We had a perfect storm today…..I had a work emergency that I had to attend to….on top of everything with Ackbar….so I’m totally wiped out. Obviously I’m not going to get into the work stuff….but I sure can get into the Ackbar stuff…..just a bit of sharing to get it off my chest.
We had simple plans today for Ackbar, the stressful removal out of the tight parking spot, then top off our propane and head down the I5 to the rest stop at mile marker 207 to dump our tanks, then parking back into the tight stop (it would be perfect if we were just a few feet shorter and the width of a class C not an A….lol)
Well…..yesterday, after using our furnace since last Wednesday, it started blowing black soot and inside Ackbar, it smelled like car exhaust…yuck! We can’t have that….not good. We took Ackbar to American Distributing in Marysville, WA to top off our propane and talk to them since they do work on furnaces and was hoping they worked on rv furnaces…..nope, no luck in that.
BUT they did recommend a place that we knew since we looked at a bus there over a year ago. Not that far from us at all….Roy Robinson RV I was afraid we would have to go 30 miles more north to Camping World….so did not want to do that.
Before we headed to Roy Robinson, we went up to the rest stop and dumped our tanks.
Unfortunate, our black water is not saying empty…..we don’t think we used enough water and chemicals so everything hasn’t broken down like it should. And maybe the sensor is blocked. Because hubby flushed the system a lot….so we are going make sure we use enough water and chemicals, get more broken down and see how it goes for our next dump. But we were very pleased not to have pay for dumping….we were thinking of having someone come out to dump us….but that is pricey.
After the rest stop, we headed down to Roy Robinson. We were lucky the guy that they gave us to help worked on Admirals for 15yrs and said we have a good rig and that our engine looked good and clean, because they sometimes get infested with rats and mice nest.
Now at first they said if they couldn’t remove the exhaust pipe then we would need a new furnace….which is like $755 just for the part. They did get it out and discovered we need a burner. That part is like only 27-35…much better…even through you know how labor is…icks They charge $117/hr…but that is tech work. They did say other than the burner, it looks in good condition.
They did discover that whoever worked on it before, they didn’t put all the screws back in…which meant it wasn’t sealed and the exhaust would leak in…..not helpful at all.
They got the part ordered and ToRn will be taking Ackbar back tomorrow to get it done. Right now, the total damage is running about $350. We should be getting some reimbursed from our dealer since it under inhouse warranty, the issue is that we are in Everett, WA and they are in McMinnville, OR…..so they don’t cover it all due to cost differences.
So…it was totally stressful, spending money we didn’t want to spend….but it could’ve been much worst, so content with that.
Tonight we got Ackbar parked out in front, we have no heat other then our Buddy Heater….but for tonight, it’ll do. We are just going to be sleeping in there with lots of blankets and cats……..going to be in the high 30s/low 40s
Cats sure didn’t enjoy today but they are recovering better then before. We really need to make sure we bag them once before we pull in the slide outs, because it frees up a big space behind the bed that the cats get into. That they can NOT be in to put the slide out back out…..not safe at all. Took a bit to get Sakura out.
Learned that we have got to WALK around the rig a few times to make sure we get everything before moving….icks I know everyone forgets things and it part of the learning…but I really don’t want an expensive mistake.
So happy that we have Daphna and Allen to help give us different perspectives and insights…..great food and company. Helps with the stress….no way for us to fully ever thank them enough.
I’m exhausted…heading to our cold bed soon. =)
