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Old 10-16-2012, 05:02 AM   #1
adVentureMan
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Cougar 327RES - Hot water tank bypass and pump?

We're going to pick up our Cougar 327RES in a few days. We did a semi-walk through at the dealers yesterday and still have questions for those of you who own one. Amazing that the dealers don't have a thorough knowledge of what they sell.........but that's another story. Then again, I am buying this unit in south Alabama, and they probably don't worry about winterizing.....

We have not done our own Pre-delivery Inspection*. We will "camp out" in the dealer's lot for 2 days and nights to do that. Ordinarily it takes us about 2 hours to complete that inspection, but it saves a TON of time and aggravition later on....better to find those pesky little irritants before you leave the lot....

1. Sounds like the Hot Water Tank (HWT) can be accessed behind a panel inside rear of the basement storage area. Can someone confirm there is a ByPass lever(s) on the HWT for winterizing?

2. Also sounds like the water pump is somewhere in that region. Can anyone confirm the pump has the fittings to syphon antifreeze (pink stuff) out of the gallon jugs?

3. On another subject, we could not find any under-bed storage on the 327 RES. I have not seen any other FW that did NOT have any storage under the mattress....but the dealer says there is none due to the "mechanicals of the slide mechanism". Doesn't make any sense to me. Never seen a FW with a bedroom slide that DID NOT have storage there. So I'd sure like to know. If this rig doesn't have that, I will modify the plywood under the mattress to give me some storage for blankets, etc.

Overall the 327RES is a gorgeous coach with the lovely cherry wood and has lots of kicks and crannies for storage. We are still trying to figure out where to put our garbage can and laundry bag/chute. On our last 2 FWs we had a hole cut in the bottom of a convenient cabinet and dropped the dirty clothes down into a hamper in the basement. We might just have to use a "free-standing" trach can in this FW. I have read several here who wish the awning were bigger - Wow, so do we! Such a tiny one on this FW!

* There is a copy of the PDI we use at my Checklists web site below.
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Old 10-16-2012, 05:15 AM   #2
SteveC7010
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1. The water heater bypass is pretty standard on coaches these days. You will still want to actually look at it to verify.

2. Winterizing siphon kits are not so standard, probably because folks winterize in different ways. You will have to look at your pump to know for sure. Every coach is different.

3. We just had this discussion a couple of days ago. The short answer is the dealer's answer. Take pics and post them after you do the mod. Lots of us will want to see how you do it.
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Old 10-16-2012, 05:20 AM   #3
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and congradulations on the new 327, it is a great floor plan, we use to own a 2011 and loved it. There is a WH bypass behind the panel in the basement as you mentioned, as well as the water pump but there is no siphon hose or valve for the antifreeze, at least not on the 2011. As far as storage under bed, there is not, I took the plywood off to see if it could be added and it is pretty tight in there for the mecanisim for the slide, you might be able as mentioned to modify it to get some storage.

One thing I and several members had to do on the 327 is the bed would pull away from the slide wall, pulling out the screws so we added L brackets from the floor of the to the wood rails of the bed, problem solved. Hope this helps and Enjoy the new trailer. Happy Campin.............Ron
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Old 10-16-2012, 08:02 AM   #4
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see my webshots before they are gone. You will see several mods on the 327RES.
one is the water pump siphon kit I had to add. the pump is right in the middle for the camper behind a wall and you have crawl inside to get at least I did. NO storage under the bed as it moves back and forth. You may be able to add something but the bed moves on small wheels under each corner. I also have the mod or fix in this case for the bed mounts that pull from the wall.
Pictures of all mods. You did not say what year you are buying but if it is 2011 be real careful with the door on the curb and the side out of the bed. On mine the door latch was high allowing the door to position itself right in the way of the slide out of the bedroom slide. I caught the door twice, once I got it stopped in time, the other???? Had to install poprivets in the door and bought a new latch with a longer tail (for lack of better a word).
any other questions ask away.
If you need something you can message me. I'll answer to best of my knowledge.
We have had ours for 2 years now and I looking forward to using it next week for Halloween and Thanksgiving week. The wife is even talking about us going to Ocean Lakes 1-1-13 for the rest of that week..my first real winter camping trip..
randy
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Old 10-16-2012, 09:06 AM   #5
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I have a 2012 327. They fixed the problem with the bedroom slide catching the basement door with a new type of door retainer so if you're getting a 2012 or later that's not a problem.

In the 2012 there is a cabinet door under the kitchen island that faces the living room for a trash can. It seemed like a strange place when we first got the trailer but it is really convenient. It is large enough to hold a trash can the large white kitchen trash bags will fit in.

Not sure where you would put a clothes chute but maybe in the bedroom closet, I'm not sure if it would open to where you would want to put a basket to catch the clothes.

We love our 327, undoubtedly the best floor plan we have seen. We got it last October and we have been out in it about 2 months this year, mostly 2-3 weeks at a time in Oregon and southern Washington State. We hope to take a cross country trip in it next year and spend several months on the road. It's very livable floor plan for DW, me and Sophie (our furry traveling companion)!

Happy Camping,
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Old 10-17-2012, 02:08 PM   #6
adVentureMan
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveC7010 View Post
.....Take pics and post them after you do the mod. Lots of us will want to see how you do it.
Will do. I found the HWT today on the left side, just aft of the "docking station". There is a panel accessible from the left basement door, in the rear of the basement. Two screws hold that panel to the basement wall. Careful, just inside the area once the panel is removed is the battery disconnect, which I'm assuming is "hot".

Tomorrow maybe I can find the water pump either with the dealer's help our on my own. I am not shy about removing panels.

We are doing our PDI the smart way; by camping in the dealers lot with full connects less CATV.
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Old 10-17-2012, 02:12 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron View Post

....One thing I and several members had to do on the 327 is the bed would pull away from the slide wall, pulling out the screws so we added L brackets from the floor of the to the wood rails of the bed, problem solved. Hope this helps and Enjoy the new trailer. Happy Campin.............Ron
I am still camping out in the dealers lot. We plan to open-close-open the BR slide multiple times to check that out. That seems to be the most common complaint.

Did your FW have the "LED" panel for turning on things and checking the tanks' level? We do NOT like it....nearly inpossible to see if the sun is up...okay if you use it after dark. Mine has that and a remote than does the slides, landing gear, awning and I don't know what else. Still getting used to this terrific FW, we've been in it for only 24 hours.......
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Old 10-17-2012, 02:17 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by byrdr1 View Post
see my webshots before they are gone. You will see several mods on the 327RES.
one is the water pump siphon kit I had to add. the pump is right in the middle for the camper behind a wall and you have crawl inside to get at least I did. NO storage under the bed as it moves back and forth. You may be able to add something but the bed moves on small wheels under each corner. I also have the mod or fix in this case for the bed mounts that pull from the wall.
Pictures of all mods. You did not say what year you are buying but if it is 2011 be real careful with the door on the curb and the side out of the bed. On mine the door latch was high allowing the door to position itself right in the way of the slide out of the bedroom slide. I caught the door twice, once I got it stopped in time, the other???? Had to install poprivets in the door and bought a new latch with a longer tail (for lack of better a word).
any other questions ask away.
If you need something you can message me. I'll answer to best of my knowledge.

Thanks very much. I just found your web page and plan to visit it and steal ideas for mods very soon and very often!

Our FW is the one in my signature line <g>, a 2013 model.
...randy
I think you were talking above about the BR slide being very close, it not in line with, opening/closing the left basement door, the area of the docking station, HWT and water pump access, etc. Thanks for confirming that there is a real possibility of the slide contacting the basement doors forward edge. Sometimes you gotta wonder about who designs these things, eh?
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Old 10-17-2012, 02:19 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dakingsella View Post
I have a 2012 327. They fixed the problem with the bedroom slide catching the basement door with a new type of door retainer so if you're getting a 2012 or later that's not a problem.

In the 2012 there is a cabinet door under the kitchen island that faces the living room for a trash can. It seemed like a strange place when we first got the trailer but it is really convenient. It is large enough to hold a trash can the large white kitchen trash bags will fit in.

Not sure where you would put a clothes chute but maybe in the bedroom closet, I'm not sure if it would open to where you would want to put a basket to catch the clothes.

We love our 327, undoubtedly the best floor plan we have seen. We got it last October and we have been out in it about 2 months this year, mostly 2-3 weeks at a time in Oregon and southern Washington State. We hope to take a cross country trip in it next year and spend several months on the road. It's very livable floor plan for DW, me and Sophie (our furry traveling companion)!

Happy Camping,
Thanks for the helpful info. I finished a 1500 mile motorcycle trip through Washington state with my wife's cousin in August. Lovely state!
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Old 10-17-2012, 03:21 PM   #10
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While you have the panels removed for the hot water heater and pump, check the shower drain for leaks. The shower drain in our 331MKS (same as the 327RES with rear kitchen) wasn't tight or loosened resulting in a leak into the basement area. Luckily we caught it early. I removed the panels in the basement and never bothered to reinstall them.

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Old 10-17-2012, 06:00 PM   #11
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I was sorry did not make that clear. If you look at my webshots you can see panels on and off. Randy
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Old 10-18-2012, 06:07 AM   #12
adVentureMan
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While you have the panels removed for the hot water heater and pump, check the shower drain for leaks. The shower drain in our 331MKS (same as the 327RES with rear kitchen) wasn't tight or loosened resulting in a leak into the basement area. Luckily we caught it early. I removed the panels in the basement and never bothered to reinstall them.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Good idea. I did read something about that on shower drain somewhere here....We are fortunate to be camping out in our new Cougar 327RES while we're waiting for our old FW to have some repairs done in preparation for our swapping, hopefully tomorrow. BTW, saw your floor plan and liked that too, but we really like that entertainment center in the back. That's why they make more than one model.....to keep us all happy!
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Old 10-18-2012, 06:08 AM   #13
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I was sorry did not make that clear. If you look at my webshots you can see panels on and off. Randy
That's on the 2 Do list today......unless we're booted out of the Cougar while the techs here at the lot do their corrective maintenance.
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Old 10-18-2012, 09:56 AM   #14
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Just saw where you were getting the 2013. Anything major changes? I know I bought mine(2011model) in late September 2010 and the next one in(2011model) had the gray colors without a Cougar and the newer looking counter tops. battery disconnect and that was about all I could tell or heard of.
Enjoy that rig. We have ours.
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Old 10-20-2012, 04:18 AM   #15
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Just saw where you were getting the 2013. Anything major changes? I know I bought mine(2011model) in late September 2010 and the next one in(2011model) had the gray colors without a Cougar and the newer looking counter tops. battery disconnect and that was about all I could tell or heard of.
Enjoy that rig. We have ours.
randy
Yes, it's a 2013 model. Front cap is gray and still has "Cougar" on it, as far as I remember.....have to look outside later today. (Added later: Yes, it does have the Cougar logo and a cat on the front cap)

Not sure what previous models had, so I don't know what's changed. We traded a 2007 Crossroads Cruiser, model 30SK. Our counter tops are black, and very shiny in the kitchen, less shiny in the entertainment center and bedroom. Wife doesn't care for the shiny in the kitchen; afraid of scratches. Ours does have the battery disconnect in the "docking area" for the city water connect, flush fitting, etc. Ours also has a fireplace, which we thought was goofy at first, now we love it. Cherry wood is beautiful inside. I think we have about all the options on this one known to man. We added a BR AC and two Fantastic Fans. Nice rig. Our major reason for this 327RES is the weight.....we wanted a 3-slide model, not an ultra-light as they aren't "pretty enough" for my wife, and I didn't want to spend the bucks for the "helium" technology that is just starting to appear......some very nice and light FWs available especially in the Montana and Cougar Big County line, but expensive. I am not crazy about the length of 36.5 feet, as I was pulling a 33 foot one. It will take me awhile to see how that goes. As it is I am nervous anytime I enter a fuel station or campground!
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Old 10-20-2012, 04:39 AM   #16
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see my webshots before they are gone. You will see several mods on the 327RES. ...........randy
Finally got a chance to go through your webshots pictures. Gives me some ideas. Really interested in the TV stand ("wall" mount") you are using in the BR. I am trying to figure out where/how to mount a possible BR TV, and you installation looks straightforward and secure, but I've not seen a mount like that. I like that the TV can be removed and stored while on the road. You probably said elsewhere its make and model, but I have read so much lately I am loosing track of what's where....So, what is the make and model of that unit? I plan a 19-22 inch set; think that mount is okay for that? I think the weights are 9-11 lbs for the ones I plan to add. It's a TV DVD combo unit.

Thanks
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Old 10-20-2012, 06:25 AM   #17
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Originally Posted by adVentureMan View Post
Finally got a chance to go through your webshots pictures. Gives me some ideas. Really interested in the TV stand ("wall" mount") you are using in the BR. I am trying to figure out where/how to mount a possible BR TV, and you installation looks straightforward and secure, but I've not seen a mount like that. I like that the TV can be removed and stored while on the road. You probably said elsewhere its make and model, but I have read so much lately I am loosing track of what's where....So, what is the make and model of that unit? I plan a 19-22 inch set; think that mount is okay for that? I think the weights are 9-11 lbs for the ones I plan to add. It's a TV DVD combo unit.

Thanks
Swivel tv mount came from wallyworld, the TV is 13" RCA. I bought a 22" inch for the old camper and it would not fit in the TV hole on the 5er, I have it in our bedroom in the house now and haven't tried it in the 5er. 22" came from bestbuy. I had it mounted on a wall in the TT.
Glad the photos helped not sure how much longer they will be online as I dont see me moving from Webshots to Smile. I cant post them and nobody be able to view them without a cost . any thing I can help let me know.
randy
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Old 10-21-2012, 05:13 AM   #18
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Swivel tv mount came from wallyworld, the TV is 13" RCA. I bought a 22" inch for the old camper and it would not fit in the TV hole on the 5er, I have it in our bedroom in the house now and haven't tried it in the 5er. 22" came from bestbuy. I had it mounted on a wall in the TT.
Glad the photos helped not sure how much longer they will be online as I dont see me moving from Webshots to Smile. I cant post them and nobody be able to view them without a cost . any thing I can help let me know.
randy
Thanks Randy. I ordered that TV mount, at least it looks the same. Cost was $29 I think. I also ordered a 19" TV from Walmart, although I think a 22" would fit okay. Trying to save weight, y'know.

On our project list is added a shelf or two to the medicine cabinet, and adding some sort of storage bin or drawers to the aft cabinets, around the LR TV to store all the loose things that used to be in drawers in our previous FW.
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