TT fulltime Living

[belly_up]

I just got a 34ft TT to live in while going to college for the next 2 years. I've only spent a few nights in it so far but will soon be moving in.

I'm just looking for some tips on what I should do to make sure everthing works out fine.

also have a couple Q's....

the a/c seemed to have a hard time keeping it cool, i have all the windows tinted, but it still had trouble, should i try blocking some of the windows that i dont need light from?

the toilet....what needs to be done with it....should i use special toilet paper?.....does the tank need to be filled and flushed every now and then?

thanks!!!! also like i said, any other tips are appreciated!!!!

 

[Carl L]

I just got a 34ft TT to live in while going to college for the next 2 years. I've only spent a few nights in it so far but will soon be moving in.

I'm just looking for some tips on what I should do to make sure everthing works out fine.

Where are you going to be sited?  In a formal campground?  With or without water, power, and sewer connection provided?

also have a couple Q's....

the a/c seemed to have a hard time keeping it cool, i have all the windows tinted, but it still had trouble, should i try blocking some of the windows that i dont need light from?

Yes.  RV supply stores sell window blocks for that purpose.  Also check the A/C filters and clean them off -- regularly.

the toilet....what needs to be done with it....

Its tank, the black tank, should be left closed so that the tank will fill and operate like a septic tank.    Nothing should go in it except what comes out of you, TP, and water.  No sanitary napkins or tampons, contraceptives, etc, etc.

should i use special toilet paper?

Yes.  Use a single ply TP with approved for septic tank and RV use indicated on the label.  Scotts single ply is the most widely sold and about the cheapest.  The other TPs are likely to built up in your tank and create blockages. 

....does the tank need to be filled and flushed every now and then?

Vice versa.  It should be left closed until it is at least 2/3s full and then dumped and closed off again.  The grey water tank (sinks and shower) can be left open to the sewer for convenience.  I like to close it a day before a black dump to clean out the sewer hose after the black dump.

 

[belly_up]

I'm located in an RV park with sewer, water, and electricy.

I'm also on a concrete pad

What about deodorizers and other chemicals for the black tank? are they needed?

thanks, i appreciate the quick help!!

 

[Ron]

What about deodorizers and other chemicals for the black tank? are they needed?

No. Like many others here we have not used any chemicals for years.  But if you are inclined to use them anyway use nothing that will kill the natural bacterial action.  Absolutly no products containing formaldehyde or Chlorine should ever be used.

 

[Carl L]

I'm located in an RV park with sewer, water, and electricy.

I'm also on a concrete pad

What about deodorizers and other chemicals for the black tank? are they needed?

thanks, i appreciate the quick help!!

Like Ron said, no chemistry in action stuff.  Maybe an enzyme deodorant on occasion but no formalin or bleach ever.

Since you will stay plugged in for years, make a point of checking battery electrolyte level once every week unless you have a maintenance free sealed unit.  Constant charging will slowly evaporate the electrolyte.  A dried out battery is a junk battery.

Keep the tires inflated to a proper pressure.  Do not allow them to go flat.

For a water hose be sure to use a white potable water grade hose.  Attach a 45-lb pressure regulator to save your RV's lightweight plumbing from high city water pressure. 

 

[belly_up]

thanks!

i'll keep an eye on the battery

i already have the regulator and the white hose.

i appreciate the help...i'm sure i'll have a few more Q's down the road

 

[Weewun]

You didn't say where you will be attending school but if it is in a colder climate you will need to take steps to keep from incurring freeze damage.  Most TT's are susceptable to freezing as the tanks and some plumbing are exposed on the underbelly of the TT. 

Let us know the climate and the good folks on the Forum can give you methods and hints to prevent it.

 

[belly_up]

I'm going to Texas A&M. So it wont be getting too cold. When we do get freezing weather here it is only at night and it warms enough to thaw during the day. Put it like this, i've never seen a frozen pond in my life.

For the nights that it does get cold, what should i do about my supply water hose?

I plan on using an electric heater, hopefully it will be safer than gas.

 

[wilfreddrabble]

I'm going to Texas A&M. So it wont be getting too cold. When we do get freezing weather here it is only at night and it warms enough to thaw during the day. Put it like this, i've never seen a frozen pond in my life.

For the nights that it does get cold, what should i do about my supply water hose?

I plan on using an electric heater, hopefully it will be safer than gas.

If the cold nights are as rare as you say they are, just unhook the hose and pressure regulator & bring 'em inside with you. You could wrap the water hose in plumbing heat tape and cover it with foam pipe insulation but I don't think it's worth the trouble in College Station.

If you have a propane furnace, an LPG sniffer to warn you of  gas leaks, and a CO detector, you are pretty safe using the furnace. My wife & I in the Texas RGV in winter use a 400 watt oil-filled electric heater overnight on cool nights and if that is too puny, we turn on the propane furnace about 6 am or so as necessary. A better reason for not using the propane furnace a lot is that it SUCKS propane. Without the furnace running but using propane for all cooking and water heating, 20# lasts us 6 weeks or more in Texas. Daily furnace use cuts that down to maybe 5 DAYS.

I would suggest a throw-away inline water filter in your white hose. Buy a spare sewer hose. They split at the most awkward times. In 4 years of full timing we are on our 3rd one. I used to think that expensive ones were better but right now I have a cheapy from Wal-Mart and it's lasted as long as the last $60 one I had.

Always keep the sink stoppers in the kitchen sinks so you won't smell the grey water tank. Buy vent covers (Max Air's) so you can keep your vents open on days that you aren't using the a/c. This greatly helps to reduce condensation, a problem in the winter. My wife likes those Damp Rid things in the closets for the same reason.

John Alldredge

 

[HtownAg94Jayco95]

Gig'em!

My only advice, and others may disagree, but I would consider putting it up on some type of jack stands.  If your tires sit of the same spot for an extended period of time, then, when you do actually leave, you may only get 5 miles down Highway 6 before your perfectly tredded tires start throwing rubber all over the highway and tearing up your trailer.

BTHO ASU!

 

[BigLarry]

I lived in a 5th wheel TT during the winters of 2001 and 2002 in Bryan, Texas.  It does indeed get cold enough to freeze and break water lines in a trailer that isn't properly protected.  It all depends on the individual trailer as to how well protected the lines are from freezing.  If the unit has an enclosed underbelly, the 15 degree temps that we get here occassionally will generally protect it OK as long as there is heating ducts down there and you keep the furnace turned up to above 60 degrees.  The white water hose feeding the trailer either needs to be removed and drained or protected.  I used heating tape inside pipe insulation with duct tap on the outside to seal it.  I also added fiberglass insulation with vapor barrier tape along with duct tape on the connections on both ends.  I just plugged in the heat tape whenever it was going to freeze. I also covered the entire hydrant where it comes out on the ground.

If your trailer has an open underbelly with exposed pipes, I'd watch the weather and be prepared to winterize it whenever a cold snap is predicted.

In the past this part of TX has seen temperatures well below 10 degrees and somethimes below freezing for several days in a row.  It might not freeze a pond, but it'll play heck with unprotected plumbing.  If you're going to be there for a couple years, I'd suggest protecting your investment.  Some of the plumbing is hard to get to and very frustrating to find and fix multiple leaks.

Good Luck and Go AGGIES!!!!!!!!!!!

Larry

 

[wilfreddrabble]

Gig'em!

My only advice, and others may disagree, but I would consider putting it up on some type of jack stands.  If your tires sit of the same spot for an extended period of time, then, when you do actually leave, you may only get 5 miles down Highway 6 before your perfectly tredded tires start throwing rubber all over the highway and tearing up your trailer.

BTHO ASU!

;DThis system has worked for me for a few years when staying in one place for 6 months at a time:

I have jacks at all 4 corners, and, after levelling the trailer with boards under the wheels, when necessary, I crank down all 4 jacks so that they are all bearing "considerable" weight (enough so that the trailer suspension is visibly unloaded to an extent but all four tires are still on the ground & bearing some weight as well). I am sharing the load between the trailer tires/suspension & the jacks, in other words. Now this in on a lightish trailer (GVWR just under 5,000 pounds).


John Alldredge, towing a Terry Dakota 722F fulltime with a 2006 Ford E250 van.

 

[belly_up]

Thanks for the replies!!! It helps alot!

 

[Blackbird]

It may sound silly, but make sure you are very happy with your site at the park. A shade tree goes along way!!!! Given your duration of stay, the mgnt. should have no problems taking care of you.

 

[belly_up]

There are a couple spots with trees, i hope to get one when the current tennant moves.

 

[mayfair]

Its tank, the black tank, should be left closed so that the tank will fill and operate like a septic tank.    Nothing should go in it except what comes out of you, TP, and water.  No sanitary napkins or tampons, contraceptives, etc, etc.

Vice versa.  It should be left closed until it is at least 2/3s full and then dumped and closed off again.   The grey water tank (sinks and shower) can be left open to the sewer for convenience.  I like to close it a day before a black dump to clean out the sewer hose after the black dump.

WOW I guess I've been doing it all wrong ( although I did just start this year )

I've been opening both valves once hooked up and leaving them opened the whole time.

Why the reason for letting the poo build up?

Why not just let it fly on out?

 

[Ron]

WOW I guess I've been doing it all wrong ( although I did just start this year )

I've been opening both valves once hooked up and leaving them opened the whole time.

Why the reason for letting the poo build up?

Why not just let it fly on out?

It won't just fly out but more likely just the liquid exits the tank leaving the rest behind ending up with a oile in the tank.

 

[mayfair]

It won't just fly out but more likely just the liquid exits the tank leaving the rest behind ending up with a oile in the tank.

Well we've been in the habbit of triple + flushing after we poo. Sometimes we'll get a nasty whiff, but we've been pretty good for the most part.

So you're saying that if we leave the valve closed, we won't get the wiff at all huh?

 

[Carl L]

Well we've been in the habbit of triple + flushing after we poo. Sometimes we'll get a nasty whiff, but we've been pretty good for the most part.

So you're saying that if we leave the valve closed, we won't get the wiff at all huh?

What Ron is saying is that the black water tanks on an RV are designed to operate as septic tanks.   Septic tanks operate to liquefy solids, feces and paper, by bacterial action. This requires that the tank be partially full most of the time:  to be emptied when no less than 2/3s full so that the plumbing is cleared out by an adequate flushing action. 

Therein lies one clue to why RV tanks are so designed.  A stick  house's toilet delivers a sudden rush of 3 to 5 gallons of water to wash the contents of the bowl down thru the empty pipes of house out to the mainline sewer in the street.  RV toilets do not flush, they rinse: water by the pint instead of the gallon.  Solids do not make it all the way out which gives them a chance to build up into crud in your tanks and plumbing all the way down to the park's mainline.   If that occurs you have an incredible mess on your hands at unhitching, if not sooner.

 

[mayfair]

WOW thanks for the heads up !! I hope I didn't screw anything up by useing it the way that I did all summer. If I don't use the trailer for a few weeks, should I release the poo even if the tank is below 2/3rds full, or should I store it with some poo in there?