It’s been an interesting winter. First part of January was below zero at night for a couple of nights. Then the temperature sprang up to between freezing and 40 degrees. We have a senior dog, Sport, so he needs to use a ramp to get in and out of trailer. It freezes, and we slide down it. Bring it inside, and it defrosts. Have to time defrosting the ramp to when he’s relaxing.
Oh, another challenge of this winter has been our Norcold N811 7.5 cubic foot refrigerator that was installed at the Grand Design factory in our Reflection 303RLS fifth wheel. We had our rig built rather than buying it off the lot so we could have duo pane windows installed. Arctic Package comes standard. The good news is even with below zero temperatures, we are staying warm and cozy and our underbelly is staying warm enough to protect our pipes. We didn’t have time to skirt the unit since we picked it up the middle of December.
The bad news is Grand Design put in a refrigerator that doesn’t work if the temperature outside is under 40 degrees. So for much of the first month in the rig, we’ve had to use a cooler for our food. Since it’s been cold, we’ve left it outside. Yep, lettuce, carrots, and other refrigerator items froze. Ever eaten carrot popsicles?
Found out that there is a part – Norcold Cold Weather Kit – that is installed on N841 units (the newer version of N811) to resolve this problem but not on the one installed in our rig. Go figure. Grand Design prepped this unit for the cold but didn’t think to put in a refrigerator that would work in cold weather? These units are built in Indiana. Doesn’t it get cold there in fall and spring? In Colorado, in June it can snow in the mountains. The temperatures drop below 40 degrees even in the summer.
Well it is being fixed. But we have to haul the rig 70 miles. We are waiting for snow and ice to clear before the issue can be resolved under warranty.
Now to cabin fever – a result of living in a small space! It can be a positive thing if you can’t stand to sit on your behind in your recliner watching television all day. Boredom sets in, especially if you’ve been active all your life. So, I joined a gym. Not a New Year’s resolution but a need to get up and moving. At my age, moving is a key to staying healthy. I’ve spent the last couple days using the strength training machines – legs, arms, hips – and using the eliptical, treadmill, and exercise bike. Since the televisions are each set to a single channel – boring – I bought a Bluetooth headset and signed up for Sirius Internet. That setup also challenged me. How do I set up the headset to work on my iPhone? What service should I use? How do I get the music to play through my headset? I know for many that is as easy as 1, 2, 3. But although I am very computer literate, I’ve always been cell phone illiterate. Thank goodness for the Internet and its resources. I think I’ve figured it out. It’s a gym day. Let’s see if I’m smarter than the technology or the technology is smarter than me!