New to Me 2008 Sunseeker 3120DS

[msubryan]

Ok, not a total newbie here for camping, but definitively in the motorhome world. I have camped for several years in a pop up and decided to skip TT and 5ers and go straight to class C. We are the happy new owners of 2008 Sunseeker 3120DS and are attempting to get familiar with our new ride. I want to start this thread to both document my upgrades, but also to ask questions of all of you forum members who are much smarter.

Items addressed so far:

1) Oxygenics showerhead ordered
2) Oil Changed in Engine
3) Oil checked and in good shape in gen
4) Top sealed by RV Dealership(Appears to have fiberglass roof-I can not tell)
5) Removed overhead entertainment center and relocated TV to cabinet over jack knive couch.
6) Replaced kitchen faucet
7) Purchased blue Ox tow bar(I had been holding out on ordering my new custom bumper for jeep, got it ordered and the builder is adding the tow brackets prior to painting bumper)
8)

Next on the list:

1) Progressive industries EMS
2) Completion of overhead bunk by building peice to cover opening over cab
3) Rewiring of overhead to TV
4) Check water heater element and replace anode

Questions:

1) Should I leave the hotwater heater on entire time while camping?
2) Will WH run on electricity only or does it run on both all of the time?
3) How do I get it to run on propane only, as I am dry camping this weekend.
4) Any issues with driving 7 hours with full fresh water tank?


Thanks for your help...more to come

[grumpy0374]

Originally Posted by msubryan

Ok, not a total newbie here for camping, but definitively in the motorhome world. I have camped for several years in a pop up and decided to skip TT and 5ers and go straight to class C. We are the happy new owners of 2008 Sunseeker 3120DS and are attempting to get familiar with our new ride. I want to start this thread to both document my upgrades, but also to ask questions of all of you forum members who are much smarter.

Items addressed so far:

1) Oxygenics showerhead ordered
2) Oil Changed in Engine
3) Oil checked and in good shape in gen
4) Top sealed by RV Dealership(Appears to have fiberglass roof-I can not tell)
5) Removed overhead entertainment center and relocated TV to cabinet over jack knive couch.
6) Replaced kitchen faucet
7) Purchased blue Ox tow bar(I had been holding out on ordering my new custom bumper for jeep, got it ordered and the builder is adding the tow brackets prior to painting bumper)
8)

Next on the list:

1) Progressive industries EMS
2) Completion of overhead bunk by building peice to cover opening over cab
3) Rewiring of overhead to TV
4) Check water heater element and replace anode

Questions:

1) Should I leave the hotwater heater on entire time while camping?
2) Will WH run on electricity only or does it run on both all of the time?
3) How do I get it to run on propane only, as I am dry camping this weekend.
4) Any issues with driving 7 hours with full fresh water tank?


Thanks for your help...more to come


Attachment 118903

1. No need to leave it on the entire time. It will heat up very quickly on either gas or electric. Turn it on 1/2 hour before you need hot water.
2. Depends on make/model of your heater. Some are gas only some are both. Not fimilar with your rigs panel. Look at heater, outside compartment, and look for a small rocker switch. Also, look at your coaches inside fuse/breaker panel. If you have a breaker marked "water heater" it probably works on both.
3. If it works on both gas/electric, the electric switch must be physically placed in the "on" position to cut the electric on. If the switch is left in the off position, the heater will work on gas only. You can run both at the same time but all it does is heat water up a few minutes quicker.
Also, if you do have an electric element in your heater, NEVER turn the electric "on" unless there is water in the hot water tank. If you turn it on while tank is empty, the element will burn out quicker than it takes to read this post.
4. No harm carrying full tank if your boondocking, and don't have access to fresh water where your going.
Grumpy

[DaGrinch]

Sweet ride and congratulations, from one first time MH owner to another!
Like Grumpy said about the WH, no problem with both, but make sure there's water in the heater if using electric.

[ilmor]

Just to add to the above comment, there is no problem driving with a full fresh water tank- as long as you don't exceed your motorhome' overall cargo carrying capacity.

Good looking motorhome!

[grumpy0374]

Re-read your original post, and it seems you already know that you have a dual water heater.
Boondocking, you'll obviously have to use gas. But if your at a campground with electric, use the electric. Your already paying for it, no need to waste gas. The electric element will heat that 6 gallons up real quick, probably 15 minutes or so.
We turn off the heater at nite, and whenever we leave the rig. Even overnight, unless it's very chilly out, the water will stay hot for awhile, and still be warm in the morning.
We don't boondock, and I only run the heater on gas occassionally to make sure it's operating properly. Otherwise, almost always on electric.
Grumpy

[msubryan]

Thanks!

[WayneLee]

Most Water Heaters will automatically switch to LP if 120 volts is not present. But it will use a little 12v power to run the control board. The same with your fridge.

Regarding the weight of your coach... Everyone should weigh their coach loaded and ready to go camping to determine how much more "stuff" you can put into it without going over the stated limits. Ideally, you should get individual weights on each set of tires, but at the least, get the weight on the front tires and on the back tires. This will let you know many things such as what your minimum tire pressure to support the weight, can you travel with a full water tank, etc. You can find tire pressure charts on the tire manufacturer's web site. For example, here is the url to find Michelin's RV tire inflation table:
Michelin RV Tires | View Michelin RV Tires load and inflation tables for motorhomes and recreational vehicles. | Michelin RV Tires

Good luck to you and have a ton of fun!

[RamblerGuy]

You may already know this, but if you have Michelin tires, check the size and date code. They recalled many and will replace them free. Remember to check the spare tire.

http://m.michelinman.com/US/en/help/...calls/ltx.html

[WayneLee]

Thanks RamblerGuy, I completely forgot about the age of the tires. Generally, all the tire manufacturers recommend that you put on new tires when they are 7 to 8 years old. The tire may look good on the outside, but there may be cracks or rot hidden from view. You said you got a 2008 model, which makes it 16 years old. If those are original tires, change them immediately.

How can you tell? Look at the DOT Code on the side of each tire. You can google the DOT Code and it will tell you when those tires were made.

[msubryan]

I checked the tires and the back tires show that they were made in 2003. Is that normal for 2008 camper?

[ilmor]

Originally Posted by msubryan

I checked the tires and the back tires show that they were made in 2003. Is that normal for 2008 camper?

I would say, NO, that's not normal. You are treading on thin ice with those tires for sure.

[Delco Bobby]

Originally Posted by msubryan

I checked the tires and the back tires show that they were made in 2003. Is that normal for 2008 camper?

A 2008 RV might have a 2007 or 2006 chassis. Even with a 2006 chassis 2003 tires seem too old. Confirm you are reading the date codes correctly. Enter you VIN # into Google to learn about your chassis.

From what I have read from many sources a 2003 tire should be replaced.

BTW, the last time I bought tires I told the supplier I wanted tires with recent date codes. The ones I bought were a few months old. You don't want to spend good money on old stock tires that will be out of date sooner than you expect.

[msubryan]

Ok, so I attached pic, please take a look.. Also confirmed that Chassis is definitely a 2008 model.

Am I misreading age?




Also, please confirm HW heater controls: I have a duel (Gas and Electric) WH.

I have a switch at heater and on control panel.

I am assuming that for electric use, I turn on at control panel when hooked up and leave outside switch off.

When I boon dock, I should only use gas and turn only outside switch on.

Is this correct?

[msubryan]

Also added a couple Mods:

1) Installed the oxygenics showerhead
2) Built a short water hose to use to fill fresh water tank, as hose would not maintain flow
3) Added power convertor on 12 volt power to TV for traveling

Pull out tomorrow at lunch for 350 mile trip to GA for Jeep fest!

[Delco Bobby]

Originally Posted by msubryan

Ok, so I attached pic, please take a look.. Also confirmed that Chassis is definitely a 2008 model.

Am I misreading age?

Attachment 119190


Also, please confirm HW heater controls: I have a duel (Gas and Electric) WH.

I have a switch at heater and on control panel.

I am assuming that for electric use, I turn on at control panel when hooked up and leave outside switch off.

When I boon dock, I should only use gas and turn only outside switch on.

Is this correct?

It looks like you are correct, if I am reading the code properly your tires were made in the 26th week of 2003. 13 years old! Start shopping for a good price. FWIW, I called a lot of tire stores for prices. My Ford dealer beat the lowest price I found elsewhere and they can lift my RV (most can't).

I think you need to double check your HW plan. If I recall correctly, the outside switch is for using the electric elements in the heater. So if you have an electric hookup while parked you can use the electricity to heat your water instead of burning propane.

If not hooked up to electricity then have that switch off and just use propane. The inside switch is for the propane heating.

Hopefully someone else will correct me if I am wrong about this.

[Delco Bobby]

Go to Forest River Inc., A Berkshire Hathaway Company | RVs, Park Models Trailers, Commercial Buses, Commercial Trailers, Pontoons and download an owners manual for your class C.

[msubryan]

Thx

[Delco Bobby]

Originally Posted by Delco Bobby

Go to Forest River Inc., A Berkshire Hathaway Company | RVs, Park Models Trailers, Commercial Buses, Commercial Trailers, Pontoons and download an owners manual for your class C.

I posted a link to the download page. I don't know what happened.

[msubryan]

Ok, so first 900 mile shake down cruise is behind me. I was pulling jeep on tow dolly and mpg was worse than expected. I assumed 10 empty and 8 to 9 towing. I averaged 6 to 7.5 for trip.

Attempted to dry camp one night in parking lot of grocery store, but CO detector started beeping, so, not wanting to go to sleep and never wake up, we drove on. I attempted to park with gen exhaust on downwind side. Any thoughts?

250 watt convertor was not large enough.

Fridge question- should I let fridge run on 12 volts while traveling or propane?

[ilmor]

Originally Posted by msubryan

Ok, so first 900 mile shake down cruise is behind me. I was pulling jeep on tow dolly and mpg was worse than expected. I assumed 10 empty and 8 to 9 towing. I averaged 6 to 7.5 for trip. Not too unusual, you were pulling a lot of weight. Also depends on your speed.

Attempted to dry camp one night in parking lot of grocery store, but CO detector started beeping, so, not wanting to go to sleep and never wake up, we drove on. I attempted to park with gen exhaust on downwind side. Any thoughts? Check your gen exhaust piping to make sure it looks ok. Did you need it running to have a/c?

250 watt convertor was not large enough. Are you talking about an inverter as opposed to a converter?

Fridge question- should I let fridge run on 12 volts while traveling or propane? It won't run on 12 v only. It runs on either propane or electric. Just set the fridge on "Auto".

See above responses in blue.