New, old, Sunline Owner (Maybe)

[phillong]

We are a "new" Sunline owner, but own an "old", 2001 T-2980 Sunline.

The "maybe" part comes into play, being that I am a self-employed contractor. The economy, in the coming months, will dictate if I can keep the unit or not.

I had second thoughts when I purchased the unit, only because of the economy, but had an offer I could not refuse.

Where we live does not allow me any area to park the camper, so we have to park it at a Self-Storage lot. This makes it a bit hard to work on the camper, but not impossible.

So far we have spots reserved at Appalachian, Granite Hill (Gettysburg), and Lake Glory (Knoebels), all in Pa.

Two quick questions, with more likely to come.

I just purchased a battery to check the 12 volt system. What do others do with the battery until camping? I did take it back home, but do you keep a trickle charge on the battery, or just let it sit idle?

Second, there is a vinyl or rubber insert/molding around all the doors on the outside of the camper. Some of mine, especially on the smaller access doors, that could be replaced.

Has anyone ever replaced these, or know a location to purchase the material.

Thanks in advance,
Phil and Diana Long

[luvrque]

Hi, Phil and Diana....Welcome to the club. I am sure you will find answers to all your questions here ! There are lots of very knowledgeable
folk on this site.
As for the battery you have at home now let it sit till just before you plan to use it, then charge it . If it makes you feel better you could charge it every month or two.
I have left batteries in a unheated garage for 6 or 7 months at a time every year without charging. They lasted me over 6 years.
I hope you are able to keep your Sunline !

[HappyCampers]

Phil,
Firstly welcome to the group. The wealth of information here can definately help you with any task related to your Sunline. From history (Jon, SunlineFan), to hitching (JohnB, our resident weight distribution expert), and anything in between we have it covered.
The molding in question on your trailer, would it be the molding that covers the screw heads that attach the compartment opening to the trailer? If this is what you are talking about it is a readily available item called insert molding, and can be found in many larger RV dealers. There are a few diferent sizes, and colors, so be sure to take a little piece in with you. It's mostly asthetic, to hide the screw heads, but gives the coach a more finished look. Good luck, let us know how you make out.

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by phillong

I just purchased a battery to check the 12 volt system. What do others do with the battery until camping? I did take it back home, but do you keep a trickle charge on the battery, or just let it sit idle?

Thanks in advance,
Phil and Diana Long

Hi Phil

1st off welcome to the club. Glad to have you and your coach is not that old. She has a lot of life left in her yet.

To your battery, ideally you do want to keep a charge on it to keep it as healthy as it can be. The battery just sitting doing nothing will have a slight discharge if left months on end like over the winter.

You mentioned trickle charger, yes the trickle charger will keep the voltage up and make sure it has a true float mode on it so it will not over charge the battery.

If you are going to buy a trickle charger I suggest this one which is a upgrade from the trickle charger. It will slow charge, float charge and condition the battery by desulfating the battery.

Battery Minder Plus

They cost about $40 ish dollars if you search around. Camping world has them on sale from time to time. Just put VDC model 12177 in your search engine and hit go.

Northern tool has then and so do many others.

You can use this over the winter too keep the battery at full snuff. Check the water level often to make sure it is full correctly. When using the VDC Battery Minder I have a new battery sitting in the shed with it on and it has not had to be refilled in over year for me. I have a spare for boondocking. The unit is smart enough to not over charge and disolves any sufate that builds up.

If you do not want to buy anything right now and have an actual charger, check the water in the battery and every month just put the charger on to bring it back up. Then unhook the battery from the charger. That is better then not doing anything.

Good luck ad happy camping

Post some pics of your new cool coach some time. We really like pics and we do not have to many with your model. Don’t forget the inside pics.

John

[phillong]

Thanks for the replies and information.

I am taking the camper in on Friday to have the Dometic recall done, and inspection. The Dometic referigerator came with a Maintenance Schedule, which seems to require a yearly once over.

Do other campers do this maintenance? It sounds like something that requires a qualified tech person.

I will get some pictures as soon as possible. Any tips on how to post them?

Thanks
Phil