Friday, February 22, 2019

FEBRUARY 7 - 22: Good Thing We're Flexible!

After we arrived at Hamcation in Orlando, Hank discovered the Aqua-Hot system was leaking again ( a new leak in the same unit that we had repaired in December).  After talking with a local Aqua-Hot technician, and with Coachcraft by Macdonald, (who did the previous repair),  we decided we wanted Coachcraft to do the repairs again. That meant changing our plans of returning to Travelers Rest for the rest of February, which we hated to do.  Coachcraft said they'd work us in whenever we could get there.

Monday, Feb. 11 - We drove to Dade City for a previously arranged appointment to get 2 new front tires for Little House at a Pilot truck stop. The tires were purchased through the Family Motor Coach Assn.'s Michelin tire discount program, which saved us over $100 per tire!   Mid-afternoon, we were able to start heading north and spent Monday night at the Perry, FL Walmart.

Tuesday, Feb. 12 - We drove from Perry, FL to Coachcraft in Columbus, GA.  They made sure we were parked with an electric hookup and said they'd get started on our problem the next morning. Mother Nature decided to get involved and a severe thunderstorm hit, knocking out power for 8 hours but our generator enabled us to follow our usual routine.

Wednesday, Feb. 13 - Bright and early, they found the problem and repaired it (very quick service for a work-in). This second leak was in the hot water line, whereas the previous leak had been in the boiler fluid line.  Also, Coachcraft was able to do the repair without having to remove the system from it's bay which made the bill  a lot less than a Florida technician had  estimated.   We stayed there Wednesday night to make sure all was well.

Thursday, Feb. 14 - We drove to Minooka Park near Jemison, AL for a 3 week stay. Our original plan was to come here after leaving Florida at the end of February  to visit two of our daughters and attend the Birminghamfest on March 2nd, so having extra time in a place we like was a plus.

Monday, Feb. 18 - All was well until we found a much worse leak in the same Aqua-Hot area that was repaired the week before.  Hank took pictures and video and sent it to Coachcraft. The response was immediate to come back when we could and they'd take care of us.

Tuesday, Feb. 19 - It was not a fair weather day and waiting for heavy rain to let up did not happen. Hank had to take down the ham radio antenna, and do all other outside work in a deluge.  We do have ponchos that kept him a little dryer, but it was definitely the worst weather we've had for a departure.  The rain did stop after about 30 minutes on the road and we returned to Coachcraft with no problems.  The service manager and Aqua Hot specialist met us as soon as we pulled in, immediately investigated the situation, found that the factory installed "Shark Bite" connectors were  leaking and came up with a temporary fix so we could use water overnight, and a plan for the next day. The leak problem is definitely a design failure on this coach.

Wednesday, Feb. 20 - During the morning, the Shark-Bite connections were replaced with a steel flexible line.  Once again, we stayed overnight to check for leaks.  Hank was told there would be no charge for this visit.

Thursday, Feb. 21 - We said our farewells, and shared hopes of not seeing them for awhile!  Coachcraft is a family-owned business that's been around for a long time with caring personnel.  It's definitely one of our 3 top service shops and I'm sure we'll be returning for maintenance items if not repairs. Our return to Minooka Park was under mostly dry skies and we were able to get parked and set up before the rains returned in earnest.

Friday, Feb 22 - Now we're hoping we can settle down to our normal routines and we're looking forward to the rest of our stay here visiting with family and friends.

Thursday, February 21, 2019

FEBRUARY 11 - Hamcation Wrapup


On Thursday, Feb. 7, we enjoyed a pot luck lunch with the WBCCI group. There were 3 Happy Hour gatherings. Friday and Saturday were beautiful Florida days, with temperatures in the high 70's and breezy. Sunday morning dawned rainy and it stayed that way until late afternoon, so outside sales were practically non-existant, but the buildings were probably bustling. We didn't make many purchases, but it was fun meeting with so many friends.

Saturday evening we had a great reunion with Kim and Randy at a local restaurant. They've been fulltime RVers for about 3 years or so, and we met them, courtesy of our daughter, Debbie, when they were planning for retirement and then hitting the road.

The hamfest ended early Sunday afternoon and we left the Florida Central Fairgrounds on Monday, Feb 11.

Saturday, February 9, 2019

January 22 - February 9: More TR Living Then Off to Orlando

TR life continued into February with more line dancing, ham radio activity, entertainment and walking.

On Sunday, January 27, we were entertained by Patty Waszak.



She is a headliner in Pigeon Forge, TN during "the season" and she tours in the southeast during the winter months. Patty is a powerful singer, plays many instruments and inserts comedy into her show as well.

January 30 was Showcase Day.  A talent agency brings many of their clients to perform in 15 minute segments for a large number of Activity Directors from campgrounds and organizations looking for entertainment for their groups.  The public, including TR residents, are welcome at no charge.  We spent two hours with other hams helping with parking the entertainers, buyers and the public, then  we watched some of the show.  This event has been part of TR for 15 years and is very popular.

February 3 was Selene's birthday and we celebrated all day!  We went to a breakfast buffet at the local Moose Lodge, stocked up on supplies, went to dinner with friends Kathy and Lacy at Golden Corral, then returned to TR for ice cream and the annual performance by Sammy Lane, an accomplished blind pianist. Sammy's program is built around audience requests, and he is rarely stumped!

On Tuesday, Feb. 5, we attended the annual TR Amatuer Radio Club's oatmeal breakfast in an outside pavilion.  The entree was oatmeal and there was ice cream and several other items to put on top. We had never heard of toppiing oatmeal with ice cream until we came to TR.

Wednesday, February 6, we pulled up the jacks and drove to Orlando for Hamcation, the second-largest hamfest in the country.  Many of our TR friends also made the trip.  We parked in the rear of the Central Florida Fairgrounds with a nice view of the lake in front of us.


The hamfest draws aroud 20,000 attendees over 3 days, and there are approximately  200 RV's parked on the grounds. There are many Hamcation photos here:   https://tinyurl.com/y4l7zx78

    Hamcation is mainly a social event for us as we get to see friends from many states.  We'll be in Orlando until the morning of  February 11.

Monday, January 21, 2019

SETTLING IN AT TR

We've been at Travelers Rest Resort near Dade City for almost 2 1/2 weeks. The weather on most days has been warm and sunny  with one rainy night and a couple of frosty mornings. Our participation in activities has increased this year with both of us doing a lot more walking .

Hank continues to have lots of computer work to fill his time, but he's also enjoying visiting the ham radio 'shack' to meet with other hams, and to use the TR ham club's equipment.

Selene has joined the Line Dancing group twice a week and plays Bingo once or twice a week. We've been to a park Pot Luck dinner, and enjoyed lunch at the Snack Shack twice.




The Produce man comes 3 times a week with a large variety of fresh fruts and vegetables for sale.

 The ham radio club has meetings twice a month.

Sunday nights, there is ice cream and free entertainment at Busch Hall, the large multi-purpose building that is the center of many activities here.
Travelers Rest RV Resort Entertainment Hall





 Last night's artist was John Wilson, an energetic and talented vocalist who shared his songs and personality with an appreciative audience.


The above-mentioned activities are only a few of what's offered every day here. Each activity provides another chance to meet up with old friends and make new ones. Just keeping up with what goes on here, and when, can be a challenge!

Once a week, one or both of us will make a grocery trip to a nearby town - Dade City, Brooksville, or Zephyrhills. One thing that TR doesn't have is a grocery store!

We'll be at TR until Feb. 6th when we go to Orlando for 5 days before returning to TR for almost 3 more weeks.


Friday, January 11, 2019

January 11, 2019: Catching Up

Our family holidays in central Alabama were full of visits and hugs, just what we look forward to all year. At one time or another, we were able to visit with all 5 children with their spouses and significant others, 11 of 12 grandchildren, the two great grandchildren, and various friends and in-laws, as the two Alabama daughters took turns hosting the various gatherings and everyone pitched in when they could.

We left Alabama on January 2nd, to drive to Columbus, GA where we moved back into Little House after the repairs.  On January 3rd, we traveled to Perry, GA via non-interstate roads, and spent the night at Walmart and stocked up on groceries. January 4th found us again on non-interstate roads to Travelers Rest Resort near Dade City, FL, where we'll be for most of the next two months. There are many pictures on the TR website.

Ths is the 3rd year to come to TR. We know lots of the full and part-time residents here, including many ham radio friends.  The resort has it's own ham radio shack on the property, and ham operators
 have been a valued part of TR for many years. This large over-55 park has 600 sites, including homes, park models, cabanas, and campground sections, along with a 9 hole golf course. There's also a post office, volunteer fire department and rescue squad, a lunchtime Snack Shack, a produce vender 3 times a week, 2 weekly food trucks, daily coffee gatherings, a weekly newspaper, library,  and friendly faces everywere you look. Most activities are run by volunteers.

The past week has gone by quickly. Last Saturday was the January indoor flea market.  Tuesday, there was an activity fair with many of the over 100 groups here providing information on their 'club'. There is entertainment here once or twice a week. Sunday evenings, there is ice cream served, followed by announcements for the coming week, and then some type of free entertainment.  Last Sunday, we were treated to Jim Cruise - the spoon man, who has been playing the spoons professionally for 23 years. It was a fun and entertaining evening. Last night, we attended the twice-a-month ham radio club meeting.

We are parked in the 'campground' section (Golf View) next to the golf course on site 60-08.





We've been hearing reports that it was getting harder to get reservations for future visits, so yesterday we reserved our site for January & February of 2020.

 The weather has been great - mostly warm days with sunshine and a nice breeze,  and cool nights. 

Saturday, January 5, 2019

THE REST of the Story!

Before Christmas, we promised a report on the needed repairs for Little House when we had the time to write one.  This blog post is from Hank.


I suspect you all know by now that we have had a recent problem with Little House.  As Paul Harvey used to say - here is "The Rest of the Story":

We've had a  slow leak from the area around the Aqua-Hot bay, so in November, we made an appointment with Coachcraft by MacDonald in Columbus, GA to fix the problem before we went to Alabama for the holidays.  In the meantime, we spent several weeks hanging out in Unadilla, GA.

While we were at the Unadilla, GA campground the 2nd week of December, our coach started acting like the ignition key was being turned on, dash lights, idiot lights, beepers, etc coming on - when in reality it was turned off.  Turning the ignition key on and off made no difference.  Starting the engine made no difference except that the big diesel engine started fine and purred like a kitten.  Turning the key back off made no difference - but the engine was still purring with the key off!

To stop the engine,  I could turn of the mechanic's safety switch at the motor, but the dashboard functions were all still illuminated, dash fan blowing, etc. so I had to find the ignition fuse to turn those functions off.  After consultation with Spartan service (chassis manufacturer)  on the phone, the problem was suspected to be a short or ground in the ignition key wiring between the dash and the ECM (Engine Control Module).  Since the next trip we were planning to make was to the repair shop anyway this would not present a problem - we would just have them look at this while we were there.  PIE IN THE SKY!

THE GREMLINS  ATTACK WITH A VENGEANCE!

We left the campground Monday morning December 17th without incident as expected and headed for Columbus via non interstate route (always my preference) as planned.  Once we got on a major highway I turned on the cruise control.   Eventually I had to touch the brake to slow for traffic which suspended cruise as expected - but the resume button did not work.  I was able to play around with the buttons (on the steering wheel) and get it back on - but the set, cancel, and resume buttons didn't seem to work as expected.  I eventually found that the cancel button was now functioning as the set button so that worked for awhile but eventually all of the buttons stopped working.  A bit later I noticed that the button that flashes the headlights (courtesy flash?) was no longer working, and shortly afterward the cruise control was not working at all.   I was now concerned that it may decide to work in resume mode causing it to accelerate, and if the cancel button was not working, and I am not able to turn the motor off........

I decided to bypass the planned lunch and fuel stops and go directly to the service facility without passing go :-)   Our appointment was for Tuesday morning so we settled into our parking space with electric hookups after giving John Hughes, service manager, our list of woes.

During the next few days as they were working on the coach, many more Gremlins started showing up and they were not able to find the cause of any of the problems .
  • Ignition key still will not shut off motor but the other effects of turning off and on seem to vary.
  • The slide-outs will work regardless of ignition key (should ONLY work when key is on)
  • Door steps sometimes work and sometimes don't.
  • If we level with jacks - they sometimes decide to retract at random times - a nuisance at 4:00 AM !
  • The key-fob will no longer lock the door although it will unlock it.
  • The key fob will no longer operate the basement compartment door locks.
  • The air-pressure operated safety travel door lock will not release - but the manual on/off for that still works so we can still open te door :-)
  • The ATC is off and alarms when the ignition key is turned on but can be turned on manually (should come up on by default).
  • The leveling system sometimes flashes a parking brake alarm, even though the brake is set.
  • Turning ignition key off still doesn't turn the dash functions off, but turning it back on they all go off and then restart.
And many of these were  intermittent so there was no way to know which ones will act up at any time - and each day seemed to bring new gremlins!

SO - they were bringing the coach into the shop each morning at 7 AM which meant we were up by 6 AM to get it ready to move! There were several calls to Spartan for advice, and to get service diagrams for various systems.

On Thursday, Dec. 20, we had to empty part of the under-bed storage so they could open up the bedroom floor to access the ECM mounted above the motor.
 
As of Friday morning, Dec. 21,  they thought they had narrowed the problem down to a specific wire bundle that runs from the front of the coach to the engine compartment but still had to find where along the route of that bundle the problem might be.  There were still several small items we wanted them to work on (the original reason for our service appointment) and since they were off Sat, Sun, Mon, Tue for each of the next two holiday weekends we decided to leave Little House there giving them time to do a thorough job while we stayed with our daughter, Debbie and her husband, Robert in Montevallo, AL for the holidays.

It took a while to gather all of the  needed items for the next two weeks of living along with various holiday supplies, and then to load them into the car. We left Columbus about 7:30 A.M. on Dec. 21st after a week of early days and restless nights.  We definitely needed "a little Christmas"!

Later that afternoon,  John Hughes called us to let us know they had found the problem to be in a 50 pin connector in the previously suspected cable on the underside of the motor.  It had apparently been wet (possibly from road water splash from the wheels) and moisture had created some high resistance shorting which in turn caused overheating and basically corroding and melting plastic connector.  That sounds like a design problem to me!  Such connectors in motorhomes are notorious for having this type of problem and there are many miles of wiring and dozens of such connectors throughout the coach.  The most common solution is to just replace the connector with good old fashioned soldered connections - which was exactly what the repair shop did.  They said the problems all had disappeared but they would do some road testing to make sure, and will complete the remaining items between now and New Years day.  On Dec. 28, John Hughes called to say that two road tests were made without issues, other than the right camera was no longer working (our rear camera failed several months ago), but that wasn't related to our other problems. Little House would be ready for us whenever we returned to Columbus.

In the mean time we got to spend quality time with family and friends in Alabama.  We returned to Columbus on January 2nd, arriving just before closing time.  After checking on the list of repairs, we unloaded the car, and settled in for another night to make sure the last of the Gremlins were gone.  Thursday, Jan. 3rd, we happily hooked up the car and started our trek to Florida for two months of warmer weather (we hope) and meeting up with many friends.

We can't say enough good things about the service and people at Coachcraft, and would highly recommend them to others.

Thursday, December 27, 2018

DECEMBER 27, 2018 - A Little Behind

We have been very busy since we left Unadilla on December 17. We went to Columbus Georgia  for RV repairs.  The repairs were not finished in time for us to take the RV to Alabama for our family's holiday gathering, so Little House is still at Coachcraft by MacDonald in Columbus, GA.  We are staying with one of our daughters in Montevallo, AL as our family members come and go for reunions and holiday celebrations.

We'll catch up the blog on the repair adventure as well as holiday activities in a few days.  As of now, we're enjoying our family time. We plan to leave central Alabama on January 2nd, 2019 and return to Columbus, GA where we're hoping a healthy Little House will be waiting for us.

We hope you had a Merry Christmas and wish you a "Happy New Year"!