Got heat?

[SlingShot]

For the most part I have been happy with the design and materials used in my 2017 Seismic 355W. Unfortunately the mistakes during assembly of this unit lead me to believe apathy is wide spread in the Indiana plant. Quality control? Yeah, not so much. I won't knock the dealer because they have been helpful with each ridiculous problem that I find. I'm sure those guys see this stuff every day. Each weekend seems to reveal a new problem to me, and the cause is usually so blatantly pathetic all I can usually say is WTF, WTF, WTF, and then laugh a little. Last weeks adventure involved replacing a grey tank blade valve that was glued halfway closed during assembly.


While cutting open the underbelly to locate the stuck valve I watched in awe as a handful of assorted screws, wire trimmings, sawdust, and wire splices spilled out onto the shop floor. And yes I said it...."WTF spare parts WTF?" Next, while replacing the valve I found a hole in the heater duct below my kitchen vents. I suppose that explains why very little heat comes out of those vents. Located next to the hole is a flexible hose that was taped to another hole in the ductwork at one time. That shiney silver tape is some pretty cool stuff, but it isn't a sheet metal screw replacement, nor does it possess some mythical magnetic ability to attract itself to thin galvanized steel like a vise. It's just tape. It probably fell off when the frame was flipped over during assembly, but it's covered up by the underbelly so "out of sight - out of mind" right?



So today I was looking for the schwintek control boxes (because that is another weekend project) and I found a familiar sight next to the furnace. Magic tape had magically un-fastened itself from the heater! Who would have thought it would ever do that?! Yeah, that's right.... WTF & LOL at the same time!


Maybe the heating system was designed to fall apart. Like literally "breaking it in". I doubt that very much. If a little corrective action were to be implemented on the Indiana assembly and inspection lines, perhaps these problems would dissipate. But then what would the repair shops have to do? Insert conspiracy theories here.
Hahaha! Anyway..... I'm glad that this board is here, so that we can share our adventures and hopefully help each other along the way. If this post doesn't get deleted I will continue to share my silly discoveries and remedies in this forum. Cheers!


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[BigJohnD]

All issues need to be posted, and it is appreciated, at least from me. It DOES help everybody else know what to look for when issues arise. We're quite experienced and do all of our own fixes, but not everybody has that DIY capability. These posts are a good heads up for people trying to figure things out. I've never had a flawless RV out of the 8 we've owned.

[DanNJanice]

Yes, I think we have all seen plenty of WTF...LOL...or cry, with our trailers. Sadly if you read other forums you will find that these issues are rampant in the RV industry.
Consumers buy on price, and the manufacturers know it. So, they will cut every corner possible to keep the price down.
For what it is worth, Jayco is probably a little better than average in the quality VS price department.

[apgambino]

Are you sure those holes are not to direct heat to the underbelly?

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[Marcm157]

Can't see any reason why the post would or should be deleted. I am a DIY guy and do all my own vehicle repairs. Not having the most experience in the RV area, I rely heavily on this forum for the good, bad and even the ugly...

[SlingShot]

Originally Posted by apgambino

Are you sure those holes are not to direct heat to the underbelly?

A valid observation, and yes I agree that a few of the holes were probably engineered into the system for that very purpose. However, the holes that have a flexible duct laying near them with "super silver shiny special magic tape" clinging to the air (like a severed arm hanging by the tendons) were more than likely not designed that way. It would take mad skills to draw it like that in auto-cad. I have owned the rig for about 3 months and it has around 1000 highway miles on it. My journey is just beginning.

[jloco]

The good news is, you'll have her in tip top shape before long!

[apgambino]

Originally Posted by SlingShot

A valid observation, and yes I agree that a few of the holes were probably engineered into the system for that very purpose. However, the holes that have a flexible duct laying near them with "super silver shiny special magic tape" clinging to the air (like a severed arm hanging by the tendons) were more than likely not designed that way. It would take mad skills to draw it like that in auto-cad. I have owned the rig for about 3 months and it has around 1000 highway miles on it. My journey is just beginning.

Glad to help...i have a 17 355w as well and I have have seen what you are talking about under mine as well when I took a peak above the black plastic cover on the bottom.

I will agree that these trailers are rushed through production, in my sprucing up I found a lot of sawdust, metal shavings, and cutouts from the ductwork.

On a slightly different note have you noticed your furnace making any noises from the ductwork when it is on? Mine makes a popping sound when it first comes on and when it turns off; I am pretty sure it is from the metal ducting expanding and contracting with and without the heat. I'm debating whether or not the dealership will be able to do anything to fix it.

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[SlowpokeS3R]

Originally Posted by Marcm157

Can't see any reason why the post would or should be deleted. I am a DIY guy and do all my own vehicle repairs. Not having the most experience in the RV area, I rely heavily on this forum for the good, bad and even the ugly...

I have become quite the RV repair guy myself. I replaced all the traps in my pluming with water-less traps. One less thing to worry about. I did my own winterization using the anti-freeze at first, but because I wanted to use my T31B when it was cold, I ended up using the compressed air method which worked awesome. I turned down the PSI of my compressor to around 30 PSI and opened every faucet to allow the water to blow out after draining the hwt. Not hard. Tankless traps made it less of a requirement to spend more money winterizing. No leaks.

Also, one of my outlet receptacles was not even wired. When I unscrewed the outlet, the wire was simply tucked behind the wall. I had to wire it myself.

[bankr63]

Originally Posted by SlingShot

Attachment 32193

I have seen a lot of poor assembly, but this one (first photo) has to win some kind of prize. WTF indeed. There aren't enough special character keys on my keyboard to express what I would likely say if that was me. You have the patience of a saint, and the understatement of a political master.

[Heath_Hambone]

Yeah. Not really happy with mine either. Ducting to the bedroom/bathroom came disconnected. When I emptied the basement area, the ducts had been connected with tape. There was also an assortment of screws and trash. The hose for the outdoor shower was intertwined with electrical wires? I couldn't believe the quality of work. We love our 400w, but this stuff is unacceptable. Where is the QC? Who is signing off on this crap? Completely ridiculous.


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