Hey neighbors!

[Chank!]

We have just purchased a 20 year old RV. That makes it our youngest child
Just like any new parents, we find ourselves completely ignorant of what to expect from our little angel
and what it needs from us. We are in VA and WV and hope to make your acquaintence and glean from your successes and failures. And you can do the same with us.
Our Rv is a 1993 Winnebago Adventurer. It's an A class RV, diesel push. When we bought it, the generator didn't have an exhaust pipe, so our first campout would have been our last, had it not been for a good friend who noticed this before we headed out to the great outdoors and slept ourselves to death.The generator is an Onan 6500 Marquis LP. Our most prominent RV service in the area doesn't work on Onan, so we had to choose between Cummins and a local service provider. Hopefully, that will be fixed and we can head out soon.


We haven't camped in it yet, and somehow, I've already depleted the battery. It is 4 years old, so it probably needed to be replaced, but did I do something wrong? And the alternator doesn't seem to be re-charging the battery. I can't help but wonder if I flipped a switch somewhere and just put a drain on the battery. Do you remember being such a greenhorn that you didn't even know if the simplest thing was your fault?

We've got an RV lot at the house in WV, hope some of you will come visit, as we get to know each other. In the meantime, what forums do you recommend I visit first? Are there classes for RV-ers? Do you recommend the Good Samaritan RV  membership? What other "don't miss" things do you recommend?
Please say, "Hi" and let's become friends. After all, it's really a rather small world out there when you are a traveler at heart.

 

[mikeyswife]

Hi Chank!
Wow!  It sounds like you dodged a bullet with your generator.  This is all a learning experience, right?  Luckily us newbies have this forum to post our troubles to and get good, sound advice.  I'm sure in no time, we'll be jumping in with advice as well.
I hope to make our way east and make your acquaintance.

Good luck and bon voyage!
lisa

 

[Kim (skyking4ar2) Bertram]

Hi Chank!

Welcome to the Forum!

Try posting your battery issue over on the Winnebago specific thread here on the Forum - somehow that sounds familiar and the Winnebago people know their stuff. You'll get a faster answer on that by posting a separate thread.

Have fun!

Kim

 

[Chank!]

Thank you Kim and Lisa. Yes, we did dodge the bullet on that generator issue.  & Turns out the battery had no water in one cell and very low in others. We'll buy a new one and then address any other issues. Our vacation days will begin in a couple of weeks. We hope to spend a few days in Watoga State park, in WV. Can't wait.

Lisa, I'll check out your previous posts and get to know you a bit, as we are both newbies.
Kim, What does you signature line mean?

 

[Kim (skyking4ar2) Bertram]

My tag line denotes my 32 years as a private pilot and 4AR2 is the FAA designator for the residential airpark where my plane lives.  8)

Recreational vehicles come in many shapes and sizes.  ;D

 

[Marsha/CA]

Welcome to the RVForum.  When you replace your battery, be sure and get one that is a "deep cell".  They hold their charge longer and are different than the "start" batteries you put in your car.

A good road side service provider is CoachNet.  You can find their webpage at:  http://www.coach-net.com/    They seem to have a little  more to offer than Good Sam Roadside Service.  Many of us like CoachNet.

One suggestion I would like to make is to check out our library by clicking the "library" button.  There is a wealth of information to read and learn.

Another important thing to check is the age of the tires on your RV.  If they are close to 6-7 years old, they need to be replaced even if they look good.  A lot of damage can be done to an RV with a blowout.  If you don't know how to read DOT codes for the date of manufacturer of the tires, that article is also in the library.

Again, Welcome

Marsha~

 

[Chank!]

My tag line denotes my 32 years as a private pilot and 4AR2 is the FAA designator for the residential airpark where my plane lives.  8)

Recreational vehicles come in many shapes and sizes.  ;D

Ahhhhh, thanks for the reply.

 

[Chank!]

Thank you Marsha,
We replaced the battery and it wouldn't maintain a charge. The RV is in the shop for going on it's second week, trying to determine the problem, and fix it. Looks like it will be an alternator.  :-\ 
I'll check out coachnet. 
If the RV gets out of the shop by the weekend, we will move it up to our house in WV, where it will spend it's weekdays. The house is under renovation that was supposed to be minor, but.........
We need the RV for a bathroom and kitchen until the work is done.
This will give us an opportunity to learn how to use it in a low pressure situation, so when Sept rolls around and our vacation is upon us, we can take some overnighters close to home.
Until I spend some time in it, I'll be a bit intimidated about doing something that will run the battery down, or cause the wheels to fall off.
The tires are 2 years old. Thankfully, the previous owner told us that. The library will be a great resource to us. Thanks for pointing me in that direction.

Welcome to the RVForum.  When you replace your battery, be sure and get one that is a "deep cell".  They hold their charge longer and are different than the "start" batteries you put in your car.

A good road side service provider is CoachNet.  You can find their webpage at:  http://www.coach-net.com/    They seem to have a little  more to offer than Good Sam Roadside Service.  Many of us like CoachNet.

One suggestion I would like to make is to check out our library by clicking the "library" button.  There is a wealth of information to read and learn.

Another important thing to check is the age of the tires on your RV.  If they are close to 6-7 years old, they need to be replaced even if they look good.  A lot of damage can be done to an RV with a blowout.  If you don't know how to read DOT codes for the date of manufacturer of the tires, that article is also in the library.

Again, Welcome

Marsha~