E-450 Godzilla!

[Davexxxx]

So somewhere is my fresh tank drain

That would be the norm, yes.

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[Davexxxx]

@Davexxxx I think these are my low points?

Looking at these photos, you have a very nice feature here, though I think the hot side is perhaps too high?

Since they have shut off valves, that aren't exposed to the weather, your risk of them freezing, is insignificant, relative to say, mine, where the valves are exposed.

All you have to do, is get the order right.

Take off cap, open valve, allow to drain, close valve, install caps.

My valves, are where your caps are. Gonna look inside and see if there is room to retrofit a deal like yours. Unfortunately, nothing I can do about the fresh tank drain, as it comes out the bottom of the tank but at least it has a heater.

 

[Samson16]

Looking at these photos, you have a very nice feature here, though I think the hot side is perhaps too high?

Since they have shut off valves, that aren't exposed to the weather, your risk of them freezing, is insignificant, relative to say, mine, where the valves are exposed.

All you have to do, is get the order right.

Take off cap, open valve, allow to drain, close valve, install caps.

My valves, are where your caps are. Gonna look inside and see if there is room to retrofit a deal like yours. Unfortunately, nothing I can do about the fresh tank drain, as it comes out the bottom of the tank but at least it has a heater.

Thank you for the education. I’m going to search for my fresh tank drain somewhere under the bed area and a valve possibly inside the coach underneath the bed near the tank.

 

[Samson16]

They filled my fresh water tank about halfway at the dealership. It seems strange to have fresh water just getting stale in the tank for weeks sitting in the driveway. Would it be good to just run the sinks and shower periodically and flush the toilet etc to draw that level down over time? How long does it stay good at Florida outdoor temperatures?

 

[Davexxxx]

They filled my fresh water tank about halfway at the dealership. It seems strange to have fresh water just getting stale in the tank for weeks sitting in the driveway. Would it be good to just run the sinks and shower periodically and flush the toilet etc to draw that level down over time? How long does it stay good at Florida outdoor temperatures?

If it were mine and I lived where you do, where you could have decent enough weather to go, most any time, I'd drain it, sanitize the full system, refill it and dose it with the FDA recommended bleach dosage for long term water storage.

Thats what I do to mine, except I have to winterize. My fresh tank is full, all the rest of the yr. Empty and not chemically protected, allows mold to grow in the system = YUK.

 

[Davexxxx]

If you don't find a fairly obvious fresh tank drain under the camper, check the plumbing closely.

I suppose it is possible, that the fresh tank drain, would be plumbed into the water system and the cold water low point, serves it as well as the rest of the camper. There would have to be a valve, else the system would never pressurize but that might be how they did it. Another + IMO.

 

[Davexxxx]

One more (yeah right ) water system tip. If you think its going to be ... months (?) before the next trip, stopper the sinks and cover the toilet bowl and shower drain with cellophane.

Keeps evaporation from emptying the traps and that source of humidity, out of the camper.

 

[Samson16]

As I work toward a smooth way to lift and lower the front end a foot off the ground to level, I’ve read that the 12V fridge and the AC unit can function normally facing downward on a 4 degree slope.

It is a hard no for running out the slides and tank dumping, but being able to back it up the driveway after a trip and plug it in will be nice. I can level it, perform tank maintenance, and extend the slides for a good cleaning the next day or whatever.

 

[UGADawg96]

When we got our TT four plus years ago, we sanitized the fresh tank. We haven't used it once since then due to always having hook ups when we've camped. We run just a small dehumidifier in the shower while in covered storage and empty that gray tank quarterly. We have yet to winterize even though it gets down to freezing a couple times a year.

 

[Davexxxx]

When we got our TT four plus years ago, we sanitized the fresh tank. We haven't used it once since then due to always having hook ups when we've camped. We run just a small dehumidifier in the shower while in covered storage and empty that gray tank quarterly. We have yet to winterize even though it gets down to freezing a couple times a year.

Thats a good point. How you'll use it, should determine how you outfit it.

We're seldom at campgrounds and even more seldom, with full hook ups. Prefer the BLM / State, Ntl. Forest, type camping.

With the electrical upgrades we did, plus having PPOB in our back pockets, water and waste are the limiters. Power is never an issue. We can easily do 5 days between tank freshening, which helps slow the roll, if you know what I mean.

The Grand Tetons. BLM land. View from the camper door.

The Badlands. Buffalo Ntl. Grassland. About 3-4 miles from the park.

Angel Peak Recreation area. N Central NM. Navaho land, managed by BLM. View from the camper door.

Kaibob Ntl. Forest. About 1/4 mile from Grand Canyon park. .

All of the above were free, 5-6 days each.

But even when in a campground, being self contained, grants many more available spots and I'd argue, better spots. Not to mention, cheaper.

Pomme De Terre Lake, S. W. MO. Hermitage St. Park.

To illustrate the latter point. IIRC, Mesa Verde has just 19 full hook up sites, with more than 200 in the campground. They generally book a yr. in advance.

We almost never have to book a site more than 2 days in advance but admittedly, a lot went into the prep to be able to do that and if it isn't your bag, or isn't your bag yet, there is plenty of time to gear up.

 

[Samson16]

I think our size at 27’ 1” gives us the opportunity to park in spots the big ones can’t. The large 55 gallon fuel tank and quiet on board variable rpm inverter generator allow to operate off grid unless noise restrictions prevent. Those beautiful views are worth chasing!! Congratulations sir

 

[Samson16]

I haven’t considered actually drinking from the fresh water tank lol. In my mind it’s for washing dishes and showering and flushing the toilet. I would brush my teeth with it, so there you go. Always envisioned bottled water in the fridge or whatever

 

[Davexxxx]

I haven’t considered actually drinking from the fresh water tank lol. In my mind it’s for washing dishes and showering and flushing the toilet. I would brush my teeth with it, so there you go. Always envisioned bottled water in the fridge or whatever

Different strokes.

We sanitize the system, at least annually and as mentioned, dose it for long term water storage. Nothing goes in, without first passing through a 2 stage filter of 20 um, then 1 um. Drinking water then goes through a Brita and stored in the fridge. The Wife is in charge of that, I forget which filter she uses but we've had no issues with illness, drinking the water from wherever we were.

 

[Samson16]

Different strokes.

We sanitize the system, at least annually and as mentioned, dose it for long term water storage. Nothing goes in, without first passing through a 2 stage filter of 20 um, then 1 um. Drinking water then goes through a Brita and stored in the fridge. The Wife is in charge of that, I forget which filter she uses but we've had no issues with illness, drinking the water from wherever we were.

That’s likely as good as the “city” water connection at campgrounds which might be well water .
I drink tap water at home without thinking about it, so as long as it doesn’t smell weird I don’t worry much

 

[Chris GTO TT]

Yeah I'd like to be a little bit more capable to be off grid but the kids still use too much water for that. I also feel like I'm stuck between the chicken and the egg.... We don't do off grid camping so we're not set up to do it. Since we don't do off grid we don't get setup to do it.

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