Escapees July-August 2022

mark, my words

Summer Storage Q. I have a 34-foot Airstream that I am planning to leave at my RV site in Casa Grande, Arizona, for the summer. Do you have any suggestions for summer storage in the desert heat? We have tinted windows and were told not to use aluminum insulation as it will get too hot and break the windows. Bob A. You won’t have trouble with mildew or pipes freezing with storing an RV in the summer heat. The big problem is heat buildup inside the RV. You need to remove all items that may be damaged by heat, including laptops or sensi tive electronics, food or liquids of any kind, toiletries and cleaning products and photographs. Basically, anything that can melt or is sensitive to the heat will need to be removed. Clean and vacuum the interior. Drain all tanks and leave the dump valves closed. Check tire pressures and cover the tires. Check electrolyte levels and disconnect the batteries. If power is available, put a trickle charger on them. I’m not a fan of foil on windows, but you might consider covering all windows on the inside with silver bubble-wrap-type insulation. This will prevent sun damage to drapes and blinds and also add a small amount of insulation. An alternative might be a white breathable RV cover over the entire rig. It is necessary to provide for some air fl ow. I suggest leaving a roof vent open about an inch and opening a window on the opposite end of the RV. Some folks leave several fi ve-gallon buckets of water inside to help Q. We have a 2001 Sunnybrook 27FKS that is stored inside and is in like-new condition. Last summer, when arriving at campsites with the temperature above 80 degrees, I would turn the thermostat down to 73 degrees and turn on the A/C. The fan came on immediately, but the compressor took fi ve to 15 minutes to come on. After running about fi ve minutes, the compressor turned o ff . Then it took another fi ve to 15 minutes before the compressor came on again. Some times it takes hours to cool down the trailer. When the compressor is working, the air fl ow is cool. Where do I start looking for the problem? Norman A. There are a number of things that can cause this problem. If the air fi lters or the evaporator coil are clogged, the reduced air fl ow can cause the compressor to only run for a short period before it cycles off. It is easy to check. If the air fl ow is fi ne, then something in the controls is causing the short cycle-time. Some air conditioners have an interior brain board that controls the compressor and fan. I have seen them located in a small metal box in the air passage, usually accessible if you remove the interior shroud. This board may be defective. It could also be a problem either with the compressor itself, or the entire refrigeration system, like a restricted passage or ori fi ce, or from the compressor protection circuit not working properly. It could also be a bad start capacitor. If visual inspection of the unit for air fl ow restrictions doesn’t turn up anything, you’ll most likely need to have the unit serviced by a HVAC technician, as most of the other problems are not something the average owner is equipped to diagnose or repair. provide a little humidity. Air Conditioner

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR MARK? Submissions must not contain commercial advertising or consumer advocacy issues. Due to the large volume of material and correspondence submitted, we may be unable to reply or acknowledge receipt of your material. Material will be edited. Questions and answers with the highest general interest may be repeated in subse quent issues. Questions can be sent by mail to “Mark, My Words” Column, 100 Rainbow Drive, Livingston, TX 77351-9300 or to techquestions@escapees.com. open when you travel? If you do, that can actually create a low pressure (slight vacuum) inside the RV and suck dust and road vapors into the coach. If you have no open vents, it may be worthwhile to have the slide seals inspected, especially if the unit is still under warranty. Dust in Trailer Interior Q. When we go camping in the Utah desert, we often drive on dirt roads. When we get to camp and put out our slide, the trailer fl oor is full of fi ne dirt, and dust is on the counters, cabinets, etc. Is there something on the slide that may not be sealing correctly, or is this an inherent problem with slides? I’m frustrated that we have this problem when the RV is so new. Daina A. Most slides don’t make an airtight seal, but they should be a lot better than what you are describing. Are you, by chance, leaving a roof vent or a window

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July/August 2022 ESCAPEES Magazine