shopping

Buying stuff.

Custom couch side tables

While in Red Bay we also got Cody Poores of Cody’s Custom Cabinets to create custom side tables for our theater seating couch.

We already had nice side tables that we bought from Dave & LJ’s RV Interior Design in Woodland, Washington, along with our couch. Here’s the one on Jenn’s side of the couch, next to the kitchen pull-out counter and drawers:

Side table

And my side, using the top drawer as a surface for my iPad:

Side table

They were nice, but we wanted ones that were sized better for the space, matched the look of built-in cabinets, and had a better pull-out surface on top. Cody was able to produce custom units to match our requirements.

Here he’s removing the old units:

Side table

Side table

Jenn’s new unit, without the top; you can see the pull-out surface:

Side table

My unit installed:

Side table

The pull-out surface is very useful for resting my iPad and MacBook Pro:

Side table

Jenn’s unit:

Side table

Hers also has the pull-out surface and two drawers:

Side table

Side table

Much better!

Kenwood DNR1008RVS GPS receiver

The stereo/GPS that came with our coach had a small screen, and was no longer receiving map updates, which makes it hard to rely on it for navigation. So we purchased a replacement, the Kenwood DNR1008RVS; a newer model with a 10.1” display, wireless CarPlay to connect to our iPhones, and map updates.

Here’s the old unit, to the right of the camera display:

Camera and GPS

The old unit removed, and wires for new unit:

Old unit removed, and wires for new unit

The new unit in the dash, without its screen:

New unit in dash, without screen

The screen added:

New unit with screen

It still mirrors to the TV above the windshield:

Still mirrors to TV

Though the screen on the unit is big and clear enough that there’s no need to mirror it; I can easily see it from the passenger seat:

Both screens

New unit

Using the unit with CarPlay:

New GPS

Much better!

Replacing controller for Tecma macerating toilet

Our motorhome has two toilets; an electric gravity toilet in the half bath, and an electric macerating toilet in the rear bathroom. Both have had their issues; in 2021 I needed to replace the flush switch on the half bath toilet, and in 2022 I needed to dismantle the rear toilet to clear out a blockage.

Recently, the rear toilet stopped working again, in much the same way as before, so I figured that I needed to clear a blockage again. Though it was a bit different this time; it would flush first thing in the morning, then stop working again. Which made me think something else was going on. Upon dismantling it, I confirmed that there wasn’t any blockage. Research indicated that the issue was likely the controller unit; apparently our vintage had a known issue where it could overheat and stop working.

So, I ordered a replacement controller. It’s the “Thetford 36398 Toilet Controller for Tecma Silence Plus RV Toilet”. I purchased it from Boat & RV Accessories, as they had it for a good price and could ship it overnight. But it is also available on Amazon from a couple of sellers.

But unfortunately this did not solve the issue. I thought it did, as the toilet worked properly for a few days, but yesterday as we prepared to leave our campsite, it failed again. It’s possible that the new controller went bad, but it seems much more likely to me that the macerator pump is actually the cause. So I guess I need to try replacing that.

On to the pictures. Here’s the toilet in the shower, prior to looking for clogs:

Toilet in shower

Paladin sniffing the sewer pipe:

Paladin sniffing sewer pipe

I looked where the blockage was before, after the macerator, but it was clear:

Removing macerator

So I fully removed the macerator; no blockage anywhere:

Removing macerator

The suspect controller:

The controller

Work in progress:

Work in progress

The new controller arrived, and even included a copy of the manual:

New controller

I put the toilet back in the shower (it had been back in place, though disconnected, while I waited for the part), and removed the old controller:

Toilet in shower

I added the new controller, and re-installed the macerator:

Re-installed macerator

Re-installed macerator

Then re-installed the toilet, and checked it:

Re-installed toilet

It worked for a few days, but as mentioned above, replacing the controller didn’t solve the issue. Stay tuned for a future post on my next attempt at repairing this toilet! We’re very glad that we have two toilets in our coach, so can make do with using the other one in the meantime.

Just another super glamorous aspect of RV life.

Sinclair Trails QR codes

I recently generated a QR code for the Sinclair Trails blog; scanning this code will take you to a variation of the About Sinclair Trails page, that introduces the blog and gives background info about us, our coach, and truck:

QR code

I bought a couple of large stickers with that QR code from a seller on Etsy (the same one I used for the big Sinclair Trails logo sticker), and added the smaller one between the states map and URL on the side of our slide-out:

Map, QR code, URL

From further back:

Map, QR code, URL

The QR code can be read from this far back (or a little further). Here’s a screenshot of the iPhone Camera app reading the QR code:

Camera app

I also added a larger sticker on the back of our coach. I have a ladder, but it was easier (and more stable) to back up our truck to the rear of the coach, and stand on the tailgate:

Truck backed up to rear of coach

Here’s the big QR code on the rear of our coach, so passengers can scan it while passing us on the road:

QR code on rear of coach

Barrier cushions

There are a bunch of wires and stuff under the dash in our coach, which are too tempting for Paladin to play with when he’s in a bratty mood:

Under dash area

So while at Red Bay we got Lindsey & Winchester Drapery to make a custom barrier cushion for that space (something they do for many owners with pets).

Here’s a rough cut of foam for the shape:

Foam

And the final product, delivered later that week:

Barrier cushion

In place:

Barrier cushion

We also got them to make a small barrier for under the bedroom slide-out, to prevent Paladin from pushing things under there:

Barrier cushion

And a block for a larger gap in the corner:

Barrier cushion

These work great. Of course, we remove them for travel days.

Easy reach awning opener

A nice tweak: I found this easy reach awning opener at the Tiffin parts store, and bought two of them. Our coach came with a long pole to reach the window awnings, but it’s a bit of a pain to pull it out of the basement bay, and possibly go around to the other side to get it. With two of these compact extendable tools, we can more easily open the awnings. Handy!

Here’s an Amazon link for the product (probably way cheaper than whatever I paid at Tiffin).

Easy reach awning opener

Tiffin parts store

While at 1st Class Glass I wandered across the road to the Bob Tiffin Service Center, where new owners of Tiffin motorhomes can get servicing done. (We are not eligible, since our coach is a 2017 model; we use third-party vendors instead.)

Bob Tiffin Service Center

Bob Tiffin Service Center

I wanted to visit the parts store to pick up some items. It’s a huge area; I wasn’t sure where to go (and they don’t have great signage). I stopped by the Tiffin Allegro Club office, and they pointed me in the right direction:

Bob Tiffin Service Center

Bob Tiffin Service Center

The service center customer entrance is hidden halfway down this building:

Bob Tiffin Service Center

Bob Tiffin Service Center

Inside, they directed me to the customer parts area, though I had to ask again to find it. It’s a small caged area with a few parts on display, and a counter where one can ask for other parts:

Parts shop

Parts shop

Apparently it used to be much nicer, where people could browse the shelves for parts; now you have to request them. I could find all sorts of goodies if I could explore, but alas, this area beyond the gate is off limits:

Parts shop

Just a few items available within the cage:

Parts shop

Parts shop

Parts shop

Stay tuned for one bonus find, though, coming on tomorrow’s Tweak Thursday.

Sewer hose closure

As you may know, I post about RV modification topics every Monday (“Modification Mondays”). I have a long list of potential topics, some smaller than others, so I thought I’d post some of the shorter ones on Thursdays when we don’t have a lot of exploring topics — Thursday for “Tweak Thursdays” (I do enjoy alliteration!). Here’s the first one, about a nice little tweak.

In the wet bay of our motorhome, there is a large hole in the bottom through which one feeds the sewer hose, so the wet bay door can be closed with the hose connected. That is convenient, but it leaves a sizable gap around the hose, through which rodents and such could enter. I previously used some steel wool to close this gap, which worked well, though tended to rust when it got damp, and was a bit of a hassle.

I recently saw a suggestion on Facebook where someone posted about a custom 3D-printed panel that fitted around the sewer hose, and someone else commented that they used one of these flashings instead:

Pipe flashing

That seemed like a great idea, so I bought one (Amazon link) and installed it by cutting a hole and fitting it around the sewer hose:

Sewer hose enclosure

Wet bay

I had it around a 2-foot-long hose, so I could disconnect that and pull it up out of the hole for travel days, leaving the flashing around the hose. But that was a bit of a hassle, so I came up with another approach: I got a clear 10” extension pipe, and put the flashing around that:

Sewer pipes

Plus a 45° adapter:

Sewer pipes

Sewer pipes

Sewer pipes

That will let me leave the pipe and flashing in place, and just remove the 45° adapter for travel days. I just installed this yesterday, so we’ll see how well it works!

Replacing the cabin air filter

A periodic maintenance item for any vehicle is to replace the cabin air filter, for the dash AC.

I must admit, I thought our coach didn’t have a replaceable filter, until pointed out on my Tiffin Allegro Bus 2016-2018 Owners Facebook group. Oops.

Here’s a picture of where it is located in the generator compartment, for context:

Cabin air filter

Cabin air filter

It’s rather difficult to get out (update: it’s actually easier than this; I had only unclipped the bottom, but when I changed it for the second time, I realized there’s a clip at the top too, that was buried under insulation):

Cabin air filter

Ours was definitely overdue for replacement:

Cabin air filter

A new one from Amazon:

Cabin air filter

(Update: the guys at Bay Diesel in Red Bay were interested in the filter I used; they said it was much better than the one they had sourced.)

Using a sewer tote tank and macerator pump to dump waste tanks from the back of our truck

What goes in, must go out. As mentioned last week, sometimes we stay at rustic campgrounds or rallies where there are no sewer hookups. No big deal for up to about a week. But if we’re staying longer, we have a tote tank that can be used to empty our black and gray tanks, enabling us to camp as long as we want.

We bought a Camco Rhino 36-Gallon Portable Camper/RV Tote Tank from Amazon:

Tote tank box

They (and RVers generally) recommend getting a tank big enough to fit the capacity of the RV’s waste tanks, but that advice is geared towards smaller RVs — our motorhome has a 70 gallon gray tank and 50 gallon black tank, so we need to take two trips to fully empty each.

The instructions that came with the tank:

Manual

Manual

I also got a Tote Tank Gauge for it, that indicates when the tank is getting full; important since the capacity is smaller than the tanks in our coach:

Fill gauge

I didn’t bother installing the ladder hook, since we don’t have a ladder on our coach. In the future I might add a bar to our towbar to mount a rack onto. But for now I store the tank in the bed of our truck, wrapped in a cover:

Covered tote tank in truck

Here’s the tote tank (when it was brand new):

Tote tank

Tote tank

It has wheels at the back and front; the front wheels can be steered; I normally don’t attach the handle, though:

Wheel

There is a valve on the side to dump the contents:

Dump valve

And a second valve on top for filling, though this can also be used for dumping by tilting the tank vertically:

Fill valve

I also purchased a macerator pump:

Macerator pump

Normally one would position the tote tank next to the wet bay, and use gravity to fill it from the RV’s tanks, then hook the tank to a tow bar or wheel it manually to the campground dump station.

But I wanted to keep it in the bed of our truck, so I could easily drive it to the dump station. So I use the macerator pump to chop up any solids and pump it all uphill into the truck:

Macerator pump

Another time, I attached the macerator directly to the port (with a clear tube); the downside was getting a little water in the wet bay when disconnecting (if the tank isn’t completely drained):

Maserator attached directly

The tank in the back of the truck:

Tank

The hose (only used for this purpose) goes from the macerator to the fill valve on top:

Hose

Both the water bladder and the sewer tote fit quite nicely together in the bed of the truck:

Water bladder and tote

Water flowing into the tank:

Water flowing into tank

Water flowing into tank

Fill gauge:

Fill gauge

The fill gauge rising up as it nears capacity:

Gill gauge

Once the tote is full (or the RV’s tanks are empty), I drive the truck to the campground’s dump station, hook up a sewer hose to the side valve, and empty the tank:

Dumping from tank in truck

Much more convenient than dragging the tote behind the truck. And like the water bladder, lets us stay indefinitely even in a campground without a sewer hookup.