What did you do for your Escape today.....

[Ron in BC]

I think I need to get a more abrasive compound

The more aggressive the compound, the more care is needed. I've measured ETI gelcoat and it's less than 30 mils thick IIRC. An aggressive compound can thin it to the point where the underlying coat becomes visible.

Ron

 

[Mike G]

That 23' looked plenty shiny already. Adding a protective coat is fine, but I wouldn't take off anything other than dirt before applying a coat.

 

[jack sparrow]

Well said Ron, being a new 23 I wouldn't touch it with anything that even hinted of being a cleaning compound. Soap and water is ALL it needs at this point.

But that's me and my way of thinking......... different strokes for different folks.......... at the end of the day, you bought it paid for it, so have it your way.........

Cheers to ya......... and Happy Trails.......... Jack

 

[caheaton]

It wasn't today, but this past Saturday / Sunday (hope that still counts).
We finally had conducive weather together with time available, so on Saturday I gave Skippy a thorough washing (went over him twice) with 303 RV Wash & Seal. Missed the last step on the ladder when I was nearly done and ended up flat on my back in the driveway...luckily I didn't hit my head, but it sure gave the neighbor a scare! (He had been sitting on his deck watching me...guess I was the afternoon's entertainment he owns a travel trailer as well so he knows the drill...).

We had a dinner date with friends so I followed up on Sunday with 303 Marine Aerospace protectant on the plastic bits.

 

[Escapeesinmo]

The more aggressive the compound, the more care is needed. I've measured ETI gelcoat and it's less than 30 mils thick IIRC. An aggressive compound can thin it to the point where the underlying coat becomes visible.

Ron

Thanks for the advice. I'm pretty sure I'm okay doing what I'm doing. I've been detailing my cars and motorcycles for 45 years where the paint is maybe usually around 4.5 to 7 mils thick and never had a problem.

 

[Escapeesinmo]

Well said Ron, being a new 23 I wouldn't touch it with anything that even hinted of being a cleaning compound. Soap and water is ALL it needs at this point.

But that's me and my way of thinking......... different strokes for different folks.......... at the end of the day, you bought it paid for it, so have it your way.........

Cheers to ya......... and Happy Trails.......... Jack

I thought soap and water would be enough too until I did it and it wasn't. I then moved onto an all-purpose cleaner with a blue scrubby sponge. That helped a little, but there was still plenty of contamination on the surface. I tried a polish that I use on my vehicles, and that was not enough in some spots, so used an compound which did the trick with a random orbital polisher.

 

[RambleOn]

I added friction hinges to the entry door to allow 180° opening. I miss the auto-opening feature but not the door always being in the way. It opens easily enough and stays wherever you leave it.

Do you think there are enough hinges on the door?!!

 

[Mike G]

I added friction hinges to the entry door to allow 180° opening. I miss the auto-opening feature but not the door always being in the way. It opens easily enough and stays wherever you leave it.

Do you think there are enough hinges on the door?!!
View attachment 1116306

Better put some oil on them...

 

[Iowa Dave]

Today’s project. We were out for
About three weeks last summer. Quite a few days were in thick timber without shore power and we did get down in the 12.8 volt range on the dual sixes a couple times but everything worked well enough. However, I decided to plan on new batteries this spring. The Interstate dual 6 volt
GC2-ECL extreme units we had were installed at Chilliwack by Escape when we had solar installed in August of 2017. I had watered them two or three times a year since then, Trailer always plugged in at home and stored in an unheated building where temps get to -20 F each winter a time or two.

So even though the batteries were still working, it was time for new ones after 7 years and 9 months. Bought the same batteries at my local Interstate battery store. $449 out the door. The counter man included two lift and carry straps and trusted me to bring the two old batteries back in which I did about an hour and 15 minutes later. Thought about AGMs but never minded adding the distilled water, it’s not much of a job.

Hope we can get about the same service out of these new ones. If so I’ll be 85 by then and probably be looking for a new bigger trailer because Rita will probably throw me out by then and I’ve got a lot of fishing tackle, my yo-yo collection and all my coyote traps. A busy May with graduations, birthdays etc so not any camping but gonna hit her hard in June and July.

Checked a couple local Campgrounds tonight, only about 30% occupancy at the Corps of Engineers C.G on Coralville Reservoir at Sandy Beach near Shueyville Iowa. Saw two wild hen pheasants which is always good to see.
Iowa Dave

 

[GinoandLinda]

What did you use for polish and what kind of pad for the buffer? I played around with the back end today. I first sprayed an all-purpose cleaner and scrubbed with a blue non scratch scrubby sponge. I then broke out the 20-year-old Porter Cable random orbital polisher with 6" foam pad and polished. I'm not entirely happy with the results. Some spots are rough to the touch. I think I need to get a more abrasive compound and maybe a wool pad. I'll first try the compound before buying a wool pad. I hope it works out as I don't want to coat it until I'm happy with it.

When we restored our oxidized Rpod, we used Maguire’s #67 gel coat restorer with a cotton bonnet on a 6” buffer. Followed it with Maguires Mirror Glaze and it came out really nice.

 

[Ron in BC]

Better put some oil on them...

I use a shot of spray lube once in awhile. There seems to be a sweet spot for exactly the right amount of friction. Without any lube they can get a bit on the too stiff side.

Love them, couldn't ever go back to the other two types.

Ron

 

[GinoandLinda]

Embarrassed to say that after a year of my water pump constantly running when turned on, I finally took the time to adjust the pressure switch. Took me longer to find the right hex key than to adjust the switch. Check that box.

 

[RambleOn]

Embarrassed to say that after a year of my water pump constantly running when turned on, I finally took the time to adjust the pressure switch. Took me longer to find the right hex key than to adjust the switch. Check that box.

How did you go about determining a better setting?

 

[GinoandLinda]

First I checked for any air leaks in the filter cup and pump body. Once I eliminated that, I turned the pump on and while it was running/fizzing, I turned the pressure valve adjustment screw (hex head) counter clockwise until it stopped. I went back and checked it a couple of times. In my case it took a 1/4 turn.

 

[Iowa Dave]

I have in my on board tool box an assortment of hex keys that stay bolted together and in order. There are not too many Allen head screws in the Escape
that I’ve encountered but the little kit is pretty comprehensives with about ten sizes of wrenches in the smaller range. They make a metric set too that I leave at home.
Iowa Dave

 

[GinoandLinda]

I have to say this is the first time i can remember in my years of RV camping that I have ever required a hex key for anything in the camper. While I have a couple of nice, organized metric key sets in my shop, motorcycle and bicycle tool kits, my SAE set is the basic Bag-O-Keys supplied by Sears back in the 70’s and even then, I have only had to search through them a handful of times. I use the metric key way more often.

 

[RambleOn]

I’ve found my most useful tool to be the multi-bit screwdriver that came as swag with the camper - certainly the best-value tool ever.

 

[Ron in BC]

Yes, they're handy, although some times I find myself changing bits several times and thinking that I should have just put on my toolbelt with a full range of screwdrivers.

The Canadian who invented the Picquic, the one that you use the old bit to push out the new one, made a lot of money in royalties and bought a Rolls. He called it his Royality Rolls.

Ron

 

[Thrak]

Yesterday I checked my battery levels and topped them off. I cleaned about a zillion pounds of calcium buildup out of the water heater and replaced the anode. I bypassed the water heater and added a bleach solution to the fresh water tank and then filled the tank. I ran all faucets - including the shower and the outside faucets - until I could smell bleach coming out. I closed them all and let it sit overnight.

This morning I drained the fresh water tank (onto my large driveway), filled it again and ran all the faucets until they all smelled clear. Then I drained the tank again and filled it with fresh water. (Sadly I have to pay for the dang water usage.) Guess I need to remember to disable the water heater bypass now and give it a try. I also (finally!) put down the stabilizers. I put them down on Legos but am amazed there are no actual "feet" on the things. What kind of a lame design is that?

I still haven't gotten on the top to pull the shroud and figure out what the problem is with my AC fan not blowing any air but have made some progress in other areas.

 

[HABBERDABBER]

I believe there are OEM pads you can purchase for your stabilizers....metal ones, that bolt to the bottom of the stabilizer, pivot and are optional/accessory.
Check it out.