Mid-July Update

Well we have survived the Canada Day long weekend, there were just a few minor issues, the rain held off for the most part and other than being humid as hell the weather was reasonable considering the smoky skies that are affecting most of the east side of the continent. Saturday which was July 1st was a busy day for the staff, with set up for a vender sale, followed by live music, and capped off with a fireworks display just after dark. And of course I got to close off the evening off with security rounds, there were lots of people out tonight but everyone seemed very respectful of the quiet time.

The Sunday was a much more controlled day with only one vender (Lollies Cart) stopping by the park to sell, vegetables, and pastries, for a couple of hours, this vender is expected to be a regular every Saturday morning for the rest of the summer. We purchased a wild blueberry strudel, a half dozen butter pecan tarts, and some asparagus, everything seemed very good, fresh, and for the most part reasonably priced, when you consider the fact that it was delivered to within walking distance from our coach door.

Which brings us around to the topic of our coach, sixty nine months ago I replaced the cooling portion on the back of our Norcold 12 cubic foot RV refrigerator. And today the new cooling unit has started to act up, and by acting up I mean we are getting the dreaded “no co” fault code on the refrigerator display. This code indicates that the cooling unit is failing to chill the refrigerator properly. So when this fault code appears it is never a good thing, and each time it displays that code the refrigerator control board needs to be reset, and that just involves shorting one of the terminals on the control board to ground for approximately ten seconds or until you hear a noticeable “click” from the board, and after doing the reset the cooling unit will usually restart and run as designed. But I noticed that the cooling fans were not running, blowing air over the cooling fins on the cooling unit, the fans are controlled by a simple thermo-switch that is mounted on the cooler and switches the fans on when the cooling unit heats up. So I made the educated and hopeful guess that it was most likely a failed thermo-switch, so to try to get the unit operating for now I Jerry rigged a external fan to try to keep the cooling unit chilled.

When that did not work, I climbed up on to the roof and removed the refrigerator top vent cover, I was hopping to reach the thermo-switch, and to bypass it to get the actual cooling fans operating. But I couldn’t reach the thermo switch with out moving the refrigerator partially out, which I did and returned to the roof to start the cooling fans. It was at this point as I’m laying on the roof of the coach with my arm extended deep into the upper vent that I got a whiff of “ammonia”, and that little whiff of “ammonia” told me that the cooling unit had a leak, which means it needs to be replaced! These absorption cooling units use ammonia to cool similar to arenas, and any leakage of the ammonia would indicate that the helium gas which propels the ammonia through the system would have already leaked out. ☹️

So let’s recap, it’s a holiday weekend, both in Canada and the United States, our refrigerator has quit refrigerating, and we have no plan “B” at this point. All I know for certain is that I do not want another absorption style cooling unit! I had spent a good chunk of change on purchasing this Amish manufactured cooling unit, and at the time was very impressed with the quality, the design, and the workmanship. But less than six years later I’m right back with the same issue, the only difference is that we are living full time in the coach now, and our only back up is my little bar fridge in the basement. So the Amish cooling unit has worked flawlessly for five and a half years, so what will we do next?

A quick check (three hours worth) of available replacement refrigerators, brought up a short list of 12 volt hvac (compressor) style choices. This style of refrigerator operates the same as a regular residential refrigerator, only they use 12 volt DC power instead of 120 volt AC power to operate the compressor. This style of system is used by people that live off the grid, so these refrigerators are usually designed with thicker walls to house more insulation, which reduces the heat loss from the fridge and also reduces the power demand for cooling. But our fridge has cabinets designed all around it, and as an RV fridge it is screwed into position, so I checked and our little 12 cubic foot absorption fridge is still being used today and a new replacement unit will cost us approximately $7400 Canadian.

Now “Norcold” also make a 12 volt, compressor style replacement that would fit perfect into the same opening, it has a double door fridge on top and a freezer drawer on the bottom, it also has more storage capacity topping out with 15 cubic feet of storage and it is available for a mear $8450 Canadian. This 12 volt unit has a power draw of 12.5 amps, it uses a single compressor, and has some special button that allows you to put the refrigerator into night mode, this is reported to reduce the power load and is supposed to make the operation quieter by reducing compressor and fan speed over night. Probably a neat option, bit it requires manually input to work, which means another thing to remember before going to bed every night, but it claims reduces the power demand to 6.5 amps, so what does this really mean to a boondocker? Well if the power load is 12.5 amps @ 12 volts of power so the draw is 150 watts of power, so over 24 hours the maximum total daily load could be as high as 3600 watt/hours per day, but as I read the information, the company declares it can run up to 27 hours on a single battery. Thats the kind of claim that is so deceiving, it is similar to the mileage claims made by the car manufacturers, the numbers look impressive but the reality is just so, so different. And someone just reading the 27 hours on just one battery is going to be woken up by a refrigerator alarm long before morning!

The next group of fridges we concidered are 12 volt compressor residential units, but they would mean some serious reworking of the cabinets around the fridge area, most likely the loss of a couple of drawers, and would take some serious cabinetry work to make it look good after the install. The prices are all over the map with these units but vary from $2400 to $6500 Canadian, with power loads being some of the lowest I’ve seen, but that is because of the extra insulation involved in these “off grid” solar refrigerators, and the couple of manufacturers that are claiming to be RV 12 volt compressor fridges are on the higher price side with higher power loads, but none that would fit in the original spot. And none of the replacement compressor units offer an ice maker either, and for a fellow who enjoys a happy hour as much as I do, the ice maker could be a deal breaker.

So by Monday we have made our decision, it involves me repairing the refrigerator that we have, well maybe not as much repair as upgrade the cooling unit to a new dual 12 volt DC compressor cooling unit. This upgrade is available from the same Amish company that I purchased the last cooling unit from. The cost for the unit is $1250 American, plus shipping to Canada, then of course our provincial and federal sales tax of 13% on the Canadian value, so I’m thinking it will cost us around $2100 Canadian, and will require four or five hours of my labour to make the conversation. Plus I will need to upgrade the 12 volt power supply to the unit from the original 12 gauge wire, so tack on another $120 Canadian for a new power supply with a 30 amp DC breaker. The new cooling unit will have a maximum power load of 11.6 amps, which converts to 139 watts or a maximum daily load of 3340 watt / hours. Luckily we have 7200 watt/hours of lithium power, and during the heaviest load time during the day the solar should more than carry the added load of the 12 volt cooling unit.

So are there any benefits to taking this cheapest way out?

And the answer is a surprising yes, there are number of benefits, besides being less expensive, the refrigerator and the freezer compartments will have separated compressors, and the benefit of that is with most residential refrigerators have only one compressor cool both compartments meaning either your ice cream is too soft or your romain lettuce is frozen. But with this unit we will now be able to keep ice cream hard, which with our absorption fridge normally would not happen, and the fridge will not freeze our tender vegetables, we will be able to digitally set the temperatures. The next benefit is the speed with which the unit works, with the absorption fridge it would take up to 12 hours to cool the empty fridge, while compressor unit should take two hours or less, and as a bonus I get to keep my ice maker. The third and another important big benefit is it will fit exactly the same in its spot, so no cabinet rework required and we don’t lose our matching cabinet inset fridge doors either, now to just get it purchased.

Well the wildfire smoke has been playing havoc with the normal outstanding sunsets here at LHR, as the sun has been just turning red and disappearing into the smoke layer, but we got a decent sunset tonight so I snapped a shot from a lake front site deck, and yes we we’re invited to the deck.

Well it’s Tuesday and the other half of the summer work team left town today, there is not much else to say about that, as they only fulfilled such a small portion of their contractual commitment. It will effect the guests the most with now not having enough staff now to keep the store and office open every day, and to be honest they had pretty much checked out when they gave their two weeks notice. So, we now have Tuesdays and Wednesdays off for now, subject to change as required to keep things running smooth, Mark will be picking up a few extra hours helping me out and Abby will be helping out more in the store, covering hours so Laurie can show sale units, and quite honestly we are still better staffed than we were our last year working here.

Well it’s Wednesday and JR Refrigeration opened today following their American Independence Day celebrations, but they were not able to process my order for our cooling unit today as they only have one person that can handle the task of shipping to Canada, and they are not in today. Somewhat disappointing, but not much I can do other than sit and wait, the last email said they would see what could be done tomorrow, somehow there is not a lot of urgency on their end. It seemed strange being off work today, Mark was off today as well so no power tools to interrupt my nap in the Clam. The heat is up and we have turned on an air conditioner to dehumidify and cool the coach to a more acceptable temperature for Mr. Sam and sleeping.

Miss Laurie went to the beach with Miss Bonnie this afternoon, while I stayed back at the coach waiting for a call from JR refrigeration for a credit card number to pay for the new cooling unit, which never came, just an email saying maybe tomorrow, that I received at nearly five o’clock. Miss Laurie returned from the beach at around six and after a quick shower we had dinner with Richard & Bonnie. Bonnie made a dish that she had seen in the latest LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) magazine for barbecued beef kabobs that were marinated in a Japanese style, along with bok choy and ramen noodles, as always great food, a couple of adult beverages and some lively conversation as we try to plan out the next couple of months at the park as jobs and tasks shift.

So Thursday and still no early morning call from JR Refrigeration, then around noon an email stating that they would not be able to ship out cooling unit till next Monday. Not exactly what I wanted to hear, meaning that we will be struggling along for another week without a refrigerator. Well we got some very needed rain today, while not as much rain as we wanted it will at least be a little relief to the parched lawns. I have ordered the parts for the needed upgrade to the coaches electrical to allow the new 12 volt cooling unit to operate effectively, it is coming from Amazon and It should be here tomorrow.

The weekend is here again already and the Friday afternoon crowds are rolling in already, we are catching up on a few items before the weekend such as pool filters and some mowing that got rained out on Thursday. Amazon came through with the items I needed for the fridge unit that hasn’t been shipped yet, but I took some time to install the upgrade wiring, and I was pleased with the outcome. Richard took the Friday night security and I just enjoyed a quiet night after we closed the pool and cleaned the washrooms.

Saturday and they just keep rolling in, we are getting more rain and it has the makings for a busy night from a security point of view. There is an event in the hall from 7 to 10 but luckily we are not involved it the set up. We are on our own tonight which is not an issue, other than an event in the hall tonight, and the regular issues with children out after their curfew, and drivers that can’t read signs. Of course there is always a group that has to push the quiet time limit but by midnight everything seemed to be calming down.

Sunday is always one of my favorite days, that’s the day the weekend warriors go home, the people that still have real jobs that keep them away from the park during the week. Of course now school is out so now grandparents are bringing their grandchildren to the park, so we will have a couple of months of hyped up grandkids and exhausted grandparents. But that is just a normal summer at the park, post covid at least, and the children would cringe to here us say that its only eight weeks till they go back to school, but we can’t wait to hear the quiet that comes from the schools being in, come on Labour Day! Today was an average Sunday, open the pool, pack down the garbage bins for the onslaught of Sunday garbage, replace one breaker, boost one campers vehicle, pick up someone elses dog sh!t, while Miss Laurie cleaned up the hall after last nights event, worked in the gardens, closed off the store cash, along with pulling the winning 50/50 draw ticket, and of course cleaning the park washrooms tonight. I know it sounds pretty glamorous, and we are looking for another work couple to enjoy some of the fun.

Monday and I’m hoping to hear that our cooling unit is on the way today, and eventually that did happen, and for a mear $590 American dollars, FedEx has indicated that the unit should be here Thursday. Well call me a pessimist, but I don’t have that much faith, in either FedEx or the Canadian Border services, but at least it is officially in the works. Now I have got to help with the dreaded pump-outs this morning, not a real popular task but not by any means the worst job at the park, but one that always seems to make everyone step back.

Tuesday and it’s the first of our two days off, it will be a very special day as we are planning on going out for a Chinese food fix, our first since the fall of 2021. Now you may wonder why? Well as crazy as it may sound finding good Chinese food in the States is nearly impossible, similar to trying to find properly prepared French fries. Our American friends do a lot of things well like barbecue, fried chicken, biscuits & gravy but Chinese food is not one of their strong suits, oh I’m sure there is good Chinese in areas of the big cities, but small town USA not so much.

To make this an even more memorable experience we are also celebrating Jullie’s birthday, so we have decided to head to London to the closest Mandarin restaurant. The Mandarin is a local chain of Chinese buffet restaurants, and while not the greatest Chinese food, the variety of different dishes available kind of makes up for any shortcomings. Now don’t get me wrong, but I would still prefer to order take out Chinese food, and we always order enough for another meal of leftovers a couple of days later, but with no operating refrigerator right now that just would not work. And any kind of an outing is always an adventure, and I always enjoy the deserts at the buffet, like the crème brûlée which is a staple at the Mandarin.

I think I would be amiss if I didn’t take at least a paragraph to tell a little of Miss Julie’s story, we all have a story, but some of our stories are just more interesting than others. And Miss Julie’s is more than a little unique as stories go, as she is now a newly minted Canadian, born in the United States, she has had a number of interesting careers, like working with the gas company in California, and being the first woman to work in what was then considered to be a man’s world to becoming a grief councilor. Now I would never mention a lady’s age but I admire her interest in learning, I first met Julie in the fall of 2020, after the purchase of a travel trailer in the park. Now lots of people who purchase trailers have never camped in their lives, which is great, because a trailer in a seasonal park is a great option to owning a piece of property with a cottage on it and all the maintenance that comes with it. As I worked with Julie she was like a sponge, picking up as much information as she could and filling in the spaces with extra Google research. A nice change from many of the people we meet, that are only interested in a cold beer and a swim in the pool.

Over the next couple of years, there have been a couple of trailer upgrades, and Julie has studied and perfected most of the operating systems found on most RV’s and has now graduated to doing the seasonal winterization and opening on her own trailer, the learning continues as she has now repainted and redecorate the interior (a lot and tedious task) of the most recent trailer. So hats off to Miss Julie, and her never ending quest for information and knowledge, and a very happy belated birthday.

We landed home around 5:30 after our lunch and drive back from London, and I was pleased to see the that FedEx had picked up the cooling unit from the manufacture in Indiana and the expected delivery date was showing as Thursday afternoon. Now do I expect the cooling unit on Thursday, absolutely not if there is anything I have learned it is that FedEx over promises and under delivers more times than not, and that’s without an international border being involved, so time will see.

Wednesday morning July the 12th, we are now 13 days with no refrigerator in the coach, I think it would be safe to say that this is getting old pretty damn fast. We are lucky to have the use of the refrigerator in the recreation hall kitchen, but that walk can become a little tedious as each day rolls by. FedEx indicates that the cooling unit has made it to a depot in Indiana and is now officially shows as “in transit” according to the tracking site. Our second day off and there is not a lot more I can do in preparation for the cooling unit replacement job ahead, there is rain in the forecast for tomorrow, so Mark is mowing the lawns today, it was much quieter when Mark was off on Wednesdays. I shouldn’t complain as Mark is picking up some of the void left by the other couple that quit, so thank you Mark.

The balance of the day rolled along without much fanfare, grocery shopping has been a challenge for Miss Laurie, with limited space available for a weeks worth of supplies. We have started watching the last season of Jack Ryan on Prime Video and so far it looks good, I hate it when a great series like this comes to an end, but I will enjoy it while it lasts. We watched a couple of the first episodes and as we turned in for the night I checked FedEx tracking and was disappointed to see that the cooling unit was now in Ohio, but would be delayed by a border clearance issue, as I said disappointed but not surprised.

Thursday and back to work, nothing big on my agenda today, a few maintenance issues, but nothing too serious, a repair on the old Toro mower at the park, this old mower has seen better days but the Toros were such good old work horses that they just keep running. A tube in the tire on a golf cart then back to the electric site map that I have been working on for a couple of months now. This mapping task works out well on rainy days as it is a lot of tedious computer work, but should be a great asset to whoever is on this crew next year. And we did get rain and lots of it, and I fear that this will cause havoc with some of the septic systems in the park, but that will be tomorrow’s worries, a late afternoon check shows the cooling unit still in Ohio with a clearance delay. Another episode of the Jack Ryan series and we will call it a day.

Friday and an early morning check showed no change in the status of the cooling unit, I really didn’t expect any updates but a guy can always hope. I did send an email to JR Refrigeration to see if the clearance issue was something that they had messed up, or if there was something that I could do to expedite this shipment along.

It is pump out day on the southside of the park today, and with the rain a couple of the septic tanks will need some attention today as well. I also called in the big tanker truck to help with a couple of the holding tanks, not a cheap endeavour, but definitely a necessity and just one of the many expenses of operating a campground of this size.

After lunch I received an email from JR Refrigeration, just kind of “oh well” response explaining that once FedEx picked it up there was nothing they could do. Pretty much what I expected, but at least it made them aware of the service that I was receiving. The rest of the afternoon was spent preparing for the weekend and the arrival of the “weekend warriors” and working on the ongoing electrical site map, we had some dinner and filled the night with some television till it was time for a security check at eleven o’clock. I guess the cooler weather kept a number of people home because the security round was without incident. Before turning in at midnight I checked the FedEx site and was excited to see that the cooling unit had made it to London but saddened to see that it had no delivery date or time.

Saturday the 15th of July, 16 days with no working refrigerator in the coach and let’s just say things could be getting a little tense in the coach. The normal weekend day, out the door to have the pool open by by nine o’clock, certainly not a tough task but a quick vacuum of the sand on the bottom of the pool, chemical check and of course fire up the propane heater and it’s ready to open. Back to the coach for some breakfast and kick back and wait for sh!t to happen, and rest assured it will happen. The weather this weekend is cooler so the pool is being used and abused as no one is heading to the beach. The downside is that it makes chasing the correct chemical levels more difficult but it also means less sand in the pool for tomorrow morning because people won’t be using the pool as a rinse off after the beach. We are on our own again this weekend so security will be my issue again tonight, if it is as quiet tonight as last night it should not be an issue.

It’s just the little things like that, two late nights every weekend for a guy that is usually in bed by ten, now it’s usually midnight by the time I walk the park and make any required revisits to sites that needed a reminder that it is quiet time. Apparently the look for help to assist us has come to an end with no luck, so we will finish out our contract for this year because that is what we do, but the next year thing is not looking promising at this point. And we are now thinking in terms of when does the park close, again not our normal positive outlook, and most likely means something new for next summer.

Well we survived another Saturday, security was not too bad, just a few of the usual hot spots, but most groups were breaking up and heading back to their sites. Before I went out we finished off the Jack Ryan series and Miss Laurie headed to bed at ten as I waited for my rounds at eleven, no status change on the cooling unit so stay tuned.

Sometimes it’s the lack of words that speaks the loudest!

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Day 2110