Dutch_12078

I did our '95 Coachmen Class A with Red Max Pro acrylic finish (which was actually private labeled ZEP 3), and the only failure after a year was a relatively small area that started to peel on the rear cap where my prep was probably inadequate. I redid that area, and the coach still looked good when I sold it four years later.

Our 16 year old day/night string shades are still working fine with just minor repairs. Today I had to repair a tension spool when a section broke off releasing the string. I just untied the double string, reversed the spool, and put it back together. Took about 10 minutes including getting the square driver out of the tool box. That's the third spool that's broken recently, likely from the plastic getting brittle, so I'm ordering a package of dozen for $11.45 on Amazon. The restring kit I bought several years ago "just in case" is still sealed. We like our string shades...

1 hour ago, chirakawa said:

Yes, you can record from both at the same time...............and watch a pre-recorded program while you're doing it.

Exactly. I did that many times when I had a 211K.

18 hours ago, 57becky said:

I would recommend NOT running chlorine into these tanks  due to the corrosive nature of chlorine.  If you read the Use and Care Guide pdf, the warranty is void if anything other than water alone is introduced into the tank.  You also do not know what chlorine will do the the bladder of these tanks.  These tanks are really intended to be used with water well pumps, not RV systems, and the only thing that would be inside the tank would be water. 

The bladder tank I helped install at new neighbor's cabin near our lakeside cottage last summer was included with the chlorine injection system. The instructions called for the tank to be installed after the injector pump.

19 hours ago, lhowemt said:

Holy heck. I cannot imagine not winterizing.  And with my luck I'd have the tank side of the closed valve freeze and leak.  I don't trust anything over the winter without glycol in my area.  I have seen cooling coils get blown out and still pop leaks come spring.  No thanks for me.  We blow out the rv and then glycol, at least then we need minimal glycol.  

Ummm, we rarely winterize because we live in the motorhome nearly year round?

The bladder tank doesn't need to drive all of the water out, just enough so that any small amount left doesn't cause any damage as it freezes and expands. I do suggest closing the valve to keep the pink stuff out of the tank though. It can be tough to get it all rinsed out in the spring. I rarely winterize any more, but when I do, I use the blow out method with pink stuff only used in the drain traps.

You'll likely also need a couple of 1/2" pipe couplings to connect the other hose ends to the existing fittings. I used CPVC fittings from a local hardware store. No rust...

For the "quiet loop" pump vibration isolation, I'm using two 40" replacement shower head hoses. They're very flexible of course, even more so than the isolation kit  hoses that Camco sells. The fittings on them are correct for the pump threads.

Ray, that's exactly the way I installed our tank. And since I relocated the water pump from under a bedside cabinet down to the water bay, it's also super quiet.

My entire 2-gallon accumulator tank installation cost was about $50 including the tank, fittings, and the support and trapping to hold it in place. With the tank mounted vertically with the water port at the bottom, there is no need to remove it for winterizing. I learned long ago that one of the worst things we can do to all electrical devices is turn them on. That initial thermal shock is when most failures occur, as I'm sure most people have noticed when light bulbs almost always burn out at turn on. In fact there's a light bulb in a firehouse in CA that's been burning steadily for 115 years except for one 9 hour period in 2015 when the UPS power supply failed. It's long life is generally attributed to the lack of power cycling. Given that, the fewer times our water pump motors start up, the longer the motor will likely last, and a larger accumulator assists with that. Sure the motor runs longer, but the fewer startup thermal shocks the better.

I used Watts/Sea Tech quick connect fittings for my accumulator tank installation. They work fine with the PEX piping in our coach. Sharkbite or Gatorbite fittings from the big box stores also work well. No tools needed except a sharp utility knife for any of them.

Kirk, we had one of the smaller Shurflo tanks in an earlier RV, but it really didn't do a lot to minimize pump starts, although it was an effective hammer eliminator. Our 2-gallon tank is much more effective for both anti-hammering and minimizing pump starts. I think the Shurflo 2-gallon SS tank is way overpriced though, when a standard painted steel tank serves the same purpose at a quarter of the cost. For RV use in particular, I think no relief valve is needed regardless of the tank supplier, since the whole RV plumbing system is typically pressure rated at or below the tank rating. The weakest failure point is the bladder itself, and the tank we have is rated for a max working pressure of 120 PSI.

I installed a similar 2-gallon accumulator from Home Depot in our coach. I purposely oriented it upright with the water port at the bottom to ensure good drainage if I needed to winterize, I used a Watts quick connect inline shutoff valve, similar to ones from Sharkbite and others, so I can isolate the tank after draining the system.  I have the same pump as yours, albeit a bit newer, and it works fine providing a nominal 45 PSI. When connected to a park water or residential source where the pump isn't needed, I use a commonly available replaceable element inline filter that catches debris and reduces chlorine taste plus other unwanted elements right at the tap. Our pump was originally located in a cabinet right next to the bed, a completely unacceptable location for my light sleeper wife. I relocated the pump down into the water bay and mounted it on a foam pad made from some old mouse pads. I used 40" replacement nylon shower head hoses for the vibration isolation loops. Much more flexible than the isolation hoses sold by Camco, etc. Now we just hear a low hum when the pump runs. Not having the pump run every time we open a faucet makes the modest cost and labor to add an accumulator tank well worth while. We often go all night with the usual old age bathroom trips and no pump running until morning. The fewer pump starts probably extends the life of the pump motor as well. A "win-win" as I see it...

I believe the hold is because as soon as it is available, there will be constant squawking about not being able to connect two Hopper 3s and have interoperability between the two Hopper 3s.

 

It happened before when you could first order a second Hopper and people bitched because they where not integrated from the get-go,

 

So we sit here needing just the hardware function and waiting on the far more complex interoperability software.

 

That is what I think.

You could well be right... I haven't found any info either way from PR detailing whether a two H3 setup there allows them to communicate as the earlier Hoppers do. I expect communication between H3's and earlier H's may be an even thornier software issue. Personally, I'll hold out for the DPH42 so I can continue to use my current 1K4 EA/WA capable setup with an H3. The multiple H3 issue is of much less importance to me, since we normally leave one of our two existing HWS's at our Adirondack cottage anyway, so we can record programs we would miss while underway for later viewing with the Dish Anywhere app. The additional tuners would be nice, but are not a must have for us so far.

Dish is currently using the new DPH42 switches in PR, apparently as a real world pre-release test lab. Hopefully that means they'll be available nationally in the not too distant future. The DPH42 will permit multiple H3's to use a single existing non-hybrid eastern and western arc LNBF's. The DPH42 should also allow H3's to be installed using unmodified Trav'lers it seems.

Hmmmm, X2 what Yarome said. I have no idea how to wire an aftermarket replacement stat for that one.

Our Honeywell RTH221B digital stats do just what you're asking for, turning the heat down at night and up in the morning. I installed one for each furnace and A/C pair in our coach. They run about $22 each at Home Depot...

This is the way my Honeywell RTH221B programmable digital stat is wired.

There are sites at Disney's Fort Wilderness that can run up to $150/night during the peak winter season.

Since the Bushnell, FL address is a real physical address, and I believe not a registered remailer address, I wouldn't think it would cause any driver's license issues. Any mail sent to that address for individuals using the Escapees:Home domicile program is sent on to Livingston, TX for handling in the normal fashion by the remailing facility.