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ppdunn's avatar
ppdunn
Explorer
Jun 19, 2013

Just bought our first RV - Would welcome comments/advice!

Hello. This is my first post, as I just purchased a used 21' Four Winds Freedom Elite with 12k miles on it. As our first outing, we will be taking it to a local RV Park on a military installation for one overnight. We are pretty excited, but also feeling a bit apprehensive about all the hook-ups and waste disposal procedures. Any advice for a first timer?? Thanks!

18 Replies

  • and don't feel bad about asking nearby campers for their advice. It's tough for grown men to read instructions and ask for directions but it might prove educational.
    Most of all wear disposable gloves when dumping! I buy 100 for about $8.
  • Ron's post makes good sense. Do your first camping in a local CG with full hookups, but take a few gallon jugs of drinking water from the grocery or home, to use for cooking, coffee and drinking and tooth brushing/rinsing. Take a notebook and take notes from the campers around you - especially before dumping tanks for the first time. Also write down what you needed and didn't have and had but never needed. I haven't met anybody yet that knew everything on their first night camping. Have met a few that thought they did. They're fun to watch.
    Most campers remember when they started and remember the neighbors who helped them. When you get home, tell us how it went.
  • One serious word of caution. Do NOT ingest any RV faucet water until after you have followed proper disinfecting procedures. RV/motor home water systems easily grow bacteria in the pipes and the fresh water storage tank and on-board pump.

    While NOT hooked to any water line via a hose, add a few cups of laundry bleach into the empty fresh water tank.
    Then fill that tank to the top with water.
    Then run that water filling up the hot water tank and throughout all plumbing fixtures.
    Then top off the fresh water tank again.
    Then let the bleach water solution sit a few hours to destroy all bacterial growth in the system.
    Then drain all that bleach water onto your driveway, refill and flush everything twice.

    Don't forget to include the outdoor shower when running water through the pipes.

    Even after multiple times of flushing, expect a swimming pool smell from the water, but it is safe to consume. After a few days on our trips, the smell goes away. It is then that we start to cook with and drink the water via coffee, juice concentrate, and such. We like to drink bottle water for the taste.

    This process must be done just prior to the start of "Every" camping season.
  • Since this is a test run, have a drinking water city hookup hose 25' should do usually drinking water hose is white, also have a pressure reducer for that hose. You can get the sewer hose hooked up, but don't dump until you have at least 1/2 tank of black or grey water on the black more than half is better, that may require you to use extra water when flushing. When you are ready to dump, empty the black first then close that valve and dump the gray which will help flush out the sewer hose. Have some disposable gloves when working with sewer hose. We always travel with our fresh water tank at least half full. Also we start out with two gallons of water in the black tank along with some black tank chemical. Have fun, ask for help if needed. Regards, Dick
  • We have all been there...it is not rocket science ,read the manual and follow common sense,if you still have a question I am sure that any RVer camping at the C.G will help you out.
    See if this helps http://www.rvconsumer.com/
    Have fun.
  • We have a 21 also. For 1 night about all you need is electric. If you leave with a full water tank, you will need basically nothing
    else but food and clothes. It's really that simple. We don't need water or dumping till day 3. Congrats, and have fun!!
    Brian
  • Welcome to the forum and congrats on your RV.
    If possible, hook up as much as you can and camp in your yard or driveway. If that's not possible go the the nearest campground and spend a night. Do not hesitate to ask another RVer for advice, most will be more than happy to help you.
    And, don't hesitate to ask questions on the forum, there's a lot of information available.