Wknd RV trip - Fridge broke / no hot water / propane tank issues - HELP

[Tgyrl]

Hello All!

So I recent bought an RV (92 Fleetwood Bounder Class A 34J).  Drove it from TX to  Northern VA...last 300 miles or so...started sputtering and backfiring...and struggling up any kind of incline.  Its a lot harder to find someone to work on Class A MH than I thought.  Figure it needs a tune up and want to get the oil change after driving it 1440+ miles in about 22 hours.  Have not really driven it sense.  Filled her up with gas and start her up while there doing renovations. 

This weekend, wanted to take her out and see what it felt like to really be in it for a few days (plan on Full timing in by July).  Went to RV campground about 14 miles away...road well until last 2-3 miles...sputtered a bit.  Got to campground...wanted to fill propane tank...tech put an extender on my tank since it kinda sits back...when they went to take it off, it kept leaking...they said the safety valve wasnt engaging...so they had to leave the part on there (and they charged me for it).  I pushed back, but with my uncertainty of what's what...I didnt fight back too hard.

Next...started smelling this strong ammonia smell...and when opened fridge...it just hit me in the face with such a strong ammonia sent.  I took the vent off from outside..a.nd saw yellow fluid leaked out (assuming from cooling unit).  Cleaned up as much as possible..opened all windows and kept fridge/freezer open (dometic RM 2804) to let it air out. 

In the midst of all that, I flipped switch in front of  kitchen sink to warm water.  that didnt work...heater didnt work, stove or oven wouldn't light .  (before the whole propane fiasco above, the heater worked fine, as did everything else prior to getting to this campground).

I was camping solo, and my "neighbor" at the campsite, wasnt sure what the problem is. 

1.  Would Tune Up fix issue with inclines?
2. Any ideas why propane would not flow from tank with that extra valve piece on their. 
3.  Sure I need a new fridge...should I get another RV fridge ($1,500 or residential fridge $400).  hear better to replace whole fridge instead of just cooling unit (thoughts).
4. Should I have done something else to turn on hot water?  (is tankless a better option?)

Sorry for long post...it was very overwhelming...to have all this happen at once.  I am not one to give up, so wanted to seek out advice/help. 

thanks!
T

 

[Molaker]

When they filled the LP tank, they probably left the main cutoff valve closed.

 

[Rene T]

I  know you said the heater worked before but this is something you can check If you have a Suburban water heater, there will most likely be a switch on the outside which needs to be turned on. Go outside and remove the water heater door. Look in the lower left hand corner. There may be a rocker style switch. If it's a Atwood heater, there will not be a switch.  This switch controls the 110 volt water heater element if you have that option.

 

[Kevin Means]

1.  Would Tune Up fix issue with inclines?
2. Any ideas why propane would not flow from tank with that extra valve piece on their. 
3.  Sure I need a new fridge...should I get another RV fridge ($1,500 or residential fridge $400).  hear better to replace whole fridge instead of just cooling unit (thoughts).
4. Should I have done something else to turn on hot water?  (is tankless a better option?)

Yeah, there's a good chance they left the propane tank's shutoff valve closed, which is what they should have done if it's leaking. The leak needs to be fixed before troubleshooting the propane appliances. There may be nothing wrong with them.

There's a good chance that a tune up might fix your engine's sputtering problems, as long as the mechanic knows what they're doing. That doesn't mean it'll be cheap though. Could be something simple like arcing spark plug wies, or something more costly.

That amonia smell is a good indication that your fridge is dead. Pretty fortunate that it didn't catch fire. Those of us with residential fridges usually love them, but they require A/C power to operate, so you'll need an inverter if you don't have one, and if you plan on doing any boondocking, you're probably going to have to increase your battery bank's capacity. Before buying a res fridge, take careful measurements of its dimensions and your doorway, to make sure it'll fit.

Some folks have installed tankless water heaters in their RVs, but they're a bit pricey. Most who have the typical 6 or 10 gallon water heaters are content with them.

Kev

 

[Rene T]

Those of us with residential fridges usually love them, but they require A/C power to operate, so you'll need an inverter if you don't have one, and if you plan on doing any boondocking, you're probably going to have to increase your battery bank's capacity.

Just to add to what Kev said, You would only need a inverter if you want the fridge to cool while traveling. If you're going only on short trips and plan on having electricity at your final destination, you won't need a inverter.

 

[Tgyrl]

Thank you all for the replies. 

@Rene T - It's an Atwood.  So I guess that means, is solely propane based and no option to run on electricity? 

@ Kevin Means - Yeah...I am really glad it didn't cause a fire.  Probably really good thing the shut off valve was turned off/closed.  Because, before I realized it was a leak, I tried to use propane instead of running it via shore power. 

I have 640 watt hr solar panels, 800 am hr batteries,  a 3K watt inverter, and a 60 amp MTP charge controller.  (That should be good/strong enough to keep fridge working without running batteries beyond. right?)  I have the manuals.  just need to figure out how to use or pull the solar power. 

It will be just me.  so 6-10 gallons should be fine. 

Definitely hope its not an engine overhaul or anything like that. 

I have an appt with a mechanic end of the week to check out everything, especially the propane tank.     

(sigh) :0/ So much to learn. 

Will keep you all posted. 

T

 

[Rene T]

Thank you all for the replies. 

@Rene T - It's an Atwood.  So I guess that means, is solely propane based and no option to run on electricity? 

Not necessarily. You need to give us the model number then we can tell you if it has that option.

 

[Tgyrl]

Ok.  Will have to get model number and let you know. 

 

[PJ Stough]

Unless someone turned off and on/off switch or pulled a fuse on your solar system, it should be working all the time.

 

[Tgyrl]

Thanks, will check it out.

 

[Neal]

I know the engine missing is likely something else, but you didn't by chance drive through a lot of rain, just before it started missing, by chance? We had an 01 that the air filter got soaked from rain and crimped the air flow.

 

[Tgyrl]

@ Neal - No, it wasn't raining.  But thanks for the note.  In case something like that occurs, will file in back of my brain.

 

[John From Detroit]

Q:1.  Would Tune Up fix issue with inclines?
A: Possibly but it may be more. When mine was misfiring I found rodent damage to the ignition primary, 1 hour labor fixed it. no charge for solder and electrical tape. But it might be fuel filter, air filter or general tune up or major overhaul. Hard to say

Q2. Any ideas why propane would not flow from tank with that extra valve piece on their. 
A: No, if this is a mounted tank on a motor home the FILL valve is sepearte from the vapor outlet and should not affect it however if you either 1: Forgot to open the outlet valve or 2: Opened it too fast, that can 1: Obvious and 2: Cause an excess flow valve to close.
YOU do need to get to a propane specialist to fix the bad valve though.

Q3.  Sure I need a new fridge...should I get another RV fridge ($1,500 or residential fridge $400).  hear better to replace whole fridge instead of just cooling unit (thoughts).
A: YOu can get an AMISH COOLING UNIT this replaces the portion of the fridge that failed
Or a Residential unit (I do not really care for those in an RV but that 's me)
Or a Norcold or Dometic high effiency compressor job (These only draw about 40 watts) but they do have a comma in their price tag.. I like those.

Q4. Should I have done something else to turn on hot water?  (is tankless a better option?)
A: Tankess eats propane and you have propane issues. I will give you a short term solution

FOr hot water you must first feed water to the thank, you have 1,2 or 3 valves that have to be turned, often they are on the Back (inside side) of the heater tank, then there are many other possible issues. You did not give enough info to diagnose remotely.. If you are in Eastern MI (Near St.Clair, Smiths Creek or Kimble Twp) house calls are possible or Flint/Davioson in 2 weeks.

The Short Term solution.. When my Water heater was "out" (Literally) I used a an ELectric food Steamer/multi cooker  IT heated 5 quarts to 212 degrees, that, when diluted to 120 is a lot of hot water.. I now use one of the "Smart Pot" type (A Knockoff) pressure cooker/Steamer/Rice cooker/Slow cooker/Multi cooker to do the same job on rare occasions (When I run out of hot) but I now have the hot working. .only not today (I did not turn it on yet).

A 30 cup party perk works well too if you can find one at a resale shop.