RV Livestyle & Repair Editors

RVLR Ask The Expert: December 2022

RV Livestyle & Repair Editors
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Duration:   1  hrs 2  mins

Dave is live to answer all your RV questions! Watch and learn something new about your rig as he covers ventilation, black water tanks, and overhead fans.

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9 Responses to “RVLR Ask The Expert: December 2022”

  1. DAVID

    Question about awning function. I have a 39ft discovery 3 slides. The main awning and the door awning won’t extend or retract under current power. I run two 3k watt growatt inverters in parallel, ten 365 wattsolar panels and eight 200ah lithium batteries set at 48v. I believe they put a step-down to 30amp. I’ve metered the power going to the awnings and it sits around 11.5 volts. My question is, Is that enough juice to run the awning motors or do I need to come up with some other power source and how. Thank you

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hello David,

      Thank you for contacting us.

      All direct current voltage in RV’s is 12vdc. Most 12v components have an operating range from 10.5v-14v so the 11.5v you are getting is within range of good operation. If you are getting this voltage directly at the awning motor and they aren’t moving, the motors are bad. If you are testing voltage before the motors at a switch or another connection, the issue could be with connections at the motor, the switch, or something in between. Since you have two awnings not working there might be something wrong with the main controls. Do other components work fine off of 12v? Your lights, slide-outs, water pump, fans, furnace, and radio all work off of 12v. If all of these components work fine and just the awnings are not working, the issue is with voltage going to the awnings from the fuse panel to the motors. If you have a main control system to operate these components, the issue could be with the controller as well.

      If you have any other questions, please chat, email, or call Customer Service. 

      Sincerely,

      Sarah
      RV Lifestyle and Repair Video Membership

      Reply
  2. JERRY BLENCOE

    I have a 2019 fifth wheel trailer and the clear coat is coming off of the front side on the lower half. Can I repair that myself or do I need to take it to a body shop. The dealer I bought it from said they do not do that kind of work

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      If you have never applied a clear coat before, it might be best to take it to a shop. You need a clean wind free area to apply it and let it dry. If you can do it in a garage, that is best. You could try buffing it out first. If you get a buffing wheel and rubbing compound, you could try to do it yourself. Get a good machine polish rubbing compound and apply it to the buffing wheel. Use this to spread it around the area without it not running first. Once the coating is on, turn the wheel on a medium speed with medium pressure and work it back and forth until you get a good shine. If the compound dries you need to stop or else it could ruin the coating. This could bring back the shine and protect it for a while. Since it is only a few years old and doing this, most likely the original coating was very thin. This means you would have to polish it more often to keep it looking good. It might be best to have it professionally decorated but trying to buff it yourself might do the trick.

      Reply
  3. Harold J Jr

    I have a 2022 Grand Design Transcend. I installed the Tymate pressure monitoring system on my camper, and I really like it. My high-pressure alarm went off on one of my trips, I had my high-pressure alarm set to low (74 psi for a normal 65 psi). It was a fairly hot day. On one of your videos, it says to set your low pressure 10% less and 20% over. Using 65 psi low should be 59 psi and high 78 psi. Is this correct calculation and is it normal for tire pressure to increase that much. Tire temps wore OK. Side note : I do plan on weighting my camper before next trip and adjust tire pressures as needed. Thanks Skip

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Those are the correct calculations for the settings. On really hot days, it is common for the pressure to get a lot higher. I would say that range is a little high but not uncommon. If it keeps creeping up into the high 70’s during travel it might not be a bad idea to grease the wheel hubs a little more. If there isn’t enough grease on the axle spindle, it can create more heat build-up which will cause the PSI to rise. Adding some grease could help keep this down. It is more of an issue if just one is doing this, there could be more friction build-up somewhere. If they are all gaining equally, it might have just been the heat that day.

      Reply
  4. Marge Parker

    My question is about my toilet. I have a foot petal to flush the toilet with. The flap that opens when we flush is always getting stuck open. Short of replacing the toilet what are some options to fix it?

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hi Marge. There are many components in the toilet that can be replaced. Many models have a return spring for the pedal and if it is broken or has come off, the pedal does not close easily. There could also be something wedged in the gasket preventing the valve from closing too. The only time you need to replace the toilet is if something on the housing is damaged or cracked. You should be able to fix this issue. The best way to start is to remove the toilet and inspect the pedal area. You should be able to press down the pedal and see if something is binding or broken. This will give you a better idea if a part can be replaced or not. On the back of the toilet is a data tag. This tag should have the make and model of the toilet. You can then look up the parts needed based on that information. The parts typically come with instructions on how to replace them which is helpful. We don’t have a video breaking down component replacements on toilets but we do have one with some information that might be helpful to you.
      https://www.rvrepairclub.com/video/troubleshooting-rv-toilet-009055/
      Dan
      RV Lifestyle & Repair

      Reply

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