Blown Fuses Update

Where Are We Today

Fuse Update

In my last post, I wrote about blown fuses. After trying five different locations in Yuma with no luck, we called it a day. The last place we asked, suggested O'Reilly Auto Parts or similar store, when we got home, I found a marine place online that I ordered them from, to be delivered to us at Pilot Knob RV Park.

New fuses and block re-installed

The other day while back in Yuma, I checked at O'Reilly's and low and behold they had the fuses I needed. It wasn't long after we got home that I had them installed and we are back in business, all set for dry camping in a few days.

I am sure you are following along in Pat's blog, of our daily adventures. So I will leave you with a pictures of where we are taken from my drone.

Looking south towards Mexico

That's our 5th wheel and yours truly flying the drone

Looking north towards Interstate 8 and the town of Felicity on the other side of the Hwy.

Looking east towards Yuma

Another shot looking north, not many in the camp ground right now, but a lot coming in January

George and Suzie

Sue and Roger

Some playing bocce ball

Main office and club house

Different angle, notice the 1930 Model A

Thanks for following along, leave a comment if you wish as I do like to read them. Until the next time, take care and be safe.

 

Blown Fuses

Where Are We Today

Blown Fuses

Yesterday, December 20th, 2017, we left Lake Havasu City " On Our Way" to Pilot Knob RV Resort in Winterhaven California. While I take care of the outside, Pat closes up the inside. The last thing that she does is to turn on the inverter, which she did, lock the door and off we go.

Our spot at Rose & George's Lake Havasu City

We were about half way to our destination when we stopped for a break, entering the trailer and opening one of the slides, I noticed that the inverter remote switch lights were  off. A quick check right at the inverter verified that this was indeed the case. Not being able to do much about it at the side of the road, we carried on.

After setting up, I started to scratch my brain to see if I could figure out what had happened. One of the first thoughts was an internal  fuse of the inverter, after checking the manual, it is recommended that a qualified technician should replace it.  Calling it the end of the day. I'll sleep on it and scratch my head in the morning and hope I don't get slivers under my finger nails.

There are two 100 Amp 32 V. Fuses

Early this morning, the light bulb went off and I remembered that there is a fuse block between the batteries and the inverter. That was it, or I should say they were it. There are two 100 amp buss fuses, that were blown, problem solved. I will replace them and we should be back in business for dry camping in January.

Ohm Meter confirms that they are blown

I started to wonder why they blew, after two years of no problems. It came to me this afternoon what the cause could be. We had been running the heat pump , it was off when we closed up, but the thermostat was still on. Being the outside temperature was below the thermostat setting of 65* F for the heat pump, at some time after we were on the road it tried to start on the inverter power, the current it would draw was  greater than  the inverter could handle, the fuses blew to protect the inverter from damage, that's why they are there.

This is where the fuse block goes between the batteries and the inverter.

I'm glad that problem is solved and I won't lose any sleep over it tonight.

As I said, we did travel yesterday and I haven't rated the road yet. Hwy I 95 south from Lake Havasu City to Yuma, I would rate between a 7.5 - 8 out of 10. Hwy I 8 from Yuma to our campground, I would rate as a 9.5 out of 10. It was under construction last year when we were here and still is, that is the only reason it doesn't get a perfect 10.

All set up at Pilot Knob RV Park

That's it for this time, thanks for following along. Love to read your comments, if you care to leave one. Until the next time, take care and travel safe.

 

Friends

Where Are We Today

Lake Havasu City Arizona

( written by me, myself and I )

It must be the time of year, because here he goes again, Bill that is. If you remember, it was about the same time last year that he got all mushy.

He said to me the other day that he doesn't know from what cache of his mind these thoughts/ideas come from, but they do. So the topic of this conversation was "Friends", who, how many and what kind, and by what kind, he meant personal, social media, life style and blogger friends, of which many cross all of those categories.

Before we go any further, he interjected, family is important here also, immediate family are more than friends along with in-law family, who he lovingly refers to as the out-laws, but because they are called friends on social media sites, they need to be recognized. It was also mentioned that the love and support for the life style ( which is full time RVing) that they have chosen is overwhelming.

Joan

So to start with, Bill said that thinking back to childhood/school days, there is one friend who he hears from on social media, that is Joan Wood, they met in 1966 as classmates at King Lear Public School and lost contact during high school. A few years ago, they found each other on social media and continue that friendship online. One day he hopes that they will meet again in person after 40 some years.

Friends come and go for various reasons, they come into your life for and through many avenues, work, play, marriages, divorces, family and social media, some stay and some leave. Bill partially remembered an old saying that goes something like this, " friends that stay were meant to be and those that don't, just fade away", a good way to look at it.

Kim

Heather, Pat, Laurie A.& Laurie B

Deb

Brenda

So taking a look at the various types of friends, he said that work friends cross a couple of those categories. While working, there were people who you call friends, not just work mates. He said that they were the ones that you looked forward to seeing each time that you worked together or crossed paths during a work day. Since retiring. he hasn't seen a lot of them, but most are on social media and keep in touch. Brenda, Mike, Fred, Steve, Deb, Kim, Laurie, Eric and Mark to name a few that came to his mind.

Kathy & Derrick Sumnall

Jim & Sharon May

Charmaine, Colin, Selina 7 Samantha

Next he said that play friends, meaning people who he met through his hobby, RC aircraft, are what comes to mind and some of these cross more than one categories. Some of them lead to friendship with more than the individual, but also their spouse and family. When spouses came into equation, that meant that Bill's wife Pat became part of that friendship also, which led to friendships outside of the hobby/play category. 

Pat

A few that came to his mind were, The Nashs', The Sumnalls', The Henrys', The Mays', The Carters', Keith, Kevin, Jack and many others. One thing about belonging to a club and meeting new friends is the support in that hobby that is given to each other.

Lina, Giselle & Chris Carter

Keith

Kevin

 Bill said that he can't thank them enough for that help and support  that continues to be given in and outside the hobby.

In Bill's mind, the last two categories are combined, because one evolved from the other, that being blogger friends evolved from RVing, so many of the friends cross from one to the other. Although Rving/ camping, started for both Bill and Pat before they met, it continued after a short time into their marriage. Having gone through tent, tent trailer, truck camper and now on their 4th fifth wheel trailer which led into full time RVing.

George, Gerry, Dee, Mike, Melinda, and Suzie

Ken & Nancy Adamski

The first to be recognized, Bill says, is a blogger who gave so much information into full time RVing then and after they met is George and Suzie Yates, whose blog is" Our Awesome Travels". From them, they have met so many other part and full time RVers, The Aljoes', The Whites', The Hicks', The Goodens', The Adamskis', The Denzlers', The Obergs', to name a few. Through blogger there are many who they have met and not met yet, Rick & Kathy, Deb & Tom, Al & Kelly, Deb & Riley, Ken & Shirley, Mike & Sandy and many more. Bill says, if you read his or Pat's blog, you can find the many friends on blogger down the right hand side of the page.

Rob & Pat Aljoe

Oscar & Judy Oberg

Lori & Rowland Denzler

Rick & Kathy

That brings to mind one last and important part of the RVing experience. That one being the dealer who you buy your RV from, in this case, their three last trailers came from CanAm RV, in London Ontario. Bill said that not everyone buys from a dealer or the same dealer, but in his opinion, if you find one that gives you excellent service and you can build a rapport with, he likes to stick with them. In Pat and Bill's case, this is CanAm RV. He said that this experience as customers first, then friends has now grown to a family feeling with CanAm. It starts with the owners, Andy & Kirk Thomson, then filters down through the staff, from sales, finance, service, parts and the unseen techs who prepare and repair our RV.

CanAm Family

The relationship with CanAm, led first to Pat & Bill helping out at RV shows, getting to know the staff and meeting manufacturer representatives, other RVers and those looking to become RVers. The second thing for Bill, led to a part time job, showing people through the trailer they have bought, new or used. If you know Bill at all, he likes to talk, and knows enough about trailers to do this. He will also tell you, that this is a learning experience for him, as new technology appears, he has the opportunity to see it. He will tell you that he gets to talk with the techs and learn from them, whether it is new technology or how to fix something on their own trailer.

While Bill has been rambling on here, I have been putting his thoughts into words. I get from all of this, that Bill thinks friends, no matter what category, are important. It doesn't matter whether they are personal, work related, play, RVers or bloggers, whether you communicate each day or not, whether you see each other on a daily bases or once every few years, as long as you keep in touch, that's what counts, that's what makes you friends.

To sum it up, he says, friends are friends, you don't have to be in touch 365 days a year, but stay in touch. If you decide to leave, no hard feelings.

This is the time of year that he says you should give some extra thought to all of those you call friends. 

Bill is thankful for each one and hopes that you don't take offense if he has missed you.