2017 Thor Vegas 24.1 - discovering the mysteries

[1948Cartwright@gmail.com]

Purchased a Thor Vegas 24.1 and while the "Owners Manual" is very generic, it is not specific enough for me to locate on vital part of the system - where are the 110 volt Circuit breakers and the GFCI reset button located. For that matter, where are the House Batteries located?

I found one battery under the steps - not sure if it is house or engine starter battery for the truck part.

It has been an easter egg hunt, locating where things are located and it did get me familiar with the coach - like there are two duplex 110volt outlets located above the Jackknife sofa on the ceiling with the lights! (not on the GFCI, so I could pulg in the vacuum cleaner there).

Help me solve this final mystery and I will be a happy GLAMPER.

[JamieGeek]

Congratulations and welcome to the site.

Go here and download Ed's excellent crowd sourced Axis/Vegas owner's manual:
https://www.thorforums.com/forums/f1...nual-4961.html

You'll solve mysteries you didn't know existed.

(BTW: Battery under steps is the house battery. Chassis battery is under the "hood" on the passenger side--its under the "desk" on the dash.

GFI is the bathroom outlet.

A/C breakers are the panel under the fridge.)

[DavidEM]

Answers in bold:

Originally Posted by 1948Cartwright@gmail.com

Purchased a Thor Vegas 24.1 and while the "Owners Manual" is very generic, it is not specific enough for me to locate on vital part of the system - where are the 110 volt Circuit breakers The 110V breakers and the DC fuse panel is in the converter panel just below the fridge- well that is in a 2018+, but probably the same place.

and the GFCI reset button located. The GFCI is built in to one of the galley or head outlets. Look for an outlet with two buttons in the middle: test and reset.

For that matter, where are the House Batteries located? They are located underneath the step, so you must have only one.

I found one battery under the steps - not sure if it is house or engine starter battery for the truck part. House battery.

It has been an easter egg hunt, locating where things are located and it did get me familiar with the coach - like there are two duplex 110volt outlets located above the Jackknife sofa on the ceiling with the lights! (not on the GFCI, so I could pulg in the vacuum cleaner there).

Help me solve this final mystery and I will be a happy GLAMPER.

David

[taylorbob1]

If there’s just one battery under your steps, then it’s time to purchase two new ones
Best to purchase in pairs
And it’s really best for most Vegas/Axis owners to have two house batteries, that’s why it’s delivered from the Thor factory with two

Lots on this Forum about batteries.
I chose Flooded Lead Acid 12v. Those are the least expensive to replace
Others on this site choose:
- FLA 6v (which requires different wiring configuration)
- AGM in 12v or 6v (more expensive than FLA’s but last longer)
- Lithium Ion (most expensive option)

Let us know what you decide

[Pete'sMH]

Originally Posted by taylorbob1

If there’s just one battery under your steps, then it’s time to purchase two new ones

Best to purchase in pairs

And it’s really best for most Vegas/Axis owners to have two house batteries, that’s why it’s delivered from the Thor factory with two



Lots on this Forum about batteries.

I chose Flooded Lead Acid 12v. Those are the least expensive to replace

Others on this site choose:

- FLA 6v (which requires different wiring configuration)

- AGM in 12v or 6v (more expensive than FLA’s but last longer)

- Lithium Ion (most expensive option)



Let us know what you decide

But don’t buy 2 unless you need 2. We pretty much never boondock and one battery always has been plenty to handle our needs.

[1948Cartwright@gmail.com]

This is my first RV, at least the landed kind. I owned a sailboat and learned to cruise long distances with fixed resources, so working with the "limited" water supply and limited Propane will not be new territory for me.

Well, after my extensive search and discovery mission, I finally took the advice that the GCFI reset was in the bathroom - and low and behold, there it was, under the cabinet above the toilet - out of sight for those who are over 6' tall. I sat on the Thrown and looked up and there it was, complete with a red LED indicator. I pushed the reset and power was restored.

Now for the battery upgrade. Shocker on the sticker price for those things. I can buy a TESLA Power Wall for the cost of 5 of those babies (and power my RV system for a month on it). I will stick with the lead acid variety for now.

There is room for two batteries under the steps, so all I need is a set of connector cables for the battery posts - wiring them in parallel (don't think the systems can digest 24 volts when the batteries are in series).

On another issue - the door that covers the outside TV is not centered and leaves a gap on the top side that allows water to intrude - I think I can fix it - a rubber mallet applied to the upper hinge after I remove the two retaining screws at each end and slide the door out. I might run a brazing rod into the channel before I apply that universal fix to keep the channel open. Now to find a welding rod with the right diameter and length.

If I discover any other mysteries, I will be sure to post and let everyone know if I find a unique fix for things.

Thank you all again -

Chad Cartwright

[taylorbob1]

Great attitude, nice work
It’s a constant hobby, so enjoy

[elliefan]

Thanks for the link to Ed's crowd sourced Axis/Vegas owner's manual. It is an excellent document and helped us not have to deal with Camping World service; we're not big fans of this company.

[1948Cartwright@gmail.com]

Thank You!
Thor has had a bad reputation for quality - on the new models I might add. That said, I have had few issues with the new to me Thor Vegas.
One item that could have been addressed in the design stage was access to the top of the engine - I have to do a disassembly of the right side of the dash - where the fold out table top is located - to get to the chasis battery and even then it is so crowded I spend lots of time just checking on the water level in that battery. Forget taking it out, but I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

That owners manual has been worth more than I can say - the man who wrote it up knew what he was doing and he should have been paid for the effort he put into it.

Winterizing was not as hard as I imagined, but figuring out the valves to open/close water lines was fun and since I did it by myself, I got lots of exercise going between the water tank and out to look under the chasis to see if it was draining. I do need to make some lables with arrows showing OPEN and CLOSED for all of them.

I have two sets of keys - one I keep at home the other is in a hidden spot on the RV incase I lose a set (or misplace as the case often is). People have also left a front cab window unlocked as a Just In Case - though that only gets them inside and does nothing to turn on the engine or systems.

I have enjoyed my RV and intend to do some serious traveling in the future.

[MJC62]

Maybe I missed it in the previous posts, did anyone tell you to register the coach at the Thor Owners Resource page? If not, go on the Thor web page, click on the Owners Resource link and with the coach's VIN number register the coach. You then have access to all the pertinent information about the products and symptoms on your individual coach.

[DavidEM]

Originally Posted by MJC62

You then have access to all the pertinent information about the products and symptoms on your individual coach.

That statement is a bit broad. Pertinent information about products specific to your individual coach, yes. Symptoms and corrective actions, no unless it is part of a component manufacturer's product info..

David