Sunday, June 24, 2012

The Good the Bad and the Wet

Last night was lovely.  Youngest daughter decided she wanted to invite the other grandparents and their daughter for dinner. She cleaned and shopped and cooked. We gathered near the kitchen table laden with a vegetable tray, a cheese tray, a chip and cracker tray and several dips. While we nibbled she slipped salmon, catfish, and cod into the oven. (She wanted to accommodate every ones tastes.) It was very sweet. Dessert was a three layer chocolate and strawberry checkerboard cake decorated with fresh strawberries that she baked that morning. It was fun. We almost never entertain. Work schedules and laziness get in the way. She did a wonderful job, the conversation flowed, and it was just a perfect evening.

We did enjoy our last rv trip. These trips are sort of learning expeditions for us. We still do not know how to work everything. We don't know the proper terminology or the right way to hook things up. The first time we went out we explained to the workers at the park that we had no idea what we were doing. They very kindly helped us hook up everything. We learned that we had too short a water hose to hook up to most rv sites, and we did not have the right end to our sewer hose to set up at a camp properly. We bought the new items we needed so could use the water on this second trip. On the second trip I discovered that our hot water heater does not work.

We have also known from using the rv at home as well as the park that when running the air conditioner on high it flips a circuit both in the rv as well as the house or other energy source. The circuit breaker box also heats up. I don't think it is supposed to do that.

It started raining last night and has continued all day. The sky is grey, there are puddles forming in the back yard, and the dog is refusing to go out in it unless absolutely necessary. My husband brought me to the living room to show me the wet spot all along the front of the couch where she dried herself off after using the restroom very quickly this morning. Clever dog. I normally love grey skies and rain. Especially when the rare moment strikes when I have the house to myself and can listen to the rain fall in peace with no other sounds.

As I said I normally love rain and grey skies. Today I opened the door to the rv, walked the short length from the cab to the bed in the back. I surveyed the drips from the skylight and air conditioner in the front. I saw the light fixture filled with water and dripping. I felt the puddle of water on the rug between the table and the couch and noticed that it trailed back to the front of the bed. I have to admit I dropped my head to the dogs shoulder and cried. We sat on the couch for a few stunned moments before getting buckets to catch the drips and try to save what we could. I only have the basic insurance for the tag. I have just started to rebuild my savings. I used everything to purchase this rv. I have no idea how much this is going to cost. I'm crying again.

7 comments:

  1. OH, no! That is so sad, and I am so sorry! Buy a tarp if you haven't already. I have shed a tear for you and have a heavy heart. With all the rain, I hope you can get it aired out before mold and further damage sets in.

    Maybe you should have someone assess this rv before putting anything else in it. Is there any recourse since the seller did not tell you it leaked? The breaker box is dangerous. Something is wrong...yes, you figured that out...lol.

    I am glad your gathering was a happy moment and your daughter was so thoughtful.

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  2. I hope that the damage your RV is not too serius. hopefully you won't have to spend much money on it to fix it.

    I am glad that you had a good time with your family.

    I wish you all the best.

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  3. There is an RV enthusiasts forum here: http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php

    I've always had a dream about owning an Airstream RV.

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  4. The dinner sounds lovely! What a bummer about the leak and the problems with the hot water in the RV. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it turns out to be an easy fix!

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  5. I have really enjoyed your blog. Thank you. Time to move on.

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  6. I followed a link from "Practical Parsimony" I have really enjoyed reading your blog. I do hope you will find time to post an update now and again.

    The leak in the RV is a drag. Moisture causes a lot of damage if left untreated. The problem is trying to find the point of entry. Water can be coming in and traveling long distances before you find a leak on the inside. The best thing to do is to caulk around any thing that comes through the roof and the seams along the roof line. Also check to make certain that the air conditioner is seated tightly. Oh and you need to use the proper type of caulk and bonding tape. A tube of caulk from the Home store plumbing dept is NOT what you want.

    At one time we had a class A motor home that leaked around the windows and the tv antenna. Fortunately for us it doesn't rain in Southern California all that often. Now we have a truck camper. I absolutely love it! I hope that your leak problem is resolved quickly and you are on the road soon!

    Have a look at RV.net. There are a lot of people there who have a lot of knowledge and are willing to talk you through any problems you have. Everyone was a beginner at one time. There are no silly questions.

    One more thing. The outlets at RV parks are generally 20amp, 30amp or 50amp We found that you will need 30 or 50 amp service to run the air conditioner satisfactorily. Yours will probably be fine when it is plugged in to the proper outlet.

    Had the previous owner winterized your unit? If so your water heater might still be bypassed. When we got ours we had no hot water and the generator ran just fine but it didn't power a single thing until we figured it out that there was a separate plug that we had to plug in to the camper in order to use the generator. There is a lot to learn and a lot of fun to be had!

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