Recent 36FBTS Owners - Check In

[FoxFanRay]

Originally Posted by Rock

Well that depends on ur thermostat. Mine will turn off the outside unit at a preset temp. And than the heat strip turns on. That is why a heat pump thermostat has cold , heat and emergency heat. It just reveries itself. That is a fact and how they work it all depends on ur unit and Tstat. That is heating AC&R 101
Rock

I'm not saying your unit does not work the way you state. What I am saying is I could not afford to heat my house with the electric strip heat. I've had to use 'EMER' a couple of times due to heat pump failure (pure strip heaters), and my electric bill was off the chart. My thermostats have no means of measuring the outside temperature. I know there are units which are multi-stage and use a different source of heat when it goes below freezing (some use a gas furnace), but the last 3 houses I've owned, two of them with 2 heat pumps, and one house with only one, all work the way I describe. "Cool" is heat-pump air conditioning, "Heat" is Heat-pump heating with strip heat if temp falls x degrees below set point, and "EMER" which turns off the heat pump and uses the electric strip heat only. All 5 of my heat pumps have worked this way for 26 years. Again, I'm not saying your units work this way, and I was not trying to argue or insult you (you seem to have taken great offense), but it is a fact that all 5 of mine do.

[TexasRT]

I understand the concept of the heat pump operation. I've just never had any condensation dripping (icing of the coils) before this weekend when running it.


Thanks for the info

[Rock]

FoxFanRsy
All is good not upset at all. I have a two speed outside unit and inside variable speed. My units and Tstat all talk together. Since I lv in fl my heat strips only need to run a few min to heat house. I installed my unit and put in a bigger heat strip unit than required. My unit has temp trip point that will shut off the outside unit to prevent freeze up. I should of been more clear on what I wanted to say. You are correct on operation. I now make it a habit to open all windows before the first cold snap and run just Em heat to burn off the dust. Never fails to set off my smoke detectors.
Rock

[Rock]

Packing up and heading out for our second adventure tomorrow. Since we now have empty house with kid not coming home (Coast Guard Duty) and recent lose of mom and our best friend (wheatonTerrier) Christmas at home just not the same. Staying up at Tyndall AFB Raptor park for five nights. That is such a nice area up there and will get time to property hunt again. Have my dealer appointment in mid Jan for minor repairs. This will give us another good look to see if we find any other minor problems. This might be our new tradition Christmas morning in our RV.
Rock

[AZ_FBTS]

Sounds Relaxing Rock! We are looking forward to our next run too.

Wishing you and Family a Merry Christmas and the Greatest of New Years!!

[TexasRT]

Hello all, hope everyone had a great Christmas. We had a great time with family and friends. Looking forward to the new year.


Safe travels...

[Rock]

Well my second trip not as good. Went to pack up and kitchen slide came in about a foot and stopped. After about ten tries to re sync it finally came in on an angle than straightened out after all the way in. Now back home it went out on an angle and stalled several times. Had to empty the refrigerator. Tried to re sync and the aft end keeps hanging up. See if I can close it when I get home from work today. Called dealer and it will be fixed when I bring it in For my Jan 18 appointment. Not using it till end of Feb so hopefully it will be ready. Also overheated left front brake. They were all fine last trip got home and u could smell it. Used my temp gun at it was 375 degrees and the others 120 to 140. Since it got that hot I will make them change everything on that wheel brake Assy. Aft USB port plug lights up but no power to the two hook ups. Not happy about the slide issue.
Rock

[Technology_Tom]

We have now had our 36 FBTS for 6 months and have had experiences similar to what others have posted. This is our second RV (first 5th wheel) and has been challenging at times. We have experienced the same issues with kitchen sink valve turning on during transport, leaks in both bathroom as well as kitchen drain plumbing, one tire blowout on I-10 at 55 mph, entry door required adjustment and filing to allow it to close smoothly, and no USB outlet power. Issues we have encountered that I did not read in other posts include:
1. A "possessed" Samsung microwave/convection oven that randomly turns itself on and off. We are in a park with good electrical infrastructure and I use a surge protector, so this one is very irritating! Came home one day to find convection oven running in bake mode...scary! So we just power it off and don't use it. Filed two online service requests with Samsung, but no response. 2. After 3 days of use of A/C, the Coleman Mach compressor burned out. Jayco did arrange (after multiple calls and initially stating that it was not intended to work in 100 degree weather) for replacement, but we had to seek refuge from AZ heat for 5 days while unit was shipped. We ended up paying the $75 service fee for reinstallation. Installer was great but Jayco would not cover his fee! 3. Front bath closet doors run very hard (have to pull with two hands to slide) and no amount of adjustment seems to correct the problem. 4. Front bathroom shower triple track door bottom guide was factory installed to allow the runoff from the doors to drain through weep holes facing the bathroom rather than back into the shower. Not really certain how that one slipped through QC... Have not fixed that one yet as it will involve complete removal and reinstallation of the shower doors. So, for now the shower serves as our hamper space. 5. Front basement hatch pneumatic cylinder mounting screws have torn out of the door. I think the arms were not properly aligned on installation because they always made snapping noise when opened. Planning to fix this by installing two aluminum plates to distribute the force on the door panel. 6. Two interior valences fell off the wall on initial trip, secured with better quality fasteners and no problems since. 7. Leak in kitchen drain at S trap. This appears to be cause by misalignment of drain tube to hole in subfloor. Installers forced a significant bend (approximately 7 degrees) in PVC at joint to allow it to pass through inaccurately positioned drilled hole in subfloor. A tube of silicone has taken care of this issue. 8. Factory battery was a joke...could not power refrigerator for more than 4 to 5 hours of travel time. Solved this issue by buying two decent deep cycle batteries. 9. Shower installation tore up wallpaper that was in place prior to shower unit installation. Can't believe we did not notice this in walkthrough. I would HIGHLY recommend having a new unit connected to water and electricity at the dealership for 24 hours and doing multiple walkthroughs to catch these issues BEFORE you move it from the dealership! Have learned a great amount by reading this forum, thanks to all of you who help us fill in the missing details in the user manual with your willingness to share your experiences. Happy New Year to all!

[TexasRT]

Technology Tom
Sorry to hear that you've had so many issues with your FBTS. The microwave thing is very strange to say the least. Although you have a good list going, it sounds like most items are fairly minor and should be easy fixes. It is frustrating when you find simple things that should have never made it off the line. Hopefully after you get the issues resolved you'll be able to enjoy the coach for what it is.
Keep us updated, and Happy New Year.

Edit: Forgot to mention, we had a similiar issue with the drain piping under the front B/R sinks. The piping was installed in a bind and cracked both drains at the sinks. I repiped them the correct way and haven't had anymore plumbing issues.

[TexasRT]

Just wondering if any of the owners of the other three Pinnacles that moved into Sunset Shores on Lake Conroe are on here?

[bethcb]

We have had our 2015 FBTS since April and just discovered 2 cabinets that we never saw. The ones on either side of the fireplace. Are we the only FBTS owners that were a bit late in finding these 2 narrow cabinets? I hope we are not!

[Rock]

I found them when I had my tv problem with the loose tv cable. Looking with a flashlight I saw the back and since the cabinet was open thought why is the cabinet not wider. And last trip discovered the plug and USB port under the sink countertop. I am sure we will find something else. That small cabinet by the fireplace sure looks just like a trim panel. I am using it for all the Rv owner Manuel and paperwork storage
Rock

[TexasRT]

Our dealer pointed out the fireplace cabinets during our walk-thru

[bethcb]

I found it while warming myself by fireplace and saw notches. Pulled and there was cabinet. We store owners manual and tv cables there. We also discovered that u can charge items w USB port when on battery.

[Fingerlakes]

There is also a small drawer above the fireplace that we didn't find until we were putting ours away for the winter!

[Rock]

bethcb
When I have time I will look at the usb charge on battery. I do not have the residential fridge and no inverter except the 110 charge inverter. And will also look for the draw Fingerlakes found. Have dealer appointment next week to get the stuff we fixed along now with the overheating brake and jammed slide. My over heating wheel must be bad bearings. I jacked the Rv and all wheels spin freely so the brakes r adjusted right. I will post on what they found. This is bad timing since next week is the Tampa Rv show (the biggest ) and dealers r busy.
Rock

[Rljdlj]

We ordered the 36FBTS in early October. Due to snow in New Mexico we were not able to take delivery until yesterday. Of course everything can't go smooth. Along with a few minor issues, the generator was not installed by the factory. The good thing is the dealer recognized the error and is going to remediate the issue. Unfortunately, the dealer is an hour and a half away. That's a good reason to camp after we pick it up. So far we are very happy with the unit. Thanks to all of your posts over the past few months. They helped with knowing what to look for during the walk through.

[klassic]

Can someone take a picture of your newly found cabinets?
This is a difference between the North Point and Pinnacle... I don't have them but it sure looks like a lot of wasted space back there.

[Rock]

klassic
If u have the brick fireplace u do not have them. We have the wood around ours and on each side of the glass is a thin tall cabinet. I have not looked for the draw above yet since I am out of town
Rock

[klassic]

No.. I have the wood.
It has a trimmed out surround around the fireplace, imitating a mantel.
I certainly could be making good use of a drawer and two cabinets there.

Now that I know there is space back there I might build in a sound bar above the fireplace. The ceiling speakers are awful.