Kirk W

Flushing with water only is usually sufficient, but some of us (not all) also believe that it is good to sanitize the system annually and this would be the best time to do so. Keep in mind that the water heater has been sitting all winter exposed to air and anything else the air might introduce. I have never heard of anyone saving the RV antifreeze but I suppose it could be done. To me, the effort of catching it without introduction of dirt and junk into it and then storing it some way far exceeds the cost of just buying new each year.

Mostly west of us, but you are so close, we should really make a connection! If you are at the Thousand Trails park, we are less than 50 miles apart. We are midway between Canton & Tyler and just off of I-20.

We should be around so drop me a PM and let me know when you expect to pass through north TX and your route.

There probably is one but it may not be specific to the water heater alone. Unfortunately, some RV builders do not have all fuses located on the common fuse block but use some of the "inline" fuse holders for some items, perhaps because they are cheaper than a later fuse block or possibly because it is easier to do. I don't recall you having mentioned this until recently so wasn't aware that you were one. So did you work as an RV tech, or as management? My experience is in troubleshooting and repair.

That might be true if everything else is as it should be but at this point, we really don't know if there is any 12V power to that circuit board. It could be something as simple as a fuse open on your main 12V distribution supply panel. Before you spend money throwing parts at the RV, visit Amazon Market or Walmart Store and get yourself one of the cheap means of testing for 12V. It will save you a lot of time, money, and grief to get one and learn to use it. The problem could also be a bad ignition probe that costs about $30 or even a broken wire or blown fuse. Over 14 years (12 fulltime) in our last RV I replaced the water heater circuit board one time and the ignition probe 2 times. In 35 years of RV ownership and many times assisting friends with theirs I can recall using a circuit board 3 or 4 times and probably at least a dozen spark probes, several ECO assemblies, at least a dozen thermal fuses, one propane valve, and dozens of fuses.

Did you check Lemp's suggestion, the thermal fuse? Have you measured 12V to follow it from the connection to the water heater, then to the thermostat, then the thermal fuse, and to the circuit board? The circuit boards can and do fail, but they are also the most expensive item and if you buy one they will not allow you to return if it the package seal is broken. If you must get a circuit board, then I suggest you do so from Dinosaur Electronics.

If you are saying that the flame does come on and heat the water at first, then quits, that is more likely to be caused by the thermostats. There are two of those mounted together under that black foam where the thermal fuse connects. One is in the positive side of the power and the other in the return and they have different set points. They are an item which fails and needs to be replaced and while not all techs do so, I always replace both at the same time as they can be purchased as a pair.

If it isn't there, it should be and while I have seen owners remove one to get the water heater running, it is a very bad idea to leave it out. The reason for it is that water heaters sometimes experience what is called a "flashback" condition where the propane will ignite outside of the burner tube, usually in the air shutter area that can be seen directly below the arrow in the photo posted by Lemp. I have removed one as a test and to do so would harm noting as long as you are there watching the water heater during the test but it is very risky to leave it that way after the test. There is a pretty good chance that Lemp is right and it is pretty easy to find and replace. Like a fuse, those can open just from old age or mistreatment. All that they are is a thermal fuse designed to open from heat rather than current flow.

You must have something different from what I have experience with. On most water heaters there is a red light in the on/off switch that turns on when you first turn it on and again each time that it attempts to light the propane. That light then goes off when the control circuit board detects the heat of burning propane.

I hope that nobody thought that I was defending that fact! That timing might have been accidental if it were one person, less believable when two people and three is exceedingly difficult to believe was a coincidence. I do not buy it.

When we lived in WY, I always winterized including RV antifreeze because of the temperatures and the length of time that they stay that way. After moving to TX I just blow everything out because we do not have nearly so severe winters and we do occasionally use the RV in the winter. I think that if I were wintering in the really cold country I'd still use the antifreeze, just to sleep better. One of the changes in RVs is the introduction of PEX water lines and they will withstand some freezing. What don't like freezing is an elbow that has water still inside. If you do blow out, be sure to run the fresh water pump dry for a minute or so, just to be sure all water is out of it as it will freeze damage. You also need to put antifreeze into you drain traps and the toilet.

None of those encryption programs make that sort of claim, so I'm not sure what makes you think that I believe it??? But passwords can also be broken and the more you use the same one the higher the probability that it will happen and especially so if it is something logical that is easily remembered. What you speak of is a degree of risk. The most secure that is possible is to have each password different from every other one and each one made up of random characters, changing all of them frequently. Or you could keep all of your money in a box and sit close by while well armed to protect it so that there is no possibility of ever being hacked. You can't do much of anything without accepting some degree of risk.

If you search "Password safe" you will find a large choice of programs to encrypt your passwords that you can keep on a computer or smart phone, or on both and thus you would only need to remember 1 password. We keep a copy of PWsafe on each of our computers and our phones and that way we just copy & paste the passwords when needed. We also allow the program to generate our passwords for things financial or personal ID related and no two are the same. It took a bit of getting used to, but once you do so it really isn't a big deal.

When temperatures get well below freezing that is a good thing to do and I also restrict the amount of air flow through the refrigerator. It has to be able to cause the coolant to boil into a vapor for the refrigerator to keep things cold.

I envy you just a little as we will never forget the first few weeks of fulltime living and one can only do a thing the first time, once so savor the experience. The fun is just beginning but the thrill will never be quite the same. And don't worry about the propane use of your furnace. I can't say what someone else may have experienced, but a furnace that is only 35% efficient in an RV is clearly one that has some serious problems. Engineering reports say that they are about 60% efficient with some of the newer models nearing 80%. Ours was about that but any time that you have electric power supplied or included, you can supplement by using electric heaters, but be sure that you use them safely. You may want to read this article from Escapee Magazine on using them. One very important thing to keep in mind when using any type of heat in an RV is that they are not very well insulated and often have air leaks so stopping those can go a long way to help with heating or cooling.

May I ask the source of that figure? While I agree that they aren't very good, the figures that I have seen and those quoted by Mark Nemeth of Escapees, are more on the order of 60% efficient, which still isn't great.

This, along with the location of your fresh water tank and the waste tanks are located will all play a part. If your plumbing and tanks are all in heated spaces, then you should be fine as long as you keep the RV comfortable to stay in. Fresh water tanks are usually inside, frequently under the bed and so are probably OK. Water lines may not all be in heated spaces or they may be in cupboards and other spaces that heat doesn't get to and so would require leaving the doors open. You may need to fill the freshwater tank and take your hose inside to prevent it from freezing and to protect the hydrant. Your waste tanks can freeze and even if you add antifreeze if exposed there odds are not good. If the temperatures never get below 20° as you suggest, it would take most of a day for the waste tanks to freeze, if you put some RV antifreeze into them first to protect the valves. If it always gets up to 50° or more in the daytime, you probably will have little or no problems.

Looks a lot like the WFCO unit that we have. Good work!

Each state has their own set of rules about what is a legal address and most state that it must be a physical place and do not accept a mail forwarding service address. That is one of the reasons that so many choose to use TX, FL, and SD as their domicile when RVing full time. I don't know what the current law in Washington is, but I did locate this in a news story from 2007: They will probably ask for some type of proof of address. I would take it that this is a question of state school requirements and I have no personal experience with that issue and only know what friends with home-school experience have told me, so I'm probably not the best source. If someone on the forums who has experience does not respond, here are some places that you can probably find answers to most of your questions. The X-scapers are a group within the Escapee organization which consist of families and folks who are still working while the majority of us here are retired and work part-time, if at all. There are a few here that do still work and we love to have them join in, but you can probably get more and better help on home school issues from the X-scaper side of our club. X-scapers on Facebook X-scapers website Families on the Road Newschool Nomads

Welcome to the Escapee forums. As long as the state of Washington is satisfied with your address and you keep your registration, licenses, and insurance active there, you should have no problem. Heere is a pretty good answer to the question. You might find the website I am home schooling to be helpful to you.

I ordered a MS4021B from Walmart, online for $14.99. I had read that Walmart is now working to compete with Amazon and since they beat Amazon in price, I thought that I'd give them a try.

I just found information on them on a friend's subscription to Consumer Reports. Here is a summary of that report. It looks like the ACCUTIRE Digital TIRE Pressure Gauge will be my choice! Thank you, everyone, who responded.

Internet shows both Walmart & Sears are selling it for $14.99.

I have come to the time when I need to replace one one of my tire gauges. This one is for the SUV and it would be best if it were to be compact enough to keep in a fairly full glove box. In looking through those listed on Amazon, I find that most of the highest rated ones are analog, while only a few digital models are a match. The round dial type seems to solidly lead the pack yet I have read many times on RV forums that a digital should be used for better accuracy. So if you will share with my the type, make, and (model if you know) of tire gauge that you are using, along with how you like it. Tell us why you do or don't like yours. If you recall, share also where you purchased it and what the cost was. Thanks in advance!

Be careful as we have found that KOA tends to have a bunch of little extra charges once you arrive that push the rate up above what was quoted. Things like $3 extra for 50a, $2 more for a pet, $2 for cable TV, $3 for wifi, and so on. A friend tells me that the letters KOA stand for the words "keep on adding."