do it yourself

[genecurp]

The owners manual recommends the replacement of the anode rod inside the water heater annually. Since we live in ours 12 months, and never drain the water heater to store the trailer, I thought more often might be appropriate for us. I changed in back in June in Maine.

I looked up the OEM part number and discovered neither my dealer nor the local Camping World carried OEM parts. Both sources assured me that there was only one part that fit all the water heaters of my manufacturer (Suburban of Dayton, TN!!). Well. My manual covered only 4 models, the ones in my size range, and the anode rods among the four had 2 different OEM numbers. You will be as surprised as I was to learn my OEM number was the COMMON number (3 out of the 4 models).

Saturday I visited my dealer. The parts guy I have dealt with a few times over the last year. He is earning my confidence as knowledgeable (a seemingly rare occurance with RV matters are concerned). The after market part supplier Camco was recommended as the dealer had found them to last longer than the OEM part.

How important is this? Just a $10 part. A part that protects a $350 heater that takes $200 to install.

So I bought the Camco. The next day (I aways wait until Sunday so no stores or repair facilites will be open - and they say guys have trouble with committment) I started the installation. Just turn off the electricity and LP gas, get the water cool, screw out the old one and screw in the new one. Simple.

I skipped the LP step cause I was using elctricity to heat water. I hit the circiut breaker inside. I waited an hour for the water to cool. Still too hot. I re-read the instructions in the manual. Water still too hot. Humm. I read the Camco instructions on the back of the package. A ha. Run the hot water down the drain at the kitchen sink. Self-esteem is hard to maintain.

Now the water was safely cool. I took my small collection of tools to the outside access door. and had no place to set them except on the wet ground. My 10 inch wrench was too big for the small space I had to work with. The vice grips didn't have room, nor would the wrench turn the vice grips. The wrench, of course, would hold on the (by now) damn thing.

As is my habit in things mechanical, I gave up. I called the office and asked a maintenance man to come by and give me advice. NO. NOT ALLOWD TO TOUCH MY UNIT. What if they just look at it? NO. BUT HERE IS THE NUMBER OF THE MOBILE REPAIR SURVICE.

Rick seemed like a nice guy on the phone. $45 service charge. $65 and hour except this is weekend rates at $75. All things considered, not so bad. But as I explained to him, this was not an emergency. I passed on Rick's Fix-It.

One last time I search my skimpy selections of tools. There were a few socket heads. The big one I had to torque the bolt on the hitch in the truck bed. That big socket was just a tiny bit big for the anode rod. It was mounted on an extension. Too bad I didn't own a ratchet handle. I all had was...A TORQUE WRENCH WITH A RATCHETING HEAD.

The anode rode was replace effortlessly in just moments.

I left out of this story my trip to the nearest store, K-Mart, for the teflon tape. Guess what, Sears owns Kmart, and had just installed Craftsman tools in the store. They had a Craftsman ball cap, black with a red logo patch, that stuck me as unique because it had 2 LED flashlights built into its brim. (I can hear the stampede now as all the guys rush out to get a new cap). I wonder if Kmart will carry Lands End clothing.

That evening Judi brialliantly suggested I write down in the owners manual how to change the anode rod using my tools. I love her to death.

Gene

[JimF]

ahhh, a real man story for sure, I WANT one of those hats!!!

[H. John Kohl]

Changing the electronic heating element is just a little more fun. You need a socket just a hair or three larger then the one for the anode rod. I had to loosen the propane feed to get the socket in place. I was told there were two types, screw in and bolt in. Mine was a screw in.

Hat with lights here I come.
Tks
Cheers,

[exav8tr]

Where's "Tim the Toolman" when you really need him??? Since I am preparing to hit the road this summer, the subject of what tools to take with me has come up several times. Other than common screwdrivers, wrenches, sockets, A TORQUE WRENCH, hammer, nails, screws, cordless drill, bits, pliers, electrical tools (not that I would know how to use these), Elec tape, teflon tape, a small pipe wrench, hacksaw, carpenters saw (small), Can anyone suggest any SPECIAL TOOLS that I may be overlooking that may come in handy????

Thanks for the replies.....

Phil P.

[exav8tr]

Oh, and a Craftsman cap, with lights......

[lasater]

This story seems to end well. I guess that means he remembered to refill the water heater prior to turnning the circuit breaker back on. The last time I de-winterized, I forgot. It took a trip to the Green Star Campers in Rapid City for a new element. Back to the Berry Patch to find out that I didn't have that socket that was just a hair or three larger than standard. Off to Menard's...no luck there. Hmmm Where is Lowes? Oh yeah, the other side of town. Oops, no luck there, either. What next? Ah,...Ace Hardware. Back across town again. They had the socket. Now I have the socket.

By the way, the element was only $12.95. But it took me 30 miles of driving and an additional $8.95 plux tax to find the correct socket. Sometimes that $45 service charge actually looks like a good deal.

[genecurp]

Yes, I remembered to refill the tank. I turned on the heat and was still "safe" since I forgot to flip on the circuit breaker. It did end well.

Special tool: I found while in New hampshire I needed a 6mm hex wrench for the fuel filter in the F250 diesel to drain water contaminated fuel out. It is in my glove box, and I have plastic to lie on and a milk carton to catch the drained fuel under the seat.

[BirdingRVer]

Until this past weekend when I wanted to unscrew the dinning table from the floor of the Montana, I had never even heard of a Robertson Screw. Fortunately, I was able to get one of the screws out to take to the hardware store to find a tool to remove the other three. Naturally there wasn't anyone in the tools section of the store to tell we what I had or what I needed. I just started trying to match the screw I had with what was on the wall and then in amongst all of the screw drivers was a Robertson screw driver. So, only one extra trip to the hardware store and a $6.00 purchase to remove the 3 remaining screws.

So, far I have managed to live my life without a torque wrench, why would there be a need for a Torque wrench now?

[stiles watson]

Birding, you need a torque wrench to make sure your wheels have the right torque on the lug nuts. I didn't own one either until I got the Monty. I check my torque before starting out everytime. Since it is a specialty tool, I don't use it for other purposes so as not to invite distortion of the calibration. Happy RVing.....

[tom41]

cap with built in flash lights, uhmmmmm bet the guys that goes "snipe" hunting would love that lol!

[BirdingRVer]

Stiles,

I have never seen lug nuts put on with anything but, an air gun. Nor have I ever seen anyone check the torque once the tires were on the vehicle. Is there something that makes 5th wheels require that the torque be so exact? With my little trailer, I would check to make sure the lug nuts where tight but, again I never knew that they had to have specific number of pounds of torque.

[LonnieB]

Phil,

It would probably be a good idea to have a good multimeter, a small air compressor ( 12 volt, unless you have a generator ) and a QUALITY tire pressure guage.

[LonnieB]

Grant,

If whoever has been installing your wheels has been doing it right, they aren't just using an air impact wrench. They should be using a tool called a torque stick on the impact wrench. This tool assures proper torqe of the nuts, no matter how long they hold the trigger on the wrench. Overtightening causes pulled threads on the studs & nuts, and distorts the holes in the wheels where the lugnuts seat. This situation can cause the lugnuts to loosen, and you know what happens next. As far as what makes the 5th wheel trailer any different than any other tandem axle trailer? Nothing. Any tandem axle trailer with this much weight has an extreme amout of stress on the wheels when making turns. This side to side strain on the wheels can also cause the lugnuts to loosen over time.

I have used a torque wrench on all my wheels since I was just a beginning mechanic, still do, and always will.

[sreigle]

I retorque the lugnuts after each time the lug nuts are loosened or removed. I stop every 50 to 100 miles to check the torque. It usually takes three or four re-torquings before they no longer have loosened. After that they seem to hold until the next time they are removed. I still check them occasionally, maybe every couple thousand miles. They've never been loose other than as mentioned at the beginning of the paragraph.

[bsmeaton]

Here are the results of air guns - this was our maiden voyage. The Dealer had aftermarket alloys installed at a local tire shop and they were way overtorqued. Four of the studs snapped way back in the hub and the remaining two couldn't hold on any longer.





That's when I learned how to spell "torque"

Brad

[exav8tr]

Great example Brad!!! Torque wrench is a definite buy.....Cheap insurance I guess....

Thanks,

[dieselguy]

I got a free set of front rotors and brake pads out of a local tire store a few years back. Employee put my tires and wheels back on using a rattle gun with determination ... warped the rotors. On my way home when I applied the brakes it about shook the steering wheel out of my hands. The new pads were thrown in as the owner figured my used pads wouldn't mate well with the new rotors. I became a firm believer in torque settings ever after.

[stiles watson]

When I put new tires on any vehicle, I insist that they do the tightening with a torque wrench for the reasons listed in the earlier posts. If they won't do that, I shop elsewhere. I also stand there and watch them do the deed. It may not be as critical on a 2000# auto or even on a 6000# truck as it is on a 15,000# payload costing from $30,000 to $60,000. I figure that I am the only one really concerned about the safety of my wheels, so I am proactive in ensuring proper installation and maintenence.

[virgil47]

Birding, let's start the "I'm not very mechanical but I try" club. I'd like to be the first recruit. This sounds so much like one of my efforts. Glad you gotrdun!

[wileecoyote985]

Good story. No Crapsman hat for me though. Sears lost me a long time ago with their emphasis on profit over quality when it comes to many of their tools. JMHO.