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Old 01-25-2013, 01:34 PM   #1
hozz2
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Questions about the Bullet 248RKS

Hello, all!

We have our 2013 Bullet 248RKS on order and can't wait til it arrives.
In the meantime, I've been browsing forums for tips & ideas, and have come up with a few questions....

1. Where do you store your black water supplies? Our previous TT (Jayco 22FB) had a rear driver-side storage compartment where the hubby kept his gloves, attachments, etc in an air-tight container.

2. This will be our first unit with a slide-out. We've ordered a slide-out topper that will be installed at the dealer upon our unit's arrival. How susceptible are those to wind damage? Anyone ever have any troubles?

3. We've never had an automatic awning before...can we still use De-Flappers and a tie-down?

4. I've read rumblings of difficult winterization because of the location of the water heater & pump. Anyone with any experience on this?

5. How are the water pumps in this unit? We almost immediately replaced the pump in our Jayco because of noise/hammering/constant cycling. Just wondering if I'll need to plan on doing that again. And does the water pump come with an anti-freeze pick up line?

Thanks in advance for the help!
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Old 01-25-2013, 02:25 PM   #2
Festus2
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hozz2-
Many members, including myself, store their sewer hose in a round, white plastic pipe or a square plastic fence post. The round ones can be bought at camping supply stores or go to HD or similar and look for sewer or irrigation pipe. Get some end caps, drill a few small holes in the bottom to allow water to drain away and you can fasten the whole thing to a variety of convenient places.

Slide toppers, like awnings are susceptible to wind damage but because they are smaller, are exposed less to wind. On a very few few occasions, we have had to bring the slide in as a precaution - sometimes during the night. I have not had any troubles with ours and we are glad to have it.

The access to the rear of hot water heaters and water pumps vary from model to model. Almost all are "hidden" behind some kind of drawer, cupboard or panelling. I have not found ours difficult to access or to work on. Some pumps are in areas that are however.

Oh yes, almost forgot ---- welcome to the forum!!


Water pumps can be noisy. You can lessen the noise and vibration by ensuring that all of the lines coming into and from the pump are not touching any panels or the floor. I have put foam pipe wrap around the lines that pass through panelling and the floor. You can also remove the pump and place dampening material under the pump and re-secure to the floor. Some people have installed an accumulator tank which will reduce the cycling and noise.
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Old 01-25-2013, 02:43 PM   #3
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...Some people have installed an accumulator tank which will reduce the cycling and noise.
On my 4th RV and keep saying ill do this lol
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Old 01-26-2013, 08:31 AM   #4
ThePressureIsOn
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We also have a 2013 248RKS and absolutely love it! Right now we are storing our black water supplies inside an air tight plastic container in the pass through storage area. I plan on installing a plastic fence post for storage in the spring.

We don't have a topper for the slide-out. I made a right angle broom to clean off the top of the slide-out before retracting it.

We haven't had any problems with the awning flapping, the motor wraps it pretty tight. We don't use tie downs because it's so easy to just retract the awning when it's gets too windy. Also, the awning has a automatic water drain when it's raining.....don't ask me how I found out!

The 248RKS is very easy to winterize. The water pump is, unfortunately, right beside the bed! I plan on isolating the pump and installing foam insulation around the pipes in the spring. We turn it off at night to avoid the noise. We found that there is enough water in the pipes to wash hands, etc, while the pump is off at night. To access the pump only four screws have to be removed and it did suck up the antifreeze right out of the bottle. You will need one of these Flojet port adapters, part # 20381008, to attach a hose to the pump to winterize.

Search, "Excited! It's here", dated 06-06-2012 for several pages of posts on the 248RKS.

Hope this helps and to the forum!

If you have any questions feel free to PM me.
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Old 01-26-2013, 01:06 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hozz2 View Post
Hello, all!


2. This will be our first unit with a slide-out. We've ordered a slide-out topper that will be installed at the dealer upon our unit's arrival. How susceptible are those to wind damage? Anyone ever have any troubles?

3. We've never had an automatic awning before...can we still use De-Flappers and a tie-down?

4. I've read rumblings of difficult winterization because of the location of the water heater & pump. Anyone with any experience on this?
The slide toppers we added to our Cougar are just fine in moderate winds. They only extend out a little bit compared to the regular awning.

You can not use de-flappers with a power awning because there are are no side arms to fasten them to. Some folks use tie downs with them, but if the wind picks up, it's safer to just roll it up.

Difficult winterization????? Not if you make sure your dealership walks you through it during the PDI!!!!!!!!!!! There is almost always decent access to both the pump and water heater, folks just need to know where it is located. Make sure the tech shows you to YOUR satisfaction during PDI. The only complaints I hear about difficult winterization are from those folks that didn't ask questions during the PDI.

You will have to deal with the dealership regarding the winterizing siphon kit. Some rigs have come through with them, some don't. Talk to the dealer to be sure that your rig has one if that is what you want.
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Old 01-30-2013, 02:02 PM   #6
hozz2
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Thanks for the responses!

I checked out the thread you suggested....lots of useful info.
Our order went in on Jan 15, and we were told 6-8 weeks. However, with what we've read here, plus the fact that we ordered right after the Indy RV Show (which was one of the first in the U.S.) we hope that it will arrive sooner.

One other quick question....we spoke with the Bullet design engineer who worked the Indy show, and he said there were design changes mid-2012 (explains the wardrobe/slide out changes). Those of you who purchased your 2013 after July/August, do you have the valance spice storage in the kitchen?
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Old 01-30-2013, 04:42 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hozz2 View Post
Thanks for the responses!

I checked out the thread you suggested....lots of useful info.
Our order went in on Jan 15, and we were told 6-8 weeks. However, with what we've read here, plus the fact that we ordered right after the Indy RV Show (which was one of the first in the U.S.) we hope that it will arrive sooner.

One other quick question....we spoke with the Bullet design engineer who worked the Indy show, and he said there were design changes mid-2012 (explains the wardrobe/slide out changes). Those of you who purchased your 2013 after July/August, do you have the valance spice storage in the kitchen?
I also was at that show and we are thinking about buying the Passport ELite 23RB.
Congrats on your new camper.
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Old 02-01-2013, 05:57 AM   #8
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You are correct, the slide-out is smaller with two closets instead of three, one with shelves and one wardrobe, and no valence spice rack over the sink.

I found that the dinette seat back was weak and reinforced it with a 3/4 X 3/4 piece of angle iron, thanks to boytimme, a member of this forum. Hopefully they have made them stronger, make sure that you check yours.

Here are my first mods to our 248RKS. http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/sho...highlight=mods

Hope that this helps.
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Old 02-22-2013, 07:52 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hozz2 View Post
Thanks for the responses!

I checked out the thread you suggested....lots of useful info.
Our order went in on Jan 15, and we were told 6-8 weeks. However, with what we've read here, plus the fact that we ordered right after the Indy RV Show (which was one of the first in the U.S.) we hope that it will arrive sooner.

One other quick question....we spoke with the Bullet design engineer who worked the Indy show, and he said there were design changes mid-2012 (explains the wardrobe/slide out changes). Those of you who purchased your 2013 after July/August, do you have the valance spice storage in the kitchen?
We just purchased a 248RKS and-no- we did not get the spice rack. My wife was disappointed but got over it after we spent the first weekend in our coach. I don't have enough experience to answer many of your questions but I can help with the water heater question. We must have missed this during our walk-through and spent the weekend without hot water because the bypass was closed. Finally figured it out on Monday morning. Underneath the sink, behind the door next to the oven is a panel that has two square bit screws. Remove those and the panel for access to the back of the water heater (for the bypass)
and the power cable-ours had a small kink which I undid. That should do it. Enjoy your rig, we sure are.
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Old 02-22-2013, 07:33 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by ThePressureIsOn View Post
We also have a 2013 248RKS and absolutely love it! Right now we are storing our black water supplies inside an air tight plastic container in the pass through storage area. I plan on installing a plastic fence post for storage in the spring.

We don't have a topper for the slide-out. I made a right angle broom to clean off the top of the slide-out before retracting it.

We haven't had any problems with the awning flapping, the motor wraps it pretty tight. We don't use tie downs because it's so easy to just retract the awning when it's gets too windy. Also, the awning has a automatic water drain when it's raining.....don't ask me how I found out!

The 248RKS is very easy to winterize. The water pump is, unfortunately, right beside the bed! I plan on isolating the pump and installing foam insulation around the pipes in the spring. We turn it off at night to avoid the noise. We found that there is enough water in the pipes to wash hands, etc, while the pump is off at night. To access the pump only four screws have to be removed and it did suck up the antifreeze right out of the bottle. You will need one of these Flojet port adapters, part # 20381008, to attach a hose to the pump to winterize.

Search, "Excited! It's here", dated 06-06-2012 for several pages of posts on the 248RKS.

Hope this helps and to the forum!

If you have any questions feel free to PM me.
How did you make your broom? I need to make one as well for my unit.

-Pat
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Old 02-23-2013, 06:44 AM   #11
ThePressureIsOn
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The camper is in storage right now and I can't get it out until the end of March. If I remember right, I used two wooden broom handles, cut one up and used 3/4 or one inch cpvc plastic plumbing elbows. The broom is actually a car washing brush. It's a little unwieldy but works quite well.
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Old 02-23-2013, 06:49 AM   #12
KJcachers
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I bought a collapsible ladder and just climb up there with a wisk broom to sweep off the slide and inspect the roof every time I close it.
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Old 03-07-2013, 12:17 PM   #13
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I love mine!

Quote:
Originally Posted by hozz2 View Post
Hello, all!

We have our 2013 Bullet 248RKS on order and can't wait til it arrives.
In the meantime, I've been browsing forums for tips & ideas, and have come up with a few questions....

1. Where do you store your black water supplies? Our previous TT (Jayco 22FB) had a rear driver-side storage compartment where the hubby kept his gloves, attachments, etc in an air-tight container.

2. This will be our first unit with a slide-out. We've ordered a slide-out topper that will be installed at the dealer upon our unit's arrival. How susceptible are those to wind damage? Anyone ever have any troubles?

3. We've never had an automatic awning before...can we still use De-Flappers and a tie-down?

4. I've read rumblings of difficult winterization because of the location of the water heater & pump. Anyone with any experience on this?

5. How are the water pumps in this unit? We almost immediately replaced the pump in our Jayco because of noise/hammering/constant cycling. Just wondering if I'll need to plan on doing that again. And does the water pump come with an anti-freeze pick up line?

Thanks in advance for the help!
I store the 4" drain hose in the square-tube rear bumper and fittings etc. in large zip-lock bags in a plastic bin in the pass-thru stg. area on the drivers side.
No problems with our slide out topper, with wind or otherwise. It kinda cleans itself as it rolls up when retracting the slide out.
As mentioned above De-Flappers won't work cause there's no side bars to attach them. I have used tie-downs with no problems so far.
Winterization is a breeze! Hot water tank bypass is behind a removable panel below kitchen counter next to sink (also storage for shore power cable is here). Reach inside and through a 3" diameter hole and there is the water heater bypass valve. 1/4 turn to operate. Water pump is inside streetside bedside "nightstand". 4 square head socket screws to remove access panel. No Antifreeze pick-up line provided. Get an adapter (Flo Jet part no. in a previous response) and a short section of hose. Hook this to pump suction and insert hose in jug of anti-freeze and run pump to pump anti-freeze through system. (don't forget outside shower!)
As stated previously, anything that isolates pump and hoses from structure of trailer will minimize noise. BY the way, constant cycling indicates there might be a leak somewhere in the system. Pump only starts with a drop in line pressure.
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Old 04-05-2013, 11:45 AM   #14
hozz2
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We picked up our new Bullet about on March 2 (about 2-3 weeks earlier than anticipated) and have been busy 'making it ours'.

We have done the dinette seat mod to reinforce the seatback, installed a Heng's Vortex Fan upgrade, and installed the electric tongue jack. But, our biggest mod was to reinforce the bed platform. Wow....it was thin and not very sturdy. The platform is the same thin 'paneling' that is used to skin the nightstands. We removed the stock mattress to install our Sleep Number bed, and even when making sure my hands were on the studs, the paneling still cracked when any kind of weight was placed on it.

We bought 11/16" plywood and cut it to the exact dimensions of our mattress, then wrapped it in a flat sheet to protect the factory surface under it and the bedding on top of it. Fastened it at each corner with small-ish screws, just enough to keep it from shifting, then set up the Sleep Number on top of it. We also placed the air pump for the mattress in the storage compartment under the bed. DH drilled a small hole in the back panel of the compartment for the hoses to run through, then we brought the hoses up through the bed platform at the head of the bed. No more air pump taking up space on the nightstand, and the noise is also now muffled considerably.

I like the under-cabinet outlets in the kitchen, but not so much the one above the dinette. Wish that was down on the wall under the table, but oh well. One other slight disappointment was the fact that there is no ignitor on the stovetop. Our previous TT had an ignitor on the stove, but this one does not. Have to make sure I keep a lighter handy!

Keystone stopped installing the black tank flush with the October 2012 changes to the 2013 model. We were told it was because there were too many instances of owners using them improperly and building up strong pressure in the black tanks that caused damage and leaks. We're more than a little bummed about that, as the tank flush was a selling point for us, after some poor design flaws on the tanks/dump valves of our previous Jay Flight.
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Old 04-06-2013, 04:53 AM   #15
KJcachers
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Questions about the Bullet 248RKS

My 2013 Bullet 246RBS has the black tank flush. Leaked all over the first time I tried it. Haven't used it since. Ours was an early 2013 model. Picked it up last August.
Just checked it today, found the hose connector on the back of the outside fitting was super loose. After tightening that back up and testing again it appears the check valve inside is leaking too. Suppose I could get the dealer to get me a replacement under warranty.
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Old 04-22-2013, 10:12 AM   #16
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New here and awaiting delivery of our 2013 31RKS. We traded in our 2006 Sunline SR276.

I have experience with the slideout toppers from working in SE New Mexico for 18 months and having the slideout out full time. It took a beating from the wind, sand and sun. If you have ever spent time in that area you know that the wind/sand storms can be vicious at times. I had to replace the vinyl in 2010 but it was easy to do the work myself.

I will be installing toppers on both slideouts myself after I determine which ones to get.
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