365 SAQ - First Cold Trip - Problems - Anyone Experience the same?

[cfisher523]

So we just got back from our first cold weather trip. First, the seemingly obvious issue.... I wake up one morning and its freezing in my camper. I check the gas situation inside first by trying to light the stove, and I got nothing. So I bundle up and check outside, knowing that atleast one of my tanks should be full. I go outside to find that my regulator is not automatically or manually switching between tanks. I physically move one propane tank from one side to the other and now I have gas. So I think my regulator is shot - It only draw from one side and will not auto or manually switch to the other side. Should be an easy fix.

Now for the not so easy, and I'm wondering if any other 365 SAQ owners are experiencing or have experienced the same. My heat register in the living space is right up against the entertainment center. Over the course of the weekend the heater has dried out the cabinetry to the point of discoloration and has started to warp the paneling on one of the cabinet doors. The heat is so concentrated in the area that the cabinet door handle is actually warm to the touch. So now my wood finish is discolored and warped - and this is after only a long weekend. To add insult to injury, on Saturday night my TV suddenly flashed a warning about an overheat condition and then stopped working. Audio works great, but I no longer have a picture on the TV. Now I'm not trying to create tropical conditions, the thermostat was set to 68 degrees. I'm looking to see if anyone else is experiencing this and if so what luck have you had getting it fixed?

I'm not sure this is a dealer issue, but more of a design flaw. I'm calling the dealer tomorrow and hoping for the best, but I'm not sure what options are available to correct this issue. Any thoughts?

[Witch Doctor]

About the heat duct no, but the TV they put in my Rockwood is a Toshiba, it kept doing the samething and I had to reset it by unplugging it. I took it to the dealer and they installed the same TV back on the bracket from the factory. This time they left the Manuel, so I started to read it and it says it has to be 4" from the wall the factory bracket was 1/2" from the wall. Hence it was overheating and shutting down. I went down to Walmart and bought a new bracket, so far we are good.

[rlocicero]

You should br able to purchase a floor vent from Menards or home depot that has an adjustable baffle to limit air flow.

[cfisher523]

Originally Posted by rlocicero

You should br able to purchase a floor vent from Menards or home depot that has an adjustable baffle to limit air flow.

It's the only vent in the main living space... Limiting its flow would result in the coach never warming up.... Do you own a 365SAQ, not trying to be smart, but knowing the layout is key to understanding this problem.

[kenandterry]

How about re-directing the air flow from your heat register with something like this. Available from Home Depot.

SEARCH - air+deflector - Home Improvement, Home Renovation, Tools, & Hardware | Home Depot Canada

[cfisher523]

Originally Posted by kenandterry

How about re-directing the air flow from your heat register with something like this. Available from Home Depot.

SEARCH - air+deflector - Home Improvement, Home Renovation, Tools, & Hardware | Home Depot Canada

Not a bad idea... Just curious what the dealer is going to do about the warped and discolored cabinetry. This might work for a long term fix if it clears the door, but I am not looking for a solution that requires three steps to open a door. I think for $50k the mfg can engineer a product that doesn't destroy its self under normal use. I am concerned about how the dealer plans to remedy the damage that has resulted.

[golfmedik]

I posted a response over in the Sandpiper area too, but another point. I always have to bleed the lines of my stove due to air getting in. The lines have been tested twice and found no leaks, but I still have to turn on all eyes of the stove and let them get the air out. Still, I had bad change overs on both campers that were replaced.

[cfisher523]

Well I just got off the phone with the dealer. The solution ... pull up the floor, seal off the existing heat register, and open a new heat register further away from the cabinetry. I'm not sure how I feel about this solution since the existing floor runs under all the cabinetry, appliances, and furniture. I guess one option is to remove everything and reinstall and the other option is to cut around everything and reinstall the floor with seams against all the cabinetry etc. I'm not sure which is worse...

I'm holding out hope on this one, but its definitely cautious optimism.... pulling up the floor, closing / opening holes, and replacing the floor seems to have a lot of room for ongoing issues. I'm guessing I'm not the first with this problem though because there wasn't too much discussion concerning the root cause of the problem. I described my problem and they quickly explained the fix and scheduled a drop off time.

[golfmedik]

You are correct. The only way they could get around it is take out all the cabinets and then repair the area. I hope they remember that is where the water and waste tanks are. Also, you know they will just 'patch' the current hole for the register and then cut a new one. Leaving the old spot as a place of weakness when it is done.
I would get the name of your factory rep from Sierra/Sandpiper and call them if you are not 100% satisfied with the dealer. Also, as I suggested in the Sandpiper forum, take pics so you can adequately document it and send the people involved the information they need.

[cfisher523]

So.... not having experienced a problem with an RV before that required pulling out the floor, cutting / patching, and replacing the floor .... I plan to photo document the unit before drop off and immediately following the repair(s). My question at this point is, do I engage the FR Product Manager and notify them of the impending repair in the event the disagree with the approach, or do I just sit tight and wait for the dealer to complete the work and take it from there. I'm obviously a little nervous, and this is due to the quality of work I've already experienced from the dealer with previous post-delivery issues. I just don't see how they are going to replace the floating floor without pulling the whole interior out or how they are going to patch up the existing register hole without creating a "soft spot" in the floor where the register used to be.

Still hoping for the best, but really putting a lot of faith into the dealer or Forest River standing behind this fix. Just found out tonight a friend of mine with a Sandpiper 365 experienced the same issues a week ago. Same solution proposed by his dealer.... wondering if this is turning out to be a recognized issue.

[rwpdir]

We noticed the problem as well on a trip to the Catskills three weeks ago. The front cabinet was very warn. I have an air deflector I bought for my last 5er to redirect the air towards the living area. This works well but I forgot to put it in the Sierra when I changed over from the Copper Canyon. We also use an electric heaters vs the furnace as much as possible. My regulator did not automatically switch over but did function manually. I agree with Golf Medic, I would really think twice before modifying the floor. Roll stock is put down first and then all the interior is built in. Pandoras box!

[cfisher523]

Not my choice to modify the floor, that's the fix the dealer is implementing. That's why I'm wondering if a call to Forest River is in order prior to the work being performed.... Just to ensure they plan to stand behind it.

Does anyone know how I would go about getting the contact information for the Sierra product manager at Forest River? The only number I can find is the main FR number on my owners manual.

[rwpdir]

I would contact Golf Medic. If you have read the 365 posts on Sierra and Sandpiper you will know he has been a real advocate over the axle issue and has had much contact with FR. He would be my first choice.

[chiro]

I had a new floor put in my 365 saq 2 months after i bought it. The factory ripped the floor before they shipped it. The new floor came up and it and it was a pain. The quarter round they put in did look nice. I would be interested to know if your furnace is under the stove or in the basement. I was at the dealer and noticed that the new 365 saq has the furnace in the basement now.
If you have any concerns about the dealer working on it because they have not done a good job before in the past, I would not let them. I would use the deflector or get another type of vent if possible. I still own a 365 saq but I had to trade the one with the bad floor due to it coming up.

Btw does anyone notice that there slides drag a little on the linoleum about 3/4 of the was in???

[golfmedik]

PM sent.
Funny, I went and looked a few minutes ago, and my main vent is in front of the fridge, not in front of the entertainment center. I wonder what brought that change on? I would bet that the area mine is located in is a higher traffic area and thus may weaken the floor. But who knows! And yes, I would be worried about the new floor coming loose in a couple of years when it is out of warranty. I still say for the price we pay for these things, there should be at least a 2 year warranty instead of a 1 year. Some manufacturers are doing that now, even FR manufacturers. I wish Sandpiper/Sierra had that. Not being just a FR issue, but with campers with a 1 year warranty, if you have issues, your camper spends most of its first year at the dealer instead of the campground! I tried to warn Sandpiper over a year ago that the 365s were too close, if not overweight, but no one thought it was possible. I kept on and finally took mine and had it weighed and then took a pic of the weight label and sent it to them. I had to just stay on them, and now, they FINALLY realize they have a problem!
With defects like the vents and things like this, please let's keep after them because most of these people that design and build these things obviously haven't spent much time in them!

[chiro]

I think they moved the vent because it was right next to the furnace and the floor got very hot. The were 2013 365 moved the furnace into the basement. This might help distribute the air better since the back bed room gets so hot and the master bedroom is cold.

[golfmedik]

Originally Posted by chiro

I think they moved the vent because it was right next to the furnace and the floor got very hot. The were 2013 365 moved the furnace into the basement. This might help distribute the air better since the back bed room gets so hot and the master bedroom is cold.

Probably right! I solved this by adding adjustable vents to the bunkroom and the kitchen that forced more air to the master BR. That was my solution to that particular problem. Now just got to add more air(cold) flow to bunkroom like some of you guys have done.

[chiro]

Where did you get your vents from? I got one from my dealer and the holes that hold them in don't match up?

[golfmedik]

Originally Posted by chiro

Where did you get your vents from? I got one from my dealer and the holes that hold them in don't match up?

I took the one out of the floor and went to Home Depot and Lowes and found the correct size for them. I believe I finally bought them at Home Depot for teh 365. I had them in my 355 as well and I think I bought those at Lowes.

[cfisher523]

Originally Posted by golfmedik

PM sent.
Funny, I went and looked a few minutes ago, and my main vent is in front of the fridge, not in front of the entertainment center. I wonder what brought that change on? I would bet that the area mine is located in is a higher traffic area and thus may weaken the floor. But who knows! And yes, I would be worried about the new floor coming loose in a couple of years when it is out of warranty. I still say for the price we pay for these things, there should be at least a 2 year warranty instead of a 1 year. Some manufacturers are doing that now, even FR manufacturers. I wish Sandpiper/Sierra had that. Not being just a FR issue, but with campers with a 1 year warranty, if you have issues, your camper spends most of its first year at the dealer instead of the campground! I tried to warn Sandpiper over a year ago that the 365s were too close, if not overweight, but no one thought it was possible. I kept on and finally took mine and had it weighed and then took a pic of the weight label and sent it to them. I had to just stay on them, and now, they FINALLY realize they have a problem!
With defects like the vents and things like this, please let's keep after them because most of these people that design and build these things obviously haven't spent much time in them!

I'll have to go check out your thread on the axles. Maybe if I come through this flooring / heater issue I'll look into getting my axles replaced. We do a lot of mileage and I would hat to run into an issue.