RATS: Looks like our main TV has died. How hard is it to replace?

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jymbee

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Upstate NY
While watching the main TV in the living room the picture went from normal to whacky. Weird green/blue ghosting & streaky colors. Not a tv expert but thinking this is not something that can somehow be adjusted. Figure the set must be about 11 years old.

Assuming that's it does need to be replaced, what are my options? I have no idea how to even get this thing out. Is there anything special about televisions in RVs or could I buy something at a BestBuy e.g. Better to buy a new set and take it to a RV repair type shop, or... ?

Any advice/input much appreciated.
 
Our rig is old enough it had a small crt over the windshield. The previous owner adapted a wall mount and put a flat screen in. We got a better wall mount and re-engineered the install a bit and it works great. Smart TV so when we’ve got WiFi in addition to the antenna we are in great shape.
 
Yeah, any TV you can make work in the space is fine. The only exception I can think of is some units have 12V DC powered TV's......in which case you'll need a DC TV and those aren't all that common.

-Kyle
 
One thing you will likely find is that any new TV will weigh only a fraction of what your old one does, and will be MUCH thinner. I replaced the circa 2007 flat panel 22 inch TV in our coach last year with a new 24 inch smart TV model, which took up just about the same space due to its thinner surrounding bezel. The old TV was about 3-4 inches thick and weighed in at around 25 pounds, the new on is only about 1-2 inches thick and weighs in at only 6.4 pounds. In order to get it to fit so the screen was at the same location I added a thin wood spacer and a swing arm mount to make up for the new TV being so much thinner.
 
Ok I will describe replacement and modification two ways on my RV

Remove 4 wood "plugs" (look like buttons) and the 4 screws under them
Remove trim and set aside
Remove 4 more screws
Remove TV. unpluging and disconnecting as needed, set aside
NOTE CRT type TV's are heavy.. You may want help removing it.

Transfer brackets to new Flat Screen
Reconnect, reposition and attach to housing
Cut a board to fill in gap at the bottom (Method one) Finish and position and screw inplace
Replace trim , and plugs

Method 2" I modified the "Box" (Raised the floor so it was flat, planing to hinge the TV and use the space for storage.. Never got Round 2 it however)
 
Not all TV mounts are as simple to deal with as John describes, so it very much depends on your specific rig. The Beaver I had appeared to need some cabinetry disassembled before you could get one TV out. Another was a fold-up ceiling mount, so the specific may vary.
 
Before you jump the gun on replacement....
Try unplugging the set from power and let it sit for 5 min..
Also do the same for any connected devices.

Our Home TV did the same thing just the other day. It turned out that the cable box was sending a bad signal and resetting it got it working again.
 
Before you jump the gun on replacement....
Try unplugging the set from power and let it sit for 5 min..
Also do the same for any connected devices.

Our Home TV did the same thing just the other day. It turned out that the cable box was sending a bad signal and resetting it got it working again.
Good advice but yes, I un/replugged every connection, reset TV in settings, powered off/on, tested all inputs etc. Bottom line was that even with absolutely nothing connected when the tv was turned on the screen displayed the weird, flashing colors.
 
Our Pace was same vintage as your Bounder and Fleetwood was doing a lot things similar between those models. Our main TV was mounted on a wall with the toilet closet on the other side. We took the mirror off that wall and had easy access to the back of the TV and VESA mount.
Similar situation here but removing the bathroom mirror only revealed all the connections. No access to any mounting.
br2.jpg

It's become pretty obvious that the only way to get this thing out is to remove the surrounding molding to get at any kind of mounts. I have seen others who have had to go this route and getting all apart intact seems to be the hard part.
tv4.jpg
 
It is hard to tell from your photo, but does that black bracket in the upper right hand corner of the access hole mount to the back of the TV, or act to hold it into the cabinet?
 
It is hard to tell from your photo, but does that black bracket in the upper right hand corner of the access hole mount to the back of the TV, or act to hold it into the cabinet?
It's actually a multi plug power strip mounted to the wall.
 
Look very closely at the half-round moulding for signs of any staples or nails that have been filled. If so gently and carefully lift it up. A credit card or casino card works great. (If either one breaks it cuts down on the spending. LOL) After you get it started a plastic upholstery tool works good.

Under the half-round there will be screws that come out that lets the rest of the moulding off. Then you and get to the mounts. Mine has a screw on each end of the mount that allows the TV to lift out.

Might not be the same as mine but maybe it will give you some ideas.

EDIT: Should only need to remove the vertical mouldings.
 
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Use a small thin steel putty knife and slowly work that trim off. Patience is key. Good luck, or buy a bigger TV and redesign the whole look ;)
 
UPDATE:

Well, thanks in no small part to input here along with some searches we did manage to remove the old TV. Picked up a new one at BestBuy and now dealing with some challenges as far as getting this thing mounted.

As others mentioned, the new set is but a fraction of the weight of the old and thinner. The old TV had a 40" screen (diagonal) but given the bezel on this new one is so much narrower we actually found that the 43" models fit better.

Hopefully get over the obstacles and get it installed tomorrow. I'll follow up with some images that might possibly assist others confronted with the same situation.
 
Look very closely at the half-round moulding for signs of any staples or nails that have been filled. If so gently and carefully lift it up. A credit card or casino card works great. (If either one breaks it cuts down on the spending. LOL) After you get it started a plastic upholstery tool works good.

Under the half-round there will be screws that come out that lets the rest of the moulding off. Then you and get to the mounts. Mine has a screw on each end of the mount that allows the TV to lift out.

Might not be the same as mine but maybe it will give you some ideas.

EDIT: Should only need to remove the vertical mouldings.
Got a Laugh. Thanks. :)
 
Here's a Modern Marvels episode from Season 13 on the history of winemaking, from ancient traditions to modern mega producers like Bronco that make Charles Shaw and other brands:

 
Finally getting around to an update describing the process for getting a new set installed:

We did get the surrounding frame off in one piece by using the techniques suggested here. That gave us access to the screws, 2 top and 2 bottom, that were holding the set in place.
tv1.jpg
Looked like this when the set was removed.
tv2.jpg
At this point we sought the advice of a third party which was very helpful
tv3.jpg
The vertical brackets were about 12 inch centers. Of course Best Buy assurances that the bracket holes of the new set would be compatible, turned out that the bracket holes were 8 inches on center.
tv4.jpg
Had to add a 3/4" plywood block to accept screws at bottom and had some issues with getting precise alignment when drilling new holes in the aluminum, but given the whole enclosure will be redesigned when we get home we just wanted for the meantime to get it mounted. Yeah, a bit crooked but fortunately I'll be able to turn it over to our master carpenter (Nephew) at home and he'll get it straightened out. :LOL:
tv5.jpg
 
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