Future owner of Roo 19!

Belly · 09-25-2017, 07:15 PM

Hello all! First time poster! About to take possession of my first travel trailer, a 2013 Rockwood Roo 19! Incredibly excites to get into camper life and dive into this thing!
After alot of inspections and research, i realize i dont have alot to do to this unit right now.
One thing I do want to do, is convert my tv bracket to the type that can be removed and mounted outside. I thought my trailer came standard with it but apparently it doesnt. Funny, itbhas a black water rinse nozzle but that wasnt an option for it either.
Regardless, i found the removable bracket and mount on amazon, but im inquiring about the wiring. I have no issue mounting a cable jack on the exterior, just wondering if there mat be prewiring already waiting or if I have to runa new length? Has anyone done this and can maybe post pics? Thanks in advance and hello to all fellow roo 19 owners!

Mainframe · 09-25-2017, 08:19 PM

Welcome to the forum, I am guessing you will need to run the coax yourself. Good luck, just take your time and do a good job.

GalsofEscape · 09-26-2017, 06:32 PM

welcome to the forum and the hybrid family.

Belly · 09-26-2017, 08:58 PM

Thanks guys. Im hoping to have a good look over it before i store it...afterall, winter is coming.

njfishing · 09-27-2017, 06:33 AM

If you plan to use the TV outside a lot, in addition to running a coax line you might also want to run an HDMI and a 3 wire audio video cables as well..

I assume you have speakers outside so if you want the TV sound to play through them rather then the TV speakers you need the AV wires.

The HDMI cable would also be needed if you wanted to run a DVD player you have on the inside on the outside TV. If you have a smart DVD player the added benefit of an HDMI cable would be to watch any of the streaming content you might have like Nextflix, Amazon or Hulu... This comes in handy when you can't can't get a signal on your antenna, the campsite has no cable hook ups but you can get wifi, either from the campground or the hot spot on your phone.

Best way to do this is to cut in an outdoor AV box like you see here.

Best of luck with your Roo!!

Belly · 09-27-2017, 07:14 AM

Wow, thats a fantastic idea, im definitely going to look into that, thank you very much!

njfishing · 09-27-2017, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Belly

Wow, thats a fantastic idea, im definitely going to look into that, thank you very much!

My pleasure Belly..... The guy who I bought my 21DK from installed it.... Looks like he may have removed the Fridge Panel on the outside of the trailer to gain access to the inside to cut in the box since it's located right underneath the fridge panel.

Maman325 · 09-27-2017, 08:40 AM

Welcome from Colorado & congrats on your new camper! :-)

djemgoss · 09-27-2017, 12:34 PM

Belly, welcome to the Forum! We love our 2016 21SS! You can find a lot of great info here!

rockfordroo · 09-27-2017, 06:53 PM

You'll probably want to add a shelf in the triangle cabinet by the door, unless the previous owner already did so. I think FR started adding them in 2014 or 2015.

I don't have a pic of mine, but here's a pic of another guys.

crunchman12001 · 09-27-2017, 06:55 PM

Welcome to the forum from Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Congrats on your new rig.

rockfordroo · 09-27-2017, 06:56 PM

I also put a window in the LP gas tank cover so I could see the regulator with the bunk end down.

Belly · 09-28-2017, 06:33 AM

Thanks for the warm welcome. Im sure you're going to be hearing alot from me in the coming years.
The shelf is a good idea to. Im going to check to see if there is one there or not.
I have my inspection/orientation scheduled for next tuesday so will hopefully be having it delivered that day or the next.
Next task is to set up the WDH.

mnoland30 · 10-02-2017, 09:39 AM

My 2009 has had bunk leaks. Too late, I replaced the joke of a rain gutter with an "L" shaped roof flashing that sticks out 1-1/2" and keeps water from running into the seals on the bunk end.

My other favorite mod was a battery powered infighter for the stove. Maybe the new ones come with that now.

We camp in the mountains, and it gets cold at night. I found multiple places that allowed cold air directly into the camper. Some foam and some caulking fixed all of them. The camper is much warmer now.

If you want to boondocks, you'll want a generator or a solar panel, or both. Our solar setup allows up to stay anywhere as long as we don't need AC. We took out the microwave to make more room to store food.

We love our ROO. We can camp almost anywhere with it, and have plenty of space for the grandkids. Life is good.

rockfordroo · 10-02-2017, 09:50 AM

Also, suggest you replace the crappy Suburban analog thermostat with a something like a Honeywell RTH111B (non-programmable)

Honeywell Digital Non-Programmable Thermostat-RTH111B - The Home Depot

or a RTH221B (programmable).

Honeywell 7-Day Programmable Thermostat-RTH221B - The Home Depot

It will keep the temperature a LOT better.

I went with the non-programmable one, although the programmable one seems to be cheaper for some reason.

Belly · 10-03-2017, 08:19 PM

Well, the Roo now has a new parking spot in my driveway! So glad to finally have it. My family is pretty excited as well, especially my two boys.
Now that its home, im going to get the WDH setup ready for the first trip this weekend.
Im also going to bend an extrusion for a full length prep table instead of the small one it came with. Im a charcoal guy, so i have no use for little propane one it came with. Also have to add some caulking in the upper corners of the bunk ends, saw that when the blasted it with the hose it had a drip. A bit of work to do but im looking forward to it all.

Mainframe · 10-03-2017, 08:21 PM

Um, pictures! We like pictures! (PLEASE)

Maman325 · 10-03-2017, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mainframe

Um, pictures! We like pictures! (PLEASE)

X2. And stories (later, I know) about all the fun adventures you go on (& pictures of that, too)! Congrats on your Roo!!

Belly · 10-03-2017, 08:38 PM

I'll gladly post pictures...im sure i'll have some good ones after this weekend

Belly · 10-09-2017, 01:54 PM

So the maiden voyage is over and done with! And wow, packing up in a downpour isn't fun at all! Thankfully I was able to handle it myself while my wife handled the kids and the indoor stuff.
Overall it was fun and quite a learning experience. I definitely need to learn how to level a bit better. All my connections were good and solid. No issues with emptying and cleaning my black tank. We did noticed that the electric water heater cut out for whatever reason, so we just flipped the propane and had hot water. I'm going to talk to the dealer about that tomorrow.
Which now brings me to my one and only issue: water.
During the downpour, it did not leak. We did notice condensation which is to be expected. But, when we packed up during the rain, there was obviously water on the bunk ends. When we got home, the sun was out in full force so we began unpacking and opening it all up. Well my wife came out saying that the pillows, blankets and mattresses were all wet. Then she started to cry. We just bought this thing strictly to get away from wet camping and now we have to dry out our mattresses. I inspected the bunk ends with the dealer and afterwards and found no issues. My question is this: after packing up in the rain, how could we possibly get water ingression especially since there was no leaking during the downpour when it was all opened up? My wife is especially upset because she feels we may have wasted a lot of money if this is what dealing with a hybrid is like. I'm hopeful that there is an answer to this. I tried looking in the forum but all water leak issues don't seem to pertain to us.

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