Getting Ready for the 2015 Camping Season

[Jim Stoltz]

Spent some quality time with the Allegro this weekend.

Installed an Oxygenics shower head. But of course it didn't work well with the 30-year-old stock hardware so I had to replace that too.

The Oxygenics shower works great. Amazing pressure with very little water use (2 GPM max). The old shower would empty the hot water tank within 2 minutes. My first trip out this year will be boondocking at the Pocono Raceway. I needed something that would conserve water and slow the filling up of my gray water tank.

[Rich Thomas]

That's a nice water saver Jim. I hooked up to water for the first time today since buying my camper, I was lucky to have no surprises. I'm going to hose into the hot water tank tomorrow and light it up to make sure it's up to the task. I found my furnace nonoperational after being flawless this past winter. I suspect a bad timer relay.fortunately I have spares so I'm not to worried about it nor do I really want to dig into it I have too many things requiring my time. That shower head project though might be something I would delve into; it looks very nice.

[Jim Stoltz]

No surprises is good. When I first got mine I had several surprises where someone didn't winterize it properly. The cold water side was good, but apparently someone wasn't familiar with the bypass valve setup for the HW tank. The hot water side had frozen and split in a few different places.

On the shower...I had to open up an access panel behind the shower in order to replace it, and get $20 worth of brass fittings at Home Depot but the end result is great. The hot water heater continues to be finicky, but it worked today while I was testing the longevity of the hot water with the new shower head. 

My 30-something-year-old furnaces work 90% of the time. Once in a while they need shut off and turned back on a few times before they'll operate normally. Ironically when I first got the rig, the rear furnace didn't work at all. The front one worked immediately. After messing with the rear one for a while it works every time I fire it up. But now the front one is intermittent. Right now both are working (knocking on wood). 

Still on the to do list is sealing up the new propane regulator. I've got pretty good leaks in a couple of places in the plumbing (the extend-a-stay and the new regulator). I keep the tank shut off when I'm not using it. 

[Rich Thomas]

I was looking at a nice gas two burner portable stove today with a two rack oven under it. the whole thing was about the size of a large microwave. I thought it would be nice to put an auxiliary line out of my camper ( my Coleman pop up has one) to cook out side. I currently don't  have A.C. and I'm thinking it would help keep things cooler in there. Have you ran across a kit like that ?

[Jim Stoltz]

I have not seen anything like that but it sounds cool. I rarely cook inside, but I did replace the oven/range recently. My old oven didn't work and even though I rarely used it, it is nice to have when I want to. The new unit came with a 3 burner range which is  a lot more useful (big, single burner in the front versus 4 smaller burners with the old unit). It does heat things up quickly though.

[Jim Stoltz]

I also installed a combustible gas detector today. I'm paranoid about an LP gas leak. The instructions said to install it away from drafts so I put it under the fridge but across from the furnace. I tapped into the 12V that feeds the fridge so it was easy.

Also got both bikes running and ready to go. One is always harder to get going than the other. I'm not going to say which, but my girlfriend's bike always take a bit of coaxing to get fired up. Mine lights up right away no matter how long it's been sitting. On the wish list: a trailer for the bikes to tow behind the Allegro.

[Rich Thomas]

I put a combination detector in last fall it gives me a little since of security when it's bed time. I bunk right over the furnace cubicle and I can hear the alarm when I'm sleeping. You have some nice bikes there Jim. I like the up right style of bikes. I currently can't ride much, I keep trying though. I have a basement full dirt bikes right now but I currently get on my Honda 650 L and try to ride it a bit. I have it set up for street riding but I'm realizing that it's probably one of a long list of things I should let lay in the past. My middle son keeps encouraging me to keep trying. He rides a Yamaha Super Tenere and an 81 cb750c  He's ate up with all things motorcycle. Hey if your looking for a fun weekend of camping and biking you should check out Mid Ohio Race Course in July for The AMA vintage bike weekend; they have a huge swap meet and all kinds of motorcycle events going on. Racing, new bike demo rides, all kinds of shows and helpful seminars. Vintage racing of every type and form. Sorry I get a bit excited when it comes to motorcycles and Vintage week at M.O.R.C. I guess because I'm vintage too and it takes me back to a time in my life that I was happiest and indestructible. 

[Jim Stoltz]

Thanks. The black one is my Nighthawk 750, the Triumph is my GF's Thunderbird. I'm considering a Triumph myself this year. My brother got a new Speed Triple so I'm the odd man out with my Honda. The Speed Triple is cool, but you sit like a crotch rocket - it's hard on your hands and arms after a while. I'd really like another upright bike like a Rocket. One of these days....

[Rich Thomas]

I had an 82, 650 nighthawk, road it for a couple years then bought a house and traded it for a Wheel Horse tractor and all the accessories, straight up. That was a hard trade but scrapped for cash and needed the mower. The wheel Horse was worth more than the bike but I really loved that bike. My sons riding buddy just bought a new Tiger dual sport. They have a 9,000 mile trip mapped out across the north west starting in June. What i'd give to be young and dumb again. 

[Cristina Gouin]

Interesting that your shower head is on the opposite end as ours is.  I love that set up though. Still have the original in ours but we just use the submarine attitude when taking showers. Water on, get wet, water off. Soap up water on to rinse off.  2 of us having daily showers and doing dishes under a dribble, can boon dock 4 days before the tank is full.   I should replace our shower faucet though, functions but just showing its age. 

[Jim Stoltz]

That is interesting that it's on the opposite end. Your Allegro looks identical to mine. I wish mine were on the other side - it would make more sense because of the "step" in the shower on that side.

[Cristina Gouin]

My "big" closet is on the water side of my shower so the faucet etc is above the step.  the bedroom is on the other side of the shower.  We actually had to PEX the HW line last spring as turned all on and one of the supports in the closet wall had rubbed through the old butyl line just from road vibration etc. 

We also replaced the paneling in the shower with "tile like" made for bathrooms, board... except hte door panel..

Now to replace the SAIL switch in the furnace... and yea to work on that fortunately hubs when we had to pull and get it working after purchase (mud dauber etc) made the lower kitchen fully removable front...  whoever designed the furnace to be non removable or workable from outside the rig and or accessible inside... gad. 

[Jim Stoltz]

That's where my big closet is, too. I guess the just got lazy when they plumbed it. With the shower head on that side it's in your face because of the step behind you. And the step isn't even necessary on the 30-footer. On the shorter ones it's to accommodate the rear wheel well. I thought about mounting the new one on the other side but thought better of it because the hose would be in the way. I thought of eventually tearing out the entire shower and making a new one from scratch with modern materials (ceramic-looking tiles). Way down on the list of priorities, though.

One of my furnaces is under a bed in the back - that one is totally accessible from above.The other is under the oven and appears to be a total pain in the butt to remove, but it looks like it has been out before. It appears as if the circuit board has been replaced since it's not mounted properly - I can see it hanging from the wires in the case. Also, the firebox isn't screwed down in the case - it's just sitting there. It looks to me like it should slide out through the cabinet door. Thankfully I haven't had to test that theory. Good luck with yours!