What Didn't Break Wednesday

1. The trailer tongue jack

The tongue jack had to go. We bought the replacement at Tractor Supply and swapped it ourselves. A video of the tongue jack swap is coming soon.

3. The drawer that fell apart in my hands

A drawer face pulled off. Then, when I removed the drawer and touched it, the thing fell apart. I put it back together with Gorilla Glue from Ace Hardware.

4. Why did we run out of hot water mid-shower?

We ran out of hot water during Cyndi's shower and found the Aqua-Hot was low on coolant. This isn't regular antifreeze. It's a propylene glycol 50/50 mix approved for closed boiler systems, and nobody local had it - not Walmart, Tractor Supply, the truck stops, the RV shops, Ace Hardware, O'Reilly Auto, AutoZone, or Advance Auto. We had to special-order it from Amazon.

This is the gallon we ordered: STAR BRITE Premium -100° Boiler System Antifreeze, 1 gallon (032700). If you have an Aqua-Hot, get a gallon on hand before you need it.

When you fill it, depress the air bleeder valve on top of the Aqua-Hot unit and bleed the air until you get no bubbles and only coolant.

5. The roof HVAC heaters that groaned at night

The roof HVAC heaters were making strange noises at night. We pulled the covers and cleaned them with RV leave-on AC cleaner. They no longer make the noise.

8. A sharp turn, a small hole, and Dad's favorite fix

The air conditioner mounted on the front trailer wall punched a small hole in the fiberglass of the RV when we made a sharp turn. We fixed it with Gorilla Tape from Ace Hardware - reminiscent of my dad's "duct tape fixes everything" days.

12. Three tires were low

The tire pressure indicators showed three tires were low. We filled them, and they're okay now.

6. A cracked SnapPad - and a company that showed up

We cracked a SnapPad. The company made it easy to file the warranty claim, and the replacement is already here. That's how you treat people who live in these things. Thank you, SnapPad.

16. The Waggle camera mount

The Waggle camera mount broke. Waggle made that warranty claim easy too, and has already shipped the new mount. We're still waiting on it to arrive.

7. The Dyson vacuum container

The Dyson vacuum container broke. A replacement container was ordered from Amazon.

9. What transmission fluid does an Allison take?

The engine transmission light came on 10 minutes from home. An Allison transmission uses only Allison-approved transmission fluid. If you have an Allison, have the right fluid on hand before you need it.

Allison's current recommendation for on-highway 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 Series transmissions is a TES 668 approved fluid. TES 295 and TES 468 approved fluids are still approved, and Allison suggests considering TES 668 at the next service if you're on those older specs. Check your coach's manual or your dealer for the fluid your transmission actually takes - don't guess, and don't grab the first bottle on the shelf. Allison keeps the lists on its approved-fluids page.

Empire Truck Sales in Slidell is inspecting the transmission further.

10. Why check your oil when you stop?

We had an oil leak, and we were 5.5 gallons low at only 1,300 miles into the trip. The motorhome is at Empire Truck Sales in Slidell for repair. They think it was an oil filter seal that broke.

Check your oil when you stop. Weird things can happen.

11. Both stalk switches

Both the left and right stalk switches were not working right. The left would not turn on the left turn signal to change lanes, and the right would not shift to the high engine-brake setting. Empire is replacing both switches under warranty.

2. The sagging entry steps

The entry-step weld is breaking underneath the coach, and the stairs are sagging. We propped them up with bricks for stability for now.

13. The bedroom slide

The bedroom slide closes back first, and then the front rotates in at the last minute. That's not right. We've got to get someone to look at that.

14. The kitchen drawer latch

The kitchen drawer latch broke. The drawer slides open when we're driving if it isn't taped shut. That one's still on the list.

15. Rain, a towel, and the full-wall slide molding

We had some rain, and some came in when we were closing the full-wall slide. I put a towel back there to clean it up, and then the towel pushed the molding off when I closed the slide the rest of the way. We need to reattach that.