Also, all the manuals are ridiculously confusing. Is there a post or video somewhere that runs through the standard operation of such a rig? Like what needs to be on or off while driving? How do you set up camp? Pilot lights, power cords, generator, potable water lines, LP tank, water tanks, etc.
You need to read your manuals. They should not be confusing. They are geared toward the end consumer.
Depending on your RV, you don't want to run the generator and have your house batteries slaved to the engine alternator at the same time - you can fry the voltage regulator in the alternator or in the generator or both. In my RV I have to pay special care not to slave the batteries while the engine is running and the generator is running.
You can run pretty much all of your RV appliances while driving. Some states have laws about pilot lights in certain situations (like tunnels). It's a good idea to shut down pilot lights before pulling into service stations.
Check the date code on your tires. Tires last about 6-7 years and then need replacement regardless of tread wear. They almost always age out before they wear out.
Setting up camp is simple. Pull into your spot, plug into shore power if you have it, hook up to the city water if you have it, and hook up to sewer if you have it.
If you are hooked up to sewer, you still need to leave your sewage waste gate closed until your tank is full. You can leave your grey water waste gate open to flow into the sewer all you want. But if you leave the sewage waste gate open you will end up with a mountain of poo in your waste tank as all the liquid runs out. So you leave the waste gate closed until the sewage tank gets full and then you pull the gate open so everything gets flushed out of the tank in one tidalwave of sewage. Always close the grey water gate when you are opening the sewage gate. You don't want sewage waste backing up into the grey water system. When you are done, close the sewage gate again and open the grey water gate.
It can be a good idea to use an external pressure regulator and water filter on your hose bringing city water into your RV. You can buy these at a camping store. They fit onto your garden hose hookup.
You'll need to locate your water system drain valves. There may be multiple - my RV has 4. These should be opened at the end of every trip to fully drain your system.
Google on how to sanitize your RV water tank.
We generally don't drink water from our RV tank but use bottled water for drinking.
You should run the generator 20 minutes every month to exercise it and keep all the internal parts lubricated.
Some campgrounds have rules on hours of operation for generators due to noise.
I can sure remember the feeling of not knowing where to start with our new RV. I read the stickies here and watched a few YouTube vids too. Stayed in the driveway a few times. Learned to level it and found out how important that is to keep the refrigerator working.
I flushed the coolant and changed the oil--using synthetic as most people recommend it. Had the brakes checked. Bought new tires. Luckily they were replaced in full under warranty and I have new tires again!
I have a complete list of purchases from the first 3 or so years. I must confess I love RV stuff and seem to have a lot. But most of the stuff is very light weight--and foldable to fit in our little RV.
This is the first page of the 9 page list--the rest is on photobucket in the same folder.
Hope it helps you get started!
I flushed the coolant and changed the oil--using synthetic as most people recommend it. Had the brakes checked. Bought new tires. Luckily they were replaced in full under warranty and I have new tires again!
I have a complete list of purchases from the first 3 or so years. I must confess I love RV stuff and seem to have a lot. But most of the stuff is very light weight--and foldable to fit in our little RV.
This is the first page of the 9 page list--the rest is on photobucket in the same folder.
Hope it helps you get started!
