Is the systems status panel supposed to monitor propane levels? Mine doesn't. It just monitors water - fresh, grey, black and battery level. Propane is indicated on the panel but nothing lights up.
I think that only the Classics come with the tanks with the monitors in them. Even though the status panel has the ability, you'd need different tanks and additional wiring, from what I understand.
There seem to be a few features that Airstream will only provide in the Classic line. Another one is gas/electric water heater.
__________________
Dennis
Air#4056
"Oooh - They have the Internet on computers now!" - Homer Simpson
Found out a couple of things that might help those with problems with door alignment and TV latch. Door alignment is affected by how tightly you screw down the stabilizer jacks. I found my door difficult to latch the last time I set up in camp, so when I got to dealer in Las Vegas, asked about it. There is no adjustment in door other than in the post on the door frame. But screwing the stabilizer jacks down too far will cause the trailer to flex and the door to become difficult to close. A slightly gentler approach to the stabilizers fixed that issue. Not perfect, but at least better.
The TV latch issue for me was a quick fix. Simply push the swivel bracket fully back when attaching the TV makes the latch easier to lock. Note I said nothing about getting the bloody thing to unlatch. Haven't figured that one out!
I think that only the Classics come with the tanks with the monitors in them. Even though the status panel has the ability, you'd need different tanks and additional wiring, from what I understand.
There seem to be a few features that Airstream will only provide in the Classic line. Another one is gas/electric water heater.
Darn... I'd love to be able to monitor propane levels more accurately than letting one tank go empty then switching to the other - which at least lets me know that I'm half full. the Gas/electric water cooler would be cool too.
The dual fuel water tank could add a good bit of expense, but to add the propane to the monitoring system wouldn't cost that much more. On a $70K unit a few more dollars for propane tank level monitoring wouldn't even be noticed.
But... I'll for go these features before I give up the contemporary interior styling of the Safari. The classic is too traditional for my tastes.
__________________ Jim & Rod
Two Burmese cats with attitude Philip and Gus
Had a nice long post all ready to submit that thanked those of you who wrote about my "Almost 2 Month Shakedown" post but it seemed that the internet connection timed out. Oh well.
Thanks Westfalia & Gene for the TV cable fix (& up I got small fingers and have trouble getting the TV latch to release); Roamin Cat for suggesting a solution for where to propane tank rubs the electrical wires and the many others who make this a very useful forum
Had a nice long post all ready to submit that thanked those of you who wrote about my "Almost 2 Month Shakedown" post but it seemed that the internet connection timed out. Oh well.....................
Bill
Bill, try composing your replies in a text editor such as work or notepad and then paste it into the reply form when ready to post. This way you can spend as much time writing without fear of time outs.
__________________ "If a man does not have an ideal and try to live up to it, then he becomes a mean, base and sordid creature, no matter how successful." Letter to his son Kermit, quoted in Theodore Roosevelt by Joseph Bucklin Bishop, 1915
Bill, try composing your replies in a text editor such as work or notepad and then paste it into the reply form when ready to post. This way you can spend as much time writing without fear of time outs.
One other way I used to use when we had the first post bug, is to prior to submitting the post use the edit function of your browser and highlight and copy your future post. That way if it times out or fails, just get back to the thread and you can paste the message back into the posting window.
I can tell you that doing it like that saved me a lot of grief over time.
Jack
__________________
Jack Canavera
STL Mo. AIR #56
'04 Classic 30' S.O.,'03 GMC Savana 2500,'08 Vespa GTS 250
The only way you find out that you are out of propane in one of the two bottles on the 19' Ocean Breeze is by running out. One indication is that the light on the water heater will remain on. Then, opening the cover of the propane tanks, you will discover the green band on the gage has moved down and a red will show. Not exactly a big deal, as you simply swivel the handle to turn off the old tank and to turn on the new one, but not handy if you are in an area in winter. Nothing shows on the status panel inside the trailer. You can then independently remove the empty tank and get it refilled.
If you open the valves on both bottles, the regulator will automatically switch-over when the bottle that the lever is pointing to goes empty. It will also display red instead of green. You then close the valve on that bottle, point the lever to the bottle that's not empty, and remove the empty one to refill. The indicator will go green again. You do have to check the indicator periodically, but you gas flow to the appliances will be uninterrupted this way.
__________________
Dennis
Air#4056
"Oooh - They have the Internet on computers now!" - Homer Simpson
More problems discovered on this past weekend, so I'm adding to Post 109.
—on the front corner panorama windows the seals apparently have shrunk and each has popped out of one corner.
—Solar monitor panel—one yellow light out. This was a dealer installed unit.
—Stove top—the black grill on top sits in rubber grommets. Two of the four grommets are falling apart.
—Monitor panel. The readouts make no sense. This system worked fine until this weekend. For example, grey water read 3/4 but only had 5 to 10 gallons in it. It holds 37 on a FB. HowieE was at the rally and explained his experience with his monitor system on a 2007 International. Now the system measures pressure. The wires are telephone wire and connections are made with telephone jacks. The dealer tried to fix the system a couple of times without success. Finally it was discovered the jacks at a buss block were cruddy and Howie cleaned them and the monitor worked right. Since my trailer is different underneath, Howie couldn't tell me where the buss was. Maybe my dealer knows. If these jacks get so dirty in less than a year (he picked it up last October), I'm sure it will be a recurring problem.
One corollary question that I know others share—why is the black water tank so big and why isn't the grey water tank bigger? This isn't true on all trailers, but everyone at the rally seemed to have the same question. Boondocking can mean bringing extra potable water, but the grey water tank won't hold it all. It takes a very long time to even fill the black water halfway. The only answer I have to the large black water tank capacity is that when flushing it with something like a Flush King, a smaller tank could mean a fountain coming out of the toilet, or even worse, blowing some seals.
More problems discovered on this past weekend, so I'm adding to Post 109.
—on the front corner panorama windows the seals apparently have shrunk and each has popped out of one corner.
problem.
One corollary question that I know others share—why is the black water tank so big and why isn't the grey water tank bigger?
Boondocking can mean bringing extra potable water, but the grey water tank won't hold it all. It takes a very long time to even fill the black water halfway. The only answer I have to the large black water tank capacity is that when flushing it with something like a Flush King, a smaller tank could mean a fountain coming out of the toilet, or even worse, blowing some seals.
Gene
Gene are you talking about the seals on the outer dark shield that sits in front of the windows? If so, those tend to vibrate out all the time. I pretty well annually have to open those corner shields up and push the gasket material back into the channel.
As far as the black water tank goes, after coming from a trailer with a small black water tank, I'm thrilled to death with the big tank. I find that dealing with the grey water much easier to deal with. In my case I've also have a tote tank that provides the extra capacity I need in those situations where I'll be at a site long enough to require more grey water capacity. Sure I could use it for the black tank also but I'd rather be toting grey water around than black.
Jack
__________________
Jack Canavera
STL Mo. AIR #56
'04 Classic 30' S.O.,'03 GMC Savana 2500,'08 Vespa GTS 250
Jack, it could be the on the inside of the shields. I haven't gotten around to opening them yet. I trust the dealer can fix either.
Looking at the various tank sizes on different trailers, I'm not sure that a lot of it makes sense. Some models have much larger potable water tanks than grey water, others just about equal. Black water tanks vary greatly in size bearing little relationship to potable water. Maybe they're based on sleeping capacity, but I am guessing it has more to do with what fits underneath. I agree toting black water is far less desirable than grey water. My trailer has 39 gal. for potable and black and 37 for grey. Unless I have a trailer full of cholera patients, I can't see how I'm going to come close to filling the black water tank before I fill the grey water tank and empty the potable water tank. I guess it depends on previous experience and particular trailer.
Jack, it could be the on the inside of the shields. I haven't gotten around to opening them yet. I trust the dealer can fix either.
Looking at the various tank sizes on different trailers, I'm not sure that a lot of it makes sense. Some models have much larger potable water tanks than grey water, others just about equal. Black water tanks vary greatly in size bearing little relationship to potable water. Maybe they're based on sleeping capacity, but I am guessing it has more to do with what fits underneath. I agree toting black water is far less desirable than grey water. My trailer has 39 gal. for potable and black and 37 for grey. Unless I have a trailer full of cholera patients, I can't see how I'm going to come close to filling the black water tank before I fill the grey water tank and empty the potable water tank. I guess it depends on previous experience and particular trailer.
Gene
If it is on the inside of those shields I can guarantee you that this will be something that you will have to deal with over the course of ownership. I've seen it on a lot on newer trailers, with the gasket slipping out of the corners of the shields. I'm assuming vibration and the movement in the wind flexes those shields which eventually causes that gasket to move. The material is much like the spline material used to secure screen fabric in window screens.
We spent almost a week in Destin Fla at a state park with no sewer hookups. That big black tank was well appreciated. Now on the converse, it also requires you to add significant water to get a good flush. So on a short weekend trip I do have to add a good deal of water to make sure the solids get flushed out.
Jack
__________________
Jack Canavera
STL Mo. AIR #56
'04 Classic 30' S.O.,'03 GMC Savana 2500,'08 Vespa GTS 250
Jack, it does look like that spline material that is used in screens and doesn't like to stay in screens either. After 3 days boondocking I don't think that there was much more than 5 gallons in the black tank and some of it was the 2 gallons used to deodorize it. Using the Flush King got it clean after 4 flushes. Took about 15-20 minutes. I guess if you have 4 or more people and stay for a week, the big black water tank would be necessary. But then, what do you do with the grey water?—if boondocking, it seems you'd have to dump it mid week or use very little.
What I'm trying to say is that the potable and grey water tanks could be bigger and the black smaller—it's the proportions between them. The 2008 Safari SS has 39 gal. for potable and grey water and 18 for black water. I don't know why. It's the same size as the other two 25's. The 25' has a 33 gal black water tank; the 25' and 27' FB have 39 gal, and the 28' has a 35 gal. The potable water tanks are all 39 gal. The grey water tanks are either 37 or 39 gal. Why all the differences—doesn't it cost more to make or buy all different sizes?
To further confuse, the 2008 Classics from 30' to 34' have 54 gal. potable water, but the 37 gal. grey water tank and 39 gal. black.
With that, I have spent too much time thinking about water tanks and why there are so many sizes and the proportions between them.
Quick Links
Problem Fixes??? 
Propane 'Gage' 
Linear Mode
