Isata 3 Questions

[milkman55]

Looking at a new 2017 FWM that arrived at the dealer this week. They show it still has the Tom Tom GPS. When will the units start showing up with the Rand McNaley GPS unit as shown in the new online brochure? Head unit has the Sony emblem at the bottom. This unit also has the T4 satellite.

What else is new for 2018 that would be diffferent than last year?

[bclemens]

New brochure is for the 2018 model year, should start shipping in the next 60 days. T4 Sat is optional. We've made a few running changes, mainly to lighten the weight a bit and get more CCC. Redesigned the dinette to be lighter and eliminate the need for an extra filler cushion that is needed to make it into a bed. Oxygenic's shower head is also new.

[VeniVidi]

We just bought a new ISC24FWM at the beginning of the month and are cleaning, tweaking and prepping it for use when the weather warms here.

I am looking for a way to put some sort of light weight shower caddy in--bending over to retrieve soap and shampoo from the floor is problematic in the tiny confines of the enclosure. And the textured surface of the shower panels doesn't lend itself to suction cup(s). What's behind the rear wall? Anything that would allow installation of a couple of screwed-in slender metal hooks?

Also, is there any reason why the tops of the shower panels aren't caulked? The vertical edges are, but not the top. Seemed problematic to me--if moisture got between the shower panels and the walls behind, it would likely infiltrate into the substrate and cause all kinds of problems.

[letsgorving]

We used this in our tt and fifth wheel. had a hook, we hung it on the shower stall wall. Its mesh so dries quickly and you cant get any lighter than that. When traveling we would just lay it on the floor of the shower

[yojohn]

The top of my shower panels are not caulked either I have the same concern

[Delco Bobby]

Originally Posted by letsgorving

Attachment 130674

We used this in our tt and fifth wheel. had a hook, we hung it on the shower stall wall. Its mesh so dries quickly and you cant get any lighter than that. When traveling we would just lay it on the floor of the shower

I tried 3M hooks and caddys but they didn't stick to the shower for more than a couple of weeks.

[letsgorving]

It had a hook, we hung it on the shower stall wall. Not sure how unit is designed who's looking for this?

[Delco Bobby]

Originally Posted by letsgorving

It had a hook, we hung it on the shower stall wall. Not sure how unit is designed who's looking for this?

Was it a self adhesive hook?

I may try the outdoor variety of Velcro in the shower.

[VeniVidi]

The shower hose is close-bracketed (can't be detached without unscrewing the bracket) against the wall about a foot or so below the head mount. Any caddy which is attached to the head or any component of the hose, head, and water controls would have to have a strap which could be fully detached on at least one end and then reattached after siting it. I tried a soft plastic tote from The Container Store but was concerned that its double handles put too much outward stress on the hose--and removing/replacing the handles was not a feat easily managed unless the plastic of the basket was warm enough for some give.

We can't hang anything from the shower "door"--it's a pleated firm vinyl sheet which is accordion folded against the wall when not in use. For the same reason, can't hang anything from the upper rail/rod since the hard plastic clips for the "door" have to slide closed along the rails (upper and lower) when the shower is in use. IOW, there's no place to easily hang anything in the shower enclosure!

Edited to add that a hooked caddy might work on the hose bracket--but it would also be more likely to get caught by a moving arm or elbow.

Right now, the point is moot. We haven't had warm enough weather for a prolonged period of time to remove the antifreeze so the plumbing hasn't been used at all.

[bclemens]

Behind the shower walls, is vinyl covered paneling...so it shouldn't be a problem. As for a caddy, I know Obeco makes a mesh shoer caddy so it drains. If you use a hollow core door anchor, you could hang it just about anywhere. Just make sure to caulk that area to be safe.

I know at home, I use one of those wall mounted pump systems.. On that one you silicone it one and use double sided tape. The tape holds just long enough for the silicone to set up. We are looking at a new shower surround that would have a little corner ledge.

You can also use plastic rivets up at the top. It's like you see on cars...you drill a hole, put the platic rivet in and then push the middle in to hold it all. Just caulk it first.

https://www.amazon.com/Products-013-...hower+surround

[halla]

I used a stainless steel one from Amazon, mounted a hook on the wall above the shower wall (about 4" of wood paneling there on Force). I take it down when we drive so it doesnt swing and scratch the fiberglass. We tried a suction cup one, didnt work.

[VeniVidi]

Thanks for the response . But I still don't understand the lack of caulking on the top edges of the shower enclosure. Am willing to run a bead of clear silicone caulk on the top rather than take our unit back to the dealership where it was purchased.

It looks like the shower enclosure panels attach on the passenger side to a furred out section of paneling. Not so on the back wall. And the back wall of the shower panel, up high in the corner next to the driver side enclosure wall is where we'd like to screw in a couple of hooks to be used in suspending a lightweight aluminum caddy. We'd hang the caddy only when one of us takes a shower and would remove it from the hooks at all other times. Sooooo........What's behind the vinyl wall paneling on the back wall near the level of the shower door rail?

[bclemens]

The story from the supplier is that the shower surround needs to be able to expand and contract in extreme temps (unlike homes that are always in conditioned space). If not it can try to expand, but end up cracking. I have seen this at my former division, but only once or twice and I have no idea if that is why.

n the back wall, you have a vinyl covered panel that is laminated to aluminum and block foam. You only have about 1" of depth...so don't use anything longer than that or you are coming out the back wall.

[VeniVidi]

Thank you! I would have thought the enclosure manufacturer would recognize a need to design their product with some sort of expansion/contraction seam, rather than leaving a significant moisture infiltration gap. Or maybe they could have used weep holes at the base to drain into the pan? Open at both top and bottom to facilitate air flow? Just seems like there ought to be a better way to deal with the moisture issue and possible temperature related movement of the panels.

We will use a caulk which has some flexibility to it because it seems to me (right now at least) that there's greater harm likely by having moisture build up between the enclosure panel and the wall of the RV than that posed by having a shower panel crack due to extreme cold. [Wouldn't it be even more likely to crack if the underlying substrate got saturated, froze, and expanded outwards? Color me skeptical about the expansion vertically issue, since it could theoretically also expand horizontally and the sides ARE caulked. Wouldn't the material either crack or bow away from the wall underneath?]. My DH is a mechanical/HVAC engineer and is usually quite displeased if a potential vector for mold/mildew is left unaddressed.

IF the panels crack due to extreme cold, one would think the damage would be visible. If it's visible, then a crack could be sealed or the panel replaced far more easily than having to take measures to deal with the presence of mold from sodden paneling, or damp insulation (if any is present in the walls of the RV).

As for the back wall, also thanks. We'll be careful to keep any penetrations short and slender.

[bclemens]

I don't disagree. As I said, I've only seen a couple of units crack in 15 years and I think it was cold enough I'm guessing they were going to crack no matter what.

As for water infiltration, the pan gets secured to the wall first and the pan has a lip that goes up 1.5-2" higher than the bottom of the surround. So technically, if water did get behind there, if it follows the back of the surround it would go back into the pan. If it was down the wall...it would hit the lip of the pan. Unless you're getting real crazy with the shower head...I've also never seen a moisture issue behind the surround in 15 years either. A shower a day all year long maybe a different story.

[blanics]

A current issue we have with our new 2017 Isata 3 RW made me go back to a previous reply about discontinuing the gravity fill on the Isata 3 RW due to slope and water loss. We are losing a third of our water supply from water pouring out of our overfill hose. In only happens on road or highway descents and only after we fill our tank. We initially thought we had a major leak in our freshwater tank, but we actually monitored the water coming out as we pointed our rig downhill on a 8% grade. Water started coming out and does not stop until tank drops to a certain level...which reads a minus one third on our gauge. The overflow hose is located on the front of the tank, thus only we we descend does it leak. As we boondock 95% of the time, this is a major flaw for us...loosing precious water in places we have no source to fill up. Are you aware if this is an isolated issue and needs addressing from our dealer? Or, based on design, bound to happen. We ran into a mobile rv repair while in the desert and gave us a "free" recommendation after he looked at it...attach an additional hose so it extends toward rear bumper and clamp a shut off valve. Open the valve when filling, close it when driving.

[Dori]

Originally Posted by blanics

A current issue we have with our new 2017 Isata 3 RW made me go back to a previous reply about discontinuing the gravity fill on the Isata 3 RW due to slope and water loss. We are losing a third of our water supply from water pouring out of our overfill hose. In only happens on road or highway descents and only after we fill our tank. We initially thought we had a major leak in our freshwater tank, but we actually monitored the water coming out as we pointed our rig downhill on a 8% grade. Water started coming out and does not stop until tank drops to a certain level...which reads a minus one third on our gauge. The overflow hose is located on the front of the tank, thus only we we descend does it leak. As we boondock 95% of the time, this is a major flaw for us...loosing precious water in places we have no source to fill up. Are you aware if this is an isolated issue and needs addressing from our dealer? Or, based on design, bound to happen. We ran into a mobile rv repair while in the desert and gave us a "free" recommendation after he looked at it...attach an additional hose so it extends toward rear bumper and clamp a shut off valve. Open the valve when filling, close it when driving.

This is the first I have heard of this. We have not been boon docking yet so we have not filled our tank completely. I am watching for other Isata 3 owners comments.

[blanics]

During our last 32 day trip, prior to traveling to our next desert hideaway, we filled our freshwater tank to the full capacity 9 times...hoping the road featured only "flat" pavement. And 9 times we arrived at our destination a third or almost a third (gauge light for blink on and off between full and a third empty) of a tank less. Most likely it is just an issue with our rig.

[lastmate]

Hello all.,

My external step stopped operating... I am assuming it is a fuse. I've called my dealer to ask where to find it to no avail. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Glenn

[bclemens]

Should be an inline fuse below the step coming off of that wire harness if I am not mistaken.

Make sure the step switch is ON.