Greg,

    I was also thinking, and this happened to me on more than one occasion--I thought I was in the "use" position because the red light was on but in essence I had plugged it in and did not put the button in the use position so I was not charging my batteries.  The red light was only on because I was plugged in.


Barry

Greg

The first thing I would do is to get a volt meter and measure the voltage right at the coach batteries (not the van battery).
If the reading is less than 12 volts then the battery is not being charged or there is excessive corrosion on the leads or there is a lose connection.
To check for charging the battery, connect to shore power, make sure the store switch is in the operate position, and then measure voltage at the battery.  This will ensure that you are indeed charging the battery.  You should read about 13+ volts.

Also check to see if there are any blown fuses (12 volt) in the convereter.

This is what I would do to start troubleshooting this problem.  Let us know what you find or if you have other quesstions.

Just for your info - I went out to our coach and tested the inverter and I read a full 13.0 when I press the green button.  I'm pretty sure that this is what the inverter sees as the coach battery voltage.

Barry

John and Holly,

    We had the sprayer on both the 2008 model and now on the 2012 model.  My DH loves this feature.  He uses it everytime he dumbs the black tank and just about once a week on the gray tank.  He defintely uses it prior to coming home from a trip.  If we have a full hookup he leaves the gray tank open and the black closed.  Once the black fills up or we are ready to leave he dumps it and then uses the sprayer to clean it out. 

Sue 

When we need to do a good cleaning of our holding tanks we use Calgon Water Softener (found in the laundry detergent aisle at the grocery store).  We use the liquid form and pour about a capful into the holding tank that is filled with water.  Let it sit for a little while and then drain.  We then rinse with clear water when we are done.  Some folks add just a few drops of detergent as well when doing the cleaning with this method but we have never used the detergent.  We have been using this for 10 years and it works great.  It is much cheaper then buying the RV products and it is safe.  No harsh chemicals or bleach.
Found this method on many RV forums years ago and it works wonders. 

Sue

Ever since we had to troubleshoot our refrigerator while camping in FL this winter I have been looking for other SERVICE MANUALS for those "just in case" situations.  Here is a very good website that includes downloadable links to some service manuals for things like the AC, Furnance, and Refrigerator.  These are the service manuals the RV repair shops use to troubleshoot a problem. http://bryantrv.com/index.html

The website also gives some very good explanations of how things work in the RV. 

The refrigerator repair was easy to follow and only cost us $30 to repair and no service call.

Sue

Johnny

Barry

Barack Obama

Barry

Here's the info I found on the recall

PRODUCT RECALL NOTICE

9100 POWER AWNING, WEATHERPRO AWNING,

AND MOTOR SERVICE KIT

Here is a link to an article that identifies the model numbers http://rvnewsservice.com/2013/05/08/recall-tells-thousands-of-rvers-dont-drive-your-rig/


I checked our documentation for the 2012 2551 model and we have a Power Patio Awning Model 895(X)0(X)(X).400(X)    On another forum someone posted that the model serial plate is located inside the front support rail, and you need to extend the awning and get a short ladder to look for it.  It looks like the recall only affects those awnings with motor powered awnings and awning motor service kits manufactured between February 13, 2013 and April 9, 2013.

Sue

Steve and Aleece,

       Congratulations to both of you.  We're sure you'll enjoy your adventures.  Hope to see you in FL in the winter. 

Barry and Sue

I had an awning shop make a set of sun screens for our 2008 2350.  They work great and the total cost was around $100.

When we got  our 2012 2551 I just moved them over.  The sun screens are now five years old and show very little wear.

                   



Barry

Mike and Trish

We have a 2012 2551 and found the A/C was able to keep up with the 90+ temperatures in the keys this winter.   Newer PC's have  MCD Shades that have a sun screen plus a room darkening shade.  We keep the MCD sun screens down on sunny days.  We also have sun screens that we use to cover the three windows in the cab area all the time.  The sun screens help keep the PC cool during the day.  They block the sun but still let you see outside, you don't feel like you are trapped in a cave.  The other thing we did was order thermal windows for our PC.  They work great to keep the heat and cold in/out.  The last thing we do is angle the air deflectors at the front and rear of the A/C down a little to get the cold air away from the ceiling and circulating within the PC.

Barry

John and Holly,

    If you could stay in Indiana and let the Ford dealer that sold the cab to Phoenix Cruiser check it out, I think you would be better served.  That might not be possible if you are in a time crunch.  I would hate to see you get stranded on the road on the way back to Maryland.  I will send you a private email.


Sue

Bob,

    It is amazing the heat that is cut down by the patty o shade.  We would have six people huddled behind it just to get away from the afternoon sun.

Sue

Bob

    We have the 15' patty-o-shade and we find the 4.5 feet to be plenty of shade.  We also find the patty-o-shade to fit perfectly in the awning since they are both made be dometic.  We had a chance to examine the Carefree brand but noticed that the spline might just be too thick to fit nicely into the anwing track.  A friend of ours bought one and had to take it back because it would not slide into the track with ease.  You had to pull on it so hard that we feared breaking his awning. 

     We do roll it up with the awning when we are sitting at camp.  We would not travel with it rolled up.  It is super easy to put on and take off.  The 15' fit perfectly on our awning.  We have the electric awning.

Barry and Sue

Most campgrounds that we have been to have been safe and theft free but at the beach in FL ,during spring break, it is vital to lock everything up.  Our neighbors were missing their lawn chairs and BBQ one morning.  We were walking and found them next to the campground that was also next to a restaurant.  Apparently someone got hungry, stole some steaks from the restaurant, needed a BBQ and chairs and made themselves a nice meal.

Another friend of ours lost a bike but found it a week later after the spring breakers left. 

The security guards and police are always warning us at the beach during spring break to lock everything up at night.

Sue