Hello Everyone , introduction + a few questions ....

[Beammeup]

GOOD DAY !
I wanted to introduce myself and ask a few questions after spending a few weeks reading and living in my TT .
Thanks in advance , I came up from Florida to New Jersey to take care of my Mom and it was amidst a noreaster of all things . My sisters place was tight so I decided to buy a TT . I had camped all my life and am a car guy so I went shopping and wound up really liking a Sunnybrook 30fk from 1998 . I love the engineering as I did not want slide outs cause its just me . Less to repair and such . But it has all the goods and a full bath . Sooooo . How do you run this thing . I took camp at the best place first and eventially hooked up elec , and then water . I am soooo sloooow . And then I got myself into trouble and had to change venues . OK , so . I haven't used the Fresh , Black and Gray yet . So I guess my questions are since I am a new guy , what is the best way to dive into this . I certainly don't want a black tank mess! But I think I have an idea of the fresh tanks , but I don't know where they drain . Nor do I know where my inverter is . I found everything but . I found the board for it . I really like the engineering in this camper . Also I have a cap for the dump valve that has a hose fitting . Is this for the maintenance of flushing ? All new to me . I wanted to have this beast capable to go offroad too. Is their some things aside from ground clearance for this . I can see larger trailer tires , but I read flipping the axels accounting for some additional clearance too . Skid plates for the front or rear? And a four season approach too . Is their skirting for the underside or do I just use my own cranium to do that . I ask because this is new , but I can weld and fabricate and I will figure it out eventually . But I want to get into bug out mode and solve these issues in advance as fast as possible . Thanks in advance for any assistance , love the forum and appreciate learning from all of you. David

[Beammeup]

Actually you were gracious in your reply and were attempting to help me. I was wrong in my demeanor and like I said I was like a three or four year old . I am sorry . The responses have been so very helpful and I appreciate it immensely and acknowledge the time it took to do so . So I want to send out a big thank you .
I learned about the tanks these past few days and that was a huge weight off my chest . The RV is solid and actually still blows me away with the engineering and forethought regarding its construction despite it being an older model . The propane facet is my next shakedown . Its warm here now , but I need to insure the furnace and the fridge and such operates correctly without hookups . When I am in Alaska that is when the stuff needs to be dependable .
Funny think is that I fired up the Winegard TV antennae recently after some maintenance and the signal is amazing . Kind of like icing on the cake 😉 These Sunnybrook people really were RV people designing from their experience and I am still amazed 🙂
Again thanks for welcoming me so warmly and sorry I was a difficult say four year old , I was right , I found the right place, D

[doxiluvr]

I apologize if I was one of the responders who you felt insulted you. I did not mean to. It was just that we were new to RVing also when we bought our travel trailer 8 years ago also. And maybe we just had a good dealer and salesperson, but they did an extensive training and information session with us and of course gave us all the manuals and warranty information. So it was a learning process for us also but at least we had something to refer to. They also gave us the number for the service dept. if we had questions. I hope you are doing well and have many good RV experiences (and few problems) in the future. Good luck in your travels. And that you stay on the Forum.

[Speedogomer]

If you've ever seen the movie "Cedar Rapids", in my mind I'm envisioning that party you got kicked out of, was just the party party scene in the movie.

If you've never seen it, now you have to. Great movie.

[2012Coleman]

I was like WHAT?

Yea - me too...

[opnspaces]

The low power fuse panel you found is probably also where the converter is, or at least it's nearby like behind it. But if the battery starts charging when you plug in the shore power cable you really don't need to find it as it's working.

If you don't have a multimeter and still want to see if the converter is working go find the main circuit breaker. It's going to be the 30A breaker in the same box as the low power fuses. Unplug the shore power cable and then flip the main breaker off. If you're not sure which breaker is main, then just flip all the breakers off. Now turn on some interior lights and go plug in the shore power cable then go back into the trailer and take a seat by the breakers.

At this point you should be in the trailer with the main breaker or all the breakers off. The trailer should be plugged in to shore power. You should have some interior lights on.

Put your finger on the main breaker and then stare up at a light. Now flip the main breaker on and if your converter is working the light will get brighter.

Inverters are rare in trailers, so unless the previous owner specifically said they added an inverter there won't be one. Look at the wires that run from the battery to the trailer. If the wires are not at least 4 gauge (think battery cables on a car) then you probably don't have an inverter.

[Beammeup]

I have to apologize for my attitude , I guess I thought things would have been a smoother learning experience and yes I was perhaps insulted without merritt . I know my trailer is older , however , It was in use with experienced keepers that had been served well by it .

I am not a troll , and really did read the great majority of the information , but each experience is different . I was firing this thing up for my first time and found instances being concerning I guess . I didn't want a black water disaster for instance . Being the trailer was well kept it still was something that I felt was a bit beyond the FAQ stuff . It is innocence not ignorance . I was wondering what was the best way to start up a new trailer aquisition for a new owner , not a new trailer so to speak .I would have leaned more on you tube for sure but I lost the audio card on my laptop rendering it kind of a non option for now .
I guess I felt a bit ridiculed just starting out , thats my fault and I am sorry to those that tried to help me and I became like a three year old .
Your input has ultimately been awesome and for that I am very grateful and will go ahead and impart that wisdom and move forward WITH you help that I can tell you that I very much appreciate .
I could not find schematics for the placement of the power inverter , I don't need to get to it , but I thought it was important to be cognicant of the locations on everything just in case . I found the low power fuse panel , but could not trace it anywhere .
I guess I have alot of information that you all have afforded me through your graces and I will impliment that as best I can and get my hands dirty so to speak . I didn't mean to be a jerk , was just trying for the first time to introduce myself , explain my scenario and learn from those who have been their .
I did get the boot from the first site . I was amidst a huge influx of NHRA folks after the SummerNationals in NJ recently and walked into the party and the party was pretty lit up and turned on me . I had gotten assaulted and chose not to fight back left and went back to my trailer . Next day the owner questioned me about stuff . Like were you knocking on trailer doors and such . I was like WHAT? sounded creepy to me , but she was adamant that I was involved and a guy tried to beat me too . I just played possum because I did not want to hurt anyone . I could have chose a Brazillian Jui Jit Su approach and went to town , but I am never about hurting someone . I took the hit and went home . Thats the story their . Alcohol and idiots . Hey we all have had our moments . I chose not to shred a man and whoever dared to join that mess . Jail is the only result when you get down to it in these situations plus his hospital bills and court appearances ugh... Whatever .
I really do appreciate the help , FWIW I was going to Alaska in the summer with my friend in San Jose and to Baja Cali in the Winter as a dream trip . You all have been real instrumental in helping me do this . The whole idea was several years in the making , the timing with mom and my sister being taxed out just pulled it into the forefront . So thats the back story and again , thanx for the help , you guys might think its no big deal , but even with manuals and stuff its not easy , its surely a challenge . But with your help I feel really fortunate in hindsight to have a second chance to do this and that means WITH your help , Thank You , David > Scotty

[2oldman]

5. You apparently have never seen a paragraph before.

All your 'reading' hasn't been much help. Why would we be any more help? This post reeks of trolling.

[Speedogomer]

For true offroading, I think that trailer is a little long, but there are mods you can do to make it more off road friendly such as flipping the axles. If you're getting into territory that you need skid plates, you're probably into territory that may damage your trailer. There's quite a bit of flex in a long trailer like that, and with its age, I'd hate to see you ruin the frame.

As for 4 season camping, unless the trailer is designed for 4 season use, they're not insulated that well. You can put up skirting around the underbelly to help. You may have problems with freezing water lines so check where they run, sometimes they can run in odd spots and even with heat on, can be hidden where it's very cold and freeze. I'd also look into getting a large fixed propane tank delivered by a LP gas company, as they're cheaper in the long run, and you'll use quite a lot of propane in the winters.

Out of curiousity, what was the trouble you got into that made you have to move? Sounds like a good story.

[BurbMan]

I smell a TROLL....

Folks that have posted once-and-done and left in a huff have been trolls, just like you. Just like Darla, or maybe that is you?

Your post told us:
1. You bought an RV on a whim to camp at your sister's house because she had no room for you to stay;
2. You got thrown out of some campground for unexplained reasons;
3. You ask "tell me about my rig", without asking any specific questions;
4. You pretend to be mad when folks try to help.

Go away.

[tomkaren13]

So sorry Beammeup to see you go. We try to help everyone and some like our hints, others get insulted. Well we all will keep trying. Best wishes.

[2012Coleman]

I can't see how you can expect to log on to any forum and ask "how do I run this thing"? You stated you read before posting - you obviously missed titles like the following - yes in the FAQ section:
•List of things to stock in new trailer....?
•Reference books for newbies
•Leveling Side to Side - HELP
•RV Advice
•RV Basics
•RV Safety
•The RVer's Corner
Plus a whole lot more. If you are expecting someone to retype all that stuff for your convenience, good luck. And believe it or not, You Tube is great for this - again requiring effort on your part to enter words in a search engine. Now, after actually looking up this info, if you have a specific question, your more than welcome to post the question. You are not going to figure it out all at once, and will need to put ome more effort into doing so without getting all huffy - turns people off. For reference, Read this.

[westend]

Beammeup wrote:
I posted on here very clearly and got refered to the blue bar , you tube and the beginers board . I spent quite some time reading before I posted here . I thought this would be a good way to forward the learning experience . It is but nobody here has a crystal ball to see inside your head to find what you know and don't know. You're asking some very beginner-like questions.

I can post anywhere on any forum all over the world and suggest that the poster start with the FAQ . I found that insulting . After all I indicated I spent weeks reading .We don't know what you've read and where you've been. I don't see any insults being offered.

If you see alot of in and out on your forum what are you doing about it . Its simple . I just identified the reason . Hostility won't gain you much

Would you be interested in welcoming a new person and actually assisting , or just quantify me as an in and outer and just refer me to the blue bar , you tube or why not just another forum somewhere else ? Absolutely, welcome to the Forum!

I am still blown away . I Opted to go my own , because of this off the charts scenario . To be clear , Log on and get insulted . Nice group

Again, you're copping an attitude about nothing. Reread the posts. Folks are trying to be helpful and you're snarling.

[PacNWChris]

I'm on a variety of forums (pinball machines, Audi ... for example) and I'm new to this one as a poster. Welcome!

[opnspaces]

I can't get a lock on you, Scotty boost the power.... 🙂

Sorry I couldn't resist Beammeup. 😄 Welcome to the forum and don't take the earlier posts as an insult. This is probably the most civilized RV forum on the internet and posters really are interested in helping.

As far as your camper it sounds like you're on the way to being able to boondock it. Here's a few tips and points that might help.

It sounds like you had the sinks and possibly the toilet running so you want to be cautious that you don't overflow anything. Here's what I would do if it was my trailer.

On the left (drivers side) of the trailer are all the hookups you need. You already found the tank drain, It's the cap on the 3 inch pipe hanging under the trailer. You should have a 3 inch drain hose (we call it the stinky slinky) and it will probably be inside the back bumper. Pull the slinky out and if it doesn't look fairly new throw it away. Now go to Walmart and buy a new slinky from the RV section. Many here like The Rhino hose that Walmart sells but any of the hoses there will work.

Now on your trailer near the dump hose you should see two T handles. these handles control the dump valves on the two tanks and will hopefully be labeled. If the valves are not labeled you'll have to look under the trailer and follow the handle control rods to the actual valves. The black tank valve will be on a 3 inch pipe and the gray tank valve will be on a 1.5 inch pipe. Label or remember the valves as it is important.

Next go find a place to dump the tanks. The dump is gravity fed so be aware of that. Many campgrounds, Flying J stations, Pilot stations, and some highway rest areas have public dumps available for a small fee. You might also have access to a sewer clean out at your house.

Pull the trailer up until the dump pipe is near the hole in the ground. Carefully remove the cap from the trailer dump pipe in case there is some leakage behind the cap. Connect your dump hose (stinky slinky) to the dump pipe and make sure it's twisted fully on. Take the other end of the slinky to the hole in the ground. Step on the lever to open the cap covering the dump port in the ground and stick the end of the slinky in the hole. Many times there is a convenient rock at the dump station that you can use to make sure the slinky does not pop out of the hole when the sewage starts flowing down the slinky. Now go pull the lever that you identified as the black drain valve and wait. You should hear the tank draining or you can put your hand on the outside of the hose and feel the water rushing through. Once the black tank stops draining push the T handle in to close the valve.

Now pull the T handle that you identified to drain the gray tank. You should again hear or feel the tank drain. When it's done close the gray dump valve. We always drain the gray last so the soapy water from the gray tanks can wash out the slinky from the black tank flush.

Disconnect your slinky and stow it away somewhere. You are done draining the tanks although you might want to wash your hands before getting back in the tow vehicle.

Your trailer should have at least three tanks. Fresh water, gray water (Sinks and shower) and black water (toilet).

Fresh water:
You already found that one, well at least you found the water hookup. On your trailer you should find two ports on the outside of the trailer to fill fresh water. One port will have a female hose thread on it and it is for pressurized fresh water. Based on your post above this is the one you have found. Using this port you will not need a water pump as the city provides the necessary pressure just like a garden hose at home. There is a check valve in the interior plumbing to prevent the city water connection from filling and overflowing the fresh water tank.

Before you use the fresh water tank you should sanitize the tank. I'll get to that in a minute.

There is also a port to fill your fresh water tank. This port is a gravity fill to the tank. You put the garden hose in this port turn it on fairly low and wait until it fills up and overflows. Don't turn the hose on too high or you can bulge the tank or worse. Once the tank is full you can turn the hose off and cap the fill port. Now go find the water pump switch and turn it on.

If all the interior faucets and exterior shower (if equipped) are turned off the water pump should turn on and run for a minute or two until it pressurizes the water system then turn off. Once this happens wait for a minute or two to make sure the pump doesn't come back on. If the pump cycles on and off every few minutes you have a leak. go check all the faucets,the toilet and shower, the outside shower, and the pressure relief valve on the water heater and make sure they are not turned on.

Now turn on a cold water faucet and the pump should detect a drop in pressure and turn on. Once you close the faucet the pump should turn off again.

Remember all the water from the sinks and bathtub has to go somewhere and that somewhere is the gray tank.

Sanitizing the tank. Since you aren't the original owner you probably have no idea how the tank was cared for. Here you'll probably have to do some Google searches to find the capacity of your fresh water tank. To sanitize the tank get a new bottle of unscented bleach. You want to use a ratio of two ounces of bleach for even 10 gallons of fresh water tank capacity. A common tank capacity is around 40 gallons which would be a cup of bleach.

Find the tank drain, it will probably be hanging under the trailer near the gravity fill port. Open the valve and make sure the tank is drained then close the valve. Find the water heater and remove it's drain plug, drain it, and then put the plug back in.
Now pour the bleach into the gravity fill port then use the garden hose and fill the tank. Turn on the water pump and go into the trailer. Open a hot water faucet and wait for the water pump to fill the water heater. Once air stops spurting out of the faucet and you get a good bleachy smelling flow of water, turn off the valve. Now open the cold water valve on the same sink and wait until you get a good bleachy smelling flow then close the valve. Repeat this procedure for all faucets, the showers inside and out, and the toilet. Once you have bleach water at all faucets go top up the fresh water tank with the garden hose. Now let the trailer sit like this all night.

Sometime the next day drain the fresh water tank and the water heater. Be cautious if you are wearing nice clothes because the bleach water is going to stain them if it gets on them. Now fill the fresh tank and let the pump fill the water heater. Run all faucets and showers for a few minutes each then drain the tank and water heater again. Fill the tank one more time and fill the water heater. Now run all the faucets again until you don't smell the bleach. Your water system is now sanitized and ready for use. It is recommended to sanitize the system at least once a year.

The toilet drains into the black tank. To use the toilet it will have a lever or pedal to fill the bowl and then to flush. The pedal often fills the bowl by lifting up with your foot and flushes by pushing the pedal down with your foot. Some pedals fill the bowl if you step down half way and flush if you step down further than half way. Always use at least a full bowl if not two full bowls of water to flush down poop or you can wind up with a nasty clog in the tank just under the toilet. CAUTION, do not leave the black drain valve open under the trailer or the liquids will drain out of the tank when you flush and the solids will build up the dreaded poop pyramid under the toilet. Leave the drain valve. I'm referring to the T handle drain valve that you use to drain the tanks. Leave that valve closed until the tank is 1/2 to 3/4 full before draining.

The toilet works the same for a lever flush except you pull the lever forward half way to fill the tank and all the way to flush it. otherwise everything I said about the pedal flush is the same for the lever flush.

Somewhere in the trailer is a monitor panel that is supposed to tell you when the tanks are full. The panel is usually very inaccurate. Many people judge tank capacity by looking into the toilet when flushing to see the level in the black tank.

When the gray tank fills it will usually first overflow into the shower or bathtub.

Your trailer should have a shore power cord inside a hatch on the left (drivers side of the trailer. This is a round 3 bladed 30 amp plug. DO NOT plug this into an electric clothes dryer plug in the garage. The trailer is a 120 volt system and the clothes dryer is a 240 volt system. If you cram your trailer plug into a dryer socket it will fry most of the electronics in the trailer. It's a very expensive mistake that many people on here have made.

Your air conditioner, microwave, and 120 volt outlets are all powered by this shore power cord. You can find an adapter for a few dollars in the RV section at Walmart that will convert your 30 amp plug to a 20 amp standard household plug so you can plug in at home. This will run most things in the trailer, but don't try the air conditioner as the voltage drop on a 12 or 14 amp extension cord could cause the compressor to burn up.

Your trailer has a converter not an inverter. A converter takes 120 volt AC (household) current and converts it to 12 volt DC (automotive) current. An inverter does just the opposite. An inverter takes 12 volt battery current and converts it to 120 volt household current.

If you have a multimeter you can easily find out if your converter is still working. Unplug the trailer shore power cord. Now set your meter to DC volts and go take a voltage reading off the battery. It should be somewhere around 12.66 to 12.75 volts for a fully charged battery. Now go plug in the shore power cord. It's okay to use an extension cord and adapter for this test. Now go take another voltage reading at the battery. If your converter is working your battery voltage should have jumped to 13.5 volts or more.

Your refrigerator works on either 120 volts, or propane (plus 12 volts to run the control board.)Plug the shore power cord in and turn the refrigerator to on, auto, or whatever setting is has besides gas, LP, or 12 volt. Now wait at least 8 hours and then check to see if it's getting cold. If it's not cold after 8 hours, or you smell ammonia or see a yellow powder the refrigerator is shot.

Your trailer also uses propane to run things. First make sure the stove and oven knobs are all turned off. Locate the propane bottles on the tongue of the trailer. You should see that each bottle is connected by a hose to a pressure regulator and then there is one line from the regulator to the trailer. Look at this regulator and see if it has a site glass on it that shows red. A red site glass means that either the tanks are turned off or they are empty. There should be a lever or pointer under the sight glass window. This lever should be pointed toward one of the tanks. Slowly turn the tank that the lever is pointed to on. If there is propane in the tank the site glass should turn green. Now turn on the other tank also so they are both on. Go into the trailer and turn on a stove burner. There should be a sparker incorporated into the stove top to light the burner. Keep clicking the sparker until the burner lights. Make sure all three burners light then turn them all off. Now that there is propane in the lines you should be able to flip the refrigerator to gas. GO outside and stick your ear by the refrigerator door and listen. You should hear a small roar of the propane burner cooling the refrigerator down. If you did not run the refrigerator on 12o volts you will again have to wait 8 hours for the refrigerator to cool down.

You can do the same check on the water heater, although without knowing the make or model I can't help with that.

That's all I can think of about how your new trailer works. Good luck with it and happy camping.

If you have any questions or need clarification feel free to post them and we will do our best to answer. 🙂