(Semi) Newbie questions......

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johnshenry

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Oct 9, 2005
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Ok we did do a 6 week, 9500 mile RV/motor home trip in 2006.... but it has been 10 years now.  I just bought a travel trailer and we are taking it on it's inaugural trip May 20th.  I am realizing that I gave pretty much all my RV "stuff" away when I sold my old motor home. 

So even though I think I know what I am doing, some questions are popping into my head:

I bought this:

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/dominator-15-sewer-hose-kit/38111

But recall on my first "dump station" trip back in '06, I had to hurry into the camp store and buy a "donut" seal to use at the dump station.  So question (#1) is:  Do I need a foam donut with this type of sewer hose at a dump station?  I was just about to place an online order for a fresh water hose and a few other things at Camping World and I wondered if I still needed a donut??? I couldn't even see one listed there.

Our first camp, and likely future ones will probably not have on site sewer and be 2-4 night trips, so I expect to use dump stations often.

Also, If I want to add water to the BW tank before going to the dump station, what is the best way to do that?  In my other RV, I had a sprayer nozzle in the tanks, but not (yes) in this one.  If I have site water, should I just run the hose in the toilet to fill it up before pulling to the dumpstation....??

Thanks, I'm sure I;ll have other questions coming too.....!!
 
There are a few areas where the donut is required by law.  I have one, still in the original packaging, just in case.

If you are not getting odor up out of the toilet, just hold the flusher open, it will take awhile that way.  Of course you might have to refill the fresh tank if not on city water.
 
Just got home from a two night trip. Checking out a lake about 2 hrs from the house.

At the dump station I and a couple other guys realized that we should have a 5 foot slinky hose with us. Our longer hoses were more of a pain to get laid out so they would flow well. I've added this to my list of stuff to buy with my next bonus from work. ;)

I have all the attachments, donuts, and clear elbows for that dirty deed.
 
johnshenry said:
Ok we did do a 6 week, 9500 mile RV/motor home trip in 2006.... but it has been 10 years now.  I just bought a travel trailer and we are taking it on it's inaugural trip May 20th.  I am realizing that I gave pretty much all my RV "stuff" away when I sold my old motor home. 

So even though I think I know what I am doing, some questions are popping into my head:

I bought this:

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/dominator-15-sewer-hose-kit/38111 Dump a couple 5 gal buckets of water down the toilet

But recall on my first "dump station" trip back in '06, I had to hurry into the camp store and buy a "donut" seal to use at the dump station.  So question (#1) is:  Do I need a foam donut with this type of sewer hose at a dump station?  I was just about to place an online order for a fresh water hose and a few other things at Camping World and I wondered if I still needed a donut??? I couldn't even see one listed there.

Our first camp, and likely future ones will probably not have on site sewer and be 2-4 night trips, so I expect to use dump stations often.

Also, If I want to add water to the BW tank before going to the dump station, what is the best way to do that?  In my other RV, I had a sprayer nozzle in the tanks, but not (yes) in this one.  If I have site water, should I just run the hose in the toilet to fill it up before pulling to the dumpstation....??

Thanks, I'm sure I;ll have other questions coming too.....!!
Click to expand...
 
I carry a donut along with a bunch of other adapters, elbows, sewer hose extensions, etc.

We've hit 48 states and I'm surprised how poorly a lot of the sewer hookup's are built.

So I suggest you carry enough to cover every situation.

I also have a round piece of plastic that you drop in the toilet to hold it open and allow water to go into the black tank. It's a good idea to fill the black tank and then dump as it washes all the stuff out.
 
srs713 said:
Just got home from a two night trip. Checking out a lake about 2 hrs from the house.

At the dump station I and a couple other guys realized that we should have a 5 foot slinky hose with us. Our longer hoses were more of a pain to get laid out so they would flow well. I've added this to my list of stuff to buy with my next bonus from work. ;)

I have all the attachments, donuts, and clear elbows for that dirty deed.
Click to expand...

I have a 15' Valterra hose that "snaps" into place at whatever length is needed. It doesn't just flop around like a spring.
http://www.valterra.com/product/dominator-sewer-hose-kit-15-boxed/?pcat_id=1346
 
Ok, another newbie question(s):

I have 20 lb propane tanks on the tongue, how do I fill them?  Take them off (already did) and just take them to a filling station? 

Clever tricks for figuring out how much propane is in them?  Weigh them?

There is what looks like a valve at the T connection, do I presume that that is how I switch from one tank to the other?

Sorry, captain Obvious is not around today, thanks....
 
Yep, just take them off and have them filled. Most hardware stores, farm supply stores, and some gas stations do this. Don't do the Blue Rhino exchange, you can get them filled for a 3rd of what those cost.

The valve is where you select the tanks. Some are auto change over, some have a lever with an arrow pointing to which side it is using that you manually select.

Weight is how you measure. In time you'll get accustomed and be able to tell by lifting/shaking to see how much is in there.
 
johnshenry said:
There is what looks like a valve at the T connection, do I presume that that is how I switch from one tank to the other?
Click to expand...

Sounds like you're looking at the LP regulator. If there is a switchable lever or knob on the regulator, your presumption is correct. There probably is an arrow on that lever which would point to the tank in current use. If it's an automatic switchover, there should be a sight glass of some sort indicating if the tank in use is ok or empty. If red, it has switched to the other tank (assuming full) and letting you know to refill.

A bit confusing for some, but you get the idea.
 
Does your regulator look something like this? 

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/cfp/l.p.-gas/lp-gas-automatic-changeover-valves/06.0440.htm?utm_source=google&utm_medium=partsshopping&utm_campaign=partsfeed&jt=1&jap=1o5&js=1&jsid=36859&jcpid=8a8ae4cd48005458014820e2e0170ec4&jkId=gcp:se_36859:pp_65408734464:ag_15211804824:cp_194253624:n_g:d_c:cr_52737673584&gclid=CI-12JDR3swCFdBZhgodOhoDQQ
 
No, doesn't look like that one.  It is white and has a big red lever and a window in the top.  I noticed in the middle position that it is red behind the window.  I also found one tank with it's shutoff valve closed so I don't think it is an auto cutover.  I'll take the tanks to a propane fill place that fills them "by the pound".  I think I will weigh some empty tanks that I have too so I can have a reference.

Taking the trailer of it's inaugural run this weekend!  About 150 mile trip to Maine.  I will do a "test tow" maybe Wednesday evening. I have never had this connected to my truck before!! (the dealer delivered it to my house)  I have it all wired/brake controller installed, etc.  I watched a couple YouTube videos on setting up the weight distributing hitch, so I will try to hook it all up Wednesday and take it down the highway a couple exits any way. 
 
johnshenry said:
No, doesn't look like that one.  It is white and has a big red lever and a window in the top.  I noticed in the middle position that it is red behind the window.  I also found one tank with it's shutoff valve closed so I don't think it is an auto cutover.  I'll take the tanks to a propane fill place that fills them "by the pound".  I think I will weigh some empty tanks that I have too so I can have a reference.

Taking the trailer of it's inaugural run this weekend!  About 150 mile trip to Maine.  I will do a "test tow" maybe Wednesday evening. I have never had this connected to my truck before!! (the dealer delivered it to my house)  I have it all wired/brake controller installed, etc.  I watched a couple YouTube videos on setting up the weight distributing hitch, so I will try to hook it all up Wednesday and take it down the highway a couple exits any way.
Click to expand...

It would sure ne nice if you could take a picture of it. 
It does sound like it might be a auto changeover valve. First, you should leave both tank valves open all the time. Then rotate the lever so it points to one of the tanks.  If you had both tanks filled, there should probably be a green indicator in the clear window. What that's saying is the tank the lever is pointing to has propane in it.  Keep an eye on that indicator. In a while, depending on how much propane you use, the indicator may show red. This is saying that the tank that the lever is pointing to is empty and if it is a auto changeover valve, it should have changed over to the other tank without you even knowing it. What you then need to do is rotate the lever so it points to the other tank then you can remove the empty tank and have it filled.  When you reinstall the now full tank do not rotate the lever. Leave it in the position it's in until it turns red. 
 
Your valve sounds like the one I just replaced on my trailer. The way it works, is you open both tanks slowly, open them completely open. The valve handle on your regulator/changeover should be pointing at one tank or the other. The indicator in the window should now be green. When the bottle that it is pointing to runs out, the indicator will turn red. That means you are now pulling from the other bottle.  Turn the selector to the bottle that you are now pulling from (the second bottle) and the indicator will turn back to green. Close the valve on the empty bottle and take in for a refill. Be aware that most auto switchover valves do not allow a full flow from the second bottle until the selector is switched to the bottle you are using. This probably won't be an issue, most regulators will flow a lot more than the average RV can use.
 
All tanks should have their tare or empty weight stamped into the handle.  When they filled, the person filling the tank will look at this number, add 20#, place it on a scale and fill to that weight.

If you want an accurate way to see how full it is, weigh the tank (on the bathroom scale?) and subtract the tare wt.  The difference is how much propane is in the tank.

Another accurate "gauge" ...  If you have an infrared thermometer, pour hot water down the side of the tank, then scan the temp from top to bottom.  Where the hot water went over an empty tank, the temp will be higher.  The liquid (propane) filled portion of the tank will quickly absorb the heat, and the temp will be lower.  This point of change is the propane level.
 
Here's a pic.  I guess the text "Automatic Changeover Manifold" on the device should have been a giveaway huh?  I got both tanks filled last night, so I should open both valves?  Does it matter which side the selection lever on the changeover valve is on?

Yes, I will Google it......
 

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kdbgoat said:
Your valve sounds like the one I just replaced on my trailer. The way it works, is you open both tanks slowly, open them completely open. The valve handle on your regulator/changeover should be pointing at one tank or the other. The indicator in the window should now be green. When the bottle that it is pointing to runs out, the indicator will turn red. That means you are now pulling from the other bottle.  Turn the selector to the bottle that you are now pulling from (the second bottle) and the indicator will turn back to green. Close the valve on the empty bottle and take in for a refill. Be aware that most auto switchover valves do not allow a full flow from the second bottle until the selector is switched to the bottle you are using. This probably won't be an issue, most regulators will flow a lot more than the average RV can use.
Click to expand...

There must be an echo in here.
 
Looking at your picture, it looks like the handle is not rotated fully. There's an arrow on the lever and I would think you should be able to turn clockwise a little more. That would be telling me that you are working off the left side bottle. I would think that the red indicator will turn red when that bottle is empty and it may just change over internally automatically to the tank on the right side. When you notice the red indicator is red, you should be able to rotate the handle counterclockwise so that the pointer is pointing to the right side. Now you should be able to remove the left bottle. I've never seen a regulator like that one. Hopefully others here have the same as yours and may chime in.
 
Yeah, I know the handle isn't turned all the way, I took the pics after I had the tanks shutdown and removed anyway.  Thanks for all the input, I think I get it now and will see how the reg behaves with the red/green, etc.
 
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