Some Long Terming Questions

[Ex-Calif]

I am going to be living in a campground for probably the next 2 months. I have bid on 5 acres of land and am awaiting the seller's response.

For the eventual land purchase power, septic and water are not at issue but they will need to be installed. Plan is to hook up to the land system for a while. Also planning to put up a 30 X 30 steel garage for my toys and finish a part of it with like a bedsitting room arrangement.

I have a couple of questions about the interim period living in the RV.

Draining storage tanks - I think I know the answer but with a full time hook up I am planning to let the tanks fill and then dump and flush as required.  I figure the black tank doesn't want to be run "dry" so keep the valve closed.  Then to "flush it" it makes sense to let the grey water accumulate. Is this right?

Propane replenishment - Is it possible to have a propane supplier replenish the RV tank at the park? Or will I have to break camp to get a refill?

Levelling - I asked this buried in another post.  I have a stack of those orange square lego pads.  Is it OK to use those stacked up even if the front wheels are off the ground in terms of stability. I have about 4 inches of 2 X 4 but I am still front low in the RV.  How high is too high? I probably need another 8 inches at the front or maybe 12 inches total extra blocking.

 

[Lou Schneider]

Holding tanks ... I usually leave the grey tank open, then close it a day or so before I want to dump the black tank to let enough grey water accumulate to flush out the hose.  If you leave both the grey and black valves closed the grey tank will probably fill before you're ready to dump the black.

On-site propane refills vary depending on the park and the local propane supplier, but I'll guess it's more likely not to be available.  Where I am now the local propane company will come around and refill the external 100 gallon tanks they supply but not onboard tanks.

Raising the front wheels off the ground using the jacks won't hurt anything but you may get more side to side wobble as the jacks flex.  What you want to avoid at all costs is lifting the rear tires as that's where the parking brakes are.  If you have a driveshaft parking brake even lifting one side will let the coach roll.

If you're using leveling blocks I wouldn't go higher than the width of the boards.  And the block should be wide enough to support the entire tread, if the tire hangs off one side or the other you can damage the tire belts.  The square Lego pads are OK but if you're on anything but hard gravel or concrete they tend to sink into the ground.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Re propane replenishment, it depends solely on the local suppliers and local regulations.  I've been in a few areas where mobile suppliers were prohibited from filling portable tanks (for reasons that were unclear).  At one place I even raised the question about motorhome ASME tanks vs DOT portable bottles but nobody in charge even knew the difference.  More often, I've found that many propane suppliers simply don't want to deal with RV tanks, where the delivered volume is relatively small and the delivery effort fairly high.  One place we workkamped the local propane company would deliver if you had a 150# or larger auxiliary tank but would not to fill the RV tanks themselves.  You might want to add an Extend-A-Stay Tee and have that option available. Or use the Tee and a portable 20# or 30# bottle that you take to the LP lace yourself.

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

Seems other tenants at the park could answer the propane question, they're getting theirs from somewhere.  That being said the extend a stay hose option has lots of merit, I use a grill tank on the RV while parked at home so I don't deplete the main tank between trips.  If you have a car then schlepping an external tank out and back once in a while is straightforward.  Maybe if a local propane vendor in the area offers portable tank rental you rent a tank from them and then they're refilling or exchanging their own tank if the question is ownership or tank type. 

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[Ex-Calif]

Thanks guys. I was gonna ask the campground owner about propane and probably will when I see him next. This place is quiet secluded and pretty unattended which is kinda nice.

I did put about 8 inches of the lego blocks on top of a 2 X 6 each and I am a lot more level. Rear wheel firmly planted and chocked to boot.

On the tank draining it's about what I expected.  Have a fair amount of grey water piled up when it's time to drain the black.  The only issue now is that the black tank sensors show full all the time.  New anomaly since I started this trip - LOL...

New question...

My water heater is probably as old as the RV.  It's an Atwood 6 gallon with electronic ignition.

Up until yesterday it was working fine. At my first gas stop I noticed the heater door hanging open so I closed it. I took a shower yesterday before departure and I don't use a lot of hot water and noticed the water was tepid to warm by the time I finished.  So the water heater could have already been out.

So in troubleshooting today. I found 2 loose wires on the inside switch and patched them up. ONe was pulling out of the spade lug and one spade lug had lost it's grip. Then I put a meter on the power and had no power at the switch.  Then I checked the fuse box and found a 20 amp fuse blown.

So now I hear the ignitor snapping through 3 cycles and I "think" I hear the gas solenoid click but I smell no gas.

Now the question - My propane is down to 1/4 tank which is basically top of the red zone on the gauge. The stove top still has a good bright blue flame and the furnace was on and off a bit all morning.

Is it possible that there is insufficient pressure to get the water heater gas flowing? I cracked the vent on the tank and it flowed well with a gas smell.

If that's not possible I am guessing the next step is to put a meter on the gas solenoid wires and make sure it is commanding open.

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

Propane vapor pressure is related to temperature so if there's any liquid propane left at all, it will be the same as "full".  You didn't say how cold it was out but if your other gas appliances are working I wouldn't suspect tank pressure.  I've run my extend a tank setup on a grill tank hard enough for frost to show up on it and it still works.

Something I would check is the thermal switches.  I wouldn't think it would try to fire if there was an issue there but on mine the overflow had dribbled onto them and the connections were iffy.  Per your comment it would be easy enough to watch voltage at the valve and see if flow is coincidental.

I know on mine if the main valve has been off for a while it takes some number of cycles before air is purged and it lights off.  Not sure why there'd be air in the lines in the first place, even if I run the stove or furnace first the water heater (furthest from the tank) never fires off first run of a trip.  Once it has been lit though it will re-light consistently.  I can't recall the retry interval but if it gives up on the first pass I cycle the switch and it reinitiates the sequence.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[Ex-Calif]

Thanks Mark,

It wasn't really that cold here maybe got into the 50's it operated consistently at lower temps. At least I have made progress by getting a spark. I am at a loss as to why the fuse blew but it hasn't reoccurred.

The electrical connections are all well corroded. I may take some time tomorrow at the unit and clean everything really well. Then meter the solenoid.  I probably will "crack" the gas inlet fitting and make sure there is pressure there. The way I see it with the 'mixture' pipe if the gas valve is opening I should be smelling gas.

Oh, well. Life's puzzles. For grins I looked at the cost of replacement units - Yikes! No thanks...

 

[Doc Roads]

Be sure to check local zoning and codes.  Parts of AZ frowns on a set up where the RV is the primary living space and have made it difficult to create such a site.  Better to know before you commit than after.  A local couple had to modify their plans so as to be or appear to be in compliance.

 

[WILDEBILL308]

After you clean all the contacts on the water heater when it tries to start it might take a couple of try's to get it to light. They time out after a few tries and it doesn't detect a flame. You will probably need to turn it off and back on to start over.  Do you have a long propane lighter? You might try that to see if you are getting gas.
I would highly recommend adding a Extend a stay so you can run on portable well more portable tanks. I use to use 40# tanks. plenty of capacity and still easy enough to move around. Lots of trailers use 30# tanks so there are a lot of them out there. If you were closer I would give you a 60# I have because it is to heavy and hard to handle.
Do you have a tank flush on your RV? Hearer is something I highly recommend so you can tell when the tank is flushed clean. Camco Clear 45 Degree Sewer Hose Adapter Fitting - See Through Adapter Allows You to See When Your RV Sewer Hose is Clean. Don't get the one that is way on the outher end /sewer connection end as it may be hard to see.
Keep us updated.
Bill

 

[Ex-Calif]

Re: Zoning for RV living - Yes I am pretty focused on that and have a general idea of florida's stance. Of course there are county rules and then community rules. My bids include a 10 day due diligence clause for intended purpose. Thanks for asking...

Re: The heater - Thunderstorms this morning. Good ide on the lighter but I am getting a good snap from the ignition system.

Also I am fortunate that there is a propane dealer near here that will deliver on-site! Yay!  There are a couple of long term (permanent residents?) already here so I will suss that out this week as well...

Biggest issue on today's agenda is I am having RV Pad renter's remorse.  I picked a site I thought would be good but for a lot of reason's it isn't. I talked to the owner and have made the decision to move pads this afternoon. I am gonna be here at least a month so I may as well be in the right spot - LOL...

Also the WiFi is awesome when it's up but it keeps dropping off-line. At least I am getting 4 Verizon bars...

 

[WILDEBILL308]

Well did you get set up on your new spot?
Bill

 

[Ex-Calif]

Yes I moved the day after I arrived. I have much better line of site to the wifi antenna and wifi is strong in the RV. The "supplier" I think has issues and the WiFi messes up a fair amount. I think it's realated to weather issues we've been having around here (t/storms etc.) - Sometimes I am getting 50+Mps sometimes 7, sometimes 2. I also get that it's related to sharing but we get total drop outs periodically for like an hour, then it comes back up.

The property due diligence has gone well. Still on track for a late Feb closing. I will have to get power in, a well sunk but the good news is the septic is viable and now pumped out and recertified as of today. So I can plumb into the septic and hook up the RV!

The upside of all this rain and weather is that I walked the property and there is no standing water anywhere. A neighbors lot has about 200 X 200 foot low spot with a new pond on it - LOL... My property appears to be draining fully...

Still not a huge rush to move on property but looks like I could be ready to go by mid March. I'd rather not have the RV on site until I've done the brush hogging and limb trimming. Lot's of tree limbs in the way of getting the RV in without hitting stuff. Also need to make sure I have cleared enough space to turn around and avoid a 200 yard backing out with a turn in the middle - LOL...

 

[WILDEBILL308]

Sounds like you are moving right along. Did you get the water heater to work?
Bill

 

[Ex-Calif]

Yes. Turned out to be a few things wrong but now it's cycling as it should. The female connector to the circuit board has lost most of the spring tension so I am trying to source another pig tail.

 

[Lou Schneider]

Turn off the power and pull up the contacts with a dental pick

 

[Ex-Calif]

Thanks Lou. I did that a couple times with no luck. They just sprung back over a day or so. I now have toothpicks wedged in from the back side. I new pigtail seems like a cheap investment if I can find one. Haven't had time to visit the Atwood site yet.