Extreme frustration level, Someone talk me down!

[ols1932]

I reduced my pump noise by about half. I went to Lowe's (any store that sells plumbing supplies will do) and purchased 2 one foot pieces of 1/2 inch flexible tubing and two each of the proper male and female fittings along with 4 clamps. I installed one female fitting in one end of each piece of tubing and a male fitting in the other ends. Clamp them tight. I then installed the pieces of flexible tubing between the input to the pump from the tank and between the output of the pump to the rest of the rig's piping (the end that was disconnected from the output of the pump). I installed the flexible tubing with a loop in it. This removes the vibration created by the original rigid tubing connected to the pump.

I learned this at an RV show where a man was repairing Shur-flo pumps.

Give it a try. The flexible tubing and fittings only cost about $5.00.

[Montana_1197]

1. As far as the bedroom slide, try one of those plastic disc (like you see on tv to move furniture) under the slide wheels. The slide will move easier and with the bigger surface area its not as hard on the carpet.
2. We felt very little heater airflow and after a lot of taking things apart and looking I come to the realization (in the 5er anyway) it's designed that way. The delivery hose gets smaller. I guess they figure heat rises so the heat from the main room will work it's way up into the bedroom. But I put one of those flexible magnetic register covers over the vent in the main room to heat the bedroom more quickly.
3. As long as the waste sensors or the inside of the tank are wet,they'll read something. Mine has always read 1/3. We put a little water and detergent in the tank to slosh around on the way home to help clean it and not stink. We dump that in our sewer when we park it. After a couple of days the panel shows empty.
4. Has anyone ever tried to measure the input/output of the holding tanks. I just did today; its kinda weird. The black tank is empty, open the valve and nothing comes out (not a drop). Now go dump a 5 gal bucket of water in the potty, go open the valve again and see how much comes out. You'd expect almost 5 gals, right? I would, but I only got about 3 gals out! Getting to cold to worry about it how, so I just winterized her and will worry about it in the spring.
5. Good luck when you talk to Keystone. I'm going to go by the dealer one last time on Monday to address the tire wear problem, then I'm ringing Keystones phone. If you get ahold of a understanding and helpful dude, pass his/her name around. My last contact was not helpful. I hear its better to call them on the phone rather than email.

We'll be watching for a update........

[Montana_31]

We have the exterior sensors on our rig's holding tanks and they have not given a false reading yet in almost a year's use. We flush out the black tank after each time we drain it.
We also have an accumulator tank and our fresh water pump is not that noisy. I don't know if that has helped with the noise or not.

[tnorfitz]

Babymakes3,
Your unit may not have been sitting level enough for the water to get to the drain valve. That would cause the 5 gallons in to only be 3 gallons coming out. If you would get the rig to lean to the side where the tank drains, it bet you would get the same amount out.
Just a thought!

[Montana_1197]

Been there-done that. I always try to be level North-South and tilting to the sewer side. Just to make sure I get it all out and mentally I think tilting to the side a little makes the job go faster. But where I park the trailer is level North-South and East-West. So tilting or true level doesn't seem to change the result. O-well, another mystery that can wait until Spring.........Or maybe next Spring.

[Montana_860]

Update:

Temps got down to the low 40's this week so I went out and fired up the furnace. The vent in the kitchen and the vent in the living room were closed. After about 30 minutes the trailer started getting warm throughout. Before the most recent work, The kitchen floor would be extremely hot. What I am noticing is that now the unit warms more evenly, but it takes longer to warm everything. Service man said one vent on the furnace was open and pushing air out into the room through the return air vent. Now the furnace runs forever and the heat is marginal but even throughout the trailer. The kitchen floor is no longer hot. I think air must be flowing too much under the trailer instead of in the trailer. When I talked to the owner he said to bring it in (again) and they will look at it. I have not yet called Keystone, will wait to discuss with dealer. The other issues will also be discussed and I will keep you posted.

[Montana_860]

Latest Update.
I took the trailer back again and another restriction was found somewhere in the airflow path. I didn't catch where they said the restriction was but will try to follow up on that later. Thus far the heating system has been modified numerous times. Restrictions at the ductwork were eliminated and all seams were sealed. Vents were replaced with closeable covers. The Kitchen floor no longer gets extremely hot. A vent on the side of the furnace was found to be blowing air out into the same area where the return air was supposed to travel. The dealer insulated the ductwork at the front of the trailer but did not replace it with non flexible duct. If I end up keeping the trailer, I will probably do that myself. I have also considered adding a fan to the bedroom duct to help circulate air.

Over the Thanksgiving Holiday we used the trailer and used the heater without any supplemental heat. We did have the door open from the upstairs bedroom to the main area which is something we wouldn't ordinarily do. Even so, we feel that the heater will work marginally to adequately to keep the trailer warm. Of course if we have access to electricity we will use space heaters, but we don't always have that option so the propane heater must work adequately.

The dealer replaced the seal on the front slide and adjusted the slide to keep it from wearing on the carpet. They said it is not the wheels causing the problem, but a misalignment of the slide. Again, if I keep this trailer I will do the wheels like Aztar suggested.

The dealer adjusted the main slide where it is wearing on the guide. They said the carpet wasn't worn because they were able to get it to "fluff" back up. They fixed the linoleum in the bathroom and also in the kitchen where it was blowing up when the heater was on.

I had to remove the cover under the refrigerator to untangle the electric cord and in doing so, I discovered the water pump was loose. I tightened the mount but plan on re-mounting the pump on some rubber buffers to eliminate noise. IF I keep this unit, I might install a tank next to the pump to eliminate the surging.

Yesterday I found that I have to remove the heater return air vent cover in order to reach around to the water heater and flip the bypass lever. What a chore. My son could have engineered this stuff better!

So, In conclusion, my heat problem has been resolved for the most part. The other issues have been addressed and once again I have my trailer home. As we continue to use the unit we will monitor wear on the carpets and vigilantly watch for leaks (so far I haven't had that problem.) If the opportunity to trade presents itself I may jump on it. My wife has already expressed her disappointment and willingness to get rid of this unit. I must keep her happy so I anxiously await the next RV show in town.

[Montana_2577]

Sorry to here about your disappointment. I also live in Wichita and also have the 04 297RK. I love it. Did you get it from the guys on Kellogg? I was in the room ready to sign the deal and when they started to whine about throwing in a sewer hose so I walked out. I bought from 4Seasons in Abaline. Great guys. Anyway What did they do to stick the linoleum around the kitchen vent? I just cover it with a magnetic cover and it inflates the kitchen floor. I still love it though.

[Montana_860]

TS,
We did buy from Kellogg. We had gone to Abilene and couldn't find anyone interested in taking our money. As many trips back to the shop as we've had, I am glad I am not driving to Abilene each time for the repairs. The dealer replaced the floor registers with some that open and close. They had to pull up the carpet to glue down the linoleum in the Kitchen, you can tell they were there.

[sreigle]

We bought our first Montana from Four Seasons at Abilene and were very pleased with the dealership. The sales manager was not there that day so we dealt with Jack and Darrel. When we were ready to trade for another Montana, we were told to deal with Kerry, the sales manager. When he made me a ridiculous first offer I made an equally ridiculous counter offer in the other direction (via phone), thinking we could start dickering at that point. When he got done going off on me in a rather nasty way I told him to shove it and hung up. We went to Naylors RV in Kansas City and got a good deal from them. Other than Kerry, I really like the Abilene store. Their service manager (forgot his name) is top notch, a real perfectionist. I scheduled warranty work for a Friday and found out later that's his day off but he came in anyhow to make sure our brake work got done correctly.

[On The Road Again]

Wow, you've really had some unfortunate problems. Please call Keystone direct at (574)535-2100 and ask for Jeff Rank. Jeff (along with his assistants)was very helpful at our rally in Indiana this past Sept and I'm sure he should be able to help or at least put you in contact with someone who can. I think we all realized at the rally that Montana does care, but sometimes we have to remember, the "squeaky wheel gets the oil", so don't give up....
without contacting Jeff or someone at Montana.
Keep us all informed as to what progress you make..we do care.
Marshall