Major upgrades

The Incorrigible spent a lot of its stay in northern Texas at Fun Time RV or Camping World in Denton, having new stuff installed.  Home improvement is fun, after all!

Most of the fixes were in the name of making our rolling home more livable, of course.  Up front, we had noticed a water leak in the ceiling that we traced to the seal on the front rooftop AC unit.  Repairing it is simple enough; you just lift up the 75-100 pound air conditioner, put a new seal in, and drop it back into place.  Riiiight.  We decided that if we had to be removing the AC unit anyway, we might as well replace it.  The fifteen year-old air conditioner was nearing the end of its life in any case, and as we’re hoping to improve the Incorrigible’s energy efficiency over a more energy-friendly newer air conditioner is a step in the right direction.

We chose a Carrier AirV heat pump.  Heat pumps are handy, as they combine heating and cooling capability into a single unit.  In cool weather (60 to 40 degrees F) the heat pump blows enough warm air that our furnace doesn’t have to kick on at all, thereby saving our LP.  The installation went without a hitch, and we’ve noticed a drop in our electric bill since we started using the Carrier as well.

While the folks at Fun Time RV were working on the roof, we had them remove the flap-style plastic front roof vent and replace it with a MaxxFan.
Since we already have one ceiling vent fan, a second one will make air circulation much more efficient–one blows in, the other blows out, and the process keeps things from getting too stale inside.  It’ll help keep the Incorrigible cool on hot spring days without running the air conditioning, too.   This cool (no pun intended) device combines the fan and rain cover into a single unit.  The fan is located behind the vent, and the whole unit folds flat.  Side protection and the reverse-slant vent mean that the MaxxFan can be left open in the rain without fear of water blowing inside and it can be left open or closed when driving unlike some flimsy vents which will break if left open on the highway.

Slickest of all, the MaxxFan is power-operated.  Instead of turning a manual crank, all we need to do is press a button and the MaxxFan rises quickly open, the fan spinning up automatically.  Yes, we’ve been playing with it constantly.  An infrared remote control unit means we don’t even have to get up to turn it on or off.

Our first few days with the MaxxFan were interesting.  The unit worked perfectly…but perhaps a little bit too well.  At unexpected times, when turned off, the MaxxFan would suddenly open itself, or turn the fan on.  A telltale beep told us that the unit was receiving a signal from the remote, even though our remote had not been activated.  We guessed that the MaxxFan was picking up stray signals, and called MaxxAir for guidance. They confirmed that something was indeed sending it a stray signal, and suggested we put a piece of electrical tape over the sensor.  This stopped it from opening at will, but rendered the remote useless, of course.  The MaxxFan representative said he’d call us back in a few days with more guidance, but that was over a month ago now, so we may be giving him another ring soon…

We also upgraded our water filtration.  The Everpure water filtration system put a stop to our under-sink leaks once and for all.  Not only does this large-canister microfiltration system strain the nasty stuff out of our water with a filter that can last up to a year depending on water condition, but it allowed us to bypass the perennially-leaking joint under the sink that was going to be a complete bastard to replace.

Last but not least, the Incorrigible got a new set of shoes.  We bid farewell to the sad, bulging, dry-rotted rubber that was on the coach when we bought it and installed a set of new Goodyear RV tires.  Up front, we chose Goodyear’s Unisteel G949 RS tire.  The GS949 features an easy-rolling tread pattern that’s designed to evacuate water and prevent hydroplaning.  “Penetration protectors” in the tread reduce the danger of punctures and unexpected flat tires.  The four G933 tires we installed at the rear have a very aggressive tread with squared-off, reinforced shoulders.  At a glance, they look like mud tires.  The Incorrigible, like many older RVs, lacks traction control, and we’ve come close to getting stuck on a couple of slick RV park dirt roads.  We’re hoping that the heavily lugged tread of the G933s will boost our traction without negatively affecting our fuel economy.

We’re not done with this rig by a long shot, of course.  Next steps:  fix the window leaks, find some hubcaps for those greasy-ass wheels, and perhaps we’ll start on another round of interior-decoration upgrades, as well.