Inside the Outside Pt. 2

This contraption is high on the driver side wall near the rear corner. It is the vent for the kitchen cooktop hood fan. Yep, we used it last weekend and I was unimpressed. But wait! See the little tab that has been rotated over the flapper to keep it from opening during storage and transport? No wonder the fan didn't suck! We'll need to remember to disable those tabs when we use the camper from now on.

Near the front driver's side corner on the front wall is the plug for the truck wiring . I was not familiar at all with this style plug and was glad I had the pigtail provided. I wouldn't have known which connector to choose or which pin did what.

The usual furnace vents. Ho hum...

The refrigerator vent panel. I haven't got a clue as to what is behind it but I can't find the tool to open it either. Maybe it's in the kit of instructions.

This is the pass-through from under the refrigerator into the truck bed. We use it for extra storage of water and other cargo that is weather proof. It doesn't seal very well and seems to be a weakness in the four season concept. I will need to put some better weather stripping around it. And how about a paint finish that's a bit more resistant to moisture?!! Just because it's the inside of an interior door doesn't mean it won't get wet.

Note the gas line that enters the camper using the same corrugated plastic. I need to seal that hole as well. Mice in the camper would be a crisis of huge proportions.

This is the top view.  Nine penetrations if you count the entire roof rack as one. There is a nice plug for solar just behind the bath skylight. Everything is caulked and sealed. It actually looks like a professional did it and did it well. With my luck it will be the TV antenna (not used ever) that leaks first. There is no justice in this life.

Detail of the front panel/rubber top transition and the rain spout. There is a spout on each corner. Seems like they will be the first casualty if we get too close to a tree branch. They do work very well and I will be mad if anything happens to one. I hope the Admiral is careful when she goes on her trip to see her friend in a month or so.

So that is the outside except for the rear wall. I'll get to that next. There are some places that I feel could use a touch up of sealant so I need to order some -- not sure what product to use yet. I really like the 3M products I use to use when we were boating (4200 and 5200). Until then, keep on truckin'.

Inside the Outside

In this post we will take a very close look at the 840's outside covering and features. Also, we will try to find anything at all to pick at -- hey, I told you we would be turning a critical eye on things! Some would say that I am obsessed with this thing but I just view it as an in-depth look at the state of the Wolf Creek's Evolution. I promise to have enough photos to make it meaningful.

Above is the fresh water fill. This orifice accepts a narrow diameter water hose for filling the fresh water storage tank. Since it is narrow it is designed with a vent immediately next to it so that it won't pressurize the tank and expand it, possibly damaging surrounding structures. Be sure to fill slowly and allow the port to "breathe." You can fill until the water exits the vent. It has a lockable cover.

This is the shore power hook-up for 120 volt power. It is a twist lock connector and has three conductors. It is rated for 30 amps and Northwood provides a 20 foot, heavy gauge cord with the camper. This will power the interior and exterior outlets, air conditioner and microwave, along with providing power to the 12 volt converter. Note that the interior 120v outlets, A/C, and MW do not work off the 12v system by itself. This is also a way to continually keep the battery system maintained when not in use. I keep it plugged in at home.

The 840 has two 20 lb. tanks stored upright in their own compartment. It is vented to the outside and has an unlockable door. This is code I believe. They are regular tanks that can be replaced or filled at any convenient location. No weird tanks that have to be certified or filled by special dealers. The door is about 2/3 insulated and there appears to plenty of room to extract the tanks.

This is the propane control valve that switches the tanks automatically when one is emptied. I still haven't figured out how to read it properly. The compartment is sealed from the interior and is pretty simple.

Our camper came with one battery located in an outside accessible compartment. It is a box that is sealed off from the interior also. There is room to fit two batteries and I will be sticking another one in there asap. The compartment also has two wires that are part of the pre-wired solar panel hook up. The dealer made me a jumper for a second battery for free. Not sure I want to keep this lead acid battery but we'll see. Would rather have a matched pair of 6 volt deep cycles. This box has a vented door that locks.

This is the control interface and venting for the hot water heater. There is a drain at the bottom, a gas jet, and an electrical control too. This thing will work on either gas or shore power. If you are getting your camper out for the first time or just after filling the water, flip the pop off valve a bit to make sure it is full of water before heating or you may burn the element out. In order to use the electric side there is a switch at the lower left corner that must be turned on for it to work. Be sure to open the interior bypass valve too. It's under the sink. Basic stuff for any RV'er but it was all new to me!

The "City Water" connection. It is where you can hook up a hose that already has water pressure from the campground or wherever. There is a check valve to prevent water from going into the fresh water tank but you also need to get a pressure regulator from an RV dealer to prevent weird high pressures form somewhere else from blowing out your camper's pipes. Why they don't just incorporate one into the design or furnish one is beyond me. They are really cheap at less than $10 if you shop smart.

Be careful attaching your hose. The plastic fitting feels robust but could easily get cross threaded.

Satellite and other video hook ups. Nuff said.

The gray and black water drain is located under the driver side rear apron and has an access door for it from the camper rear wall. Great placement and easy to deal with. Works well and is sealed up tight.

Above the septic drain I found this wire harness that leads over to the right rear tail light assembly. As it makes the turn at the top there are a couple of wires that divert into the camper and the opening is not sealed. This is a place where water and debris from the tires is kicked up so I am suprised this was ignored. I will fix!

There are about three places on the underside of the camper where there are penetrations that are covered by this plastic corrugated material. They are not always sealed. I will fix these too. This one is the gas line starboard amidships.

This is the outside shower port. Has its own door and must have the included hose and sprayer connected before use. Pretty neat -- you either love 'em or hate 'em.

This is a shot of the side where the previous pics were taken. You might be able to pick out all the openings from this angle.

So that is all I have time for right now. More pics have been taken and more critique to follow so stay tuned to the obsessive TC channel! TTFN...

Sewage Junky?

Yes, it is fascinating to work your own portable septic system. I have memories of Dad working in the back yard trying to get the drainfield to take more water. It always seemed to happen over the holidays too. No, this type of camper doesn't need anything but a suitable receptacle occasionally to be perfectly happy.

The sewer hose is typically found inside an RV's bumper, and we do have the space there allotted for it. However The Wolf Creek has another tube mounted outside the camper just above the truck bed for another hose. Here's a pic:

This was a stroke of genius in my opinion. What can we do with the other storage spot? Well fishing rods of course! The bumper tray even has a slide out tray to hold other items. It's also locked, which is a good thing for expensive rods.

Murphy's Law Takes Effect

We finally made it home with our new Wolf Creek 840 today, after a month's worth of travails. Our initial effort was thwarted by a truck breakdown. A month ago I started the truck to pull it under our camper only to have it go berserk. After a week of towing and diagnostics it appeared that the previous week's repair had introduced a metal part into the intake of cylinder #7 and that did not set well with the valves, glow plug, injector, or piston. Long story short -- new stuff in the motor and now she runs like new! So a new trip to the camper dealer was scheduled.

The run to Boise was uneventful except for the really bad ride near Glenn's Ferry. I felt like I was on the back of a bucking bronco what with the 80 lbs in the tires and the new upper and lower stableloads engaged. As we arrived at Nelson's RV we were greeted by Carl, who was witness to our aborted attempt a month earlier. Carl is one of those guys who really knows his business, or at least puts up a darn good show of it! He told me that he figures he's prepped hundreds of truck campers for folks over the years.

Since we had done the walk-through the month before I backed right up to the camper and followed Carl's instructions as he guided me underneath. I had never done this before yet I swore that he had me crooked as a dog leg until I stepped out and found the camper sitting square and even. Carl got it on with less than a 1/4 inch of difference between the two sides. I began to listen to him with more confidence as he continued to talk about what to watch for and how to do things. sometimes you have to swallow your pride and ego and admit when someone has a definite leg up on you!

Here's the Admiral and I posing as proud new TC'ers in front of our new WC 840. We have been waiting for this day for a long time.

Upon leaving the dealership I immediately pulled over and called the insurance company so I could cover any subsequent accident I might have. Having taken care of that we then proceeded to drive to Bruneau Dunes State Park for our first night. They had a site with water and electric so I could run all the appliances and systems and check them out for problems. There were none except for operator error (couldn't figure out the lack of hot water until I found the bypass valve, then all was well).

 

This camper is really quiet. We couldn't hear the kids next door screaming, the dogs barking or the wind howling. I have a feeling I will come to appreciate it! Anyway, I will post some real data and first impressions in the next post.