In Montana the Awning would not come out, no power. Took it to a shop and they said a bad 12 volt motor, the motor was open. They did not have the motor and it would take a week to get it. Off I go as I figure I will order a motor and have in installed down the road. I CAN'T open the awning, no way to open a power awning without taking it apart needing two guys. The model number is on the tube which needs to be extended to see (everybody now copy that number down right now).

Next stop a Weather Pro Authorized shop, they look at it and find out it is the circuit board related to the wind sensor. They give me the part number the got from Dometic.

I call camping world in Salt Lake, they say bad part number, call Dometic and get the "replacement part kit" that would include the new style wind sensor and wiring harness.

Then call Camping World in Las Vegas, who then transfers my case to Camping World in Henderson. OK not far apart. They talk to Dometic and decide to order a new computer "box" and not replace all the wiring as it would be cheaper.

I get there and they say "You want us to install this thing as that is what you TOLD US YOU WANTED TO DO..... but if it does not work, we will run a diagnostic to see why. Funny!

So off for breakfast, 30 min later a call, new box does not work....Want us to check, yep....

Head back and they got it fixed.......

It was a LOOSE GROUND WIRE....

I could have them take out the box and put the old one back in but the cost for this and that at $100 a pop was the same. So $460 for a loose ground wire and three guys did not find it.

So I have a good used computer box for a weather pro that I can sell cheap.....

That's a painful lesson that I must admit I have had to relearn several times through the years....
What's the FIRST thing you check on any 12v dc device that is not working? THE GROUND!

Thank you for a good laugh this morning. I have done the same rather than looking for the simple fix.

Too late for you Tom, but if I were in that predicament I would have done my own initial diagnosis starting at the simplest point in the system, the motor. Those motors are usually a two wire setup, reverse the ground and power lines to go in or out (clockwise/counterclockwise in motor language). I would have taken my handy little jumper box for an easy 12V supply and given it a go. If the motor worked, which it would have according to your outcome, I probably would have just eliminated the fancy, dancy wind sensors and circuit boards in favor of a two way toggle.

Your story reaffirms that it is usually less effort to do your own initial diagnosis on simple systems than to chase around for a true expert. The RV industry is fraught with "technicians" that have less than a GED. Even if they are highly educated/trained, how likely will they be an expert in so many unique systems and brands?

The internet can usually make me a semi-expert just by investing a few hours on a specific area or problem. I was very proud when I self diagnosed my Aqua Hot coil as bad. Granted it took me a good 20 hours of diagnostics (not all in one squatting of course). But there is a good chance it would have taken a so called RV Tech just as long at $80/hr. That's $1600 in my pocket and a full and complete knowledge of that system and how it ticks. The second part is priceless knowledge if you're stuck without heat on a freezing night (I'm over-stressing this for emphasis as the Wanderlodge has electric backup, but you get the picture.

Any Aqua-Hot certified technician, such as myself, that cannot fully diagnose any Aqua-Hot issue in an hour or less is ripping you off and really should find something else to do for a living. BTW, I charge $129/hr so there is no time to goof around.

quote:

Any Aqua-Hot certified technician, such as myself, that cannot fully diagnose any Aqua-Hot issue in an hour or less is ripping you off and really should find something else to do for a living. BTW, I charge $129/hr so there is no time to goof around.

When you gonna move to Tampa? We do have Parliament in Clearwater, but they are very pricey. In my case the culprit was an intermittent coil. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. Looks like the previous owner had had a lot of things replaced chasing this issue. Even you Billy would have likely had trouble sorting it in an hour. I had that thing apart ten times before I could get the coil "not" to fire! Seems it would not work when assembled, but for some reason it would fire when you got down to the point of disconnecting the fuel pump and pulling the burner assembly. I was some happy when I found that smoking gun!!

Move to Tampa?,,,,allow me to pontificate ......Naw! I agree, an intermittent electrical issue will drive even the best of us nuts!! The reason you found it was your perseverance to do so. A will lacking in many people these days, not just technicians. What is more impressive is the depth of knowledge some of you guys on this forum possess !

I must admit, the thought of having a tethered Flame Thrower in my hands was a bit daunting. After triple checking the fuel solenoid was off each time I became much more comfortable!

Once the AquaHot was functional and reliable, I became a huge fan. The quiet, even heat is remarkable. As you know, it can even preheat the engine in cold climates as well as heating all my bays to 50F. As I can carry 300 gals of diesel, there is no worry about running out of propane on a cold night any longer.

quote:

Originally posted by madrone:
That's a painful lesson that I must admit I have had to relearn several times through the years....
What's the FIRST thing you check on any 12v dc device that is not working? THE GROUND!

LOL....I know that, too, but still forget it now and then.