No One Ever Told Me That - Montana Owners Club

Waynem · 12-13-2007, 06:30 AM

Today, I was preparing the Hanna for our trip on Saturday. Lubed the slides, etc., As I was walking around checking things I noticed the kitchen stove vent. Hmmm! What are those little clips? Ah! need to rotate those down so that the kitchen vent actually vents out when in use. Hmmm! Must remember to twist them back up just before travelling.

Guess the last several times out with it, the stink just filled the hole! I'll have to check that one of these days.

How come no one told me about those vent clips that hold the flapper in place???? Darn!

stiles watson · 12-13-2007, 06:35 AM

Montanas are like women. They are mysterious and leave you to discover their secrets. Happy RVing...

Mrs. CountryGuy · 12-13-2007, 06:42 AM

Stiles,

You DO have a way with words.

Tincup703 · 12-13-2007, 07:33 AM

You're lucky you didn't melt the flapper. I just replaced mine!
tc

Waynem · 12-13-2007, 07:36 AM

Besides the kitchen vent fan, and th toggle switch on the water heater that saves propane, what other surprises may I be in for?

Thanks

Women! Can't do with them, and can't do without them. Oh well!

bullroc3 · 12-13-2007, 08:02 AM

Same thing happened to me after 4 times out!!

TLightning · 12-13-2007, 08:57 AM

I say again, wouldn't it be nice to have a decent, in depth owner's manual? Imagine paying for a vehicle what we pay for these Montanas and not having an owner's manual?

Waynem · 12-13-2007, 09:03 AM

I'd like to have just a TV Cable wiring diagram. Of course, an entire schematic of everything would be nicer.

VanMan · 12-13-2007, 09:10 AM

Keep it closed when not using the vent for long periods and if you break those clips, be sure to replace at least one - otherwise you may have some unwanted visitors - wasps, mud daubers, spiders, etc. make their homes in your vent. It's a really rude awakening to have dried mud and wasps drop in your meal when you turn on the fan!!

berridge · 12-13-2007, 10:03 AM

Amen to a proper owners manual!! And wouldn't it be nice to have it contain a clear and complete maintainance schedule similiar to the one you get with a new car not just a bag of booklets from the individual component manufacturers. With regard to the stove vent flapper. With a previous 5er I was able to string a bicycle brake cable from beside the stove vent inside the trailer up to the flapper and attach it to the flapper. This made it possible to open and close it from inside the trailer. One for the Montana is on the to do list.

Mrs. CountryGuy · 12-13-2007, 10:08 AM

Not from Keystone, exactly, lookie what some nice members did, regarding maintenance:

http://www.montanaowners.com/maintenance.html

Waynem · 12-13-2007, 12:31 PM

VanMan,
Is that the voice of experience I hear?

Berridge,
Looking forward to the pictures of the modification on the montana.

Remember the good old Mama and Papa days. The stove vent was built into the wall. It was held closed by an old light chain the fit in an indent when closed. You could open it as far as you wanted and clip the chain. Opening was on a spring actuated cover.

Hmmm! Keystone are you listening? You alread have it in the wall, now just an easy open close from the inside.

Edited because of phaaaat fingers.

hazmic · 12-13-2007, 12:42 PM

Be a little gentle with door as the little shafts that stick out on the ends are fragile and break easy. Been there.

VanMan · 12-14-2007, 04:30 AM

Speaking from experience - we live in the country and little critters get anywhere they want to and can. Mud daubers will build their "condos" just about anywhere. I have a couple of bells and old lanterns hanging on our deck that are filled. "Paper wasps" and yellowjackets are just as bad. Experience is certainly the best teacher - you remember those things more than anything you may read here or someone tells you.

Trailer Trash 2 · 12-14-2007, 01:00 PM

I have put those round felt door silencers on my stove vent flappy noisey thing in the wind, now it's not noisey, it's quiet. I stuck mine about a inch away from the turn clips so you can turn them when you get ready for the road.

jretz · 12-14-2007, 02:56 PM

Glad this topic came up. We have always wondered why it got so hot when Carolyn was cooking. I just checked our flap tonight and the tabs where locked, they have been that way for over a year. Now the heat and other stuff vent out of the kitchen through the fan. Thanks to MOC we now have a comfortable kitchen.

Waynem · 12-14-2007, 03:35 PM

A good reason for everyone to post when they find something "UNUSUAL." Many may know about it, but if it helps just one MOC'er, it's worth the post.

jjackflash · 12-14-2007, 09:45 PM

Thanks Waynem,this is our first real RV and I would have never discovered that until it was to late.
Now,whats with the toggle switch on the water heater thing?
Thank goodness for the MOC, I read the forum almost every night.
Jack

stiles watson · 12-15-2007, 01:34 AM

You have two switches controling your hot water heater. One is on the control panal inside where you check your tank levels. It controls the propane. The other is outside . you remove the heater cover and on the heater itself, there is an on/off switch for the electrical heating unit.

These switches work independently. The thing to remember is, never turn the electrical switch on without water in the tank or you will fry the electrical heating unit. It only takes a few seconds. Turning off the electrical heating element is part of our "take down" check list.

VanMan · 12-15-2007, 03:10 AM

Some folks (like me) leave the outside electric switch on all the time and use the inside breaker whenever we want to turn the power off to the water heater. I'm sure someone will follow with a post that this procedure "weakens" the breaker and leads to premature failure. Either way, be sure to heed Stiles's warning - no water in the tank will ruin the heating element if it's turned on.

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