New camper. Water features

[thedietz]

Hello. In 2 days I will be taking my new (to me) 2003 Starcraft Travelstar 21rb out for our first trip.

I previously was the owner of a coleman popup..and never used all of the water features in the camper.

With this new camper we want to use it and i have a few questions.

I have not sanitized the water holding tank, so for this trip I mainly want to use it for the toilet. Questions are.
1. I do not know where or how the pump is turned on, but I assume the pump will need to be activated to flush the toilet?
2. When I go to dump the waste after our trip I understand to dump the black side first, and the gray side second. When I release the gray side will that also drain all the water that is still in the tank that was unused? If not how do i drain that water to empty the tank?
3. I assume campers have 2 tanks? 1 for the fresh water you put in it, and another for the water that goes down the sink and toilet. I am guessing they are the same in size?

I am sure i have more questions, but if you can offer advise on these hopefully I won't have to leave the camper at 3am for the public restroom!

Thanks!!

[real4u2c]

If I were you, I would go online or to a local bookstore and purchase Woodall's Rv manual, by Gary Bunzer, I believe that is the author. Good book for rv owners. Easy to understand rv stuff, can save you money. That's what I would do, but everybody is different.

[bikendan]

thedietz wrote:


Is there a chance my heater will work with just shore power?

RV.s have furnaces that heat with propane, not electricity.
Some bring ceramic electric HEATERS to supplement the RV's furnace. Those will need shore power.

[thedietz]

We are at our site now. Rain in the forcast for the next 2 days.

All the water systems work. .thanks for all the great advice.

Is there a chance my heater will work with just shore power?

[JSGlow]

You'll quickly get the hang of all your systems. Coming from a tent camping background I know how to conserve so we routinely have the hot water heater off (unless there's a future need) and leave our pump off. But there is no correct answer except to use LOTS of fresh water in the black tank. Water in that spot is your friend.

[Old-Biscuit]

Where ever we use the pump it is turned ON until next time we have shore water.

It is an 'on demand' pump meaning it only runs when there is a drop in pressure......that could be a faucet being opened, toilet being flushed OR a leak!

We would turn it off if we left rig for any extended time but while in/around rig it is on.
I like to keep things simple.......hate trying to remember to turn pump on, water heater on etc. When I open a faucet/flush toilet I want water to flow.
And when I use Hot water I want Hot water not 20 mins. later.

Just me.......find what works for you

[dadmomh]

If we were camping with NO shore water, I would only leave the pump on when it's needed. Although, doubt that it would hurt it if left on....one thing it would let you know if it keeps kicking on and off is that you have a leak somewhere in the system and you're losing pressure. We rarely carry water in the fresh tank because at about 8# per gallon, that = a lot of weight = more gas. So when time comes to get ready to head home, if we happen to have added any water, I use that to add to the black tank. Just open the flush - either a small lever on the side or a foot pedal, and let it run. You'll have to stand there to keep it open. Re #1 or #2.....doesn't really matter because that's what it's made for. Use it. Don't invest in the pricey RV toilet paper....just plain old cheap white stuff is fine and will break down. You do need to use chemicals of some sort. You can do a search here and find way more than you ever thought you needed to know about this. It sounds like a lot the first time and you'll likely wonder "what did they say???", but it's no biggie. Just have a good time, relax and the rest will take care of itself.

[dadmomh]

If we were camping with NO shore water, I would only leave the pump on when it's needed. Although, doubt that it would hurt it if left on....one thing it would let you know if it keeps kicking on and off is that you have a leak somewhere in the system and you're losing pressure. We rarely carry water in the fresh tank because at about 8# per gallon, that = a lot of weight = more gas. So when time comes to get ready to head home, if we happen to have added any water, I use that to add to the black tank. Just open the flush - either a small lever on the side or a foot pedal, and let it run. You'll have to stand there to keep it open. Re #1 or #2.....doesn't really matter because that's what it's made for. Use it. Don't invest in the pricey RV toilet paper....just plain old cheap white stuff is fine and will break down. You do need to use chemicals of some sort. You can do a search here and find way more than you ever thought you needed to know about this. It sounds like a lot the first time and you'll likely wonder "what did they say???", but it's no biggie. Just have a good time, relax and the rest will take care of itself.

[thedietz]

after getting my camper back today ( the pictures and diagrams were great) i feel confident the toilet will be operational this weekend (at least for # 1's).

Question about the pump. Do you turn it on and leave it on (i will be filling the tank...no shore water) or only turn the pump on when you need to run the sink or flush the toilet?

Thanks!!!

[thedietz]

thanks for all the advice on this...very helpful!!!

[Old-Biscuit]

Typical RV water system......




Fresh water tank & pump OR 'city water' connection on side of rig supply the hot/cold water plumbing (sinks/showers/toilet)

Make sure that water heater is full BEFORE using the heating source(s)....propane/electric....ESPECIALLY the electric (it will burn out if not submersed in water.
Water heater will fill when running pump OR turning 'city water' supply on...just open closest faucet (hot side) to get air out of system.

Black tank (toilet)......best to dump when full/almost full (high liquid volume & weight carry the 'stuff' out.
After dumping....flush/rinse tank if possible. Then close drain valve and add a couple gallons water back into black tank (two toilet bowls works). This will keep bottom of tank wet so 'stuff' doesn't stick to bottom, dry out, pile up & stink.

Then drain grey tank....soapy water helps flush/rinse drain line and sewer hose

Have fun.....go camping.

[M_GO_BLUE1]

thedietz wrote:
@ lovemountains - thanks! I did read that part before but where i am camping does not have water at the site so I will need to fill up. I did just buy a regulator and drinking water hose off amazon though so when I get to a site with water I'll be ready!!!

@ M GO BLUE - thanks again! I am having 4 new tires put on the camper right now so when I get it home tonight i'll check for all of these things. Hopefully it will be easy to figure out.
And from what you are saying then your fifth wheel has 2 pumps? one for the sink..one for the toilet. Is that standard with campers or a chance mine might use one pump for everything?

No..One pump with multiple locations that I can turn it on and off

[wrvond]

First, take a look under your bed. The mattress and plywood sheet lift up to reveal a storage area under there. You will also likely find your fresh water tank in there. I don't know why everybody specifies fresh water tank. I seriously doubt anybody has or uses a salt water tank! Anyway, once you've located your fresh water tank, you'll see at one end a largish hose that goes to a valve, then splits off with one side going to a pump. You'll want to fill your tank before turning the pump on, and ensure the valve is directing the water to the pump, otherwise, it'll be draining out under the camper.
On one wall, probably in the hallway near the bathroom will be a panel with buttons and lights to tell you how full your holding tanks are. You can ignore them. The switch for the pump should be on that panel, though. Once you have the tank full, the valve opened to the pump, and the switch on, you should hear the pump run until the system is pressurized. It will not properly pressurize until you get the air out of the lines, though. So start by opening the water valves at the sinks and tub until the water runs solid then turn them off.
Next, you'll want to turn your attention to the water heater. It may or may not have a bypass valve installed. It is also probably accessed under your bed. Ensure the plug is installed (it may have an anode attached) on the front of the water heater (outside). Then you can open the bypass valve inside if it needs to be opened. Back outside, you can open the pressure relief valve to let air out of the tank. When water starts coming out of the relief valve, close it. It is now safe to light the water heater if you wish. You'll probably want to wait until you are on site, otherwise, you're just wasting propane to heat water you aren't using.
Holding tanks - one grey and one black. When you look under your camper, probably near the water heater area, you'll see two valves. One is bigger than the other. One may even have a grey handle. The small one is the grey tank and the big one is the black tank. Keep them both closed while you are camping as long as you can. If the site provides sewer, then go ahead and connect up the stinky slinky, but leave the valves closed. When you get ready to leave, or the tanks are full, or you stop at a dumping station, open the black tank valve first and allow it to drain completely. You can also use your non-potable water hose with a wand to reach in through the toilet and flush the black tank some more. Once you're pretty sure you got all the solids out, go ahead and drain the grey water tank. This will serve to rinse the inside of your stinky slinky. Close the valves, remove the slinky, and cap the drain. You might want to invest in a box of nitrile gloves to wear whenever you perform this operation.
If you have no desire to travel with water in your potable water tank, turn off the pump (if it isn't off already) and switch the valve from the pump to the drain position.
Sanitizing the potable water tank is pretty easy, btw. Simply pour some bleach in the full tank, cycle it through all the faucets, then drain and refill. If you feel the need to drain and refill again to reduce the residual bleach, that's fine, but not really necessary.

Hope this helps!

[Hoosierdaddy47]

http://images.rvs.com/13250/178843/travel%20star%20012.jpg
This should show you what you're looking for...IF the link works! It's the one on the left. The other is the water heater.

[thedietz]

@ lovemountains - thanks! I did read that part before but where i am camping does not have water at the site so I will need to fill up. I did just buy a regulator and drinking water hose off amazon though so when I get to a site with water I'll be ready!!!

@ M GO BLUE - thanks again! I am having 4 new tires put on the camper right now so when I get it home tonight i'll check for all of these things. Hopefully it will be easy to figure out.
And from what you are saying then your fifth wheel has 2 pumps? one for the sink..one for the toilet. Is that standard with campers or a chance mine might use one pump for everything?