Introducing myself...oh, and HELP!!

[Mystical Mama]

This doesn't bode well...but I am not sure if I am an Escapee or an Xscaper...I am semi-retired, so yes, still working.  I am having trouble navigating the site but since I am here, I will take the time to introduce myself.  You all are Escapees - which means retired folks?

Single gal, 51, with 2 amazing tiny dogs named Bug n Bean.  I've been a lifelong renter and came to hate it.  This last time around was it.  I packed up my rental house here in Northern California (Grass Valley) and put everything in 2 storage units.  Since December of 2016, I have sold 50% of my belongings and am down to one 10x12 storage unit.  My "dream" TT (travel trailer) "showed up" on Monday and I am headed to Phoenix to buy it and have it shipped to Grass Valley.  It will be parked on the street, while I pack up and move out of my current granny unit and next Friday, it will be moved to our local Nevada County Fairgrounds RV Park for 4 days...then, onto a friends property.

You are correct - i do not have a tow vehicle as of yet!

Did I mention I am freaking OUT?  I literally know nothing about a travel trailer, hook ups, 12 V, 20 Amps, solar panels, 2000i Honda generators or black water tanks.

Here is my question:  What do I NEED ON DAY ONE in the RV park?  Consider, I have nothing but the trailer...oh, and it is hot here.  90's, so AC is a must.

 

Thank you in advance...here are my pups, Bug n Bean:

[Pat & Pete]

Don't freak ... 

While in Phoenix , have the PO give you a 5 cent education on the utilities and services that keep the unit 'alive and well' .

You'll likely forget half of that , but acquaintance is better than cold contact .

You can always ask whatever questions here . We'll do our best to help . 

And , remember : Keep Calm . Chive On .

Oh , neat guard dogs .

[Barbaraok]

If the owner gives you any 'walk through' on the operations of the systems, make sure to record it on your phone or take a video camera with you.  No matter how much you remember, you will miss quite a lot and a replay will save your day.

Almost all travel trailers will have an air conditioner - you didn't say how old, who the manufacturer is, etc.  It will probably already have a power cord, water hose, and some sewer hose for black (toilet) and gray (shower/sinks).   I would go ahead and get a new water hose just because it is a good idea (25 ft should do for most RV parks) and get at least one new sewer  hose for use at dump stations.   You can add more later as you figure out what else you need. 

I would suggest you make an appointment for a mobile tech to come out and go over your systems with you.   Yes, it will cost some money, but in doing so he will be able to show you how to determine battery conditioner, how to fill fresh water tank, dump waste tanks, check on your propane, check on your converter/furnace/refrigerator.  Again, video this for future reference.

What type of utilities will be available on your friend's property?

[Mystical Mama]

Is there any way to acknowledge you read a reply?

1 hour ago, Pat & Pete said:

 

Oh , neat guard dogs .

Best dogs ever

 

39 minutes ago, Barbaraok said:

 make sure to record it on your phone or take a video camera with you. 

I plan on it!

- you didn't say how old, who the manufacturer is, etc.  It will probably already have a power cord, water hose, and some sewer hose for black (toilet) and gray (shower/sinks).   I would go ahead and get a new water hose just because it is a good idea (25 ft should do for most RV parks) and get at least one new sewer  hose for use at dump stations.   You can add more later as you figure out what else you need. 

She's a Northwoods Snow River 246RKS...will I need blocks for when it arrives?

I would suggest you make an appointment for a mobile tech to come out and go over your systems with you.  

I met a local guy recently who has lived in a 5th wheel for 20 years and he is willing to help me.

 What type of utilities will be available on your friend's property?

Water for sure and maybe electricity during the day...still waiting to see

 

[Dreed917]

There are a lot of books on setting up in an rv park. Also many youtube videos. And in my experience if you need help in that rv park there are rver's that would love to do just that. 

Dave PleasureWay TD. 

[Mystical Mama]

8 hours ago, Dreed917 said:

There are a lot of books on setting up in an rv park. Also many youtube videos. And in my experience if you need help in that rv park there are rver's that would love to do just that. 

Dave PleasureWay TD. 

No doubt I will be reliant on other RVers!  Even the guy who takes money at the park gave me advice and a list of things to buy!  But, he was mostly concerned with my septic/toilet/black water situation - though, I kind of doubt I am brave enough to use my toilet since there will be a bathroom nearby...

 

I ordered the survival guide from this site.  I am staying at the RV park for 4 days to get acquainted with my trailer and make my transition from apartment life to full-time RVing.  After the 4 days, I will be living on a friends property while I look to buy land.  Her property has water but electricity is still an unknown and def. no septic.  I also do not have a way to haul my trailer by myself yet.

 

Since I plan on living on possible raw land for 1 - 2 years, any specific book or resource on the subject?

 

While I am at it - what is the difference between "boon-docking" and "off-the-grid"?

Peace, Maria B, Bug n Bean

[Kirk W]

Welcome to the Escapees RV Club and to the forums also. 

12 hours ago, Mystical Mama said:

I am not sure if I am an Escapee or an Xscaper...

Everyone in the club is a member of the Escapees RV Club! And we can be part of either unit or of both (as some members are). The Escapees began back in 1978 as a group of working families but over the years the majority of us have gotten to be past the age of retirement and so the emphasis had moved more to retired travel. A few years ago a second website was begun to provide things of more interest to the younger, still working,  RVers and also to families, since most of the members were by then grandparents. As such, you are a part of both groups and are free to spend time in whichever is of most interest to you or to move back and forth between the two. You may be interested to know that the club is a family owned business and the grandson of the founders is the current president, his parents having recently moved back to an advisory position. 

12 hours ago, Mystical Mama said:

Did I mention I am freaking OUT?  I literally know nothing about a travel trailer, hook ups, 12 V, 20 Amps, solar panels, 2000i Honda generators or black water tanks.

Not only would it be good to do as suggested and hire a mobile RV tech to come out and teach you when you get the trailer, but I also suggest that you start as soon as possible to read one of these RV Handbooks from Amazon books. 

11 minutes ago, Mystical Mama said:

While I am at it - what is the difference between "boon-docking" and "off-the-grid"?

Those are both terms that have very parallel meanings and since none of them are to be found in most dictionaries, the meaning will vary depending upon who is using the term.My favorite term is "dry camping" and with it I mean that you are staying in an RV with no connections to any type of utilities. Boondocking and off-grid are usually synonymous. Way back when I got my first RV we only used boondocking when referring to staying far out in places like national forests or BLM lands where there were no facilities of any kind but currently it can also mean staying in some parking lot in a city or most anywhere you might "dry camp."

[sandsys]

Acquiring your own land on which you can live in a trailer can be very challenging. You need a place with utilities but no zoning restrictions. Pretty hard to find. Then unless you plan to build a separate bath house, you will need to learn to dump your tanks so might as well learn that up front. Good luck as you learn all the things you will need to know. Most of us find it worth it.

Linda Sand

[JimK]

Sounds like you are buying new.  You should get a pile of manuals.  Read them.  You may forget a lot of what you read but even so you will know where to look for the issues that arise.

It also seems that you need to run an AC.  That means you need an electric hook up.   You can get by with a generator but that gets old fast due to the fuel consumption, maintenance and noise.  You are also going to need a  water supply and sewer hook up if you plan on staying at the same place for months on end.  I hope those are already in your plans. 

[Ron]

wheel chocks, leveling blocks, a carpenter's level ....   If you need to have AC and don't have electric hookups you'll need a 3 Kw generator and gas can to haul gas to generator.  If your friend/host has a way to connect you to electric you'll need a 30A connection and perhaps a 30A extension cord.

[Ray,IN]

If you do a search for "RVing checklists" you'll find more that you imagined, some will be useless, some invaluable, most you may modify to your needs as you progress in your new world. There will come a time when you'll combine the checklists you found useful, into one that fulfills your requirements.

[Mystical Mama]

Thank you - I have read each post but do not have time to respond to individual posts right now.  I realize there are a ton of resources out there (this membership being one of them) and the question that matters most is what do I need today (my trailer will arrive in 3 hours) and I believe the answer was provided above - wheel chocks, leveling blocks and a level.  Everything else can wait...

Now, my question is - where do I find this stuff in the next 3 hours?  I live in a small town and we have a KMart and a JC Penny as our 2 big stores.  Also, quite a few hardware stores.

I am headed out to a hardware store now to see if they have wheel chocks and if not, the KMart and if not, a few pieces of oak from a friends property!

 

peace, maria B, Bug n Bean

[Lou Schneider]

Don't freak out!  It's all pretty basic ...

1) A way to tell if the trailer is level (carpenter's level, a bowl filled near to the brim with water, a marble rolled across a countertop, etc.)   This is needed for comfortable living and to keep the refrigerator happy - it works on heat boiling a water and ammonia mixture and if it's off level it will stop cooling because the coolant won't be able to flow back to the boiler.

2) A hose to connect to the campground's water supply.  Get a white hose designed for drinking water, not a green garden hose.

3) A sewer hose to connect the trailer's drain to the campground sewer.

4) An electrical cord to plug into the fairground's electrical power.  It will have either a 3 pin 30 amp socket or a 4 pin 50 amp socket and your cord will have one of these plugs. You can get adapters to go from one to the other if needed, or to let you plug the trailer into a regular 20 amp socket for limited electricity.

Everything else you can figure out as you go along.  Wheel chocks are nice to help stabilize the trailer from rocking back and forth, but unless you're on a serious grade it's not going anywhere once the landing gear pads are on the ground.

 

 

[Kirk W]

On 6/30/2017 at 6:31 PM, Mystical Mama said:

What do I NEED ON DAY ONE in the RV park?

Lou gives good advice, but I'd also add a water pressure reducer and water filter just for insurance. You should be able to get all of those at Kmart, or at least their website lists, water hose, sewer hose, water filter, pressure regulator, and several other things that might be nice to start with. To use that sewer hose you will need two fittings, both listed at Kmart. 

[Mystical Mama]

Thanks again for the advice - I learned a thing or 2 about leveling today - not sure I have it quite down yet.  The level I bought was cheap and each side shows something a little different.  The level on the tongue jack is a circular level (never saw it before) and it is not quite bullseye but not on the side like where it started.  

Q - how "off" can the level be and your fridge will still be okay?

I will go buy better levels and put one in the fridge and one for the door frame.

Q - how can I run a fan in there with no power?  

A friend told me about an inverter...how does it work and how quickly can I get one and how quickly will a 20" box fan drain it?  

Hopefully, the local RV store will be open tomorrow (crap shoot due to the 4th of July).  I have propane hooked up for my fridge and my batteries are full.  I have a fantastic fan in the ceiling vent of the bedroom and I had it on for about 10 minutes at 8 pm but it was still over 90 degrees in the trailer and I was pouring sweat.  How long can I run that and do I assume that is pulling from the batteries as well?

I am not going to make it til Friday without some kind of power so I need to possibly get a small solar panel asap

Q - what size portable solar should I buy?

Whew!  What an exhausting yet exhilarating day!

Peace, Maria B, Bug n Bean

[Yarome]

43 minutes ago, Mystical Mama said:

Q - how "off" can the level be and your fridge will still be okay? 6 degrees.. or 1/2" rise per 3'. It's actually QUITE a lot and your reefer will be fine. Buying a seperate level really isn't necessary.. as mentioned earlier. A cup of water, a pencil on the table, etc. will get you well within adequate level.

Q - how can I run a fan in there with no power?  Extension cord. Either directly or using a 30amp to 20amp adapter.

A friend told me about an inverter...how does it work and how quickly can I get one and how quickly will a 20" box fan drain it? An inverter uses 12v battery power to invert to 120v AC. The questions would be more... "how quickly will a box fan drain your battery/ies." I would definately recommend holding off on an inverter. They aren't exactly cheap and require installation.

How long can I run that and do I assume that is pulling from the batteries as well? Yes. It depends on your battery/ies capacity.

I am not going to make it til Friday without some kind of power so I need to possibly get a small solar panel asap. Are you not able to run an extension cord to your rig? A standard extension cord with the appropriate adapter can be used. It will only provide 15amps or so, but it will at least keep your converter running, your battery/ies from getting low, and can handle a box fan with no issue.

Solar should really be something "further down the road" and can be quite entailed.

 

[sandsys]

If you do decide you want solar the quickest way to get it is what called suitcase solar. You can read about it here: http://www.cheaprvliving.com/electrical/renogy-portable-suitcase-solar-panel/

Linda Sand

[Kirk W]

I'll add a couple of comments to what Yarome posted. 

they aren't as critical today as they once were but closer is better. 

8 hours ago, Mystical Mama said:

Q - how can I run a fan in there with no power?

You can't. You can either run a cord from a nearby power outlet or you will have to buy a 12V fan and those are available from most RV or auto stores. But keep in mind that you will run your battery down if you use too many things on it and refrigerator will stop too when that happens. The refrigerator uses propane as a primary energy source but it requires 12V power from the battery to operate the controls. Your lights also come from the battery as does the ceiling vent fan. The length of time that you can use these things without some source of outside power will depend on how many batteries you have and what capacity batteries they are. 

8 hours ago, Mystical Mama said:

I am not going to make it til Friday without some kind of power so I need to possibly get a small solar panel asap

Q - what size portable solar should I buy?

There is nothing at Camping World that doesn't require installation which will supply enough to be worth your money or meet your needs. You would be much better off to go to Lowe's or Home Depot and buy enough extension cord to reach your house and connect to an outlet there. Lowe's have a 10 gauge, 100' long cord for $150 that will handle the job if you are close enough. Get the largest gauge cord available in enough length to reach as you need to have outside power. 

[Mystical Mama]

Guys, my coach is parked across the street and up the hill - a few hundred feet away.  But, I think the "across the street" part is what matters bc I'd have cars running over the extension cord all day.  

Q - Do you still advise an extension cord?  

Also, my batteries are 2 12V and I am pretty sure they are connected pos/pos/neg/neg - which as I understand, gives more capacity.  I checked battery levels today and still full.

Q - What is the worst case if I drain my batteries before Friday (when i get to the RV Park)?

I might try the 12V fan as I have an outlet in the kitchen.

Since I am living in my trailer, this issue of no electricity is going to come up over and over.  I am planning on getting generators eventually (soon) but for now, I need to make it work without.

Q - any other energy source options I am missing?

The cost of an inverter is not prohibitive.  i got a wicked good deal on my coach and now have the money to accessorize it so it is comfortable

Q - I have a 30 amp to 15 A converter (not 20) as I was told that 15A is typical household plug so what does a 20 A plug look like?

Q - do i also need a 30 A to 20 A converter?

Thanks so much!  

Peace, MM and BnB

[Pat & Pete]

Maybe rent a generator from one of the u-rent-it places or borrow one form ... 

[Yarome]

2 hours ago, Mystical Mama said:

Q - Do you still advise an extension cord?  Rather then "jumping" into complicated installations and expensive equipment to resolve a momentary need, yes. Getting into the inverter and/or solar game can be a costly "redo" if you purchase NOW and later find that they don't meet your long term needs. KWIM?

If it were me, with a short term need like that, I would approach a neighbor closest to your rig (and on the other side of the street). Offer them a "fair" compensation to plug into one of their exterior home outlets. It never hurts to ask and explore creative options.

Q - What is the worst case if I drain my batteries before Friday (when i get to the RV Park)? Depending on the age and condition they are in, affects would run from "slightly diminishinging their life" to "significantly killing them off". If you were to drain them to the point that your interior lights began to dim, then disconnect them, and recharge within a day or two, the "hit" would be minimal. 

You are correct on the wiring and capacity, however, there is a big difference from 2 x 80ah 12v's and 2 x 220ah 12v's.

I might try the 12V fan as I have an outlet in the kitchen. From the sounds of it, it's likely that none of your local stores would carry a 12V box fan. This particular one is, arguably one of the best on the market.

Q - any other energy source options I am missing? Yes. I see Pat & Pete covered renting a genny.

The cost of an inverter is not prohibitive.  i got a wicked good deal on my coach and now have the money to accessorize it so it is comfortable. Having an inverter "can" be a good option. You really need to understand your energy requirements before taking that step though.. and if you are planning on having hookups for the foreseeable future... worthless to you once you are on hookups.

Q - I have a 30 amp to 15 A converter (not 20) as I was told that 15A is typical household plug so what does a 20 A plug look like? Same animal. Considered a "20amp plug" end "type" (3 prong). Some will say it's a 20amp.. because it is, but home breaker boxes are likely to limit the amount of current it will allow to 15amps. It just depends on what size of breaker that particular outlet is wired to.

 

[Yarome]

2 hours ago, Pat & Pete said:

Maybe rent a generator from one of the u-rent-it places or borrow one form ... 

Sounds like the best, most cost effective option for your particular situation. (providing no neighbor is close enough or willing to let you hook in for reasonable renumeration.)

Either that or "ride it out" on your batteries and see how far they will take you.

One additional MASSIVE plus for renting a genny? AIR CONDITIONING!! 

[Mystical Mama]

Thanks Yarome!  I have started a thread in the fulltimers forum bc I do not have any current plans to travel or to live in an RV park so off-grid is what I am expecting for the next 1-2 years.  Therefore, the inverter is (I think) a necessity as I only want to use my future generator for AC in the summer and emergencies otherwise.  I dislike the noise and smell and can't see running one all the time if there is a workaround.  In the winter, rainy season...my solar panels will be obsolete so I want to maximize them for  3 seasons.

I found a local guy who is having me do my HW and generate a list of my energy needs for both summer and winter and he will put together a system for me that will meet and exceed my needs and wants.  So, I am doing my HW now bc in a few days, I will be off grid and need fans running the whole time!

Is there anything else I can do to help insulate my trailer?

i placed 2 large (8 ft x 2 ft) panels of foil-backed insulation on the roof of my TT just to see if they make a difference...any other ideas?

Once I am on my own land, I will have a "carport" to go over the trailer but while I am on others land, I will not have that luxury.  I have 3 very full months of hot summer coming up and no plans to leave for cooler climes so I must maximize the ability to keep it cool any way possible!

Peace, MM and BnB

[Big5er]

People have said to "rent" a generator. For running fans plus a little, why not just buy a small Honda or Yamaha generator? Or for a bit less $$ try a Powerhouse generator.

I have a Powerhouse PH3100Ri that I was given to "run it hard and see how it does". It powers 1 A/C well enough. It won't run the A/C and the microwave at the same time but it works well enough if you don't overload it. It's not as quiet as a Honda or Yamaha but for the cost, its not a bad unit. 

 

[Mystical Mama]

2 minutes ago, Big5er said:

People have said to "rent" a generator. For running fans plus a little, why not just buy a small Honda or Yamaha generator? Or for a bit less $$ try a Powerhouse generator.

I have a Powerhouse PH3100Ri that I was given to "run it hard and see how it does". It powers 1 A/C well enough. It won't run the A/C and the microwave at the same time but it works well enough if you don't overload it. It's not as quiet as a Honda or Yamaha but for the cost, its not a bad unit. 

 

Thanks!  I will take all of the generator-related suggestions eventually but in the next 1-3 weeks, I will not have one.  So, I am looking for off grid, no generator ways to stay as cool as possible with no AC.

peace, MM and BnB