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Topic: On the Level! (Read 1124 times) previous topic - next topic

On the Level!

One of the  items I'm having to deal with in our transition from water yachts to land yachts is how electrical systems are dealt with. When I leave the boat for a time,  I turn everything off AC and DC.

Well, those of you who have had your MH for more that a week or so (or have read the 'book' closer than I have) realize that's not quite the way it's done on land.

So, after driving home to Austin from MOT I parked the coach at a storage facility, leveled the coach, played around for awhile, turned stuff off, and went home. I came back often to explore, pack, dream, ...

I did notice that the coach began to take on a list. A couple of times I started the engine, re-leveled the coach, and soon turned the level controller off again.

Saturday afternoon we took off for our first big adventure....

The wind NOISE was terrible!!  We got to the fuel stop and saw why.

Note the separation of the windshield from the center post!!
I still hadn't learned my lesson. After getting back home and parking the coach I went through the leveling process once again but this time neglected to do anything else with it. I spent that night with both manuals and still missed it!
The next morning as I prepared to drive over to MOT most (but not all) of the gap had closed.
 '300 mph duct tape' to keep it in and off to NAC. This time we reread the book one more time and finally found the statement that said '...leave it on...'.

On rare occasions preconceived notions are certainly misleading.


elliott bray

Elliott & Mary Bray
ex. 1996 36' U295 - Build 4879
ex. 2018 Coachmen Leprechaun 319MB
 

Re: On the Level!

Reply #1 –
You might want to have the system checked for leaks. We have begun turning off our leveling system after we reach a satisfactory position. It will stay level for weeks.

Our coach is parked about 100' from our wood and concrete home. It stays plugged to 120VAC all the time. We set the heaters for 40-50F for cold weather. We set the AC for 85F for hot weather. We leave the refrigerator on. We leave the boost switch on (start and house batteries are all AGM).

We have had our coach since April, 2010. The previous owners owned the coach since 1997, and kept it inside an airplane hangar. They also kept it plugged in with comfort systems running.
J D Stevens
1997 U295 CAI 36' Build #5085
2002 Subaru Outback
Motorcade 16869
Bellville, TX

Re: On the Level!

Reply #2 –
As JD said, you've got to have a leaky valve somewhere. I leave ours stored for months with everything off, and the air bags don't leak down.......................yet.
Steve & Ginny Hill
96 U295 36'/Wrangler
Tampa

Re: On the Level!

Reply #3 –
Quote from: Steve & Ginny Hill –
As JD said, you've got to have a leaky valve somewhere. I leave ours stored for months with everything off, and the air bags don't leak down.......................yet.

If the air bags don't leak down, what do the gauges on the dash read that indicate your air pressure. Or is there  NOT a  relationship between air bags and air pressure as shown in the dash gauges?
George Stoltz.  Retired from full-time living in a great Foretravel and now are back to living in a traditional sticks and bricks in Florida.

Re: On the Level!

Reply #4 –
Quote from: George Stoltz –
If the air bags don't leak down, what do the gauges on the dash read that indicate your air pressure. Or is there  NOT a  relationship between air bags and air pressure as shown in the dash gauges?

My understanding is that the dash gauges are for the primary air system that includes the brakes and the suspension system while traveling. After parking and engaging the leveling system, I have seen the dash gauges reflect the leveling system pulling air from the brake system. However, I've never seen the leveling system give air back to the primary system. In other words, after going into leveling mode, the dash gauges don't bear any relationship to the pressure in the air bags.

Our dash gauges drop down to about 10 psi overnight, and eventually to zero. The air bags remained inflated.
J D Stevens
1997 U295 CAI 36' Build #5085
2002 Subaru Outback
Motorcade 16869
Bellville, TX

Re: On the Level!

Reply #5 –
JD,
I think you have air leaks as well.  It's not (usually) normal for the tanks to lose all the air overnight.  The tanks should be able to hold longer than that.  Yes, yes, I know the "standard" for the industry is some figure of so many psi lost per hour or day.  But, if you poll the owners, most of the time these tanks hold for much longer, and the usual culprit is air leaking from connections ot broken pressure regulators underneath.
 
I personally lost all the air in the tanks in about four days.  After I replaced the pressure regulator (center one), the air now holds just fine.
Peter & Beth Martin
No Forrest? What have you done?
MC# 15890 until Dec 2016; FMCA #F329677
Cincinnati, OH

Re: On the Level!

Reply #6 –
Quote from: Peter & Beth –
JD,
I think you have air leaks as well. 

Indeed we lose air from the primary system faster than we should. Wayne at FOT repaired a significant leak in the area near the front regulators in January. When he was aligning the front end, he could feel air blowing on his hand as it escaped a connection. There are additional leaks that are awaiting detection and repair.

Thanks for the standard against which to compare, and the suggestion regarding where to begin a search.
J D Stevens
1997 U295 CAI 36' Build #5085
2002 Subaru Outback
Motorcade 16869
Bellville, TX

Re: On the Level!

Reply #7 –
We just purchased a 1999 U320 late last summer and only drove it from TX to Richland, WA, where we have stored it over the winter in a heated, former ice skating rink storage facility. Consequently, since storage was level, I have not turned on leveling system. Any problem? We do have the coach hooked up to shore power, but facilty limits usage to just enough to keep charger working. When I exit coach, I flip switch to turn off power usage. Should I use levling system, (worked great on our trip) even though coach appears level due to concrete skating rink surface?
Hugh & Judy Taylor
w/ Gator
Richland, WA
36 Ft - 1999 U320

Re: On the Level!

Reply #8 –
The only item in your coach that needs to be somewhat level is the refrigerator and then it is only necessary when it is turned on.  If you don't keep the refrigerator on, leveling is not an issue at all.  Even if it is on, the usual guidance is that the coach should be level enough that it can be lived in comfortably and the sink and shower drains work properly.  If there is a small leak in the leveling system, the front or back may drop a bit over time but it probably would not be enough to cause a problem.  If it was my coach I would turn off the refrigerator and not worry about it.
Monti
2015 Born Free Triumph Royal 4x4
Previous:  2000 U320 3600
 

Re: On the Level!

Reply #9 –
Quote from: Monti –
The only item in your coach that needs to be somewhat level is the refrigerator and then it is only necessary when it is turned on.
Something like 3 degrees side to side, and 6 degrees front to back, or the other way around.  Should be in your frig manual.
1994 U225
build #4514