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Morning Cup Of Coffee And Weather
- Thread starter Tour 931
- Start date
AZ got that one right...no clock changes...it's MST all year round.
.... just another 75 and sunny day again today.It snowed all night and is still snowing.
Notice there is not much snow on the roof and even bare places on the ground. Officially we have 5.5” with another 1.6” coming but the wind is causing 2’ drifts. When I walked out to take the picture I was post hiking up to my knees.
Supposed to get some rain tomorrow and Friday. Hope so, there's only been .03 inches since October.
Van_and_Terri
Ranger
Mid 70s in Florida today too.
I detect some real joy in that statement...
.... it may very well be a little of the love/hate relationship that many have with the elements they endure, to live where they do, and the sense of accomplishment they feel when they conquer the roadblocks those elements place before them one more time. We came home from AZ a couple years ago to the remnants of one of the snowiest winters in decades, and after spending a good part of the day opening up our nearly quarter mile long driveway, I had that feeling.... but now we spend a few more weeks in AZ.
Peg and I are a couple of oldsters who still try and move that snow mass over Chicago using willpower while watching the weather news.
Steve Sanford
Novice
I had a delivery yesterday so took the snowplow off my tractor to use the forklift. I put the bucket on when finished so we will probably get a big snowstorm in northeast PA. I can handle the small stuff with the bucker but a when we get over a foot I need the plow. Supposed to be warmer next week so hopefully I did not take the plow off too soon.
Sweeney
Administrator
I'm enjoying telling my family and friends, "Yah, today it was 57 ...when I woke up. Got up to 70 later in the day..." I have to admit, the Southerners are on to something with that gag. It really doesn't get old.
However, I know in the summer, its 110 here with high humidity and the people are miserable or living inside for weeks on end. The argument falls flat though herein Texas because not only to they get the 110's in the summer, they also get the cold temperatures in the winter. Perhaps the only saving grace is the shoulder months are significantly longer...
What you think @Kilometer 31 ?
Today is the last day of AC and Heat Pumps....be glad when its over. Technically not all that difficult, but keeping track of "This manufacturer uses this color combination, that manufacturer uses this..." and "Oh, that wire started here as purple...but in the box it comes out as black" is maddening. The only 'good' news is that other than a few parts, AC's on RV's are disposable items. Sure, you can replace fans, and capacitors and rewire what some putter-butt with a screwdriver and good intentions "fixes" --- but they are mostly something to be disposed of every few years.
The exception --- Carrier -- the same people who make AC's for the home --- made an RV AC years and years ago --- they are still working today. The throw-away culture is really annoying.
However, I know in the summer, its 110 here with high humidity and the people are miserable or living inside for weeks on end. The argument falls flat though herein Texas because not only to they get the 110's in the summer, they also get the cold temperatures in the winter. Perhaps the only saving grace is the shoulder months are significantly longer...
What you think @Kilometer 31 ?
Today is the last day of AC and Heat Pumps....be glad when its over. Technically not all that difficult, but keeping track of "This manufacturer uses this color combination, that manufacturer uses this..." and "Oh, that wire started here as purple...but in the box it comes out as black" is maddening. The only 'good' news is that other than a few parts, AC's on RV's are disposable items. Sure, you can replace fans, and capacitors and rewire what some putter-butt with a screwdriver and good intentions "fixes" --- but they are mostly something to be disposed of every few years.
The exception --- Carrier -- the same people who make AC's for the home --- made an RV AC years and years ago --- they are still working today. The throw-away culture is really annoying.
Now we'll know who to blame if a big storm hits...
Van_and_Terri
Ranger
I had an AC guy tell me that the government efficiency requirements drove the manufactures to make concessions such as lighter components which had shorter life spans.
Got our first significant rain since October this morning. Made the saguaro and barrel cactus's color come to life, and all the shrubbery look a bit brighter. Forecast is for a few more rain days over the next week, but it's often sunny a good part of those rainy days as well
Kilometer 31
Novice
@Sweeney Used to be we could count on what kind of hot summer we'd have here in Texas. I grew up in hot / dry El Paso and now live in hot / humid Houston. But now it's a tossup of how bad it will be. Summer before last was brutal with no rain and a bajillion days over 100 degrees. Last summer had fairly regular rains throughout summer and the temps, while high, weren't shockingly so.
For any coming outings in my 560 near the Houston area, I'll cherish my AC. But was dawning on me that my favorite destination, Big Bend, has a good news/bad news aspect to it. Generally, the summer months there are really hot so you have to limit your daytime hikes. But the nice part is, being the desert, the night temperatures are quite nice and there's no real humidity. So I can primitive camp without need of AC.
For any coming outings in my 560 near the Houston area, I'll cherish my AC. But was dawning on me that my favorite destination, Big Bend, has a good news/bad news aspect to it. Generally, the summer months there are really hot so you have to limit your daytime hikes. But the nice part is, being the desert, the night temperatures are quite nice and there's no real humidity. So I can primitive camp without need of AC.
Sweeney
Administrator
That may be, but in the RV world, I am more likely to believe it was a price-driven decision. One thing I can say is a soft-start is definitely a good idea.
I am so sick of the throw-away culture.
These classes are pretty good, I'm picking up a lot of information. Frankly, most of it is available on my favorite university platform (google/youtube) but the trouble is sorting out the chaff. Some SO many people give bad advise. One guy who demo'd wheel bearing packing on his channel, with absolute sincerity, failed to preload the bearing --- leaving it nut just finger tight. HUGE step missing there! Now, he did correct it a couple videos later -- and I'm not sure he even drove on it. But if you took his advise without knowledge, you could be in serious trouble
This leads to the most significant part of the training...simply knowing how they are assembled and how the signal flows, what can interrupt it etc.
Every tech/instructor I have talked too told horror stories of "Mr. Putterbutt" who learned from youtube video, probably titled "If your fridge does this, do this to fix it" which may have fixed that persons problem, but would be utterly pointless to thes same symptom without diagnosis because several things can cause that failure mode. Then, when it didn't work, they reassemble incorrectly making a total mess.
So, most of what they teach is how 'signal' flows --- that signal could be AC 120v, DC 12v, propane or airflow...you trace each of these to where the signal stops, and then you've found the failing part. Plus, you need to watch out for multiple signal failures. Its all pretty basic "how to diagnose" stuff. Break the circuit in half --- then in half again.
I used to be much better at this than I am now --- mostly because of 50 years of being away from 'simple' stuff. I've gotten a few object lessons in "Did you check the fuse?" or checking polarity of the 12 volt. As the great philosopher 'Homer' puts it... "D'oh!"
But --- In every one of those cases the next thing I worked on, those simple things have become the first thing I check -- which is the point of training.
Next week is Furnaces and Water heaters --- both of which are pretty simple devices. Then 'exterior' which gets into slides, steps, awnings...all those things outside the RV. Then the big certification test. I can not get to that day soon enough.
Sweeney
Administrator
Thought you were in Minnesota?
One thing to watch on the AC -- it the temps go in that 110 range shut it off, this is a number Cary gives in his delivery training. And yes, you will be very glad to have it
I don't care what RV you have in the summer sun, they can be used as ovens in the hot sun with poor airflow.I've never been able to do desert camping. Except for training for job, and the trip here to Athens, Texas for training at the NRVTA, I've never been to the southwest. Its on my bucket list, and I suspect that will happen next year. But that will be December through march or april. Not july
That's our home base, but we spend a good share of the winter at our home in AZ. After renting VRBO's there for a month for several years starting in 2011, we decided to buy a place in 2017, and as our work careers gradually transitioned from full time, to part time, to full retirement, our time in AZ increased inversely to our work time.Thought you were in Minnesota?