When we had disposed of every ant we could find inside, we started looking outside for the source of our sudden invasion. Some searching around the corner of the main slideout revealed them to be crawling around inside the front basement door.

Hasty Removal and Beginnings of a Nest

As quickly as possible, we removed the end cap from the hanger rail and started sliding the door off the RV. In our rush, we didn’t release the driver’s side wheel arch and scraped it. But finally, the door, and its pile of ants, was released and safely away from the van.

Closer investigation of the ants showed that they were getting in and out of the basement door through a gap in the metal trim. We removed the trim and found more ants, burrowing their way through what we discovered to be damp and rotting wood that lay underneath. With the ruined wood and the new ant nest, there was nothing else to do but strip the whole door apart and see what we were left with.

The Strip Down

Stripping down the door wasn’t as easy as we thought. Though the metal outer trims appear to be just bolted to the panel, they are also glued and sealed. Most of the screws came away easily enough, but a few of the bigger ones snapped. Once freed up, only leverage from screwdrivers and blades was able to pry the trim away from the door.

With the trims removed, we were left with the core of the locker door. The door appeared to be made of wood, with square aluminium tube along the top and bottom, then inner and outer fibreglass faces stuck to plywood and hardboard backing. The backings on both sides were damp and falling apart without the support of the outer trim, so we pushed into those, separating the outer faces from the inner core.

As we pried the door further apart, we found that the bulk of the inner door was made with polystyrene foam. Quite a dense one that presumably made the door a good chunk lighter. With the facing finally free, we surveyed the damage and the remaining door parts – this door was going to require a completely new core.

Lockdown Parts Shop

Of course, we’re only still here because of the Coronavirus pandemic, and local stores had not yet reopened. Here we were, on the east coast of Spain, with a hole in the side of the van and no parts to replace it.

Onto the internet we went. Stores were able to ship items as well as offer click and collect. But not everything was available to order online, and sizes were a problem. Our RV was made in the USA, with chunks of wood that were 2″ x 3/4″, and some that were 4″ x 3/4″, and a variety of other sizes. Here in the EU, those sizes don’t exist. The closest I could get to a 2″ x 3/4″ was 56mm x 18mm, that’s a bit too wide, and a bit too thin. Nevermind, we’re not going to do much better than that – we’ll just have to make do.

The final shopping list was:

• 56mm x 18mm x 900mm timber
• 900mm x 900mm x 10.8mm white coroplast
• 800mm x 400mm x 5mm plywood
• 1200mm x 600mm x 3mm hardwood
• 20mm x 20mm x 900mm aluminium square tube
• Metal and Timber self-tapping screws with round heads

The Real Hard Work

While I went to the local Aki in order to get the parts, Karen set to work on the front and rear faces. The rear face had been attached to plywood, and she used her trusty scraper to peel off the layers until just a thin, single layer remained.

The front face, on the other hand, was stuck to hardboard. This board had rotted and pulled apart in a particularly terrible state. Again, with the scraper and a knife, she tried to level out the remaining hardboard to a consistent layer. It wasn’t entirely possible, as sometimes the hardboard broke away down to the original face. In some areas, the resin from the fibreglass had seeped into the hardboard making it completely solid and almost impossible to remove.

After a couple of hours, the front face was down to a reasonable level and we sanded the remaining high spots. We left some of the resin-filled section around the lock mechanism in order to provide additional strength.

A New Core

With our array of parts, we worked out that we’d get about the same thickness as the original core by using the 18mm timber at the sides, filling the centre with the coroplast and plywood, and laying the 3mm hardboard across the entire outer face.

Once we’d worked out how the layers could go together, it was just a question of cutting everything up and putting it all together. We made plenty of markings on each piece to ensure that we knew how they should be orientated. The most difficult part was making appropriate holes in the aluminium tube to attach the wood with a nice, flush edge.

After an initial assembly without glue or sealant, we test fit the door to see if everything was going to line up. We were overjoyed when we slid the door into place, and it closed nicely. The latch went straight in and locked the door shut. You could barely tell that we’d rebuilt it all.

The Glue Factory

After the test fit, we took the door back apart so that we could glue and seal the door.

We did each face one at a time, using our one g-clamp and a couple of adjustable spanners for clamping. Boxes helped hold everything in place while the glue set.

The post Rebuilding a Basement Door appeared first on Seeking Sights.

What makes an RV Lock special then?

Most RVs, or at least, the older ones came with regular door locks. They’ve got two key holes, one locks the door, the other locks the handle. It’s good enough, but given the giant stack of keys our RV came with, carrying less of them around is better.

The RV Lock changes that. It’s a direct replacement lock mechanism that adds a wireless remote fob, as well as a keypad that can be used for locking and unlocking the door.

As well as the main entry doors, RV Lock also offers baggage door locks which also support pin entry and the wireless remote fob and can be keyed the same so one key does everything. If you want to go that far…

How well does it work?

It’s been a brilliant upgrade. The ability to pop out without dragging a whole bunch of keys has meant that we secure our RV far more often than we would otherwise. Going to the showers? Press the lock button on your way out. Going to the site office? Press the lock button on your way out. The simple ease of doing it means that whoever is last to leave the RV, locks the door.

The opposite works too. Already in the car and remembered you need something in the RV? Send someone for it and unlock with the fob. If it’s out of range then that person can unlock it with the pin.

It’s been especially helpful with our daughter Olivia, as we can all be outside with the door locked. If she then wants to go back in, she can do – without keys or the remote. She’s so used to operating the lock herself that she does it even if the door is stiff – she just assumes it’s locked.

Battery life

Of course, the best parts of this lock are powered by the batteries. There are 4 AAA batteries mounted under the cover in the lock. So far, having fresh batteries at first install, we’ve changed them twice in just under 2 years. That’s a lot of operations and better battery life than we expected.

The handle lock is still manual

One of the few things we didn’t realise when we bought the lock, was that the only the deadbolt is operated by the lock motor. The handle lock is still purely key operated, and it would be a great upgrade if they offer this functionality in future.

How durable is it?

So far, it’s held up really well. It looks as new as it did when we fitted it, and we haven’t had any build quality issues.

Some of the reviews have said that there are issues with the handles and lock internals, but we haven’t experienced any yet.

Finding the right lock

Before you go ahead and order an RV Lock, check that it will fit first. For us, the class A/C lock was the correct fit, but you might need an alternative size.

You will also need to make sure you get the right opening direction and check that you are able to move/replace the striker in the door frame.

Once we’d identified the lock would fit, we placed our order and waited.

Fitting and fiddling

When our lock arrived, we were slightly disappointed to find that one of the internal lock handles was broken. We think this was because of the way it was packaged for shipping, as the lock and faceplate were free to move against each other. The supplied batteries were also rather corroded. RV Lock sent us out new internal handles after a quick email though, and even a refund for the batteries!

The initial fitting was very simple, our existing lock was already destroyed, but would have only needed unscrewed anyway. The old lock was slipped out of the door, leaving a nice big squarish hole.

When the new RV Lock is bolted into the door, there are two parts. The outer part contains the lock, keypad etc, and goes on from outside. The inner handle holds the battery and secures the lock to the door. When the two parts are put together, there’s a small ribbon cable that needs to be connected – make sure not to pinch the cable when the lock is bolted in!

Finally, the red inner lock handles will need to be pushed onto their spindles on the lock. These are easy to place because they have a flat keyed edge on the spindle that matches with the handle. Once pushed on, they shouldn’t come off easily.

Before you close the door for the first time – make sure the handle works!

Alignment takes time

The tricky part is getting good alignment of the lock. A new striker is provided as part of the kit, but it wasn’t possible to replace ours without removing the door frame. Getting the alignment correct was all about constantly adjusting the mounting of the lock itself, as well as the two bolts that go either side of the striker.

After about 20 minutes of fiddling, we were happy with how the door opened and closed. The bolts were tightened for the last time, and new batteries were added. Now it was just time for configuration.

Setting the pin on an RV Lock

The lock arrives with a default pin of 1234. It’s a good idea to change it.

The process to change the pin is simple enough. Here, we’ll change the default pin to 5678:

1. Press and hold the 8 button
2. While holding the 8 button, press the lock button – you should hear a long beep
3. Release the 8 button and lock button
4. Type in the existing pin, one button at a time (1-2-3-4) and press the lock button
5. Enter the new pin, one button at a time (5-6-7-8) and press the lock button
6. Type in the new pin again, one button at a time (5-6-7-8) and press the lock button – you should hear a long beep to confirm the code has changed

If you have forgotten the pin for your RV Lock, open the door (using the keys or wireless remote), and press the ‘code reset’ button using a pen or similar for 10 seconds. You should hear a long beep, and the code will be reset to 1234.

Sync the wireless remote to an RV Lock

The wireless remote is easy to sync up.

1. Switch the button on the back of the lock to ‘ON’ from ‘OFF’
2. Press the ‘learn’ button next to the switch using a pen or similar – you should hear a short beep
3. Press the lock button on the wireless remote you want to sync until you hear a long confirmation beep
4. The lock should now lock itself

Stopping the RV Lock beeping

A lot of people don’t seem to like the beeps that the RV Lock uses, but personally, I like having them. If you want to stop the beeping, press and hold 1 until you hear a short double beep. Now you can press all the buttons without any sounds.

To enable the beeping, press and hold 1 until you hear a long confirmation beep.

Installation and setup video

RV Lock has also provided videos to set up their locks. There isn’t one for the class A/C lock that we have, but everything in this video is applicable:

The post RV Lock Review – How To Add Keyless Entry To Your RV appeared first on Seeking Sights.

Why do the lights on RVs suck?

A common issue with RVs is that the cables lose too much voltage on the way to the headlights, so new bulbs wouldn’t necessarily improve things. So like many others, we opted to go for LEDs. We chose to install the Phillips Luxeon LED headlight kit. We chose this kit for several reasons:

Reasons we chose the Phillips LED Headlight Kit

It’s a name brand bulb kit. I don’t mind looking for off-brand kit for the most part, but we don’t want the headlights to fail due to poor build quality when we’re abroad.

The LEDs are angled and shielded. Many LED upgrades scatter light all over the place, but this kit has separate high and low beam circuits, which are angled in different directions. This means that the regular beam pattern is maintained and we shouldn’t blind oncoming drivers.

Left and Right Hand Drive compatibility. As well as the shielding, the bulb has several mounting positions within the holder. It’s possible to rotate the bulb between positions so that we can adapt the lights for driving in Britain and Europe.

Installing the new headlights

Access to the headlights isn’t great on the RV. However, we are able to use the levelling jacks to raise the front of the RV. Once we’ve done that, Karen can climb under the front bumper and access the lights.

Removing the existing bulbs was easy enough, but assembling the new bulbs was a little difficult. As the old bulbs had rain covers, and the new LEDs have a separate ballast, we couldn’t reinstall the covers and had to find a place to attach them. However, once both were installed, the lights started working immediately.

A little note on wiring

When we got the chance to perform a headlight alignment, we found that our headlights were not working properly! When we put the dipped beam on, the lights shone brightly, but with a scattered pattern. If we switched over to main beam, then a nice cut-off appeared. Our headlights were reversed!

Determining what was wrong

After a little research, we found that the 9007 headlight kit we’d purchased was also the same kit as for a 9004. The 9004 uses the same socket but with different wiring. Out came Olivia’s electronics kit to work out whether we had the wrong wiring

After rigging up a 12v source, the lights were definitely using the 9004 wiring pattern. This meant that the lights worked, but not at full brightness and obviously not switched correctly.

To fix the issue, we took the headlights back out. We scraped out the rubber sealant that was originally there and swapped the low beam/ground wires as per this image. Then we resealed the socket using a tube of Stixall which came highly recommended for the purpose.

With the wiring fixed, the headlights went back into place and worked properly – yay!

How are they?

They’ve been fantastic overall. We’ve driven through the British winter with them and been caught out in the dark on multiple occasions. Now that we have the new LEDs, we can see further along the road and feel a lot more confident.

While LED upgrades can be bad for other drivers, we’ve not had anyone flash us or complain. We’ve also used our two vehicles to simulate both being followed and being an oncoming car driver, and the lights haven’t dazzled either of us.

Adding LED Taillights

We’d considered replacing the taillights already as they weren’t very bright. However, we’d dismissed the idea of changing them because we had so much else to do and there wasn’t really anything wrong. Unfortunately, while we were washing the RV we discovered that the stop/tail lights had started to melt!

We’re not sure exactly what caused it, but the bulbs inside were probably too hot for the enclosures. If we left them the way they were, then we’d have ended up with a fire. So the hunt for replacements was on.

What taillights to use?

In the USA, where our RV came from, it would have had two stop/tail/turn lights at the rear. Unfortunately, both of these lights were red, and so weren’t any use in the UK. When the RV was converted to UK rules, one of the red lights was changed to be just a stop and tail. The other was swapped to a permanent amber indicator. This reduced the number of signal lights at the back of the van.

We’d thought about installing LED combination taillights, where they act as stop, tail and indicator lights. This is achievable because LEDs are so compact and bright, that both amber indicators and red stop/tail lights can be incorporated into one unit. This would restore the original number of signal lights on the back of the van, and hopefully increase our visibility.

Our RV uses 110mm (4.25″) round taillights, mounted in rubber grommets. There are lots of high quality LED replacements in the UK but most are too large to fit the holes. We managed to find a set of lights which came with chrome outers on Amazon though and decided to try them.

Removing the existing lights

The lights are mounted in rubber grommets, so in theory, all we needed to do was lever out the existing lamp. However, they’re a very tight fit! We used plenty of WD40 to lubricate the rubber grommets and a combination of screwdrivers and trim removal tools to extract the lamps.

With the age of the lights causing brittle plastic, all of the lamps got slightly damaged as we removed them. Though the melted taillights were useless anyway. At this point, we just had to hope that the new lights would work OK!

Fun with wiring

Of course, nothings straight forward. Not only are American standard wire colours different to the UK, but there were also a lot of changes to the cables for when they were converted for UK lights.

We decided that for the moment, the best thing to do was add to the existing wiring. That way, if everything went wrong, we could just strip back to the existing wiring and new, regular lamps. Finding out which wires did what was fun though, as we still don’t have a working multimeter! Unlike bulbs, LEDs only work when wired with the correct polarity, and the UK lamp conversion had a common ground wired to one lamps positive input and another lamps ground!

Still, we changed the wiring on one side of the van, and Karen verified that the lights worked while I operated the controls at the front of the van. After that, we wrapped everything up to create a pseudo loom and keep everything protected, then repeated the process on the other side.

We did have to add some resistors in order to keep the flash rate correct. We could change the relay to an LED compatible one, but that might cause other issues in the lengthy wiring run.

Another issue we had was that we didn’t have enough of the correct colour wiring. For the moment we’ve wired them up with suitable cable along with tape to identify the appropriate colour. However, we’re going to experiment with different resistors, and then we’ll replace the cabling and improve the connections too.

Installing the new lights

The new lights weren’t a perfect fit, and the holes in the rear cap of the RV weren’t all the same size. This meant that some of the lights fit easily, and others didn’t. We ended up using a small file to enlarge and smooth a couple of the holes in order to get the lamps to fit.

How are they?

Pretty good. The indicators flash well, though a couple of the individual LEDs stay on longer than the rest.

The taillights are very directional. The LEDs sit at the bottom of quite deep cones which focus the light backwards. If you’re directly behind or just to the side, then they are nice and bright. But if you’re a bit further off then they aren’t as bright, though they are still visible. We also have marker lights on the top and sides of the RV, so those are the lights that people should see if they’re at steeper angles.

When we had a proper drive with Karen following, she was most impressed by the new indicators. Previously the indicators were a single lamp, but now with double the number of lights and the concentrated brightness, it was much easier to see when I was signalling than it had been before.

Update on condensation

Once we’d had these installed for a few weeks, one of the lights started to get condensation in it. We checked it over and all of the rubber seals were in place, but we didn’t have much luck getting a return with the seller.

Once the winter arrived, this light started to let in water and eventually some of the LEDs started failing. We found a different seller offering the same lights, and ordered a replacement pair.

When the new rear lights arrived, we took all of the lights out, and cleaned up and wrapped the wiring. Then we tightly wrapped the edge of the lights where the back meets the lens with outdoor rated duct tape. We also wrapped the cable entry point with tape. Hopefully this will prevent the new lights from admitting water, and we haven’t seen any condensation yet.

The post Seeing the Light – New LED Headlights and Taillights for the RV – Updated August 2020 appeared first on Seeking Sights.

When we bought our RV, it came pre-fitted with a Prins VSI-2.0 LPG system already installed. It’s great because it reduces our fuel costs. It’s also bad because it takes up valuable locker space, puts weight over the front axle, and adds more complexity to the engine bay.

A Very Quick Overview of LPG Conversions

As with most LPG systems, ours is essentially separate to the petrol system. They only meet at the intake manifold, where the LPG system has its own set of fuel injectors. They’re also linked electronically between the original ECU and the LPG ECU. That link allows the LPG system to disable the petrol injectors and run off the gas instead.

While all LPG systems vary, ours doesn’t disable anything within the existing petrol system except the injectors. When the LPG system is running, it interrupts the signals to the petrol injectors to stop the flow of petrol.

To turn super cold liquid gas into a gas that can be used by the engine, a vaporiser is used. The vaporiser uses warm engine coolant to heat the pressurised liquid and turn it into a gas. Vaporiser size is determined by engine power requirements, and our 8.1l engine has two very large ones. There are also several filters and solenoids that are used to open valves and allow gas to flow through the system safely.

That’s pretty much it, liquid gas goes from the tank to the vaporiser(s), where it becomes actual gas and goes to the injectors, where it’s squirted into the engine just like petrol.

Stop, MOT Time

Before we could leave the UK, we needed to get our MOT done. If you’re not familiar with the British MOT, it’s a regular, government-mandated roadworthiness check. For cars and motorhomes like us, it’s a yearly check from when the vehicle is 3 years old.

We were recommended to go to an MOT tester called Mick Gould Commercials, who regularly test RVs. The appointment was made, and on a very wet January morning, I drove down and got ready for the test.

As I had only had cars and motorcycles tested in the past, I was expecting to sit in a waiting room while the MOT was performed for me. This was not to be, I remained in the driver’s seat and operated the controls as instructed by the tester. Everything was going well until the parking brake check. I misunderstood the testers instructions, and instead of gradually applying the brake, I stomped on it!

With the rear axle sitting on large spinning rollers, the suddenly locked rear tyres gripped the roller surface; lifting the back of the RV up into the air before it came crashing back down with a loud bang!

The only other issue we had was emissions, where a leaky exhaust meant we had a high oxygen level. The RV just about scraped through, but we would need to fix the exhausts before we could leave the UK.

A Critical Failure

Pleased with the fact we’d passed the MOT (just), I started driving home again. After a few miles, the LPG display started flashing and beeping. The distinctive sounds from the LPG injectors went away. It was clear that something in the LPG system had failed and we were back to running on petrol.

I found somewhere safe to park, and like any good software developer, I switched everything off and on again. The LPG system came back on as normal, and I drove on. Unfortunately, after another mile or so, the errors came back and the LPG system failed again.

Calling In The Experts

LPG is a highly pressurised, explosive fuel. Consequently we had to call in experts to solve our fuel problem. We quickly found a helpful LPG fitter who came to look at the system. Unfortunately, our Prins VSI-2.0 system is locked down and can’t be read by non-Prins dealers. Defeated, our fitter gave us an approximate cost for replacing the system and went on his way.

We had to find a Prins dealer. Being just past New Year, and with only one Prins dealer in Kent, an appointment was hard to come by. With the campsite closing for the winter, we had to delay our European trip while we found a new place to stay and waited for help.

A Very Smelly Smell

After saying our goodbyes at the wonderful Bearsted Caravan Club campsite, we drove off to a site at Folkestone. After starting the RV to leave, emptying tanks etc, we noticed a bit of fuel smell. Well, we always run on LPG, so maybe it’s just a lot richer on petrol. It’s winter, so if it’s only been running for a couple of minutes maybe it’s like a choke?

On arriving at Folkestone, I hopped out of the door to be greeted by a fuel smell again. That’s weird. It shouldn’t still be running rich after this distance. As one of those cursory, usually pointless checks, we had a look under the RV and immediately saw liquid dripping from above the rear axle!

We put on some gloves, wiped our fingers in it and it was petrol. For 40 or so miles, we’d been leaking fuel! Being late and needing to get set up, we ensured it wasn’t dripping anymore and left it for the night.

Filter Failure

In the morning, Karen clambered under the RV to investigate the leak. I started the RV and immediately heard a shout over the radio. Fuel was spraying out of the fuel filter input and getting everywhere.

Further investigation showed that the input to the fuel filter had been bent upwards, and cracked the filter casing. We could only assume that the violent bounce during the MOT caused the failure.

A new filter was ordered from the USA, along with a spare, and we started fitting it. The first step was to remove the fuel pump fuse and crank the engine. Doing this helps to reduce pressure in the line, though it should have been low anyway as we had to wait for the filter to arrive. The next issue was old, crusty, rounded off flare nuts and our mostly metric tool set. We didn’t have suitable spanners to fit so a trip to a local hardware store was required.

Once we got everything unbolted, the filter went back in with a lot of effort! We had to unbolt the fuel lines from most of the chassis to provide enough flex to fit the replacement. This is partly because Workhorse switched from a unique filter design to a regular (cheap) filter and an adapter at some point in their RV chassis making years, meaning that some makes of filter fit better than others.

We suspect that whoever last changed the filter jammed it into place and bent the input slightly. Further driving and the big bump at the MOT probably caused the fatigued joint to break. The new filter is fitted nice and straight, so hopefully, it will provide years of great service. Next time it’s changed we will need to get the flare nuts, and possibly the fuel lines, replaced.

A Simpler Fix

With the engine running properly on petrol again, we finally got a Prins dealer out to look at our LPG system. After connecting their diagnostics laptop, information started appearing, and the issue was traced to a faulty solenoid on one of our vaporisers. Essentially once the solenoid got warm, it was failing and starving the engine of gas.

The faulty solenoid was taken out, and telltale scorch marks could be seen on the casing where it was overheating internally. With a new solenoid in place, the LPG ran faultlessly for an hour or so, and thankfully, ever since so far.

So it took over a month, but both of our fuel systems were finally working again, and the RV was safe to drive. Now to sort out those exhausts…

The post More Fuel Systems, More Problems appeared first on Seeking Sights.

Diagnosing The Problem

When we found a little time, we started the diagnostic process. We got all of our electrical tools out from the locker, not an easy task at this time due to being under a slide that was hemmed in by a hedge.

“Let’s start at the top,” we said. When we installed the water heater, we’d had a wiring issue caused by not stripping away enough insulation in our fused spur. We took out the multimeter, started pulling connections from the spur and testing for power.

But there was plenty of voltage at the cables for the spur. What else could it be? We started pulling more connections, following the wiring diagram that we had scanned before disposing of the original packaging. Everything seemed to be wired correctly. We started to realise that maybe this was a burned-out heater element or an issue in the control box attached to the water tank.

After checking that we did have resistance through the element, we put all of the connections back together and hoped that it would work. But despite that brightly glowing switch, nothing was heating. Dejectedly, Karen switched the heater off.

And the switch, that shining red beacon that mocked our lack of hot water, stayed lit.

The Switch Must Be Broken!

This was a breakthrough! Of course, the switch was broken! Somehow!

We took the switch out of its mount and started testing it against the multimeter. Of course, it was going to be broken. What else could cause it to stay lit when it was off?

The switch. Was. Not. Broken.

If we connected across the outputs, the switch operated correctly. Maybe it was just wired incorrectly? We put the switch back in and it continued to shine whether it was switched on or off.

How could this be? There was definitely no connection from Live to Neutral or Earth when the switch was off. We started looking for diagrams of the internal workings of the switch when we had a sudden thought.

What would happen if the Neutral and the Earth are connected?

We disconnected the RV from the mains power and spun up the generator. Sure enough, now the switch operated correctly, and we could tell that the water heater was working again from the sound and feel of it. Clearly, the issue was with the campsite, not us.

Reverse Polarity On Campsites

One of the things we’d always heard about, but had never experienced, was reverse polarity. Reverse polarity is where the live and neutral connections are reversed for some reason.

Now, like many of you who know about AC power are probably thinking, we didn’t see reverse polarity as much of an issue. AC power switches polarity 50 times a second, it doesn’t really matter which way round the live and neutral connections are, power is power.

The issue with reverse polarity is that sometime in the distant past, some countries (Britain included) started using single-pole switches in their equipment to reduce costs. Double-pole switches will disconnect both the live and neutral connections when switched off, but cheaper, single-pole switches just disconnect the ‘hot’ leg – the live connection. The neutral and earth stay connected at all times.

In countries that adopted this, rules were passed about colours and standards of wiring to ensure that the live connector was always the hot leg. But in Europe, they continued to use double-pole switches and kept using similar colours for live and neutral.

What this led to, was that in Europe it was sometimes difficult when running long lengths of cable (say to multiple outlet points in a campsite), to ensure that you got the live and neutral the right way round. The only way to check is to turn on the power and test, and that’s a bit more effort than is needed when everyone has double-pole switches.

Risks Of Reverse Polarity

So what are the risks? Well, primarily, the hot leg will connect via whatever route it can. If the hot leg is the live connection, a single-pole switch will leave the neutral and earth connected. If the hot leg is the neutral connection, a single-pole switch will leave power running from the neutral to the earth all the time. This means that parts of a device may be live that should never be, such as the outer casing of a fridge or microwave. If a device isn’t shielded by a double pole switch, it can become quite dangerous.

For the most part, campervans and caravans have been built to deal with reverse polarity for many years. However, additions and modifications don’t necessarily take that into account, and we have no idea if American RVs are designed to handle this particular quirk. Even further to that, our RV has had all of its wiring messed with so that it works with 240v and can still operate its 120v original equipment.

So How Did This Affect The Water Heater?

Well, the reason that the single pole switch stayed lit, was because the neutral and earth connections are bonded. Power continued flowing through those two connections, allowing the bulb inside to light. Our fused spur is a double-pole switch, so when we switched it off there, the bulb did go out and the power was truly off.

As for why the heater didn’t work when it was switched on, we’re not sure. Maybe something in the control circuit required the hot leg to be live. What we do know, is that we’re lucky the entire water heater didn’t become live. The wiring for the Camco uses the water heater as earth, so if the neutral was still connected and earthing through the heater then touching the outside, or potentially just turning on the water, could have given us a potentially lethal shock.

Testing And Resolving The Issue

In the UK, camping stores and Amazon have plenty of reverse polarity testers available. There are two kinds, ones that plug into your vans electrics after you’ve connected to the campsite and ones that connect to the pole in the campsite before you connect your van. However, in Europe, such testers are not readily available because they don’t consider reverse polarity as much of an issue.

We clearly didn’t have a reverse polarity tester, so we used our multimeter. We disconnected the RV from the socket outside and checked the AC voltage across the different connectors. Sure enough, the socket showed we had 240v across the live and neutral, 0v across the live and earth, and 240v across the neutral and earth. This is a sure sign of reverse polarity, as the neutral is hot. If the socket was wired correctly, then we’d have had 240v across the live and neutral, 240v across the live and earth, and 0v across the neutral and earth.

We headed out to a nearby Leroy-Merlin DIY store and managed to purchase a couple of adapters that we could mash together to make our Reverse Polarity Correction Cable. Once we took the ends apart, we basically wired them so that the earth remained as the earth, but the live connection on one end went to the neutral on the other, and vice-versa.

With the short adapter made, we tentatively reconnected the RV with it. We were 99.999% sure that we’d correctly diagnosed the issue and made the adapter correctly. But if we were wrong then we could be doing some serious damage…

Thankfully, everything in the van switched on. No casings went live, and the water heater switch (and the water heater itself) started operating normally.

Once we get back to the UK, we’ll purchase a proper tester, but until then, we’ll get out the multimeter and our adapter before we hook up.

The post Have You Tried Reversing The Polarity? Shore Power Problems appeared first on Seeking Sights.

Olivia’s Bed and Play Cubby under the bed

It was very important to us that Olivia felt at home, felt like she had her own space and was happy to be in the RV.

We decided we would brighten up Olivia’s bed with removable stickers of her favourite Marvel characters. Then we found some Marvel curtains which I cut down to fit both bunk windows and used the same material and some plywood to make a bed guard. We added her name lights that she had in our house. All these things together made her feel at home very quickly.

One thing we decided very early on in the process, was that if we got an RV with bunk beds we would make the bottom bunk a combined bed for Pepper and a play space for Olivia. We took out the mattress on the lower bunk and bought Pepper a new fabric crate that fits perfectly at one end.

On top of Peppers bed, we made a shelf to fit the top of the crate to make storage for boxes of toys. At the other end of the bunk, we built a little table to fit over some plastic drawers to make a lego table. To make the floor in between more comfortable we cut down a yoga mat to fit.

On the wall above the lego table, we fitted a picture frame with a string where she can hang pictures and trinkets.

We then bought some pretty leaf-patterned door curtains to replace the brown curtain that pulls around her bed at night.

New Sofa

The sofa in the RV was the original 12-year-old, very brown sofa bed. It was in reasonable condition but was not the most comfortable place to sit. We decided we wanted to change it for a paler sofa with built-in storage. Now one of the things you have to consider when replacing a sofa or anything large in an RV is how do you get it in the door. Many sofas were too wide to fit through so we started looking at flat pack sofas, we found ours at Ikea. A perfect build your own sofa with many different options and sizes available.

The new sofa is much more comfortable and gives us extra storage which is awesome. We added a couple of small cushions to add a splash of colour. It’s not quite as beige as I would have liked and its a bit pale for a family with a dog but we love it.

Arm Chair

The third chair in the RV is a nice spinning bucket armchair. Much like many other American RVs, the problem is that it’s very brown! So to break up the brown and to make it even cosier we have added a red throw.

New TV

I know! Why do we want a TV in the RV? As the RV is our full-time home, we do use the TV in it a fair bit for both watching TV and for playing Xbox. The RV came with a fixed 28″ TV in the front. It was fine but not the best quality. If the TV show or movie was dark you could not see what was happening and high quality shows like The Planets would look very blocky. Playing Xbox was almost impossible with maps in the bottom corner unreadable and you certainly could not play two-player.

The other issue we had was if the slide was in due to poor weather conditions, we could not sit on the sofa and see the whole screen. So we decided it really needed to be changed.

Unfortunately these days you can’t get very many good quality small TVs. We ended up deciding on a 43″ screen with an extending adjustable arm tv mount.

Shelving

Olivia is a little book worm so we carry quite a few books with us. We added another shelf to her little library so she can have more books.

Hob Shield

The hob came with a metal hob shield which folded in two. It was noisy when we drove and could not be used as a kitchen worktop space which is not helpful. We removed the metal one and made a new wooden one which works well as an extra workspace and can be easily lifted off when you need to use the hob.

Pictures

We have put up several picture frames with photos of our travels. At Ikea, we found some lovely frames that look like old fashioned film negatives, and we also bought a few simple black frames. We already had a scratch map of Europe that George was bought as a Christmas present which we have put in a black frame. So that they are not a permanent fixture and can be removed at any time we have used Velcro Command Strips to hold them up. They are amazing and leave no marks or nail holes.

Postcards

During our travels, we have been collecting postcards. To display these and brighten up the main bedroom I have Blu Tacked them around the mirror. It’s so nice to have memories of where we have been.

Olivia’s Art Work

We have also added some pieces of Olivia’s artwork to the walls. Again, using velcro command strips so they can be easily removed if required.

Beds, Duvets and Blankets

We have added mattress toppers to both beds for an extra level of comfort. We dress the beds with lovely duvets and covers on both beds along with blankets just like we did at home. Olivia even has her dinosaur pillow.

Conclusion

There are lots of ways you can make an RV homely. We think that our RV is homely, we are all very comfortable in it and can easily relax. There are a few more things we would like to change but it all takes time.

The post How we Made the RV a Home appeared first on Seeking Sights.

What was there before?

Our RV was equipped with three TVs from the factory. In the main bedroom was a 19″ CRT TV. Opposite the bunk beds was a 15″ LCD TV, with a built-in DVD player, which could also be hung outside. And up front, above the driver and passenger was a colossal 27″ CRT TV.

We did see all of the TVs working before purchase, but the dealer offered to replace the TVs as part of their sales prep.

When we picked up the RV, the two CRT TVs had indeed been replaced. In the main bedroom, we now had a 24″ LCD TV, and in the living room, there was now a 28″ LCD TV. The original LCD TV opposite the bunks was left in place.

Immediate changes

As soon as we got the RV, we removed the bunkhouse LCD. We don’t really have any DVDs, and we wanted to use the space for Olivias books. It was such a small screen anyway, if Olivia needed to watch TV in bed, she could take a tablet or laptop and have a better experience.

Opening up the space the TV used allowed us to fit in lots of books and bits for Olivia. We’ve since added an additional shelf and now you’d never know anything else was there.

I thought that we would need to replace the living room TV, but we decided to keep it for the moment.

Living with the little screen

We (or more accurately I) were into our TV and movies when we lived in a house. There was a big screen, with surround sound and high-quality sources etc. But none of that could follow us into the van.

While the 28″ screen was a big change, we thought that we would give it a go. After all, a 28″ screen was practically TV royalty when Karen and I were kids! Two issues became apparent very early on though:

No TV with the slides in

With the slides in, we had a problem that the end wall of the living room blocked the TV. Someone sitting anywhere on the sofa could only see part of the screen. Consequently, if we watched anything, it was either sat in the front seats with our necks craned up, or on a laptop. We even resorted to all climbing onto the main bed to watch movies together!

Game interfaces are designed for big screens

Mini maps, subtitles, draw distances. All of these things have clearly not been considered for small screens. While it was just about possible to read the minimap on some Lego games in single-player – two-player split-screen was laughable!

While both of these issues made us consider a replacement TV, the last straw was when one of the HDMI ports on the back of the TV broke. All the shaking while driving with a cable in place had broken the port. Our TV was a JVC bought through a third party and no warranty was going to cover it – so that was the decision made for us. The hunt for a suitable TV was on.

Finding the right TV

We wanted a TV that would last for quite a few years. While at the moment we’ve only got an original Xbox One, the replacement will be 4K compatible. Due to the layout of the van, we sit quite close to the TV for gaming so the extra resolution would be nice. We also didn’t want to have another screen that doesn’t have much repair support in the UK. This put JVC out of the picture, who make a lot of the smaller 4K screens.

We started out thinking about a slightly larger TV. Something in the 32″ range. Last time we’d bought a TV this was quite a competitive size point. However, a quick trip around the web showed that these days, manufacturers aren’t interested in 32″ screens.

Nor, it seems, are they much interested in 40″ screens. While there are more around, not many have any of the latest tech; and if they do, the reviews are poor. Clearly this was going to be a problem if we were going to find a TV that would last.

The next size up was the 43″ screen. These screens are still well served by the manufacturers, with a wide range of tech and prices. It’s such a competitive market that many 43″ screens were cheaper than their 40″ equivalents. But while we’d now found screens we liked, would one of these even fit? A quick bit of measuring showed that it was possible, though the screen would cover the edges of the cupboard either side. We decided to go for it!

So what did we buy?

The TV we bought was the Samsung 43RU7100, reviews were patchy (as most were for the larger screen). However, it was cheaply and easily available and looked pretty good. Though the other Samsung next to it at double the price looked a lot better!

The bracket we decided on was the Sandstrom SFMGL18 full-motion mount. We’d seen it in the flesh, and liked the range of movement it offered. We also really liked the release mechanism; which has two spring clips which are easily released using strings. As we needed to take the giant TV down whenever we moved, this was a key feature.

Mounting a monster

To mount the existing TV, a few lengths of wood had been bolted in to create a small, flush surface where the TV would go. Then a lightweight, thin mount had been attached, which allowed the little TV to hang nice and tight to the old TV cabinet. Apart from the mount not being all that safe for driving (a bump could lift the TV enough to fall out, though it never did), it definitely wasn’t strong enough to hold our new TV.

The fundamental idea was fine though. So we took apart the existing mount and started to refashion it. We split it into two separate bars, wide enough apart to hold the new TV bracket. Then we braced the front with a single piece of wood. Finally, we added more wood to the back. We’d created a solid bar, that wouldn’t twist, and would hold the heavy-duty bolts that came with the bracket.

After some test fitting, we attached the TV bracket to our new bar. Then, with some effort, we managed to wrestle the mount and bracket into the TV cabinet and bolted it into place. We sat back, pleased as punch with our work. For the final test, we attached the TV to the bracket, and let go…

Well, that didn’t work

The TV hung on the bracket as we gingerly removed our hand, and then finger holds on it. The cabinet creaked a little. We held our breath… and then… slowly at first but gaining momentum, the TV started to sag outward into the RV and towards the floor.

“No!” we both exclaimed, and grabbed the screen. We looked at the bracket – still attached. The cabinet – still in place. The TV had extended out on the full-motion arm of the new bracket. We pushed the TV back into the right place, and let go again. It hung in place for a few moments and then sagged forwards again until the arm was at its fullest extent.

What was going wrong? Everything was secure. Was there some adjustment we could make to the hinges? We took the TV down and scoured the bracket documents. Then finally, it hit us. The face of the old TV cabinet was tilted down for easier viewing. The old TV couldn’t move on its mount and was fine to also be tilted down. We had mounted the new TV on the same tilted axis, but our movable bracket needed to be vertical to hold its position! Gravity was pulling the TV in just the same way that we would be to move the screen.

Fixing the flaw

After a bit of a think, and re-examining the interior of the TV cabinet; we unbolted the mounting bar and twisted it up to vertical. After checking it with a spirit level, we screwed in a few self tappers to hold it in place. Then, we used cardboard templates to create solid wedges that would brace the mounting bar against the front of the cabinet, as well as allow it to bolt to the sides.

Crisis hopefully averted, we hung the TV once more, and it stayed in place! In fact, we could pull it out, twist it around etc just fine. Exactly how we had hoped it would work. Now mounted, we tilted the screen forward using the adjustable head at the top of the bracket. Then all we had to do was adjust the bracket for the weight of the TV. There’s a single adjuster to do this. There’s also a gauge there showing approximate positions for different TV weights, and at 8kg, our TV was on the lighter side.

We also chose to cut the top off of the rails that attach to the back of the TV. We wanted to be able to store the TV as high up as possible while also being able to pull the TV down as far as possible for viewing. The best position for the TV rails meant that there was a good 10cm sticking out over the TV and hitting the ceiling. We managed to cut off the excess without cutting anywhere near the spot where the rail bolts to the TV, so there should be no impact on strength or durability.

So how is the big-screen experience?

The new TV has been really good. Sure it’s a bit of a pain to have to move it whenever we drive anywhere, but the improvement everywhere else more than makes up for it. Two-player games are fun again, we can move the TV down and point it at a single chair for intense gaming sessions! Or we can slide it towards the dinette or the sofa to make a better viewing position.

There are some positions where it doesn’t look so good though. As the TV is tilted forwards, if we twist it too much at the end of the arm length, one side appears lower than the other. This is mostly because we’re closer to one side than the other, and is more of an illusion than anything. Still, if we can move it so that the TV is straight on to us, we try to do so.

We were concerned at the size, but it only takes a second to move it away from the cupboards. And with the rails trimmed, we can stow the TV tight to the ceiling, without much intrusion below the original TV cabinet.

Picture quality is much improved, and when we have decent enough internet we can even watch 4K content. Being so close to the screen at times, the difference is very noticeable. However the motion on the screen is occasionally jittery, a complaint levied at many of the cheaper 4K screens. Again, this is something we mostly ignore.

But does it work with the slides in?

We have had a chance to use it with the slide in… and yes, we could sit on the sofa and see the whole screen! We can now watch TV without straining our necks when space is tight.

Mission accomplished!

The post Are You Not Entertained? Upgrading our RV TV appeared first on Seeking Sights.

Why did we choose the MaxxFan?

Many people go for the Fantastic Fan. We’ve heard almost nothing but good things about them, and they have great features like rain sensors etc. However, what we didn’t like about the Fantastic Fan was the price (which is very high in the UK), and the fact that you need to add an additional rain shroud as well.

In comparison, the MaxxFan appeared to be a great purchase. Much cheaper, a similar feature set, and a built-in rain shroud! We read some reviews, watched some installation videos, and decided it was the fan for us.

Installing the MaxxFan

We decided to install the fan ourselves. This was done in two stages because we had an extra hurdle to clear before we opened up the ceiling.

Finding some power

Unlike many RVs, our living room vent didn’t have any power cables running to it. Consequently, we were going to have to source 12v 5a power from somewhere and run it through the ceiling.

After a lot of thinking and research, we took a long fibreglass pole and threaded it between the ceiling and the insulation. We managed to get the pole all the way behind the microwave, where there was already a lot of wiring.

After a little investigation of the cables, we spliced into one of the lighting circuits. I know that a lot of people don’t recommend using the lighting circuit. But the one we chose has quite a thick cable and used to run 8 halogen bulbs. Now that it runs 8 low wattage LEDs, there’s plenty of capacity to spare.

All that glitters is not gold

Now, we did make one mistake here. When we snaked the wires through the ceiling, we had to bundle the ends so they didn’t get stuck. Unfortunately, we didn’t unbundle them when we spliced into the lighting circuit.

When this happened, we got a nice little spark! We quickly realised our mistake, unbundled the wires and reconnected the lighting circuit. Everything seemed fine at first, the lights worked, and our fuse detector didn’t show a break. But when we test connected the MaxxFan it just beeped at us. We couldn’t work out what was happening, as the lights were all working.

However, on closer inspection, if we turned on all of the lights, they weren’t running at full brightness. When we opened the fuse panel with all of the lights on, there was the glowing light telling us that a fuse was blown! The current that is used to check the fuse state, while not enough to light a halogen bulb, is enough to light up LEDs. Until you put enough load across the circuit, the fuse panel can’t work out that the fuse has blown. Fuse changed, lesson learned, and MaxxFan working as expected.

Hole on the ceiling

The next step was to remove the existing vent. We managed to pick one of the hottest days of the year to do this. But Karen went up on the roof and scraped away all of the existing Dicor, then unbolted the old vent.

After the old vent was out, we cleaned the roof area with some surgical spirit. That should ensure the rubber is clean and can bond properly with the new Dicor.

We then ran a bead of non-levelling sealant around the bottom of the new fan mount and stuck it into place. Making sure to get it as square in the hole as possible. We followed the instructions and ensured that the fan mounting brackets were to the sides, and not front to back.

After screwing the new fan mount down, Karen ran some self-levelling sealant around the outside where it met the roof. This was our first go at using the self-levelling sealant, and we probably used too much. However, we did end up with an even coating that covered all of the screws, the sides of the fan mount and the roof – which is the main goal!

Mounting the fan itself

Finally, we installed the fan itself. Now, this is supposed to be very easy. However, we found that the fan did not want to sit on the mount properly. We think that the area where our vent goes has a little more curve than expected, which caused the mount to twist slightly.

We did finally manage to get the fan in, with a little pushing from above and some pulling from below. The fan bolts to the mount using 4 screws.

The last step was to add the vent trim inside the RV. Now I don’t know if this is because we used a European supplier, but the trim was not very deep – certainly not as deep as those shown in the videos. So we didn’t have to cut it down or anything, however, it doesn’t go far past the edges of the fan, and you can see some of the mounting hardware if you look in the right places.

How well does it work?

It’s… pretty good. It’s definitely powerful, we can draw plenty of air through the windows on a still day. It does have the problem that it can’t cool below the ambient temperature of the air outside, but that’s still pretty useful if you can’t run your A/C.

I’d say that we run the fan most days before we start using the A/C. We also use it whenever we cook, as it gets rid of the air that the cooker hood fan can’t.

There are some bad points though. Our fan squeaks at low speeds. We’ve read that this can be cured by running the fan for long periods at speed, but it hasn’t worked for us. We may disassemble that part of the fan, or we may return it under warranty. There’s also a distinct lack of balance to the blades, which you can see wobbling up and down.

The most concerning element for us though is that it is nowhere near as well sealed as our old vent. When closed it lets in more noise and more air. This might be partly due to the issues we had with installation, and we may sneak some additional insulation up the sides of the fan to mimic a taller trim piece. However, that won’t prevent the level of noise that gets through the plastic.

Both of these issues have been resolved since by Leisure Vehicle Services, see the update below.

Warning!

We have made some mistakes though! The worst was definitely when we left the fan on auto and then went out with the windows closed. That created a low air pressure situation in the van. With all of the windows closed, the air had to find a way in, and it came through the holding tank vents and out of the airlocks under the sinks! Essentially dragging in the air across the top of our stale sink and toilet water! We had a lovely smell to greet us when we got home!

Update 21 September 2019

Shortly after we posted this, Leisure Vehicle Services reached out to us about the issues we’d had with the fan. As the official distributor for MaxxAir in the UK, they wanted to see if they could help resolve the problems we were having.

They pointed out that the squeaky motor happens to a few fans per year. Running the fan on full power for at least 24 hours normally resolves the issue. As it hadn’t worked for us, they were happy to replace the fan unit itself under warranty.

They also addressed the poor sealing issues we experienced. Under UK/EU motorhome regulations, the fan has to offer a minimum level of permanent ventilation. Leisure Vehicle Services offer a seal kit which can be applied by the fan owner, or installed by the factory if ordered directly through them. As we were having the fan unit replaced anyway, we opted to let them install the additional seals.

A taller trim piece was also offered, but it was on backorder at the time and so we didn’t opt to have this sent out to us.

Exchanging and fitting the new fan

For the exchange, we were sent a new fan unit to install, as well as details of how to return the original unit. Changing over the two units took us about 30 minutes. All we had to do was remove the trim piece, unbolt the fan from the roof mount, and disconnect the power. Then reverse that process for the new fan. We didn’t have to remove the roof mount or break any seals to change the fan unit.

How’s the updated MaxxFan?

We are pleased to say that it’s much better! The additional seals are clearly visible through the translucent top and have made a big difference. Noise wise, the volume is similar to the bathroom roof vent when closed, whereas previously there was a noticeable difference.

Similarly, we can’t feel much air moving around the fan when it’s closed either. Even on a windy day outside, we don’t notice much of a draught coming through, if at all.

As for the squeak, it’s mostly gone. We have run the fan at speed, though not for a full 24 hours. However, it is much better than the previous fan and we don’t mind having it switched on when there are no other noises in the room now!

If you are having any issues with your MaxxFan in the UK, Leisure Vehicle Services have said that you should contact them through their website.

Overall opinion of the MaxxFan

Overall, we’re glad that we installed it. Do I wonder if a Fantastic Fan would be better? Yes, I do Not anymore. Do we make a lot of use of the fan? Yes, we do. It’s great to have airflow when the A/C can’t be used. We’ve also used it in ceiling fan mode, to help blow air around the van without the vent part open.

We also like the fact we went for the translucent option. It lets a nice amount more light into the van, especially in the mornings.

The post MaxxFan Deluxe Roof Vent Review – Updated Sept 2019 appeared first on Seeking Sights.

In the beginning…

On our second evening with the RV we decided to head out on quieter roads to get some fuel. We headed to the local Sainsbury’s petrol station as it is almost at the end of the road, pulled onto the pump with no issue, jumped out to fill it up and realised we were not only taking up 2 pumps but were blocking the exit to the station! So we quickly jumped back in and drove off to another station. At the second station we took up 4 pumps but did not block the exit, so filled up and headed back to park up and cook some dinner.

Things take a turn for the worse…

We parked up outside George’s parents to grab our food from the fridge as we had not yet moved it all into the RV. Olivia tried the door but it would not open. Thinking she just did not have the correct technique yet, I asked her to move and tried it myself. No, it would not budge. George gave it a try but no, there was something wrong, we were suddenly in an Escape room situation.

We turned the lock handle on and off, pulled the handle again and again, but we were well and truly stuck inside the RV. Realising the Trimark lock had obviously seized or broken, George decided we needed to remove the lock from the inside to release us. Only problem being, we had no tools in the RV, they were all in the lockers outside! We called George’s parents and asked them to try the door from the outside but still no luck. So we asked them to grab the screwdrivers from the locker so we could start dismantling the lock.

Locksmithing 101…

George started to dismantle the lock, he got the screws out but the two red handles for the locks were proving impossible to remove so we could see inside. Panic and annoyance were starting to set in. We took turns in trying to get these two small red handles off without risking further damage to the lock. Eventually, after about half an hour we get them off and could finally see inside the lock.

The lock has broken, the metal bar that connects to the handle has snapped at a weak spot. Although the back of the lock is off and we can see what has happened we are still stuck. The broken bit of metal that is wedged half in the door and half in the striker plate is hidden inside a reinforced lock mechanism! Realising we might be here a while we order a takeaway, at least it can be passed through the window!

Learning to dismantle your new RV

We start trying to take the trim of the door frame off, hoping we can gain access to the stuck piece of metal. The door trim goes around the entire door and behind pieces of carpet and proves almost as difficult to remove as the lock! We open a gap and can see the broken striker, but a screwdriver can’t get in there to shove it clear of the striker plate. I grab a metal skewer and try and shape it into a hook to push the metal out of the frame, but it’s too weak. We need something that shape but stronger; I suggest Allen keys, but we don’t have any in the RV and George’s mum, the only person at the house right now, can’t go rummaging in toolboxes as she has a broken shoulder!

The only option is that I should climb out of the passenger window, however, I will require a step ladder as its a long way down.

The long way down

George’s mum manages to bring a step ladder to the RV and set it up by the window – one-handed. I get a leg and half my body out of the window, and realise that even with the 5 step ladder she has brought me that I can only just reach the top step on tiptoes! I have to just hope that once my full weight is falling out the window I will be able to balance on the top of the ladder and not fall. Just as I reach the top step, my other foot grazes the window ledge – the ladder wobbles but somehow I hang on for dear life and save myself and the ladder.

I am out!

Freedom

I find the Allen keys and pass them through the window to George. Just as our curry arrives, pop, the door to the RV opens, George and Olivia are also now free. It only an hour and a half to beat the Trimark Escape Room.

Moving on

It really was not funny at the time but we do look back at this with laughter now. We also found out that this is a well-known failure on our particular Trimark lock, and we were just lucky to be able to access the inside of the lock.

We had to spend a few nights and days with a makeshift handle and lock that just about secured the RV.

George was able to buy and fit an RV Lock that he had mentioned to me he liked a few weeks before we got the RV. It has an access code so you don’t always need to take the keys. It also has backup keys and a remote fob making it much easier to use.

We have also learnt to make sure we have some tools, such as screwdrivers in the RV at all times!

The post Trimark Escape Room – the Curse of the Broken Lock appeared first on Seeking Sights.