After the blog post on Tuesday morning, we got the call to bring Little House to the service center once again so it would be available for surgery when the conference call was over.
Once in the operating room, Little House had a vent cover installed over the Fantastic Fan Air Vent for the water
closet. The cover will allow the vent to be left open when it rains. Some weather sealant was also replaced on the awning attachment.
Little House was returned to it's berth late Tuesday afternoon with yet another brand new rear air conditioner, but this time they had installed on older model air conditioner. The Assistant Manager of the service department has been doing the most recent work personally. He had found that the newer model air conditioner they had installed had a duct configuration different than the older model. The newer model does not align correctly with the roof ducts which resulted in a restricted air flow. Luckily they still had a new air conditioner in stock of the older model which is now sitting on top of Little House to see if it will solve our problem.
That new old-stock air conditioner has been working perfectly for almost 2 days now!
Since then, we've been in a testing mode to see if everything is working as it should. So far so good. In a day or so, when we're satisfied that everything is working, the A/C installation will be finished up. We have a couple of minor repairs we want addressed before we leave, hopefully through our extended warranty, but we hope that will be done within the next week.
The cooler weather is still with us with the addition of heavy rain predicted over the next two days. We plan to stay here until sometime next week.
Our life on the highways and byways of America.
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
MARION, NC: Nothing New
Although there's been a few days of activity in and on top of, Little
House, not much has changed in the status of our puzzle. The efforts to
solve the problem have not been successful. There will be another
conference call this morning (Tuesday) with those involved to come up with the
next step.
In the meantime, new friends Kathy and John left last Wednesday, and JF and Carolyn left on Sunday, so now we're meeting new people and sharing stories once again. Sunday, we drove to Asheville to meet up with a couple who were hosts at the Anderson, SC KOA for several years, where we stopped overnight on the trips between NC and AL. Kathy and Lacy are both ham radio operators, and are now working at a KOA near Greenville, SC. When we first met several years ago, we hit it off right away,, and yesterday we enjoyed catching up with since our last meeting in 2012. On our return trip to Marion, we took the "scenic route" on two-lane mountain roads instead of I-40.
Overall, the recent weather has been hot with a couple of rain showers thrown in for cooling. Sunday night , we had two rounds of thunderstorms, but the severe weather stayed west of us. Yesterday was a lot less humid with a steady breeze, and this morning, the low was 59.....a very nice change! It should be cooler most of this week.
We hope that this week will bring a successful solution for our situation.
In the meantime, new friends Kathy and John left last Wednesday, and JF and Carolyn left on Sunday, so now we're meeting new people and sharing stories once again. Sunday, we drove to Asheville to meet up with a couple who were hosts at the Anderson, SC KOA for several years, where we stopped overnight on the trips between NC and AL. Kathy and Lacy are both ham radio operators, and are now working at a KOA near Greenville, SC. When we first met several years ago, we hit it off right away,, and yesterday we enjoyed catching up with since our last meeting in 2012. On our return trip to Marion, we took the "scenic route" on two-lane mountain roads instead of I-40.
Overall, the recent weather has been hot with a couple of rain showers thrown in for cooling. Sunday night , we had two rounds of thunderstorms, but the severe weather stayed west of us. Yesterday was a lot less humid with a steady breeze, and this morning, the low was 59.....a very nice change! It should be cooler most of this week.
We hope that this week will bring a successful solution for our situation.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
MARION, NC: Missing Puzzle Piece
Jigsaw puzzles have been a favorite pastime for many members if our
family, and you always hope all the pieces are still in the box, and that the finished product will match the picture on the front of the box. If a piece or two is missing, solving the puzzle can take much longer to complete.
The last couple of months, we have been living in the midst of a puzzle of how to get the A/C system in Little House to work exactly as it should. Every time that we think the missing piece has been found, that turns out not to be the case and the search continues for the missing link.
Our last post (Friday evening) was written on a hopeful note once again, and sadly, the rainbow we thought we saw was fleeting. Once again, the same problem reared its ugly head on Friday night. More work was done yesterday at our site, and today Little House spent most of the day in the service bay, after more phone calls involving American Coach, the A/C company and the power system personnel, including once again replacing the rear A/C unit. And once again, the problem returned. So we're back at square one and a new plan of attack will have to be planned.
As with all rainy days, there are also moments to be enjoyed. We've had the company and support of our new friends Kathy and John, and JF and Carolyn who are also working through their own repair issues. We've enjoyed sharing time together as we get to know each other better.
The last couple of months, we have been living in the midst of a puzzle of how to get the A/C system in Little House to work exactly as it should. Every time that we think the missing piece has been found, that turns out not to be the case and the search continues for the missing link.
Our last post (Friday evening) was written on a hopeful note once again, and sadly, the rainbow we thought we saw was fleeting. Once again, the same problem reared its ugly head on Friday night. More work was done yesterday at our site, and today Little House spent most of the day in the service bay, after more phone calls involving American Coach, the A/C company and the power system personnel, including once again replacing the rear A/C unit. And once again, the problem returned. So we're back at square one and a new plan of attack will have to be planned.
As with all rainy days, there are also moments to be enjoyed. We've had the company and support of our new friends Kathy and John, and JF and Carolyn who are also working through their own repair issues. We've enjoyed sharing time together as we get to know each other better.
Friday, July 18, 2014
MARION, NC: Rain and Repairs
Late yesterday afternoon, we got the call to the post......I mean the call to bring Little House to the service center by 8 A.M. today. We woke up to earlier-than-expected rain, not the most pleasant conditions for departure chores, but at least it wasn't storming, and we easily made the appointed time.
Our day was spent in the lounge/cafe area, using our computers and talking to our new friends, now numbering 4, whose rigs were also in the work bays. We took a break and went to the post office to pick up some mail, then resumed our wait along with our friends. About 4:30, we got the word that not only had the A/C related work been done, other items had been addressed as well. The jobs completed included brand new current version control circuit boards for everything that touches the A/C and Power Management Systems - the rear A/C and heat pump, front A/C, and Power Shed relay board. Also a brand new thermostat and A/C control panel, new thermistors (ambient room temperature sensors), freeze sensors in each A/C, and probably a few other items we don't even know about. A few other minor repairs were also completed including replacement of a fog light that was on back order for 2 months, a worn slide wiper was replaced (a rubber strip that wipes the side of the slide as it is moved in or out), a control unit that controls the turn signal and other safety lights on the car when it is in tow, and a condensation drain line for the front A/C was cleared. That brings all of the work items from our purchase agreement up to date. Now we will sit here a few days to make sure the A/C doesn't have a relapse!
The day was still rainy and foggy, but we felt there was a rainbow at the end after all. The 6 of us celebrated our individual repairs by going to dinner together in Black Mountain, NC at the Black Mountain Bistro (our third visit in 3 weeks). Now we'll start the testing of the repairs for several days to make sure everything is working as designed. With lots of rain in the forecast for the days ahead, it's a good time to just stay put for little while longer.
Our day was spent in the lounge/cafe area, using our computers and talking to our new friends, now numbering 4, whose rigs were also in the work bays. We took a break and went to the post office to pick up some mail, then resumed our wait along with our friends. About 4:30, we got the word that not only had the A/C related work been done, other items had been addressed as well. The jobs completed included brand new current version control circuit boards for everything that touches the A/C and Power Management Systems - the rear A/C and heat pump, front A/C, and Power Shed relay board. Also a brand new thermostat and A/C control panel, new thermistors (ambient room temperature sensors), freeze sensors in each A/C, and probably a few other items we don't even know about. A few other minor repairs were also completed including replacement of a fog light that was on back order for 2 months, a worn slide wiper was replaced (a rubber strip that wipes the side of the slide as it is moved in or out), a control unit that controls the turn signal and other safety lights on the car when it is in tow, and a condensation drain line for the front A/C was cleared. That brings all of the work items from our purchase agreement up to date. Now we will sit here a few days to make sure the A/C doesn't have a relapse!
The day was still rainy and foggy, but we felt there was a rainbow at the end after all. The 6 of us celebrated our individual repairs by going to dinner together in Black Mountain, NC at the Black Mountain Bistro (our third visit in 3 weeks). Now we'll start the testing of the repairs for several days to make sure everything is working as designed. With lots of rain in the forecast for the days ahead, it's a good time to just stay put for little while longer.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
MARION, NC: Feels LIke Fall!
Yesterday (Wednesday) we drove about 20 miles to Andrews Geyser, located in the hills above Old Fort, NC. There's a lot of history surrounding the geyser (see the link) and it's also in the middle of Civil War battle sites.....all of this in pretty rugged country, but now easily accessible by today's paved roads.
This carved stone bench definitely needed some cushions!
The geyser drains into this mountain stream by the side of the park
The promised cooler weather arrived last evening and we sat outside until dark. Kathy and John (fellow campers) stopped by for a visit and we made plans to go to to dinner tonight.
We may have some A/C work done this afternoon, service schedule permitting. We have no departure plans as of now since we will want to make sure everything is working as it should before we leave. The dealership is continuing our free camping since we are still dealing with a Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) problem.
This carved stone bench definitely needed some cushions!
The geyser drains into this mountain stream by the side of the park
The promised cooler weather arrived last evening and we sat outside until dark. Kathy and John (fellow campers) stopped by for a visit and we made plans to go to to dinner tonight.
We may have some A/C work done this afternoon, service schedule permitting. We have no departure plans as of now since we will want to make sure everything is working as it should before we leave. The dealership is continuing our free camping since we are still dealing with a Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) problem.
Monday, July 14, 2014
MARION, NC; A Familiar Place
Yesterday (Sunday), Little House rolled down the mountain on I-40 between Swannanoa and Marion to bring us back to Tom Johnson's Camping Center.
This morning (Monday), we checked in at the service center with a small list of additional items for them to check, and found out the ordered parts for the A/C work had not arrived yet. So we'll be stationery for awhile as we wait for service. Kathy and John, who we met during our last stay, are still here, so tonight we all went to dinner at Fatz . We informed our server that it was Kathy and John's first Fatz experience and we were treated to samples of Fatz's signature Calabash Chicken and also received free desserts.
We're looking forward to the promised cooler temperatures later in the week, as well as having more work done on the RV. Meanwhile, we'll just enjoy life in our now-familiar campsite and get better educated watching UNC-TV, the only TV channels we receive.
This morning (Monday), we checked in at the service center with a small list of additional items for them to check, and found out the ordered parts for the A/C work had not arrived yet. So we'll be stationery for awhile as we wait for service. Kathy and John, who we met during our last stay, are still here, so tonight we all went to dinner at Fatz . We informed our server that it was Kathy and John's first Fatz experience and we were treated to samples of Fatz's signature Calabash Chicken and also received free desserts.
We're looking forward to the promised cooler temperatures later in the week, as well as having more work done on the RV. Meanwhile, we'll just enjoy life in our now-familiar campsite and get better educated watching UNC-TV, the only TV channels we receive.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
SWANNANOA, NC: Time to Say Goodbye
The last 3 days have been like the previous 4 - lots of talking with our friends, enjoying our spot on the side of the mountain, happy hour every day, and more great meals at Mikado Japanese Steakhouse, Athens Pizza, and Outback Steakhouse.
This is our spot in the campground - Site 45 - at an elevation of 2660 feet.
The view from our campsite.
Another awesome sunset.
It has been a wonderful week in a beautiful part of North Carolina, shared with great people. Tomorrow, we'll head down the mountain and east on I-40 as we travel back to Tom Johnson's Camping Center in Marion, NC for more work on the rear AC/ power system problem. Future plans will be made after the puzzle is solved.
This is our spot in the campground - Site 45 - at an elevation of 2660 feet.
The view from our campsite.
It has been a wonderful week in a beautiful part of North Carolina, shared with great people. Tomorrow, we'll head down the mountain and east on I-40 as we travel back to Tom Johnson's Camping Center in Marion, NC for more work on the rear AC/ power system problem. Future plans will be made after the puzzle is solved.
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