Interstate Maintenance & Upkeep

[Tincampers]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Floor plan summary for the T1N Interstate below. LB_3 and I have the RS as it is formally called, which is the same model Maggie has. I wouldn't own any other model.

The only one I wouldn't want would be the DT model. I like the open feeling of the one we are bidding on, but can see where setting up the beds at night could be cumbersome for a couple who did not retire at the same time. Either of the rear bed models would be fine for us as well. I like the couch in the back of the RD model, but looks like making up the bed requires a few extra steps.

I wish these came with swivel front seats. I know there is a way for the passenger seat with some battery mods.

I don't suppose yours has tilt steering wheel?

[LB_3]

Originally Posted by Tincampers

The only one I wouldn't want would be the DT model. I like the open feeling of the one we are bidding on, but can see where setting up the beds at night could be cumbersome for a couple who did not retire at the same time. Either of the rear bed models would be fine for us as well. I like the couch in the back of the RD model, but looks like making up the bed requires a few extra steps.

I wish these came with swivel front seats. I know there is a way for the passenger seat with some battery mods.

I don't suppose yours has tilt steering wheel?

The Dinette Twin is my second favorite behind the Rear Sleeper. I just really like the idea of having a table that isn’t in the aisle way whether for eating or working on a laptop. If it were offered with a bath up front it might be more useful.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Tincampers

The only one I wouldn't want would be the DT model. I like the open feeling of the one we are bidding on, but can see where setting up the beds at night could be cumbersome for a couple who did not retire at the same time. Either of the rear bed models would be fine for us as well. I like the couch in the back of the RD model, but looks like making up the bed requires a few extra steps.

I wish these came with swivel front seats. I know there is a way for the passenger seat with some battery mods.

I don't suppose yours has tilt steering wheel?

The coach battery is under the front passenger seat in only some T1N models. I forget which ones, although IRRC the rear lounge is NOT one of them.

Here is my blog post for the seat swivel. It's not recommended for models that do have the coach battery under that seat, and I don't know of anyone who has attempted it with that configuration.

My husband is not a morning person and I most definitely am. Only the RS would work for us, although that's a secondary reason (primary reasons are that I want the million dollar rear view, the ingress-egress of the rear doors, and my "back porch" in the form of our custom hitch carrier). But it is convenient for me to have the entire run of of the rest of the Interstate while he sleeps in.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by LB_3

The Dinette Twin is my second favorite behind the Rear Sleeper. I just really like the idea of having a table that isn’t in the aisle way whether for eating or working on a laptop. If it were offered with a bath up front it might be more useful.

If the DT were located all the way to the back of the rig, it might be workable, but someone other than me would be sleeping on the 3-section side of the bed.

[Lily&Me]

My rear sleeper has the coach battery under the passenger seat.

I also don’t have the little flip shelf your diagram shows...tho I do have a good sized drop down mini table near the cargo doors.

Maggie

[InterBlog]

I don't believe anyone has mentioned the hot water heater flush maintenance procedure here on this thread. I did it this weekend because I'm trying to evaluate our old Atwood and figure out if we want to keep that and/or add something else.

It's an easy procedure:

1. Isolate the water heater using the winterizing valves inside the coach (may not strictly be necessary if the pump is off, but I like to prevent air from penetrating the entire system).
2. Shut off gas and main house power (the latter will achieve the former).
3. Release pressure using the Atwood valve (shown in second vid below)
4. Unscrew threaded fitting
5. It's a rather bizarre, non-ergonomic design such that, when initially draining, it barfs water down the side of the rig:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag0ulk8bq7E

6. Optional: Use endoscope to evaluate interior of the tank

^^ No evidence of degradation or foreign matter accumulation.

7. Backflush if you feel that it would do any good.
8. Replace plug, open valves, fire it up to test.

The entire procedure is illustrated in six minutes by James Adinaro in this vid below (older, as it shows their original rig). This is the same Atwood that is installed in at least some if not all T1N Interstates, so it's simple to follow along.

Now, neither James nor I saw anything suspicious with our endoscopes, but that will not necessarily be true of every Atwood owner. James winterizes repeatedly during the year (so he's effectively flushing anyway), and we haven't been running any water through our heater (so no adverse conditions had much of a chance to develop operationally). Neither of those represent typical usage scenarios.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-ZB2Vqm-Qg

[Lily&Me]

Minus the endoscopic examination , those of us who must winterize do this every fall.

Maggie

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

Minus the endoscopic examination , those of us who must winterize do this every fall.

Maggie

Do you backflush it, though? James's point was that the flushing part is "said" to be needed in addition to the draining part. He was obviously skeptical in the vid, but apparently that's the manufacturer's recommendation, so maybe in certain conditions, it is advisable.

[Lotus54]

I’ve drained mine a few times to winterize- plus I like to use the hot water tape just to keep things moving, even if no hot water at the time.

I never thought about using my boroscope- good idea.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Do you backflush it, though? James's point was that the flushing part is "said" to be needed in addition to the draining part. He was obviously skeptical in the vid, but apparently that's the manufacturer's recommendation, so maybe in certain conditions, it is advisable.

If the water heater contains a sacrificial anode then back-flushing would certainly be advisable. Ditto if one uses water from an area plagued by "hard" water.

Modern Attwood heaters have an aluminum lining on the steel tank, and so have no need of an anode. And thus there will not be bits of corroded anode in the tank. But that still leaves "hard" water deposits that may need to be broken loose by back-flushing with an appropriate chemical (such as non-toxic apple cider vinegar) lest they build up on the heating elements.

[InterBlog]

True, which is why I noted that through-put plays a role. The more the through-put, the more the accumulation.

I don't know of too many places that don't have hard water. We certainly do. We actually have a hard-water-defiant stick-and-brick shower head that I love - the spray head is made of an elastomeric (synthetic rubber). It accumulates deposits that begin to plug the head and send the individual water streams flying in random directions, but rather than having to remove the head and soak it in vinegar as one would with a solid head, one simply squashes and mashes the flexible rubber with one's fingers, which causes the solid pieces to crumble and fall off. A brilliant design.

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

My roof is sealed, hopefully protected from rust for years to come, and I am very pleased with the visual results.

The darker areas on the AC cover and as can be seen on the roof are where existing rust spots and a couple of cracks on the AC cover were dabbed with the silver tinted ProFlex.

I called JC yesterday about replacing the AC cover, and was told this could not be sold to me directly but must be ordered from an Airstream dealer.

They did give me the part number, which I then gave to Airstream of Chicago when I called them, who sold me one of 9 they had in stock...which they get directly from Dometic, at about $50.00 less than that same part re-numbered for Airstream.

He also told me they use about 3 cans of silver spray paint for one of these, which I can then do myself, rather than paying a body shop to do it...very good customer service.

I’m going to pick it up there on Monday morning.

I picked the AC cover up on Monday, painted it myself , and it took about 10 minutes with four screws to get this installed on my roof this morning.

The replacement cover has a lot more “give” than the old one, which is rigid plastic that has become brittle after 11+ years of being on that roof.

Two cracks and a couple of chips out of the old one, it has held up well but the replacement may hold up even better.

Maggie

[InterBlog]

Just as an FYI for anyone who uses Facebook and who is also known to MB...

I got a "Let's Reconnect" offer in my feed for $200 off of any service $400 or greater in price. "Valid January 29, 2018 - March 16, 2018", it says, and at first glance it appears legit, as being from Daimler.

It requires entering an email address to redeem the offer and I didn't do that because I don't need anything right now (so I don't know if there are strings attached). But I thought I'd mention this in case there's anyone out there who was contemplating getting some Sprinter work done right about now. You might see one of these pop up on your screen also.

[InterBlog]

For those with solar panels, it has been said that hosing them off from the ground should be sufficient to clean them, but I haven't found that to be the case in practice. Here's a pic below of an extensively-hosed-off panel section on the left vs. then I got on the roof and hand-scrubbed the right hand side.

Organic gunk can be very sticky, and then there's the issue of mineral deposits from water that evaporates on them. I only clean them this thoroughly a couple of times per year, and when I do, I use a tiny amount of Rejex (avoiding the edge seams) so that it's easier to get the mineral scale off during the next scrubbing.

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

For those with solar panels, it has been said that hosing them off from the ground should be sufficient to clean them, but I haven't found that to be the case in practice. Here's a pic below of an extensively-hosed-off panel section on the left vs. then I got on the roof and hand-scrubbed the right hand side.



Organic gunk can be very sticky, and then there's the issue of mineral deposits from water that evaporates on them. I only clean them this thoroughly a couple of times per year, and when I do, I use a tiny amount of Rejex (avoiding the edge seams) so that it's easier to get the mineral scale off during the next scrubbing.

Which Rejex product are you using? I searched and see there are many Rejex products. What is issue with edge seams?

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Boxster1971

Which Rejex product are you using? I searched and see there are many Rejex products. What is issue with edge seams?

It's the 16 oz blue bottle shown on this page. It appears that they may be changing their formulations because when I do an Amazon search, I see different labels. Our bottles were bought in 2017 so they still have the solid blue with the red and white "X".

Rejex recommends leaving the product on the vehicle for 10-15 minutes before buffing. I recommend closer to 30, as it tends to get harder and adhere better when left on longer.

Ah, the edge seam issue... perhaps paranoia on my part. I'm a lap swimmer and so I wear a Timex Ironman wrist watch 24/7. I've destroyed close to a dozen of them by now (but I cannot locate a more durable product - I sure wish I could). I know from experience that certain oil / polymer / wax products will crack the air seal if those products are allowed to get onto the face of the watch. This is pretty stupid when considering the conditions for which the watch was built. I lost one Ironman to an overzealous application of sunscreen. I lost another to pump-applied bug spray (which I think had some mineral oil in it).

I don't know anything about the edge seam construction of the solar panels, but I'm not taking any chances. Therefore when I put the Rejex on there, I don't go within about 2 inches of the seams, just in case it could have a harmful effect if a bit of it were to seep into those seams.

[InterBlog]

Maintenance reminder for T1N Interstate owners, because I can't remember if I posted this point previously:

The T1N Sprinter will "naturally" run low on air conditioner refrigerant eventually, due to the design of the system that Mercedes put in the cab. This may be something that you want to check in your own rig before the heat of the summer gets here.

Ours was low when we first bought our 2007 Interstate (2006 Sprinter) in late 2014. I took it to MB, they said, "Yeah, that happens, but we'll recharge it and you will probably go for years without any further issues." Sure enough, it's now coming up on four years later, and the cab a/c is without problems. The pressure still seems to be adequate.

The system seems to have the slowest leak in the manufactured universe, in other words.

[InterBlog]

New shoes (tires) for the rear (I don’t rotate tires, as I prefer to destroy them in pairs rather than as a quad set). This pic is deceiving- note the seam line in the stucco at the top of the bay door, and compare that to the height of the solar panels. Too tall for the bay. I’m using a common chain tire store but I picked one in an industrial part of the area where they are used to working on small trucks. Their tools stretch outside as long as the truck is close to the building.

[Tincampers]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

New shoes (tires) for the rear (I don’t rotate tires, as I prefer to destroy them in pairs rather than as a quad set). This pic is deceiving- note the seam line in the stucco at the top of the bay door, and compare that to the height of the solar panels. Too tall for the bay. I’m using a common chain tire store but I picked one in an industrial part of the area where they are used to working on small trucks. Their tools stretch outside as long as the truck is close to the building. Attachment 310393

We replaced all four of ours as we didn’t know their history. They had to work on it outside. Also had them install the Sumo Springs front and back. Makes a world of difference especially when paired with the Michelin tires.

[InterBlog]

We are wait-listed for new Koni shocks for the front. I think they are supposed to ship by the end of May.