2009 Sprit of America 30rls delivered on Sat:
Initial problem was leveling the fker - it's really heavy and my 2 ton jack wouldnt do the job - its still not completely level but pretty close (sitting on dirt, so not a solid base by any means).
My next issue was filling up the water tank, which as far as design goes - sucks. i had to buy a plastic funnel that could bend to the angle to pour in water i brought from offsite into the fresh water tank. (very heavy containers which I had to lift over my head and pour in the fresh tank with a flexible funnel).
Fridge - took 8 hrs to get cool enough (off propane use). i turned it off at the end of the weekend, but after some search i realized that the fridge uses very little propane, so i can probably leave it on 24/7 and not use much propane.
Hot water was not an issue, i took cold showers and i was impressed at how refreshing and easy it was to take a "normal shower"
Toilet use, my GF and i only did number 1, and we had no issues - but i am a little concerned about number 2 and smell issues.
- also the black water tank fills up very quickly, while the gray water tank much be much bigger.
Generator to run the A/C - was very loud but well worth it, it was ice cold inside - so cold that i had to get up in the middle of the night and turn off the generator, which sucked - i would love to have a remote generator.
It poured on monday and there were no noticeable leaks, except for a small drip on exterior door, which was weird but it just ran down the side and back out, so it shouldnt be an issue. i was concerned since it wasnt completely level that the power slide would have some gaps.
Bugs - the camper is not as tight as i would have liked, i think the slide leaves a lot of gaps and crevasse that allow a lot of ants to make their way in. it was parked for 2 days and i had them all over the place - i bought ant killer spray and sprayed the outside - any tips would be appreciated...
Disposal of waste: this was by far the worse part. at the end of the weekend as we are getting ready to leave i had to put on latex gloves and connect the sewer hose to a tote tank and haul off the black and grey water (which did stink, something awful). i lugged the tote tank about 300 feet away and dumped it (on my land). here is where i wish i had a hose to spray down everything, but instead i had to just rinse it the best i could with cups of water from the sink.
all in all the experience was not great because of the execution issues i had: my battery was dead and i had to go buy a new one - the fridge took 8 hours to get cool. the generator needed a special adapter to hook up to the camper that i was not aware of.
i hope my next experience will be better and that i can find away to seal the gaps and keep ants from overtaking the camper.
Initial problem was leveling the fker - it's really heavy and my 2 ton jack wouldnt do the job - its still not completely level but pretty close (sitting on dirt, so not a solid base by any means).
My next issue was filling up the water tank, which as far as design goes - sucks. i had to buy a plastic funnel that could bend to the angle to pour in water i brought from offsite into the fresh water tank. (very heavy containers which I had to lift over my head and pour in the fresh tank with a flexible funnel).
Fridge - took 8 hrs to get cool enough (off propane use). i turned it off at the end of the weekend, but after some search i realized that the fridge uses very little propane, so i can probably leave it on 24/7 and not use much propane.
Hot water was not an issue, i took cold showers and i was impressed at how refreshing and easy it was to take a "normal shower"
Toilet use, my GF and i only did number 1, and we had no issues - but i am a little concerned about number 2 and smell issues.
- also the black water tank fills up very quickly, while the gray water tank much be much bigger.
Generator to run the A/C - was very loud but well worth it, it was ice cold inside - so cold that i had to get up in the middle of the night and turn off the generator, which sucked - i would love to have a remote generator.
It poured on monday and there were no noticeable leaks, except for a small drip on exterior door, which was weird but it just ran down the side and back out, so it shouldnt be an issue. i was concerned since it wasnt completely level that the power slide would have some gaps.
Bugs - the camper is not as tight as i would have liked, i think the slide leaves a lot of gaps and crevasse that allow a lot of ants to make their way in. it was parked for 2 days and i had them all over the place - i bought ant killer spray and sprayed the outside - any tips would be appreciated...
Disposal of waste: this was by far the worse part. at the end of the weekend as we are getting ready to leave i had to put on latex gloves and connect the sewer hose to a tote tank and haul off the black and grey water (which did stink, something awful). i lugged the tote tank about 300 feet away and dumped it (on my land). here is where i wish i had a hose to spray down everything, but instead i had to just rinse it the best i could with cups of water from the sink.
all in all the experience was not great because of the execution issues i had: my battery was dead and i had to go buy a new one - the fridge took 8 hours to get cool. the generator needed a special adapter to hook up to the camper that i was not aware of.
i hope my next experience will be better and that i can find away to seal the gaps and keep ants from overtaking the camper.
It is both nasty and against the law. There are far safer and sanitary procedures for dumping wastewater tanks, gray or black. One way is to locate a nearby dump station. You can find those at a number of places -- campgrounds, RV service agencies and stores, Flying J truck stops, state or county sites, etc. Another way is to use the sewer cleanout on your own property when you get home. If things are reallly complicated, there are macerator pump systems that allow you to pump the sewage thru a 3/4 inch hose a considerable distance.
