Ray D - Newby To Full Timing.

Wow! I just learned this today!   Man, do I have questions!

Been wishing we could do this, for years! Unfortunately, didn?t anticipate doing it alone. Didn?t anticipate starting in the winter. Didn?t anticipate talking to a lawyer this morning, right after sitting down with my first morning cup. Thankfully, he waited to call, ?til I got that poured!  :

That?s where I?m at. I leave the stick house, but get the motorhome with the upsidedown financing. Glad to have it, mortgage and all. Stick house couldn?t go to a nicer person.

Motorhome is a 2005, 36ft Damon Challenger. Went out, today, and just looked around in there. Man, that is a lot less room than I realized! It?s winterized. Kinda cold in there!  :  :-\

Don?t know the actual starting date. Could be tomorrow, next week, or could go past Christmas. I understand I?ll find out as the clock ticks along.  I don?t seem to be in charge.  :

Got plenty of questions.    Will post them as I go, one at a time.

Found an RV park near here and had quite a  talk with the manager. Jerry and Ardra stayed there, a couple of years ago when they came through. Seems pretty good to me. It's sandwiched between the airport and the interstate, I-84. $400 per month, full hookups, which is the way I?ll be renting ? at least for the winter. $10 more gets WiFi, which I will ask about, later, in another thread. Never used it.  Never needed it.  Know nothing about it. Gonna have to learn under the gun!

I attempted to drown the manager in questions. He suggested an electric space heater as an auxiliary to the furnace, to keep propane costs down. Sounds good to me.

I asked about skirting the MH, to keep tanks from freezing. Only a few of the trailers had skirting. None of the motorhomes had skirting. There they all sat, as if confident that freezing was not a problem!  ???

It gets pretty cold here, from time to time. He said that the skirted trailers all had exposed tanks. Said, in his seventeen years there, there had been no freezing problems. It gets well below freezing, frequently, and below 0 for short periods.

He said, keep the heat on and put a drop light in the water bays and ?don?t worry about it.? My water tank is actually inside the coach, under the bed.

So, first question: Is this for real, for a full timer? If so, why have I been winterizing, all these years? I?ve read pretty much the same, here, over time. Never needed to know that it really worked. Now, I need a confidence booster, maybe, pretty quickly.

Any other precautions I should take? (I mean with the freezing temps.)

Ray D  :-\

Along with the issue of freezing threat, I have a specific concern that I didn't think to mention, clearly, above. The park manager suggested that I would already be paying for "free" electricity, and should therefore use that as the main source of heat. Save the number, time, and expense of triips to buy propane.

Gee, hard to argue with that!  ;D

But, I need to keep the bays warm enough that they don't freeze. While the space heater may be enough for some or most days, the heat doesn't go through the ducting. How do I keep the bays warm without the forced air through the ducts? Are the drop lights enough for that?

How does this work? (In really simple English, short sentences, please.)  :

I am starting to wake up to how little I know about RVing, after years of doing it. Have not recovered from the shock, yet, and may not, for a while. In the meantime, I need to get back to my Boy Scout days, and "Be Prepared." Wish I knew what comes next! Be Prepared for what?

Ray D  ;D

Believe I would head for Arizona ;D.

Big change in lifestyle coming, Ray. But it will work out ok, I am sure.

You've probably been winterizing because you didn't keep the coach heated before??  Just guessing.

It is hard to generalize how one RV handles low temps vs another, but generally enough heat leaks  down through the floor to keep the bays above freezing.  Not always, though, and many coaches have a furnace heat duct down into the bays to help out. You can put a remote thermometer down there to check up on it until you know how yours handles the temps. You may find it necessary to place a second electric heater there on very cold nights - or maybe not.  The light bulb in the water bay is probably needed, though, It is more exposed (holes in the floor) and gets less heat than the main bays.

You need to be careful of your fresh water lines to the park hydrant and also your waste drain lines.  There are numerous previous messages on cold weather camping here - try a Search to find them.

Believe I would head for Arizona .

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That was the first intelligent thought I had, after the storm moved in.!  Can't leave, yet for two reasons. First, have loose ends to tie up, quite a few of them. Second, doesn't look like it, but the storm could blow over. Need to give it a chance.

Took a few minutes to figure out that "stuff" wasn't important. First, I'm 74 and disabled. Most of the good stuff I hoped to pass down is already gone. Stuff I wanted her to have is now, delivered. I get what's left, and that ain't much! Couldn't carry it in the MH, anyway. It will take a while before I believe that, but I'm working on it. 

Big change in lifestyle coming, Ray. But it will work out ok, I am sure.

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Thanks, Gary. I think you're right. May take a while.

You're right again, we have a pad, and I kept it connected. We haven''t heated it except to keep the inside above freezing, or to use it briefly - with no water available.

I saw the heat-tape lines to other units at the park. I plan to keep the water hose and sewer hoses inside the bays, not connected. Then, fill the water tank or empty the sewer tanks as needed, when it's not too cold outside. Is there any reason this wouldn't work?

When I bought the unit, the salesman told me that the bays were heated by the ducting passing through them. I haven't seen any delivery registers in the basement compartments, but did, long ago, see that there was a duct passing through a bay. I never did "study" that, so am no longer sure, but I will be looking for that, specifically, soon. Up to my neck in alligators, right now, so biggest alligator goes first. Other's follow in order of size and demands.

Fresh water bay is below bedroom slide. Tank is under the bed. I think I'm safe there and plan to glue insulation to the bay door. Am I on the right track, in that case?

Thanks

Ray D 

Ray D.......Just want to say good luck. Go slow and take it one day at a time. It will get better each day.

I plan to keep the water hose and sewer hoses inside the bays, not connected. Then, fill the water tank or empty the sewer tanks as needed, when it's not too cold outside. Is there any reason this wouldn't work?

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That's the best way, in my opinion.

Fresh water bay is below bedroom slide. Tank is under the bed. I think I'm safe there and plan to glue insulation to the bay door. Am I on the right track, in that case?

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Your fresh water fill and dump lines still come out to the surface at the wet bay and insulation is largely non-existent there. And your water pump may be right there too (but might be closer to the inside tank too).  By all means add insulation - even a piece of carpet in the bottom will help a lot.  Do the thing with the light bulb to be sure.

Ray D ~~ your comment about disconnecting the 'hoses' and putting them away at night brot back a lot of memories.  In my 20's in rural Okla. had to bring the well rope into the kitchen at night during the worst part of the winter.  Can't lower a 'frozen' rope & can't make coffee from an empty bucket.  ;D Thanks

Thanks, Gary. I'll follow up.

Maddog, you must have been my neighbor down the road a bit. 

Ray D

Edit: To clarify my reasoning and objective in this post. I am thinking of conserving water use and using a bit of antifreeze to get some insurance against a freez-up. Hope this makes the post more clear.

Used to be, when I'd look at or in the MH, I'd think "FUN!" Now, I think "HOME." That certainly is a different perspective! I am learning a lot more, thinking differently, and adding stuff up. So, I was looking at the waste tanks and wondering about helping them out as much as I can. I plan to insulate the door, but not too anxious to insulate the floor. (Spill would be yuck!) I am flexible. Trying to learn. Haven't had to move, yet.

I figure the gray tank, I'll keep low, until I dump the black tank. Hope if there is a freeze, I can thaw it by adding hot water til it runs. Would it help to pour a gallon of antifreeze down the drain, when I start? 2 gal? If so, what ratio would get me some freeze insurance? I think the tank is 40 gallons, but don't plan to fill that far before emptying. (Going down to 9 F, tonight and it is still early Dec!)  :-\

I plan, at least until I get a little comfortable, to eat microwave and throw-away tableware. No or few dishes to wash. The manager suggested using the camp restrooms and showers. I plan to drink bottled water.

The black tank I usually prime with 3 or 4 gal of water, right after emptying. It's  worked well enough that my indicators still work to tell me how full it is. I don't want to harm the bugs that live there. Do they like pink antifreeze? Do they just get drunk, or die? Drunk is OK, as long as they are happy.  : Should I empty when half full, or let it fill up in this kind of weather?

In the parks, here, they do use portable restrooms in the winter. They close and winterize the rest of the restrooms. I remember that they use anti-freeze in them. Can't remember the color, but do remember that they don't freeze. Pink anti-freeze or something else?

Ray D  8)

Gonna ramble.  :

Found out how long I had to get ready. It was a week and a day. I worked on getting ready, but not fast enough. I'm not ready.   Friday morning I found out I had til 4:00 PM, to move the motorhome. Comedy of errors, but pulled out of the driveway at 2:20 PM.

The RV is at the RV Park. I'm in it. I have WiFi working, and pretty well, at that. It's toasty warm in here with the furnace not running for the last hour or so. It's 22 deg ourside and the inside is 72. I have two electric heaters running, one 1500 watt and one 750, and they are holding the temperature at this time. That's good.   Low tonight is to be 20 and high tomorrow is headed for 34. It will be above freezing! Balmy!  ;D

Well, several days of snow in the forecast. I'm dreaming of a white Christmas.  

There is stuff on every flat surface, and some not so flat surfaces. Stuff is piled high. Gonna be a while putting stuff away. Drawers and cabinets are empty. Have no idea how this is going to work out, as far as where things go. Well, at least I have a helpful son. Thankful for that! Stayed at his house, two nights. Glad to be "home."

And, thankful that I had a nice motorhome to move into. Sure beats sleeping in a cheap motel, or worse, under a bridge, somewhere. This is not all that rough. I think I'll just not bother to complain, too much.  :

Not using the slides. Smaller space heats cheaper. May put them out when It is above freezing and it quits snowing. Hope it does that sooner rather than later. I think the extra room and getting at least some of the stuff in drawers and cabinets will help with the crowded feeling, some.  ;D

Friday, while busy, was a bit of a comedy. The RV Dealer sent service techs out to the house, four times, to make repairs and get me moving. And, there was nothing wrong with the RV. They didn't charge me for a single service call, even after I insisted upon paying. I'll be going back there, for quite a while, I would guess. Been trading there, quite a while, already.

The serviceman was on his way to fix the Driver's Side Door lock. It wouldn't unlock with the key. Never did and I kept putting off fixing it. Also the jacks wouldn't retract more than a few inches. The tech manager told me to lower them and try again. She said to "lift" the MH. Then, try retract, again, all this while she was on the phone with me. The jacks came up further, that time. Third time, they retracted all the way. "Just too cold," she explained. (It was 9 deg out there.) Working them up and down loosend them up.  ;D

The Driver's Door: The tech got there, and had me show him as I tried to unlock. I tried, three times and nothing. OK, He said, let me try it once. Probably something loose, inside the door. Well, he inserted the key, turned it, there was a "click," I'd never heard before and the door unlocked! I have continued to lock and unlock that door, repeatedly, since then, and it works every time. Have no explanation!  :

The bedroom slide was out. Couldn't get it to retract. The livingroom slide retracted, just fine! Short story, the first tech couldn't get it to go, either. Went back for more test equipment. Came back, with test equipment, same result. They sent another tech. While we waited and scratched our heads, my son, who knows nothing about RVs etc - - - - - - - .

Well,,, he had watched the sequence as we tried it over and over - - - - He walked over to the panel, turned the key off and then back on. Then he pushed the rocker switch - - - - and the slide retracted!   Whadedoo that we didn't do?  ???

Cant tell you!  : Don't know!  : Son sez we kept turning the key the wrong way. I don't believe it!  

Tech said, "Ray, there's nothing wrong with this motorhome. Hasn't been anything wrong with it! It's in perfect condition! You have an hour and a half left to move it. Let's get it out of this driveway and on the road, right now!" We did.  ;D Oh, and he helped roll the power cables up and store them!  ;D

Ray D Full timer for one day. 

Ray, you're going to do just fine.

Sounds like to are set up and more-or-less have things under control. Hang in there, pal!

You're warm in your little house so hang in there. And keep Arizona in mind, maybe when things settle down.

Hugs
Wendy

Hi Ray,


Welcome to your new life.  Bet you'll never forget your first day of fulltiming!    Glad all the fixes were easy and really glad to hear the tech thinks you have a motorhome in good condition.  Once you find a home for everything you'll have a lot more room and feel more settled.  Just do it logically - kitchen stuff in the kitchen, bathroom stuff in the bathroom, etc. etc.  I say the latter because we had a relative who put water hoses and electrical cords in the kitchen cupboard and his wife ended up putting her kitchen stuff anywhere she could find a space.  I told her to boot his stuff out of her kitchen, but she never did!  :

Take care and have fun organizing.

ArdraF

Ray, you're going to do just fine.

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Sounds like to are set up and more-or-less have things under control. Hang in there, pal!

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Ned and Gary: You guys have been a great help for years with your technical advice and information. Thanks, very much. I wish you could see what "under control" looks like. I am not about to post a picture of this mess, so you'll just have to imagine. When I packed, the MH was in the driveway, and my son and I just went from room to room, on the run, grabbing stuff that would definitely be needed and throwing it into grocery bags or a couple of suitcases. (Like meds, for example, from the desk, the bookcase and the bathroom.) Things didn't get catagorized, so now I search the whole mh to find what I need. I organize as I find stuff. It'll take a while.  :

Would be nice if I could at least put out the bedroom slide. Then I could put underwear away in the drawers and find some more shoes. Shirts, coats and pants are hanging in the closet. Have to climb over the bed, to get to them, but that's only twice a day. If it would quit snowing, I'd put out the bedroom slide. Maybe tomorrow.

I will be OK. I know where the wine is!  ;D  :

Ray D  

I will be OK. I know where the wine is!

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Yes you will be OK.  You have your priorities and knowing where to find the wine has to be right up there!    Have yourself an early one and toast yourself and your new home.

ArdraF

Thanks, Wendy. I have been thinking about Arizona. It's in another time, in a galaxy far, far away. Maybe next fall.  

Right now, I have started working on my "Black Belt" in sudden winter full timing. I'm skipping the preliminaries and the other belt colors.   Rugged, but keeps my attention. I'm going to write a manual, this spring, if Tom wants it. How To Winter Camp, In One Easy Lesson, Startng Tonight.  8)

Ray D  ;D

It's not Paranoia, if they are really after you!  8)

I'm going to write a manual, this spring, if Tom wants it.

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Yes please!  ;D