Thursday, December 5, 2019

Drowned Rat!!

It's still raining.  In all my years of living in this valley, I don't think it has ever rained every day for a week.  Sometimes it's a downpour, sometimes it's sprinkling just enough to get you wet.  That's why I stayed inside for the better part of the day.

I did run off to Michaels hunting down the elusive Gator Board for my painting class.  Gator's are pretty scarce in these parts, as is practically everything else.  I quickly dismissed the thought of heading off into another State to find the items on my list.  Amazon is my friend, now delivering everything from dog food to my fake coffee to Gators.

SO ... I loved those sweet potatoes so much, I purchased two for a mere pittance and decided to see if I could freeze them like the local company did.  I peeled them with my handy dandy vegetable peeler, cut them into circles and then into small squares.  Happily, I did not lose one single finger.  I laid them on parchment paper so as not to stick permanently to my pan and placed them in the freezer.

Who knew it would be so easy?  Once frozen, I transferred them to a zip-lok bag.  Today I'll fry them up and see if the taste is anything the same.  By the way, these are considered potatoes and are NOT on my diet.  I do plan on partaking a tad, but mostly, these are for Cooper, who has decided they are quite a treat.  Little does he know, they are GOOD for him.

I know, lots of trouble for a mutt, but not NEAR as much trouble as that darned parrot I live with.  Talk about finicky!!  One day I'll tell you about THAT appetite!
Finally the rain subsided enough to grab my ladder from the gutter job and head off to the motorhome.
This isn't exactly my problem, but it's similar and the only thing I could find on the internet.  The seals are folding in and not keeping water out.  I spent the next two hours sticking my fingers in behind the seal and pulling it out.  I don't know why, because I'm pretty sure as soon as I put the slides in, they will go right back where they were.  
At any rate, I conditioned every single one, even when the raindrops began to fall on my head.  I'm intrigued by the comment from Allison who suggested grip tape.  If anyone knows exactly where to put said tape, maybe you could send a picture.  I plan on looking it up on Google later today.  Quite possibly in March, I will have the stubborn seals replaced.
In no time, I looked like a drowned rat.  Soaked to the skin, I finally put the ladder back in the gutter-cleaning position.  Once the seals appeared dry, I closed up the slides and began the hunt for 2 x 12's. The passenger side is sloped downhill so water will run off the concrete.  That slope is what's helping the water come inside.  I've used the jacks for the last two weeks to keep it level.

I had a thought it might be better to use lumber instead.  A quick call to Mr. Chance confirmed my suspicions.  There's no use having all that pressure on the cylinders for a month.  That of course, meant removing the wheel covers, unhooking ... etc etc.  At long last (now I'm shivering from the cold) she was high and dry and I resembled a DEAD drowned rat.

Time for a treat!!  I know what you're thinking ... ice cream.  But no, it was something even better.  I'll show you my triumph tomorrow!!!  As for now, I'm gathering everything except the elusive Gator board and heading off to my water color painting class.  Can you believe it?  Me ... painting???





23 comments:

  1. Good morning, No, I have actually never played bingo except those "cutsy" ones at baby and wedding showers...:) What I have done is volunteered at our church Bingo in the past...lol
    Looking forward to seeing what you paint.

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  2. Had the seal replaced on bedroom slide,it still leaks.Will contact repair shop on our return,not expecting much.

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    1. Well at least it's good to know I haven't been singled out in the bedroom slide water department! I hope you find a solution!

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  3. Wow those seals definitely sound like a problem! Painting class sounds like much more fun! Looking forward to seeing your masterpiece!

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    1. They have become a pain in my patookie! I'm not sure I'm capable of "masterpiece" ... I'm just hoping people can recognize what it is I painted! LOL

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  4. If you are interested, there is an excellent Tiffin repair person in Lodi. His name is Phillip Hollingsworth and he used to be the Tiffin regional field manager and now he has his own shop. We are going there for some minor repairs today on our way to Pismo Beach. I will send you his phone number of you want it.

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    1. Really? Phillip came to my house when I first got my rig. I still have his phone number. I'm calling him immediately!!

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  5. What a pain! The seals and leakage, I mean.
    The sweet potatoes sound good, I hope they cook up well for Cooper. We all have (had) little fuss budgets but we love 'em!
    I, too, am anxious to see your masterpiece! :)

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    1. Probably no masterpiece, but I can cook a mean sweet potato!!

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  6. You are right when you say that bringing the slide in will also bring in the seal. Keeping the seals soft and pliable with a Silicon Lubricant is a great way of having this problem. When they are pliable when you push the slide out they will make a proper seal.
    Be Safe and Enjoy your painting class.

    It's about time.

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    1. Okay, I think I understand. Maybe I haven't kept them lubricated enough.

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  7. Nancy, those seals are meant to flop back and forth as the slide moves in or out. There is one on the outside, which is the one in the picture you show, there is also one on the inside. If you can look up above the slide from the inside, you will see the second seal. They both should be treated. I use a product called 303, which you can buy from dealers or even hardware stores. Without seeing your unit in person, the following is just a guess, if the unit is leaking when the slide is closed, I don't think it is the seals that are the problem. Good luck!

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    1. Uh oh ... I didn't know about the one on top. I don't think it's accessible, at least not from the inside. I'll double check. Thanks Bill.

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  9. If you're going to buy any 2 x 12's put them under The tires that way the bus will tilt to opposite side that you want them on. No Jacks involved

    Feel free to send the rainy days over here in Florida will trade you for sunshine

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    1. Thank you Ed. That finally dawned on me after I had it up on the jacks for awhile. It's level now.

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  10. We put the grip tape on the vertical sides of the slide boxes. The tape goes pretty close to the bus on the slide. As the slide extends, the seals drag across the tape and are pulled open. Jim frequently used a slide seal lubricant whose name we can't remember (sorry).

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    1. I do have slide lubricant. I just forgot about it. I'll use it more often now and see if that helps. Thank you Allison!!

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  11. nice to ge hat fixed up and the weight off the jacks when no using the coach.

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    1. Yes it is George! SO happy to see you are hitting the blogs. I know it needs to be on blocks, I just don't always remember. I think it's time for a "how to park it" notebook.

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  12. Dogs and Birds are well worth the effort and cost. Cats? Well, that is debatable. (I have had two cats and loved them, although Shiddy (yes, that is what I named her) just loved to scratch me up good when we played around. (Can't you just see me out in the neighborhood calling for my cat to come home when she escaped??? Oh, the looks I got...)

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    1. That's hilarious. Where in the world did you get THAT name? If in doubt, I just called Kittie Kittie!

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