Thursday, January 08, 2015

Losing an Old Friend and Gaining a Genie

 

Wesley Chapel, Florida (high 55, low 42)   brrrrr….it’s 35.8 degrees now!

This picture is was taken in TAMPA, back on January 19, 1977.   We remember that day well.  It was the last time Tampa saw snow.  (this was from the newspaper…don’t know who this guy was)

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The weeks prior to Christmas and before Al’s surgery, were extremely busy here.

One of our latest projects was to upgrade our beloved TiVo DVR and go with high definition television and a more current DVR system. 

Many  years ago we discovered the wonders of a DVR when we discovered the wonders of TiVo. It was wonderful to never watch commercials, and watch what we wanted to watch on our own schedule, not when the network said we should.   I especially love that Al can watch football and basketball,  and it won’t cramp my style.  :)   He TiVo's the games now so that we’re free to enjoy the outdoors during the nicest part of the day and he still gets to watch his favorite football games.

Many people tried to copy the TiVo, but in my opinion, none could compare.

Recently, we learned Directv had a new DVR system, called Genie, which is billed as whole house DVR, and is supposed to be as good or better than TiVo.  I was skeptical.  Could anything be as good as TiVo?   

Since TiVo was the original and in our opinion the best DVR on the market, we hesitated to change, but the old TiVo receivers we had weren’t compatible with the high definition televisions of today.  We either upgraded or live with grainy low definition Tv.   As we get older, our eyesight isn’t as good as it used to be.  Maybe that was a good thing with the old Tv’s…or maybe not?

Of course the installation didn’t go without a bit of stress.  Dealing with Directv is a lesson in patience, and many of the reps we spoke to didn’t know you could have a DVR in an RV.

Despite a few glitches and a bit of stress, we got the Genie Whole house system installed before Al’s  surgery.  We finally have high definition Tv and it really is a lot nicer.

It’s clear that Genie tried to copy the TiVo system.  They did a pretty good job, but it still doesn’t compare to TiVo.  It   works pretty well and has some features we like better than our old TiVo, so we’re happy.   We do love the high def Tv.

 

One more project we did before Christmas, was to change my unlimited data smart phone.  My old phone was not working properly and was freezing up on a regular basis.   I had the Motorola Razr Maxx and an unlimited data plan.  I could not get the discounted upgrade through Verizon without losing my unlimited plan.

I learned that you can buy a phone through Verizon at full price and not lose the unlimited data plan, but they were $500-700.   Then I discovered you could also buy another phone on Amazon or E-bay.  You can find new phones, barely used,  or factory refurbished phones.    I found mine on E-bay through a company that had very good ratings.  It was a brand new phone, so I got lucky.

If you buy the exact same phone, its a simple matter of changing out the sim card to the new phone.  If you buy a different phone, you can take the new phone to a Verizon store, and they will give you another sim card to match the new phone, at no charge, AND you don’t lose your unlimited data. Verizon is okay with doing this, and I was told by two different Verizon people to buy a new phone rather than lose my unlimited data.  The phones you buy online do NOT come with sim cards and the phone does not work without a sim card.

I am happy with the new phone and the data transfer went fairly smooth, except for the calendar. I discovered that even without the sim card, I could power up the old phone and pull up the calendar to manually transfer all of my appointments.

So……if you have one of the few remaining unlimited data plans from Verizon, and want a new phone, you may be able to find another phone online and still keep your unlimited data plan.    I paid $129 for my phone which turned out to be a brand new phone.  The latest models cost more. 

Another project we’re working on is to replace the Rv refrigerator with a residential.  We’ve read about too many fires from Rv refrigerators and we would love a residential style refrigerator.  We have a large 4 door Norcold that is less than 4 years old.  It works fine, but there is always that risk of fire.  If anyone knows of anyone looking for a working Norcold 1210,  ours will be for sale as soon as we can get the new one installed.    The problem we are having is finding a refrigerator that will fit in the space of the old Norcold.  The Norcold is about 63 inches high and most residential refrigerators are at least 66 inches high.

 

norcold

There is no way to obtain any additional height.  If we don’t find a refrigerator that is 64 inches high or lower, we won’t be able to replace the Norcold.

norcold

In researching this, I discovered a company that makes something as a band-aid for the refrigerator fires. It works for both Dometic and Norcold.   I haven’t had time to do any research, but if you have a RV refrigerator, you might want to check out the ARP Control.   We already have an automatic Halon fire extinguished in the outside refrigerator compartment.  It will go off if the temp gets to a certain degree.  

 

Al is doing well as far as the shoulder surgery.  He should start physical therapy in a week or so. He has another issue though.  We now think he has developed some sort of skin allergy and we’re thinking it may be laundry detergent.  I switched to Dreft for babies, but now I changed to All Clear hypoallergenic detergent.  Anybody have any better suggestions?

It’s always something!

 

We’re still dreaming of the Keys.   We want to get some of Al’s PT done and our tenants want to stay longer, so we probably won’t go down until mid to late February.

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Stay warm!

19 comments:

  1. Not sure how I missed this post but thanks so much for the info on Genie and on the unlimited data phone thing. What phone did you get? Did you get a new TV too or I guess you had the high def TV and just changed from TiVo. If I watched much TV I'd sure like to be able to record things and skip the commercials. We're often in places where there is no over the air TV so it's a good thing it doesn't matter to us. Well other than missing Downton Abbey because the NBC station here didn't carry it. Guess we'll have to buy the DVDs when the price comes down.

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  2. We just converted to the Genie and we're learning all the things it can do.

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  3. I'll do some research but Nick and Terry Russell from the Gypsy Journal RV just replaced their Norcold last month.
    Glad Al's arm is improving but the allergies to detergent could be the kind you are using. Using liquid detergents are less likely to cause problems then powders. We're finding we get more loads with the pods then bottles because with the bottle the measurement is not always the same.
    Even in Moore Haven right now we are feeling the cold. Should be back to normal tomorrow but still dreaming of the Keys.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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  4. We have the same Norcold refrigerator and would like to put in a residential fridge. When you find one to replace it, be sure to post what you find. Thanks

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    1. There are many that fit most rv's...but unfortunately with the furnace and wiring underneath ours, we're very limited. Good luck to you.

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  5. Just measured my fridge, and it is about 67" with the doors on. I have a drawer underneath that the installers were able to lower just a tad so the residential would slide in.

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    1. Thanks for checking Judy. That's about 3 inches to tall for us, unfortunately.

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  6. IS there as much of an issue with a smaller Dometic refrigerator that we have in our Dynamax? I read about those Norcold fires a lot, but haven't seen anything about Dometic.

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    1. From what I understand Sue, the Dometic's catch fire too.

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  7. At a recent Escapees Boot Camp in Texas the refirig problem was discussed and they recommended that the 'board' in the back be changed out,.a place in Shipsawanna (Spell?) In. Has developed a board that solved the problem of fire--Mark N in Livingston TX could tell you more.

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    1. I'm wondering if that is the ARP system? How would I get in touch with Mark N in LIvingston??

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    2. Mark N is the tech director at the Rainbow escapees park in Livingston Texas. Also' Mac the fire Guy' was in on this discussion about fire safety. Not sure of his home base- but if you google it I'm sure he will pop up..

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  8. We replaced a fairly new 4-door Norcold in our Bounder motorhome with a residential Whirlpool refrigerator/freezer that we bought at Sears. It has a water and ice dispenser in the door, so a water line was added. It is 63 inches high. We've been very happy with it!

    Here is a 20 minute youtube that my husband made about the installation of the residential refrigerator which we had done two years ago at an RV service place (Apache) in Las Vegas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2U3CqvrOBI

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    1. Thanks for the suggestion Carol. Your husband did a great job with the video. I wish we were closer to Las Vegas because those guys did a great job. I haven't been able to find any Whirlpool with a 63 inch height. Do you have the model number by any chance?

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  9. Karen, I have very sensitive skin. We use berryplus. Learned about it at a green festival a couple of years ago. Works great and no more skin irritation. We do still use Shout for stains.

    We're heading down to Tampa for the RV Show next week - going to sign on the dotted line for our Airstream this year. All ready have the paperwork started. Yay!

    http://berryplus.com/

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  10. January 9, 2015

    In 2013 we had a problem with the control board then three weeks later there was the ammonia gas leak and replaced that with the Amish coil. In reading Nick and Terry Russell from the Gypsy Journal RV troubles just replacing their Norcold in December. I did more searching around the internet blog’s and found more information going back into 2010. One picture the inside roof had a burn area from an almost burn down fire. Another of out issues was throwing out food that has gone bad from not cooling down enough on hot days. We would throw out milk that has gone bad.

    Anyway we had the additional room for a taller refrigerator, we did loose the two storage draws below the Norcold, we used them to store canned goods. There was some repositioning of other things in the compartment, electric receptacle and lowered floor. Otherwise the new Samsung - Model # RF18HFENBSR 3 (these are called counter depth refrigerators, total 17.5 cubic feet) fit right in depth and width wise. We blocked the roof vent with insulation and covered the side vent openings. This will keep a better temperature inside the coach.

    Samsung has digital temperature readings and temperature can be changed for either freezer or refrigerator. Factory preset is refrigerator 38 degrees and freezer -2 degrees. Ice cream is rock hard so we reset the freezer to +4. And still set the ice cream on the counter a few minutes before scooping. As you open the french door right side has the refrigerator temperature display on the top door frame and left is the freezer. There is also a power cool button for both refrigerator and freezer when a large amount of food is put in. Our installation was completed December 30, 2014

    George

    http://busterstravelsgeo-bon.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks for the suggestion George. I looked at that Samsung and unfortunately it's about 6 inches too tall for our space. We have our furnace down below the refrigerator along with a lot of wiring. Our Rv guy says we can't move anything to give us more room. I'm not sure someone else may want to tackle the project, but he won't.

      We're still looking. Sure wish we could get the Samsung. It sounds nice. If you hear of any others, please let us know!

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  11. wow.. I wish I would have known this about the phone sooner I had to replace mine ....I also have I also have unlimited data ... I ended up buying a new phone from Verizon for $600...ugh...

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