Excited to be here!

[Moondoggie]

Hello Everyone. New guy here...
Over the weekend I traded my 2006 Itasca Navion for a 2017 ACE 29.4. My wife and I are quickly nearing retirement age and, though we traveled a lot in the little Navion, we have never believed that such close quarters would work for the extended trips we plan to take after retirement. The ACE 29.4 seems just large enough for us and I'm really enjoying driving it.
I do have a few questions though, that I hope someone might be able to answer.
First, I know RV's have many thumps, bumps and squeaks, but there was one very loud and persistent thump that I kept hearing from somewhere just above and behind me. I was concerned that it may have something to do with the front slide, since that is situated just behind the drivers seat. Has anyone else had this?
Second, what size sheets do you purchase and where do you find them? I believe our bed is listed in the specs as a King, but it seems closer to Queen size to me. Someone at Camping World used the term "short king?" At any rate, we were afraid to buy without knowing exactly what size to get.
Third, I'm getting no hot water either from the gas or electric switches. This morning on my way to work it occurred to me that during the de-winterizing process someone might have missed readjusting the water heater bi-pass valve. I'll be checking that as soon as I get home, but before I start digging into the coach, am I correct in my guess that the water heater is located beneath one of the dinette seats? And if so, will I find the bi-pass valve at the back of the heater? Or should I be looking somewhere else?
Finally (for now at least) I had the water heater on electric for quite some time before I was convinced it was not heating. If there was no water in the tank, have I likely done damage to the heater, or is there some kind of safety trip that would keep that from happening?
Thanks!
HC
2017 Thor ACE 29.4

[JamieGeek]

Congratulations and welcome.

The noise from above the slide is an often discussed issue. A long thread about it can be found here: http://www.thorforums.com/forums/f8/...ving-1639.html

Can't answer the middle two but yes: If you have the water heater on electric with no water in it you likely burned out the heating element.

[justjohn57]

I have had to winterize and dewinterize twice in the past few months and getting better at it. On my unit the HWH is under the sink and there are valves that are only accessible once a panel is removed. I have stopped screwing in the panel since it stays in place just fine without them and allows me to gain access with no tools. When I blow out the system with air, I run the valves both ways to make sure the tank is as clear as possible. I still hear some bubbling when I'm done, but so far no problems and I leave the drain cap off when I'm done. Then I put a piece of tape over the 120V HW switch on the control panel in case someone tries to flip it by mistake. I've hear it takes less than a minute to burn out the element if it's dry.

[Moondoggie]

Ha! Thanks for the link. It should make for some good reading. As for the water heater, I was afraid of that. But I've got too many good things going on to complain about it for too long. Such is life!

[Moondoggie]

I've never replaced an element. Is it a big deal?

[Moondoggie]

Just saw a youtube video on replacement. Doesn't look too tough!

[justjohn57]

Please include the link you found if you have the chance. I'd also like to know how. I'm concerned I'll have to remove the entire unit to get to the element, should I ever need to.

[Moondoggie]

You tube link for replacing water heater element in a 6 gallon tank:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBwrOO1h_E0

I'm starting to believe you can fix anything with the right youtube video...

[justjohn57]

Thanks! Hope ours is as easily accessible as the one in the video. Let us know how it goes.

[Beau388]

My HWH is an Atwood and the electric element accessed from the rear. It is just above the electrical relay box. The element is the same as used on most point-of-use small home water heaters. You need a water heater socket (1.125" I think) to unscrew the element. Just remember to shutoff the power using the circuit breaker or unplugging the coach and to thoroughly drain the water heater before attempting the repair.

[DocP]

Originally Posted by Moondoggie

Second, what size sheets do you purchase and where do you find them? I believe our bed is listed in the specs as a King, but it seems closer to Queen size to me. Someone at Camping World used the term "short king?" At any rate, we were afraid to buy without knowing exactly what size to get.

It is a Short King, but even that is a misnomer - the specs for mine list it as 72" x 76". As you may have already discovered, most "RV King" mattresses are 72" x 80". I was not impressed with the comfort of our new Denver Mattress Short King, so I bought a full-size King memory foam topper (76" x 80") and cut it to size with an electric carving knife. It was exceptionally easy, and made for a much-improved sleeping experience.

As far as sheets go, good luck finding this size sheets. For now, we use full King sheets and clip up the excess. In my previous Google searches I did find some sheets closer in size to the mattress, but they were of dubious quality and very expensive.

[JMitt]

That knocking behind you, I have the same issue. I have the same rig. 2 wks after purchase we took it on the road Washington to Florida now heading back. Then into the shop for a list of minor issues and that's one of them.

[halfprice]

You can find the sheets no problem on Ebay. That's where I got mine.

Jerry