Introduce Yourself!

Carol,

      Welcome to the PC family.  We have a 2012 2551 and prior to this one we had a 2008 2350.  A couple of minor things that have made my life easier in the PC was to have the sink cover cut in half.  By itself it is very heavy and having it cut in half allows you to use half of it as counter space while still being able to run water.  The other thing I did was have PC save me the cut out from the bathroom sink.  I use it as a sink cover all the time in the bathroom.  It is a great work surface when doing my hair.  If you don't want to use it as a sink cover it can also be used as a cutting board.  Those are just two of the little things I had done to make it easier for me.
     When we had the 2350 we also had them put in the floor to ceiling cabinets behind the passenger seat.  It looks small but it really held alot.  That was a good move on your part.
     We also put in shelves in the shirt closet (the cabinet next to the stove top).  I used that exclusively for kitchen storage.  There were enough cabinets over the bed for clothes so we did not use it as a shirt closet.

Sue 

Terrific suggestions, Sue, thanks!
Carol

Hi Carol, and welcome!  

Your Greystone/Sterling rig will certainly be a pretty thing!  I think the options you listed were good ones.

Some of the things we had installed we are now very glad we did.....

- 50 amp service.  Gives us the ability to run pretty much anything at the same time (ie: don't need to shut down the A/C to run the microwave/convection oven, etc)

- Hard wired Surgeguard.  Built-in protection from bad power situations at a campground.  Eliminates the need to have a portable device which needs to be stored, and locked at the power post so it doesn't get stolen.....or borrowed.

- As Sue mentioned, we also had the bathroom sink cut-out included and it does make a difference in ease of using the bathroom area for multiple purposes.  I like Sue's idea of having the kitchen sink cover cut in half (like the cover for the stove) Wish we had done that.

- We had a propane line from the propane tank on the drivers side over to one of the outdoor storage compartments on the passengers side.  It is really convenient when using a BBQ!  No need to store those little propane tanks. (Thanks to Holly and John for this advise!)

Some of the things we didn't have done, that we now wish we had:

- Either have the wooden bed platforms made of a smooth surface wood, or have the particle board wood platforms that come stock treated with a sealant.  The stock platforms are difficult to deal with due to splintering.

- Have all the exterior storage locks keyed the same, using a tubular cam lock....not the standard lock/key that is on most every other motorhome.

- Our PC came with two keys for the main coach door.  I would have asked for four from the factory.  They are fairly unique locks/keys and difficult to acquire.

- I would have opted for a rear view camera that was remotely controlled from the cab drivers area, and/or side view cameras installed.  With the one fixed camera, you have to make a choice whether you want to see the area you are backing into, the area further back while driving, or the area around the tow vehicle/tow bar.

- Kermit might have a great way of locking the sliding hideaway screen door on the main coach door.  I had to come up with my own, which wasn't easy.  The reason?  The screen door is always on spring tension, and latches to the door frame when in place with a plastic latch.  Any significant pressure on the screen or the door (like a dog jumping onto it) will make the door spring open, allowing little furry critters out when you wanted them to be in.

- Sue also mentioned having shelves put in.  This is so much easier and cheaper to have done at the factory.  It gives you options for using, moving or removing the shelves without much interference from mounting hardware.  We did this after the fact, and it wasnt the easiest or most elegant job.  The factory has the exact same wood which matches, and they ensure the cabinet walls are properly reinforced to handle shelves.

The only other advise I would give:

- Unless they changed very recently, the PC Owners manual is, well, crap. (sorry, Kermit). Either take video of your walkthrough at the factory, or take pictures and good notes.  Tell them you want to see the manual before they give you the walkthrough.

- Ensure every piece of equipment is started and run so you can see it works.  This make take some time, so get some good sleep the night before :-)

- Ensure the main power cord is actually stored in the rear outside cabinet.  Mine was missing :-)

- Have them run through how your TV, BluRay, DVD, satellite, cable all work....and how to switch between them....including the rear tv if you have one.  Not something you want to figure out afterward.

- Have them label the four-way water switch on the drivers side (outside behind a locked cover).   It has embossed labels already from the manufacturer: City, Normal, Tank, Sanitize/Winterize.  This can be confusing for some, like me.  I labeled them: Use City Water, Use Tank, Fill Tank, Sanitize/Winterize.

All this may sound critical, but we truly love our PC.  The folks at PC USA really are great, responsive and friendly.....and the rig is made exceptionally well. Again, welcome!!

- Mike and Joni

Excellent suggestions, thanks Mike & Joni.
Re the remote-controlled rear-view camera, is that something that can be done to the backup monitor provided under the normal options or is it a special camera that has to be purchased and installed?  Seeing as how my dog will be an unreliable spotter, I think that suggestion in particular is worth investigating.

Hi Carol,

Very wise of you to get all this advice from other PC owners before yours is completed.

Two things that we added to our unit after using it on a few trips are:
First, a small shelf on the bedroom wall where we now place a Large Screen Atomic Clock Radio that we can see at night and don't have to reset it each time after disconnecting power.  We don't have a TV in the bedroom so there is plenty of space on the wall of the shirt closet for this little shelf.  We drilled a hole in that wall to access the electric outlet inside the shirt closet.  It would have been nice to have this done at the factory.

Second, we added a Fan-tastic Ultrabreeze Vent Cover (http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/fan-tastic-ultrabreeze-vent-cover-white/58894) on the bedroom roof vent.

We're certain you will love your PC.
Bruce and Sharon

I can't say for sure at this point...just started looking at the remote cameras for a possible future add-on.  I would imagine the standard monitor would work, I'm not sure the standard wiring from the camera to the monitor would work, and I'm sure you'd need a different camera.  There are wired and wireless options out there and I would have liked to have the wired variety.  Wireless can be installed after the fact, but appears to cost a bit more and may not be as reliable.....but this is just from preliminary research I've done, not first hand or even second hand knowledge.

  - Mike

Welcome Carol,

We had them build a floor to ceiling cabinet behind the driver's seat  in our 2910 and it works out perfectly. It's a great place to store camera, binoculars, scotch and other assorted small stuff. I really don't understand why PC doesn't build it for all their MH. Yeah, it adds $$$ but what a waste of good space without it!!! They initially told us they wouldn't do it because you would be unable to recline the driver's seat--how often do we recline the driver's seat?

Welcome and enjoy your PC

Judi

Carol

When we ordered our 2012 2551 we had Phoenix make several changes.  Here is a link to a post that lists most of the changes we had done. 

http://forum.phoenixusarv.com/index.php/topic,492.0.html

One of the changes I like the most is the MaxAir fan.  We find it to be much quieter with more options than the Fantastic Fan plus it has a built in rain shield. We have two fans in the living area of our 2551 and wish we would have changed both at that time.  We only changed the bedroom fan and should have also changed the one in the galley area.

The other major change for us was to have both the driver seat and passenger seat swivel.  We rarely used the power seat in the 2350 so had both seats swivel in the 2551.  Invaluable for us.

My wife said to consider having the counter extension made in the hard surface counter material and not the wood.  We had this done in both our PCs and would do it again. 

Feel free to send a private message if you have any questions.

Barry

Welcome Carol! You are going to love wandering in your Phoenix - we certainly do. Just a note to keep in mind as you read the responses, Phoenix is constantly improving and upgrading their units. Example: Mike's exterior water controls - I have no idea what he's talking about and his rig is only a year older than ours. He probably doesn't realize that what he has is different than the older models. Phoenix doesn't list out all the new goodies they are using and it seems that popular options frequently become standard features.

A note on cutting the kitchen sink cover- first decide if you want it top to bottom (default but goes through the handle hole) or left to right. We originally had left to right and it was easier to open with the cut out on one piece but I tended to turn it so I could use the water with half the sink covered (no biggie but then the beautiful counter pattern didn't match). When they replaced our counter they cut it top to bottom and it matches when in place the way I like it but is harder to lift out with the cut through the handle hole. If they changed the faucet placement to the corner as I saw in one rig, then side to side would work beautifully. If you want this done, call and ask now as they have the counter manufacturer cut it with a power water stream so it is a finer cut so the insert fits right and doesn't rattle.

Hope our info helps and that we get to meet you on the road sometime.
Holly

Bruce & Sharon, I love the BR shelf/wiring access idea as I also will not have a TV there!

Mike--Thanks for the camera follow-up.  I'll probably keep it simple with the factory option for now but may follow-up with you someday should I ever back up over my spotter... 

Judi--Just don't recline while driving and you be good!

Barry--Nice list.  Does the outside motion light come on A LOT though, seeing as you are outside and critters abound?  Has it ever lit up a bear, or worse?

Thanks all for your welcomes and ideas.  I will have a nice list to talk about with Earl on Monday.  You are awesome!

Welcome Carol and a big wave from the other side of DC.

This was written at the same time as the three previous post.

A couple more things I might suggest are:

1. Have them install the line in jack to the dash radio in the dash. You can use this to play music from you phone through the truck radio speakers, also works for in from some GPS units.
2. Have them put a single kitchen facets with sprayer in. Have it put on the rear right corner of the sink. The facet they put in will hit the window crank.
3. Ask about getting the flip up counter extension made of the same material as the counter top. It will be better for putting hot or wet things on than the wooden one.
4. Spent at least one or better yet two nights at the Shipshewana South campground before leaving the area. You will test your new PC at a real campground with full hook ups. And you will enjoy the Amish market and food next door.
5. I was able to get the couch door keys duplicated at my local "Do It Best" hardware store without any problems.
6. I would also suggest a second vent cover over the living room vent. It will be handy when you leave your dog in the PC while you are away. In the summer, open the vent, turn on the fan and crack the kitchen window. Helps to keep it cool for your four legged friend.

I bought two weather stations at Walmart that have the world clock in them and tell the inside and outside (wireless) temps. I put the battery operated clock by the bed, one outside temp in the outside drawer and one in the refrigerator. It allows me to keep an eye on the temp in the refrigerator.
 
And finally, something to start thinking about is where you want to place the towel bars and the toilet paper holder. When we got our two PCs they where not included and we had to bring them with us when we picked up the unit.
They installed them, where we wanted. If you do a search on here you will find what the others have done. We had the towel bars mounted on the drivers side wall in the shower and the toilet paper hold across from the toilet in our 2350.

Holly, that's exactly the kind of detail only the truly experienced can provide... I'd never have thought of any impact of the direction of the cover cut.  Thanks!

Thanks Tom--
I am actually graduating from an old-lady simple-as-can-possibly-be phone to an iphone (in order to stay as plugged in as possible to the poor folks remaining behind hahaha), so the tip on playing my itunes... rocks!  Thanks for all the suggestions.

Credit to Tom Hamlin on the sink cut. He advised me when we ordered but we didn't think to clarify when they replaced the counter. Our sink handle does not hit the window knob but Tom's does. I don't know if that is hit or miss or if the deliberately shifted the placement.

One other suggestion before hitting the road - shop now. I buy a lot online and you can set up to get packages while traveling but it is considerably easier to receive a package, test the item, and return or exchange it if needed while you are sitting in the comfort of your own home. We often don't know how long we'll be in one place and don't want to have to sit and wait for things to arrive, however, we also don't want to spend too much time wandering stores looking for that specific mounting bar that fit my bike (many stores, much aggravation, paid too much then it became a mangled mess when we got rear ended - arrrggg - that's ok, it killed the bike too so we decided the replacement will not need a mounting bar). That was just an example - finding the right grill is another and we are still working on that one. So, buy what you know you need. Hold off on storage/organizer bins since you have to fit those to your belongings and storage space.

2. Have them put a single kitchen facets with sprayer in. Have it put on the rear right corner of the sink. The facet they put in will hit the window crank.

I wish I had put in a single kitchen faucet with sprayer.  I have the original faucet still and it did hit the window crank but then I found that there are two sizes of window cranks and I had the longer shaft one installed.  PC replaced it with the shorter crank shaft and it doesn't hit the window crank at all.   I've seen the shorter shafts at many of the RV supply stores.

Someday Barry WILL install a different faucet for me!!!!

then side to side would work beautifully.

Mine is cut side to side and I can still turn on the water without any issues.  I often wonder why things work differently.  I wonder if sinks are a little smaller then they used to be or faucets are mounted a little further back.

Sue