new owner questions

ronnyr · 06-24-2009, 12:13 PM

Hi, Bought a 1999 2354 model. It has been used a lot by previous owners and even a little abused . . . thank goodness no leaks that I can see, but I think there may have been a water problem at some point. The floor is a little warped . . .
What is the best product to take stains off of the roof from tree branches lying on it? I was told by the former owner to use a little bleach water. I am concerned the bleach will dry it out. What is the best product to treat it with after cleaning?
I am in the process of fixing the underside membrane . . . it has been abused and ripped. I got a piece of membrane from an RV parts place and I am patching and using underbelly tape. If anyone has done this before I would appreciate any feedback, or if there is a better, more secure way of fixing it. It had ripped from the front of the frame and was open, plus it looked like someone made some kind of repairs and pieced it back together . . . what a nightmare . . .
Can I run the refrigerator and water heater hooking the landline cord up to my house, or is this not advised? I found out the other day the air will not work at all hooked to the house. Thank you for your help!

SanDimasJoe · 06-24-2009, 12:59 PM

Ronnyr,

The A/C won't work unless you are connected to a 30 amp source. It might work occassionaly but the unit might get damaged.

Joe

Steve Collins · 06-25-2009, 04:55 AM

www.dicor.com for all the info on rubber roof maintenance.

303 UV protectant after cleaning. www.303products.com for more info.

The AC should run OK on a 15 amp house circuit if NOTHING else is being used in the TT on the AC side. That presumes that you aren't using a couple of hundred feet of extension cord or other condition that would affect current draw.

If the AC won't run at all, check the TT's circuit breakers located inside the convertor panel. Then make sure the thermostat is set to COOL and the temp setting is low enough to trigger the AC. Beware that the DuoTherm thermostats are prone to failure over time. (Mine got very erratic on the temp settings.) If it is the thermostat causing the problem, you can replace it for about $60 or do the digital conversion for less than $25.

Set the refrigerator to AUTO and it will run on A/C when plugged in, and automatically switch to propane when unplugged. Uh, that is *IF* there is propane in the tanks and they're turned on.

Not much reason to run the hot water heater when just sitting in your yard, but it will run if you want it. Again, check the total current useage - you can not run the AC and the electric heater off a 15 amp house circuit at the same time. You should have a full 30 amp GFCI circuit for that although a 20 amp circuit may suffice if you're not using much of the other A/C stuff in the tt.

Eternabond tape is magic stuff. Great for the underbelly material, but even greater for rubber roof repairs. It also has a number of other uses in the RV world. www.eternabond.com for more. Don't buy it at a RV dealer - they jack the price way up as they do for most items. Check the Eternabond website for other sources. There are a number of online sources that have been mentioned in recent posts here that offer great pricing.

ronnyr · 06-25-2009, 07:39 AM

Thank you for your help! I may have my son-in-law come over and wire a 30-amp outlet outside. He's an electrician.
I believe whoever owned this previously had lived in it for a while, because I found a telephone wire to the outside, which is part of the reason why the underside is such a mess. The previous owner assured me the brakes and wheel bearings were just done. The tires look new, but I am going to check the dates just in case.
My old little trailer had very small holding tanks, but they worked very efficiently. I would like to fill up the tanks with water just to make sure the sensors and everything are working correctly.
Also, I was trying to get the lp sensor to work on test, and could not get it to sound? Is there any trick to that? Thanks for your help! Ronny

Steve Collins · 06-25-2009, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronnyr

My old little trailer had very small holding tanks, but they worked very efficiently. I would like to fill up the tanks with water just to make sure the sensors and everything are working correctly. Also, I was trying to get the lp sensor to work on test, and could not get it to sound? Is there any trick to that? Thanks for your help! Ronny

None of us have much luck keeping the tank sensors working properly.* Rigorous cleaning of the black water tank may help but you'll need to install a tank washing system for it to work.* And the black tank is the one you can most easily determine how full it is by just looking down the hole.*

* The sensors just aren't the best idea out there. Freshwater seems to work ok for the long haul.

Make sure the fuse for the propane detector is in place and not blown.Here is the chart for the Protechtor:

ronnyr · 06-25-2009, 12:22 PM

Steve, It looks like you have the exact same sunline as I just purchased. Have you had yours since new?
As a new owner of a 1999 T2453, are there any issues with that model that maybe I should look out for? Mine is not in as good of shape as it could be. Gonna take a little work . . .
As for the lp detector - I don't believe its working at all. I get nothing out of it; no lights, no sound. I will have to remove it and see if I can determine the problem. Thanks for the chart. I recollect seeing that somewhere in the books.

Thanks, ronny

Steve Collins · 06-25-2009, 03:33 PM

Yup, we've had our 2453 for 10 years now. Bought it right off the floor at an RV show. They locked it up and hung a SOLD sign on it right then and there.

There are generally no model specific issues with the 2453's or most any other Sunline. One notable exception is the 2499's in the mid 2000's that had some frame issues. Those are well documented here, and don't affect any of the other models.

One thing you might keep an eye on is the skin above the front door. The frame can flex a bit right there, and mine has developed stress tears in the aluminum skin. It'll depend on how the unit was used over the years.

IF the LP detector appears totally dead, I would first check to see if it is getting power. The fuse is the most likely culprit followed by possible wiring troubles. That is located in a place where critters can get to easily via the shore line door so the wiring could be chewed through. After that, it is possible that it is just plain DOA although I don't recall anyone reporting that here on SOC.

My thermostat crapped out a couple of years ago, and I did the Hunter digital upgrade (also well documented here - search on Hunter for several threads.) I heartily recommend that mod.

**JohnB** · 06-25-2009, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Collins

None of us have much luck keeping the tank sensors working properly.* Rigorous cleaning of the black water tank may help but you'll need to install a tank washing system for it to work.* And the black tank is the one you can most easily determine how full it is by just looking down the hole.*

* The sensors just aren't the best idea out there. Freshwater seems to work ok for the long haul.

Hi Steve and ronnyr

On both of my TT's I added the tank sprayers and that are what keeps the sensors working. Or you drag the spray wand in every time and hose it out.

I do use the bacteria and enzymes tank treatment that will chew up the paper shorting out the probes, but it takes more then a weekend to dissolve the paper.

I am also fortunate to have access to dump into my sewage system here at the house. At long line times at the dump station at camp, I dump and run... and clean up at home. It does take a while and I do not want to hold up others waiting on me.

Since doing the cleaning ordeal, my tank sensors have always worked.

If you don’t, I suspect the odds are not good to keep them working.

John

ronnyr · 06-27-2009, 10:44 AM

Thanks for your help. I will keep an eye on those things. I didn't see any stress cracks above the door, but then my eyes aren't what they used to be. I am not sure of the thermostat yet because I have not been able to run the ac. Maybe replacing it before I do have problems would be a smart idea. I am still baffled about the lp detector, and have not had a chance to do further testing.
This is a $4,999 coach with a need for some TLC, so I have my work cut out for me. I started at the bottom bpartly ecause I needed to get a new ladder and partly because I could see membrane blowing in the wind. I got the new ladder the other day, and found the roof dirty, the seals cracked, but in pretty good shape for its age. I started working on the cracks around the seams, and then the rain started. Been pretty much raining ever since.
Keeping the holding tanks clean I'm sure will help. From the looks of it, the former owners of this coach didn't keep too much clean, so now I am wondering how to clean tanks that may have a pretty good layer of sludge? I don't want to replace them unless they were beyond repair.
Thanks again for your input. It has been a tremendous help! ronny

Steve Collins · 06-27-2009, 01:10 PM

Ronny,

First, for the black water tank, get one of those wands that hook to a garden hose and have 4 holes in the sides of the end. They spray a fairly high pressure stream and you can put it down the toilet and turn it this way and that, and it'll do a fairly good job of cleaning out that tank.

Another trick for the black water tank is to fill it about 1/3 to 1/2 full of cold water, and then dump in about 20# of ice cubes. Take it for a nice long test drive on some bumpy roads. The ice will act like a very gentle abrasive to the "stuff" in the tank and do a good job of cleaning it.

After that, cleaning with the wand after every dump is usually enough.

If there is a "dreaded black pyramid" directly below the toilet, just fill the tank with water and let it sit for a few days. Poke at the pyramid with something to help bust it up. The pyramid happens when folks leave the sewer valve open when in camp so the liquids immediately drain away, leaving the solids to build up. It's always best to keep the valve closed until you're ready to dump the whole tank. That way the fluids help move the solids out of the tank.

There is a cleaning system that can be installed in the tank that will scrub the insides of the tank with a water spray. JohnB has one, and he wrote a great thread about it here. Search through the threads to find it.

Gray water tanks are a bit tougher because you can't access them with the wand like you can the black water tank. There are some cleaning solutions you can dump into the tank that are supposed to keep the tank walls clean. I don't go for those solutions myself, but favor using about a cup of inexpensive dishwashing detergent into about a half tank of water followed by a nice road trip. The sloshing action should clean the tank pretty well. The gray tank in our 2453's is very shallow so it is easy to slosh stuff around in there. If there is a real buildup of stuff, it may take some use and cleaning to get it all off, but it will come off.

You can also install the cleaning system in the gray tank.

A tip on dumping the gray water tank: Because it is so shallow, it needs to be pretty level to drain well at the dump station. My favorite state park up here built a new dump station with the roadway slanting downhill from the dump point. I have to jack the trailer nose up every time I dump there. If I leave it nose down, the gray tank drains at a bare trickle.

The black water tank on the 2453 actually works better with the nose down although it works just fine if the TT is level.

It's pretty easy to eyeball the black water tank through the toilet, but there's no place to look inside the gray water tank. The only solution I can think of would be to get your hands on a plumbers TV camera for pipes and use that.

The tanks will get clean over time if you treat them well. Unless someone dumped paint or other problematic materials in the tanks, the normal stuff that goes into them can be cleaned up. Normal use and cleaning should take care of things in just a few weeks.

ronnyr · 06-27-2009, 04:36 PM

Thanks for the tips on the tanks! My old trailer it was pretty easy to see into the black tank because it was small and white. I kept it pretty clean.
This one I fear someone poured regular house toilet cleaner into it because of the green stains on the toilet. I will have to check out the wand. I never would have thought about that, but it would be a great tool in cleaning now and later.
One of the kitchen sink drains has been corroded away which I am hoping is just age and not something that might have ate it away. I like the idea of taking it on the road and sloshing things around a bit. I don't know about how well the ice will work since I live in Florida and we are into summer, but I have an ice maker, so its free and easy.
When I looked at the coach prior to buying, I knew it had some issues, but one really never knows until they go over it with a fine tooth comb. Even with its issues, it still beats other brands hands down. And I really appreciate getting some feedback from those who know them inside and out! Makes my work a little easier!
ronny