Aidan's tip of the week

Aidan_M_M · 07-09-2012 2:07pm

A few basics about camper/caravan fridges.

Firstly, I'm talking about the typical 3 way fridge, usually made by Dometic (formerly Electrolux) . Regardless whether it's a separate fridge and freezer, or one with a freezer box in the top of the fridge, there's only ONE cooling unit in the back of the fridge. This cools the fridge whether you're on gas, battery or mains. So if your fridge is working on ANY of those, the cooling unit is ok. If however there's warm air coming from the top outer vent and the fridge doesn't get cold on any of them, it's fecked..

Also because there's only one cooling unit, it's not possible for the fridge to work without the freezer, or vice versa. If you think this is happening it usually means the fridge is not working to full strength.

There are 2 separate heating elements for the electrical end, one for battery, one for mains. These fail occasionally. Sometimes this will lead to a tripped trip-switch or continually blowing fuse.

The gas end should NOT be used whilst driving unless you're really badly stuck... The air blows into the flue and can make the flame cut out and re ignite repeatedly , leading to the burner sooting up. Often this leads also to a horrible sickly sweet smell from the fridge.

The fridge should be serviced pretty much every year, it's not hard to do and isn't expensive. The gas end can get choked with rust and stop working properly. I keep a selection of jets for them as sometimes I find they might need a different one from standard to run best.
Also , if you do strip the burner , never try modify the jet, never re use one that didn't fall out easily either.

The red switch that switches on the 12volt fails sometimes too, as All the current to the battery element goes through the switch.

Hope that helps ye understand the humble fridge a little better , we'll leave automatic energy selecting ones for another day....

2 stroke · 10-09-2012 10:14pm

Don't know if it has been covered already, but a friend of mine asked me to help out today with a handbrake that wouldn't release. He had the problem previously but always managed to rock it free.
This time it just wouldn't release. The problem wasn't in the cable, so we removed the wheels and gently warmed the hubs with a blow lamp. After a minute or so the shoes released.

16-09-2012 10:34pm

2 stroke wrote: »

Don't know if it has been covered already, but a friend of mine asked me to help out today with a handbrake that wouldn't release. He had the problem previously but always managed to rock it free.
This time it just wouldn't release. The problem wasn't in the cable, so we removed the wheels and gently warmed the hubs with a blow lamp. After a minute or so the shoes released.

Sounds like the manual adjuster (if you have one) is wound too tight. On mine it can be accessed and adjusted from the back of the hub by removing two quarter turn plastic caps and some leverage with a big flat headed screwdriver.
If you wind it the right way it'll increase the gap between the shoes and the hub and will allow you to remove the hub and inspect the problem.
Best use chalks when standing a vehicle long term to prevent locking it up.
You will need to balance your handbrake again afterwards...ensure that the shoes are the same distance from the hubs on both back wheels.

niloc1951 · 17-09-2012 10:25am

2 stroke wrote: »

Don't know if it has been covered already, but a friend of mine asked me to help out today with a handbrake that wouldn't release. He had the problem previously but always managed to rock it free.
This time it just wouldn't release. The problem wasn't in the cable, so we removed the wheels and gently warmed the hubs with a blow lamp. After a minute or so the shoes released.

When 'parking up' ie when stopped other than for a night or two I never leave the handbrake on I use wheel chocks and leave the vehicle in first or reverse gear depending in the direction of slope, if there is one, if it's level ground I usually leave it in first gear.

zambo · 17-09-2012 4:45pm

Hi
Assuming the van is a diesel it might be better to avoid parking in gear as anything that moves the van might start it.
Yours Zambo

2 stroke · 17-09-2012 11:27pm

Sir Liamalot wrote: »

Sounds like the manual adjuster (if you have one) is wound too tight. On mine it can be accessed and adjusted from the back of the hub by removing two quarter turn plastic caps and some leverage with a big flat headed screwdriver.
If you wind it the right way it'll increase the gap between the shoes and the hub and will allow you to remove the hub and inspect the problem.
Best use chalks when standing a vehicle long term to prevent locking it up.
You will need to balance your handbrake again afterwards...ensure that the shoes are the same distance from the hubs on both back wheels.

No. not the problem in this case. Problem was caused by infrequent use/damp weather/idiot parking up leaving handbrake on. A small amount of rust formed inside the brake hubs, sticking the brake shoes to the hub. We gently warmed the hubs with a blowlamp till they were warm to touch, you could actualy hear the brakes releasing as the hubs expanded. Boiling water would probably have done the trick but we had a blowlamp handy, I don't want to be responsible for burnt campers.
We removed the hubs and you could see the imprint of the brakeshoes on the hubs. We gave them a light sanding and refitted with new shoes.

niloc1951 · 18-09-2012 10:56am

zambo wrote: »

Hi
Assuming the van is a diesel it might be better to avoid parking in gear as anything that moves the van might start it.
Yours Zambo

Not an issue with modern diesels run by ECU's, hopefully a diesel mechanic will come on here and tell us how far back you need to go to find a diesel which would 'bump start' with the ignition off.

Rocheydub · 18-09-2012 8:22pm

niloc1951 wrote: »

Not an issue with modern diesels run by ECU's, hopefully a diesel mechanic will come on here and tell us how far back you need to go to find a diesel which would 'bump start' with the ignition off.

As long as the solenoid is working, you will not start anything by bump starting it... As far back as the mid 70's at least.

2 stroke · 19-09-2012 11:17pm

Rocheydub wrote: »

As long as the solenoid is working, you will not start anything by bump starting it... As far back as the mid 70's at least.

I have come across homebuilts that leave their ignition on for lights, cigarette lighter and radio, very dangerous.

Rocheydub · 19-09-2012 11:25pm

2 stroke wrote: »

I have come across homebuilts that leave their ignition on for lights, cigarette lighter and radio, very dangerous.

Oh, right... I never factored in lunacy or stupidity!!!

2 stroke · 19-09-2012 11:52pm

Always make allowance for lunacy. A guy I know is currently working 100 miles from home, and is he sleeping in his work van in a public car park (with wifi). He was leaving the ignition on to use a laptop charger. He was carrying a second battery and jump leads in case he flatened the van battery overnight, but never thought of wiring a lighter socket to the spare battery until I suggested it.

Rocheydub · 20-09-2012 5:48pm

2 stroke wrote: »

Always make allowance for lunacy. A guy I know is currently working 100 miles from home, and is he sleeping in his work van in a public car park (with wifi). He was leaving the ignition on to use a laptop charger. He was carrying a second battery and jump leads in case he flatened the van battery overnight, but never thought of wiring a lighter socket to the spare battery until I suggested it.

Wow.
Just wow!!!

Aidan_M_M · 02-10-2012 9:10pm

Sorry for being quiet lately folks , been quite busy in work, and far from home training to get Gas certification now. Learning lots of interesting things, will share some cool stuff with ye when I get back to normality. Now, back to my textbooks… and ye thought it was all glamour! Lol

Aidan_M_M · 08-11-2012 1:56pm

First and last time I'll use my "real world" identity!!

Martin_D · 08-11-2012 10:28pm

So good you posted it thrice. Now for resumption of all the tips.

Aidan_M_M · 22-11-2012 1:17am

Folks , LED bulbs are getting more prevalent in MHs , to help prolong battery life , and are ssafer too due to the lack of heat they put out . Now a lot of MHs , especially ones over 10 yrs old use Fluorescent tubes , ye may not be aware that these are the same as the ones which are sold in normal hardware shops in town . I just tip into town for them , AFAIK they are commonly used in shaving lamps and under counter lighting in Kitchens .

Now , only recently I spotted these.... http://www.lightrabbit.ie/tube-lights-led.html

I know I'll be getting myself a few!

28-11-2012 12:13am

I've said it before but I think it's worth mentioning again;
The colour emitted from "white" LEDs and fluorescents is bloody awful and depressing and tends towards cold blues and sick greens.

The warm white's aren't so bad.
Remember the sun is yellow which is why Edison chose tungsten in the first place.

Here's a cheap solution that'll brighten up the place (although strictly speaking it'll reduce the bulb output a fraction depending on the wavelength ie. deep colours will reduce the output significantly where light colours only a little...it's filtering out the wavelengths of light present in the bulb but not in the gel) .

http://www.leefilters.com/lighting/colour-list.html# <- this is not the full colour range. Also colours will vary depending on the light source. (I can recommend some if anyone is interested)

Available to buy online

http://www.thomann.de/gb/search_dir.html?sid=cfc1470d94ccd796482e3641a7eb729c&xsid=cfc1470d94ccd796482e3641a7eb729c&sw=lee+colour&x=0&y=0&gk=&bn=

Or walk in purchase;
Stage Lighting Centre
12 Brunswick Place,
Dublin 2.

http://www.stagelightingcentre.com/?wpsc_product_category=sales-filter <-beware they close for lunch for an hour.

Lee sheets are high temperature, they can be taped directly onto leds or fluorescents with scotch/cellotape. If applying them to incandescents then it's best to leave a minimal gap so they are not directly contacting the hot glass.
The sheets consists of roughly 2.5m x 1m of Gel.

I stick to the yellow/amber/red warm end of the spectrum in living spaces myself helps the place look nice and cosy

.

Aidan_M_M · 19-12-2012 1:14am

The last few days I've pretty much been washing campers non stop, in preparation for our annual Open Days. I found if you put a little dishwasher Rinse Aid into the water, that you don't get lime marks on the MH when it dries.

DaisyCat · 23-12-2012 9:24pm

I have recently bought a Mobilvetta Opera , with a 6000 combi boiler.
The DRAIN BUTTON has an O RING placed around the top of the knob to stop it being dropped.
Removed said O RING and drain worked o.k.
The control panel seemed to want to throw up the RED LIGHT far too often , and then the boiler refused to light , just trying then throwing the Red Light.
Removed the SMALL FAN for the burner , and found that it was partially siezed. Ran some light oil into the bearings ,put it all back together , and now works perfectly.
Fan is down low at the back of boiler , and held in with 5 torx head screws.

Aidan_M_M · 25-12-2012 1:16am

Merry Christmas , and here's to the year ahead folks from us in Pat Horan's , hope to see a good few of ye on the 27th/28th in the garage for one of our annual open days . As per usual , tea/coffee/soup and so forth on the go all day!

Aidan_M_M · 10-01-2013 12:34pm

Clean the seal of your fridge. 6 simple words... But honestly, it's an area that seems forgotten on the majority of MHs I see. Even ones that are otherwise spotless. The ridges in the seal hold grime like you wouldn't believe. It has to be a bacteria infestation breeding ground! And in extreme instances, it stops the seal , well, sealing, leading to the fridge not working properly.

Malta1 · 10-01-2013 1:50pm

Aidan_M_M wrote: »

Clean the seal of your fridge. 6 simple words... But honestly, it's an area that seems forgotten on the majority of MHs I see. Even ones that are otherwise spotless. The ridges in the seal hold grime like you wouldn't believe. It has to be a bacteria infestation breeding ground! And in extreme instances, it stops the seal , well, sealing, leading to the fridge not working properly.

Aidan's got another "dodgy" fridge to "clean"

Aidan_M_M · 10-01-2013 9:39pm

Malta1 wrote: »

Aidan's got another "dodgy" fridge to "clean"

Haha, no actually, just something I meant to post ages ago!

Aidan_M_M · 06-02-2013 2:50pm

Check your spare wheel folks, not just the obvious stuff like the pressure, and any cracks or perishing, but also the carrier that holds it. If its one you have to wind down, do so, and grease it, I've had to fire up the gas torch to some to free them out. And you don't want to be doing that , stranded on the (wrong) side of the motorway. In the hissing rain. At night. And the batteries dying in your torch. And the wife giving out. And the kids hungry......

Malta1 · 06-02-2013 4:46pm

Aidan_M_M wrote: »

Check your spare wheel folks, not just the obvious stuff like the pressure, and any cracks or perishing, but also the carrier that holds it. If its one you have to wind down, do so, and grease it, I've had to fire up the gas torch to some to free them out. And you don't want to be doing that , stranded on the (wrong) side of the motorway. In the hissing rain. At night. And the batteries dying in your torch. And the wife giving out. And the kids hungry......

Isnt that the idea of breakdown cover???

:D

Aidan_M_M · 06-02-2013 8:43pm

Malta1 wrote: »

Isnt that the idea of breakdown cover??? :D

If you have it!

WildWater · 07-02-2013 8:19pm

Aidan_M_M wrote: »

Check your spare wheel folks, not just the obvious stuff like the pressure, and any cracks or perishing, but also the carrier that holds it. If its one you have to wind down, do so, and grease it, I've had to fire up the gas torch to some to free them out. And you don't want to be doing that , stranded on the (wrong) side of the motorway. In the hissing rain. At night. And the batteries dying in your torch. And the wife giving out. And the kids hungry......

Indeed. I did just that the couple of weekends ago except I at home, it was dry, it was daytime, the wife and kids were not around, I wasn't hungry and the van was level. My overall conclusion was that if I ever have to change a wheel at the side of the road it will be put on the kettle and call the breakdown cover

.

Aidan_M_M · 20-02-2013 10:26am

A couple of people have asked me about 4 rail bike racks the few weeks. Put simply , yes they are available , yes the fit on the very same as the 2 or 3 rail ones...... But... And it's a significant But, it's not recommended in the industry any more. There were far too many warranty claims for leaking brackets and damaged walls! So much so that 4 rail racks were taken off the option list of some MH manufacturers.

I know it's a problem if there are for example 2 adults and 2 kids who all want bikes, the understanding seems to be that at least one bike is to be carried on the roof or inside. Not always ideal, unfortunately.

WildWater · 20-02-2013 11:43pm

Aidan_M_M wrote: »

A couple of people have asked me about 4 rail bike racks the few weeks. Put simply , yes they are available , yes the fit on the very same as the 2 or 3 rail ones...... But... And it's a significant But, it's not recommended in the industry any more. There were far too many warranty claims for leaking brackets and damaged walls! So much so that 4 rail racks were taken off the option list of some MH manufacturers.

I know it's a problem if there are for example 2 adults and 2 kids who all want bikes, the understanding seems to be that at least one bike is to be carried on the roof or inside. Not always ideal, unfortunately.

I carry 5 bikes, 4 on the rack and one in the garage. To reduce the weight on the rack (and make the bikes less attractive to thieves) I remove the front wheels and saddles and carry them in the garage. It also find it makes them a lot easier to stack on the rack as I turn the handle bars in line with the bike.

Benbecul97 · 21-02-2013 11:23am

Is the problem with carrying 4 bikes on the rack just due to the pressure that the weight of the bikes and the rack exert on the rear panel while moving? Or is it just the weight of the bikes and the rack full stop?

What I mean is for a 4 rail bike rack would it make any difference to carry one bike on the inside while moving, and place it on the rack when parked up?

Aidan_M_M · 21-02-2013 1:35pm

As you correctly asked, it's the weight on the back wall.

sunchaser · 21-02-2013 8:00pm

I wouldn't want to buy this motorhome when the present owner wants to offer it for sale.

Aidan_M_M · 11-03-2013 10:27am

After the sudden cold snap over the weekend, might be no harm to go out to your MHs and check the taps and water pipes, folks... Maybe run the heat a while.

dickwod1 · 11-03-2013 12:59pm

Aidan_M_M wrote: »

After the sudden cold snap over the weekend, might be no harm to go out to your MHs and check the taps and water pipes, folks... Maybe run the heat a while.

It's -1 still here in Dublin at the moment! (I hope this cold snap doesn't last long I'm getting the itch to go somewhere for a night or two)

bongomad · 18-03-2013 10:00pm

hi aidan
any tips on parking up the old campervan for a year? ive no garage so would be outside and dont fancy paying storage somewhere! would i be best take the battery out and store in a dry space or leave it in and get a family member to start once and awhile, rain cover would it rub of some paint due to being outside in the wind? i take it wouldnt be a good idea to have the hand break pulled for a long period of time! sorry for all the questions any help would be appreciated

Aidan_M_M · 19-03-2013 10:20am

bongomad wrote: »

hi aidan
any tips on parking up the old campervan for a year? ive no garage so would be outside and dont fancy paying storage somewhere! would i be best take the battery out and store in a dry space or leave it in and get a family member to start once and awhile, rain cover would it rub of some paint due to being outside in the wind? i take it wouldnt be a good idea to have the hand break pulled for a long period of time! sorry for all the questions any help would be appreciated

Tis all in the thread! Lol

To recap, no, don't leave on the handbrake , yes a good idea to remove the battery and store it safely , but better still to get someone to start it regularly and take it for a run, turn on gas appliances too. A proper rain cover shouldn't rub off any paint but may make it sweat a bit.

bongomad · 19-03-2013 8:49pm

Aidan_M_M wrote: »

Tis all in the thread! Lol

To recap, no, don't leave on the handbrake , yes a good idea to remove the battery and store it safely , but better still to get someone to start it regularly and take it for a run, turn on gas appliances too. A proper rain cover shouldn't rub off any paint but may make it sweat a bit.

my bad:o, thanks for the help!

Aidan_M_M · 29-05-2013 9:20am

My tip for today is more of a plea .... Get your MH damp tested every year! We've seen a scary amount of them with damp/leaks/rot this year. All ones bought privately , or in , shall we say less scrupulous establishments. Right up to only a few years old.

19-06-2013 3:25pm

Aidan_M_M wrote: »

Tis all in the thread! Lol

To recap, no, don't leave on the handbrake , yes a good idea to remove the battery and store it safely , but better still to get someone to start it regularly and take it for a run, turn on gas appliances too. A proper rain cover shouldn't rub off any paint but may make it sweat a bit.

I'd like to add to this as I'm lately discovering the wonders of silicone lubricants

Put some silicon paste on skylight and window rubbers to stop them sticking on and eventually tearing when you try to open them after prolonged closing.

If it's dry storage soap works too...then again you could leave them open were that the case.

@ Aidan can you recommend a good (cheap

) cover/brand. I'm looking for a car size though.

Aidan_M_M · 21-06-2013 12:21pm

I can't to be honest, I simply don't like them!

Aidan_M_M · 21-06-2013 12:23pm

Sir Liamalot wrote: »

I'd like to add to this as I'm lately

@ Aidan can you recommend a good (cheap ) cover/brand. I'm looking for a car size though.

Sorry I thought it was for a camper. Try carcoversireland

21-06-2013 1:35pm

Yeah, I hear you knocking. Had a look around and without spending over half the value of the car on a super-turbo-ultra-deluxe model I'm inclined to think that natural ventilation is best.

Aidan_M_M · 04-07-2013 8:41am

Folks , We all use gas in the MHS , big and small , and while currently there's no testing of the gas install , there;s no point in having gas leaking ! I see a lot of MHs with one of 2 problems , either perished hoses from the bottle top regulator to the wall , or on the newer tyoes with wall mounted regulators , the sealing washers torn or perished .

that is using systems like this..

http://www.vanplusdirect.co.uk/WebRoot/Store/Shops/es133288/4C1A/2AB0/42C8/47CF/F0F0/0A0F/1118/EDEE/JUMBO_OPTION_BUT.jpg

the washers get crushed , and torn when over tightened . These nuts only need a nip of a pliers .

It's no harm to give the hoses a spray of windolene or similar bubbley stuff every now and then .

niloc1951 · 08-07-2013 5:27pm

Hope you don't mind me hijacking you thread Aiden.

https://www.aldi.ie/en/specialbuys/sunday-specialbuys-14th-july/products-detail-page/ps/p/socket-tester/

Aidan_M_M · 09-07-2013 9:29am

niloc1951 wrote: »

Hope you don't mind me hijacking you thread Aiden.

https://www.aldi.ie/en/specialbuys/sunday-specialbuys-14th-july/products-detail-page/ps/p/socket-tester/

Not at all, a handy tool, I use one myself.

Aidan_M_M · 20-08-2013 12:54pm

Folks, a lot of MHs with a few years on them are needing new leisure batteries. If you're not replacing with an identical one, check that there's not a switch on the charging box, to select a different rate of charge for dry vs wet cell batteries.

03-09-2013 5:49pm

Aidan_M_M wrote: »

Folks, a lot of MHs with a few years on them are needing new leisure batteries. If you're not replacing with an identical one, check that there's not a switch on the charging box, to select a different rate of charge for dry vs wet cell batteries.

Do you mean flooded verses sealed batteries Aidan?
Dry cell are Duracell zinc-carbon types, Li-ion, Ni-Cad etc.

You can get dry cell 12v batteries for mega-bucks and they would need a separate charge algorithm but they're not very common. I think BMW are putting Li-ion in cars now.

AGM are dry too aren't they?

Aidan_M_M · 03-09-2013 11:23pm

By dry , I meant the type that can be fitted on their side, Agm gel types.

niloc1951 · 14-09-2013 7:49pm

Apologies for another hi-jack of your thread Aidan.

This is very interesting Hymer brake squeaking. Problem found

I have a squeal in the front brakes of my '05 Ducato base motorhome with over 85k Km's done and still on original pads now over eight years old still with plenty of meat

, but are they falling apart with age :eek:

In future when it's being serviced I will ask the garage to take them out for a visual inspection instead of checking the wear with them is situ.

Aidan_M_M · 15-09-2013 4:19pm

That's nothing new at all tbh , I see it the whole time in work! That's why I always push back the pistons in calipers , to have a look . The sliders are regularly seized too..

Aidan's tip of the week

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