Getting Melba Ready

Can I vent here?

I decided to take the camper van out to church for more shake down driving.  Buying an older vehicle is risky as you are buying into an unknown quantity.  Though Melba has low miles for her age, (approaching 34,000 now) she sat idle for long periods of time.  That is not good for a vehicle two decades old.  So, three weeks ago, we discovered that the front brakes were locking up so seriously that they were smoking as we drove.  A few days at the mechanic and about six hundred dollars later, we came out with new rotors, brake pads, bearings and brake lines.  The culprit was the brake lines according to the mechanic.  He said that the rubber over the years hardened to the point that when the brakes started to be used again in city driving, the were contracting the brake lines like hardened arteries, but they were not spring back, thus causing the brake calipers to hold on.  We expected to find some problems such as these.  We were prepared.  That is the price you pay for saving a lot of money up front.  I hope we find all these little problems before we take Melba out on the road in a long trip.  

So on Sunday, I went to church.  It was a warmish day.  We've had a lot of unseasonably cool weather for July.  So, I opened the widows and the air vent for the fan on the roof.  After church, I noticed the air vent cover was missing.  Actually the cover was laying on the roof.  What slight breeze there was apparently was all it took to break the brittle plastic on the vent cover off at the hinge.  This is a repair that has to be taken care of because if we get rain, the rain will come through the opening and ruin the fan as well as the interior.  The fans are not all that cheap (about $150 to $400 dollars depending on the brand you choose).  

So on Sunday, I went to a big national chain retail RV outlet, which was one of the few places open on Sunday afternoon.  It seems they have a lot of plastic vent covers, and they are relatively cheap ($15 to $45 bucks).  However the designs have changed since Melba was built, and they don't carry covers like this anymore, at least not in stores.  There may be some online.  So I found another option was to get a vent hood cover.  I bought one, but didn't feel like I could do a good job installing it myself.  Water is not something I want to really mess around with, I want to get it right, so paying somebody who does it all the time to do it right the first time is worth it.  However, on Sunday, no shop is open.  I was told to call back early Monday, which I did, only to find an indifferent woman on the other end tell me that the shop was too busy to see me for another three weeks.  That is unacceptable to me.  I don't want to put a tarp on the roof and risk it leaking.

So Monday afternoon, I went to the little local rv place that really is good about working with me and giving me advice.  I will give their particulars here…

K C Home Trailer Co Inc

1115 Merriam Ln Kansas City KS 66103

 (913) 262-8722

They also didn't carry the plastic vent cover I have, which by the way, is a brand called Fan-tastic. http://www.fantasticvent.com

We couldn't improvise one to fit either, so I opted to go for the vent shroud type cover.  For 40 bucks, they installed it on the spot.  The cover cost about 27 dollars.  Total came to about $75.00.  

The plastic cover became brittle with age, and broke in a light breeze.  I was told that these have be changed every few years or so.  When I looked at the cover, I saw a lot of fine cracks in it which means even if it didn't fail completely, it would have leaked.

 The vent fan is not so fan-tastic when it is broken.  The fan works fine, it was just the cover that broke.  One thing that is nice that I will miss is that when you crank the fan open it comes on automatically.

 In the hot summer sun up with a ladder and on the roof to put the cover on.  I now know that the roof is strong enough to hold the weight of a grown man.

 The new cover is being installed.  I have raised the profile of the van a little.  The brochures say the height of the van is 8 foot 3 inches.  I guess that this van is now about 8'6", at least.  However, If I consider it to be about 9 feet, I'll be safe.  People should bear in mind that camper vans are taller than many regular vehicles.  Pay attention to the height limitations, especially in parking garages.  Many camper vehicles have had unexpected sunroof installed when their owners forgot their height.

In a post script, last week we got an eu2000i honda generator.  It seems to work with our van.  We got it at Ball Power Equipment in Parkville, Missouri.  They allowed us to test the store demonstrator model out first, and we ran the air and even turned on the microwave without a hiccup.  So in the afternoon on Monday, we got a good master lock and chain to lock the generator to the bumper when we are using it.  Someday I am hoping to get a hitch carrier system to put the generator onto.  I don't really trust having generators in the passenger compartment with us, even though theres space for a small generator.  I don't trust sharing my sleeping quarters with a running engine.