slackercruster

On 5/24/2021 at 1:08 PM, 2gypsies said:

OP:  Do you have other windows open or your door?  Whatever you do you'll need to treat your other screens. They aren't just coming through your roof vent.  They were so bad in Florida once that we had to leave.

I'm wondering if you know what a sewer fly looks like.  If the vent is by your bathroom perhaps that's what you're seeing rather than 'seeing no see-ums'. 😁

I got everything closed. Toilet is cassette toilet and closed unless in use. I bought some noseeum screening on Amazon. Taped it over vents inside cabin. Seemed to work OK. But only tested one night. I will give it a big test in July for more time.

On 6/16/2021 at 1:31 PM, RV_ said:

Sowing no pressure after a day is normal.

Mix up a soap solution: https://www.hunker.com/13417536/how-to-make-leak-detection-soap and spray it on the cylinder valves where they go in the cylinder, the handle stem where it goes in the valve, the pigtail/hose connectors and hose ends as well as the attachment points of the regulator. Look for bubbles, R&R.

If no leaks then take the propane cylinders in and have them weighed for content. They may be empty.

If the cylinders (tanks) were bought new were they purged?

15 minutes is enough time to detect a leak.

Here's my article on leak testing:

 Checking for propane leaks.

It is easy to test your systems for leaks if you suspect one or smell propane occasionally and want to check your system.

On your regulator, most have a pressure indicator that is green on a tank/cylinder with propane pressure, and turns red when empty. This can be used as an easy way to check for leaks, even small ones, that need attention, according to the good folks at Marshall Gas Controls, the largest RV propane equipment manufacturer at the time in the US.

1. Turn all gas appliances inside the rig off. This especially includes any pilot lights.

2. Open the valve on the cylinder/tank and wait till the regulator indicator shows green.

3. Turn the valve on the cylinder/tank off and wait 15 minutes.

4. If the indicator is still green, you are within limits.

Notes on above:

1. Many think that if 15 min is good, longer is better and that is not true in this case. Propane controls all along the system do have allowable, minute leakage to the outside, which is well below any ignition thresholds or danger. Not enough to smell or to set off alarms. If you leave the system for much longer you may observe the green turning red, and that is normal.

2. This is a screening test only. It should detect even small leaks that need attention. However, if you continually smell propane odorant, and can't find the source, see a service technician immediately."

 

Hope that helps.

 

Thanks for all the feedback. I'm wondering if the big plastic connectors to the propane tanks at the valve are leaky?

I will test the 15 minute rule and see.

(2) Living in an Epic Truck Camper Built for Off-Grid Overland Adventures | FULL TOUR - YouTube

That type of living is for bohemians or young kids or broke. 

I've lived rough for some time. Now I'm near 70 and like a little comfort.

I got a 12 yo TC, moved up from an early model rusted out Aliner. If lotto cooperates I will get a small but cushy class C...with AC.  It is hard cooking in the summer when rig is 90 degrees inside. Cooking brings it over 100 degrees....short cooking.

Yes, OP, more or less agree. I urban boondock 95% of the time. Only time I've stayed in CG's were at the diving springs in FLA and when I worked in NYC and stayed at Liberty Harbor RV in Jersey City.

Liberty Harbor is fine for me except for the price. I think it is $85 for no hook ups and $120 a day for hook ups. I could live fine at Liberty Harbor if it was affordable. They had a new manager come on board and was trying to impress the owner, so he jacked up prices across the board. If you forget to sign out when leaving it is a $40 charge. Don't know if that is standard or not. And for the cheapskate you can pitch a tent at Liberty Harbor for $75 a day.

Generally I get up, go to work, came back late and go to bed. No time ever for TV, so I don't care what they got at a CG. Do that 7 days a week until I leave.

When on the road I get up early, drive all day and pull in someplace hopefully before midnight and go to bed. I get up in the AM and hit the road. So a CG with amenities is a waste for me.

Hate Microsoft and their forced updates. I liked Windows 7 or anything other than 10.

I had one in my TC above the bed. In the summer the shade got to be 120 degrees. I measured with an IR thermometer, so know the temp. I painted it white on the roof and stuffed with some insulation inside and covered it with foil insulation. Terrible idea. And freezing cold in the winter too. Plus wasps got in it somehow.

There must be a small leak. When I shut down both tanks, in a day or so, the indictor goes from green to red. I don't smell anything in the RV, just in and near the door.

I was told when I bought my rig that we all share the water and electric door key. And the main cabin door key on top is a shared key and the deadbolt lock below it is a special key that is not shared. 

Don't know if what I was told about the cabin door is true, but ran across this site today that supports the rest of the lock sharing claims. 

https://shoprvlocks.com/

On 6/6/2021 at 6:11 AM, noteven said:

That's how you are supposed to title a drama post, right?

Anyways, it happened. 

My Honda 2000 had a rejected start. I pull him 20 times he says "Nope." 

Primed the cylinder and it runs on full choke only. 

I sez: "DANG it!"

That will learn me for not draining the gasohol and getting straight synthetic gas (I use Aspen) into it before storage last fall. 

 

 

Dumb clickbait title. 

If you don't use it for a while gotta drain it dry...even the carb bowl if you got one. Begin in haste...repent at leisure. Can't shortcut it. 

https://www.phoenixusarv.com/

They run $140k - $200k. So just fantasy for now....just like Lazy Daze.

On 6/7/2021 at 12:56 AM, rynosback said:

I think it is going to happen faster then you think. 5-10 years you more the. Likely will not be able to buy a combustion engine car and pick-up. Might be 15 for semi’s. 

Where are all the apartment dwellers going to charge up? Extension cords out their windows? It would destroy America.

On 5/30/2021 at 9:04 PM, Zulu said:

Actually, it should be titled "The future of Class A Diesel Pusher RVing . . . "

And this companion piece . . .

From Horse Dung to Car Smog

Yes, that is right.

I'd never buy a Class A bus. I'd crack it up in no time. My dream is a moderate to small size Class C.

I had read diesel is better for survival than gas as diesel is easier to store safely in bulk. But then read all the horror stories of diesel problems with dirt and water in it. Anyway, Class C or diesel is not in my future until I hit the lotto.

The no see em bugs come through my vent screens on the rooftop powered vent. Any suggestions for adding temp protection to the vents for summer use? 

Impressive. Looks $$.

I don't know anything about them, but I heard someone talking about a mobile hotspot for internet access. I looked them up on Amazon. From a quick search it looked like they are for phones. I have no smart phone, all I have an old school  $85 a year cheapo Tracfone from Walmart. Is there a website for beginners to learn about how to set up a hotspot for computers? Is is affordable (like home internet) or do you need expensive gear?

Thanks

Thanks for the info Kirk, it may help decipher the worn out label # on the plastic cover.  It looks like it, but mine may be a little bigger.

I was able to unplug the burned out wires that were shown in the photos I posted, so learned about removing them. Is it common that the wires overheat? I will try the vacuum you recommended in the chimney. I had bugs in there at one time and put a screen on it to keep them out. The screen worked as far as I can tell.

On 3/28/2021 at 1:44 PM, bigjim said:

I admire your organizational skills and if that makes you happy what more can you ask?  Not being at all critical but that would make me crazier than I already am.  Just being nosey I wonder  what you did in your work life. 

Hey, some people don't RV...they got private jets!

I used to stay at Liberty RV Jersey City for my NYC trips before the corrosive virus hit. They had a beautiful Class A bus, brand new on maiden voyage and it got sideswiped the entire length coming into the campgrounds. The guy was rich and didn't seem to care.

That is one of the few time I have to stay at a campground...when I worked in NYC. I used to pay $75 a day and park in their gravel parking lot for the boats. It was a good opportunity to see the rich and the poor RV'ers. I' think it is $85 a day to boondock there now and $120 with full hookups.

Early in my days there I had a van as a neighbor with 2 young teens, a mom and granny all 4 living in a old van. (regular van, not RV van.)  They were from the Carolinas and said they come up once in a spell to get the big city fix out of their system. The little girl asked if I had a cup or a bowl for their puppy to have some water. It was pretty sad. But they didn't break in while I was gone working...so they were good neighbors!

If I ever come into some $$ I'd buy a Lazy Daze or cheap Class C, smaller size. I liked to ski in VT, but it rusts out the RV, so quit. So maybe I would not want to rust out a Lazy Daze or maybe if rich enuf I would not care? Lotto will have to decide that. I may only be rich enuf to rust out cheap class C's.

Another time they had a Airstream mini convention there. Wooo...what nice rigs the Airstreamers have! You see all sorts there...rich to poor. 

On 3/28/2021 at 4:44 PM, Dutch_12078 said:

Some years back we used to pretty much wing it with little pre-planning beyond pointing the rig down the road and seeing where we were later in the day when it was time to stop. Did that for years, but times have changed and now we have state park reservations several months into next year to insure we have places to park when we get to southern GA and FL for next winter. Our holiday weeks for this summer and fall are all booked as well at our preferred state parks. The rest of our time will mostly be spent at our private sites in NY and VT. We'd really rather go back to "the good old days", but I don't see that happening any time soon...

Yea, first part is how I roll. I guess if I stayed at parks I'd have to make reservations as well. Heard on TV this morning you need reservations just to drive into Yosemite for the day now.

On 3/27/2021 at 7:21 PM, whj469 said:

All of my RV trips are well planned with reservations. I don't even like to stay for one night anywhere.

Boondocking is not for you. With urban boondocking you never know where your bedding down for the night.

I got a little tuck camper. So I use motel parking lots a lot. I used to ask, now just pull in at midnight and bed down. 

Columbus OH was a problem with finding hotel / motels parking lot to bed down in. But eventually found one.

Depends where you run it. Places I go to, they don't think much of it. Lots of people wasted or spread out. I only run it for 2 - 3 hours every few days to charge the battery. And it is quiet little Yamaha.

If you drive every day your battery gets charged and you don't need to run the gen. (usually) But this is all for a little truck camper with no A/C. The big riggers will do it differently. 

On 5/19/2021 at 12:52 AM, 2gypsies said:

The best way to try dry camping is to fill your tank with fresh water and empty the grey and black.  Then go to a RV park with hookups.  Yes, you'll be paying a higher price (hookups) to test this out but it will give you a very good idea how long you can go.  You'll have the option of plugging in and filling/dumping when you run out your dry camping experiment or when you chicken out. 😁

We dry camped 95% of our 16 years of full-timing - in public parks with no hookups and on public lands - BLM, forest service, etc.

We had 105 gal fresh tank; 65 grey; 45 black.  We had 300w solar.  We could last 12-14 days.  The grey tank was our limiting factor and we never filled the black tank. Therefore, we dumped our dish water in the black to save space in the grey.

To be successful you need to conserve.  Don't leave the water running.  Showers: wet down, turn off water, soap up, rinse.  Dishes: we usually did them every other day. We wiped them with a wet, used paper towel and stored in dishpan under the sink.  A fry pan and a vegetable pot can be used over again.  We usually grilled outdoors.  Toast? Butter the bread & plop in the fry pan. Excellent!  Our coffee pot was a stovetop perculator which made awesome coffee.  We had an inverter so could use the microwave for heating up.  We stayed by elevation so never needed AC.  The Fantastic fan cooled the RV down great, if needed.  Just opened a couple windows slightly for cross breezes.  Block the sunny side windows and the huge windshield from direct sun.

Why we did it?  We enjoy the quietness and peaceful nature surroundings; many time on a river or lake. We don't need a clubhouse or activities. We walk, take hikes, explore.

Definitely try it!

105 gallons fresh...that it a swimming pool!!

I got 15 gallons fresh and 4 gallons or so in the hot water tank.  But I carry +/- 60 gallons of water in bottles in the front box and some in the cab. 

My box is bigger than this, but you get the idea.

Edit...

Made mistake as to capacity.

Fresh water is 20 gal

Hot water is 6 gal

Grey tank is 15 gal. 

10 hours ago, Chad Heiser said:

It really comes down to how you are willing to live.  Personally, I would prefer an inverter/battery/solar set up for dry camping, but you can do it with a generator.  Having experience dry camping and knowing how we live when dry camping, I would say my wife and I could comfortably stay a week with the tank capacities you list.  Without an inverter, our lifestyle would dictate running the generator in the mornings for my wife's coffee and the evenings during dinner for a little TV and to top the batteries off before going into the night.  The gray capacity is a little small and would probably be our limiting factor in that week.  There are some dry camping areas that allow you to dump gray water on vegetation, so that could help.

Yes, solar panels on the roof would be great. But it is $$. And on a little rig like a Truck Camper, probably not enough room to do it right and run A/C, etc.

I run a mini Yamaha generator every few days. Someday I hope to get a mini Class C. (I keep buying lotto tickets!) I can have A/C then. 

1 hour ago, LindaH said:

We boondock/dry camp about 98-99% of the time.  The tanks on our current RV are about 30/30/30 and we can go a full week before we have to dump (we do carry three 5-gallon water jugs to fill the fresh water tank between dumps).  We might be able to squeeze a day or two more out of it, but I'd rather play it safe than wake up in the middle of the night to use the facilities and find that the black tank is completely full! 

If we had tanks your size, we could go at least two weeks between dumps, maybe even closer to three weeks. We are very judicious in our use of water, taking navy showers (which we do, anyway, even when we're at home), not keeping the water running while brushing teeth, etc.  

We have a 4,000-watt generator that runs off the motorhome's gas tank.  In the winter, when we're boondocking at one of the LTVA's, we'll fuel up on one of our trips to town to get propane.  We get propane about once a month and we top off the gas tank maybe every other trip (it's never below half).  We do have solar, though, so only run the generator for about half an hour first thing in the morning to get a head start on charging the batteries while the furnace is running.  Then we use it during the day if we need to use the microwave or other AC item that we don't run off the inverter.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "portable" water tank...maybe you meant "potable" as in your fresh water tank?

At any rate, see my comments above.  Gray and black tanks of 51 gallons each and a fresh water tank of 91 gallons would last us at least two weeks, and probably closer to three.  But that's us...we've had a couple of decades experience boondocking/dry camping.  

I suggest doing what 2gypsies said -- go to an RV park, fill your fresh water tank and make sure your gray and black tanks are empty.  Then go about your daily living using just the water in your fresh water tank, being judicious on your use of water and see how long it lasts YOU.  You won't be able to run your generator in an RV park, of course, but you'll get an idea of how long your water supply and tanks will last.  The more you boondock/dry camp, the better you'll get at conserving all of your resources.

Yes, an endless water supply makes you wasteful. Military showers and very easy on the water pressure. 

With respect to my earlier posts. My grey tank wont last long. Maybe 1-3/4 showers. So I drain on the ground at night. Usually frowned upon OP. But it goes with the bohemian life. Cassette toilet black tank gets emptied at a rest stop or any outhouse I find.

10 hours ago, Tim and Peggy said:

Spoiled, lazy or naïve???

My wife and I are full-timers and somewhat embarrassed to admit that we've not dry-camped once in the 21 months. We keep talking about it, but fall victim to our spoiled, yuppy nature (and maybe laziness) to find a state park of nice area of the country to dry-camp. The questions, of course abound. 

1. How long will the black/gray tank last (  I know what the issues are there). 51 gallon capacity on both
2. How much fuel with our 10,000 watt generator last (I suppose that depends on how much diesel I have in the tank).
3. Portable water tank (e.g. showers) how long will that last. 91 gallon capacity 

So has anyone dry camped and if so, how long is realistic, given these #'s.

I know there are many, many variables.

Thanks.

 

You probably are not bohemian enuf for it OP! If it is not you, don't worry. Try a night at Walmart or a Casino parking lot to break yourself in. 

I'm not a wilderness boondocker. I'm an urban boondocker. I boondock because of $$ plus convenience. Even if well off, why drive miles off the freeway and all that hassle for some sleep? I'm not a kibitzer or retired. I drive and drive then bed down at night and drive as soon as I get up to get to my local. 

Wilderness boondocking out west looks wonderful. But I'd be scared, even with guns. Out there in the middle of nowhere and a pack of animals come to have some fun with you. Ugh. Maybe in earlier days, don't know. But I'd be worried now. 

Good luck and give us a report on how you do OP!

Been boondocking since my first rig... an Aliner! That was '07.  I'm high class and got an old truck camper now.

I put a large alum tool box on the front hitch. I can pack about 50 gallons in it and maybe 10 gallons here and there in the camper / cab. I used to use 5 gallon jugs, but I'm old and back is old as well. I switched to 1 gallon recycled water jugs for ease of lifting. Works great.

I have a cassette toilet and and go maybe 2 weeks. It holds 2 gallons of rinse water. Toilet rinse water seems to last and last. Now, with lots of pee in the toilet it may get full quicker. So my boondocking results may not equal yours. While out and about I may use the facilities I find and not the RV's all the time. I also have some little urinal bottles to help with cutting back on the liquid waste. Gals can use a Lady J.

Lady J urinal - Google Search

Toilet is not the issue, showering and cooking is the issue. Showering uses maybe 7 - 8 gallons. So I wash up with towels and a dilute 25% alcohol rinse then shower every few days.

...and if there was an issue, I got the old standby Lug-a-Loo!

Electric is an issue and use a mini generator every 2 - 3 days. No AC, too bad for me. It gets 95 degrees+ inside in the summer during the day. The fan/s kills the battery.