Newbie Questions about day to day operation

My family & I will be renting an RV in June for a 17 day trip in the American Southwest. I am still working on the itinerary, but I have some very basic questions about the day to day operation of the RV. We will be renting a 27ft Class C that is a relatively new model (~2 yrs old or so).

I assume that staying an RV park with full hookups means that I will have acess to 24 hour power, fresh water, and sewer service.  Is that correct?

Then when we move on to an RV park with "standard non-electric" RV sites, does this mean they have water and sewer hookups, but no power?

When you have no electrical hookup, I assume we will be running on the generator and/or aux battery for power. In RV parks where they ask you to observe a no generator quiet time of say 10pm to 8am, can you power A/C in the RV off of the aux batteries for that long every night?

Does the engine alternator recharge the aux battery while you are driving?

In those rare cases where we have to stay overnight with no hookups at all, how long can you run off of the onboard water and sewer before you have to dump and refill? I know this will vary wildly based on the size of the holding tanks and the way we use the water, but in general are we talking about two days or a week?

Thanks in advance for any and all help that you can offer.

I assume that staying an RV park with full hookups means that I will have acess to 24 hour power, fresh water, and sewer service.  Is that correct? Yes


Then when we move on to an RV park with "standard non-electric" RV sites, does this mean they have water and sewer hookups, but no power?  That usually means dry camping which is no services but access to fresh water and a dump station.


When you have no electrical hookup, I assume we will be running on the generator and/or aux battery for power. In RV parks where they ask you to observe a no generator quiet time of say 10pm to 8am, can you power A/C in the RV off of the aux batteries for that long every night?  A/C needs 120volt power so no A/C at night.


Does the engine alternator recharge the aux battery while you are driving?  Yes


In those rare cases where we have to stay overnight with no hookups at all, how long can you run off of the onboard water and sewer before you have to dump and refill? I know this will vary wildly based on the size of the holding tanks and the way we use the water, but in general are we talking about two days or a week?  If you take military showers -water on to get wet , water off and soap up, water on to rinse - figure 5 gallons per day per person.

Hi,
I assume that staying an RV park with full hookups means that I will have acess to 24 hour power, fresh water, and sewer service.  Is that correct? Yes!

Then when we move on to an RV park with "standard non-electric" RV sites, does this mean they have water and sewer hookups, but no power?
Unlikely to find this. Often find sites w/o sewer and occasionally w/o sewer or water.

When you have no electrical hookup, I assume we will be running on the generator and/or aux battery for power. In RV parks where they ask you to observe a no generator quiet time of say 10pm to 8am, can you power A/C in the RV off of the aux batteries for that long every night?

Definitely not. Batteries may handle overnight excepting 115V appliances, but no AC, elec heat, or microwave - in fact no AC

Does the engine alternator recharge the aux battery while you are driving?

Depends on the MH, but usually yes.

In those rare cases where we have to stay overnight with no hookups at all, how long can you run off of the onboard water and sewer before yo ...

See above - overnight usually not a problem; no guarantees.

Hope this helps,

Ernie

RV sites come in several flavors:
1) Full hook-up, meaning electric, water and sewer are at the site
2) Water & electric only
3). Electric only
4). No services at all

The price of the site reflects the level of amenities provided.

Most parks have water and a sewer (called a dump station) available at some communal spot where you can drive up and use it fill your fresh water tank or dump your waste, but then you move back to your own site.

"Standard" doesn't have any industry-wide meaning - standard is whatever the park says its "standard" site is. In some parks their most typical site will be a full hook-up, while in others it may mean water & electric or maybe no hook-ups at all.

My family & I will be renting an RV in June for a 17 day trip in the American Southwest.

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I'm hoping you realize that the Southwest, (Southern AZ, California deserts) will be extremely hot in June.

Marsha~

Thanks for the information thus far. I keep seeing RV sites in National Parks (from www.recreation.gov) listed as "standard non-electric", which is why I was asking about that designation. I completely understand about the shared dump/water station setup.

And yes, I know its going to be extremely hot in June when we are driving through parts of Arizona & California. Unfortunately, its the only time this year that we can get away for that many days. We are going to make the best of it. That's why I was asking about the possibility of running the A/C at night during quiet hours when you can't use the generator. Maybe we can buy a couple of small oscillating fans to help.

Three summers ago my friend and I planned a summer trip to AZ.  She is a teacher so we had to plan end of June-August.  I made the mistake of telling some co-workers who made me feel like I was planning the trip from hell due to the heat.

Let me tell ya something... it was a perfect trip!  The most exciting places to see (for us) were all at altitude.  What that means is it is cooler - a lot cooler.  We landed in Phoenix and it was 115 degrees. We immediately headed to our first destination which was Sedona (awesome red rock country) which is high enough so the temp was a perfect 80-ish.  Great hiking/photography weather.

My point is pick places with high altitude like Sedona, Tucson and the Grand Canyon (at the rim) to name a few and you will be very happy.  If you pick Zion NP or LasVegas... well be prepared to get toasty but still worth the trip.

-Eric

Parks with no electricity at their sites sometimes have different areas, but not always, that are separated according to generator usage.  Sometimes it is zero and those areas generally are for tent camping.  Most, if not all, generator areas have specified "quiet hours" where you cannot run a generator.  Quiet hours generally are from 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM but a few are even longer.  Some public parks (e.g. national, state, county) have upgraded and have RV sites with full or partial hookups.  For example, near Tucson is the lovely Catalina State Park where sites on one loop have electric and water with a dump station available.  Another loop is for dry camping.  Also, some parks have only 30-amp electric which means you might have to be careful how you use your electricity.  For example, if you're running the air conditioner, you may need to turn it off temporarily if you need to run the microwave because running both simultaneously overloads the circuit.  Running the TV, lights, and such will be just fine on 30 amp.  It's when you start running too many "power hogs" (including hair dryers) that you run into problems.  Obviously, 50 amp is much better if it's available because you can run several power hogs at the same time.

Camp site prices generally reflect their amenities.  "Full hookup" sites with 50 amp electric usually cost more than those with no hookups and there might be variations in between, such as for electric only.

ArdraF

Thanks for the info, Ardra. The 30amp vs. 50amp electrical hookup was going to be my next question. So 50amp is better, but not required. Or are there some RVs that require nothing less than 50amp hookups?

I'm assuming you just have to throttle back your power usage and not overload it. Is that correct?

Good point on the altitude & temps, Eric.

Our main stops are Grand Canyon in AZ, Zion or Bryce Canyon in UT, Sequoia NP and Yosemite NP in CA.

cbish68 said:

Our main stops are Grand Canyon in AZ, Zion or Bryce Canyon in UT, Sequoia NP and Yosemite NP in CA.

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Be aware of RV travel restrictions in Zion NP so you are not taken by surprise.

50-amp sites are "better" if you need it, but not essential.  We camped for years with 30-amp.  There are step-down or step-up adapters that you plug into the utility pole at the site.  For example,  we have a 50-amp motorhome, but sometimes get 30-amp sites and use an adapter.  Just like everyone else on 30-amp power, we scale back our usage and are more careful about what we run simultaneously.

You're going to some of our favorite places.  I hope you have hiking boots because they'll make hiking in those parks more enjoyable.  Bryce is like nothing else you've ever seen!  If you enjoy hiking, take the steeper/shorter Navajo Trail down among the "hoodoos" and the longer/more gentle Queen's Garden Trail back up.  You can add the Peekaboo Trail in the middle but the three together are a long day of about seven miles total.  Don't forget to take water, lunch, camera, etc.  Those three trails together are probably our favorites at Bryce, but Navajo and Queen's Garden might be enough if you're not much into hiking.  Also be sure to take the drive out to each end.  One end is at 9,000 feet elevation and the other might be about 6,000.  My favorite view is Inspiration Point where I can spend a long time.  Remember that with higher elevations you need to drink more water, take deeper breaths, and stop more frequently when hiking, especially if you live at lower elevations.

At Zion the trail up to Angel's Landing is long, strenuous, and not for sissies - but the view from the top is fantastic!  Again, take water, lunch, and camera.  The lower, middle, and upper Emerald Pools also are fun.  But so are many others!  Driving through the Zion Tunnel is an interesting experience.  Assuming you'll be in an RV, they charge a fee but close the very old tunnel to two-way traffic so you can drive down the middle line.  It was built in the days when they made rounded ceilings so high vehicles cannot drive down their own right lane.  Just before the upper part of the tunnel (east end) is the Zion Valley Overlook which is beautiful.

You're going to have a great trip!  Have fun.

ArdraF

A 27ft. Class C will probably be 30 Amp. If so 50Amp. will not help.

Great info, guys. I really appreciate it.

All of the RV parks inside Yosemite and Sequoia that can be reverved are already full. There are many more RV sites that are listed as "first come, first served"...What is the best strategy to get one of these sites in a popular NP? For example, should we try to arrive as early as possible in the morning and get on a list (if they even do this), or arrive right at checkout time when many people are leaving?

Early in the morning is best. You'll probably have to get in line.

Of the places that you're going to see I think that Zion is the only one that will be really hot.

one thing no one has mentioned, and you probably didn't know to ask. when using the RV waste system:

the black tank is where the toilet drains. make sure even if you're hooked up all the time at the site with sewer, that you leave the drain valve closed! make sure there's at least a couple of gallons of water in the black tank before you start to use it. you can pour some in, if it has a hookup for a water hose to run a tank cleaning system, you can use that to put water in the tank or you can just hold the flush valve on the toilet. you don't really need chemicals, as long as you keep some water in the tank. you gotta have water in there so the solids don't pile up' in the tank, and will 'flow downhill' as the old sayin goes when you open the dump valve. make sure there is water on top of the flush valve in the toilet (that's what keeps the odors out). check the systems panel and open the black tank when it's over 1/2 full. some will say 2/3 or 3/4, but reality is just don't leave it open all the time.

gray tanks can be left in the drain position all the time, but, if you know you're close to needing to dump the black tank, close the gray valve too. this will build up some water in it, and then you dump like this, pull the black tank drain valve, let it drain. close the valve, run some water back in it at least 1/2 full. pull the valve again and let it drain. this is basically just a 'rinse cycle' if you have that tank cleaning system, run it then. after your done with a least one rinse cycle for the black tank, close the valve, run some water in it. THEN you can pull the gray valve and the gray water will 'flush' the hose for you.

if you don't have sewer hookup at your actual site, that communal dump station mentioned earlier is where you'll go when you have to dump the tanks. your gray will fill up faster than the black. a portable waste water storage tank is handy for draining off some of the gray water so you don't have to drive up the the dump station just for gray water. but don't use the portable tank for black tank.

if you're going to camp where there's no hookups, you'll need to fill the fresh water holding tank if you want water, it runs on a 12v pump, you'll need whoever you're renting it from to show you how to use that system, though they are basically all the same. I'd also ask when the last time the water system was sanitized.....

for the electrical, it's already been pointed out that this one is probably a 30 AMP, and yes you'll need shoreline power hookups to run the A/C, or the generator.

sounds like you're gonna have a fun trip! hope to see some pictures!

Thanks for the detailed description, Chaz. I knew the general function of each tank, but I love to hear the "tried and true" methods that you road warriors have found work best over the years.

The RV you are renting will almost surely have a 30 amp electrical system, so any hook-up in excess of 30A will be of no value at all to you.

When traveling to popular destinations, especially at peak times, it is always best to arrive as early as possible to secure a site. Some campgrounds may offer a waiting list for the First Come sites, but that is not typical in my experience. Generally you have to be in line, waiting, to get those sites. And they must be occupied immediately, i.e. you can't just call ahead or drive buy and sign in - you must go to the site and set up.  Getting there at checkout time is a good method.

I don't think anyone mentioned that you can't always rely on the black and grey water tank gauges....especially the black water. Sometimes the sensor gets blocked and the gauge will tell you the tank is full when it is not. Also, try to be conservative on how much paper one puts into the black tank....and be sure it is the type that will break down on its own.....nothing but approved tp should go into that tank....what goes in must come out. It's especially important to go over this basic rule with everyone in your family so that you don't have clogged tank issues. Also, make sure you check all the sewer connections before opening the valves on the tanks.....it can be disastrous if your connections come apart mid-dump. Dump black first and then grey....it helps to clean out the hoses.
You might consider campgrounds close to the parks you plan to visit. Many popular campgrounds book solid as much as a year in advance, so getting in on first come basis may be  impossible.
You probably won't need to worry about a/c at night....just open the windows and let the cooler night air in....staying at the higher elevation locations is really good advice.
Good luck and have a wonderful trip!

With all of the discussion regarding 30 versus 50 amp service, let me remind the poster that you cannot plug a 50 amp plug in to a post designed for 30 amp without a plug adapter, so called dog bone. Likewise, if the RV is 30 amp, you need a 30 to 50 amp converter to use a 30 amp post. Nothing more frustrating than hooking up and not having all contingencies considered.
Good luck on you holiday and have fun with the heat.

Bob

Cbish- saw your ID says Atlanta - are you renting the rv there and travelling west?  I-20 or I-40 can be a hot routes in June, and you'll be at least a couple full days until you hit Flagstaff and cooler weather on your way to Grand Canyon.  Just wondering what your plans were,and how best you can beat the heat.