Well we went our first overnighter in our new class C (posted pictures of that last week). We went to a KOA in Springfield MO. The "kampground" was nice but close to a train track that make an awful lot of racket in the evening. We anticipated a lot of "bugs" in the whole process but it went pretty smooth! The kids were so jacked up that didn't close their eyes till 9:30 pm ...2 hours after their normal bed time. Here's the lesson's we learned:
* Make sure you put the door step in before you pull it out of a narrow fence opening (luckily, no damage to the fence or step)
* Learn how to start the water heater, because washing your face with 35 degree water isn't fun!
* Rubber gloves are the BEST $1.50 you could spend when dealing with the sewer hose.
Anyway, I am going to shut up....my wife posted the entire story on her blog:
Congratulations! Sounds like a great trip and most especially the kids seemed to love it. Good for you.
We don't always turn on the water heater as it roars, sometimes we just heat up water on the stove and use that for washing up, doing dishes etc. but with three kids could be hard. Ours turns on by turning on a switch, like the generator, in fact it is on the same panel with the tank and battery reader.
Our steps also pull up automatically when we turn on the ignition. That is a nice feature! First RV and it seems like a perfect size for the family.
Don't have to say have fun, can see you are already there!
I figured the same...we wouldn't use the water heater all the time...only before we went to bed and when we woke up in the morning (a shower, washing face, dishes etc).
I have a bank of switch on my range hood and one of them is the water heater. When I switch it, nothing happens (don't even hear anything). There is also a led light farther on the panel that says "Water Heater pilot light" but it is not light. I figure if I turn my LP off that the pilot goes off. There is a WH access panel near the floor but it has screws...do I have the light the pilot each and every time I turn on the LP?
I figured the same...we wouldn't use the water heater all the time...only before we went to bed and when we woke up in the morning (a shower, washing face, dishes etc).
I have a bank of switch on my range hood and one of them is the water heater. When I switch it, nothing happens (don't even hear anything). There is also a led light farther on the panel that says "Water Heater pilot light" but it is not light. I figure if I turn my LP off that the pilot goes off. There is a WH access panel near the floor but it has screws...do I have the light the pilot each and every time I turn on the LP?
Thanks for the advice!
Brad
It sounds like your WH pilot light is not lighting? The same thing happened to me. You might just have some cobwebs where the igniter lights the gas. You should have a access panel for the igniter on the outside of your RV. I would try to blow it out with something and then try it again. You can also light it yourself with a wand lighter. You may need to do this to keep the fam happy. I've done it a time or two on our old camper.
Good Luck!
2002 27PBS Holiday Rambler (Aluminum sided/roof) Love it!
Previous RV's
'94 Jamboree 22ft. (This beast had a 460 with tons of power)
'95 VW Eurovan camper (5 cyl. dog) Pulled a 3 rail fine though.
Tent
Borrowed folks '84 VW Westphalia (water cooled)
Sounds like you don't need a Dishwasher, but an on board Washer & Dryer. I hate to camp in anything with FHU's for an extended time. The dirty clothes pile up for just the 2 of us, much less chocolate covered kids.
2009 DRV Mobile Suite 38TKSB3 (38RSSB3)....our custom home w/2011 upgrades
2010 Ford F450 KR CC 4x4......his office
Working Fulltimers since 3/2005
"Shoot for the Moon! Even if you miss it, you will land among the Stars."
Well the thought crossed my mind to have some sort of small onboard washing machine. I have seen those small manual crank gadgets but we typically aren't going to be gone more then a 2-3 nights. We do have a "mega camping trip" to Port Aranasas in a few weeks and it will be 12 days but we are just going to do a load mid-week at the campgrounds laundry facility.
Now...if there was something big enough to throw the kiddo's into (clothes and all)...then we'd be talking!
Sounds like a great maiden voyage! Glad y'all had such a good time and minimal issues crop up. Steps in, antenna down, awning up, etc. will become second nature. Although on our last trip when I stopped by trash bins to throw out garbage I noticed I had driven 1/4 mile or so through campground with antenna up
If the campground has nice laundry facilities and you pick a time when it isn't busy you can use enough machines to get everything washed/dried in one run. That makes it nice to minimize time needed to do laundry chores. Just be sure and get a roll of quarters ahead of time.
That "something" you can throw kiddos and clothing in is called a lake
Let me add my kudos on your first RV adventure. Sounds like you all had a great time despite a glitch or two!
Re the water heater, I don’t think your RV has a pilot light in the traditional sense, like the one in your home water heater. If it’s like my 2004 unit, hitting the switch activates a spark igniter. If that isn’t working, but you can light the pilot by hand, it sounds to me like an igniter problem. If it won’t light at all, sounds like cobwebs or such, as another poster mentioned. Or, perhaps a bad thermocouple if the pilot will light but not stay lit. A good project for you to work on while the RV is at home.
As for those crank-operated washing machines, I’d suggest you save your money. We bought one, tried it once, and gave up on it. Ended up practically giving it away at a garage sale.
I have to ask, why did you not opt for the overhead bunk with 3 kids and a dog?
BTW, for the water heater, a must have spare part is a thermocouple (looks like a small electronic resistor under a piece of plastic tubing in line with a wire). They tend to go bad and will prevent the water heater from running.
When someone says, "I'm not book smart, I'm street smart." All I hear is, "I'm not real smart, I'm imaginary smart."
Glad your first trip was successful! Rving is a ton of fun and your kids will get so many experiences. We only have our 10yr old camping with us as the other is at collage, but we will go anywhere at least once because we can. We have a 31ft winnebago and love having our own room too. You will love it even more when the kids are older and friends come along. We opted for the overhead bunk, so each kid that travels with us gets a bin to keep all their things in. It helps to control the clutter. I also bought hooks to hang off the bunk area for rv jackets. We camp so much that we keep a standard supply of clothes in the rv. As we use it it goes in the hamper than when we get home the hamper comes in gets washed and it goes right back out. We stocked our rv with things we need in the kitchen, bath and bedrooms. To food shop in season we stop at the store on thevway home on Sundays in the rv. That way I can just put away what supples are for the rv without a second trip and when we get home we are closer to being ready for the week. I also clean the rv before we leave the campground, so everything is ready to go when we got home. Before I did this I found myself hating Sundays as it was so much work when we got home. You will find ways to make it easier for you too. Also the rule in our home is the rv is packed on Thursday night! My husband has it running in the street when I get home on Fri, I pull up behind it to hook up the CRV, and then we are on our way. I never go in the house. My hubby always has a nice drink waiting for me in my cup holder too.
I would also suggest giving the kids tasks they can manage to be responsible for each trip. My daughter enjoys helping on the road more than at home and now we don't have to ask her to help, she just knows what to do.
Our friends laugh at us because we always have small flashlights and plastic doggie bags in our pockets. It is just part of the rv fun!
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