Direct Ignition Water Heater Fixes

NO HOT WATER – What to do first – Which of these problems appear to happen while looking at your water heater: A, B, C D, E, F OR G? Then check you water heater in the order shown. Follow this list of symptoms and check for these solutions before calling the RV repairperson. I like Dinosaur brand circuit boards. A. WATER HEATER LOCK OUT – SPARK PRESENT BUT NO GAS FLAME: 1. Low voltage Power supply 10.5 VDC or more. 2. No gas to solenoid valve. Turn on LP gas at the tank. 3. Loose wires to ECO Repair wire connections. 4. Loose wires on solenoid valve. Repair wire connection. 5. Loose valve wire in wiring harness. Repair edge/ harness connections 6. Blocked main burner tube. Clean out burner tube. 7. Blocked main burner orifice. Clean or replace orifice. 8. Dirty connector on circuit board. Clean edge connector. 9. Defective ECO. Replace ECO. 10. Defective circuit board. Replace circuit board. 11. Defective solenoid valve. Replace valve or coil. 12. Gas pressure to high or to low. Set LP pressure @ 11’ water Column with at least two gas appliances working. B. WATER HEATER LOCKS OUT – LP GAS PRESENT, BUT NO SPARKING: 1. Dirty electrodes. Clean the electrodes. 2. Improper electrode gap Spark gap should be 1/8 inch. 3. Wire loose in electrode ceramic. Replace electrode. 4. High tension lead wire loose. Repair connection on circuit board 5. Loose electrodes on burner. Secure the electrodes. 6. Cracked ceramic on electrodes. Replace electrode. 7. Defective circuit board. Replace... Read more

Allegro Bus

In this video clip television host Stew Oleson introduces you to what some say is the closest thing to sensible extravagance in an Allegro Bus. The Allegro bus represents a tremendous value when compared to other diesel powered RVs . The awnings to the vehicles are remote controlled; the storage units under the bus are not too close to the ground and not only a camera not only in the back for backing up but a few other cameras to assist with turning. Not the price of the bus may have changed since the taping of this segment.  Read More →

How a trip to Elkhart equals one great night’s sleep

On a recent trip to Elkhart, Indiana I had the pleasure of meeting with Doug Lantz. Yes that Doug Lantz, the RV enthusiast and President of Evergreen RV Company that stole the show on the Fox News Mike Huckabee program. Turns out, Doug is as passionate in person as he is on camera; a trait I always dig in media types. I also had the opportunity to meet Ken Mahaffa, a master in the technologies they use in constructing their product line. You can tell instantly that he know his stuff! Read more  Read More →

Is your Computer Safe?

You may have heard of a nasty virus about to come to life on April 1. It would be nice if this was an April Fools joke, but odds are – it’s not. It’s called Conficker and its all the buzz in geek-land these days. If your computer is infected, it is supposed to start contacting servers on April 1 and get instructions as to what to do. No one knows exactly what this will mean, but it could be pretty awful. Millions of zombie computers around the world all set to march to the bidding of some dark lord. An infected computer could become pretty worthless to its rightful owner. The good news is, if you’ve followed our ‘Safe Computing‘ advice and kept your Windows operating system up-to-date, then you’re fine. Microsoft has known about this vulnerability and they patched it back last October. If you’ve been running your automatic updates, you downloaded the patch last year that makes it impossible to contract the virus now. Read more  Read More →

The March Mystery Challenge Answer

Last month’s Mystery Challenge was “Name The Location”.  Our mystery RV camper traveled to a park somewhere in North America.  The challenge was to name the park and location.  These photos, albeit small, were some of the clues you had. Read more  Read More →

2006 Fleetwood 33R

2006 Fleetwood 33R Previously $59,999 – Now $47,927 This 33-foot Class A is loaded with options: tv, jacks, camera, hitch, dual slides, booth dinette, double stainless steel sink and much more. Offered from El Monte RV in Irvine, CA. Learn More! As featured on  Read More →

Discover the (Aviary) Land of Enchantment En Route to the Rally

Take some time to explore New Mexico while you’re in Albuquerque for The Rally, just 17 days away! The Rio Grande Nature Center State Park has 170 acres of wildlife refuge for migrating waterfowl. It’s a perfect way to spend a few hours delving into the area’s natural wonders, whether on your way into town for The Rally or on your way out. digg_url = 'http://digg.com/travel_places/Discover_the_Aviary_Land_of_Enchantment_En_Route_to_Rally'; General Info: The Rio Grande Nature Center State Park is a city-owned park operated by the New Mexico State Parks department. The park features several viewing stations for bird watching along a pond, wetlands and the Rio Grande riverbanks. Canada geese, sandhill cranes and several species of duck stay here during the fall and winter migratory season. Year-round residents include turtles, muskrats, ground squirrels, coyotes, rabbits, chickadees, ring-necked pheasants, and Cooper’s hawks, to name a few. Check out the Friends of the Rio Grande Nature Center website for more detailed descriptions of wildlife to be seen in the park during various seasons. Hours and Fees: Park gates are open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., while the Nature Center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Parking fees are $3 for motor vehicles and $15 for buses. Download the Nature Center brochure PDF for a map of the park. Activities: Bird watching is by far the primary attraction to the park. The bosque, a cottonwood river bottom area, features a two-mile loop of nature... Read more

LP Gas Detector Installation

In this segment form “RV Today” Stew Oleson and Bill Gehr demonstrate how to replace the LP gas detector. The team will guide you through with step by step instructions throughout the segment.  Read More →

Trailer Braking, Trailer Sway & Windy Conditions

I received an email from a reader the other day who was involved in a bad accident while towing a trailer 5 years ago. The accident was a result of a sudden wind shear, causing the trailer to start swaying out of control. The truck and trailer rolled over. Fortunately everybody was okay! After detailing the accident, Mary who was driving at the time, asked me if I had any hints or tips to offer on trailer brakes, controlling sway, and what to do when you experience something like wind shear, cross winds, or towing in windy conditions. After reading Mary’s email I thought it would be an appropriate topic for an article. Let me begin by saying that the safest measure for traveling by RV in windy conditions is not to travel at all. RV’s have a great deal of mass (length, width & height) and when that mass is confronted with strong wind gusts, crosswinds and/or wind shear the results can be devastating. Read more  Read More →

Through The Crystal Ball: The Future of Vehicle Transportation

By Bob Difley These are tough economic times for investors and venture capitalists as we all know, but even more so for those invested in green ventures and alternative sources of energy. With gas plunging to around $2 a gallon, millions of jobs being lost, and the RV industry suffering a lack of buyers and financing, the push toward alternate fuels has been shoved to the back burner.  But these difficult times will not last—or so we’re told. And I believe it. The problem right now is a lack of confidence. Confidence that your job is secure. Confidence that your investments will lose even more of their value. Confidence to take on the debt of buying an RV. Confidence by lending institutions to make loans as borrowers’ ability to pay is challenged. And confidence in RV manufacturers that they can sell what they build. Read more  Read More →

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