Category Archives: RV Living

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.  =)

We are here in Everett, WA….living in our home on wheels in our friend’s RV lot in their alley way.  Which was a very tight fit….doesn’t help that Ackbar is low and we had to worry about bottoming out trying to get into the alley.  It was not an easy park job at all….icks….but ToRn got it with Allen’s help.

Everything is all over the place, we are slowly getting things situated….just not fast enough for me.  We had to pretty much unload stuff into their garage so we can do the office area and bring it back in next week.

We couldn’t put the cat litter where we wanted due to a support beam.  Then things don’t come apart as easy as we thought.  So just going to get office set up, put things away there and move on from that.  We’ll worry about painting and such next year.

Hubby took a chill out day today after a very stressful day yesterday.  Me, I want to get things done, just don’t know where to start and it is stressing me out.  Then trying to get work done on top of it….icks….

I keep telling myself we got time, that is why we are here….have time and space to get set up.  But until everything is in it’s place….ggrrr  Right now it feels as if we are fighting Ackbar…everything is so small, that things don’t seem to fit…..

I’m stressing the holding tanks…we were at 1/3 when we got here and now 2/3rds???  How the hell did we do 14gals of each of the tanks….since Wed when we haven’t even taken showers in it yet?  Do have to be fair, it has been at 1/3 since we got it in Dec and it may have been half way between 1/3 and 2/3….so we may have had only 7 gals.  But how the hell we did 7 gals??  Haven’t it used it that much.

Don’t want to have to move it to find a dump station and then repark….did find a service that will come out and dump for us.  So going to have that done this Thurs…that is going to make me feel better, so we are starting fresh and now we can figure out how long it’ll last.

We got a WiFiRanger Mobile, seems to catch other networks, but we can’t always able stay on.  Our own 2 networks of AT&T & Millenicom….even our friends….and they are less then a 100yds away.  So another new frustration, that we knew we were going to deal with that….but with everything else…not helpful.

So when I have issues, I head down to our friend’s house and steal their internet for work.  =)

Our friends have been so, so helpful.  We are trying to visit without imposing on them.  You know what they say about fish and visitors after 3 days……so hopefully with having our own home, that won’t happen.  =)

Right now watching a Ron White, getting some needed laughter….

In just over 4days, we’ll be living in Ackbar…..wow…..our stuff is so disorganized and everywhere.  The leave date is the 20th.

We moved our “office” to downstairs on folding tables.  Hubby tore our old desks apart for trash.  What we can’t get rid of over the next 2 trash days, will be going with us to our friends for a burn pile.  They are old and particle wood….so not worth keeping.

I got our utilities ordered for disconnect online and been trying to do change of addresses.

Got our WiFi ranger and Millenicom today.  Got the WiFi antenna last month and had the rv dealer put it up on our batwing.

So much to do this weekend, need to get our stuff over to Ackbar, clean the house to be ready to turned over to the landlord….right now, things going into the Ackbar, it is a mess.  It is so disorganized.  I’ve been trying to organize it as we go, but until we are living in it….debating on going over there tomorrow or Sunday and to attack it a little bit, since hubby took a load over there today.  Depends on how much we need to do here

We will be heading to our friend’s in Everett, WA for 2-3 weeks. We are going to be parking it there while we put in our desk set up with the things we got from HomeDepot and Ikea in the long front slide out.  And getting all our stuff set up.

We are taking so much, figured what doesn’t work, because we won’t know until we are living in it, we can always donate.

From HomeDepot we got our new flooring since we had the carpet tore out of the slide out…..so that is the 1st project.

Then on to the desk…..

From Ikea we got 2 of these : http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40162496/#/60104325

And 2 of these : http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10192824/

They are going to be under 3 of these, that the slide out fits exactly with 1/8 inch of room left, if our figures are correct : http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40136558/

I’m actually writing this hoping that it’ll help me organize my thoughts….not sure it is working….lol  So I’ll think I’ll call it a night.