So much to learn.....

[eddie1261]

And only you folks online to learn it from. No web sites teach basic basics. A lot of things that I should know just by common sense, and not being a dummy, yet I am discovering them one at a time. I am sitting in the RV now, another session for the dog to get used to it, and I brought out a box fan and a laptop. I turned on the coach power, plugged them in, and nothing. So I thought "I wonder if my house batteries are dead. I went and turned on some of the lights. Nope. They are fine. But wait a minute. Those lights are 12v. That fan is 120v. Started  the generator and in about 45 seconds, the fan came on. So, by deduction, and a palm print in my forehead as I said "Duh. The generator has to be running for the 120v outlets to work. Geeze. You are smarter than this.", I learned another new thing that I should have known from the start. Now to figure out how long I have to run water with the bypass valve closed to fill up a 6 gallon water heater. And deduce if I have to do that every time I need hot water! I have no way to know if is full right now short of turning on the water heater but I don't want to mess with the propane just yet. I will do that soon here. I am still doing "I bet I can hang those pics with here behind the dinette and take down that mirror I will never use" kind of stuff. Building little wooden things for the kitchen, figuring out where my pot lids will go, putting in a wooden retaining system under the dinette to hold the computers in place..... no real "RV stuff" yet. But  it's coming. I have time to learn.

I mean it was a big accomplishment for me to buy a dump hose....  LOL!!

You folks have all been GREAT so far with sharing your knowledge, offering advice, suggestions, options..... loving this forum!

[SWharton]

You do know you  can go to Escapees Boot Camp or Escapees RV Univeristy(online). These would lessen the learning curve quite a bit. Going to Boot Camp allows you to ask all the questions you want.

By the way, once you have water in your HW heater your should be able to run it on propane or 120v.Make sure you have water in the heater before heating it up or you will be buying a new HW heater.

[eddie1261]

I'll be joining officially on the 1st when my money is refreshed and after that I will do the online boot camp. Right now I am experimenting with the ventilation, as it is 73 degrees and 38% humidity here in Ohio right now. Beautiful day and it is quite comfortable as I sit here feeling a nice breeze at the dinette table with my laptop I see I am either going to have to lower the table or raise the seat about 4 inches to be comfortable. Shouldn't be too difficult. Lower 4 brackets and shorten a leg. Or possibly just redesign it to not be part of an extra bed, as nobody is ever going to be visiting and need to sleep there.

Once I move back inside I will see how much I can learn about online bootcamp before joining.

See, that water heater info was exactly what I was talking about. A complete noob who does not ask questions may have just turned the water heater on and burned the element up because it is dry. That's the kind of stuff you guys know that noobs don't. And the dealership..... oy! They don't care.Once they got my money they forgot my name.

[SWharton]

There are free webinars on the Escapee site. I don't know if you have to be a member or not to view them. Don't forget you will need a mail forwarding service also.

[Phil Saran]

There are many people here on the forum who have web pages with a ton of info for you to absorb.

Good luck.

[sandsys]

There are lot of u-tube videos about RVing as well. Pick a subject and do a search. Blogs I recommend reading include Wheeling It, Technomadia, and Cheap RV Living. I've heard RV Dreams is really good as well but have never read it myself.

Linda Sand

[Sculptor]

Don't feel overwhelmed by this answer, that is not my intention.  Being in Ohio, you should be good for a couple of months still.  About November, get serious about winterizing your water system.  A better alternative would be to drive south to someplace it never freezes.   

If you decide to winterize the water system yourself, Youtube is a great way to learn as was said above.  Start watching Walmart and any stores that sell the gallons of winterizing fluid.  It's either red or pink, and clearly marked POTABLE.  (that's important)  You might see it on sale early.  If you wait until November it won't be on sale.  I have seen it as low as $2 or $3 and as high as $12 per gallon.  I have never tried Amazon for it.

 

It's a very easy operation.  I can only tell you how mine works so I won't be much help to you.  The first time on our camper, I took maybe 45-60 minutes reading and tracing plumbing.  The second time I think maybe 15 minutes.  I think I'm at 10 minutes now but I'm stiff and slow.

TURN OFF THE PUMP(S) AND THE WATER HEATER.  Disconnect the city water.

First: find all the ways to drain the fresh water out.  Second:  open them all.  Third: open all faucets to let air into the pipes.  Fourth: pull the lower plug on your water heater and open the overpressure valve, located toward the top of the water heater.

That is an overview of draining the system which I assume would be the same on any rig.  Running the redpop thru the lines and tanks will be different for each rig I think.  Anyone care to chime in here?

[SWharton]

Good summary of what you need to do. Make sure you turn off(so nothing flows into it) the HW bypass valve or all your antifreeze will go into the HW tank.

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

To tell if the water heater is full, turn on the water pump or connect to city water and turn on a hot water tap.  When the air is purged from the line- Spitting at the tap- the heater is full.  Remember though that unless you have your dump hose connected and the gray tank open, you are filling the gray tank when the water is running.

There are adapters that you can buy to give you limited power in your RV from your house.  You won't be able to run an AC, but a fan or 2 is no problem.  Look for 15amp to 30 amp RV adapter and or 30 amp to 50 amp.

[dirtyboots]

I've been at this not quite a year...and am still figuring things out.  I find it's a 'learn as you go' deal because there's no possible way to absorb everything.  The fellow who bought my property was very well versed in RVness, and spent time with me showing/explaining a lot, but as you say, there's so much!  Enjoy the journey and even when things go wrong (and they will) try to use the situation as a positive moment of enlightenment  

[Kirk W]

Don't worry about this new experience as most of us have gone through what you are now but in most cases, it was long enough ago that we have forgotten the learning experience. 

23 hours ago, eddie1261 said:

Started  the generator and in about 45 seconds, the fan came on. So, by deduction, and a palm print in my forehead as I said "Duh. The generator has to be running for the 120v outlets to work.

In many cases, even if you do have an inverter to provide 120Vac power when not connected to shore power or running the generator, it typically only supplies some of the outlets, most commonly the TV and entertainment equipment.

23 hours ago, eddie1261 said:

Now to figure out how long I have to run water with the bypass valve closed to fill up a 6 gallon water heater. And deduce if I have to do that every time I need hot water!

The way to test and see if there is water in your water heater is to just open one faucet for hot water after you have closed the water heater bypass. If you do not know the proper alignment of the valves in your bypass, you could post pictures of the bypass or ask someone nearby for help! Once you open the proper valves for the water heater to be supplied, all you need to do is to open a hot water faucet and let it run until it runs water without bursts of air and you will know that it has filled the water heater.

What the bypass does is to allow you to use your water system without any water in the tank of the water heater. If you lift the relief valve of the water heater while city water is connected and running and nothing (not air or water) comes out, you know that the water heater has not been filled.

Operating a bypass video

 Bypass explained

Realize also that there are two typical types of bypass. Some have a valve in the cold water entry, hot water exit and one in a crossover line between them. Others use a three-way valve at the cold entry and the cross connect line with both attached to the one valve and then only a single valve on the hot exit side.

 

[eddie1261]

6 hours ago, Kirk Wood said:

the proper alignment of the valves in your bypass

That part I am good on. That water line runs parallel to the floor, for lack of a better way to explain. The valve lever move from low right to up left, and when it is parallel to the line the water comes out of the tap. When the lever is vertical, or better stated perpendicular to the water line, the water stops. From there I deduce that the bypass is closed when that lever is perpendicular, and the tank is filling and not letting water out of it. Just like the natural gas line in my house. Lever parallel, gas going through. Lever perpendicular, gas not going through.

Right now though my problem is that the cranking battery does not hold a charge. Just texted with the previous owner and the battery is just 2 years old. Duracell series 65. I can run my generator for 3 minutes and it develops enough cranking amps to turn the engine over. I did that yesterday and let it run for 20 minutes so the alternator could charge it. This morning it was dead again, and another 3 minutes of generation charging brought it to cranking level. That leads my brain toward the alternator, but usually there is some kind of idiot light when the alternator is bad. The belt is tight. Very strange. I double checked everything and nothing is turned on to drain the battery overnight. There was a time in the past that I was not aware of the backup camera monitor being on and that ran it down every night. Plus I was only going out there every few days. That MAY have caused damage to the battery, but the fact that a few minutes on generator allows it to recover enough to start the engine makes me think not. I guess I will have to take it in somewhere and have them connect up a meter between the alternator and the battery and read the charge rate. I can't even squawk at the dealership on this one because I may have caused it. I also asked the previous owner if he had any issue like this, if he remembers when the defroster fan quit working, and why he traded it in for a new one almost the same size. If it was because he knew it needed more money put into it than he was willing to pay, THEN the dealership and I will do battle for non disclosure. I doubt it was that though, because he took really good care of it. I have a lot of his service records and receipts. I'll work it all out. I have time.

[Kirk W]

31 minutes ago, eddie1261 said:

Right now those my problem is that the cranking battery does not hold a charge.

If you have a battery charger, a good way to test that is to lift the negative battery cable and use the charger to make sure that it is fully charged. Once that is done, check the voltage after a 2 hour rest period with battery fully charged if you have a good digital meter. Now let it sit for 12 or more hours and check the voltage again. It should read about 13.6V the first reading and well over 13V the second if the battery is good. If you do not have either of these items, I would still charge it with your battery charger, then leave the negative cable lifted for at least 24 hours and see how it starts the engine. A good battery should hold the charge with the negative cable off for weeks. By lifting that cable you will know that there is nothing draining your battery and the problem is the battery.  Here is a link to some battery voltage charts that may be helpful. 

[Solo18]

You should be able to leave the shut-off valve on all the time, unless you are winterizing it.  I opened mine over five years ago and have never shut it off because I am full-timing and have never winterized my RV.

Also, you might want to see if you can get someone at a place that sells formica or other table top materials to replace the pedestal on the dinette table with one you can adjust. Many RVs have adjustable tables.  It might mean replacing the table, but is certainly doable.  In fact, if you are handy, you might be able to do it yourself.

[eddie1261]

50 minutes ago, Solo18 said:

Also, you might want to see if you can get someone at a place that sells formica or other table top materials to replace the pedestal on the dinette table with one you can adjust. Many RVs have adjustable tables.  It might mean replacing the table, but is certainly doable.  In fact, if you are handy, you might be able to do it yourself.

Actually this dinette doesn't have a pedestal. It has a heavy piece of wire connected to some hinge like device and 2 metal cleats. The side by the aisle balances on one leg. Since I will never use it as a bed, I can take that out and put in something that's a better fit for my application. I am only 5'7" and the table as it is strikes me now is like armpit high, so I have to either shorten the legs on the table or lengthen the legs on me. I will keep that tabletop for the unlikely occasion where I might need to turn that area into a low, level surface, but that would be more to set up a portable studio to rehearse if I decide to book a solo gig in a coffee shop somewhere. I was a hobby woodworker for about 10 years so I can build exactly what I want. Might even get fancy with a tabletop where half of it pivots for computer use!

[sandsys]

17 hours ago, eddie1261 said:

I am only 5'7" and the table as it is strikes me now is like armpit high, so I have to either shorten the legs on the table or lengthen the legs on me. 

I'm 5'4". I ordered my custom rig with a table height set for maximum ease of typing on my laptop. Then discovered I couldn't see the screen with it that low. The law of unintended consequences in action.

Linda Sand

[eddie1261]

4 hours ago, sandsys said:

I'm 5'4". I ordered my custom rig with a table height set for maximum ease of typing on my laptop.

Not only am I just 5'7" I am also a little fat guy who sinks into booths. So much so that when I go out to eat I always have to get a table with hard chairs because in a booth I sink down so far that the table is at armpit level. I suppose in some crude way I could make that work by just lowering my head and eating like a cow or a pig eats from a trough.... 

I did some designing last night. One option is that I would use 2 layers of 3/4" plywood. The top one would be cut in half and about 4 inches in from the top and side edges I will put something to act as a pivot point where I can lift that half of the table, pivot it 45 degrees, and rotate it to put the monitor where I need it. 

The other option would be to take that outer half, put a piano hinge on the end of it, and then when I need it extended I can just flop that hinged piece over. Still all on paper and I am thinking about it. Still working out how I want to moving parts to move.

 

[sandsys]

5 hours ago, eddie1261 said:

Not only am I just 5'7" I am also a little fat guy who sinks into booths. So much so that when I go out to eat I always have to get a table with hard chairs because in a booth I sink down so far that the table is at armpit level.

In some restaurants the hard chairs have curved backs that aren't wide enough for me. So, I just cope with sinking into a booth. I can't tell you how many times I have dragged a sleeve through some dish.

At home I have adjustable height chairs at the desk and table. But I still have to choose whether to have the table at a comfortable height or have my feet on the floor. No, I can't lower the table--Dave is 6'2" and his legs have to fit under that table, too. But, I sure do like his ability to reach things on high shelves.  

Linda Sand

[Kirk W]

On 8/26/2017 at 1:13 PM, eddie1261 said:

And only you folks online to learn it from. No web sites teach basic basics.

Actually, I have seen personal websites that try to give new folks all of the answers, but the problem with that is the fact that even if that "expert" is correct when they put their answers up, the best answer to many questions changes over time. Many things found in an RV may seem to be the same as they have always been, but technology is constantly changing and improving even in the RV world and sometimes is difficult to see. I have been RVing long enough to have experienced the new RV, believing that my previous experiences had taught me "everything" and then discover that I didn't know what was needed for something that had been modernized since I bought my previous one. For that reason, you may sometimes see one of us "old timer" members give what was once the best answer and one of the newer folks point out that things have changed. I learned many years ago that thinking I know all of the answers is a very dangerous thing to do.  

[eddie1261]

I hear you Kirk. What I need to know is stuff like "When I have to fill my water heater, how long does it take to feel 6 gallons of water to spurt through that pulsing pump? Will I hear any kind of audible clue, like the sound will change pitch when it's full?" (Which would be great for me with perfect pitch!!) "With cooking one meal a day on one burner of my 3 burner stove and using the oven almost never, how long should a 30 pound propane tank last me?" That kind of stuff that really only experience is going to teach me, One guy is a family of 5, another is a family of 3, and I am solo. All going to be different.

I DID lower my table to where it fits my needs. Had to drop the back brackets down 3 inches and saw off the leg and now it is laptop tested and keyboard approved!

 

[Kirk W]

5 hours ago, eddie1261 said:

"When I have to fill my water heater, how long does it take to feel 6 gallons of water to spurt through that pulsing pump? Will I hear any kind of audible clue, like the sound will change pitch when it's full?"

Actually, you can hear the water pump change pitch and slow down as it nears it shut-off pressure as it turns on and off via a pressure switch that senses pressure in the water line. Even then your water heater will not be full as you have to vent the excess air from it for the tank to fill, which means leaving a hot water faucet open until it stops blowing air or lifting the pressure relief until it shows water out. The faucet method is recommended. 

5 hours ago, eddie1261 said:

"With cooking one meal a day on one burner of my 3 burner stove and using the oven almost never, how long should a 30 pound propane tank last me?"

If you are in a place that you need no heat from the furnace, and you do use propane to heat your water, then you will likely find that it lasts for several months, but part of the question is how large your propane tank is. You can only fill one to 80% so it will never be the same as the listed capacity. We had a 24-gallon propane tank in our motorhome which gave us about 19 usable gallons of propane. I usually needed to fill it two or three times per year. 

[Ray,IN]

On 8/29/2017 at 8:16 PM, eddie1261 said:

Actually this dinette doesn't have a pedestal. It has a heavy piece of wire connected to some hinge like device and 2 metal cleats. The side by the aisle balances on one leg. Since I will never use it as a bed, I can take that out and put in something that's a better fit for my application. I am only 5'7" and the table as it is strikes me now is like armpit high, so I have to either shorten the legs on the table or lengthen the legs on me. I will keep that tabletop for the unlikely occasion where I might need to turn that area into a low, level surface, but that would be more to set up a portable studio to rehearse if I decide to book a solo gig in a coffee shop somewhere. I was a hobby woodworker for about 10 years so I can build exactly what I want. Might even get fancy with a tabletop where half of it pivots for computer use!

Your dinette is made to make into a bed, that's the purpose of the "heavy wire connected to some hinge like device". It hinges down and rests on a ledge on each bench that makes the table top level with the wooden benches on each side. The 4 cushions fit on top of the now-level bed pedestal.

If you alter either the height of table or wooden bench parts. you make the bed pedestal parts un-level. Now if you think you'll never need to use the dinette as a bed, all of what I said is moot. Go ahead and raise the wooden bench height to suit you. Moving the hinge will leave marks on the wall, raising the bench height may be undone without consequence later, as it is covered by the cushions.

[eddie1261]

Thanks for the input Ray. I did not alter the tabletop, so in the extremely unlikely situation where I would ever want it to be a bed, the tabletop is intact and can still sit on the rails of the benches. I removed all that pivoting hardware, and yes, it did leave a mark. A little putty and some contact paper will make that look presentable. I moved the top brackets that the table cleats snap into down 3 inches and then cut the support leg down 3 inches to make it level. Now my short little butt sits at the right height. Laptop tested, keyboard approved.

I can pretty much guarantee you that I will never need that as a bed, because I am such a loner and hermit that I can also say I doubt there will ever be anybody in that RV but me. I do hope the people at any campgrounds where I might spend a month understand that  I am just not social and it's nothing personal. Those roundups and rallies that are held in Arizona and things like that sound tedious and draining to an extreme introvert like me, so I'm good with an RV that sleeps one. (The over cab area will be where I store instruments and such.)

It's a running joke among my very small circle of friends that we only communicate by email and text now, so my being on the road will not change much with them! 

Thanks again for your thoughts.

[eddie1261]

So today I did some more testing and learning, and with the digital VOM that I bought I looked at my cranking battery to find it sitting at 8.6 volts. Now I haven't been a mechanic since the Army, but I am pretty sure the basics haven't changed THAT much where a battery that should be at 13.4 to 13.8 will crank a V10 engine with 8.6 volts. So I plugged it into my garage with the dogbone adapter I also just bought, and in 10 minutes that battery was at 13.46 and I revved him right up. Next step is to borrow my friend's battery charger and charge it up to see if there is any recovery left in the battery., If not, I need to replace it.

Also tested my outlets with the AC off and with the AC on, and found them to be right at 110 with the AC off (again, running on power from my garage) but 99 with the AC on. So, my experienced forumites, are those readings right?

Out to go back to shore power to test the fridge. The dealer told me to give it 2 hours to cool once I apply energy to it. Today I will test it on electricity. Tomorrow, propane. I do love learning, so this is fun!

 

[Barbaraok]

I'd just replace now