Checking out an access point after the lightning strike When the flash/boom shook us early one morning, we knew the lightning strike was close, but didn’t realize it would order our days for the next 2+ weeks. Good thing we had some breaks to get some visits and time away from the technology
Installing new switches across the campus Lightning Strike . . .
The church’s internet devices took a hit from a lightning strike one morning, but the extent of the damage only became clear over several days. What we eventually learned was that the surge traveled through the ethernet lines, taking out almost 20 devices, including the church’s printer/copier. Spending the first day mostly on the phone with Comcast and Netgear, we began the process of getting service restored.
When Comcast’s promised (though hysterically unlikely) arrival between 1 and 3am came and went, the apologetic customer service agent arranged for a call 8am Saturday morning, which did happen. With service restored to the campus, Dave realized that the initial damage assessment was too limited. Devices that had worked just after the strike were failing. So, we went methodically to every node on the network and found 3 routers and 14 switches that needed to be replaced. Even the office printer, which had worked on Thursday to print the bulletin, by Saturday was no longer on the network.
The church’s internet devices took a hit from a lightning strike one morning, but the extent of the damage only became clear over several days. What we eventually learned was that the surge traveled through the ethernet lines, taking out almost 20 devices, including the church’s printer/copier. Spending the first day mostly on the phone with Comcast and Netgear, we began the process of getting service restored.
When Comcast’s promised (though hysterically unlikely) arrival between 1 and 3am came and went, the apologetic customer service agent arranged for a call 8am Saturday morning, which did happen. With service restored to the campus, Dave realized that the initial damage assessment was too limited. Devices that had worked just after the strike were failing. So, we went methodically to every node on the network and found 3 routers and 14 switches that needed to be replaced. Even the office printer, which had worked on Thursday to print the bulletin, by Saturday was no longer on the network.
Using the devices that did work, Dave connected the network so it would work across campus, despite the missing components, and then we began making warranty claims and ordering replacements. Over the course of the next 2 weeks, as replacements arrived, they were installed, restoring the network to even better than its original state.
Dave cuts the Eternabond tape for the trailer roof repair . . . And Other Stuff
A roof repair on one of the church’s trailers had failed over time, and needed to be addressed. We applied some Eternabond tape to the affected area and since then the trailer has remained dry. Hopefully it will last longer than the last repair. And in between this and our internet problems, Dave purchased and configured a new office computer.
A roof repair on one of the church’s trailers had failed over time, and needed to be addressed. We applied some Eternabond tape to the affected area and since then the trailer has remained dry. Hopefully it will last longer than the last repair. And in between this and our internet problems, Dave purchased and configured a new office computer.
Shane from 1Sec Mobile RV Repair pulls the furnace to replace the sail switch RV Stuff
We have more time to spend on some RV maintenance, so we tackled a number of items that needed some attention.
It was a cold morning in February and the propane heat would have felt really good. But although the fan would turn on, the heat never kicked in. After several attempts, we were pretty sure we knew what the problem was. The sail switch. It is a known problem with our model of Dometic furnace, but not on a recall. While some RV’s have easy access from the outside of the RV to the furnace to replace this $35 part, our 2020 Cougar was not one of them.
The furnace was still under warranty, but we weren’t enthusiastic about hauling it to a service center twice – once to get it diagnosed and once to get it repaired. Working with a local mobile repairman, we made the connection to have him certified to repair it under warranty and then, since his suppliers were having trouble getting the part, we ordered it for him. Although the warranty wouldn’t cover the mobile service fee, it was worth it to be able to not have to move the 5th wheel.
When Shane from 1Sec Mobile Repair arrived, he was confident the sail switch replacement would solve the problem. An experienced repairman, he carefully removed the furnace and replaced the sail switch. Once installed the heat has turned on every time we needed it since.
We have more time to spend on some RV maintenance, so we tackled a number of items that needed some attention.
It was a cold morning in February and the propane heat would have felt really good. But although the fan would turn on, the heat never kicked in. After several attempts, we were pretty sure we knew what the problem was. The sail switch. It is a known problem with our model of Dometic furnace, but not on a recall. While some RV’s have easy access from the outside of the RV to the furnace to replace this $35 part, our 2020 Cougar was not one of them.
The furnace was still under warranty, but we weren’t enthusiastic about hauling it to a service center twice – once to get it diagnosed and once to get it repaired. Working with a local mobile repairman, we made the connection to have him certified to repair it under warranty and then, since his suppliers were having trouble getting the part, we ordered it for him. Although the warranty wouldn’t cover the mobile service fee, it was worth it to be able to not have to move the 5th wheel.
When Shane from 1Sec Mobile Repair arrived, he was confident the sail switch replacement would solve the problem. An experienced repairman, he carefully removed the furnace and replaced the sail switch. Once installed the heat has turned on every time we needed it since.
Vent gasket glued back into place There were 2 small items that we asked Shane to address while he was here.
Cathy had discovered a bucket under the kitchen sink with an inch of water in it a coulple of month earlier. After clearing out the under-sink cabinet, she isolated the problem to the hot water supply line, which had a loose fitting. Since this was a PEX fitting, we didn’t have the tool to fix it. Shane, of course, did have the tool and made short work of tightening both the cold and hot water supply lines. And it has remained dry since.
The last item had been present since we bought the RV, although we hadn’t noticed it until we got home from the dealer. A gasket on the vent above the galley sink was loose and not providing the seal that it should. Shane glued it back in place, and we had a good seal again.
Cathy had discovered a bucket under the kitchen sink with an inch of water in it a coulple of month earlier. After clearing out the under-sink cabinet, she isolated the problem to the hot water supply line, which had a loose fitting. Since this was a PEX fitting, we didn’t have the tool to fix it. Shane, of course, did have the tool and made short work of tightening both the cold and hot water supply lines. And it has remained dry since.
The last item had been present since we bought the RV, although we hadn’t noticed it until we got home from the dealer. A gasket on the vent above the galley sink was loose and not providing the seal that it should. Shane glued it back in place, and we had a good seal again.
The used anode had only a little useful life left Then we had some DIY maintenance. Our hot water heater has a sacrificial anode inside that needed to be replaced. It makes sense to drain, sanitize and flush the hot water heater at the same time. With a specific 1 1/16" socket, the anode rod removed easily, and it was apparent that it was doing its job well.
Our RV has valve settings that isolate the hot water heater from the rest of the water system, so we could flush out the sediment from the tank and sanitize it without having to turn off the water to the RV. Using a special hose attachment, we rinsed the tank and collected a LOT of sediment in buckets that flushed out of the tank.
Our RV has valve settings that isolate the hot water heater from the rest of the water system, so we could flush out the sediment from the tank and sanitize it without having to turn off the water to the RV. Using a special hose attachment, we rinsed the tank and collected a LOT of sediment in buckets that flushed out of the tank.
The next step was to fill the tank with vinegar and let it sit to loosen any mineral deposits. Using a tip from Youtube, we fashioned a PVC pipe to allow an easy fill, and it allowed the vinegar to drain without splashing onto the RV. This is a maintenance task that is easy to forget, but we are going to try to make sure it stays on our radar going forward.
The deadbolt on our front door had been behaving oddly for much of the past year. However, it started getting worse in the last month. Reading more about horror stories from other RVer’s of getting locked out of their RV, we decided to replace it before that happened to us. The irony was that once we took it off to put the new one on, we discovered that our lock just needed to be lubricated and the screws tightened to work properly. Guess we have a spare lock now.
The deadbolt on our front door had been behaving oddly for much of the past year. However, it started getting worse in the last month. Reading more about horror stories from other RVer’s of getting locked out of their RV, we decided to replace it before that happened to us. The irony was that once we took it off to put the new one on, we discovered that our lock just needed to be lubricated and the screws tightened to work properly. Guess we have a spare lock now.
Spending time with Karen and Morris in Daytona Reconnecting
We made a trip down to Daytona to visit with Morris and Karen, our friends that we had met volunteering at Faith in years past. They hosted us for a delicious dinner one Friday, and we enjoyed catching up with them. The next week, we visited with Marcia who was secretary at Faith when we first arrived here. We helped install some replacement outdoor lights and spent time with her over lunch.
And, having received a 2nd Covid booster, we’ve been joining the church for Wednesday dinners again after several years of keeping our distance.
We made a trip down to Daytona to visit with Morris and Karen, our friends that we had met volunteering at Faith in years past. They hosted us for a delicious dinner one Friday, and we enjoyed catching up with them. The next week, we visited with Marcia who was secretary at Faith when we first arrived here. We helped install some replacement outdoor lights and spent time with her over lunch.
And, having received a 2nd Covid booster, we’ve been joining the church for Wednesday dinners again after several years of keeping our distance.
Buc-ee's Daytona Beach Parting Shots
While visiting Daytona, we couldn’t resist stopping into Buc-ee’s, which has recently arrived there. This huge travel plaza had amazing fuel prices (80 cents less than Jacksonville) and equally amazing chopped brisket.
While visiting Daytona, we couldn’t resist stopping into Buc-ee’s, which has recently arrived there. This huge travel plaza had amazing fuel prices (80 cents less than Jacksonville) and equally amazing chopped brisket.
