Custom Hitch Cover with RT Logo

Our RT came with a plastic hitch cover from the RV dealer; it was printed with RV dealer info/advertisement. I figured out why not make it an RT Logo print for custom look. To do this, I first scuffed the surface using fine grit sandpaper; with a black spray paint specially designed for plastics I painted the base color. Next I searched online for an RT logo, resized it to proper size then printed on a regular bond paper. I then traced the RT logo into a masking tape, cut-out the details and then transferred it into the hitch cover, spray painted the red side, then the blue side. After the paint has completely dried, I spray painted it with several layers of clear coat for protection.  

City Water Inlet Replacement

At one point, things in the RV will eventually break and the city water inlet is no exception. If it starts to leak, try to reseat the rubber check valve first and see if that cures the problem. I have reseated the valve on ours on many occasions and lately the spring that holds the rubber check valve  just came off. I decided to replace the whole water inlet valve assembly with a different brand; the new one is made of brass vs. the plastic old one. One drawback is that the mounting holes is different as it has 3 mounting holes as opposed to 2 on the original one, so I have to drill new holes into the mounting bracket.

If you decided to replace it with a new identical one it would be an easy DIY, all you have to do is remove the two rivets that holds it in place, unscrew it from the PEX tubing pipe thread adapter, replace it with a new one and rivet it back in place.

 

Picture above shows the check valve is not properly seated causing water to leak out. If this happens, your water pump will repeatedly cycle on-off as water pressure starts to drop inside the pipes.

Safety Issue: Continental Spare Tire Carrier Failure

I feel compelled to share this. One morning before heading to work, I decided to check on my spare tire and noticed that it was loose as if it was unbolted from the carrier. I immediately removed the plastic tire cover and to my demise, the flat metal bracket where the tire is bolted on has completely broken off and the tire was just hanging by its rim on top of the remaining broken bracket.  The failure was at the 90-degree bend of the bracket and to the weld joint where it meets the vertical square tubing (see picture). The welded spot has probably failed first as evident by some rust stains along the weld joints, then from shear load of the tire and road vibrations the bracket just could not handle the stress and broke off at the weak point. The welding looks sloppy with bad metal penetration and to make it worst, it was only welded to one side of the bracket. If I have driven the RV that day without noticing it, the tire could have simply slid out and have fallen on the road, which could cause a vehicle crash. I took the broken tire bracket to a local weld shop and have gussets added to corners for more suport.

For anyone with the “Continental Tire Carrier” option, it would be wise to thoroughly inspect it for signs of failure.

 

Privacy Curtain to Isolate Front Cab to the RV Cabin

I decided to add a curtain behind the driver seat for privacy and to isolate the front cab to the cabin. It literally takes seconds to pull the curtains close vs. the RT standard draw curtains that goes all around the windshield and the front windows which takes a bit of effort to close, as does securing them back in place. Also, there are times that you want the cab area open for viewing outside while keeping privacy to the  back of the RV.

The curtain track was purchased at a local IKEA store; model name is “KVARTAL”. It is 55 inches long which is the perfect length for mounting it under the overhead cabinet of the cab. I also purchased 3 ceiling mounting brackets, and a box of curtain rollers designed for the curtain track. I mounted the track to the corner trim piece (don't know what it's called) of the overhead cabinet. The installation is pretty straight forward; first locate the placements of the 3 curtain track ceiling brackets/mounts, one in the middle and one on each side, next drill the pilot holes, then mount the ceiling rod brackets using wood screws. The curtain rollers were not used in this project, it will depend on the type of curtain you will be using. I found a blackout curtain at home depot with rod loops on top, which works really well without the track rollers, I just slipped them on the curtain track. The curtains were shortened to about an inch and a half above the floor then hemmed. A word of caution though, if you constantly hitting your head on the  overhead cabinet when getting into or out the cab, I guarantee that you will be hitting your head more on the curtain track… did I say ouch!

With the curtains drawn open

Preventing Accidental Activation of the Fridge Mode Selector Button

The Dometic fridge that came with the RV has selectors buttons mounted on the front plastic cover housing making it susceptible to accidental activation by simply leaning against it. The energy selection button (Mode) is the one that really concerns me. It happened to us once during dry camping; the fridge was running on propane and was accidentally switched to 12 volt, if I have not caught it early before we left the RV for a long hike, it could have easily depleted the house batteries.

To prevent accidental activation of the fridge “Mode” selector button, I covered it with a plastic switch guard pictured below. The switch guard was purchased at our local hardware store; it comes in tan and white color. I spray painted mine black to match the fridge cover. The mounting holes were cut off (optional) for an OEM look. It is then mounted over the “Mode” selector button using a double sided tape.

Plastic switch guard spray painted black.

Switch guard covering the fridge "Mode" selector button.