LookN4Ward
Active Member
Being a true rookie with a trailer you have a steep learning curve and one's anxieties don't help either. I started this thread so others can append things they have learned that was not in the manual. We bought our trailer and did the walk through, but it is impossible to remember everything. I even jotted notes.
When our trailer was delivered to our lot by the dealer the learning curve began despite all efforts to be prepared. The first thing I discover is that my electric cable won't reach the park hook-up. So buying an extension cable was the first order of business.
Next up was setting up the park water supply to the trailer inlet. Attach water pressure regular to spigot, attach hose to it, attach water filter, attach hose to water filter and to trailer water inlet. Not too much of a problem. Crap the hose connections are leaking. Work on those later.
Prepare water heater for use. Insert the anode rod into the water heater as instructed by dealer. Open the relief valve. Open the faucets. Turn on the water. Sound like things are going fine. Wrong, no hot water. Wait is there a switch we need to open. Yes, it is in the bathroom. Wait an hour, still no hot water. We have propane, don't know what is wrong. It's late, we're tired, will fight it in the morning.
Call dealer about water heater and he tells us that the water valves on the hot water heater need to be changed. Open top and bottom and close the middle. OK, find the screwdriver remove the access panel under the sink and sure enough there are three valves. Do as instructed. Ah Ha, water fills the hot water tank and the propane heats it up. Won't find this in any manual.
Water won't flow from the kitchen or bathroom sink faucets. Take the filter screens out and discover small plug in each sink outlet. Remove them and we're off and running. Didn't find this in any manual.
Got to make sure we can empty the two gray tanks and the black tank. Never worked with expandable sewer hose. Off to Camping World. Might take two trips. Buy more sewer hose and sewer connectors, one for each gray tank. Empty tanks. Hose not stretched taut so discover that gravity still works. Raise hose up and down at strategic points to get water moving. Stroke of fate, did the gray tank first.
Run to Camping World and buy one of those accordion sewer holders and this time stretch the hoses taut and by shortening if necessary. Wow how simple now to drain the tank.
The black tank test reader says two thirds full, how can that be? It has been only two days. Two people can possibly have 37 gallons of waste, but maybe?
Empty the tank, use the washout inlet for the black tank to rinse. Two days later same 2/3rd full. Ok, must be true. Drain again. After 10 days I suspect something must be wrong with the tester. So I run water into the stool until the tank is full. It takes a long time to fill the black tank with water holding your foot down on the toilet pedal. I confirm that 2/3rds full is not remotely close to 2/3rds full. Oh, don't forget the chemical for the toilet odor!
So now I am wondering if I run out of propane what will heat the water, I know the electric can do it. Don't know the answer, but I bet I'll figure it out rather than take a cold shower.
Now back to that leaky shower stall.
When our trailer was delivered to our lot by the dealer the learning curve began despite all efforts to be prepared. The first thing I discover is that my electric cable won't reach the park hook-up. So buying an extension cable was the first order of business.
Next up was setting up the park water supply to the trailer inlet. Attach water pressure regular to spigot, attach hose to it, attach water filter, attach hose to water filter and to trailer water inlet. Not too much of a problem. Crap the hose connections are leaking. Work on those later.
Prepare water heater for use. Insert the anode rod into the water heater as instructed by dealer. Open the relief valve. Open the faucets. Turn on the water. Sound like things are going fine. Wrong, no hot water. Wait is there a switch we need to open. Yes, it is in the bathroom. Wait an hour, still no hot water. We have propane, don't know what is wrong. It's late, we're tired, will fight it in the morning.
Call dealer about water heater and he tells us that the water valves on the hot water heater need to be changed. Open top and bottom and close the middle. OK, find the screwdriver remove the access panel under the sink and sure enough there are three valves. Do as instructed. Ah Ha, water fills the hot water tank and the propane heats it up. Won't find this in any manual.
Water won't flow from the kitchen or bathroom sink faucets. Take the filter screens out and discover small plug in each sink outlet. Remove them and we're off and running. Didn't find this in any manual.
Got to make sure we can empty the two gray tanks and the black tank. Never worked with expandable sewer hose. Off to Camping World. Might take two trips. Buy more sewer hose and sewer connectors, one for each gray tank. Empty tanks. Hose not stretched taut so discover that gravity still works. Raise hose up and down at strategic points to get water moving. Stroke of fate, did the gray tank first.
Run to Camping World and buy one of those accordion sewer holders and this time stretch the hoses taut and by shortening if necessary. Wow how simple now to drain the tank.
The black tank test reader says two thirds full, how can that be? It has been only two days. Two people can possibly have 37 gallons of waste, but maybe?
Empty the tank, use the washout inlet for the black tank to rinse. Two days later same 2/3rd full. Ok, must be true. Drain again. After 10 days I suspect something must be wrong with the tester. So I run water into the stool until the tank is full. It takes a long time to fill the black tank with water holding your foot down on the toilet pedal. I confirm that 2/3rds full is not remotely close to 2/3rds full. Oh, don't forget the chemical for the toilet odor!
So now I am wondering if I run out of propane what will heat the water, I know the electric can do it. Don't know the answer, but I bet I'll figure it out rather than take a cold shower.
Now back to that leaky shower stall.
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