FINALLY, new Owners of 2008 2720SL

[garyandrene5047]

Gary and I, after 1 1/2 years of procrastinating and long research, have purchased an immaculate, fully loaded 2720SL for $20,000.00 in Arizona. It is beautiful and very clean (not a scratch on her and only used once). Initially we wanted the 3124KS for the extra space, and quite frankly for the elegance, but got such a great deal on this one we could not, in good conscience, pass this one up. We are very excited :new_Eyecr first time RV owners and knew we wanted a Trailmanor for some time and would not settle for anything other than. We pick her up on Thursday, this week and were wondering what we should know before we take possession, what to look for during our walk-around with the dealer as well as what usually occurs during this process and anything else that you can think of. We, also, being avid fans of the Trailmanor will become sponsors of this website once we get her home. Thank you all so much for your anticipated input!

[Nature Recorder]

Things that come to mind...

Have them show you...
How to set it up and take it down (until your are comfortable doing it yourself).
How the awning works.
Have them show you that each appliance works and how to make it work.
How to get gas to the appliances after the tanks have been turned off simulating arrival at you campsite (get to see how long it takes the gas to fill the lines and proper sequence on the appliances).
How to switch modes in the fridge.
How to light the stove and oven.
How to turn on and set the air conditioner.
How to turn on and set the heater.
How to hook up to your Tow Vehicle and check your connections.
If they can, how the faucets work.
How to turn on and off the water pump.
Show you where all the light switches are and that the lights work.
How to opn and close the vents.
Where the battery is.
Where your hookups and drains are.

My reasoning for this is several
Big One You get to see each appliance work before taking possesion.
You get to see where all the switches, knobs, valves are.
You get to find out what level of contortionist you might have to become (lighting the oven for example).
You get to see if all the lighting works with your Tow Vehicle. Brakes, running , turn signals.
If you see them having difficulty, understand you will too.

[garyandrene5047]

Thank you so much for your input. I have trusted the guidance on this site for a while now and will use your guidelines during our on-site process tomorrow. It was and is greatly appreciated. Have a wonderful day!

[4Kids2Dogs]

Make sure they give you the manuals and information about appliances, setting up and taking down, etc. We got a binder full of information from the previous owners of our TM and it was invaluable!

[ng2951]

I would also recommend that you put together an inventory of what you will keep in the TT and where. We also made a graphical list on what and where we keep things while towing vs camping. Keeping things tidy really helps that feeling of roominess.

[RogerR]

Try a one night camping trip to a local rv park. This will give you some experience in setup, takedown and use of every thing on the camper.

Disconnect from electric and water and make sure you can use all the battery options, water pump, lights, fan and heat.
This will also help you to find out what you need to have before you go on a long trip and some ideas for options you would like to have (tv, radio, outdoor cooking, etc. )

happy camping!!

[Scott O]

About the only thing you can really mess up is the water heater. First, I would recommend you change the anode rod. Extremely easy job. But most importantly, do not switch the water heater on without having filled it with water first. Just turn on a hot water faucet until it stops spitting air. If you fail to do this, you will burn out your heating element in about a milisecond. Enjoy your TM...they are a hoot!

[markndeb1970]

Welcome to the TrailManor community, you are going to love it! Now camp, camp and camp some more! Congrats!

[garyandrene5047]

Thanks again all for your invaluable input. We have brought her home now and she is a beaut! We are storing her on the side of our home in our ample backyard. It was interesting putting her up and taking her down a few times (the "congratulatory" bottle of wine helped), but we got it done. We plugged in to the side of the house, tested everything and it all works beautifully, especially the a/c!! Trailer was cool in minutes. The only problem we had, believe it or not was pulling the legs down in the sockets of the dining side tables. WOW they had been pushed clean up and the locking mechanisms was lodged. One question though......where do I find the fuses to replace the ones in the circuit box? They appear to me to be different from normal fuses. Also, what type of cover protection should I get to keep the brutal Phoenix weather from damaging her? We are taking her out tomorrow for a dry run up north. Also we had to invert our hitch for added height in towing and went to U-Haul to have the brake controller installed (cheapest way to have it done). No swaying, she tows great! Dealer gave us tons of manuals and info on her and then some. Apparently, they bought her from an auction - bank sale!!!! She doesn't even look like she has been used at all. No wear and tear seen anywhere. She looks brand new. Also, now we have inventory for tent camping and a separate one for trailer camping. Great Idea! Thank you all again and everyone take care. WE ARE SOOOOO EXCITED!

[lnussbau]

If your fuses are like those in the 2006 model, go to an automotive parts store (Autozone, Checker, NAPA, etc.). They'll have what you need.

[Bill]

Suggestion - when you go to buy new ones, pull a fuse from the converter, and bring it with you for a "fit check". Some converters use an ATC fuse, some use a mini-ATC fuse. When you have them side-by-side, the difference is obvious. But if you don't have one, and you find both in the store, it can be an uncertain choice.

Bill

[garyandrene5047]

A few questions:
1. Why is the smoke alarm coming on periodically when heater is coming on?
2. One or two of the sofa slideout locks will not stay up when closing down front section of trailer. What can be done. They made small dent in floor covering.
3. If storing in backyard closed down, should trailer be opened periodically for air out. Homeowners policy is for it not to be visible from street level. We do have 8ft cement block wall but you can have it up for a 24 hour period for trip prep and cleaning.

[Bill]

My take on your questions.
1. When a new furnace leaves the manufacturer's factory (not the TM factory), the sheet metal parts are coated with some sort of preservative "goo" (how's that for a scientific terrm?) When you turn on the furnace, the goo burns off, and a very common result is that the smoke alarm goes off. The fix is simply to turn on the furnace, and set the thermostat to max for about an hour, to bake off all the goo.
2. A bit of heresy. I removed the slideout locks. I don't see a purpose for them, other than making sure the slideout is pulled out to just the right position. They are not a security feature.
3. It couldn't hurt to air it out, especially during monsoon season. But I don't think there would be a problem with not doing so, as long as it is dry inside when you close it. In Peoria (I'm in Scottsdale for 6 or 7 months a year), you usually don't have much humidity.

Just my thoughts.

Bill

[ng2951]

...2. A bit of heresy. I removed the slideout locks. I don't see a purpose for them, other than making sure the slideout is pulled out to just the right position. They are not a security feature...Have the same problem on my 3326 too. I usually stuff a rag through them to keep them from falling down, though I am glad to see others are finding them more of nuisance too.

One thing they do serve, is making sure you have the slideout pulled out far enough and that it isn't canted. If you come up short the front seal overhangs more, and if canted the front seal locks are harder to engage.

I have thought about putting some markers on the front slideout guides to show when I have them pulled out enough and the slideout is straight.

[garyandrene5047]

Thanks Bill ~ we turned the heater on for an hour and the "goo" smell is now gone and the smoke alarm remains silent! We are seriously considering removing the lock pins so we don't have any future mishaps with them such as holes in the flooring. Great suggestion.

[PopBeavers]

Thanks Bill ~ we turned the heater on for an hour and the "goo" smell is now gone and the smoke alarm remains silent! We are seriously considering removing the lock pins so we don't have any future mishaps with them such as holes in the flooring. Great suggestion.

I discovered that the 9 volt battery in my 2005 TM 2720 lasted about a eyar and a half before it starts to chirp for a low battery condition. Of course it was closed and parked in the garage when I discovered this. By the time I pulled the TM out again it had stopped chirping due to a completely dead battery.

I now replace that battery at the beginning of the camping season each year.

The carbon monoxide and propane detector run off the RV battery so they do not suffer from this condition. The are also disconnected when the bathroom wall is folded down.

I have never understood why the smoke alarm is the only thing on its own battery. Perhaps they are only built as 120 volt or 9 volt and therefore are not available in 12 volt.

[rumbleweed]

If you store the TM closed and covered, It is recommended that you crack the non powered vents a little, it will keep them from warping from heat. I scatter 1 or 2 dryer sheets around to keep out spider and bees, seems to work well.

[garyandrene5047]

Rumbleweed ~ We have followed your advice regarding the dryer sheets, the result being that the trailer smells great and also cracked the two non-powered vents a wee bit before closing this time. We have also just received our ADCO Aqua Shed pop-up trailer cover which I believe to be a "good buy" being that we live in the "Land of the Sun" and our tumultous "monsoon" season. It fits great! We are now considering getting the Carefree Awnings for the windows ~ any comments, good or bad, regarding?

[rumbleweed]

Can't comment on the awnings as I don't have them. I think you will like the cover as it really keeps the nasty stuff off the roof. Some small silt will filter through, but that easily washes off. The cover also keeps junk out of the AC so the vents don't get clogged and keeps the curtains from fading.

[Al-n-Sue]

Gary and Rene' - we have a Carefree awing over the big street side window. It was installed by the previous owner, but looks pretty easy to do. I had to replace the pull down strap last year. But I found the exact part at a local RV store and it was a pretty easy job - just need a pop rivet tool.

It works very well - it is a mesh design so it lets a little light in and you can see through it a bit. It keeps rain off the window so we can keep the window open during light rain. A downpour would come through a bit though.

I just have to remember to pull it out and hook it before I raise the shell - I'm not tall enough to reach the strap when it is raised! :o

[garyandrene5047]

Al and Sue ~ Thanks so much for the pictures of your Carefree shades. We will be having two installed in a few weeks. Unbelievably, we are on our second trip now on way out of Arizona with 108 degree weather and have just had not 1 but 2 blowouts within 2 hours of each other on the 2720. I am stunned to say the least. Both the left then the right tire blew. How is that possible? One of the tires, during its "blowout" process sabotaged the holding tank ~ completely dismembering the large black sewage outtake pipe. Now have to have the tank and large pipe replaced. I seriously don't know how this happened. Does anyone have ideas! Please help!

[Scott O]

Welcome to the major TM controversy. Really sorry this happened to you. My personal theory is that TM was using the recalled valve stems and that is what failed, leading to the blowout. Others have different reasons. Many of us have changed our 14" wheels for 15" wheels. At any rate, a search of this forum will lead to more information than you ever wanted to know as this has been frequently discussed. Common tips are to daily check the pressure and make sure you have them balanced. And tow below 60 mph. I'm sure you will get more comments and suggestions.

[Bill]

Re the blowouts taking out the plumbing, Scott is right - there has been LOTS of discussion. Some of it is in the Plumbing Forum, but most of it is in the Tires Tires Tires forum. Start with a thread called "Protecting the Plumbing", then go to another called "More Marathon Tire Failures".

Bill

[garyandrene5047]

Thanx all - we are having the repairs done by Orangewood RV Center in Surprise, Arizona (they are closer to us). Apparently, the holding tank and sewage valve are universal and can be repaired at most RV Service Centers. Arizona Campers & Trailers (Trailmanor Authorized Repair Center) were booked for two weeks. FYI: They are located at 4140 Grand Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona (b/t Camelback and N. 40th Ave.) (623) 247-3829. We are also having Maxxi ST225X75R15's 8-ply tires put on now and just placed an order for 3 KUMHO Radial 857 205/0-14 D tires from www.tirerack.com. Feel a little better now.....

[robertkennel]

We are finally owners of a 2008 2720 SL too, but unfortunetly the promised owners manuals were never sent and we are going on a short trip tomorrow. Now here lies the problem. I should have checked the water in the battery before plugging shore power in for a couple of days and the battery burnt off all the water, really stunk up the garage. My question is after replacing the battery without shore power being plugged in, when I test the battery in the control panel the system shows all lights: low,fair,good, and charge on. I don't think that is right. I thought it doesn't show charge unless the shore power is plugged in. Any insight until I get the manuals I guess I will have to order from Trailmanor. Thanks Robert

Ok just figured it out but why does the shower switch make the charge light on the panel come on in the closed shower position and charge light off in the open shower position when shore power is not connected. Robert

[Al-n-Sue]

The panel lights show the charge of the battery - shore power or no. Of course, when shore power is plugged in, the battery should show a full charge. With no shore power, the lights will show the state of discharge of the battery.

Congrats on your TM - you will enjoy it. And you can always find help and answers here.

BTW, there are a couple of manuals available on this forum - one is a scan of an actual manual and one is a compilation from many articles and notes found here.

[Wavery]

We are finally owners of a 2008 2720 SL too, but unfortunetly the promised owners manuals were never sent and we are going on a short trip tomorrow. Now here lies the problem. I should have checked the water in the battery before plugging shore power in for a couple of days and the battery burnt off all the water, really stunk up the garage. My question is after replacing the battery without shore power being plugged in, when I test the battery in the control panel the system shows all lights: low,fair,good, and charge on. I don't think that is right. I thought it doesn't show charge unless the shore power is plugged in. Any insight until I get the manuals I guess I will have to order from Trailmanor. Thanks Robert

Ok just figured it out but why does the shower switch make the charge light on the panel come on in the closed shower position and charge light off in the open shower position when shore power is not connected. Robert

The battery meter in the TM is nothing more than a very cheap volt meter. If all the lights are on, that's supposed to be an indication that the battery is above 12.8V (I believe). Turn on a light or 2 and see if the top indicator doesn't go off.

If it were me, I'd check the voltage at the battery with a multimeter to get an accurate reading to compare with what I see on the TM battery indicator. That will give you a reference point.

[PopBeavers]

I have left my TM plugged in to shore power for more than a month while parked in the garage and the battery water has never boiled.

I think you may have a problem.

[robertkennel]

Thanks for the responses. I've had the TM for a two weeks and had it plugged in over the weekend two times and also a couple of days during the week with no problem until two days ago. Even with the ten hour drive home and with all the charging time the battery never went past the fair reading. Once I put the new battery in it was all the way in the good. I think the last owners may have cooked it and ran the fluid down and that's why it was never in the good range even after charging. I checked for parasitic loads and it seems ok. I will check the voltage on the battery when on shore power and see what it is. If it is high then I got issues. I will let everyone know of my progress thanks for the help. Robert

[robertkennel]

well it's 13 volts when on shore power. Seems like that's an ok number. What do you think. Robert(brand new battery probably being charged some from sitting on shelf at store for awhile)

[Wavery]

well it's 13 volts when on shore power. Seems like that's an ok number. What do you think. Robert(brand new battery probably being charged some from sitting on shelf at store for awhile)

When the battery is fully charged, the voltage should go to a maintenance level of 13-13.2V. You may see the voltage go as high as 14.5V while charging.

The key is where the voltage settles, 24 hours after being off of shore power. It should settle down to about 12.7V and you can expect it to go lower over time, naturally.

[PopBeavers]

After 3 years of use my pair of Interstate group 24 Marine/RV battereis were not holding up as well as they did when they were new (big surprise).

I spent $90 on an external charger that has both a desulfate and equalize mode. I ran a couple of those cycles on the batteries, one at a time, and the batteries are doing better. Not new, but better.

Before I ran the desulfate/equalize charge on it I ran a hydrometer test, and on one battery one cell was clearly quite a bit lower than the other cells. After the charge the hydrometer showed the cells to be closer to even than they had been.

I was in contact with the company that builds the converter in my TM. They told me it is a 3 stage charger, but it does not have desulfate or equalize modes in it.

[robertkennel]

Well the new battery took care of everything. I will keep an eye on the fluid level very closely from now on. And the odor is gone too, happy days. First camp went well, except I think my float in the gray water needs help because there was a back up to the shower when showing 1/3 full. Pulling the gray valve took care of that. Neighbors at the camp site liked it and a fair amout of people look at it when you tow it as seen from the side view mirror. The whole family is sold on it, wife too! She wants to go next weekend. Not one weedend off. The forum really helped with the experience. I hope Chris emails his address so I can send a check to get full access again. Robert

I tried showing off to myself by not using a checklist for dismantle. Mistake, luckily the cover for the heater came down and I noticed I didn't turn off electric to heater when raising shells to remove refrig items. There was water in the heater so it wasn't an issue this time. I guess that's why I always use checklists when flying, no second chance. Camping will be the same from now on.

[garyandrene5047]

Hello all ~ yep, can't figure it out. Furnace "blower" is not coming on and no "heat" flowing from the furnace. We make sure that the heating lever is all the way to the left in the "Off" position for 5 minutes or so and then try to turn it on again. Hear a "click" but no "blower" which is standard when it starts up. Could it be because the propane tanks are low - although stove works fine. Confused, it is near new furnace, only used twice and that was by us. Any suggestions, as to what is going on with it? Thanks so much! :(

[rumbleweed]

"I think my float in the gray water needs help"

The tank level ( fresh and gray water) is measured by small electrical sensors in the side of the tank. There is no float. Over time these get dirty and don't work. There are various commercial products that will clean them or you can add a few gallons of water and dish washing soap before you leave for a trip. The water action may clean them for you. Some folks add ice cubes to help, but in a TM that is hard due to the small drains. You can also check the wires sticking out the side of the tank to make sure one has not been damaged.

[robertkennel]

The reading for the float started working again. Good info for the future if it fails again thankyou Robert


Furnace not working, Did you check the fuses too.