Regeneration

If you own a diesel motorhome you probably have seen this light in your travels. 

This light means that your engine needs to regen or cycle through a regeneration process (same process different terminology. Regen or Regeneration is the process of removing the accumulated soot from the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) by increasing the temperature inside the DPF to the point where the particulates will burn up.

There are 2 ways for your RV that is NOT equipped with a REGEN SWITCH to remove the accumulated soot from the Diesel Particulate Filter.

1-Keep driving at speed and your RV will complete a Regeneration Cycle on its own. This is the most common process.

2-Perform a Parked Regen

Warning The External Gas Temperature could reach 1500-degrees Farenhite (Keep in mind  that you are burning soot). So take care and ensure that you are not parked near, on  or around anything that could melt or catch fire.

1-Start the engine, ensure that the transmission is in neutral and the parking brake is set.

2-Disconnect the shorting plug. Twist the shorting plug and slide the interlock RED switch and then pull out the plug with a single wire.

This is what it looks like  when disconnected

3-Wait 4 seconds. Actually I had mine disconnected for over a minute.

4-Reconnect the shorting plug

5-The engine RPM will rise (keep in mind if you are new to Diesel engines…it will be a LOT less noticeable than a gas engine)

The entire Parked Regen Process will take between 45 minutes to an hour. Actually mine took 53 minutes from start to finish.

If something happens and you need to stop the parked REGEN just turn the ignition off.

Why

This is more a concern for truck operators than it is for motorhomes - especially trucks that engage in a lot of "light duty cycles" (excess idling, or a lot of stopping and starting in city operations).  Motorhomes are normally run in highway situations where the engine load is high enough for the DPF to clean (regenerate) itself with, with no input from the driver, via both passive and active regenerations. 

Loosing My Mind & Loosing A Set of Keys

This weeks rambling thoughts are about loosing a set of RV Keys  which in turn makes me think that I am loosing my mind!

Scenario-I had just clocked 10-hours/570 miles behind the wheel of Ferocious but Fabulous. I know, I know, I know I should limit my behind the wheel time. When we pulled into our campground we were made it to our site it was almost 11pm, and pouring down rain. After running HARD for 10 hours I wanted to give the engine a few minutes to cool down so I grabbed the spare set of RV keys to get jack pads and access the service bay. Once I got everything  set up I shut the engine down, took a shower and went to bed. The next morning both my DW (darling wife) needed keys to the RV because we were both headed in opposite directions. 

Sometime in the past 12-hours I had lost a set of RV Keys!

I will save you the gorey details but we searched everywhere (inside & outside) and retraced all of our steps after we checked in and still no keys.

The rest of our time at that campground I kept doubting myself:

• Did I turn off the propane stove?
• Did I lock the door?
• Did I remember to bring the correct key for the door?
• Did I set the parking break?
• Did I follow the proper sequence for leveling and putting the slides out?
• Am I loosing my mind?

After 10 hours of stressing over the missing set of keys. I gave up and decided that they went to the same place that single socks go to....never never land. We continued on our journey and decided to make a few changes on how I handle keys…just in case I loose my mind again

1-The current master set of keys is kept secure in the key/utlity cabinet.

• If this happens again it is easier to make a copy of a key from the original as opposed to a copy from a copy

2-I have had 2 full sets of replacement keys that we use for every day normal use

• The DW keeps one set on her at all times and I keep one set on me at all times

3-I have invested in TILE for all of my keys (RV, Toad and Normal Car)

In the month that I have used  TILE  it has saved me countless minutes of searching for keys that I have set down under laundry or that I forgot to take out of my pockets.

If I had it to do all over again I would have paid closer attention to my keys and not tried to set up camp tired and fatigued.

Cheers,

Until Next Week

CAT Ferry

A New Way To Travel

The CAT Ferry from Portland, Maine to Yarmouth Nova Scotia.

What is The Cat Ferry (borrowed from their website)

The high-speed CAT ferry will take you between Portland, Maine and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in just 5.5 hours. At half the driving time, you’ll have even more of an opportunity to explore the beauty beyond the horizon. And with plenty of onboard amenities and a knowledgeable staff and crew, your journey will be more than just fast, it will be an experience you’ll never forget



Back story- Mrs ETCTA and I wanted to maximize our time in the Northeast and some how we came across an ad for the CAT Ferry. We did a bunch of research about fun family things to do in Nova Scotia (more about that in a later blog post) and we came to the conclusion that putting Ferocious and Fabulous on the CAT Ferry seemed like a great use of time and money.

Costs
Adult Round Trip Fare-$194
41-Foot RVRound Trip-$1100

Tip sign up for their newsletter and every so often they will have a "fare" sale. For our journey in August I took FULL advantage of fare sale in February.

Putting your RV on the Ferry!
When passenger cars are loaded they drive on and then make a horseshoe so that they can drive straight off of the ferry.
For RV'ers you will have to back onto the ferry in Portland and then drive off in Yarmouth,NS

A Few Notes

• Bring your A Driving Game. If the ship is packed you will need it to get your RV backed up the ramp and into your slot. They have spotters but it will be up to you and only you to get your RV on board.

• If you have a tow vehicle you will need to disconnect it and then make arrangements ahead of time to either leave it in Portland or put it on 1st and then come back down the ramp to load your RV.

• Once you are on board you will have to lock up and head to the spacious passenger area. For safety reasons no passengers are allowed on the car deck while the ship is in motion.

• Once you unload in Yarmouth...luckily you are one of the 1st ones off of the boat.

Enjoy the Ride!

The Ramp Up In To The Cat Ferry

The Spotter Making Sure That I am Going Into The Right Slot 

 Checking my mirrors as I am backing up the ramp

Gnats Ass Tight

Waiting In Line To Board

All Set. See You in 5 1/2 Hours

Trip Report-Cove Ocean Front Campground

Trip Report-August 2018
Campground Name-Cove Oceanfront Campground
Location-Parkers Cove, Nova Scotia (outside of Annapolis Royale)
Cost Per Night-$109.95-Don't let the cost per night scare you away...I wanted to reserve the biggest site with the best view and I can honestly say that it was well worth it.


I truly appreciate it when a business values your patronage. Due to a lack of planning on our part we were not going to arrive until close to midnight. Once I figured out my mistake I immediately called Cove Oceanfront Resort and explained the problem and they were more than accommodating. Instead of trying to have me navigate their campground in the dark of night, they assigned me a spot that was easy to get to, get set and level.

Throughout our stay various members of my family and I went to the office to ask questions about the area and local recommendations. Each time we were met with a smile and a genuine feeling that they were happy to help.

The sites were pretty much level and all hookups were easily accessible. Their bathrooms were very well maintained.The view overlooking the Bay of Funday was well worth it.

Tip-Make sure you bring Canadian Quarters for the shower.

We will definitely come back to this campground primarily for the friendly and welcoming atmosphere but also the views.