Bella Has a Home

With winter not far off, it's time for Paul's annual "large project".... A home for Bella.  Bella will reside in the old carport that extends off of the garage, but first it needs a 'roof-lift' so that she can fit under it.  Bella is 10'6" high and the carport is only about 5'6". So, there's a lot of roof-raising to do.  After much thought he decided that he could raise the roof of the carport by five (5) feet to accommodate Bella.  The carport has normally just held the occasional visitor's car and was low.

Paul worked every morning before work (in the dark) and every evening after work (in the dark) to raise it up a little bit at a time each day.  He used bottle jacks and a complex system of braces that he designed.  Little by little he raised the roof until it was high enough.

Only attached by the brace on each end!

Some joists attaching it now.

After all the construction was finished, Jan blew away all the leaves with a leaf-blower and then use some strong magnets to sweep the ground every two inches under the carport.  It was a good thing she did it because there were some nasty nails there!

With a new raised roof and clean floor, we put Bella to bed for the winter.  She seems to fit real well in her new home.  

We'll put some siding on the upper few feet of the outside area to provide more protection, but for now, it can wait a while.  

Winterizing 101

"Uncle Phil" (Paul's brother) came to visit this past weekend.  While he was here we took great advantage of his years of experience as an RV-er.  Phil started out with a Class C like ours, years ago, but ended up with a Class A that was in the neighborhood of 38' long, so he's had lots of practice with RVs.

The first thing Phil and Paul had to do was empty the hot water heater and install a by-pass valve.  We aren't sure why, but the previous owner never installed one.  Perhaps he just filled the hot water heater (HWH) with 6 gallons of antifreeze.  Getting at the HWH was a chore.  It's only accessible by taking apart the bed in the back end of the RV....Literally unscrewing the plywood sheathing that makes the floor of the bed.  From what we've read, installing a by-pass valve is often a hassle, and as you can see, this one turned out to be, too.

The guys drained the potable water tank and all the faucets.  (Paul drained the black water [sewer] and gray water [water from the sink, etc.] tanks last weekend at the campground which is one of the reasons we wanted to go camping at someplace that had a dump station.)

 After all of that was done, it was time to blow out the lines with a compressor, and then fill the lines with non-toxic antifreeze made especially for RVs.  At $4 a gallon, it's not particularly expensive.  Instead of purchasing a pump to get the antifreeze into the system, Paul just used an old piece of hose and a funnel.

The final thing was to turn on the water pump and run each faucet until we saw pink antifreeze run out.   One final step was to release the pressure on the back flow valve for the potable water connection on the exterior.  Phil demonstrated how 'not' to do it!  Don't stare at the valve or you'll get a good shot of pressurized antifreeze in the face!

Antifreeze through the shower head.

That was the end of the 'water' winterizing.  Paul took out both new deep cell batteries (from under the bed, also) and put them in the basement of our house ready for a trickle charger as soon we buy one.

Jan went through Bella and took out anything with batteries in it -- mostly flashlights and push-button LED lights.  If they sit in the freezing cold all winter, they won't be any good.  We also took out bedding, pillows, etc. that mice might like for nesting.

We still need to install covers over all of the outside vents so little critters don't get inside.  Jan found one hole under the bed; it went right through the floor boards to the outside.  It seems like it was a drain for an older water heater which has since been replaced.  It would have been an easy place for mice to get in, so she plugged it with a wine cork. Hey, whatever works!

There!  Bella is almost ready for winter!  Many thanks to Phil for all of the advice and help; it was great to have an experienced hand helping us!

Left Behind

This is a door mat.  A plain ugly black vinyl doormat.  It will replace the colorful pretty vinyl doormat that we left behind on the ground at the campground when we drove away last weekend.   I can see that this could become a trend...  We will have to be much more diligent when we pack up to drive off.  Note to Self:  Add "Bring in Doormat" to the check list!

We'll call this "Doormat #2".

And to Rust You Shall Return

As we've said before, we knew we had some work to do on the RV.  The first major priority was to replace the propane tank.  The last thing we wanted was a nasty propane leak!  Since the RV is so old, the tank had to be special ordered, which took about a week.  Once it arrived the RV place called us up and said, "Bring it in."  The job was supposed to take one or two hours.

BEFORE

When I would call to check on it, the service manager would say, "Nope, he's still under it working on it." Two DAYS later....  the tank was ready. The invoice for the replacement reads like this:

"Had to remove furnace and freshwater tank and one dinette seat.  Cut old LP tank off.  Bolts were rusted.  Had to replace freshwater drain.  Broke when draining tank.  Reassembled.  Filled LP and tested LP system.  Ran furnace and put water back in freshwater tank."

AFTER

Clearly, the tank needed to be replaced!  We (mostly Jan) feel a lot safer driving around now!

Bella's Maiden Voyage

It wasn't easy, by any means, and it wasn't cheap, but we were able to take Bella out of her parking space next to the garage for her maiden voyage to Mohawk Trail State Forest campground near Charlemont, MA on October 4.  

Jan collected Bella from Daimond RV in Hatfield around noon, drove her home and began packing.    Bella has a new propane tank now and Jan is feeling much more comfortable thinking that she's not driving around on top of a propane-explosion-about-to-happen.  There will be another post about the propane.  Bella also got brand new house batteries (as opposed to truck engine battery) because the others would not hold a charge.  So, $1500 later, Bella is in better shape!  We knew that she'd need some repairs, so it was part of the plan.

Paul arrived home from work about an hour later.The doors for the basement area were still not repaired so Paul used some of his best jury-rigging skills, and some old plastic panels from an old shower enclosure (Paul never throws anything away) to put in temporary replacements that worked really well to keep out the rain.

This was pretty much peak weekend for the foliage, and despite some drizzle and fog, it was still beautiful. On our way around 2:00 pm, Bella chugged up the steep inclines almost holding her own, although we were polite and pulled onto the shoulder to let some other cars pass.  We know how annoying a slow RV can be!  

The ride to Mohawk Trail campsites is only about an hour, so it was an easy trip, and a good chance to take a 'maiden voyage'.  We had a nice level campsite right on the river.  The view out of our bedroom windows and the dinette windows was beautiful!  

Making gorgonzola mac and cheese

We stayed for two days and used the time to make lists of things that need to be fixed, adjusted, added, re-done, etc.    We tried out all of the appliances; Jan took full advantage of the stove and the full oven to make some great meals.  Using the oven kept us nice and warm -- hot homemade cinnamon rolls on Saturday morning were a great way to wake up!  The oven looks like it had never been used in 19 years!

Caulking all of the lights and attachments.

Paul did some caulking around the outside on Saturday afternoon; lots of the seals were cracked and old.  By Saturday night it was raining, so we were really glad that he'd done the caulking!  We were snug and dry inside.  Unfortunately, the neighboring campsites got pretty drenched.

Changing the upholstery on the valences.

We enjoyed sitting inside and reading in our nice cozy spot. Jan has been working on some redecorating -- getting rid of the foo-foo 1990's pleated blue wherever she can and replacing it with a beige tweed that just blends in nicely.

Tempermental hot water heater (blue flame)

The only problem we've run into, and it's a small one, is that we can't get the hot water heater to stay lit.  The gas flame seems to blow itself out.  Maybe it's insect nests in the delivery pipe; that's supposed to be a common problem.  We had an easy temporary fix, though, because we could boil hot water on the stovetop for washing dishes.  But, in the spring, we'll have to work at figuring it out.

All-in-all we had a great time with our first time on the trail with Bella!  Now it will be time to winterize her and put her away for the winter.  We're really excited that we were able to extend our camping season!

One Little Victory at a Time

Yesterday Jan and Paul took Bella to G&S and showed the owner the damage that had been done when someone clipped the back end, damaging two locks and basement doors.  Gary was very gracious; there was no question about fixing it especially since he found the place where it had been damaged and the missing pieces laying on the ground.  He sent Jan and Bella up to Diamond RV to get a price for replacement doors.

Surprise... (well, not totally)... since Damon is out of business, the parts are no longer available and the doors would need to be custom made at about $130 each and the color would be bright white; Bella is an aged beige.  So instead of that, Gary is having his autobody guy repair the doors; Gary himself ordered new hinges and locks.  Meanwhile, Bella has plastic over the open basement compartments while we wait for a call that the parts are ready; it should only take a day or two.

While at Diamond RV, Jan asked them about replacing the propane tank.  Two service guys looked under Bella and both decided they were reading the same hard-to-read numbers.  The tank has been special-ordered and should arrive within a week.  Then, hopefully, they can install the tank before we want to go camping the following weekend.

When Bella returns to have her propane tank installed, the service guys will put a load test on the batteries which seem pretty much kaput.  They're in a really difficult place to get at -- we have to remove the mattress and unscrew the 5/8" plywood base in order to get at the battery compartment.  I guess that's the price we pay for "compact RV".   We may be buying new deep cell batteries, too.  Also, not totally surprising.

Passed Inspection, But...

Last Friday, Jan got brave and took Bella down for re-inspection.  Thanks to Paul's hard work in the dark after he came home each night, she passed inspection!  Whew!!  One challenge down!

But.... on Saturday morning, when Jan went out to Bella she noticed it seemed like someone had tried to break into Bella's 'basement'.  Two locks were pushed in, the hinges were damaged and the paint was scraped.  [The basement is the storage area(s) under the 'house' part... the areas accessed from outside.]  On closer look, it was apparent that someone had side-swiped Bella, not broken in.  Since the only place she'd been was to the inspection station, it was likely that it happened there!  There was also yellow paint scrapings on the damaged areas.  Jan called the inspection place and left a message on their answering machine.

Poor Bella!  Just when we're trying to make her beautiful!

In the meantime, Jan had also made some calls about the propane tank and found that Diamond RV could replace the tank for about $1,000.  As we said, we knew we'd have to sink some money into her.

Monday's calendar was filling up - re-visit the inspection station, and go to Diamond RV to have the propane tank looked at so they could get the part numbers.

Outfitting and Maintaining

There are two aspects of Bella that have become important:  Outfitting and Maintaining.  Jan is in charge of Outfitting.  Paul is in charge of Maintaining.

Outfitting has been fun!!  Jan has been spending lots of time looking at Pinterest and reading blogs written by serious RV fanatics!  She's found lots of nifty ideas and is slowly incorporating some of them into Bella.

The first thing Jan did was shop for fabric to recover the full-size mattress in the back of Bella.   We want to use that space as a "lounge" during the day, and pillow-ticking just didn't do it.  She found some great classy chocolate brown upholstery fabric with blue and gold accents, and some matching pillows.  The cover turned out great, but we don't have any pictures of it in place yet.

                                                                                                              

Jan's been scouring Big Lots, Walmart, and Target for storage bins, shelves, racks, etc. in order to maximize the storage we have.  The biggest challenge is how to store the dishes and pots and pans.  The kitchen doesn't have much actual storage space in it, though it has great appliances.  The refrigerator is 5 cubic feet, which is really large and we have a three-burner, full oven range and microwave.  At some point we may replace the shallow porcelain double sink, but for the time being it's fine.

   

Jan's purse (for scale) inside the fridge.

       


We have lots of overhead storage in the "dining area" and in the bedroom, but not much in the kitchen.

Stove on the left (black thing) and bed (mattress) on the right.  This is the pantry!

Inspection Challenge

On the way home, it became apparent that not all of Bella's brake lights were working.  Paul also learned that Bella needs a while to build up a full head of steam; her get-up-and-go has got-up-and-went.  She's a heavy thing and hasn't got a lot of power.  Going up steep inclines is going to be a challenge; we'll end up in the slow lane the whole way!  LOL

We found out that we could get her inspected at a local heavy truck repair place in Hatfield, so on Monday Jan had to jump in the cab, and drive her for the first time!  It was a little scary, but the sun was shining and she only had to go a mile down the road.  Thankfully, the mechanics at G&S backed Bella in and out of the inspection bay because Jan didn't think she was quite up to that!

Bella failed!  (No real surprise.)  Her brake lights, a running light, and the back up lights didn't work.  But worse, the horn didn't work at all!  Thankfully, the emissions inspection was fine.  :)

Over the next couple nights, Paul troubleshooted (troubleshot?) the problems and was able to fix each one of them.  We now have two multi-packs of lightbulbs for the exterior lights, so hopefully that will hold us for a while.

In the meantime, Jan noticed that the onboard (built-in on the bottom of the truck chassis) propane tank was really, really rusty and started researching online.  It seems there is no required inspection for on-board propane tanks unless you live in Canada and then it's only every 10 years!  It also seems that such tanks can be replaced, but it's a bit costly -- hundreds of dollars.  We knew we were going to have to sink some money into Bella, though, so this is not unexpected.  Time for Jan to do more research and find a place to do it.

This is the propane tank -- totally rusted.  Even the metal plate with the part number is hard to read!

A New Member of the Family

On September 6, 2013 we added a new "member" to the family.  Her name is Bella.  Sometimes, though, her name is The Beast.  It depends.  She's a little old - built in March, 1994 and a little Italianate with gold braided cord on her window dressings -- thus the Italian name.  She also has flashy glow-in-the-headlight striping that's purple and blue -- and a little faded.  An old dame.

Bella is a 1994 Damon Ultrasport LE, a 22' Class C motorhome, though a 22' RV barely qualifies as a "motor"home.  She's built on a Chevy 350 Chassis and comes with some standard 1994-style equipment such as crank-up windows and non-power brakes -- no ABS on this baby!  She's a little heavy in the chassis, built solidly.  She has plush padding and  mirrors on many of her surfaces and was probably quite the looker, and expensive, in her day, but like all old dames, she's a little faded.

We enjoyed our RV trip in Oregon so much that we decided this was the way to enjoy the outdoors with our two grandchildren, Evan and Evangeline.  We might even invite their parents along!  Bella has room enough for 5 or 6 people if the kids sleep two to a bunk, or if one of them sleeps on the floor like Nate used to do when he was little.

We found Bella on consignment at an RV dealer in Hammonasett, CT via craigslist.  She was a good deal; we knew we'd have to do a fair bit of work to get her in good shape, but we like do-it-yourself projects and learning as we go along.  There will certainly be a lot to learn on this baby.

Our first challenge was just simply figuring out how to get her from CT to MA.  It took several trips -- First, Jan had to go to the bank to get a certified check.  Then Paul had to drive to CT to seal the deal and get the title and bill of sale.  Then he had to drive back to MA to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get her registered and get license plates.  The next morning Jan and Paul drove back down to CT to get Bella from the storage yard of the RV dealer, screw on the plates, and head for home in MA.