Alice
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Posts posted by Alice
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We actually decided to go with just some of our Corelle from home this past summer. Got some of that thick, grippy shelf liner and cut small pieces to go between plates and bowls. Also, got some fabric boxes from the dollar store and our more breakable items go in there. Altogether, they are working well.
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23 minutes ago, sandsys said:
We were told half the jury were RVers so I'm pretty sure they gave the others a clue.
Linda
Guess I missed that.
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17 hours ago, sandsys said:
The lawyer was stupid to make such a statement. If it's true.
Only if the people hearing it have some actual knowledge of how small these RV's are with the slide in. Most folks hear, "functions just fine" and they don't understand what a big deal it is.
18 hours ago, Kirk W said:.................. IF
If it wasn't new, that just shifts the liability. Someone still (knowingly in that case) sold them a piece of poo coach.
That said, we bought our TT used and we spent probably 2-3 hours making the tech go through everything. We made him put the slide in and out, the awning in and out, light the oven, turn on the water, show us where the fuses were...I had a 4 page checklist. So far, all we've found wrong is we can't get the antenna to turn. The dealer found the radio didn't work and had a brand new one shipped to us, having shown us how to install it. We haven't bothered yet. Our 3-month dealer warranty ends October 27. When we come back from our next trip on October 7, we'll let them know if there's anything else they need to fix.
So they bear some of the blame, but it still needs to be made right.
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On 8/27/2019 at 11:21 PM, rynosback said:
Welcome to America. Once McDonalds paid MILLIONS for serving hot coffee, the flood gates opened up for frivolous law suits.
On 8/27/2019 at 11:34 PM, Ray,IN said:Yep, anyone can sue anyone. That MacDonalds case was reversed on appeal. In many of these cases, the party with the deepest pockets wins.
The suit bobSally linked to will be overturned IMO. The owners refused Winnebago's request to bring their MH to the W factory for evaluation and repairs.
16 hours ago, Zulu said:Urban myth. Here's the real story.
Thank you Zulu!
I was going to post this one: https://www.caoc.org/?pg=facts
That poor lady admitted her actions contributed, suffered 3rd degree burns requiring skin grafts to her inner thighs and genitals, asked only for medical bills to be paid, and sued when they only offered $800. McDonald's coffee was shown to be kept at temperatures much higher than industry standard. The millions were reduced to a more reasonable amount by the Court and it was never appealed - they settled to avoid the time and litigation expense. It was about as UN-frivolous as a lawsuit gets.
Sorry, as a lawyer, this one always ticks me off.
As for the RV case, well, if it was new, and given all these people went through - if it was me I'd likely sue too. It's not the suit, it's the jury verdict that's shockingly large. But, then again, what is a year of your life worth to you? You plan to tour the country and end up sitting in RV dealerships over and over and over? Maybe not the usual "pain and suffering" one thinks about, but there's value there. If this thing was as bad as described...
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16 hours ago, Barbaraok said:
Our black tank is 80 gallons, so one bucket full of water just takes care of wetting the valve for us.
You've used the phrase "wetting the valve" a couple times. I'm not sure what you mean by that.
5 hours ago, Tom Cooper said:I would like to tell Alice that you do not need to immediately throw or give up, this is difficult at the initial stage, but after a while it will not be difficult for you.
Not to worry.
We expected a learning curve. Right now we're more worried about learning to back the darned thing up!
36 minutes ago, FL-JOE said:As far as your internal black tank flush. In all my RVs I have let it run for a couple minutes to help clean the sides and bottom first after dumping. Then I close the valve and let it run some more. I have a 50 gallon black tank so with this RV I let it run with the valve closed for 2 minutes. I then open the valve and watch how much dark nasty water comes out. I usually repeat this twice. On a smaller 30 gallon tank I would be comfortable leaving the tank flush on for 1 full minute with the valve closed.
I hadn't thought of leaving the valve closed for any time at all. I may try that, for a VERY short time.
3 hours ago, Sculptor said:RV's range from huge multi room condos to small flip out bunk types and many $$$ in between. (Paraphrasing here) But, eventually, the discussion always comes down to pumping poop.
LOL!!!
Thank you all. I had no idea we should be leaving a bit of water in the black tank between uses and never have. We dump, rinse, close. I'll remember that. -
I understand everyone. We have only a 45 gallon fresh tank and 30 gallon grey and black tanks. Obviously, we're not full-time. We're planning on maybe a week at a time - 9 days tops, and a lot of weekends. So, that's a huge difference from folks with 80-100 gallon tanks.
Pretty sure we'll figure it out.
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32 minutes ago, mptjelgin said:
Relax about all of this. You really can't go wrong by doing the important thing of keeping the valve closed and not dumping until you're 1/2 to 2/3 full.
Well, there will be little chance of that, since we have yet to have a place with full hookups! We keep having to take electric only sites, which is apparently not unusual in state parks.
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20 minutes ago, mptjelgin said:
We are fulltimers, and to add to your confusion we add no water at all. Water will be added soon enough!! There is really no danger of the inside of the tank drying out completely in the few hours before the next "addition".
Okay. I give up. What of the dreaded "poop mountain" that supposedly happens if you don't start out with water in your black tank.
I mean, I've literally now been told I need to start with anywhere from 5 gallons to ZERO water in the black tank.
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20 hours ago, sandsys said:
Toothbrushing: Put 4-6 ounces of water in a cup. Use it to wet your toothbrush. After brushing take a swig and rinse your mouth. Repeat if necessary. Swish your toothbrush in the remaining water to rinse it. Rinsing the brush does not have to be perfect.
I do have a thing about toothbrushing. What you describe is how we brush when tent camping. I hate it. I'm okay to turn water off when doing the actual brushing, but I HAVE to rinse that toothbrush pretty good, in running water. I'll work on it, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to waste a little there.
20 hours ago, sandsys said:Flushing: After dumping the black tank, put about a bowlful of water down the tank. When using the toilet add enough water that any paper floats. Flush. You do not need a bowlful of water each flush. Sometimes you might want to flush a second time after adding a bit more paper to remove any leftover streaks.
1 hour ago, FL-JOE said:A newbie just has to remember if using a heavier paper intended for residential use that they will need to add a lot more water to their flushes. In addition they should expect to see undissolved toilet paper flowing through their stinky-slinky and be prepared for any issues that could cause.
36 minutes ago, Barbaraok said:Tissue going down the hose into the septic/sewer system at the park is not going to be a problem, nor will any TP that might stick to the side of the tank (last in TP for example) if one remembers to immediately put 3 gallons or so of water in and then continue to use it. And if using a backwash sprayer up into the tank, that will pretty will take care of everything. Again the key is keeping the drain valve closed until at least 1/2 full before dumping. Add more water if you need to dump to get it to that level.
All 3 of these are quoted to show the difference in opinions I keep getting! Now, the 1/3 to 1/2 full black tank before dumping I get. But the amount of water to use keeps varying. Sandsys says to start with 1 bowl full. Barbaraok says 3 gallons or so. Other places I've been told 5 gallons to start with. If we're dumping after a weekend...there's not going to be much time to dissolve anything, including paper. When we dumped this weekend, there was certainly undissolved paper we saw in the clear elbow. When we used the black tank flush (we have the kind built into the trailer, not the kind built into the hose) - there was a LOT more undissolved paper than in just the dump.
Just as a point of interest - it's my understanding that you leave the black tank valve OPEN when you are running the black tank flush, yes? You run it for several minutes and it's supposed to kind of spray down the inside of the tank, like a sprinkler head, and knock down and out what's left over? Do I have that right?
Now here's a better question. Say we buy the portable dump tank...we can't use the flush on the black tank on the trailer until the final dump at the end of the stay...is that a bad thing?
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16 hours ago, sandsys said:
It sounds to me like you might have a leak in your system. Although, if you shower and wash long hair every day and you do a lot of cooking making lots of dirty dishes you could possibly be using that much water. Maybe you need to look at other lifestyle choices you are making that involve water.
Linda
I don't really think so. It was very dry that Saturday and I walked around the trailer to make sure nothing was leaking from the gray/black tanks - LONG story that involves our utter lack of skill backing up. There was not and the ground was dry.
I think we're just water hogs.
11 hours ago, sandsys said:also kept a bowl in my kitchen sink at all times. Wet my hands in the bowl, soap them outside the bowl, stick them back in the bowl to rinse, giving them a quick pass under running water if needed. I could reuse that water several times before it got too soapy to rinse. Even then I could stick dirty dishes in it to presoak before giving them a quick wash.
This is a good idea. I do think I waste a lot of water both washing hands and brushing teeth.
16 hours ago, filthy-beast said:Doing dishes with running water can use a lot of water. When you don't have a water hookup you might want to switch to doing dished the way we did when dry tent camping.
Use three tubs
- soapy water to wash
- rinse water
- rinse water with a little bleach to sanitize
This would be standard for washing dishes when camping the way we normally do without a camper. So yes, in fact, we may skip right to the bleach rinse if it's not too sudsy. Dish washing is not where the water is going.
15 hours ago, bobsallyh said:"Fine China", paper, is your friend. If making casseroles use throw away aluminum pans.' If using a crock pot use crock pot liners.
I definitely see us buying paper products.
14 hours ago, Kirk W said:When you shower, do you turn the water off while you soap up and wash, the turn the water back on? That is what I learned on a submarine and we both use that technique and are able to shower with about 3 gallons of water and like Barb, we do not shower every day but just do a sponge bath in a sink of water in between.
When you flush, if there are no solids and minimal paper, a few cups of water is sufficient.
Isn't that what a Navy shower is? That's what we did. Now, I like HOT showers so I did let the cold run to warm up and that may take more than I should let go. I'll get a bucket to catch it next time. Husband actually likes cold showers, sick little monkey, so he's not the cause of any waste there. I do think we're probably using too much flush water - but darn it you folks keep telling me the secret is lots of water. You can't have it both ways! :p LOL
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On 8/21/2019 at 10:46 AM, $ Spot said:
While driving the light setting isn't an issue but very well could be as you back into the site with the headlights on the neighbors. Have a look at your headlight switch & see if the camera works without the headlights on. As mentioned, I'm not referring to the auto setting or the headlight setting. There should be another light setting that will run the camera without the headlights, helpful in neighbor relations. This is all new to you & I'm simply trying to help
Spot
You were 100% correct! Thanks for the info!
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At this point we have two trips under our belts. I believe I posted about our maiden voyage on here.
Both campgrounds have had electric. Neither had sewer hook ups. The last one didn't have water that we could remain hooked up to; we had to fill then use the water tank - a good thing since that's our next situation too.
First time, we used the dump at out storage facility when we got home. The campground didn't have a central dump. Then we filled the black tank with water from our hose at home, went back and dumped again. We used chemicals bought at the dealer - supposedly environmentally safe. This past weekend, we totally forgot the treatment until we were about to go dump! So didn't bother. This park had a nice central dump site with water to use our black tank flush with. That is an awesome addition to a trailer! We were rather amazed at how much MORE came out of that black tank.
I think I'm a bit of a paper hog. Got to work on that. We did buy septic safe Scott's, but not the special RV stuff. I draw the line at single ply.
The biggest problem I see coming up is that in a Friday to Sunday trip, when we were out of the park most of Saturday, we managed to empty the 45 gallon fresh tank! We actually were trying to be conservative; navy showers, turn water off when brushing, doing dishes with a small amount of water...and still we ran out.
We have a FIVE DAY trip coming with electric only hookups.
I guess we'll be packing some type of water jugs and a portable dump tank.
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10 minutes ago, sandsys said:
I would hate the fiddly part of getting things out and putting them away.
I Googled "dish storage pegs" and found something I would more likely use by placing pegs to keep stacks from bumping into each other.
But our Corelle always stacked just fine and the stacks stayed in place by putting a grip-type shelf liner below the entire stack.
For space saving purposes we use a 2-tier turntable with plates on the top tier and smaller dishes on the lower tier.
I figured I could take the cardboard out and just squash the quilted side down to get out a dish. The pegs are neat, but I'd think they'd work better in a drawer. We're going to have to put our dishes in the cabinet above the sink/stove area. Being part-timers, we won't have a ton of stuff up there and I'm just afraid they'll slide/jump all over. Missouri roads are, shall we say, less than smooth. LOL But I suppose I could be over-thinking it.
That cup-holder looks like it would be good for those bourbon glasses someone was so worried about though.
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I know this is kind of an old thread, but has anyone thought of using these sort of storage containers (not necessarily these exact ones) to keep things in place in the cupboards? We were thinking of using Corelle in our travel trailer (and yes, it certainly breaks on tile, but I've had even the newer stuff survive carpet and linoleum - but it isn't invincible). I was actually thinking I could put Velcro on the bottom of the container and the cupboard so they wouldn't shift.
Thoughts?
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On 8/26/2019 at 4:43 PM, Big5er said:
Wow...what a fruitcake. He is hung up on the definition of paraphernalia and totally skipping the words "camp" and "store". According to this wack-job you can get a ticket for going shopping for a tent and driving home with it.
Yeah....this guy is an idiot. He's ignoring entirely the fact that the "paraphernalia" is not to be stored in vehicles IF SAID VEHICLE IS BEING USED A TEMPORARY LIVING QUARTERS.
All this law does is keep people from camping - that is to say temporarily living - or storing camping equipment, on public property like parks and streets and publicly owned parking lots. Private lots and driveways, etc., are fine as are RV parks. Oh, and driving down the street to get to one.
Perhaps he doesn't know what "habitation" means?
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On 8/20/2019 at 8:22 AM, UGO-GRL said:
Some private sellers aren't agreeable to RV inspections cause their trailers are practically new.
What business is it of theirs if YOU are paying for the inspection? I didn't have my used TT inspected, but I also bought from a reputable, family owned dealership, who gave us a 90 day warranty - and they already gave us a new radio, which was the only thing they said they found that didn't work. They also spent the better part of 2 hours giving us a thorough walk-through, testing every system in front of us. No way would I buy from a private seller who didn't agree to an inspection.
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1 hour ago, $ Spot said:
This is all new to you & I'm simply trying to help
Spot
We'll check next trip. Thanks.
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2 hours ago, Kirk W said:
I don't believe that he means the auto position of the light switch but most also have a position for running lights only as well as for headlights (and running lights). I usually tow with the running lights on even in daylight hours. With the tongue jack, if it doesn't run due to a dead battery, leave your tow vehicle running but close to the tongue and connect the power cable from it to the trailer and the electric jack should work.
Eh, maybe, maybe not on the lights. All I know is until I had hubby turn them all the way on, we had no camera. He might have skipped over that setting. It's safer to run with headlights, even in daylight, so it's all good.
As for the battery/jack - I'm glad to see I thought of everything LOL because we tried that! But, no, didn't work. Not even a little and yes, the truck was running. We killed that battery good and dead and nothing was going to work until it started charging apparently. The truck did nothing. All the way there we got an annoying little chime and a message that the "Trailer Battery Is Not Charging".
It took hooking it up to shore power to get anything to work and thankfully, to charge the battery. Once it had a charge, on the way home, we didn't get that notification, so I guess the little charge from the truck was going into the battery then.
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27 minutes ago, $ Spot said:
Yes, the lights at the top of the trailer are the running lights/marker lights that get activated one click shy of the headlights. Give it a try next time you get a chance as I'm interested.
Spot
Tried. Have too be fully on, not just on auto.
5 hours ago, Ray,IN said:Plus, a memory foam mattress can accumulate moisture on the bottom side in certain situations, which may cause mold.
I assume you can't use the heated mattress with a topper. And this sucker has to have a topper.
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34 minutes ago, Kirk W said:
I always start the refrigerator the night before we pack up to travel.
The black stuff probably came from a new, carbon water filter. They suggest flushing them for 3 to 5 minutes before each use. A new water hose will both smell and taste when you first connect it but only needs flushed for a few gallons of water.
Our trailer is in a storage facility, so we can't plug in to run the fridge. It definitely did help to cool it down though. I thought about trying to do it on propane but didn't like the idea of leaving it on. As I understand it, the battery still needs to work for propane to run the fridge, and we killed it, so it wouldn't have worked.
I did hook the pressure regulator, then filter, then hose. I just assumed it was the hose but i bet it was the filter now that you mention it.
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19 minutes ago, Darryl&Rita said:
Thank you, Alice, for a humorouslook back at all the things we have learned along the way. Our Monday is complete.
Thanks.
2 hours ago, $ Spot said:LOVE IT! What an entertaining and realistic read. On #15, so then I'll stop using the smoke alarm as a timer
And on #19, I thought just the parking lights activated the cameras.
Spot
Ours runs off the lights at the top of the trailer and those don't come on unless we turn the headlights on.
2 hours ago, Barbaraok said:#1 - You shouldn't have to do a shut off of your battery unless you run stuff in your rig off of the truck?
I meant when parking it for weeks. All the little things like the microwave lights and other little energy sucks killed it. (I edited)
1 hour ago, hemsteadc said:#13. Not sure what Mf has to do with a mattress heater.
The mattress is a heated mattress...and hard as a rock. It will have to be replaced or at least topped, with memory foam.
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Turn off the battery when you park her for weeks, or it dies.
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How to bypass an electric tongue jack and hand crank it.
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Buy any necessities before the day you are supposed to leave.
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There’s always a Wal-Mart within a half hour’s drive.
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Other drivers suck.
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When buying used, flush all the water lines – thoroughly.
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Pre-cooling a fridge and freezer with jugs of frozen water really helps – and also gives you good drinking water when you buy a used trailer, do not flush all the water lines thoroughly, and your water smells like sulfur.
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Turn on the campground water for a few minutes before you attach your drinking water hose and filter.
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Run lots of water through that hose – even brand new – before you hook it to the trailer! (Thankfully, I did this as black nasty gunk came through.)
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Even ducted AC is loud.
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Camping is fun. Camping with air conditioning is more fun.
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No matter how many times you say you're not going to watch TV and post on Facebook when you're camping - you will watch TV and post on Facebook.
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A heated mattress may sound nice for fall and winter – but memory foam sounds way better!
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Even on the best, heavy stoneware pan, turn the biscuits half-way through cooking or eat black-bottomed biscuits.
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If you don't run the exhaust fan when cooking, you will set off the smoke alarm.
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Tank sensors are just totally guessing and they aren't very good at it.
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Get a good checklist for set-up and break-down that says things like...
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Raise the tongue jack before you start driving!
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Furrion backup/observation cameras only work if you turn your headlights on.
20. Sanidumps LIES! Verify before you leave.
21. Dumping your tank isn't nearly as bad as I expected.
22. Those sewer hoses do NOT fit in the bumper.
- Alice
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If there's one thing my husband is adamant about it's that the awning comes in at night or if we're not there using it. After all, what purpose is there to leaving it out when it takes minutes to run in? That's one I'm not worried about. He won't let that happen.
That and locks. We're ordering combination locks for the storage doors. Working for Dept. of Corrections for 27 years has made him super security minded. He's been known to lock the car and take the keys with me sitting in it!
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13 hours ago, SWharton said:
Each of you take a little notebook(and pen) to write down things you forgot. Start making checklists and hang them up, use them!!!!
This is a really good idea. We usually keep notes on my phone. Going to have to find a good "set-up/tear down" checklist.
11 hours ago, NDBirdman said:For your steaks, cooking inside or out? We always carry an old coleman propane 2-burner for outside cookin. We also carry a small bag of charcoal for the places that provide outside grills
Our trailer came with an outside propane grill and table that hangs on the side. Looks like the only piece of equipment the prior owner ever used besides the soap dish in the bathroom. But it's been all cleaned up and tested...so I think we'll use that and not have to worry about the charcoal. Our home grill is propane, so we're used to it.
11 hours ago, NDBirdman said:A good outside/sportsman knife. I also carry a hatchet, it has come in handy more times than I expected. A hammer, electric drill and bit set, standard and Philips screwdrivers, adjustable pliers, adjustable wrench, 4-2x4s cut 12" long and 4-1X4X12s pieces of wood for leveling, 12" long 2X10 boards for under each jack (to prevent jacks sinking into the ground) (I would suggest treated wood, it will last longer). If you don't have bubble levels already stuck to the outside of the RV for level, a 12" torpedo level to lay on the camper floor next to the entryway door to check level (you can get pretty close with a can of soda from the you-tube video I once saw). A 4X6 outdoors carpet for in-front of the entryway (WallyWorld sells them inexpensively). Several cans of deep-woods off (or your favorite brands).
We have most of that already, including a 9x12 rug we actually bought for the floor of our medieval wall tent. Long story. But now it can be used for it's intended purpose.
I have a small tool kit on the list already. We have so many tools laying around, I'm sure we can find spares. LOL
11 hours ago, NDBirdman said:A circuit tester to check pole voltage (I really would suggest getting this before your first time connecting and using every time), an inline tester/surge protector, a multi-meter (if you know how to use one). We picked up/carry a dog-bone to drop a 50 electric connection to 30 amp (our RV is older and 30 amp), a 15 amp plug adapter, an extra 25 foot 30 amp extension cable. We have 2 10 foot slinkys, one as a spare, 2-25ft potable water hoses. A cheap water hose pressure reducer (50psi) to protect your RV water lines, a camco blue water filter to filter all water before it enters your RV. I also use an inline sediment filter. A spray bottle of very light bleach water to spray the water faucet before connecting hose to it
Nice List! We have most of those, the dog-bone, 15 amp plug adapter, 25 foot extension, the slinky, the pressure reducer, water filter and there's also a filter in the RV. I only have 1 water hose, but the camp host said that will be enough on this site.
We still need to get a regular hose for the black tank flush and I think we have a circuit tester, I'll have to ask the husband.
With all the talk of blue dawn...is that in addition to the tank chemical for the black tank? Or do you just do that instead? I'm confused on that point.
Gosh you guys are handy! I'm excited! Time to shop!
We expected a learning curve. Right now we're more worried about learning to back the darned thing up!
I guess we'll be packing some type of water jugs and a portable dump tank. 
It took hooking it up to shore power to get anything to work and thankfully, to charge the battery. Once it had a charge, on the way home, we didn't get that notification, so I guess the little charge from the truck was going into the battery then.
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How breakable are breakables?
in RV Housekeeping
Posted
LOL When my son was young his teacher was so amused when he had to use "right" in a sentence. He wrote, "Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do."
We've dropped Corelle on carpet fine, on linoleum fine, but tile...explosion city.