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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Champion Generator Observation
Lots of subjective reports here. But, there is no doubt that a Champion is quieter than a Generac.
I had a Champion next to me a few weeks ago, and it measured 75 DbA at 21 ft with a light load, measured from the end opposite the muffler. I measured it there because that is what was pointed at our patio area.
It really barked when their microwave kicked in, but I didn't measure the increase.
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bill h
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11/22/08 11:38pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Booties to wear when dumping
We have a kitchen sprayer outside near the dump outlet. My wife sprays my hands and shoe bottoms and hands me a germicidal wipe, which I use on my hands, then shoe bottoms. Then, I find a relatively clean level spot near the door and dump a water/bleach mixture and do a little dance in the puddle. We keep a little bottle of the mixture handy for that.
It sounds more involved than it is.
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bill h
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11/22/08 10:29am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: 303 Protectant for Tires
Tires come with protectant built in. You just have to drive the MH to get it to move outward to protect from dry rot.
Yes. I have a suspicion that RV owners who drive weekly or so get longer life out of their tires and have fewer failures.
I hedge my bets by wiping on a little Goodrich Age Master every so often.
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bill h
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11/22/08 10:20am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 303 Protectant for Tires
"approved by all the airlines"
As a lifetime airline maintenance person, that is a new one on me.
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bill h
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11/22/08 10:16am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Had my brake fluid changed ... looked like syrup!
A brake system is not a sealed system. Everytime you push on the brake pedal fluid is forced from the master cylinder through the lines to the calipers or wheel cylinders. The fluid that leaves the cylinder is replaced by air. When the fluid returns to the master cylinder the air is released back to the atmosphere. While this may be a small amount it happens every time you apply your brakes. This is a lot of moist air getting into your brake system.
Many master cylinders have a formed diaphragm that rests just above the fluid surface to mitigate this situation.
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bill h
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11/22/08 10:11am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: How to attach things to RV top?
if your unit has a fiberglass outer roof you can use Sikaflex products.
That 252 is hard to find. But the greatly increasing price of 3M 5200 makes me want to try it.
Anyone got any US sources?
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bill h
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11/21/08 10:59pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Driving a gasser class A "on the floor"
We were taught in internal combustion engines class in college that the engine is most effiecient when its WOT. This is when there is the least amount of vacuum. This is the peak volumetric effiency point.
I can't quote exact figures, but Pratt and Whitney manuals used to say otherwise. Higher power settings always resulted in more fuel burned and more soft jugs.
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bill h
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11/20/08 11:41pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: How to attach things to RV top?
3M makes a double-faced tape that is supposed to be great for mounting solar panels.
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bill h
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11/20/08 01:01am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Camping in Quartzsite
out on Plomosa Road .....Verizon has a 400-foot tower there, so the reception was superb.
Could you describe its location?
BTW, how does one find out in general where Verizon towers are located? The employees at my local Verizon store either claim not to know or say it's a secret.
www.antennasearch.com (when it works) shows a 261 ft antenna on 95 about 2 1/2 miles north of the freeway. No other towers on their map, although they seem to only show towers within 4 miles of a street address. This is fine for in-town, but does not help when searching a location where there is no street address.
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bill h
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11/17/08 10:43pm |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: Batteries
Like i said in at the start I've always herd that the more times you run them down then recharge them the longer they last,
That is too strong a statement, but there is a grain of truth in it.
If a battery sits on float for a month or more, sulfation can result. Some float chargers, like Yuasa, shut off for a little while to allow a discharge and subsequent recharge to knock a little sulfate off the plates.
If my own batteries sit on solar for more than a few weeks, I discharge them down to above half and do a vigorous recharge. This always shows a positive result on the conductance tester. I imagine use of the desulfate feature on my portable charger would do the same thing, but haven't done that yet.
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bill h
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11/17/08 06:04pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Who really makes Costco's great 6 Volt Batteries ???
Look on them and they will say WHO MAKES THEM??????
That is the only way, as it changes. Over the years here, different posters have reported different findings. A few years back, they were made by Trojan. Or at least were maroon and had identical cases and caps. I didn't check ID.
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bill h
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11/15/08 05:35pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: 6 Volt Batteries at Costco
I want to replace by two 12 volt batteries with two 6 volts before I head south. I'm sure this has been covered but I forget how the 6 volts connect. Anything else I should know? Thanks.
There should be a cable connecting the plus of one battery to the minus of the other battery. Then, the positive coach cable should go to the unused positive battery terminal. Last, connect the chassis ground cable to the unused negative battery terminal. If your cables aren't color coded, now would be a good time.
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bill h
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11/15/08 05:32pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: I used most of my 5000MB on Verizon Aircard
Streaming multimedia should be avoided (or dealt with sparingly) when using a broadband device
Good advice. I unknowingly let a site run that had something streaming on it, and Hughesnet made me sit in the penalty box for 24 hours, with only super slow service. So, now, I pay attention to see whether anything is turning on the underside of my toolbar.
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bill h
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11/15/08 05:26pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Sirius & XM Radio Updates
I must be listening to different station on Sirius. Have not found any DJ's running off at the mouth.
With the stations I listen to, it depends on the station and the time of day. Some are way too talky. Some are downright annoying. Some are OK.
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bill h
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11/14/08 08:05pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Polishing Aluminum Wheels
Pretty good stuff. Every biker has his favorite polish, and Autosol always rates high.
Lots of places sell it.
http://www.google.com/search?q=autosol+polish&sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS293US294
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bill h
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11/14/08 07:56pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Motorhome mufflers
Summit sells an H pipe kit that goes in pretty easily. Everything slips right together. Just need an exhaust pipe cutter.
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bill h
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11/14/08 03:43pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Anyone using a 110 Volt macerator ?
I have only found 120 volt macerators that go in a pit with no practical way to connect to the standard RV fittings.
For dumping at home, my 12 volt macerator was slow and overheated, owing to the 6 foot rise and the 60 foot run. A Sewer Solution couldn’t do it, either.
I used 3M 5200 to attach a 3 inch elbow to the underside of a Wayne RPP50 sewage ejector pump. It is connected to the dump outlet by a short 3 inch RV dump hose. It required extending the bottom legs by about an inch with bar stock to allow it to sit on the ground. The tether float switch was eliminated, being replaced with an inline switch.
The impeller does not grind, but generates a powerful vortex that just whooshes everything up and out. They are used in basement toilets that have to pump up one story.
The two inch inlet and outlet are not a problem, as we put nothing quite that large in our black tank. Additionally, Happy Camper completely liquefies everything, so we could pump it through a soda straw or even window screen. That is not an exaggeration, as we once sucked up a spill with a little bilge pump that had fiberglass window screen over the inlet.
With the complete liquification, it is possible that a more economical dirty water sump pump could do the same thing, but I got a very good price on the Wayne pump.
The outlet goes to an elbow, then a 2 inch PVC check valve (Lowe's 154372), then a 2 inch Goodyear flat reinforced vinyl discharge hose (Grainger 1FYR3) into the house sewer cleanout. I cobbled up a threaded quick connect to hold it in place.
The whole thing, less the discharge hose fits in a tall bucket for storage. The hose, all 60 feet of it flattens out and rolls up and stores in an old briefcase size bag.
I haven't timed it exactly, but it empties our 50 gallon black tank 60 feet with a 6 foot rise to the cleanout in about two minutes.
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bill h
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11/14/08 01:27am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: trac-phne vs jitterbug for cell phone usage
Trakfone is an economical service for limited use, but their so-called customer service is abysmal. I paid for a year's service on Monday, and they are still unable to credit it to my phone. Every day I call them, and every day, they say 24 to 48 hours. I don't know if they are uncaring, incompetent or just understaffed, but my phone is almost out of minutes. I asked them if I should just buy another card in a store, but they could not assure me that they would be able to put those minutes on my phone, either.
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bill h
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11/13/08 09:33pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Sirius & XM Radio Updates
XM's classical stations have gone Sirius now. That means a whole lot more chamber music and solo strings. Usually both of their classical channels are squeaking at the same time, so there is no relief. .
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bill h
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11/13/08 09:11pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Sirius & XM Radio Updates
I hope they don't replace XM's great bluegrass with Sirius's lame lame lame bluegrass. That was a major reason we left Dish TV.
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bill h
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11/12/08 11:07pm |
Technology Corner
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