Podcast Gear

Focusrite Scarlet 2i2

This is the Focusrite Scarlet 2i2. This is a USB interface device that allows us to plug in up to two XLR microphones. This interface will accept microphones that require 48V phantom power, as well as microphones which do not need phantom power. The device offers direct monitoring and more.

Find out more about the Focusrite Scarlet here: https://us.focusrite.com/products/scarlett-2i2-3rd-gen

Microphones

As we previously mentioned, there are a LOT of microphones on the market. Even after reducing the options to XLR the field is still very large. After reading reviews and researching for what seemed like a very long time, we made the decision to purchase the following microphones:

Condenser Mics

NEEWER NW-800

This is a great little mic that won’t break the budget. XLR interface and supports phantom power. We have two of these microphones in our podcast gear. They work very well and we have no complaints.

NEEWER Uni-directional (Shotgun) Microphone

This shotgun microphone works well. When in uni-directional mode sound only comes from one direction. Noise from the other directions is minimal, if detected at all.

NB: 48V phantom power is required in order for this microphone to operate in unidirectional mode. As of this writing the NEWER shotgun mic is unavailable, but the link will take you to the same mic under a different brand.

Movo VXR10-PRO External Microphone

While not directly part of our podcast gear, we purchased this microphone for better audio recording outside the studio, such as filming with a cell phone. This mic provides much better sound recording than the built in microphone on any phone. With USB-C and 1/8″ cables provided, this microphone should interface to all (or at least most) of your devices.

MOVO Lapel Microphone

We received this lapel mic as part of a special offer when we purchased the MOVO external mic above. It’s a great bit of podcast gear for those lapel mic moments.

Other Helpful Items

These items aren’t required podcast gear, but might be helpful.

Cable Matters XLR Cables

The XLR cables that come with these microphones may or may not work when you get them. They may or may not work a month later. Better quality XLR cables are probably in your future. We like these from Cable Matters.

Xvive Phantom Power Injector

This device injects phantom power into a microphone which requires it. The function that this device provides is fulfilled by the Scarlet in our setup, but would be useful in a setup which does not include an external DAC. For example, this will allow an XLR mic to be plugged directly into a computer’s sound card using the appropriate cable or converter (XLR -> 1/8″).

MAONO USB Microphone

If all of this talk of DACs, XLR and phantom power is over your head, or if you just want to get started right away, you could do worse than this microphone. This microphone supports USB-C as well as XLR interfaces with phantom power. This might be a good starter microphone to get started without springing for the whole XLR setup up front.

Conclusion

If the question is “What gear should I buy to start a podcast?” our answer would have to be “It depends”.

As we said, we have multiple uses in mind for this equipment that are not directly related to a podcast. Sam specifically wanted to be able to move the entire recording setup between computers by only swapping one cable. This setup accomplishes that goal and more, and we are very happy with this podcast gear.

Good luck on your podcast!

The post By Request: Podcast Gear appeared first on Metaphysical Family.

The first lesson that we learned is that RVs built after 2019 are called COVID CAMPERS with good reason. Forest River’s poor quality control is second only to their customer care after the sale. When our 2022 36BHQ began to literally fall apart in January of 2023, Forest River did nothing to help. Instead, Forest River did everything they could to shirk their responsibility, laying the blame for their poor construction at the feet of Super Springs International.

Feeling defeated, we returned to our “home base” property to build a tiny(ish) house in the woods. The lesson we learned here is that it takes much longer than one might think to build a house on a property that has been abandoned for ten years. After five months of clearing brush, a tractor purchase, tons (really) of dirt work, and one broken post hole auger later, we still didn’t even have a base foundation for the house prepared. The leaves were changing, letting us know that winter was coming whether we were ready or not.

As we didn’t want to spend another winter in the Sabre, Sam was working outside from sunrise to after sunset, but progress was slow. Any time we felt like we were making progress, an approaching setback seemed certain. Tensions were high in the household. For a few days it seemed like 2023 was going to end in a very unhappy way.

Then, on the third straight morning of breaking rock in the bottom of post holes, the tension reached the boiling point. Frustrated, we decided that it was time to admit that we were not going to have a house ready by winter, and that God was making it pretty clear that we were headed in the wrong direction.

“Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.”

Bruce Lee

Sam has observed that when difficulty arrives, it is usually the case that Sam is not moving in harmony with the flow of the Universe. Sam firmly believes that God is in direct communication with the created Universe, though those communications are usually very subtle. Pillars of fire are spectacular, but the important messages often come as whispers from God.

And after the ra’ash an eish; but Hashem was not in the eish; and after the eish a kol demamah dakkah (a quiet, gentle voice).

Melachim Alef 19:12 (First Kings 19:12)

After much reflection on ideas such as those above, Sam suggested that the time of year signaled the end of camping season, and that we might be able to get a decent deal on an older RV. As is often the case when we are moving with the Universe, we found a promising prospect a day or two later, and it was only a few hours away. A few days later, we brought our new (to us) RV to our base camp.

Introducing Corvus Canus

We were lucky enough to find a 2015 Jayco 4212 Toy Hauler. Compared to the Sabre, this RV is built like a tank. Everything about the structure of the RV as well as the materials and components used within the RV are superior in every conceivable way. We expect far, far fewer problems with this RV than the junk Forest River produced. After all, it has already outlived our Sabre seven times!

We spent the next month getting it ready for us. New carpet in the front bedroom, bunk beds for the kids, a reconfiguration of the garage/happy jack system, ROKU TVs to replace the off-brand TVs provided by the OEM (UpStart?) and two bottles of Meg’s 61 Oxidation remover later (it was really bad), it’s ready to roll, and we are on the road again!

On December 11, 2023 we departed base camp for a more southern latitude to enjoy a mild winter season.

We will upload many more pictures over the coming days, and will be releasing a tour video soon.

But, what about the tiny house?

We are still planning to improve the base camp property, including a tiny house, and other amenities that we will announce as we go along. We plan to return when the weather there is more favorable to outdoor activities, and take it from there.

Until then — see you “out there”!

The post On The Road Again! appeared first on Metaphysical Family.

BBB Dispute Ends in Huge Waste of Time

When we left off in Part Four we were still embroiled in a dispute being handled through the Better Business Bureau, or BBB. What we didn’t understand at the time was that businesses pay to be members of BBB. As a paying member of the northern Indiana BBB, it should come as no surprise that the complaint was closed in favor of Forest River.

One of the last emails Henry Sears sent to the BBB dispute was this email. Remember it, because you will see it again.

A Message From Super Springs International

When it became apparent that we weren’t getting anywhere with Forest River, Lippert or the BBB, we reached out to Super Springs International – the makers of Sumo Springs – for their input on our situation. It took a while (and a strongly worded email) to get a response back, but we did get one, and it confirms what we already suspected.

Mr. Coulter is Director of Sales for Super Springs International. As you can see, Super Springs does not approve of Forest River’s libelous allegations. This is also not surprising. But it is very refreshing to deal with a company who stands behind the design, construction, quality and benefit of their products.

But back to Forest River and Lippert

Lippert Remains Silent

You may recall the email that we sent to Lippert on May 3.

Since it had been 72 days, we decided to send another, based on the new information.

We will update you all in the event that Lippert responds.

UPDATE: Within two hours this post’s publication Lippert responded to the above email. They have requested more information, and are requesting our location so that they can dispatch technicians to do their own inspection. We will update you on this situation as it progresses.

Seeking Help from the Attorney General

After BBB proved to be a huge waste of time we also initiated a complaint with our Attorney General’s office. We provided links to parts one, two, three and four of our Forest River Fails saga for the AG to review. After a while we received this response from Forest River, via the AG’s office.

Remember the email that Henry Sears sent to the BBB complaint? This is the same email, verbatim. Mr. Sears still isn’t paying attention.

Attached to this response was a statement from the AG’s office that if we wanted to dispute any of Forest River’s comments that we had 30 days to do so before the case would be closed. Needless to say, we dispute Forest River’s comments, but we are withholding our response back to the Attorney General until we see what happens next.

Until Next Time

If you are considering getting into the RV life, you really need to understand just how bad the industry is; both in building the RVs in the first place, as well as how they handle customer service after the fact.

Don’t allow yourself to be treated this way. You spent too much money on your RV to have the people that built it tell you that it’s your fault that it broke.

Can you imagine if automobile manufacturers did this? How many trucks would Ford sell if the cab began to fall off the frame at 36,000 miles? That’s right, not many, and the NHTSA would be knocking down their door. Why are RV manufacturers not held responsible for building their junk?

Until next time!

The post Forest River Fails, Denies Responsibility – Part Five appeared first on Metaphysical Family.

Better Business Bureau Complaint

We initiated our BBB complaint against Forest River in early April after Forest River’s refusal to discuss our issue. When we opened the complaint we were only seeking a repair of the damaged sidewall discussed in Part One. As you saw in Part Three, the situation had unfortunately progressed in the time that Forest River was giving us the runaround, and the RV is now coming apart at the seams.

The initial complaint was sent to Cheyenne Clark. Cheyenne suggested through the complaint that we contact Henry Sears. You remember Mr. Sears from Part Three.

Mr. Sears’ initial response to the complaint read as follows:

This again?

Mr. Sears clearly hadn’t read the complaint. We sent this back along with another copy of the email and Lip Sheet 0104 from RV Masters, as well as a link to the Youtube video we shared in Part Three of the rear sidewall screws backing out.

Forest River Fails, Denies Responsibility (Yet Again)

We respectfully declined to participate in their offer to have the RV transported to Indiana for inspection for the reasons we stated in our response, but also because at no point has Forest River said anything other than “the bump stops did it”. Why would I send the RV to Indiana under these circumstances? So they can “inspect” the RV, stick to their position that “the bump stops did it”, and then hold the RV hostage until we pay for the “inspection”?

Forest River – A “Better” Recreational Vehicle

If a person clicks over to https://forestriverinc.com and scrolls down the page they will see this quote from Peter Liegl – Forest River’s CEO.

I wonder how Mr. Liegl feels his company is doing with his vision. I wonder if our experience is what he meant by “building better recreational vehicles” and the idea that his products serve the needs, interests, budget and lifestyles of every family. Maybe there are families out there who buy an RV that want the body to fall apart after a year … but we doubt it.

The Quest for Customer Service Continues

Forest River continues to deny any responsibility, or offer any reasonable resolution. We can not be without the RV until our cabin is built, so we can not have it disappear to Indiana for an undisclosed time, and certainly not for an undisclosed purpose. We asked what they would be inspecting, but Mr. Sears ignored that question in what is apparently Forest River’s typical style.

We hope to reach a resolution soon, but are aware that this can go on for a long time yet. Perhaps that is Forest River’s plan — to prolong and belabor this process as long as they can in hopes that we will get frustrated and go away. If that’s the case Forest River has grossly underestimated our resolve in this matter.

Check back for the next installment. We aren’t done yet!

Until then we ask that you please share our story with everyone you know.

UPDATE: Part five is available now!

The post Forest River Fails, Denies Responsibility – Part Four appeared first on Metaphysical Family.

The Defects Continue

We had noticed a bulge in the rear most portion of the passenger sidewall behind the slide. The bulge is (was) in the black aluminum skirting at the bottom of the wall which hides the wall seam and the frame rail. We don’t remember exactly when the bulge first appeared, but it was not there in February of 2022 when I was busy making skirts for the RV.

The bulge _was_ present in the fall of 2022, as can be seen in this picture from October.

The bulge had grown by February, but was still only a bulge at that time.

This is what the bulge looks like today. The video explains the rest.

As you can see, the first screw which backed out was one of the screws securing the bottom of the wall structure to the RV’s floor assembly. The RV’s floor assembly is then (supposed to be) bolted to the frame with the fasteners discussed in Part One and Part Two. Now the rest of this same line of screws which hold the sidewall to the floor assembly have begun to back out.

Will the RV make it back to our property? We honestly don’t know at this point, but we obviously hope so. Forest River still denies any responsibility for this damage or repair.

Forest River Fails, Denies Responsibility (Again)

If you recall the email that we sent back to Forest River after their denial, that email politely suggested that they review our case and reconsider. We thought that after we explained the situation with the frame checks having been done incorrectly that Forest River would tell us to find another shop to have the work redone.

But that’s not what happened.

We didn’t get any further responses from Forest River until I called LCI directly. After we had done so we sent the following email to Forest River.

Forest River did respond by EOD 4/7. This is what they sent.

Climbing the Ladder

Cheyenne Clark is the public interface to Forest River service. Since she is the only public point of contact for the service department, anyone wishing to communicate with Forest River must go through her. At least, that’s how Forest River would prefer it to be. But the power of the internet can help a person find all kinds of useful information.

Did you know that there are websites that keep track of companies’ boards of directors, C-level executives, etc? They sometimes include contact information for those company executives. Many of the people in this story are on LinkedIn as well.

We sent the following email as our final direct email communication about our case to Forest River. We sent it to Cheyenne Clark, whom you already know. We also sent it to two other people: Peter Liegl – Forest River’s founder and CEO, and David Youmans, Forest River’s C-level “Director of Ethics and Compliance”.

We were hopeful that this email to high level executives would get our case the attention it deserved.

Our hopes were shattered when we received this email from Henry Sears, who we presume is somewhere in middle management; above Cheyenne Clark and Chad Cook, but below the C-levels that we emailed above. Was Mr. Sears willing to help, or even discuss our case further?

No, he only doubled down again.

Lippert is Silent

Forest River keeps telling us to discuss the case with Lippert. it would be great if we could do that. Unfortunately, Lippert has been very elusive when we ask them for their denial and the reasons for it in writing. The last email we sent to Lippert was this one. We are still waiting for an answer…

And remember – ALL OF THIS centers around this supposed frame issue which neither Forest River nor LCI want to talk about, and which RV Masters has proven does not exist.

Refund or Replace

What a complete and total mess. Am I right?

When all this started we would have been very happy to have the crack repaired so that we could continue our traveling adventure. After everything that has happened, it seems that wasn’t meant to be. People say things like “The Lord moves in mysterious ways …”. As I have said before, that has not been my experience. I find it to be downright overt at times.

With the continued problems we are having with this RV we do not feel that it can be repaired. We have resigned ourselves to moving out of the RV and changing directions. Now we are hoping that the RV stays together long enough for us to get to our property. Once there it can sit stationary until we get the house built, but it can not continue to be used for travel camping in its condition.

With damage this severe we are seeking either a replacement unit or a refund. Even if this one can be saved we would never be able to trust it. How could we? Just take Forest River’s word for it because we have experienced so much honesty to this point?

To Be Continued

Thank you again to everyone who has come forward with their similar stories and support. There is a cynicism that we see both inside and outside the RV community too often. “It’s an RV. You should have known it was built as cheaply as they can make one. They have problems. That’s just part of it.”

I am not sorry that I refuse to accept this failure as normal, or just part of owning an RV. This is not normal wear and tear. The body of an RV should not fall off in the first year. That’s not a normal thing that happens. Our unit is bad, and Forest River should feel bad. But they don’t.

We have strength in numbers. The more of us there are, the more reasonable it becomes to hear terms like “class action” being thrown around. If you own a Forest River RV and have a similar experience, do not accept this as normal. If this is normal for Forest River, Forest River needs a new normal in a bad way.

Check back for the next – and hopefully final – episode of Forest River Fails, Denies Responsibility. We are living the next episode as we type this one. We will update you all as soon as we have more to share.

Update: Part four is now available.

The post Forest River Fails, Denies Responsibility – Part Three appeared first on Metaphysical Family.

At the conclusion of Forest River Fails, Denies Responsibility – Part One we knew these things:

• Our RV does not have a frame issue, despite Forest River’s insistence to the contrary.
• Our RV was built using fasteners which either:
  • Weren’t tightened appropriately at the factory, or
  • Were tightened at the factory, but backed off from the tight position because they were not the proper fastener for this connection.
• Forest River claims that they have no responsibility. They claim this based on statements apparently made by LCI (Lippert) centering around the Sumo Springs we added to the RV.

But as you read in episode one, there is no issue with our frame, and there never was. But we are not alone in this failure.

There are Others

After we received the denial email from Cheyenne Clark, we sent our response to Forest River.

^{[Update: The SuperSprings link above is no longer valid. Anyone wishing to view that page should view the internet archive version located here. Thanks Wes! The FTC link is valid and located here. ]}

We mention another RV that we know Forest River had repaired. That RV belonged to a very kind gentleman named Kevin that we met through Facebook. Kevin’s 2019 model 36BHQ had failed in almost exactly the same way that ours had.

I spent a while talking with Kevin about his issue. Kevin let me know that it took a very long time to get it resolved. Kevin had to involve his State’s Attorney General’s office, the Better Business Bureau and the process still took _two years_ to be resolved. Forest River had fixed his issue under “good faith” in 2022, over _two years_ after Kevin’s “warranty” expired.

Since this whole mess began we have met several more people online who have this exact issue with their Forest River RV’s as well. Most of those have either not begun a warranty/”good faith” repair claim, or have just begun the process.

Forest River is obviously aware that this is a recurring problem with these units. I hope that we are not the first to link the loose body bolts with the sidewall failures for them. If we are, we also have a simple solution for the problem.

Use of Incorrect Fastener

Forest River uses serrated flange nuts to fasten the body bolts to the frame. Anyone with even a little mechanical experience (or a Forest River RV) knows that this is not the correct fastener for this job. Perhaps the nuts were spun up finger tight on the studs by the worker who drilled the holes in the floor, and then left for the next guy. Perhaps the timer on our unit ran out before those fasteners could be tightened. We can only speculate as to whether the fasteners were tightened properly at the factory.

But let’s assume that the flange nuts were tightened at the factory. If any of that structure compresses (which it really shouldn’t) during shakedown there is nothing to prevent the flange nut from vibrating and shaking itself more loose. If only there were a fastener that could be used which would stay in place once it’s tightened, even if the things it’s holding get compressed. There is! The correct fastener would be the nylon lock nut.

There are 24 of these bolts exposed on the 36BHQ. When purchased at Fastenal by an individual the price difference is a mere $5.80. Forest River undoubtedly has the purchasing power to get that down even lower. Or they could build that into the sale price of each unit. I am sure the retail customer that ends up with the unit would happily pay the $6 to know that the body won’t fall off their RV. We certainly would have.

[Update: The SuperSprings link above is no longer valid. Anyone wishing to view that page should view the web archive page here.]

If you own a Forest River RV, it’s worth checking these body studs. We have met several people online since posting part one of this story who have checked their body studs to find the bolts loose as well.

Join “Sabre RV Camper by Forest River” on Facebook to follow this thread.

* ^{Join “Sabre RV Camper by Forest River” and “Sabre 36BHQ Owners Group” on Facebook to follow these conversations.}

Stay Tuned!

Despite the overwhelming evidence, Forest River has maintained that they have no responsibility for this failure. We maintain that they do. How will it all shake out?

Don’t miss the next installment in episode three of Forest River Fails, Denies Responsibility!

_{This post may contain affiliate links from which we may earn a small commission at no additional expense to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.}

The post Forest River Fails, Denies Responsibility – Part Two appeared first on Metaphysical Family.

We were in the middle of the water intrusion repair when we discovered this new fresh hell. We had developed a crack in the wall of our fifth wheel where the passenger side slide box is located. We had heard many horror stories about what the crack could mean. Was it safe to move the RV? What could we do to stop it from cracking further? Who would be paying for the fix? Would we have to take the RV to Indiana to get it fixed? Would we have to stop traveling?

We made first contact with the manufacturer of our RV – Forest River Inc, of Elkhart, Indiana on February 3rd, 2023 through their online contact form describing what we had found and asking for guidance on how we should proceed.

We received the initial reply from the Sabre, Owner Relations Representative, Cheyenne Clark two business days later. The email tone was pleasant, and Forest River seemed to be interested in helping to resolve our issues. We were told that we would need to take our RV to an authorized dealer or service center to determine the cause, concern, and correction and we were given a list of approved dealers and service centers in our area.

The next morning Brittany began calling every service center and dealership on the list trying to find someplace that could preform the diagnostics Forest River required in a reasonable time frame. Unfortunately, due to the timing of this issue (beginning of the 2023 camping season) we were having difficulties finding anywhere that could get us in before 2 months and we even called a shop which had a 6 month wait. Thankfully after explaining our situation we were able to find a service center from the list who could help us get the process started.

RV Masters, Houston TX

We took the RV to RV Masters, in Houston, TX on 2/13/23. RV Masters was on the list of authorized service centers that Forest River had provided to us. RV Masters did not have time to get our RV into the shop for the repair at the time, but indicated that they had repaired similar failures in the past, and would be happy to start the paperwork for our warranty claim. RV Masters did exactly that – they took pictures of the damage and initiated the warranty claim with Forest River. RV Masters also told us that they had repaired many RVs with issues like ours, and that the most likely cause was a broken weld inside the wall. Why would the weld break? Because it wasn’t welded correctly to begin with.

Forest River must have known the cause as well. They immediately began looking for reasons to deny any responsibility for the failure, or the repair.

Forest River requested additional pictures of our hitch, suggesting that it “looks like a gooseneck adapter”. It isn’t, and never has been. We pull our fifth-wheel RV with a B&W Companion 25K, which is not only the correct type of hitch for this job, it’s arguably the best (pickup) fifth-wheel hitch available today.

Forest River also noticed that we utilized a cargo carrier, and asked for detailed information about the carrier, as well as what we carried on it. It was this one from Harbor Freight, and we hauled a Total Gym on it.

Finally, Forest River requested that Lip Sheet 0104 (Frame Camber Check Worksheet) be filled out and returned to Forest River, who would then pass it along to LCI – aka Lippert Components.

RV Masters replied to this request from Forest River. RV Masters stated that our RV was not at RV Masters as we had left with the RV. RV Masters further stated that they would only be able to provide the information if we were able to bring the RV there and leave it for both diagnosis and repair. At the time, RV Masters’ wait list was six weeks long. For reasons that should be obvious to any of our readers, this was not an option. Fate has a funny sense of humor sometimes though, because we would end up back at RV masters almost exactly six weeks later.

Lip Sheet 0104

Since RV Masters couldn’t provide the information Forest River was requesting, we provided it. We took the pictures that Forest River had requested, and I filled out the Lip Sheet 0104. The procedure is not complicated or difficult, as you can see below.

Forest River did not accept my worksheet because it did not come from an authorized service center. I expected this, but I am glad that I was exposed to the worksheet and instructions before going to the second authorized service center.

Princess Craft RV

The second authorized repair facility we went to was Princess Craft RV in Houston Texas. They had availability to get us in straight away, so we hitched up and drove an hour through downtown Houston to reach them.

Princess Craft RV deals in small RVs and truck campers. Our truck and RV took up as much room on their parking lot as their RV inventory. Perhaps this should have been a sign to us to look for another shop, but we had driven an hour to get there.

The service manager at Princess Craft RV at the time – Gus Guerrero – was friendly enough, and seemed interested in helping us get the rig fixed. We explained what had led us to being there, and what work we needed done.

Forest River had already spoken with Gus as well.

When the technicians came to the parking lot to perform the frame check – because the shop wasn’t big enough, even if it had been empty – we knew right away that something was rotten. The techs measured to the bottom of the axle and made the blocks appropriately, but then clamped them to the frame incorrectly. If you read the worksheet and pay attention to item five, “the bottom of the 2 x 4s must hang below the lowest point of the axles”. Apparently Princess Craft RV didn’t read the instructions. Or maybe they did, but had other direction from Forest River.

The first trip to Princess Craft RV resulted in this Lip Sheet 0104 worksheet.

We knew that the sheet would be rejected as soon as it was handed to us. All four corners of the frame must measure the same. We left Princess Craft RV having accomplished nothing, except to have to pay $150 for a complete waste of time. We expected the sheet to be rejected, and to have to locate yet another service center.

The sheet was rejected, but that was no surprise. We were surprised when we received a phone call from Gus at Princess Craft RV. Gus stated that Forest River was asking for additional checks. Gus requested that we bring the RV back to them for these additional checks. We speculate that the additional checks were not required, and that this was an excuse to get the RV back to them so that they could perform Lip Sheet 0104 correctly. We were only half correct.

When we returned to Princess Craft RV they performed TI-089, which measures the axles for toe-in and alignment. How this relates to the crack in the sidewall is anyone’s guess. In addition to TI-089, Princess Craft RV did perform the Lip Sheet 0104 again. They also performed the check incorrectly the second time.

Since we didn’t want to have to come back for a third time, we spoke with Gus to let him know that we knew his techs were performing the check incorrectly, and asked him to intervene. Instead of stopping the work, Gus informed us that it didn’t really matter, and that they would make sure the worksheet had the numbers necessary to get our claim approved. Gus then admitted what we already knew – that their shop was not equipped to deal with repairs on our unit. Gus assured us that once the claim had been approved he would help us find a shop to do the repairs.

But that’s not what happened. It is also worth noting that Gus is no longer employed by Princess Craft RV, though we do not know why.

Warranty Claim Denied

A few days after we left Princess Craft RV we received an email from Cheyenne Clark at Forest River.

Isn’t that convenient? Princess Craft RV provided Forest River with a completely erroneous frame check worksheet, and apparently Lippert made a decision based on that completely erroneous and invalid worksheet. But we don’t have a frame problem, and never did.

We did reach out to the makers of SumoSprings – the “aftermarket modification to the axles” mentioned in Cheyenne’s email. SuperSpring does have this convenient page all about what SumoSprings actually are, how they do not modify the vehicle’s suspension in the way that Forest River suggests, and how it is illegal for vehicle manufacturers to deny warranty claims because of aftermarket modification alone. The FTC has a thing or two to say about it as well.

But that’s all fairly irrelevant since there is no issue with the aftermarket modification, because there is no issue with the frame. There never was an issue with the frame other than the one made by Forest River through Princess Craft RV.

Back to RV Masters

This is what the Lip Sheet 0104 looks like when it is performed by someone who can follow basic instructions. This Lip Sheet 0104 was completed for us by RV Masters in Houston. We returned there in April after Forest River and Princess Craft RV put us in this position. RV Masters checked the frame in every conceivable way and found no issues whatsoever.

The body bolts mentioned in the RV Masters email above are the bolts which secure the body of the RV to the frame. We have a video to explain.

But this is not the end of the story. Don’t miss the next installment in this ongoing drama.

The post Forest River Fails, Denies Responsibility – Part One appeared first on Metaphysical Family.

It’s a beautiful day outside! Why don’t we open all the windows and door and let in some fresh air?

One of the largest openings in an RV is the entry door. Most RVs are equipped with a screen door inside the hard exterior door. On days with nice weather the exterior door can be opened and pushed back against the RV leaving the screen door in place to keep any bugs out. Some RVs come from the manufacturer with a latch to hold the door open. Others – ours included – do not include such a latch. This can be a problem on windy days as the wind will try to blow the door closed.

While there are several products available in the RV industry to solve this problem, I couldn’t find one that was durable (metal), attractive, and that did not require more screw holes into the RV. It would also be great if the latch could be disengaged from inside the RV.

We had used a magnetic latch to help hold the master bedroom door open. We both really like how that had worked out, so I began searching for something similar.

Because the two parts are magnetic installation is pretty simple. We cleaned the door where we planned to install the “button” part of the latch with alcohol to ensure the tape would bond well. Then we cleaned the latch with alcohol as well.

We applied the VHB tape to the screw side of the latch. We had to use two pieces to cover the entire surface, then trimmed the tape around the shape of the latch so that it would not show when stuck to the RV. Then we removed the red backing from the tape on the “button” side of the latch and stuck it to the door in the spot we cleaned earlier.

To find the location of the other half of the latch we let the magnet hold the other half of the latch, then opened the door to see where it would strike on the wall. After cleaning the wall with alcohol in that location we VHB taped the other half to the wall.

We think the installation turned out pretty well. And the door side looks like a doorbell button, which has already provided entertainment value.

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We are pleased to announce that we have partnered with COLETTI to give you a chance to win a COLETTI Bozeman 12 Cup Coffee Percolator for FREE!

That’s right, no strings attached. You too could have your very own COLETTI Bozeman 12 Cup Coffee Percolator as recently featured on our Facebook page, and here on our blog.

You can watch our Facebook reel here: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1596880684085130

Contest Rules

To be eligible to win this COLETTI Bozeman 12 Cup Coffee Percolator all entrants must complete the following.

• Like our Facebook Page
• Share the giveaway post on Facebook
• Enter the contest form below

Winner will be drawn at random on on Saturday, February 20th, at 11:59pm. Winner will be notified by email. Winning entrant must follow all contest rules and have confirmed their email to be eligible to win.

The post COLETTI Bozeman Coffee Percolator Giveaway! appeared first on Metaphysical Family.

Bubbles in the Wallpaper

We don’t recall exactly when Brittany noticed that the wallpaper on the rear wall had began to bubble, but we knew that it most likely meant a water leak. The bubbles were appearing at the outer edge of the rear wall on both sides of the large window in the area between the Edison style lights on the wall and where the outlets are located.

We became concerned because pictures of this type of bubbling we had seen on the internet. The owners of the RVs in the photos almost always found mold under the wall paneling. We knew that we had to get into the wall to assess the damage.

Teardown

Removing Cabinetry

We began by removing our shelf/desk unit and the factory installed side tables. These side tables were installed next to the jack-knife couch that we removed to install our workstations. We kept the side tables and cabinets because they were there and they offered storage space. They weren’t holding up well at all though. The cabinet on the service side had recently broken under the load of the items stored in the cabinet. Thankfully the shore power cord hidden inside the cabinet was not damaged.

Next we removed the upper cabinet unit. Most of the screws holding the upper cabinet in place are visible within the cabinet. They are the square drive screws which are screwed into the walls and ceiling. But there are more screws hidden in the floor of the cabinet which hold the bottom of the cabinet to the wall. To access these we carefully removed the bottom paneling of the upper cabinet unit to gain access to the screws.

The upper cabinet is exactly as wide as the inside of the RV. This makes removing the cabinet tricky. We carefully lowered the cabinet and moved it into the long vertical side windows. This allows just enough space to tilt and turn the cabinet and remove it from the work area. (We don’t have pictures of this because it took both of us to handle the cabinet.)

All that was left at this point was to remove the various bits of corner trim. remove the trim strips and the wall paneling. Be careful when handling the trim strips. The ends of the staples are SHARP!

Removing Wallboard

The wallboard is attached with the same narrow crown staples used to attach everything else. We began removing it by slicing the tape covering the joint in the middle of the wall. Then we pried at the seam until the staples either pulled loose or pulled through the wallboard. Note that we never intended to reuse the wallboard, based on the mold assumption.

The wallboard pulls away easily at the top and where they meet in the middle (watch out for staples!). At the bottom the wallboard extends below the floor, and the wallboard is sandwiched between the rear and side walls of the RV at the outside edges. There did not seem to be a way to remove this material without removing the entire rear wall from the RV. We opted to use an undercut saw instead, and carefully slit the wallboard along the floor and outside walls.

By removing most of the screws in three sides of the window frame we were able to leave the window in place in the wall. The removed and loosened screws allowed us to pull the frame back enough to pull the wall board out from behind the window frame.

Inspecting and Repairing RV Water Intrusion

After the wallboard was removed it was easy to see where the water had been coming in, and where it had been running to. We were relieved to find no visible mold on any of the wood! While there were wet areas along both outside seams, we were grateful that we had gotten to the problem before mold had set in. We sprayed the whole area down with vinegar to kill any mold we couldn’t see.

We dried the area with fans and ran a dehumidifier during that time as well. We did not have a moisture meter, but we waited 24 hours after the wall was dry to touch and sight to apply the paint. We used a spray paint because we didn’t want to re-dampen the wall any more than necessary.

After the paint was dry it was time to start putting everything back together. But before that could happen we had to pull what felt like a thousand staples out of the wall. Don’t forget the staples under the window frame.

Replacement Wallboard

We used 4×8 sheets of 1/5 inch hardwood plywood underlayment from Home Depot to replace the factory installed wallboard. It is the same thickness as the factory installed material, but seems to be much stronger material. The new sheeting resisted breaking much more than the factory panel.

We used the old wall panels as templates to cut out the new panels. Since we weren’t going to wallpaper this wall, we determined which side of the panel we wanted to be visible, then placed the old panel on top of it. Using a marker we traced around the old panel’s outline and openings, then cut out the shape using a our trusty Ryobi jigsaw.

After the pieces were cut out we used our narrow crown stapler and 1″ staples to attach the new panel to the wall. Since the new panel doesn’t extend out to the last member of the wall we put extra staples in the 2×6 blocks on either side.

Staining the Panels

After the pieces were installed the family helped get the panels stained. We used BAER water based stain and poly. We would normally stain outside, but there was a chance of rain in the forecast. It didn’t rain, but we didn’t want to take the chance of having to scrap a panel.

Results

We think it turned out pretty well.

But what about the leak?

We were worried that the leak was coming from the roof, but after seeing where the water was we were able to identify the actual point of entry. The rearmost vertical corner trim on the outside of the RV was not sealed well. I had assumed that these were sealed with what I had though was an epoxy. I thought that what I was seeing on the seam was the epoxy having squished out from behind the trim. I was obviously mistaken.

What I was seeing was not squished out epoxy. What I was seeing was what Forest River considered “good enough” to seal this seam. Whatever sealant was used is not silicone, nor is it non-sag dicor. It behaves more like the hot glue we found sealing the front cap lights in the RV. Whatever it is, it is not good at its job, and there wasn’t enough of it applied in the first place.

We resealed this seam on both sides with GE Advanced silicone. We used a lot, because we do not want to do this again.

Products featured in this post

_{This post may contain affiliate links from which we may earn a small commission at no additional expense to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.}

Product Image	Product Description
	Zinsser 287512 Molding Blocking Spray Primer, 13 oz, White
	Ryobi ZRP360 ONE Plus 18V Cordless Lithium-Ion 1-1/2 in. Narrow Crown Stapler (Bare Tool) (Renewed)
	Ryobi P343 18V One+ Cordless Oscillating Multi-Tool (Bare tool)
	DEWALT DNS18100-2 0.75″ Narrow Crown Staple
	GE Advanced Silicone Window & Door Sealant Black, 10.1 oz, 1, Cartridge

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