Engineering AC/DC Power Products), which also had good reviews and is made in Tucson, AZ. On JohnB's recommendation, we bought it at BestConverter - Converters, Inverters, Electrical Supplies, Electronics, and were very pleased with their service.

Sorry we can't help you with the other questions but other SOC members surely can. Let us know what you decide with your converter.
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Old 12-10-2012, 11:38 AM   #8
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Quote:
I see a firetruck in your profile picture, my husband is a retired firefighter!
Yes. I was a volunteer firefighter and medic for 32 years. During the 30 years I was also a driver, I drove lots of different trucks and that '65 Mack is still my favorite.

Your '07 T286SR probably has the same WICO convertor our '07 T276SR had in it. It is a 55amp model and the replacement is the PD4655V. Your husband should have no trouble doing the swap. Just, remember to disconnect both the battery and the 120v shore line. The only thing I found different than the instructions was there were a couple of screws in the bottom of the metal box that gets disgarded in this application that had to be removed and the instructions said you "just had to push the button". Other than that it goes right back in the same space as the old one.

To expand on the electric systems....

The Air Conditioning, microwave, and outlets are 120vac and will only work when plugged in to shore power or a generator. The hot water heater and refrigerator are probably dual powered with either 120vac or propane. They both need 12vdc for the controls to work. Everything else (lights, fans, furnace, etc.) is 12vdc. The furnace burns propane for heat, but the fan is 12vdc. So, basically you have two power systems in the trailer 120vac and 12vdc. The 12vdc system runs off the battery and when you are plugged into 120vac the convertor produces 12vdc which runs the 12vdc appliances and recharges the battery.

Mack
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Old 12-10-2012, 02:31 PM   #9
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I've installed three of the Progressive Dynamics converters in three different campers. All three were easy as pie.

HERE is the post where I installed one in our current Sunny...

As far as the tank sensors... When I started using the Happy Campers holding tank treatment, my sensors all started working properly...

Read THIS thread, to learn a bit about it... There is also a link to it, in post #12...
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Old 12-10-2012, 07:37 PM   #10
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3. we have had the dealership work on our slide 3 times now. when we pick it up they run it and it does great. ya have to push on it while someone operates the button.

yet when we start to set it up we have to crank it out a little bit before it will work on its own.
Hi Marylou,

Sounds like folks have you all set but maybe this one. Mack also helped fill in you have a 2007 T286SR and that really helps as now we know what kind of slide system you have.

If your husband is a mechanic he can sort out the slide, he just may need some help from us on where to go looking. Until one has figured out the way the mechanism works and what normal is suppose to be, they are not exactly intuitive.

A caution on using the hand crank. When you use the hand crank it is a direct drive shaft right to the ACME screw system which has a very large mechanical advantage. If you accidentally turn the crack the wrong direction on a slide that is stuck, there is so much power in the ACME screw you can twist off the slide actuator brackets. The overload clutch that you hear go click click clock is on the motor drive. It only works when the motor is running.

See this post with a lot of pics when PTHutch had the same problem on his 2005 T280SR camper. His model is prior model than your T286SR.
http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f7...ins-10564.html

Now to the sticking slide on the way out. This generally points a few things or a combo creating excess friction.

1. Slide seals are very dry and can create very high friction and hold the slide very tight to the camper.

To help this you can use liquid silicone in a spray can. Spray it on a rag then wipe on the seals. It will help the seals not stick to the side of the slide and slide easier. I stated liquid silicone as it will not affect the slide seals like any kind of petroleum based product. So not use anything with petroleum in it. 303 UV protecant can also help and what they sell in the camping stores as slide seal lube. Lube the wiper part of the seal and the bulb that creates the seal to the side of the camper.

2. The slide arms under the camper are very dry and they take a lot more power to run. This again creates high friction to the point the motor struggles. Sticking seals and dirty & lack of lube in the slide arms can be more than the motor has power to turn. They have dry lube spray that can be used. Since you have a front kitchen the road dirt can be possibly flying up off the truck tires. The slide arms telescope inside each other and at the I beam of the camper there are plastic pads that act as guides for the arms. Use the dry lube and spray it on those pads going in and out. The gears under the camper on the rack and pinnion and up in the end of the arm is a roller on the very end of the arm, spray that up as well. On my slide I can use a more wet lube but my slide is at the back of the camper and the master rack is under a tank cover so road direct does not get too much in the grease. The dry lube helps and does not have the grease/dirt issues.

The 2 above are the easiest to do and need to be done anyway if you have not even done them. Try them first.

3. There is a chance something in the slide arms under the camper are in a bind creating excess friction. I would do no. 1 and 2 above 1st. To investigate the bind is going to take a bit more explaining to do. If they have the stop can on the master rack set wrong the racks can get in a bind as the stop can comes into contact with the frame too soon. For now we can assume they set this right but may come back to it. And then we can start typing more with pictures.

4. Are your batteries charged up on the camper? The slide takes a lot of instantaneous power to get going. If the batteries are low the motor cannot get the boost of power it needs to get the slide moving.

If you do 1,2 and 4 and still have issues, get back to us. We are going to need to dig deeper.

OH and to add to the others.

I agree the PD convertor is a good one. A very good unit. The Best Converter.com place Wannabee's linked is a good option for on line buying. And yes you want the 55 or 60 amp unit. That is 55 to 60 amps of DC power. Not the 30 amp 120 VAC shore line power. Different amp ratings.

Agree with EMD_Driver, use the Happy Camper holding tank treatment and your sprayers and your tank problem levels will go away. They also sell an extreme cleaner to clean up the tanks. Toilet paper and other debris short out the sensors. The Happy Camper eats the paper. It actually works better with some "stuff" to work on.

A friendly caution on the cover if you do not know, odds are high your roof is not a full walk on roof. They were special order to get them. To walk on the roof that does not have the added plywood, you lay a tarp or carpet down to protect the rubber and use pieces a 1/2" or thicker plywood to spread the load out. The rafters are on 16" centers for the most part. Need to span them with the plywood. I use 2' x 4' piece of plywood. Light enough to haul up there and wide enough to be effective.

Good luck and hope this helps

John
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Old 12-12-2012, 07:41 PM   #11
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okay thanks so much everyone for all your help and answers. i just wish yall werent all so far away that we someday could meet up somewhere! Jerry said seems like the only thing we need to do now is find out where to order, I went to the bestconverter website they dont have a PD4655V? I will get back under the trailer to re spray the slide rails - it doesnt sound like i did it right. With jerrys Hip problems I try to do the crawling around stuff! obviously i have a lot to learn, but ill get there! thanks again. mary Lou
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Old 12-12-2012, 08:47 PM   #12
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You can buy the PD 4655V from Amazon for around $230.00, with free shipping and their liberal return policy.
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Old 12-13-2012, 05:55 AM   #13
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Best Convertor has come out with a second generation replacement, here's the link:
WFCO-Powermax Main Board Replacement

$175.00

Mack
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Old 12-15-2012, 06:39 AM   #14
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matt i read the link now im confused all this talk about a load panel? if we order a converter do we also need something else?
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Old 12-15-2012, 10:07 AM   #15
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Mary Lou

The load panel is the board with the fuses and breakers. On the "Battery/electrical issues" thread, JohnB's entry (first page, third entry), shows a picture of the converter in his T310SR; the converter is on the left side of the pix and fuses and breakers, which are in the center and right, of the pix are the load panel. The next-to-last entry on the first page of that thread is a picture of the load panel on Gene's 2363 (with labeling for each circuit) and right below it is a picture of the 2363 converter. In the 2363 the load panel sits above the converter. You most likely do not need a load panel; we didn't but at one point I thought we might replace both. Sorry about the confusion.
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Old 12-15-2012, 11:07 AM   #16
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okay guys,
i cant figure out how to post a picture here in this message, but i did post pictures of the converter that needs to be replaced in my phot0 album. my unite is WFCO ULTRA WF-8955AN w/plastic.

i found the PD4655 from a website called American RV company
did not find it on the bestconverter site
have you had any dealing with american rv company?
i have let message for bestconverter to call me and sent an email.
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Old 12-15-2012, 11:34 AM   #17
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John B or Mack - any one:

i spoke with randy at bestconverter he says the powermax wfco replacement is much better less expensive easiar to install and 1 extra year warranty.

what do yall think? any comments or warnings?

mlw
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Old 12-15-2012, 11:36 AM   #18
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I've dealt with them. Didn't have any problems. I paid through PayPal which is secure..
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Old 12-15-2012, 03:50 PM   #19
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It looks like they added a desulfation mode which is a good thing. Also, when I ordered mine the new load center was part of the package.

Mack
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