Recent Posts

71

Technical Support / Re: Silverleaf VMS Replacement Options

« Last post by David Ciotti on May 17, 2026, 02:41:06 PM »

My SilverLeaf unit plugs into the USB port of a laptop on my dashboard.  When the Fujitsu laptop got funky I replaced it with a HP unit, downloaded the software from SilverLeaf, and away we went.  Is this a unique situation or do others use a laptop as a display?

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Technical Support / Re: Silverleaf VMS Replacement Options

« Last post by Joel Ashley on May 17, 2026, 07:02:17 AM »

John, first knock down your pix to less than 300kb each.  I use an app called “Image Compress and Resize” for my iPads to do that, but other means are available for most operating systems.  There is a section off the Home page here under Forum Assistance (Members Only) that can explain posting pictures.  Be sure to use the “REPLY” button under the center right side of the last post here, NOT the “Quick Reply” button bottom left that does not contain the means to add attachments.

Joel

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Technical Support / Re: Silverleaf VMS Replacement Options

« Last post by Eric Drickersen on May 17, 2026, 04:11:18 AM »

Hi John,
I went back and forth on which to get as a replacement. I think the VMS500 is good choice, I think the touch screen is more user friendly than the button and dial configuration. I'm looking forward to your pictures!

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Technical Support / Re: Silverleaf VMS Replacement Options

« Last post by John Bagwell on May 17, 2026, 03:48:13 AM »

I purchased a VMS 500 unit to replace the VMS 200 in my 2001 Monterey.  My mechanic installed it and it turned out very will.  I have not been able to set it up yet as Beaver is still in shop, but went by and took pictures and checked it out.  I have not been able to attach pictures but will if someone can tell me how to or I will be glad to email them. 

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Technical Support / Re: Aqua Hot suddenly not heating?

« Last post by Roger Milne on May 16, 2026, 05:48:26 PM »

Roger
There are a couple other reasons that the burner may be sooted up if you're running it while boondocking it's common for the battery voltages to get low enough that the blower system doesn't create enough air movement and as in any combustion chamber if the air fuel ratio gets too rich you end up with soot.
Knowing what the system was just serviced one of the first places I'd look would be at the ignition electrodes make sure they're installed at the correct depth using the spacer that's attached to the burner if they are too deep they interfere with the spray pattern and can cause problems if they're too shallow you make it late ignition or no ignition.
Either way the systems are fairly easy to work on once you get the cover off and it's a good practice to be able to do your own maintenance on it the systems work well when they're working but they do require maintenance to make them work properly, as you get a feel for the system you will find it more intuitive to work on.

Hope this helps
Eric

Thanks Eric,
I honestly haven't done any boon docking. We are living in it full time on shore hookup. But the previous owner barely used it and we only started using it more frequently until the hose leak and that's when it started to have issues. Sadly due to timing I've been on the road with work and such for 3 weeks since it happened and haven't had  chance to pull it apart and do some self diagnosis and hopefully repair. But certainty all seems simple enough and I'll try and pul it apart this week.

76

Technical Support / Re: Aqua Hot suddenly not heating?

« Last post by Eric Maclean Co-Admin on May 16, 2026, 12:10:16 PM »

Roger
There are a couple other reasons that the burner may be sooted up if you're running it while boondocking it's common for the battery voltages to get low enough that the blower system doesn't create enough air movement and as in any combustion chamber if the air fuel ratio gets too rich you end up with soot.
Knowing what the system was just serviced one of the first places I'd look would be at the ignition electrodes make sure they're installed at the correct depth using the spacer that's attached to the burner if they are too deep they interfere with the spray pattern and can cause problems if they're too shallow you make it late ignition or no ignition.
Either way the systems are fairly easy to work on once you get the cover off and it's a good practice to be able to do your own maintenance on it the systems work well when they're working but they do require maintenance to make them work properly, as you get a feel for the system you will find it more intuitive to work on.

Hope this helps
Eric

77

Technical Support / Re: Bedroom slide inoperative

« Last post by Rick Vyncke on May 15, 2026, 01:29:39 PM »

Thank you for the detailed response David!

My issue most closely aligns with the second issue in your post.  Mine is definitely not only electrical (although I might have tripped a breaker or blown a fuse).  The popping and grinding noise I heard sounds like it might have been a chain that jumped the gears... perhaps something is binding.

I thought I read a bulletin about a similar issue and that bulletin (can't find it now) said to replace the nylon bushings that hold the gear axle in place with special brass ones.  The hole in which the axle goes is off-center which allows a person to move that axle and gear up and down slightly by the way in which it is turned during install.

In any case.... I've got further investigation to do.  First to find out why the power is no longer on and then the root cause of that popping sound.

Thanks again!!

78

Technical Support / Re: Bedroom slide inoperative

« Last post by David T. Richelderfer on May 15, 2026, 03:22:52 AM »

Your bedroom slide setup, I think, is exactly like ours.  Our slide moves a king size bed out the street side of the coach.  We have had two "experiences" with our bedroom slide. I will try to explain what we did.

1st experience (Nov 2015):  We parked in a RV park in North Houston, the Forest Retreat RV Resort.  We were preparing the RV for the night when the bedroom slide would not move out.  It was dead as a doornail!  After our friend, AL, and I tinkered with it the next day for an hour, he called his son who worked on airliners for United Airlines at Bush International Airport.  Before Al's son arrived, Al and I had the bottom half of the bed propped up to allow entry under the bed enough to reach the motor, drive sprockets, chain, and wiring.  I explained to Al's son how it worked.  He started by checking for power at the wall switch.  The power was good in both the IN and OUT positions at the switch.  Next he checked for power at the wiring under the bed going to the motor.  The power was good.  He next gave the wires attached to the motor an easy tug.  One of the wires came off the motor!  He securely hooked it back to the motor and the bed worked again as it always had.  While there, Al's son "redid" the wiring and connections to better than new.  He also adjusted the IN and OUT stops.  He found the problem, fixed it, adjusted the stops, and "redid" the wiring in about 20 minutes!

2nd experience (Summer 2024):  More recently and for a couple of years, as the bedroom slide moved IN and OUT, it would POP and momentarily, for about 1/2 second, stop moving.  It would do that several times each time we moved the slide.  If the coach was parked with a tilt to the left or right, then the slide when moving downhill would move with fewer POPS and momentary stops.  But if the slide was moving uphill, then it would POP and momentarily stop every few seconds.  It sounded like the drive chain was jumping over the sprocket teeth.  Because a slide will move much easier downhill, there would be less strain on the drive chain.  And vice versa moving the slide uphill. Does that make sense?  It made sense to me.  lol  Having raised the bed several times to inspect what might be POPPING, I noticed the axle coming out of the chain drive mechanism attached to the motor was crooked.  By crooked, I mean it was not a 90 degree angle.  On the end of that axle is the drive sprocket for the chain.  The drive sprocket and receiving sprocket are only a few inches apart, so the chain going around the two sprockets is only 15 to 20 inches long, I guess.  So, anyways... I had a repair shop change out the drive motor and drive sprocket (all come as one piece, I think), and the slide moves perfectly again!

Hope this helps some...

79

Technical Support / Re: Aqua Hot suddenly not heating?

« Last post by Roger Milne on May 15, 2026, 02:57:08 AM »

Roger
You stated that the aqua Hot burner comes on with the switch and that it runs for a little while and then and runs a purge cycle and shuts off followed by the light in the switch going out.
Are you sure that the burner actually ignites or are you just hearing the blower run while it runs through the purge cycle ,tries to ignite and run through another                 purge cycle and shuts down.
The little processor that runs the aqua Hot burner is set up to ignite using a small ignition coil and a pair of electrodes, the burner will run through a per cycle first to make sure there's nothing combustible in the combustion chamber and then it opens the fuel solenoid and runs the igniter ignition coil to ignite the burner.  if the photo cell in the burner arrangement does not see a light ie a burning flame the controller then shuts down the fuel solenoid valve and runs a purge cycle after which it turn off the lamp in the switch notifying you that the burner has failed to ignite.
 it will stay this way until the next time you turn the switch off and then back on.
The alcohol is a wonderful unit when it works but it does require regular maintenance to make sure that it works efficiently and well.
The first thing to do would be to do a full service on the burner this requires removing the burner head to access the combustion chamber and burner tube the burner tube can then be removed and cleaned along with the burner chamber itself it's common for these to get suited up which creates all sorts of problems with the burner. As part of the service it would be a good idea to replace the burner spray nozzle as these are aware item and should be done annually. Of course the new fuel filter should be installed and the ignition electrode alignment and GAP should be checked apart from that there isn't a lot to do on a servicing and like I said it should be an annual event once you become familiar with the system it isn't all that daunting the hardest part is getting the cover off to get to the burner.

There are several faults that can result in a non-ignition event or a flame out.
1) lack of spark or bad ignition coil dirty ignition electrodes or electrodes that are not gapped properly.
2) lack of fuel possibly a plugged fuel filter plugged nozzle or a bad nozzle spray pattern.
3) a photocell that is inoperative or just plain suited up so it can't see that the light of the flame.

You should be able to find the manual for your particular aqua hot model number in the coach assist library that manual will walk you through the complete service and repair of the unit.

Hope this helps
Eric

So this info defintely sounds more in line with my symptoms. I’ll do the maintenance you suggested. But kind of annoying if it is this as I just hadn’t professionally serviced ie new nozzle filter and cleaning etc done back in November. But I’ll go through it again just to remove the possibilities.

80

General Discussion / Re: Captain Chair

« Last post by Rocky Healey on May 15, 2026, 02:01:33 AM »

Sorry for the long response time have been out of communication.  Thank you I will check all when I get the Motorhome back.
Rocky Healey