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View Full Version : Two days until our first trip - and ready to call it quits before we start!


MicheleF
07-30-2013, 02:18 PM
We've been weekend camping in our new-to-us FW for the past 2 months - we bought a property about 2 hours away. It has a house on it which we've rented out, and a 3500 s.f. workshop, which held a sizeable furniture manufacturing business - so lots of power there. It also has it's own washroom with shower, so we've been using that except at night.

We didn't have a 30 amp plug, so were just using household power with the appropriate power conversion cords, and we had water. No sewage. We weren't able to run the A/C but the nights have been comfortable. It's been fine.

We decided two weekends ago we should act like we were actually camping - not pseudo-camping and that we should test everything - as if we were in a campground and/or boondocking - sanitize and use the fresh water tank, use the shower, etc.

To do that, we had a 30 amp plug installed last week - (yes - for a trailer - not a dryer plug) - and turned on the A/C. There was a shaking and banging, and we promptly turned it off, and decided we'd call service on Monday. By the end of the day though - we realized we'd been running off of the battery all day, and had no shore power at all.

We had to charge it up with the truck to get the slides closed and with less than 2 weeks to our first trip, we were very disheartened. Service did a site visit (without us being there or giving them money or anything - thank God for small towns).. and replaced the inverter. They checked the A/C and said that something was lose, and that it had nothing to do with the inverter being blown.

We went back this weekend, and the A/C does work, it's not noisy, so we figure we're good to go. Go to watch a movie, and the DVD no longer works - likely blown when the inverter blew, I am guessing. We buy another one - but have to buy the entire surround sound system, because just the player by itself won't connect to the home theatre that's installed in the RV. So - buy the entire system, but don't even unpack the speakers. It's not as good as what we had - because it doesn't have an iPod dock, or the ability to plug in the antenna coax cable. Where DO you buy a Samsung TV receiver that has an iPad connection, and in-bound co-ax? NOT at Best Buy, Future Shop or THe Source, I can tell you that much...

Next, try using water from the fresh-water tanks - which were sanitized last week. The pump works, water comes out, but the pump is so noisy - ALL THE TIME - not just when it's trying to get water to the taps. Okay, we can probably live with that - we're not planning on doing much boondocking - if any on our trip.

Then try to cook dinner and find out the Dometic convection/microwave is shot as well. It doesn't look like a big deal to get it down and see if there's a fuse in it to replace - but the weekend is over, and we've run out of time. Some people have said yes - others no - do we need to replace that microwave.. still don't know.

Our trip from Toronto to Memphis and Nashville is due to start on Thursday - and we are "this close" to cancelling the whole thing - today our mind is set on going to go for it .... it is not, however - an auspicious beginning.

We did decide to go ahead and put new tires on the rig here in Canada, rather than going with our original plan of waiting until we were in the US and trying to save a few $$$.

Oh, and the reason the inverter blew in the first place is - my husband believes/hopes - a bad breaker on the 30amp circuit. He replaced it and it's been fine.

It's all about the journey, and not the destination, right...? RIGHT???:eek:

suza
07-30-2013, 02:38 PM
Not a happy story :( and certainly not one you would want to share with anyone "thinking" about getting an RV :rolleyes: Hope your trip is trouble free.

curlyfungirl
07-30-2013, 02:44 PM
Hope you are able to get everything fixed up. I think most pumps are pretty noisy btw.

f6bits
07-30-2013, 04:24 PM
The water pump shouldn't be noisy if you're not running any water. Once the plumbing is pressurized, the pump should stop.

wva3185
07-30-2013, 04:36 PM
Hope you are able to get everything fixed up. I think most pumps are pretty noisy btw. Getting ready to quiet my pump. Got the rubber potable water lines fixed up and glued the piece of wood to the foam rubber pad today. As soon as it sets up in a day or so I will remove the pump from the floor and glue the rubber pad down to the floor and remount the pump on the wood glued to the top. Insert the two rubber hoses from the pump so there is a flexible line from the pump to the PEX lines and it should help a lot. Most of the pumps are mounted directly to the floor and attached directly to the PEX lines so you get the pump vibration through the floor as well as the attached PEX lines.

JRTJH
07-30-2013, 05:03 PM
MichaelF,

From your post, it sounds like you bought a used RV. Have you discussed the problems you are having with the seller? You might find answers to some of your problems through a frank discussion of what you're experiencing.

suza
07-30-2013, 05:14 PM
Getting ready to quiet my pump. Got the rubber potable water lines fixed up and glued the piece of wood to the foam rubber pad today. As soon as it sets up in a day or so I will remove the pump from the floor and glue the rubber pad down to the floor and remount the pump on the wood glued to the top. Insert the two rubber hoses from the pump so there is a flexible line from the pump to the PEX lines and it should help a lot. Most of the pumps are mounted directly to the floor and attached directly to the PEX lines so you get the pump vibration through the floor as well as the attached PEX lines.

Are all RV pumps installed directly to the floor, with no sound buffering? You'd think the RV manufacturers would go the "extra mile" to install water pumps so they aren't quite so annoyingly loud. I guess they figure, if you are boondocking without the luxury of city water, they assume you are far away from other campers and it doesn't really matter. Still, no good reason, other than cost savings, to disrupt the peace and quiet we all seek when we take to the road.

Hope your upgrade goes well. Look forward to hearing if you are successful at quieting your pump.

wheelygoode
07-30-2013, 05:15 PM
Well it can only get better, right? There are always bugs to get worked out in a new or new to you rig, but once you and the rig get comfortable together it will get easier.
There are lots of things that you will learn along the way. One thing we have done is always use the water from our tanks. It keeps the tank fresh and we always have the same amount of pressure for showering etc. - one park we were in had over 100 psi - enough to do damage if you are hooked up to use it.
Relax and have a great trip! You are right, the joy is in the journey - so much to see and so many nice folks to meet.

CUFFS054
07-30-2013, 05:22 PM
Michael, please excuse my confusion, but you keep referencing "the inverter" do you mean the "converter"?

MicheleF
07-31-2013, 05:13 AM
Michael, please excuse my confusion, but you keep referencing "the inverter" do you mean the "converter"?

oh, probably! :)

Wilkod
07-31-2013, 06:51 AM
Sounds like you may have had a power issue hit the trailer. You should consider a quality surge protector. We had an issue that took out several items which turned into a $2200 insurance claim. Since we got a surge protector it has dropped power once; protecting us from another issue.

Good luck

DJ85
07-31-2013, 07:16 AM
Man just remember it is not always about the trip it the memory you make while doing it. If something happens it's just a test on how you handle it. Life is only a test, for the next ?????? years it only a test. Good or bad it's all how you deal with it. Enjoy your trip any day on vacation is got to be better then any day of working it will all work out in the end. :cool:

BulletOwner1
07-31-2013, 07:56 AM
You'd think the RV manufacturers would go the "extra mile"


Suza, why in the world would you think that they would go the extra mile? :banghead: It'd be nice if they would but I'm not holding my breath. :D

suza
07-31-2013, 12:03 PM
Suza, why in the world would you think that they would go the extra mile? :banghead: It'd be nice if they would but I'm not holding my breath. :D

I agree! Just thought I'd throw that idea out there :D

BobnLee
08-02-2013, 06:07 PM
Good luck on your first trip. We are pretty close I see you are in T.O, we are in Lindsay which is only a little over an hour away. Lots of great info here and pretty much every park has Wifi