Yes, Stuff Breaks...It's How You Deal With It That Matters

At Northlake Village RV Park, Roanoke, Texas...

One of the things RVers have to accept is that there will be things that break from time to time, especially on a motorhome, where you have a house and vehicle combined. Such is the case with Phannie this week, just as we were getting ready to raise the jacks and head north to find cool surroundings (please God, let it be soon). 

In this case, a couple of unrelated things conveniently broke about the same time. A check valve near the water heater failed, leaving us with no hot water, and a leak developed in the gray water system. The check valve was an easy fix for Barry, the local tech whom we called: 

He found the gray water leak to be caused by the washing machine drain line's having broken at the point where it enters the gray tank:

It's not surprising that a few things come loose from time to time. Driving your house down the road for tens of thousands of miles tends to have that effect. It wasn't long until Barry had fashioned a new drain line section and secured it to the tank. Problem solved!

Fixing things that break seem to fall into three categories: 1) Minor repairs that I can do myself, 2) minor repairs that I can't (or don't want to do) and are done onsite by a tech, and 3) major repairs that require a shop visit. Most of Phannie's fixes have fallen into the first and second categories. Only on a couple of occasions has a shop visit been required. And only once in the five years Phannie has been with us has a tow been required--for a broken accelerator link. There has never been a problem with the engine or drive train, thankfully. All things considered, we think we have been very fortunate; in all that time, Phannie's downtime in the shop has been no more than a few days.

To give you a sense of the kinds of things I'm willing to repair myself, here is a list from the last few months:  Several burned out bulbs (that I've replaced with LEDs), a broken tail light assembly replacement, a broken bathroom light switch, some broken drawer latches--well, you get the idea. If it's much more than that, or the weather isn't just right, or if it's something really dirty or smelly, I'm calling for a mobile tech. And yes, this can be a little pricey, but tech guys have to eat, too, and I don't think I've ever seen an armored car following a hearse to the cemetery. I may as well spend it now; my comfort is worth something.

The dentist installed my new crown yesterday, and I think we have taken care of all the incessant medical appointments. Mae has had an oil change and a wash job, and she will get her tires rotated today. Tomorrow will be departure day on our way to Colorado. Yay! These posts will be a bit more regular with the change of scenery.

Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful life; please forgive me if I don't appreciate it enough each day.