Apr 11, 2018
Ongoing RV repairs
Monday ended up being a get things done day. Colin concentrated on reorganizing all of the basements while we are warm and dry. Likely it will be cool and wet when we get home. The forecast is for rain most of the way. Meanwhile I was clearing out my inbox, doing some business transactions, banking and setting up a few appointments for when we get home as well as catching up on blog reading.
Our new ( expensive ) inverter arrived here at the RV park about 40 minutes before we did on Sunday. Here Colin is checking measurements to make sure the dimensions are the same.
One thing I also did was to call Happy Camper to discuss our 50% success with the Extreme Tank Cleanser. The lady I spoke with suggested that we empty our black tank, then put in a double dose of Happy Camper into the tank along with another 10 gallons of water. Then just as we start driving after being hooked up, etc. we should add two bags of ice. She explained that the Extreme Cleanser is exactly the same as Happy Camper but 10 times more potent. Good to know. So we are going to try this when we leave Thursday. We will be driving 254 miles then rather than just the 147 we did to get here from Lake Havasu. More shaking might just do the trick.
Next it was time to change the two smoke detectors. The one on the right came with the RV back in 2001. Still works but we thought it was time to put something newer in. Safety first. He also repaired a drawer slide and a closet latch.
Next we were off to Camping World. We picked up a few light bulbs that Spanky’s did not have in Parker and that was it. For such a large store they have very little product. On the right is what our former tow car was, an HHR, same color. We decided that we prefer the Jeep.
Saw this homemade RV in the parking lot. Neat world map on its side.
From there we headed to Costco to pick some Eggplant Parmesan that we had purchased last November. It was so good that I have been salivating waiting to have it again. They did not have it 😯 Seriously. We settled for a lasagna made in Italy which was very good but just not the same thing. So disappointing but that is the thing with Costco, things change. We also looked at pricing certain items that we buy in Canada and bring down to Mexico. Much better selection in Canada for a similar or lower price in Canadian dollars. I was hoping to wait until we got here to do the buying but just not worth it.
Monday’s sunset.
We had dinner while we watched a one hour TV show and then we both headed to bed. I don’t think that we have ever been in bed by 9:50PM before.
Yesterday we had an RV tech scheduled to arrive between 9:00 and 10:30AM. Finally as it approached noon I suggested to call him as we had spent the entire morning waiting and here were better things to do. So Colin called him and found out that he was just finishing up his first job of the morning ( poor time management on his part ) and that he was in the wrong RV park clear across town 🙁 He had tried to call us but the Mexican SIM card in my phone did not allow someone without a Mexican package to call me. We were no longer happy campers, in more ways than one. The phone thing is a real pain. I realized that if we were on the side of the road awaiting roadside assistance that no one could contact us. We can make unlimited calls to from the US and Canada as well as text but are limited as to return calls and texts. My plan runs out Sunday the day we get home. We used to activate Colin’s cell for US roaming but my Telcel plan cost less than 1/8 of the price to activate Colin’s phone.
I need to figure out a new plan for next year. If anyone has any suggestions that would be great. I am looking for something that we could use in the USA for two months in the fall. Also looking for something with lots of data for those two months for my hot spot device.
So back to the inverter. What to do? First off, after a few days in the heat of Arizona the inverter started to work normally again. We suspect that the Isla humidity ( fog ) might have been the culprit but we still needed to be able to function properly. So Colin decided to take out the old inverter and put in the new one himself.
I mean how hard can it be? You just have to remember what wires go where.
It took a while but he did it.
And it works. Great job Colin and thanks for saving us $300.00US in RV tech fees.
Colin had the dirty hands to prove he did the job.
So what to do but head out for dinner and some fun. Sunset from the freeway.
Cheers to us.
We have come to love eating at Nacho Daddy just off Fremont Street. I had a fish taco and a lobster & crab enchilada. Very very good.
Colin had two of the lobster and crab enchiladas.
We then went for a long walk to wear off some of that dinner.
Just a wee bit more exercise. After all we still had to pay for that inverter. Hmm not last night.
Love this area of Las Vegas.
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Just buy a burner phone with data for cash for the 2 months in the US.
Not sure what tank troubles you are having…If you’re sensors are misreading your tank levels its because there is corrosion built up on them. The most important thing to do is to “soften” what might be on them if you are not able to blast them off with a hydro-cleaning. Once softened, then add water and fill the tank, dump and fill and dump again. Breaking down solids is the worst thing RVers do. They treat their RV waste tanks like they are septic tanks and I have not yet, found an RVer who is dragging around a leach field! The waste tanks mounted in RV’s are HOLDING TANKS and they should be treated and cared for as such. Holding tanks should NEVER have any product put in them to break down the solids. You want those solids to stay solid BECAUSE when you pull the valve to let it all flow out, the process will make a tornadic like affect and suck those solids out nice and clean. When you break down your solids, what you’re doing is simply making your solids into a pudding like substance. Then when you pull the valve to drain your tanks, you’re leaving behind a film on the sides of the tank which hold the sensors too. When you use a built in tank flusher, they only lightly spray the bottom part of the tank. Therefore, the pudding like substance left behind remains on the walls and sensors of the tank. Those areas of the tank dry and then become moist as you use your tank and fill it. What happens is you end up creating a coating when you turn your black tank waste into a pudding like substance when you use product to breakdown the tank contents. The BEST thing you can do without a hydro-clean is to fill the tank with water and half way add the correct about of Clorox ratio for the # of gallon tank you have. Leave set over night, drain, and then add about 10 gallons of plain water with 1 cup of liquid Calgon before you head north. Let that mix around in the tank. Calgon is found in the laundry detergent isle or bought from Amazon. Always add 1 cup of the Calgon each time you dump with 7 to 10 gallons of water. Stop breaking down your solids and stop adding products that does so. When you come south next year, get your tanks professionally cleaned (they should be done yearly). If you’re going north through Oregon, we have an agent there who can service you. You can go to http://www.allprowaterflow.com and use the find an agent look as well.
PS: Liquid Calgon is a water softener and has a little cleaning agent which does a beautiful job of softening and cleaning the inside walls of RV Holding tanks.
Nice to get the new inverter installed and a lovely meal on Fremont st. love the light show there.
I’ve had good luck with AT&T. I have an AT&T hotspot which I’ve used for a few years but this winter I took the Canadian SIM card out of my unlocked smart phone and stuck in an AT&T go phone SIM card bought at WalMart. I use the smart phone as a portable hotspot replacing the old data only hotspot, unlimited talk and text and 6gigs/month of data with a one month roll over of unused data for $45/month. I used a US campground as a US address and pay on-line with my Canadian issued US$ card, probably a C$ card would work. With the SIM you have to use it every 60 days to keep the phone # active but AT&T indicates that you can do it by going to the $2 plan (one day of service, that’s what I’m going to do). You can also use the plan in Canada, they pair with Rogers (not sure how long you can use it, I’m trying it out now!). IIRC the SIM was $10.
Glad you got the inverter sorted. That Mexican food looks fantastic – something we can’t get here at all is decent Mexican food. I come from Colorado and they have the best (outside Mexico in my opinion) but that looks great too!
Contessa we’ve been having the same issues with the Mexican phone being unable to receive calls while in the USA. Eric found the solution on the net. To call your Mex phone they need to dial 011 52 1 669 and then your number. We called our Mex phone from our USA cell phone and it works. +52 1 669 and the number also worked. Its the 1 after the 52 that makes it work. Get someone in Vegas to give it a try. ?
Good job Colin on the inverter! Glad you had a nice night out after your busy day.