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BadBeans's avatar
BadBeans
Explorer
Oct 06, 2013

Random Newbie Questions

Hello,

I'm new to travel trailers and just completed my first trip. As such I have some random questions I thought of while on my trip. I would appreciate any experience and knowledge you can pass along. Thanks!

1.) I was told that before I could hook up to "city water" I needed a regulator. I found a gold colored (brass? copper?) regulator and a stainless steel regulator. What is the differences? I noted both said they were "lead free", but the gold colored regulator said it contained chemicals known to cause cancer in California while the stainless steel did not. For drinking water what is better?

2.) My travel trailer has a "spray out" for the black tank. I am told that after I dump I need to hook a non-potable water hose to it and "spray out" the black tank. Since this spray out port is just on the side of my trailer do I need a water regulator for this too?

3.) During the night I noticed my water pump would go on randomly for a second or so. It did this about 2 or 3 times a night. No one was using any water at the time since everyone was sleeping. I was also not hooked up to city water. Is this normal operation?

4.) Why do people at my trailer storage lot all have wood under the tongue jack where it meets the ground? Am I not suppose to let the tongue jack make direct contact with the ground?

5.) When hooked up to electric only do I leave my water heater and water pump on all the time?

6.) Is that pink winterizer stuff bad for you? I am thinking of having my trailer winterized before the first freeze at my dealership since its only like $30. I know they will likely use that pink stuff that came with my trailer originally.

7.) Prior to my trip I was away from my trailer for about 3 weeks. When I returned I found the battery was dead! I didn't leave any lights on. The only thing that appeared with power was the dvd/radio system, which doesn't seem to have a way completely cut power because its hard wired into my trailer. The dvd/radio was off, but the face was still illuminated. I triple checked everything and this was the only thing I could find with any power besides the carbon monoxide detector. As such should I be disconnecting my battery between trips to save it?

Thank you again for answering my random newbie questions!!

BadBeans

11 Replies

  • Lowsuv's avatar
    Lowsuv
    Explorer
    Oct 07, 2013
    Parasitic loads will drain the battery completely within a week .
    A battery with no charge will freeze .
    A battery with no charge will "sulfate " and pretty soon you have a lead boat anchor .
    although some prefer a trickle charger ..
    I disconnect my batteries completely after every trip .
    i make sure that they are fully charged before i do this .
    i have found that my batteries will hold their charge all winter long if they are fully disconnected .
  • cyberiankhatru's avatar
    cyberiankhatru
    Explorer
    Oct 07, 2013
    i try to blow out the lines with low air pressure and a blow out plug rather than use the pink stuff. just can't stand the taste of the water after using it. can't get it out until the end of the season when it's time to do it again!
  • PenMan's avatar
    PenMan
    Explorer
    Oct 07, 2013
    I got in too late to answer your questions as others have already done that but I will say Welcome to the forum.
  • dadmomh's avatar
    dadmomh
    Explorer
    Oct 06, 2013
    The gold color regulator is likely brass. Born and raised in CA, I feel obliged to remind you and others that in CA, EVERYTHNG causes SOMETHING....don't lose sleep over it. The brass is perfectly safe. If you'd feel better investing in the stainless, that's fine, too. We always use a regulator since some CGs have high, low, in-between or both water pressure, so it's just good insurance that you don't step into a situation where they have very high pressure. You'll find some CGs that have a built-in regulator on the spigot, so in that case just put yours away. Theirs will be fine.

    Yes on the water heater and pump. Although we frequently forget to do it, getting into the practice of shutting off the water at the spigot if you're going to be gone for a while is a good practice. You just never know what could cause a leak and coming back to a flooded trailer can really ruin a nice trip.

    The "pink stuff" is standard RV antifreeze and is harmless. DO NOT use regular auto antifreeze and don't let pets get near it....it's toxic. Do a search on this forum for winterizing and it will give you the details....not hard at all, just make sure you have pink color coming out all the faucets, toilet and the outside shower and then shut everything down. You're done for fall. When spring rolls around, just hook up to fresh water, turn on your faucets and let it run until there is no more pink color. Shut everything off. Add about 1/2 cup of regular household bleach and fill the freshwater tank. Either take your camper for a few mile ride or just let it sit for a couple of hours. Open up all the faucets again, hook up the fresh water hose and let it run until the bleach odor is gone. You're done. Everything is sanitized and you're good. BTW, when you open up and get all started in the spring, you need to put in a new water filter. There are various densities, so you have a choice. Doesn't really matter....our OEM was so dense we hardly had any water pressure. When we replaced it the next year we joked that it only stopped the gravel from coming through. Just read the labels or do another search here for recommendations.

    We've all been newbies, so don't hesitate to ask questions. You can do a search and find more info than you ever knew you needed to know about. If you don't find what you need....ask away. Campgrounds are full of usta-be-newbies, too. If you run into a glitch, don't mind asking for some help....we've all been there.
  • Doug33's avatar
    Doug33
    Explorer
    Oct 06, 2013
    I turn off everything if I am going to be away for a few hours, including shutting off the water supply in case the TT happens to spring a leak.
  • Dennis_M_M's avatar
    Dennis_M_M
    Explorer
    Oct 06, 2013
    1) you do not "need" a regulator, but it is handy to have one in case park pressure is too high. I rarely have encountered that. I did put a quick connect with a pressure gauge on my city water inlet and I carry a couple of the cheapo regulators. Other have more elaborate set-ups.

    2) I carry a separate black hose for hooking up to my black tank spray. You do not "need" to be hooked to non-potable water, but ok if it is available. There is an air break in the spray system to prevent back flow to a potable system. No pressure regulator needed here, higher pressure is better. Just make sure you black tank drain is open when you do it.

    3) water pump burping means you are losing pressure somewhere. Could be a leak in the system, could be the check valve in the water pump itself. Most likely is the cheap check valve in the city water connection. I replaced mine with a manual valve.

    4) to keep the jack from sinking into the ground/pavement and also so they do not have to crank the jack as much.

    5) Sure, why not. Some people routinely turn the water pump off when they leave - no a bad idea.

    6) What isn't bad for you? I use it all the time, just don't put any in the fresh tank (drain it) and flush the system really good in the spring. Don't put it into any water filters. Put some in the drains and the gray and black tanks.

    7) Get yourself a battery disconnect switch. There are to many parasitic loads to eliminate all of them. Just turn everything off and disconnect the battery. Even then a wet cell battery will have an internal discharge rate of 6 to 10% per month, so a BAttery Tender is a good idea. Good info here the 12 Volt Side of Life

    On edit - Ka Ron was quicker than me, but we agree!
  • Ka_Ron's avatar
    Ka_Ron
    Explorer
    Oct 06, 2013
    BadBeans wrote:
    Hello,

    I'm new to travel trailers and just completed my first trip. As such I have some random questions I thought of while on my trip. I would appreciate any experience and knowledge you can pass along. Thanks!

    1.) I was told that before I could hook up to "city water" I needed a regulator. I found a gold colored (brass? copper?) regulator and a stainless steel regulator. What is the differences? I noted both said they were "lead free", but the gold colored regulator said it contained chemicals known to cause cancer in California while the stainless steel did not. For drinking water what is better?
    Either one will work for you. The color does not matter. The most common one is the brass, but they will both regulate the water pressure down to 50-55lb that is safe for RV systems. Park and city systems can be as high as 100bl

    2.) My travel trailer has a "spray out" for the black tank. I am told that after I dump I need to hook a non-potable water hose to it and "spray out" the black tank. Since this spray out port is just on the side of my trailer do I need a water regulator for this too?
    I would make the assumption that you do not want to regulate the spray feature, as you want to get rid of any residue left in the tank after dumping

    3.) During the night I noticed my water pump would go on randomly for a second or so. It did this about 2 or 3 times a night. No one was using any water at the time since everyone was sleeping. I was also not hooked up to city water. Is this normal operation?
    If no one is using any water and the pump is cycling it usually means there is a leak or tap dripping. This is causing the water system to lose pressure and that is why the pump is cycling. If all is good it should not cycle when no one is using.

    4.) Why do people at my trailer storage lot all have wood under the tongue jack where it meets the ground? Am I not suppose to let the tongue jack make direct contact with the ground?
    That is just to keep the jack from sinking into a soft surface. Even pavement in the hot sun can sink with the weight of the trailer on the jack

    5.) When hooked up to electric only do I leave my water heater and water pump on all the time?
    We always leave our pump and water heater on if we are staying at a park with electrical only. Reason being, we do not like to wait for hot water to heat to wash hands or dishes and the toilet does require the pump.

    6.) Is that pink winterizer stuff bad for you? I am thinking of having my trailer winterized before the first freeze at my dealership since its only like $30. I know they will likely use that pink stuff that came with my trailer originally.
    The pink stuff is not bad for you, but I would flush the system well in the Spring.

    7.) Prior to my trip I was away from my trailer for about 3 weeks. When I returned I found the battery was dead! I didn't leave any lights on. The only thing that appeared with power was the dvd/radio system, which doesn't seem to have a way completely cut power because its hard wired into my trailer. The dvd/radio was off, but the face was still illuminated. I triple checked everything and this was the only thing I could find with any power besides the carbon monoxide detector. As such should I be disconnecting my battery between trips to save it?
    There is always a bit of draw from detectors and radios and if you are away from the RV for a long time it will drain the batteries. If you can not plug in for long term storage, then you should disconnect.

    Thank you again for answering my random newbie questions!!
    Hope these clear up some of the questions you have.
    Enjoy your new trailer and welcome to the RV Lifestyle

    BadBeans
  • BadBeans's avatar
    BadBeans
    Explorer
    Oct 06, 2013
    ontheroad101 wrote:
    Try asking 1 or 2 question at a time. I believe you will get more responses.


    I didn't want to spam the forum with so many questions so I waited to compile a small list. :(

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