Visiting Family with my RV |
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Pod People
Senior Member Joined: 22 Sep 2011 Location: Chapel Hill,NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 1067 |
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Topic: Visiting Family with my RV Posted: 01 May 2022 at 9:24am |
We have visited and "lived" in our Rpod in friends/family driveway on several occasions. Be aware that "most" home outlets are 15 amp service. this means that you will probably not be able to use the microwave or the AC. Take an extension cord and a 30amp/15amp reducer and plug into their outside electrical outlet and you will have power to all other electrical devices in the pod. Use the refrigerator on electric. Before you back into position, make sure there is adequate room for the slide to fully extend. I learned that the hard way! also be aware that you may create a neighbor sensation and have lots of curious visitors. So keep the pod neat and clean!! Safe travels Vann
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pearlhiggy
Newbie Joined: 25 Apr 2022 Location: Brockport, NY Online Status: Offline Posts: 18 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 01 May 2022 at 8:48am |
Oh, I will be doing what Stephen suggested for sanitizing the tanks.
Thank you for all your help. Pearl
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The Higgins' Girls,
Pearl, Zoey Marie & Riley Ann 2017 Rpod 179 |
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6291 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 01 May 2022 at 7:51am |
New York rules may be different. If anything, I would expect them to be more stringent than North Carolina's rules. When I tried to find information about it, I could not find information about residential use of grey water and commercial use required that all grey water be filtered through sand or diatomaceous earth before going into a storage tank. Thus, I would not dump grey water on the ground.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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lostagain
Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2587 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 01 May 2022 at 7:10am |
There is no reason not to use your fresh water system. If you are going to do so, it'd be a good idea to follow StephenH's suggestion about sanitizing the tank and plumbing lines. You can add some water to your fresh water tank on your arrival, consistent with what you think you may need for the limited purposes you described. It is better to use a potable water hose to fill your fresh water tank. If you don't have one, they're available at RV stores and on Amazon.
If you don't use all the water, you can just leave it in the tank or drain it. If you leave it in the tank, keep in mind that critters can grow in it as the trailer sits parked in the warm sun. Driving with water in the fresh water tank should not be a problem, provided you have balanced your load so that at least 10% of the trailer weight is on the tongue and you don't have too much weight aft. If you search the site, you'll find many discussions about drinking the water stored in the fresh water system. Some do it, some don't. Our practice is to use the fresh water system for household/washing needs, but to carry drinking water separately. Insofar as carrying 3 jerry cans of water in your car, that is a lot of work with some heavy containers that you may find awkward to lift. There is no reason not to utilize the fresh water capacity in your trailer as long as you are not overloading it. We use a jerry can in campgrounds to add water to the fresh water tank when it's not convenient to use a hose, but we carry it empty in the back of our truck. Some campgrounds have hand pumps or spigots that are not threaded for hoses, so the jerry can comes in handy, but, ufff, it's heavy to hold while draining it into the fresh water tank port. Good luck on your maiden voyage. |
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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
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pearlhiggy
Newbie Joined: 25 Apr 2022 Location: Brockport, NY Online Status: Offline Posts: 18 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 01 May 2022 at 6:41am |
Thank you for all the tips and tricks.
I purchased 3 of the 6 gallon Heavy Duty Water Containers. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00336SBUE Can I fill these, put in my car, when I get to my family's house, can I fill my water tank and use that water? The other question is, if I do, and I don't use it all, now I have to drive with that water in the tank. Is that a good idea? I have watched many of John's videos. I will watch the dewinterizing one too. The people I bought the camper from had winterized it, so I will have to dewinterize it before it's voyage Memorial day weekend. Thank you so much. Pearl
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The Higgins' Girls,
Pearl, Zoey Marie & Riley Ann 2017 Rpod 179 |
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lostagain
Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2587 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 01 May 2022 at 6:12am |
StephenH raises an interesting point about gray water. He's absolutely right that gray water can have bacteria bits in it, but as water becomes more scarce some are taking a second look at how to manage gray water. Back in the olden days, 1975, we had to live with water rationing due to a drought. The water department of the town where we lived recommended using gray water to irrigate the yard. We did it and our landscaping survived the drought and thrived. Now, some more advanced building codes are separating household drain water, black vs. gray, and allowing gray water to be reclaimed and used for landscaping irrigation. As long as there are no serious infections in the household and no exotic chemicals are put into the drain, the gray water does quite well in a garden with what ever organic debris in it being composted in the dirt. https://modernfarmer.com/2017/03/laundry-garden-irrigate-graywater/
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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
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1nana2many
Groupie Joined: 05 Apr 2018 Location: NE Kansas Online Status: Offline Posts: 62 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 01 May 2022 at 5:55am |
StephenH gave you excellent advice. Basically, that is how to dewinterizing your camper and set it up for camping. I second his opinion on using a good brand of biological tank treatment. The brands he mentioned all get great reviews and do much more then just cover the odor with a scent like many of the ones you can find at chain stores. They cost more, but you don’t use a lot to get great results. We switched to Happy Camper several years ago and are still using the original container we bought then. If you need step by step instructions go to YouTube and find John Matucci’s Rpod videos and look for dewinterizing your Rpod. He has many good videos that might be of help if you are brand new to RVing.
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The mountains are calling and we must go...O.D., Keith & Jody
2016 RP179= O.D. (Olive Drab) 2008 Coachman Captiva 1993 Jayco 1206 popup 2016 F150 Supercrew |
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pearlhiggy
Newbie Joined: 25 Apr 2022 Location: Brockport, NY Online Status: Offline Posts: 18 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 30 Apr 2022 at 8:16pm |
I don't want to hook up to their water, just there electric.
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The Higgins' Girls,
Pearl, Zoey Marie & Riley Ann 2017 Rpod 179 |
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6291 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 30 Apr 2022 at 7:36pm |
Don't dump from the grey tank in the driveway. Treat it just as if it were the black tank. The grey tank can breed bacteria also. In fact, in North Carolina, it is illegal to dump grey water that has been held in a tank. You can save up that grey water and use it to flush out the sewer hose after you dump the black water tank. That will be a much better use.
Now, for some other useful details. Get a good biological treatment for your tank. Never use one with formaldehyde, especially if it needs to be dumped in a septic tank. TankTech's Rx, Unique Products RV Digest-It, Happy Camper, and others are good choices to use. When you use the toilet for #1, it is not an issue. However, for #2, the key is lots of water. Fill the bowl about half-way. Cross some paper over the top of the water. When you are done, add more water and then open the valve quickly to let the waste drop into the tank. The extra water and the biological treatment will help break down the waste and paper so when it is time to flush the tank, it will flush out more thoroughly. Also, don't be in a rush to dump the black tank. Let it get about 2/3 full before you dump. The volume of contents will help flush out the contents also. The fresh water tank should be sanitized before you use it. Add about 10 gallons of water (no need to be precise). Add 3/4 cup bleach (make sure it is just bleach, not the ones with detergents). Then fill the tank the rest of the way. Run the faucets until you smell chlorine, starting with the ones nearest the tank and moving to the ones farthest away. Don't forget the shower and outside shower if you have one. Top off the tank. Also, this should include your water heater. The chlorine won't hurt the anode rod. If you intend to use the water heater, it needs to be filled and sanitized anyway. Let this sit overnight (or about 8 hours). Drain this water. Fill the tank with fresh water and flush this through the lines to purge the sanitizing solution. You may wish to drain and fill again to minimize the chlorine taste. You can also use some baking soda dissolved in water to help when purging the chlorine sanitizing solution. Once that is done, your tank will be ready for use. Have fun driveway camping at your family. I've driveway camped a number of times.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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Rpod-Couple
Newbie Joined: 21 Jun 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 37 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 30 Apr 2022 at 6:54pm |
You can take water in your tank or hook up to an outside faucet. Use a pressure regulator between the faucet and hose like you would at a campground water hookup. You will have to dump your black tank at a facility that excepts dumping. You should be able to let your grey tank dump on the driveway since it is only a small amount of soapy water from washing your hands - no different then people washing their car in the driveway. But you want to be discrete so people don’t think you are dumping more than soapy water. 😉
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Steve & Elaine
2021 R-pod 2023 VW Atlas Cross Sport |
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