The reason you take a trial run..

MiCamper6 · 04-30-2016, 10:06 AM

First trip out with the new Roo 233s. We had found a few issues missed on the PDI and dealer set-up. When we got it home initially we found a chip in a small countertop near the dinette. Then the little indicatir light where the power cord quit working. About a week later my wife saw a bubble in the paint on the stove top pan which goes around the burners. None if these are deal breakers, just minor annoyances. We are currently awaiting the shipment of parts from the dealer.

Last evening after running the furnace for a few minutes it began making a heck of a racket. It appears the squirrel cage is hitting the housing after it begins to get hot. Hope this is something the dealer will let me take care of as things are pretty hectic now.

syogerst · 04-30-2016, 05:42 PM

It's just so annoying. You wait for so long to get it, it's a big investment and that's all you ask of FR is to built and inspect and do it right. So many small flaws. Finally we just fix them by ourselves. My old 15 yr old wildwood never had any issues. Things have changed.

Drenjoey · 04-30-2016, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by syogerst

It's just so annoying. You wait for so long to get it, it's a big investment and that's all you ask of FR is to built and inspect and do it right. So many small flaws. Finally we just fix them by ourselves. My old 15 yr old wildwood never had any issues. Things have changed.

As you said: " Finally, we just fix them ourselves"............and the work is 100% better than FR , cause we put TLC in our work !

Dre

MiCamper6 · 05-01-2016, 03:25 PM

Just a few observations after the first 2 nights camping. We love the unit! The 233S is very spacious and comfortable. After about 15 hours of rain ranging from a light misting to a steady/light shower having all that room and a tv was a blessing as my girls enjoyed watching a Harry Potter movie. The bunk ends are comfortable, if not as big as those on my Starcraft PUP. We have a couple of inches of memory foam on our bunk and it was very comfortable. Nice having a big, well running fridge And power awning as well. When the awning was damaged on my PUP we didn't even bother replacing it as it was such a PITA. My wife actually used the shower and was very happy with it. Lastly, was thrilled with the short, easy set-up and tear down/hook up. So much easier than my old PUP.

On the down side: We went through water pretty quickly. I filled the fw tank about half full and we were running out by the second morning. Not having an operable furnace was a PITA! Not that I would have run it a whole lot, but it would have been nice to use it to take the chill out when my 1500 watt ceramic heater couldn't keep up. We also experienced some water in each bunk end. Not a whole lot, but there it was. Disappointing, to be sure, but it did rain about 15 hours. I thought I did a sufficient job seasoning the bunk ends, but I guess not. If this doesn't do it then I will have to try some seam sealer.

Overall we are very happy with the Roo. Surely there are some issues to be worked out but we will do our best to deal with them.

rockfordroo · 05-01-2016, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MiCamper6

We also experienced some water in each bunk end. Not a whole lot, but there it was. Disappointing, to be sure, but it did rain about 15 hours. I thought I did a sufficient job seasoning the bunk ends, but I guess not. If this doesn't do it then I will have to try some seam sealer.

Given the environmental conditions, are you sure what you had was leakage and not condensation? Many folks tend to button everything up when it's cold and rainy outside, but that can just allow internal moisture to build up and condense in the bunk ends.

rsdata · 05-01-2016, 03:57 PM

are you sure the bunk end leaked? Maybe you just had condensation on the inside of the vinyl tent end? long humid periods especially if it gets cool at night will cause moisture to condense on the tent end ceilings... keep the bunk fans on, a window un zipped slightly, the maxaire fan to exhaust air and pull moist air caused by breathing to escape. I also have a small fan on in the trailer to keep air circulation within the camper.

MiCamper6 · 05-01-2016, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rsdata

are you sure the bunk end leaked? Maybe you just had condensation on the inside of the vinyl tent end? long humid periods especially if it gets cool at night will cause moisture to condense on the tent end ceilings... keep the bunk fans on, a window un zipped slightly, the maxaire fan to exhaust air and pull moist air caused by breathing to escape. I also have a small fan on in the trailer to keep air circulation within the camper.

Thanks for the suggestion. There was no condensation. I had the roof vents open partially and a section of the zipper open on each end. The tops of the bunk ends were dry, and the tenting was damp in a localized fashion. Am pretty positive it was seeping through the stitching.

Feasba · 05-01-2016, 06:21 PM

Thanks for the update! We will watch out for these issues. Let us know how you get the furnace fixed. We will be sure to run ours long during the PDI.

**Flybob** · 05-01-2016, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MiCamper6

Thanks for the suggestion. There was no condensation. I had the roof vents open partially and a section of the zipper open on each end. The tops of the bunk ends were dry, and the tenting was damp in a localized fashion. Am pretty positive it was seeping through the stitching.

Try seam seal if you think the stitching is leaking.

MiCamper6 · 05-01-2016, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flybob

Try seam seal if you think the stitching is leaking.

Thanks for the idea. I was going to see if this good soaking did a better job at seasoning the canvas than I did before I tried seam seal. For all the rain we saw we really didn't have a whole lot of water, so I hope I don't need to use seam seal.

MiCamper6 · 05-01-2016, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Feasba

Thanks for the update! We will watch out for these issues. Let us know how you get the furnace fixed. We will be sure to run ours long during the PDI.

Ours was running for a fair amount of time during our PDI, but never made any noise until we ran it early in our first camping trip. We had actually run it for a short period of time since then without any problems. Must have required more long-term use before the problem actually cropped up.

ROCAMPER · 05-01-2016, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MiCamper6

On the down side: We went through water pretty quickly. I filled the fw tank about half full and we were running out by the second morning.

30 gal half full equals 15 gal. Minus 6 gallons for the hot water heater only leaves you 9 gallons in the tank. The sensors aren't real accurate so with only 9 gallons or less in the tank, they'll probably be reading 1/3 or empty.

dragon-roo · 05-01-2016, 09:50 PM

Or perhaps a bit more bouncing down the road finally loosened a nut, screw, etc.

ROCAMPER · 05-01-2016, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROCAMPER

30 gal half full equals 15 gal. Minus 6 gallons for the hot water heater only leaves you 9 gallons in the tank. The sensors aren't real accurate so with only 9 gallons or less in the tank, they'll probably be reading 1/3 or empty.

Or 40 gal, can't remember. Same goes either way.

dragon-roo · 05-01-2016, 10:29 PM

My Roo 19 has 37 gallon tank.

As for water, I put in a valve to fill the tank from the pressure side of the water supply. I hook the fill hose up to a pressure regulator and then to the 'city' water connection and it flows through the onboard filter and through my open valve to the tank. I open the cap to the standard fill port to let the air vent more freely when doing this also. I also open the pressure relief valve on the water heater so that it gets filled while taking on water if it was empty. That way I don't instantly use 6 gallons out of my tank.

If the end of the fill hose is buggered up I can use a water thief, or use the standard fill port and then turn on the pump after a bit and open the pressure valve on the water heater. Of course I don't use my valve for that situation. I prefer to use the water thief if possible so that the water gets filtered before it goes to the tank, to keep junk out of the tank.

MiCamper6 · 05-02-2016, 04:06 AM

I had filled the water heater before half filling the fw tank according to the gage.

syogerst · 05-02-2016, 08:43 AM

I use a tower style oscillating heater I bought at menards. Set it up on the island. The furnace is use very seldom.

MiCamper6 · 05-02-2016, 11:55 AM

Just a quick update concerning our furnace issue: Terrytown RV in Grand Rapids went to bat for us in getting an appointment with a more local dealer (45 minutes away as opposed to 3 hours) for next Friday. Hopefully this is something that can be taken care of quickly. Terrytown service has been very goid at helping us with other minor issues that have popped up. Will keep this thread updated.

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