New to RVing, help appreciated 2019 Intent 26M

[Big Boo]

My husband and I just bought our first RV (only tented previously). It is a 2019 Winnebago Intent.We hope to get out on our first trip in September. We have a lot of questions that have not been answered in the manuals, and are wondering if anyone knows of any forums or sites for Intents specifically?

2019 Winnebago Intent 26M

 

[sundog964]

Welcome to the forum. The Intent is very similar to the Vista models. If you put the details in your signature then people here will know specifically which model you are referring to.

You will get many great answers here for questions. When we bought our Vista in 2020 we had many unanswered questions and asking here, or searching was a life saver.

Enjoy!

 

[Morich]

I'm not an intent follower so this may not be the best place to start but it does look like lots of info and maybe a start to the trail?
https://www.winnieowners.com/forums/f263/for-all-intents-and-purposes-353677.html

Others may know lots more, so check back for better answers if not finding the "right stuff"!
Welcome to the group!

 

[creativepart]

Ask specific questions and you'll receive specific answers.

The Intent is a now discontinued entry level Class A motorhome with generally simple systems. Did your selling dealer give you a full run down of everything how it works, etc?

What would you like help with?

By the way, many RVs no matter the make or model work the same and even have the same components. It's not like you bought a Chevy and can only get info from Chevy owners. You bought and RV and can get loads of info from other RV owners.

YouTube is an excellent place to look for detailed how-to information. Look by system i.e. water, electrical, cooling, utilities, sanitation, etc, not by RV Brand. Discard any info you find that obviously doesn't apply to your Intent.

By the way... you didn't add a Signature to your Profile you just typed the info into your post. That post only. Here's how to add a signature that shows in all your posts:

 

[Big Boo]

Thanks for the info. On our minds right now:

Where is there support to mount an outside grill rail? Or for that matter, what are the walls made of?

Thinking about replacing the batteries with lithium, is this at all possible for DIYers?

Is the emergency escape window in the bedroom a one time deal in this MH?

 

[creativepart]

Where is there support to mount an outside grill rail? Or for that matter, what are the walls made of?

I see no mention of a BBQ grill and or mounts in any 2019 Intent manuals or brochures. Perhaps a previous owner installed the BBQ? The walls on the outside of your motorhome are thin and not suitable to mount just any old thing. The inside walls are pretty much the same. It's NOT like a house with studs 16" on center with thick cladding or drywall interiors. Command Hooks are a great option on the inside to hang things. Don't plan on installing new shelves anywhere.

When Winnebago is building the RV they know exactly where they want to install things and make that possible by building in heavy duty blocking into the structure where THEY expect things installed. They generally don't do anything like this for the whims of future owners. Though sometimes they will put a sticker on a wall to mark where there is blocking to install a TV.

Thinking about replacing the batteries with lithium, is this at all possible for DIYers?

Big complicated job that requires plenty of pre-planning and altering other systems. Certainly can be a DIY project but not a good newby project until you are farther along and have done a lot of research and planning. In other words, the batteries are not just drop in replacements... even if you see ads that say they are.

Is the emergency escape window in the bedroom a one time deal in this MH?

Nope, it just swings out and swings back and locks. There is no screen so it's not really a "window" to let in fresh air but many people use it as one.

 

[Morich]

We all feel the pain of being totally new to the RV world, as we were all new at some point. But now the new folks have lots more help thna even 20 years ago as so much is put online! And Winnebago does one of the best jobs of getting that info online for the motorhome group!

So maybe pointing out where to access all that info?

Winn home site:
https://www.winnebago.com/
I like to go to the owners tab at right side which takes you to a second site> that second page has a tub full of great info under the tabs at the left.
Owners manuals are often a place to start if you get the specific one for your RV but then there is a lot more info if we go further and look at a bunch of the diagrmas, etc.

One great one that I love is the interactive "parts catalog", not so much to order parts but just to look over what we bought and where they put a lot of stuff like the plumbing drains?
At the moment it seems to be down which usually means site maintenance and it should be back up shortly
https://catalog3d.winnebagoind.com/menu/Parts.htm


I like that one because I can see a lot of stuff like where the tanks are as well as have a list at right to tell me details like what size tanks, etc.

Do some looking and it can head off some real headaches when you get a better feel for what you have?

Best of luck in the new venture. Enjoy!

 

[creativepart]

One great one that I love is the interactive "parts catalog", not so much to order parts but just to look over what we bought and where they put a lot of stuff like the plumbing drains?
At the moment it seems to be down which usually means site maintenance and it should be back up shortly

Actually Richard, it's not actually "DOWN." what happened is on July 13th the SSL Security Certificate expired for that domain (web address). Somebody in the Winnebago internet department has been asleep at the switch submitting and paying for the renewal of the certificate.

To protect you, your web browser is setup to block sites with expired security certificates from you.

You can change your browser to WARN you when it encounters this error rather than BLOCK you. If you are set up this way you must manually accept the "threat" and then you'll see the page.

It's a quick and easy for the company to make this security certificate renewal and all will be well. It just take someone at Winnebago to be on the ball enough to not let these renewals run out in the first place. Kind of a very bonehead move on their part.

Plus, it's GNR at the factory starting this weekend and the entire company will be totally overloaded for the next 8 to 10 days.

PS. I sent an email to the head of that dept. Maybe it will get fixed.

 

[Morich]

Thanks for the info.
Not dead or out for work, just not worked on enough!
It's scary when I find that the army is doing a lot of recruiting to get techie to protect us from our enemies.
That brings the bigger question of who is going protect us from the techies!
I spent the last five years of what I considered my "main" career, just trying to shepard a bunch of folks who could read the books really well but had no idea of what they meant for really fixing anything!
We really do need both types, so each can watch the other!

 

[creativepart]

Got lucky, contacted the right person. They renewed the Certificate of other parts catalog domains but overlooked this one. I'm sure it will be taken care of right away.

 

[Big Boo]

Thanks, good news about the window.
We are thinking about adding a grill rail, possibly opening a hole in the back of the bathroom vanity to see what's in there. Adding support as needed inside the wall, and mounting the rail on the outside in that area. Thoughts?
The house batteries are about ready to be replaced, so we are considering lithium.

 

[creativepart]

We had travel trailers that had blocking built into the wall with a sticker on the side wall "BBQ Here".

Have you considered a bumper mount for a BBQ - they make such a thing.
https://www.billsbumperq.com/

Most of us... the majority of us?? Get a small BBQ like the Weber Q1200 and either a small folding table to put it on or the Weber Q Grill stand.

https://www.amazon.com/Weber-51060001-Q1200-Liquid-Propane/dp/B00FGEHG6Q

https://www.amazon.com/Weber-6557-Portable-Cart-Grilling/dp/B00FLRB0GK

With both of my TTs I had a Camco chrome grill that hung on a single rail but it absolutely needed backing inside the wall.

You know best what you want - I wouldn't do it - but good luck with your plan.

 

[Morich]

Thanks, good news about the window.
We are thinking about adding a grill rail, possibly opening a hole in the back of the bathroom vanity to see what's in there. Adding support as needed inside the wall, and mounting the rail on the outside in that area. Thoughts?
The house batteries are about ready to be replaced, so we are considering lithium.

Depending on how difficult to get a section off the inside, I might recommend doing some search for how the walls are apt to be put together!!
RV walls are certainly not build like house walls. Many Winnebago are more like a sandwich of outer conver, insulation and then an interior panel and all bonded together, rather than wood framing!


Then as they design and build the walls sections, they place extra support for what they have planned in certain spots!
That may mean that when you open a wall section to look, you will simply find the inside bonded to the next layer and so on with no real way to pull the inside off and look for studs or wood as there may not be much there!

The priority in RV is lightweight and able to resist all the things we put an RV though like bumps and twists that make many fasteners pull out. The adhesive and solid walls of mostly insulation are better than standard wood!

But not good for adding things like shelves for grills!

 

[Big Boo]

Thank you both for the insight.

 

[Morich]

A check of the ductwork at the vents may point to some form of blockage or leaking. Maybe a look there for anything you can see?
But one point to keep in mind is that we are living in a much hotter world than even ten years ago!
The real "inconvenient truth" may be that we have to stop doing the things we are used to doing in the way we always have!
Lots of people laughed at that old boy but it looks like it's coming true!