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barchetta1's avatar
barchetta1
Explorer
May 01, 2019

tough times - Help

I have fallen on tough times and Ive decided to sell my two properties and retreat to my 5th wheel camper until I can get my life straight again.

I chose a campground in a nice area and found a fantastic site which is very shaded and has a shed. Which is crazy not normal. It also has enough room for my car and truck.

I still work for 2 more months and then unless I find a job I have no income. However, I need to move out right away with my beloved chipoo (about 14 lbs) because I need to get my house on the market and my chipoo will bit people so its just not possible to show it when Im at work and I need it to sell fast and for top dollar which means it needs to be staged and clean at all times.

anyway.. my 5th wheel is a 32 ft bunk 2003 model Terry. Its a nice unit but its up there in years. The campground does not pay for electricity which really bothers me but I am praying the cost isnt too bad since Im in the shade.

My camper is loaded up to hit the road as it always is, pots, pans, coffee maker etc. However, Im looking for advice relative to full time 5th wheel living. Anything tips would be helpful.

A few concerns:

Safety and health of my dog when Im at work. I plan to get a temp monitor of some sort and also Im going to do a webcam. I watch him all day long on webcam and although he has a huge home now he sits on "his sofa" all of the time and looks out the window. So I am not in the least but concerned about the camper being small. If anything he will be more secure in a smaller place. While he does not pee while Im gone now I hope to find someone I can trust at the campground I could pay to take him out for a short bit during the day.

Water heater: Im worried its not rated to run 24/7 full time. Its electric and gas. Should I shut it off when I leave? Should I get some sort of on demand unit? Im only 30amp but I could connect it to 50amp with a aux breaker near by if I need to.

Air conditioner.. the unit was replaced about 5 yrs ago with a coleman.. Other than keeping it clean and changing the filter is there anything I should do. Im very worried about my dog.. but I will do a temp monitor that sends an alert to my phone for sure.

Those are my main concerns.. any advise will be welcomed.
RV Lifestyle
  • sgfrye's avatar
    sgfrye
    Explorer
    May 02, 2019
    we travel in the south where summers are very hot. i bought the Marcell temp and power monitoring system off amazon because we travel with 4 small dogs. it works flawlessly. wife and i get text alerts, as well as phone calls and emails on our 2 iphones whenever pre set temps are passed and shore power loss occurs within 15 seconds. works off cell phone signal so no wifi needed. monthly subscription but well worth the peace of mind. very sorry for your situation. hang in there
  • scbwr's avatar
    scbwr
    Explorer II
    May 02, 2019
    OK....I don't know why I'm having this problem....so just go to amazon.com and search for remote temperature monitor for cell phone.
  • scbwr's avatar
    scbwr
    Explorer II
    May 02, 2019
    I wouldn't worry about the water heater as it's not going to recycle that much during a work day, especially if you are in South Carolina and not dealing with very cold temps. But if you want to turn it off before leaving for work, it certainly doesn't take long for a 6 gallon water heater to reach temperature. It can be done faster if your heater allows dual operation on both electric and propane.

    There are plenty of devices available for monitoring the temperature in your fifth wheel while at work and I would advise getting one:

    Amazon Link

    And, good luck to you and hope you can get through this crisis and get back to where you want to be! Take care!

    MOD'S EDIT: Shortened the link to prevent it from breaking the page.
  • colliehauler's avatar
    colliehauler
    Explorer III
    May 02, 2019
    It only takes 10 to 15 minutes to heat the water just turn it on before you need it. For mold wash the camper for the outside, A/C Will reduce humidity on the inside.
  • barchetta1's avatar
    barchetta1
    Explorer
    May 02, 2019
    colliehauler wrote:
    A RV water heater is safe to leave on. That said it takes a very short time to heat water so you could shut it off during the day and turn it on when you get off work, this would also save a little money.

    I use the propane to heat water at the seasonal and shut the heater off of a night so I don't have to listen to it cycle on and off.

    It would be great to find someone to walk the dog during the day. I know I would hate to go 8 hours without urination.

    Leave the A/C on along with a tv or radio for the dog. This will mask outside noise and the dog will be less likely to bark.

    Good luck with your new beginning and remember when one door closes another opens.


    I was concerned about safety and cost with respect to the water heater. I think I will turn in off and then turn it on when I return. I need to calculate the electricity cost.. I just dont know how long it would need tun run to keep the tank hot.

    I always play music for my dog. I think he will be barky at first but will settle down as the activity becomes normalized.

    Since Im under trees.. Im worried about algae and mold.. any treatments I should be spraying on the camper?
  • colliehauler's avatar
    colliehauler
    Explorer III
    May 01, 2019
    A RV water heater is safe to leave on. That said it takes a very short time to heat water so you could shut it off during the day and turn it on when you get off work, this would also save a little money.

    I use the propane to heat water at the seasonal and shut the heater off of a night so I don't have to listen to it cycle on and off.

    It would be great to find someone to walk the dog during the day. I know I would hate to go 8 hours without urination.

    Leave the A/C on along with a tv or radio for the dog. This will mask outside noise and the dog will be less likely to bark.

    Good luck with your new beginning and remember when one door closes another opens.
  • cavie's avatar
    cavie
    Explorer
    May 01, 2019
    Why are you concerned about the WH? It does not run 24/7. It only runs when need to heat the water just like at home. Mine is on for 4 months at a time on Gas. Electric in my camp is too expensive. There is nothing to do for the A/C except change the filter. Get on the roof once a year and take the cover off and clean any debris that may have blown in there. We have a cat and leave him for 3 days from time to time. We treat our RV just as we do or home.

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