New Solitude 310GK

[Retired wrench]

Hi Everyone,
Just moved into our 2023 Solitude 310 GK. We've been RVers for about 35 years, so we're pretty familiar with most of the systems. The dealer's pre-delivery service left a lot to be desired. The service manager actually told me they ignore cosmetic issues and he personally knows little about RVs. I might need some help pairing the TPMS to the display module. Overall we love the floor plan and all the new features, particularly the stove, refrigerator, and water heater.
Retired Wrench

 

[Spartacus]

Welcome to the forum and congrats, we look at one and love the floor plan.

 

[WhittleBurner]

Welcome from the wife of another retired wrench ! Good floorplan! Sounds like you got a questionable PDI for sure. I hope the service is better than the attitude.

Get out there and give it a good voyage and enjoy!

 

[Retired wrench]

Thanks for the welcome. We love the floor plan and all the features, but some issues have revealed themselves. Yesterday the gray water tank under the shower leaked into the belly. Apparently Blue Compass of ABQ noticed this during the pre-delivery because instead of fixing the leak they drilled holes in the coroplast. I usually fix minor issues with a new RV myself, but the list is growing. If anyone with a 301GK who has dealt with the bathroom gray tank could share some advice on access, it will be appreciated.

 

[triplethreat]

Thanks for the welcome. We love the floor plan and all the features, but some issues have revealed themselves. Yesterday the gray water tank under the shower leaked into the belly. Apparently Blue Compass of ABQ noticed this during the pre-delivery because instead of fixing the leak they drilled holes in the coroplast. I usually fix minor issues with a new RV myself, but the list is growing. If anyone with a 301GK who has dealt with the bathroom gray tank could share some advice on access, it will be appreciated.

That ^^^^ drilling holes in the Coroplast to "solve" the water leak is despicable at best, and Grand Design should be notified about the dealer and it's "best practices" on repairing a leak. I do believe the <<<fill in your own blanks here>>> alleged "Service Manager" and I would have to have a chat, along with the owner of the business. I'm not sure that I could withhold my anger about their repair inadequacies when it comes to service/repair/warranty issues. Having said that, I do realize that it is always a better first step to be calm and under control, but firm, when approaching situations like that.

 

[traveldawg]

Welcome aboard! With your previous experience I'll guess you aren't new to the kinds of issues that will come up during the early life of the RV. But the attitude of a lot of folks in the sales and supply chain and pace at which they push these things out the door are certainly a change from the past.

None-the-less, from one 310GK owner to another, I think you like what you got when all the bugs get worked out.

 

[Soundsailor]

Hi Everyone,
Just moved into our 2023 Solitude 310 GK. We've been RVers for about 35 years, so we're pretty familiar with most of the systems. The dealer's pre-delivery service left a lot to be desired. The service manager actually told me they ignore cosmetic issues and he personally knows little about RVs. I might need some help pairing the TPMS to the display module. Overall we love the floor plan and all the new features, particularly the stove, refrigerator, and water heater.
Retired Wrench

Welcome to the forum, this is a great place to exchange knowledge with fellow GD owners.

 

[brandtb1919]

Thanks for the welcome. We love the floor plan and all the features, but some issues have revealed themselves. Yesterday the gray water tank under the shower leaked into the belly. Apparently Blue Compass of ABQ noticed this during the pre-delivery because instead of fixing the leak they drilled holes in the coroplast. I usually fix minor issues with a new RV myself, but the list is growing. If anyone with a 301GK who has dealt with the bathroom gray tank could share some advice on access, it will be appreciated.

When I first got our 310, I crawled around behind the basement wall to see where I could get some extra room. Just for the heck of it I checked the nut on the shower drain and it wasn't even finger tight. Luckily we hadn't used it yet, it certainly would have leaked down the pipe into the belly. Perhaps something simple like that on yours?

Brian

 

[Retired wrench]

Thanks for the info. When we get home I'll check the top of the tank and the shower nut. Unfortunately, I think I'm going to have to drop the coroplast to replace the insulation if it's typical fiberglass batting. If anyone knows otherwise please let me know.

 

[brandtb1919]

Thanks for the info. When we get home I'll check the top of the tank and the shower nut. Unfortunately, I think I'm going to have to drop the coroplast to replace the insulation if it's typical fiberglass batting. If anyone knows otherwise please let me know.

Yep, it is. Find that leak first, otherwise it's a lot of wasted work!

Drilling holes to let the water out..... that's crazy to me for a dealer to do.

 

[Retired wrench]

That's just part of it. If I told you the rest you wouldn't believe me.

 

[LMagelitz]

Thanks for the welcome. We love the floor plan and all the features, but some issues have revealed themselves. Yesterday the gray water tank under the shower leaked into the belly. Apparently Blue Compass of ABQ noticed this during the pre-delivery because instead of fixing the leak they drilled holes in the coroplast. I usually fix minor issues with a new RV myself, but the list is growing. If anyone with a 301GK who has dealt with the bathroom gray tank could share some advice on access, it will be appreciated.

Well, I overfilled our bathroom gray tank, and it leaked around the donut where the pipe goes into the top of the tank. Yes, it would be best to drop the coroplast and get the batts out of there to dry. It’s not a terrible job, as this is the drop-deck portion. The black tank is on the right in the pic, the bathroom gray is on the left. I added another support under both tanks while I had it down, figuring that plastic will only take the stress for so long before it gives up. There was only one support under our tanks. The pic below is before I added a second support nearer the drains.

 

[Retired wrench]

So, it's been a few days since the gray water leaked. I accessed the top of the tank and the bottom of the shower through the handy access panel in the pass through storage area. The nut on the shower drain was tight, and the pipes going into the top of the tank are secure. I got about 1/2 of a turn out of each of the inline trap nuts. I ran the shower for about 5 minutes and saw no leaks. I wonder if it only leaks when the tank is full and water backs up into the drain? I think I'll wait until the tank is near full again and have the wife take a long shower while I observe the drain and the vent pipes. The insulation seems to be okay. It's not the pink fiberglass I'm familiar with. It's white.

 

[Retired wrench]

I checked the shower nut and the vent pipes. They look okay. The online traps were a little loose, I got about 1/2 turn out of them.Keeping an eye on it for now. Although I have a lot of experience boon docking, this is my first experience with an inverter and solar panels. We're currently in a AZ State Park with no hook-ups. The 2023 301GK has a 12 volt refer. So far the solar panels seem to be keeping the batteries up (I added one to the system), with a little help from my Honda 2200. I have the inverter turned off. The problem is the igniter on the range requires 110 volts. We can light the burners with a match, but the oven pilot isn't accessible that easily. Is it okay leave the inverter on while running the generator for two hours?

 

[nedbrandt]

Congrats on your model. Great model. We also have 310GKR. If yours has the residential refrigerator, there could be two problems. One, the latch does not stop the freezer from opening up. We found a great latch on Amazon. I can send link if you need. If it comes open, it will dent the door and the weight could pull the whole frig out. This happened to us. GD had to replace the doors and remount the entire frig back in. It's really a bad design. Love the frig though. Also check your hydraulic levelers. All of mine where lose. I had to tighten ever one of them down correctly. Next, watch out for your island. again, bad design. There are only a few wood screws holding it up. Two in the front, two in the rear. I went in to the front and rear and added metal plates to hold it secure. Next, on the slide the kitchen is on, the headboard worked lose and completely fell down. Scratching the refrig and made a mess of things. I recommend watching both sides carefully. I went around with finishing gun on both sides and resecured properly. On my last trip the front recliner completely came lose and was out in the hallway. Again, only 2, (two) wood screws holding the recliner down. Roads in California are bad for coaches using glue and staples. Good luck. Enjoy.

 

[Retired wrench]

Thanks for the comments. Our Solitude is a GK, no R. So it has the 12 volt refer. My primary question is; should I leave the inverter on all the time, even though we're allowed to run a generator for two hours twice a day in an Arizona State Park? Right now we're getting by on the two 330 watt solar panels feeding two Group 27 wet batteries, and running the generator when allowed. When the generator is off, the ignitors on the range are inoperative, as is anything else which requires 110 volts.

 

[nedbrandt]

Maybe a solution. We camp a lot where generators are the devil. Because they use gas and create sound. So I went to solar. I have 1300 watts on top with 3, 300 amh lithium. Instead of a generator, i installed a 4000 watt pure sine inverter. I connected the inverter into the wiring where the generator would be connected. So when I turn on this inverter, the entire coach is now powered up. It works great. The coach will even switch back and forth perfectly when I connect or disconnect from shore power.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

Are you sure about that 3,000 amh lithium? That's like 15 200 amh batteries.

 

[nedbrandt]

You are correct. Too many zeros. Its three 300 amp hours. total of 900 amp hours. Thank you. That would be damn heavy up front.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

Yeah, it sure would have added up.