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RE: De-winterizng an RV
About sanitizing -
It is something you should do at least once a year, when first dewinterizing. And perhaps again after any period of a couple of months or more of not using. Nothing that grows in the system will make you sick, but can produce "musty" tasting water, or give a rotten egg smell to it.
Traditional is to use 1/4 cup of bleach to each 15 gal of water your fresh tank can hold. Use only plain bleach - no color laundry or smell enhancers, or other additives. Premix the bleach in a gallon of water to weaken it, before adding to your tank. How to depends on your trailer - some have an outside port that you can just pour it in (and then use a hose to fill the tank). Use the water pump to have the bleach water come out of every fixture and faucet. Make sure to also do the same for outside shower/water spigots, the toilet, shower, as well as the low point drains. Yes, you should fill your hot water heater with the bleach water too.
Some will warn about corrosion of the aluminum tank, but the concentration is very low AND it won't be in there all that long. But the heater is one of the best places to grow things. Let it all sit for 4-6 hrs.
Drain your fresh tank, and pull the plug on the heater to drain it. Open your low point drains to drain all the piping. Yes, it is safe to just dump on the lawn, it will not hurt grass/plants at all, and dissipates rapidly.
Fill your fresh tank again, and run clean water through everything to flush any remainder out.
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Flapper
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05/26/23 10:14pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Cades Cove Campground in a 40ft 5th Wheel?
Can't advise on the length issue. Others are correct about walking, as the traffic on the loop road is horrendous...unless..you stay in the campground on a Tues and Wed night. Wednesdays for the summer they shut down the road, and it becomes walk/bike only. THAT is the best way. The ride isn't all that long, and the hills are pretty manageable even for occasional bike riders. Lots of stops to take breaks, see the historic sites. And the views are so much better at a slower pace.
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Flapper
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05/12/23 09:14pm |
RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions
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RE: Grand Design 2670MK
My wife and I are looking at a Grand Design Imagine 2670MK. One thing we noticed was fairly large gap, 1 in. between the floor and kichen (curb side) slide. It appears that this gap is to prevent the slide from rubbing on the floor.
Has anybody else seen this? or Has anybody had problems with this?
Thank you
Sitting in mine now, and never really noticed it. Dark out, so didn't look from the underside outside. Inside, that appears about right, although trim molding hides it from being obvious.
In the 6 years I've owned it, it has never been an issue of any kind. Nothing getting in, and the rare kitchen spill has not gotten out. Even a few days ago when we were getting hit with 50 mph gusts all day directly on that side, no air leakage felt.
Junk? Hardly. Yes, built to a price point. Far, far better than any Forest River I have compared to. About the same as the Jayco I used to have, with some items better thought out/designed. Since the one making that comment has a Newmar, his budget is exceedingly higher than mine, so obviously can afford a Cadillac where I only could get a Chevy!
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Flapper
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02/05/23 10:05pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Help me plan my trip! North Dakota (TRNP) & Minnesota (VNP)
Voyageurs is light on the full hookup campgrounds available. Most are adjuncts to established resorts, and cater to campers there for the whole season. The park itself does not have any RV camping - you need a boat to get to any campsite!
As they say on their site:
** Voyageurs is a water-based national park **
All campsite types (except primitive) require a watercraft
The park does offer day boat tours of the park, leaving from their Kabetogama center.
Or you could check out resorts for RV parking and boat rental. One great alternative the kids would never forget is to rent a houseboat for several days, and use that to tour the park,
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Flapper
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01/24/23 01:23pm |
RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions
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RE: CGs Near Osseo/Eau Claire, WI w/o Minimum Stay Requirement?
I think a number of factors play into it:
1. Proximity to an urban area - is it an easy part day drive from "home" to the CG., especially if that urban area is of the type that can support easy storage of an RV when not in use (suburban lots, lots of storage lots, etc.)
2. Is there a strong "outdoor" tradition (camping, hunting, fishing) culture in the region?
3. Are there noted frequent festivals/events in the region?
4. Is the CG itself in the more desirable range of amenities - "family friendly", "resort style", etc.
All of it plays into the RV boom of the last several years - more RV's, with people inclined to use them.
Madison and Milwaukee - huge source of people with RV's who want to get away for a weekend. Philadelphia - not as much, even though it is a big tourist destination!
So easy for a CG to not risk having empty spots vs other areas where they'll hope and pray enough will show up to keep them operating.
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Flapper
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12/06/22 10:46pm |
RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions
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RE: Andersen WD hitch thoughts?
Funny, on other forums I lecture others about the difference! Yes, full on real sway. Where it starts by one seeing the rear corner of the trailer peeking out on one side mirror, then over in the other, back and forth - and quickly progressing to much more... Luckily for me, a couple of scary times but not enough to loose control. Foot off the gas and applying the trailer brakes calmed it. I became hyper vigilant though watching for the corners appearing/disappearing in my mirrors!
BTW - weight on the ball makes the rear of the truck squat AND the "teeter-totter" effect of the rear axel takes weight off of the front wheels. With enough weight off, a full on "wheelie" with no contact of the front on the road at all. Of course, that is extreme....hence the WD system that moves that effect to both the front of the tow vehicle, and to a lesser extent to the axels of the trailer. Hence "restoring" some of the weight to the front end. The overall load doesn't change, so the vehicle still squats, just not all in the back. Saying that WD isn't needed in that situation is ill advised, as anyone that has overloaded in the rear can attest when they find their steering becomes marginal. (I'm thinking of my poor Chevy Nova from decades ago that had a load of bricks in the hatchback - almost NO steering at all in the trip home from the building supply....)
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Flapper
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12/05/22 03:48pm |
Towing
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RE: Andersen WD hitch thoughts?
What you said is largely contradictory.
Not enough tongue weight but trying to recover front end rise?
Not at all.
1. The hitch depends on TW pressing the ball of the hitch down into a silicon friction cup, that then dampens sway. Not enough TW, not enough friction, and if prone to it, sway could start.
2. ALL hitches make the front end of the tow vehicle rise, due to the weight on the back end. The WD system (whatever kind) acts as a reverse lever to bring the front end of the vehicle back down. Some have bars that can be hard to set. This has chains that are easy to tighten, and for me, were robust enough to bring the front of the vehicle back to its original height.
So, 850# on the hitch was way more than enough to get the front of the vehicle to rise, but not enough to generate the needed friction to dampen sway. Can't say what my now proper 950# TW would have on it all....
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Flapper
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12/04/22 09:38pm |
Towing
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RE: CGs Near Osseo/Eau Claire, WI w/o Minimum Stay Requirement?
Ditto - seems that it is becoming more and more common here in the central Midwest to at least require two nights on weekends (any weekend). Yes, I have paid for Fri and Sat, and then left after only the one night...
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Flapper
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12/03/22 01:26pm |
RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions
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RE: Andersen WD hitch thoughts?
I had one, and for my 34', 8000lb 850# tongue trailer, it didn't work. BUT -
the trailer was way too light on the tongue, so prone to sway easily. Not enough TW on the friction cup to counteract the sway. Also a very long tail wagging the dog. I had no issue setting the WD to recover all the front rise of my truck. Loved the ease of setup and use.
With a shorter, lighter trailer that has proper tongue weight it may work well. At a guess, the OP's trailer might be at the very top of the range for it. Too bad there is no "try it for 30 days".
Rather than accumulate slightly used hitches in my garage, I just bit the bullet and got the very expensive, very heavy ProPride. Which definitively fixed the sway issue.
Sold it to a fellow with a trailer same length and a bit lighter than mine, at a steep discount. He got rid of it soon after, also.
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Flapper
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12/03/22 01:21pm |
Towing
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RE: Gulf coast trip
Any availability at the State Park? One of the best in the nation.
We were there last Oct/Nov for 2 weeks, this past Oct. for three days, and will be there for all of Jan 1-March 31. Full hookups at all sites, great walking/biking trails, beaches, fishing pier, dog park, fresh water lakes, and lets not forget alligators! Full on nature right in the middle of Gulf Shores/Orange Beach. Easy access to shopping, restaurants, and all else the area offers.
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Flapper
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10/23/22 04:16pm |
RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions
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RE: Garmin RV 660
Just updated mine to the latest/greatest for the last trip from Minn to the Gulf Coast a week ago. Didn't look at the restaurants, and mine has always shown lanes (maybe it is a setting that got turned on in yours?). It does seem to have gotten some quirks. Like the map shows a turn to the left, yet it tells me "right turn ahead". It seems to have had many "official" Interstate rest stops go missing, to the point where we used Google maps to find if there is one ahead, instead. Seems to like to use local street names much more (that are not signed in actuality anywhere), rather than major route designations ("Bramble Way Road" rather than "Hwy 10", etc.)
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Flapper
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10/12/22 09:45pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Winter Battery Storage
If they are fully charged they won’t freeze at zero. As they self discharge over time while sitting there they could. A discharged battery will freeze at 20* F. A trickle charger or something similar (solar?j will help to keep the batteries fully charged.
^^^^THIS^^^^
Folks don't take batteries out of their cars for winter when not using that car for several months in the winter, why should one drag the batteries out of their RV for winter?
Fully charged batteries will not freeze even in sub freezing temps for weeks at a time.
Simply put, no need to go to the work and hassle of removing and storing the batteries inside your home, garage or basement as long as you have fully charged the battery and have disconnected the battery from the RV electrical system for the winter provided you do not have access to power while in storage.
If you have a RV with a modern multistage converter and you have power available, you can even just plug the RV in and let the converter take care of the batteries.
What you don't want to do is leave the batteries connected to your RVs electrical system without having some means of charging. The RV electrical system has 12V devices like the stereo, water heater, fridge, furnace which all draw a small amount of power even when they are turned off.. Those small draws will flatten your battery in a matter of a week or two.. Hence the need to plug RV into power or disconnect the batteries for storage.
x2 on this! If batteries routinely froze at 0, none of us in Minnesota would ever be able to drive our cars!
Fully charged batteries won't freeze until -73F. For 20 yrs, I have just fully charged the 6 various RV and boat batteries I own, completely disconnected, and left outside in their respective boats/RV's. Ditto on the vast majority of boat owners in our region. Nov-April, and in the spring mine have never been at less than 85% of charge, and usually above 90%. Batteries do self discharge over time, but cold slows them way, way down. In Minn, even with the summer, the average temps mean over a year before they get to 50% self discharge. MUCH faster in Texas or Arizona in the summer - then it may be 3 months. For places that get snow, just fully charge, disconnect and forget until spring.
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Flapper
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10/09/22 10:43pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: LFP/LiFePO battery asleep?
I'm with the "failed BMS" suggestions. Such a low level of discharge permanently damages the battery, with no recovery possible. BUT, a reputable company (such as Renogy) should have a low voltage safety built in to the BMS - preventing over discharge. So no matter which issue - failed BMS or over drawn cells, it should be a warranty item for them to replace....
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Flapper
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08/26/22 08:18pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Looking for 5 star RV Park
This is about as North as you can get: https://thepineskab.com/rv-camping-near-voyageurs-national-park/
About 20 min. from the Canadian border, in Voyagers National Park.
But your last post clarified a bit - you want longer term, and low cost. At $95-$175 a night, you'll need both arms and legs....
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Flapper
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06/29/22 06:06pm |
RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions
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RE: Low Battery Voltage
CCA is not a very valid test for our use of a battery. That is a rating for how big a burst of power a battery can put out in a very short time (like for turning over an engine). Slightly more meaningful, but not much, is how many times the battery can pass the test without recharging. I've seen many that can pass the test once, but have no lifespan at all for longer term lower draws. Other than putting a know load on it, and periodically monitoring the voltage over time, there isn't any quick way to test for it's ability to deliver rated amp hour capacity.
If you have the meter, and time, you may want to swap with a vehicle battery and see how that does over time. But periodically monitor, so you don't over discharge your test battery and ruin that too....
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Flapper
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06/29/22 05:56pm |
Travel Trailers
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