Reconnaissance

Or...Day 1: The Cleaning

I've now spent my first day really working with the RV, and like I thought, I really have my work cut out for me.


I'd like to share with you some of the items on my to-do list (so far) for getting the RV in shape. I won't go into too much detail on many of them, as most of them are pretty self-explanatory. Keep in mind, please, that this is just what I've come across thus far, and I haven't even had propane, or water, or even very much gasoline, in the RV yet.

The list goes, in no particular order...

• Figure out what keys go to what, and label them appropriately. Seriously. I only know which one starts the engine, unlocks the deadbolt on the door, and opens the outside access panels, yet I have 7 keys that supposedly go to this thing.
• Throw out everything left in the RV by the previous owner. I've already started this task, but as it turns out, an RV of this size is full to the brim of cabinets, drawers, and secret hidey holes, and every time I find a new one, I find more left overs.
• Fix a minor fuel leak at the ESV (Electronic Selector Valve). Yes I said fuel leak. No I don't think this will be much of a challenge, it's likely just a loose clamp, and if not, it's an easily replaceable part.
• Replace the Windshield Wipers
• Make sure everything is wired correctly (Hint: It's not. The previous owner seriously assed the wiring, and I'm likely going to take it to a local RV service garage and having them do this part, as it very well could be way out of my wheelhouse.)
• And speaking of wiring, I need to test the generator. Now, I already can make the generator turn over, but the RV is set up so that the generator won't actually receive fuel and run without there being at least a quart of a tank of gas in the auxiliary gas tank. This is to prevent the generator from running you completely out of fuel and stranding you somewhere. Noting this, I'm not mad that I haven't started it yet.
• Remove, then clean or replace the blinds and curtains.
• A lot of the lights don't work. Here's to hoping I only have to replace bulbs.
• Fix the bedroom door. Another easy one, it's only off the rollers.
• Replace the cigarette lighters by the driver and passenger chair. I'm going to need my phone chargers and other various plugins. I'm also considering adding a couple extra, just for fun.

That gets me to the point of fully functional, as far as I know, and from there I can start making actual improvements. Tomorrow morning (about an hour or two before this blog post goes live) I'll be getting the fuel issue solved, gassing her up, and testing out a few more things, so in all likelihood, by the time you're reading this, my list will have grown. Don't despair though, I have actually accomplished some things as well.

So far I've...

• Charged the automotive and the house batteries to 100%.
• Tested the extendable TV antenna. It doesn't work all that well, but I don't really mind, as I don't have a TV, and I don't plan on getting a TV that I'll need to hook the antenna to. I'm not entirely sure why I even bothered to test this. I guess I was caught up in the moment.
• Wired the radio back into the electrics (incorrectly, but it works)
• Got an adapter to plug the power into the house. This is how I discovered the atrociously screwy wiring.
• Tested the remote control spotlight on the roof (I HAVE A REMOTE CONTROL SPOTLIGHT ON THE ROOF!) and confirmed it is working. And awesome.
• Removed the old, broken CB radio and replaced it with a brand spanking new one. I don't have a callsign yet, but I felt my mustache grow a little when I turned it on the first time.
• Tested the air compressor and the air horn.
• Tested the variety of doodads and gadgets on the dashboard control panel.
• Figured out how to adjust the seats. This is a lot more important than you'd expect, as you'll see in a couple days.
• Bought a cassette adapter for the stereo. Can't work without tunes.

And most importantly...

• Scrubbed and disinfected every surface.
• Vacuumed. Repeatedly.
• Sprayed the mattress for bed-bugs. Repeatedly. Just in case.

The RV is slowly, ever so slowly, coming together. I'll be back at it tomorrow, and pretty much any time I can set to it. Expect lots more updates like this one. Like I said, every time I'm in or around my new home, I learn something new. Sometimes it's a new storage area, sometimes it's a new trick, and sometimes it's something else that isn't quite working as intended.

-Z

P.S. As you can see, my expenses grow as my to-do list does. If you'd like to help out, there's still some time on the Indiegogo campaign, and I welcome any and all donations.