2017 Dynamax Isata 5 First Trip Issues

[Stroker09]

I've searched the forums and can't find if Dynamax actually developed procedures/pictures to move the black tank sensors. Anyone have them??

We sure like our Isata 5 but can plainly see it was not designed with dry camping/boondocking in mind.

1. We took our new rig out for the first "real" trip over this past Memorial Day. We arrived at the camp on Friday night and by Saturday afternoon our black tank was at 2/3 full and the toilet wouldn't operate. I had to pull up stakes and find a dump. By the last day (Monday morning) it was full again. This issue is very nerve wracking to say the least.

2. I see Dynamax has come up with a fix for the armrest issue, but it looks like I will have to tear the seats out and then apart for the install--if I even order the kit.

3. We towed our 2011 Ford Edge behind us this trip and I can't tell you how angry I am not being able to use the backup camera while traveling down the highway! Not sure if anyone has figured out a fix. Supposedly there's a software package developed in the UK, but I haven't read where anyone has purchased it and if it works or not.

4. Another issue is the on-demand water heater and trying to take a comfortable shower without burning or freezing to death--all the while depleting your fresh water supply and filling your gray tank up with wasted water. Looks like there is an insert that can be removed in the shower hose to increase the flow. Guess I will give that a try.

5. Entry door lock did not operate right after we first bought the rig and took it home. I guess the dealer never locked it with the key to find the problem. The awesome Dynamax rep hooked me up with the lock manufacturer and I was told by them that the key lock was installed incorrectly by the door manufacturer. I was able to fix it myself. Anyone else have this issue you can PM me if you need help.

6. No shade for the entry door, but I got a hold of BClemens and he's having the shade and hardware sent to me to install--I hope.

One thing I will add is that the Dynamax folks have been amazing with customer service.

[carlb]

All on demand hot water heaters require a constant flow for them to work properly. They are no compatible with dry camping and the notion of so called "navy" showers where you turn the water off when you are washing. Some systems will recirculate and blend in cold water to prevent scalding, but they are rare. On my non FR RV with an on demand hot water heater, they suggest to ONly use the Hot water knob in the shower and by controlling the flow you will control the ultimate temp. Wide open for the average temp you want and then slow it down to increase the time the water spends in the heating chamber. Very counterintuitive and we have suffered from low park pressure causing all to get burned/scalded one day before I just switched to internal stores where we controlled the pressure.

HTH

[Whalenss]

Originally Posted by Stroker09

I've searched the forums and can't find if Dynamax actually developed procedures/pictures to move the black tank sensors. Anyone have them??

We sure like our Isata 5 but can plainly see it was not designed with dry camping/boondocking in mind.

1. We took our new rig out for the first "real" trip over this past Memorial Day. We arrived at the camp on Friday night and by Saturday afternoon our black tank was at 2/3 full and the toilet wouldn't operate. I had to pull up stakes and find a dump. By the last day (Monday morning) it was full again. This issue is very nerve wracking to say the least.

2. I see Dynamax has come up with a fix for the armrest issue, but it looks like I will have to tear the seats out and then apart for the install--if I even order the kit.

3. We towed our 2011 Ford Edge behind us this trip and I can't tell you how angry I am not being able to use the backup camera while traveling down the highway! Not sure if anyone has figured out a fix. Supposedly there's a software package developed in the UK, but I haven't read where anyone has purchased it and if it works or not.

4. Another issue is the on-demand water heater and trying to take a comfortable shower without burning or freezing to death--all the while depleting your fresh water supply and filling your gray tank up with wasted water. Looks like there is an insert that can be removed in the shower hose to increase the flow. Guess I will give that a try.

5. Entry door lock did not operate right after we first bought the rig and took it home. I guess the dealer never locked it with the key to find the problem. The awesome Dynamax rep hooked me up with the lock manufacturer and I was told by them that the key lock was installed incorrectly by the door manufacturer. I was able to fix it myself. Anyone else have this issue you can PM me if you need help.

6. No shade for the entry door, but I got a hold of BClemens and he's having the shade and hardware sent to me to install--I hope.

One thing I will add is that the Dynamax folks have been amazing with customer service.

Stroket09,

We are on the last part of a 3,800 mile, 1 month trip, with our I5. I will post review and experiences when home, but will provide our thoughts on your comments.

1. Have had the black tank meter show 2/3 to 3/4 full and the toilet flushes so have not experienced this issue but there are other posts on this. I know the meters don't read 100% accurate so mine very well could have been less. I did reduce the amount of water that fills into bowl after flush as a means to converse water and reduce flow into the tank. We also practice water conversation to reduce flow into black tank. This habit comes from owning a MH with much smaller tanks.

2. Arm rest a nice to have but didn't miss it. If two were installed (driver, passenger) it takes up all ready limited space between the seats to get to the coach. So pros and cons to doing this.

3. We are Towing a Jeep. Yes being able to monitor with the back-up camera would be nice. Yes, it should have had this feature. ( understand it is a limitation of the Dodge system). However, there was never a time I needed to use this for safety or lane changes. Maintaining awareness of what vehicles are around and using the mirrors worked just fine. There is a person who was suppose to test a aftermarket software fix but has not posted the results yet.

4. Prior MH had tank hot water heater. So had to wait for hot water and heated 6 gals even if only 1 or 2 are used. I like the on-demand hot water heater better. But, I'm learning the use is different than with a tank system. Yes, have to run the water to get cold water out of the lines and hot water flowing. For shower we set the handle at the temp and turn off and in between soap and rinse. Yes, it is more finicky in getting the temp just right than a tank system. The more we use it the better we get at it.

5. The key lock pad stopped locking on the trip. Per manufacturer it is bad and they will send a new one when I return this one. Kind of a pain to do replacement this way but that is their policy.

6. Shade over enters door. Post pics when installed. May have to do this. This is a good upgrade.

Agree 110% on the responsiveness and support from Dynamax and Mr Clemens.

Happy and safe travels.

Whalenss

[bclemens]

1. I'm not sure I agree with the dry camping part. What other Class C has 95 gallons of fresh, 42 gallons for black and gray. I'll admit if the sensors are poorly placed it may show full prematurely.

For the tank sensors, those are just installed with the adhesive that came on the pad. If you want to move them, they would be like any automotive trim....hair dryer to heat it up and fishing line behind to separate it from the tank. Use alcohol, or some prep solution to clean the tank and reapply the sensor higher up. You can still over ride the toilet and force it to flush. Also, the toilet has its own pads.

2. Someone on here has already sent their seats in and are getting them back. They made it seem pretty simple. My apologies the arm did not happen sooner...I think Thor ran into the same issue on the F550. They had the console, but then you have to climb over it to get to the back. Take it out and they don't make a seat with an arm rest. It just took some time to find a supplier that was willing and able to do the modification. It's not so much a fix as an evolution of the product.

3. I went all the way to the head engineer on the Ram 5500 and while passenger trucks have a rear monitor button, they tell me the cab chassis is a different animal and software. There are wireless solutions that could be added on...they do it on 5th wheels all the time for them to watch behind the 5th wheel.

4. Which On-demand do you have? Atwood or the Truma?

5. Glad to hear that one was simple.

6. No need to hope, we'll get it there.

Unfortunately there is no perfect RV...otherwise I'd be out of a job. But we are here for support and will try and do our best to minimize or eliminate anything that doesn't seem to work like it should.

Change is tough when you're used to things a certain way...the older I get the more true that is.

[Rrzasa]

Originally Posted by Stroker09

I've searched the forums and can't find if Dynamax actually developed procedures/pictures to move the black tank sensors. Anyone have them??

We sure like our Isata 5 but can plainly see it was not designed with dry camping/boondocking in mind.

1. We took our new rig out for the first "real" trip over this past Memorial Day. We arrived at the camp on Friday night and by Saturday afternoon our black tank was at 2/3 full and the toilet wouldn't operate. I had to pull up stakes and find a dump. By the last day (Monday morning) it was full again. This issue is very nerve wracking to say the least.

2. I see Dynamax has come up with a fix for the armrest issue, but it looks like I will have to tear the seats out and then apart for the install--if I even order the kit.

3. We towed our 2011 Ford Edge behind us this trip and I can't tell you how angry I am not being able to use the backup camera while traveling down the highway! Not sure if anyone has figured out a fix. Supposedly there's a software package developed in the UK, but I haven't read where anyone has purchased it and if it works or not.

4. Another issue is the on-demand water heater and trying to take a comfortable shower without burning or freezing to death--all the while depleting your fresh water supply and filling your gray tank up with wasted water. Looks like there is an insert that can be removed in the shower hose to increase the flow. Guess I will give that a try.

5. Entry door lock did not operate right after we first bought the rig and took it home. I guess the dealer never locked it with the key to find the problem. The awesome Dynamax rep hooked me up with the lock manufacturer and I was told by them that the key lock was installed incorrectly by the door manufacturer. I was able to fix it myself. Anyone else have this issue you can PM me if you need help.

6. No shade for the entry door, but I got a hold of BClemens and he's having the shade and hardware sent to me to install--I hope.

One thing I will add is that the Dynamax folks have been amazing with customer service.

Stroker09,

I can offer some assistance with some of your concerns as I have addressed some or all of them in my Isata 5.

1. I'm actually going to move my toilet sensor this weekend and move it as close to the top of the tank as I can get it placed. Sounds like a simple job and i'll let you know this weekend once it's done.

2. I'm the person that sent my seats back to Premier Products last week and they are sending them back to me tomorrow. They should be here early next week. Cost me $ 275.00 to do both seats (not including shipping). Seat removal was easy if you have a Torx T40 bit.

3. I decided against the software mod since they could not guarantee that it would work with the factory installed camera on the Dodge 5500. I went and purchased the RVS-770619N camera system from CW for $ 269.00 and paid them $ 550.00 to do the install. Well worth the money as I can see everything behind me now.

4. I found an easy quick fix to the hot/cold/hot water temp changes while showering. Since my shower head does not have the flow to keep the heater running, all we do is open the faucet on the bathroom sink a little better than a trickle and the combination of the flow in the shower and the sink keeps the water temperature constant. We actually have to set the shower handle a little cooler since the water tends to stay pretty hot and is constant. No more hot/cold/hot issues anymore.

5. I've had one issue with the lock - the batteries that were installed from the factory were cheap batteries and were almost dead when I got them. I purchased a set of 4 re-chargable double A batteries and we change them out every month. Have not had a problem with the lock since replacing the batteries monthly.

Hope this helps and yes it is great that Brian is always available to answer our questions (even when he is in the Caribbean on vacation - such great customer service)

[bclemens]

Next trip is to visit a dealer/friend in Canada for a week in a Canadream motorhome. I just changed my wireless plan so I wouldn't miss a beat.

[random_james]

Originally Posted by bclemens

1. I'm not sure I agree with the dry camping part. What other Class C has 95 gallons of fresh, 42 gallons for black and gray. I'll admit if the sensors are poorly placed it may show full prematurely.

For the tank sensors, those are just installed with the adhesive that came on the pad. If you want to move them, they would be like any automotive trim....hair dryer to heat it up and fishing line behind to separate it from the tank. Use alcohol, or some prep solution to clean the tank and reapply the sensor higher up. You can still over ride the toilet and force it to flush. Also, the toilet has its own pads.

Thanks for those instructions - I need to move the toilet sensor on mine. Since the single toilet is the only thing emptying in to the black tank on these, does the production line (and QA line!) have instructions to make sure that sensor is as high up on the tank as possible? Also, is there a picture showing where about on the blank tank the toilet sensor pads are, and what they look like vs what the other sensor pads look like? I'd like to avoid moving the wrong pads

Originally Posted by bclemens

2. Someone on here has already sent their seats in and are getting them back. They made it seem pretty simple. My apologies the arm did not happen sooner...I think Thor ran into the same issue on the F550. They had the console, but then you have to climb over it to get to the back. Take it out and they don't make a seat with an arm rest. It just took some time to find a supplier that was willing and able to do the modification. It's not so much a fix as an evolution of the product.

3. I went all the way to the head engineer on the Ram 5500 and while passenger trucks have a rear monitor button, they tell me the cab chassis is a different animal and software. There are wireless solutions that could be added on...they do it on 5th wheels all the time for them to watch behind the 5th wheel.

We added the Garmin 760LMT with the wireless camera on it - had some issues with the power (the 12v from the chassis seems to not be quite enough power for it, so I currently have a dedicated 12v power supply plugged in in the bedroom, with the power line running out the rear side window to the wireless - less than optimal, but it works for now), and the distance seems to be *just* on the edge of it's transmitter/receiver (if my son stands in the kitchen aisle area, the signal cuts out), but it works Good Enough to keep an eye on the toad.

Originally Posted by bclemens

4. Which On-demand do you have? Atwood or the Truma?

5. Glad to hear that one was simple.

6. No need to hope, we'll get it there.

Unfortunately there is no perfect RV...otherwise I'd be out of a job. But we are here for support and will try and do our best to minimize or eliminate anything that doesn't seem to work like it should.

Change is tough when you're used to things a certain way...the older I get the more true that is.

I definitely appreciate how you've demonstrated that you're always trying to improve all of the Dynamax product lines, taking direct feedback from the consumers and effecting change on the production line - thanks Brian!

[_jeff]

1,4: We're so green when it comes to camping in an RV that we're only staying at campsites with full hookups. I'm watching this thread to see how you guys manage these systems boon docking.

2: We we're lucky in that our 2018 has the arm rests. I had read about the lack of arm rests in this very forum and that it could be a pain point for some. My wife, DW?(she used to be the YL on ham radio), says I paid about $7k for arm rests. If so then the 4x4 was free right?

3, 6: Again this must be a 2018 thing. Our camera can be on all the time and I haven't towed anything yet. I use it for the situational awareness on road. Ours came with the door shade.

5: Our remote lock/unlock stopped working this past weekend and I suspect it's batteries.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. These discussions are really helpful to us n00bs.

[B and B]

Originally Posted by bclemens

Next trip is to visit a dealer/friend in Canada for a week in a Canadream motorhome. I just changed my wireless plan so I wouldn't miss a beat.

That should be FUN. Expectations should be lowered!

[Stroker09]

Originally Posted by bclemens

1. I'm not sure I agree with the dry camping part. What other Class C has 95 gallons of fresh, 42 gallons for black and gray. I'll admit if the sensors are poorly placed it may show full prematurely.

For the tank sensors, those are just installed with the adhesive that came on the pad. If you want to move them, they would be like any automotive trim....hair dryer to heat it up and fishing line behind to separate it from the tank. Use alcohol, or some prep solution to clean the tank and reapply the sensor higher up. You can still over ride the toilet and force it to flush. Also, the toilet has its own pads.

2. Someone on here has already sent their seats in and are getting them back. They made it seem pretty simple. My apologies the arm did not happen sooner...I think Thor ran into the same issue on the F550. They had the console, but then you have to climb over it to get to the back. Take it out and they don't make a seat with an arm rest. It just took some time to find a supplier that was willing and able to do the modification. It's not so much a fix as an evolution of the product.

3. I went all the way to the head engineer on the Ram 5500 and while passenger trucks have a rear monitor button, they tell me the cab chassis is a different animal and software. There are wireless solutions that could be added on...they do it on 5th wheels all the time for them to watch behind the 5th wheel.

4. Which On-demand do you have? Atwood or the Truma?

5. Glad to hear that one was simple.

6. No need to hope, we'll get it there.

Unfortunately there is no perfect RV...otherwise I'd be out of a job. But we are here for support and will try and do our best to minimize or eliminate anything that doesn't seem to work like it should.

Change is tough when you're used to things a certain way...the older I get the more true that is.

You're right on top of things as usual Mr. Clemens, much appreciated.

1. I'm going to attempt the sensor move this weekend--shouldn't be a big deal I'm figuring.

2. I do believe I will give your contact for the armrests a call and order the kit and do the install soon. I will let the forum know how it turns out.

3. I'm going to order the RVS backup camera system and install it as well. Do you know which model you guys are putting in the new rigs?

4. I believe my WH is the Atwood, I will double check that tonight after work.

6. I will be looking for the shade and hardware to arrive and I will post pics after the install.

You're right, there is no perfect RV, but the Isata 5 is pretty close. That's why I traveled 350 miles to get mine! With all the fixes you've come up with and a few of my own ideas, it will be even closer to my perfect RV. Thanks again for all the help

[bclemens]

We're not actually running the RVS system. I have used them for years, but we get a decent amount of our electronics from River Park and so my electrical engineer is just familiar with their connectors and support so we use a combination of Sony and Convoy equipment as I recall.

C1000M CAMERA, CONVOY REARVIEW SONY CMOS, MICROPHONE, BLACK HOUSING
D03150017 CAMERA, CONVOY, SIDEVIEW SONY CCD, LEFT SIDE
D03150018 CAMERA, CONVOY, SIDEVIEW SONY CCD, RIGHT SIDE

V-CVS150-01 SWITCHER, CAMERA VIDEO
VTM600M MONITOR 6" CLIP0N REAR VIEW MIRROR ISATA 5

To get the side cameras to work we had to develop a module that would read the CANbus...so I don't think you can get those in there. The backup camera, would need to be wired completely separate as a stand alone system since we used the Ram camera and wiring on the original units.

[Stroker09]

1. I moved the toilet sensors up higher on the tank. Job was pretty simple. I dropped the panel that holds the digital monitor and had good access to the tank and sensors.

I counted approximately 85 flushes (mixed full and low flow) and the toilet didn't shut down until the tank read full, so it looks like that solves the issue.

Note to BClemens: the top sensor did say on it to place it near the top edge of the tank. Mine was located about 4" below the top edge until I moved it. You might want to check with your people for future installs.

Thanks to all for the help on this issue.

[bclemens]

Thanks for the heads up. I have sent that data onto both production managers.