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Lazydays expert Bill Hazell solves your practical dilemmas
I HAVE DECIDED TO
REMOVE AND REPLACE
THE PATCHED
AND SAGGING ROOF
ON MY 1974 CLASS
C. CAN YOU GIVE
ME ANY ADVICE ON
INSTALLING A NEW
RUBBER ROOF ON
OLDER RVS?
Removing and installing
a rubber roof is not an easy task; it can
take up to 50 or 60 hours to do the job!
You'll need to remove everything on the
roof (air conditioners, vents, antennae,
skylights, rear ladder, etc.), including all
the moldings (side, front and rear). Buy
Dicor's rubber roof coating kit and roofing
material from our parts department
here at Lazydays – all the instructions
are included. Often when
you tear up the old roof,
splinters from the base layer
of plywood will stick up and
can damage your new roof.
Here at Lazydays, we lay a
new 1/8" sub fl ooring cover
base over the old roof so
that when we install the new
rubber roof, it has a nice
clean finish to adhere to and
splinters can't poke through. When you
reinstall the components removed at
the start of the project, you will need to
seal them with putty tape and a product
called EPDM rubber roof sealant (applied
with a caulking gun) so that they do not
leak water. Of course, you could save
yourself the time and have the new roof
installed for you at Lazydays instead.
THERE'S A LARGE PATCH
OF CLOUDINESS ON THE
DRIVER SIDE WINDOW OF
MY 1996 32' WINNEBAGO, AND
IT'S PREVENTING ME FROM
SEEING THE SIDE MIRROR. WE
TRIED TO CLEAN IT WITH WINDEX,
BUT IT DIDN'T COME OFF.
DO YOU KNOW HOW WE CAN
ELIMINATE THIS?
All RVs' windows are doublepaned,
which means there are
two pieces of glass sandwiched
together and then vacuum-sealed.
When the glass starts to cloud, it
means it has lost its vacuum seal
and moisture is getting in between
the panes of glass. Unfortunately,
this can't be cleaned – the only
solution is to install a new window.
IN MY CLASS A, THERE'S AN
ELECTRICAL DEVICE MOUNTED
INSIDE THE TOP OF THE DRIVER
SIDE FRONT STORAGE BIN. IT'S
ROUND, ABOUT 4" IN DIAMETER
AND WIRED IN. THE TAG ON
THE WIRE STATES THAT IT
CONTAINS MERCURY. WHAT
MIGHT THIS DEVICE BE? DOES
IT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH
THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE ON
MY DASHBOARD?
That item mounted in your storage
bin is the sensor for your hydraulic jack
leveling system. The mercury actually
has nothing to do with temperature or
thermometers. In this case, the mercury
slides in the leveling system, tripping the
sensor when each section is level.
WE JUST BOUGHT OUR
FIRST MOTORHOME AND
HAD NO IDEA HOW DIFFICULT
IT WOULD BE TO FIND AN
ACCEPTABLE FLAT TOW FOR
OUR CAR. I THOUGHT MY NEW
BEETLE CONVERTIBLE WOULD
BE PERFECT, BUT WE FOUND
OUT WE CAN'T TOW FOURWHEELS
DOWN OR DOLLY
IT. WHAT VEHICLES CAN BE
TOWED, AND HOW?
Finding an appropriate toad vehicle
is difficult, because auto sales representatives
usually have no idea
if a vehicle can be towed behind a
motorhome – or, if it can be, what's
involved. I recommend that you check
with REMCO, the towing pros (www
.remcotowing.com). Click on the
Vehicle Application Chart; it will supply
you with all the information you might
need pertaining to your vehicle's specifi
c make, model and year.
WE HAVE A 34' GAS COACH
WITH TWO SLIDEOUTS, AND
WE'VE BEEN TOLD TO LEVEL
THE COACH WITH THE JACKS
BEFORE PUTTING OUT THE
SLIDES. BUT WE'VE ALSO
HEARD THAT IT'S BEST TO PUT
OUT THE SLIDES AND THEN
LEVEL THE COACH WITH THE
JACKS. WHAT IS THE CORRECT
ORDER WHEN SETTING UP, AND
WHAT WOULD BE THE ORDER
WHEN WE'RE PREPARING TO
HEAD BACK OUT ON THE ROAD?
On gasoline coaches, we recommend
putting the slide rooms out first, then
leveling the coach with your leveling
system. With air-ride coaches, we
recommend bringing the slide room
out on full air, then dumping the air and
leveling. For both gasoline and air-ride
coaches, when you're leaving, reverse
the appropriate procedure.
I NEED TO ADD COOLANT
TO MY ROOFTOP AIR CONDITIONER,
BUT THERE IS NO
CONNECTION ON THE UNIT.
IS THERE AN ADAPTOR I CAN
PURCHASE THAT WILL ALLOW
ME TO DO THIS?
Years ago, when you needed to charge
your rooftop air conditioner, you could
simply purchase quick connectors and
freon, but no longer. Because of its
negative effect on the ozone layer,
freon – and procedures related to using
it – have become more regulated. If you
need to replace your R-22 freon (the
kind used in RV rooftop air conditioners
and in houses), be aware that only those
who are licensed can purchase and
work with this kind of coolant. (A newer
type, R-134A, used in dashboard air
conditioners, doesn't require special
qualifications.) There are also laws
forbidding quick connectors, since
freon often leaks from them into the
atmosphere. If you get caught releasing
freon into the atmosphere, you could
be fined pretty heavily – $25,000 or
more! The best thing to do is go to an
authorized dealer like Lazydays, which
has all the equipment and licenses to
troubleshoot your air conditioner. 
With more than 26 years in the RV
industry, Bill Hazell provides motivation,
training and support to Lazydays' RV
technicians, sales personnel and customers.
He has earned master certifications
from RVIA/RVDA and OSHA, along
with a Forklift Operator Certification, LP
License, Onan Generator Certification
(Level 3) and Power Tech and Diesel
Institute of America Cer tifications. He has
R-12, R-22, R-1341 and HVAC licenses.
Email your technical questions to: insider@lazydaysrvl.com
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