2011 Alpine, initial observations

[hsmunoz]

greetings all, I have started spending some time in this unit, and am still tickled with the value of it. So far the only things I can find wrong are the known miss identified winterization valves, lack of id's on the switches, and the vaccum unit was not bolted to the ground. Also the volume of air in the livingroom heater ducts is low, this is because of the length of the hoses, they are furthest from the heater, so not much to do here.

I have turned on the Fridge although it's empty and the freezer gets to -7 on settin 4, and the display says 35 on in in the fridge section but my thermo gun says a bit higher. It looked like it was cycling at the time, and it was completely empty. Later I checked it again and the fins were at 30 so it's likely ok.

-still trying to figure out the HD set, as they have some type of network connections to each other.

- looking to connect a 12 dvd player in the bed room that will fit in those tiny drawers.

- I am installing an RS2000 inverter charger , integrated into the power system. it will be supported by a bank of 6V golf cart batteries , and will run everything except the AC's and water heater. I may add a solar panel later.
-also installing the camco covers on the roof vents, and shark fins on the holding tanks.
- going to add an RO unit as well to the filtered tap for real drinking water.

not happy with the floor movement, so I bought some additional jacks that I will use when we are stationary.

all advise and wisdom greatly appreciated
cheers!

[mikell]

We've been in out 3640RL since november and now that the ground has thawed were getting some bounce so I'm going to add 4 more supports to the frame. The light switch thing was a real nightmare at first because there's only about 40 lights in the danged place a good / bad thing. We tagged ours but I haven't attacked the water and sewer valves yet as soon as it gets above freezing maybe

[geo]

Greetings

The likely problem with your living area heat ducts is that they are pinched or blocked by the 50 amp lead-in to the transfer box. Look in the Modifications section. I have a post on "Warm air circulation to the basement" that includes some pictures. There is one picture that points out this constriction. There are also other threads where this problem has been discussed. You can find them easily by using the "Search" feature on the upper right. This fixed my low heat problem for the living area.

Ron

[DocData757]

Go into the TV setup and disable that network connection to the receiver. It makes life a lot easier!

[geo]

I too will be installing a reverse osmosis system in my Alpine. I don't remember if you mentioned the Alpine model that you have. However, if you have the 3640RL, there is a great place for the RO reserve tank next to the stairs. Under the pantry, next to the stairs, is a service panel held by two screws. If you remove the screws and take the panel out, there is a space that the fresh water input hose takes two right angle turns. This caused a problem for me which I described the correction in a different thread. So, the attached picture is before the fresh water input hose was relocated. The picture shows the inside of this service area. A three gallon RO reserve tank will easily slide into the back of this area. If you do not have a problem with the fresh water input, use some blocks to elevate the tank base above the fresh water input line.

Ron

[hsmunoz]

thanks Geo and Doc, I have the 3500, and have the basement access panels off for my inverter install. There is no kink or S bend in the duct work going to the back (living area) of the coach. there is air flow and the temp of the air coming out is about 114 degrees with my thermo gun (both vents) . It's simply a volume issue that I thing has to do with the length of those two ducts. If there is a kink its in both of them (they both are seat of the pants flowing the same volume) but there is no obstruction that I can see. My Kitchen vent seams to pump more but that may be an illusion because of the vent diameter. my breaker panel is under the sink, amid ships in the 3500. Other than getting to the rear vents or the water tank, working on this thing is pretty easy.

[WYO1936]

Hi there
I have had 4 or 5 riggs, I mount A set of cross frame stabilizers in front of wheels it works great.

[hsmunoz]

hello everyone.
so after three weeks , 1200 miles, and a bit of snow. Here's where I am at
-all appliances, plumbing, electrical, and cabinets work as they should. I installed a 2K inverter with a bank of 6V batts, and all is well, even the Fridge likes the true sine wave.
-all switches labeled, but now I know what they all do so not a big deal
- all heat vents work,
- windows check.
- water works labels are a waste of ink, silly to think they could not print up some that actually tell you what the valves are for. One that says pump inlet source..tank or winterize tap, and then the other that says, water heater connected / bypassed (this one is technically right but it shows the valve at 6 and 9 oclock, when the valve is really 9 and 12 oclock.

my biggest complaint is that the water pump sounds like its going to shake the coach apart, because they used rigid line from the valve to the pump and thus the vibration shakes all the plumbing lines and makes a hell of a noise when on. A simple 2 dollar flex hose would go a long way and some pipe insulation Both are on my list of things to add.

I have read alot of nightmare stories on this forum regarding Keystone and Alpines specifically. Its a shame there exists so much variation in workmanship. My unit appears built as I expected, no surprises, I even spot checked cabinet screws and did not find a single one loose or stripped. Build correctly ,this is a fine 5th, and i am very proud of my purchase.

tips and tricks are always appreciated!