D&J

Being yours is a older unit that still has a strong base plate I would just roll it up on its side replace the gasket clean the roof area and set it back down. The newer ones I've replaced the last one being a Coleman had a very weak base plate and would never take being rolled one it's side. The low profile units have the compressor laying down or almost down so a few minutes it would be on it's side will hot hurt it.

Denny

14 hours ago, sheldons65 said:

This is a used 2016 Montana 3950BR with 30lb propane tanks on each side, internal compartments. Only the side with the valve to switch between tanks gets flow. 

Both tanks have plenty of propane. I've actually swapped tanks with the same result. Tank valves are open. 

Works with the tank on this side and selector valve switched to this side. Turns green as expected.

The other side gets no flow at all when switched and it goes red. I also noticed a green regulator on that side as well. Is it supposed to have a regulator on that side? Maybe bad regulator?

Thanks for any help?

Switch the hose that go to the tank with the the other side. There is a check valve in the end that goes to the tank and they can fail on the closed position. 

Denny

15 hours ago, krc2343 said:

Seasonal camping in upstate NY.  Thinking of getting the Dish Playmaker bundle.  In this area what direction would I need a clear view of the sky (S, SE or SW) of for the Playmaker to work?  Appreciate any advice before purchasing.

One of the biggest drawbacks with the playmaker and the western satellites is the size of the dish and signal strength because of the NE location. The X2 the whole black area is the size of the dish not like the small dish mounted inside of the playmaker and the ability to pickup the eastern arc satellites. 

Denny

The 30 amp RV rec is not a convenience rec like a 15 and 20 amp found in a pedestal so it dosen't require a GFCI breaker. Years back somebody at the COE decided to install them on their 30 amp outlets and here locally it caused a lot of problems and I actually made some good money from service calls but I finally showed them in the code book the error of there ways and I made more money changing them out. We go to a lot of COE CG and I still carry a standard 30 amp breaker to change one out while I'm there because my 5KW built in generator will trip one because of the way it's wired. Not a big deal for me but all it takes is the bar ground wire to come in contact with the neutral or the heater in your refrigerator or water heater to have a little leakage and they will trip. Turning off breaker only break the hot side so any contact between the ground and neutral is still there.

Denny

If it only runs for a few minutes and your sure it's just the compressor kicking off but the fan is still running then the control circuit is working. That short of time is not long enough to freeze up or kickoff on temperature so it's probably going off on the current overload switch mounted on the top of the compressor. If it starts then the start relay and cap are good so that leaves a bad run cap or the compressor is dragging causing high current draw, you will need a amp probe to figure that out.

Denny 

8 hours ago, 2gypsies said:

.... from the link I posted:

"Where this all becomes a problem for a refrigerator is when the fluid can’t move properly. If an RV is parked on an unlevel surface, then the refrigerant fluid has likely all moved to one side. If it all moves to one side it can cause the refrigerant pump to be starved, and it won’t be able to move any refrigerant. If it all moves to the other side, then it will get flooded.

Starving the pump is really the situation that causes all of the major problems. When the pump gets starved, all of the refrigerant fluid remains in place. Some of the fluid can then overheat. When that happens, small crystals precipitate out of the solution. This is really bad".

There is no pump in this style of refrigerator, they rely on themo expansion from a heat source and gravity. The newer units like the OP will take a lot more out of level operation than the older units.

Denny 

I take it the burner is burning or the check light would be on. It sounds like when the unit is out of level the refrigerant may be going to the outlet of the reciever so it works but when it's level it can't get out of the reciever because it's short of refrigerant. Inspect the hole cooling unit for any signs of yellow powder indicating a leak. These units rely on gravity unlike units with a compressor. 

Denny

4 hours ago, JPalky said:

Thank you everyone for the detailed responses.

I was trying to figure out the cheapest and easiest way to keep my fridge running while traveling. 

The easiest and cheapest is let it run on propane, we started Rving in 1978 and we have always run ours on propane when traveling. We do run a inverter for our chest freezer when traveling but that draws less than the cartridge heater in your rv refrigerator. The inverter is located above the batteries and a I installed a dedicated receptical for the freezer, the truck keeps the batteries charged when on the road.

Denny

We've been running a RO system in our trailer for years and I run it on the ground or into the gray tank when hooked to full hookups. After your under counter tank is full it really doesn't use that much water so trying to reroute it is a waste of time.

Denny

Your refrigerator control's already runs on 12V but the 325 watt heater runs off of 120V AC so all you have to do is get it plugged into the inverter and the refrigerator controls will recognize that the heater has 120V and run off the heater. 

You can see where the 120V heater plugs into a receptical in the back of the unit.

Denny

You would have to figure out how to get the inverters in phase with each other. Easier just to get a bigger inverter.

Denny

Start by looking at the blower motor to see if it's spinning free.

Denny

It shouldn't be running but it's one place that you want to sanitize because it's the first place thing will start to grow.

Denny

39 minutes ago, usbusin said:

Glenn, it may take only two years to build, but what about all the years it takes to go through all the governmental hoops before construction can start?  

👍 And don't forget the years it takes to get transmision lines built because of permits, regulations and leasing the land.

Denny

15 minutes ago, oldjohnt said:

Hey Denny, great to hear from electricians, question for you ?

In these later years have you seen much use of "Dual Function" combination GFCI and AFCI breakers ??? Back in my day that wasn't an option........

 

John T  Too long retired n rusty power engineer grrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I'm also retired but Arc Fault rec and maybe even breakers were just coming out but our state didn't require them because they weren't reliable and from what I've heard they are still having problems. Variable speed devices and some electronics put to much noise on the line and the Arc Faults pick it up as acring and trips. I've heard some electricians are installing them but after inspections they are removed. I ran into my old inspector a couple of years ago and he said they are a PITA.

Denny

Yes moisture will affect the electronics in a GFCI and that's why when I wired them in I keep away from moisture as much as possible but in a RV that's hard to do because of the layout. 

I've installed tons of residential grade (cheaper), commercial grade (more expensive)and hospital grade (top of the line) GFCI and they were all UL approved so I never worried about their safety. I've ever really looked what the big box stores had but I'm sure they are also UL approved, when I was in business I always bought in case lots from a wholesalers so I'm sure they were cheaper than box stores. I'm almost out of my leftover stock from my business so one day I will have to look.

We have no GFCI rec I our trailer but we are protected with a GFCI breaker.

Denny

18 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

If I read you correctly, the reset worked for the GFCI outlet but didn't reset those controlled by in downstream?  I have not seen that, but I'm sure that you have dealt with many more of them than I.  Something to keep in mind for the future.  Thanks!

Yes you read it right, not common but it will happen and the only way to check it is to pull the rec and he check it with a meter with it hot.

Denny 

In all my years being a licensed electrician I found a couple of GFCI receptacles trip and after reset only the receptical works but not the downstream recepicals.

Denny

Yes a lot goes into the preparation. With the Crazy Seal you wash the roof and then wash it agian with their cleaner before you use their caulking where needed then go over all the caulked joints with liquid repair material before the final coating is applied. It will leave a smooth surface with a shine that's easy to clean. It can even be applied directly over bare wood if you use their tape to seal the joints. Like I said I was told it's the same material as RV Armor but you supply the labor. We will be meeting up with some friends in April that used Liquid Roof a couple of years ago and see how his looks before I make a decision. 

Denny

8 minutes ago, GlennWest said:

I installed Henry's tropic cool last summer. Looks great. 

A few months is not a good review for any product, I just watched a video of a trailer that was done 3 years prior to the video and I'm not impressed.

You have to be careful what you use on your roof because if it's there for the life of the roof and if it has problems it will mean a new roof.

Denny

Most don't realize that 100 MW when it comes power generation isn't all that much especially when your taking about batteries that can't generate their own power, but it would work to peak the line during times of high load giving a gas powered plant to come online because they will come online faster than coal steam plants. 

This whole deal in Texas exposes just what can happen to our national under heavy load and at this point in time solar and wind is not reliable enough to replace coal and gas plants. And with the big push for electric vehicles it will put even more strain on our electrical grid, electric vehicles are the future but it will take years to expand the grid to take the new demand they will bring, anyone thinking of buying one I suggest you calculate what the cost is to recharge one because it isn't free.

Denny

1 hour ago, Barbaraok said:

Everyone coming across the border is given COVID tests.   

My understanding is they are released before the results come back in some cases and if they do test positive they are told to quarantine for two weeks and released, if you think they will quarantine guess again. 

If you do some reading most retailers still require masks just like before, it's called freedom to do what they feel works in ther situation not being told by the government what they have to do, it's time we chose freedom over socialism. I CHOSE FREDOM!

Denny

14 minutes ago, GlennWest said:

But isn't wire same rating same on 50 and 60. All I read is #6.

Yes #6 is good for 60 amp.

Denny

2 hours ago, TXiceman said:

These are the folks that were not social distancing with big outside gatherings and seldom wore a mask.

So this hoax sure get lots of folks sick....

 

Ken

Well Ken you can't fix stupid and all the mandates or restrictions will make no difference to sum but on the other hand us that are using caution and common sense should be made to suffer and have our rights trampled on and business destroyed, I want the least amount of government in my life. From a year ago till now I'm guessing close to 50% of the population has been exposed and have buildup some immunity to it on their own witch is better a vaccine IMO.

Denny

I would just arrange any financing before hand, then you can deal on a price out the door with no added fees or any documentation costs.

Denny