Quote:
Originally Posted by gate9869
Thanks for all the info its very helpful !! Yes this is my first motorhome. I have a few friends with them but I have never owned a camper or motorhome. I actually don't even know what the different color tanks are for haha im guessing the black is to hold waste, grey to hold all other water ie: shower and sinks?? And obviously fresh water is what I fill up before we go !
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ours is our 1st too - so youre not alone.
go big or go home i guess
youve got the tanks correct, and the dump valves on the ROAD side (aka drivers side) should be labeled - gray is sink & shower drain water (soapy water basically unless someone is peeing in the shower...and they shouldn't...you might pick up some light food grease or food bits in the "gray" water too but you should try to minimize that stuff going down the drains).
black water is what goes down the toilet.
your fresh water tank is probably under the bed - no need to keep it full & carry all that weight unless youre dry camping....which is a general ref to no power/water or sewer connection availability.
you only need to run the water pump when there is no external or city water supply (garden hose connection).
Quote:
Originally Posted by gate9869
The tire system does sound great... where is the best place to buy one ?
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best price i found for the TST system was direct - i think camping world sells it now too but its the same price - theres a couple of choices for transmitters - ones inside the wheel, and a couple that screw onto the valve stem.
ive got the transmitters that screw on the valve stem - and i bought the units that have a user-replaceable battery, the batteries last about a year (and i can buy replacement batteries for less than 1 dollar each)
TST has transmitters that have a non-user replaceable battery (they claim 5 year life) & those will have to be returned to TST for battery replacement (along w/ a charged fee).
they also now have a new transmitter that permits pass thru filling of the tire...no need to remove the transmitter if the tire needs air...seems more desirable but i swear not that i have the things i might put air in the tires once a year....and theres no need to check the tire pressure (just turn on the display).
Quote:
Originally Posted by gate9869
Is it possible to run the ac while driving ? Also how often do you charge batteries ? After every trip ?
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you can run the HOUSE a/c while driving (we often have to, living in texas & summer heat etc) - the roof A/C units run on 110 ac current - so you either have to have the generator running (going down the road) or be connected to shore power.
there are TWO sets of batteries - engine/starting batteries & house batteries.
the house batteries get charged 1 of a couple ways.
by the generator (when its running) or by a converter/charger (when connected to shore ac current).
the converter charger supplies 12v power to your HOUSE lighting & other house 12v sources (fridge, heater, water pump, etc) when youre connected to shore power.
the converter/charger also converts 110 ac current to 12v and charges the batteries - some converter/CHARGERS are better than others (some are simple trickle chargers, than can boil a battery dry, others have built-in battery maintainers).
when our coach is parked in our storage bay, i disconnect ALL the batts from the coach & engine (via a switch) and i charge them with a battery tender or battery minder - intelligent chargers (like the once mentioned) will keep the batteries fresh and ready w/out shortening their life (like a trickle charger will do).
Quote:
Originally Posted by gate9869
Are there any must haves that I should put in the motorhome ?
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water hoses, water filters (both for city water supply when youre at campgrounds or need to fill your fresh water tank.
tools, a multimeter, duck tape, flash lights, black water tank deodorizer, pots pans etc.
also some disposable gloves (for use when dumping the black and gray tanks)
i also have some thick rubber gloves for this now too.
extension cords & 50amp adapters (coach probably has a 50a plug but you may find that campgrounds only have 30a...or 15a....and youll need adapters to get you from 50a to what ever is available.
see camping world etc for this stuff.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gate9869
We are taking our first trip this weekend to Nashville !
I will be using this for camping and towing our boat ( only 7500 pounds) So I don't think it will be struggling that much haha we originally were looking at a class a diesel but after a lot of research we decided the trucks were a better bet for safety, longevity, repairs, and some other stuff.
I just have to figure out how to fill this thing up and make right turns I should be good haha thanks for all the advice !
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youll have a blast.
swing wide on the right turns....personally i prefer LEFT turns....and when you can make your left turns from the outside (not the inside) lane...itll give you more room.