Let’s take a break from the fun.
Hindsight really affords one the opportunity to be grateful for the silver linings that one might have missed when one is in the middle of winter and the heater malfunctions.
On Sunday, before I left on my trip to Santa Fe, I noticed that the heat wasn’t really kicking on like it had before. When I had taken the RV to the repair shop in Iowa, they had blown some air out of the lines, so my initial thought was that it could be that. I opened up the back of the van, and I immediately noticed that the level of glycol was low. No problem – easy fix. Thankfully, I had some glycol, so I added that to the tank and headed on my way.
Fast forward to my return from Santa Fe. I stepped into the van and was greeted by a blast of hot air. The thermostat read 81 degrees. I went to check the glycol, and the level was lower than when I left. I put in more glycol. Rinse. Repeat. Time for bed.
Fast forward to the middle of the night, and I heard a noise – not a good noise. In my drowsy, post-melatonin state, I found the source of the sound. You’ve guessed it, of course, it was the heater. So, I did what anyone would do in the middle of the night, I shut it off and went back to bed.
Back-up Plan
It’s always a good idea, even with limited space, to have a back-up plan. My back-up plan involved a space heater, which was a fantastic purchase. I turned it up and went about my day, well, my night.
I knew the back-up plan wouldn’t last forever, and here’s where the silver lining comes in. The people who I reached out for help were amazing. The first person I called on Tuesday, because Monday was New Year’s Day, was Casey with Tech-Trek Mobile RV Repair. I sent him an email on Monday evening, and he reached back out on Tuesday after looking up various videos on my hydronic heating system. He was honest and advised that he didn’t have a lot of experience with this type of system, and when I asked, he provided me the name of another mobile repair team – Tally Ho Services. Don and I spoke, and he was also honest and generous with feedback and ideas. He also gave me another shop to call. We also set up an appointment for Wednesday.
I did give Tom’s RV a call because Don did think that Tom might have an idea about my type of heater, but, unfortunately, he didn’t. He agreed that having Don come out would be a good first step, so I kept the appointment with Tom.
On Wednesday, Don and his wife, Claire, arrived midday to take a look. I showed them what I had seen so far, and they listened and looked at the system to get a sense of what was happening. Claire was a delight to talk to, and she was the perfect assistant for Don and my situation. They spent about an hour or so troubleshooting, and they agreed with me that there was a leak, but it wasn’t evident where it was coming from. Don said that he didn’t feel right charging me since they didn’t find anything, but I didn’t feel right not giving them anything for their time, trouble, and advice. I did give them a tip and thanked them for their help.
So, why not a Winnebago expert?
It’s a great question, and I did start by searching for a Winnebago dealership. There is one in Albuquerque, but when I read the reviews for their service department, I had second thoughts. I appreciate all the RVers before me and the comments that they left. When I did mention the Winnebago dealership to the different service people I spoke with, they were very professional, but they did not encourage me to call them.
The other part of the issue with taking Estella to a service center instead versus a mobile RV tech is our dear Arthur. Because he’s not one of those cats that walks around on a leash and is not a dog, it’s a little harder to find a place for him while the van is being serviced. When we were in MN, he stayed in my parent’s house. On the road, it’s a little more difficult.
Still no RV heat. What’s next?
The heater is made by Alde, so I did give their customer service a call. They recommended a certified Alde service provider, and the only one was in Albuquerque was – you guessed it – the dealership with the bad reviews. They did connect me with a mobile service tech in my next state, so we set-up that appointment for mid-January.
One big, ol’ mishap = 🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫
The Adventures of Ms Haps & Arthur 