Common Things RVers Get Wrong.
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- čas přidán 21. 07. 2024
- Here are a few things we have seen that are common things that are easy to get wrong for RVing. Well really the first one is just my 2 cents of what would be a better more accurate way of talking about battery capacity, but I hope this information helps you in your RVing experience.
Pressure Regulator. amzn.to/3vW2p4Y
Pressure Gauge. amzn.to/3kUyML9
Zero G Hose amzn.to/3L3svHr
Filter. amzn.to/3FruWTf
Double Filter. amzn.to/3snuSyF
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Let’s talk a little more about water pressure. I have found that most places I go to do not have enough pressure. So, what I do is fill my fresh water tank and use my water pump and the pressure is always perfect! Plus, you never have to worry about the pressure being to high or low anymore with all the things you mentioned in the video. If I’m at a place for a long period of time and my tank runs empty, then grab the hose and fill it back up. I have found this to be the best way for us.
Jared I cannot begin to thank you enough. We decided a few months ago we wanted to take our kids on an adventure and start full time rving. Your videos have educated and inspired me, so thank you! See you on the road!
Thanks for another great video. I watched it a few months ago, and during my last trip, we encountered a couple of rainy days. I pitched and slanted the awning as you demonstrated and it working perfectly. Thanks again. 😀
Jared, Thank you for your videos. I just bought a new 5th wheel and your section on the canopy will help. Keep up the great work.
Fantastic information and I totally agree with the battery amp hour standard.
Watt hours vs. Amp hours, yes, you are providing good information and I totally agree with the sentiment. After all, what you really want to know is how much power (Watts) you have, not how many electrons (Amps). Thanks for the video.
Thank you so much for the explanations. I can't tell you how often I get all the electrical stuff confused.
I'm in the market to buy my first RV and I've been trying to educate myself as much as possible before buying by either watching CZcams videos like yours or reading various blogs thank you immensely you have a new subscriber here.
Another great video! Might want to mention that with awning arms like that you can retract the awning with the arm bent down on one side without try to push that arm straight.
Thank you so much for the awning instruction.....we finally got the tilt!!!!!!!!
I completely agree with you on Watt Hours, please make this the new standard.
Thank you! Your videos are always so informative!
You always share great information! Thank you!!!
Great video! I like the Bottle Jack Buddy. It's a nifty 100% USA made bottle jack accessory (for like $60 bucks). Powder coated and goes right on your bottle jack piston and then hugs the axle. Probably the safest and easiest way to jack up an RV to change a tire quickly.
One thing I didn’t realize is that when your rv batteries are low, don’t push the button to roll the awning in. I did and didn’t clue in that even though it took about 3 minutes to roll in u burned out the awning motor. Now it will cost Over $800 to replace that tiny motor. Lesson learned…. Hook up to a running truck before bringing in awning on low battery days! Love you videos. Always insightful!
Good tip on the awning. Over 12-years ago, when we first starting camping with a small 18-footer trailer, I forgot to bring in the awning at night and in the middle of the night a storm came through and the wind pushed it around and we woke up thinking a bear was pushing on the trailer! We never left it out after that! (And after rain, it's important to dry out your awning as soon as possible else mildew can grow in there.)
If you have an "old fashioned" 6 gallon water heater in your Reflection, before turning on the water heater install a pressure meter anywhere in the cold water system (even attached to the low point drain for a short time for testing). Then turn on the hot water heater and monitor the pressure--I think you'll be shocked at high it increases due to the hot water expansion. Cracking open a hot water faucet for just a moment will drop the pressure back to the inlet pressure (which is controlled by the exterior pressure regulator). I installed a small expansion tank to alleviate the problem in the hopes of avoiding a water leak. (I've also replaced all the soft hose lines in my Reflection with Pex--except for the black tank lines.)
Thank you. You do makes some great informative videos.
Love your videos. Keep up the good work brother!
Amp hours! Thank you for talking about/explaining this!
Loved your awning tip!
Thanks on the watt-hours!! My science geekiness was going off on that. So simple. Apple to apples
I like the water pressure gauge. Good to know what is going into the water pressure regulator and upstream stuff.
Thanks for your *guidance* Sir.
🙏🦉
Great tips. Looking forward to more.
Such a simple, great idea...the pressure-test gauge used before hooking to the water-system.
Thanks
I have the same awning as you. That awning is supposed to be self shedding. The arms will "buckle" on purpose to dump water. Pulling one side down works better, though. I always pull the back side down, so the excess water is going away from where people walk. Not only does it make it less likely to get soaked, but it means most of the mud is at the back of the campsite.
Bingo...
Came here to say this… both this’s actually.
I’ll cut slack on the direction he tilted it since the rear of the awning was up against a tree
Yep, my understanding is that the whole shock absorber design was invented because people didn't know you had to tilt them, so they came up with the auto dumping design. Plus, most of the new awnings are so high off the ground that you need a step ladder to reach them to try and lower one side.
I agree with the Ah / Wh conversation, and the change will happen because of further electrification. If you make the change in your videos and posts, you will see the change in time. Perhaps a bit of work to update comments in older posts, but worth it in the long run.
Awning lessons are hard to learn - it is annoying, but we just got used to closing them up (we have a rear door, so an additional awning there) even for a short hike, as wind comes up any time!
The regulator issue is easily solved by boondocking. That said, this is one element that I find so many dealers are not prepared to facilitate.
Thanks for the tips and recommendations. I have the regulator like you have, but will be getting one of the pressure dials to know what the pressure is at the source.
Thanks - always enjoy your videos
Watt hours is definitely the way to go. EV batteries are rated in kWh. I'm just starting in RVs and I've learned so much from your videos. Also spent a lot too! I noticed your water filter is laying in the bay. Any issues with it at that orientation vs standing upright and fixed? I built a 3 stage filter set up from similar components.
Great tips Jared
Love your B~roll in this video. Very crisp and good use of slo mo. Appropriately placed in the edit to correspond with your speaking points.
Great video!
Thank you!
Good information as always.
Another great video. Regarding the awning, we made a support with pvc pipe and fittings. Used two ratchet straps to anchor to stakes. Held up under 30-40 mph winds in Sturgis.
Maybe sometime I’ll do a video on the contraption.
I’ve woken up more than a few times to a middle-of-the-night wind storm that sounded like it was going to rip our awning off the side of the camper. We have a pretty traditional style awning so our method is to swing the legs down to the ground and then ratchet strap to those large corkscrew anchors or, better yet, to the truck or a tree or something else solid.
I am a seasonal camper, have my awning tied down with straps and a pair of spiral stakes. Has worked well for the past 3 years
Great thoughts. Thanks
Great and informative video.
Jared.
Wife and I gave up the RV hunt about a year ago. It was paralysis by analysis. We were both 70+ with no experience and were just overwhelmed . But about 4 months ago we were just randomly watching one of your videos and we said, “Why not, now?”. I will say this is inspired by the grandkids as well. So we are waiting on our ordered TT. I’ve ordered probably 40% of the stuff we need and it’s filling up the garage.Bought stuff on your list. There will be more. It would be great if you could do a video explaining the transition from the beginning RV (blue Camco) filter to the single larger filter and then double filter you showed in this video. Cost analysis, how long the filters last, pros of spending the extra $ etc. We’ve already have the beginners to start with. Anyways thanks for your experience. We have a short window still left but it’s not too late.
Congrats, use the wait time to read up on things, and make sure your dealer gives you a VERY thorough orientation, have them hook up the water with you, both city water and tank filling hook up the power, test EVERYTHING, the heat, the air conditioning, the stove, oven, microwave, the hot water, the fridge, the lights, the stabilizers, the waste dumping hose connection, the low point drain. Is there a fuse or breaker for the 12V system? Where is it? How do you reset it? Where are the batteries? Where is the low point drain? How do you operate the slides, the awning, the steps, the weight distributing hitch? Make sure they have a FEW HOURS dedicated to explaining this all to you. Before you leave the lot is the time to find out that the microwave doesn’t work when the hot water or electric fireplace is on (common issue people run into) or that there’s no power to the outlet in the bathroom, etc etc. I am active on a forum for our type of RV and we see questions by new owners every day that are very basic and should have been covered by the dealer. Come with a list of questions. I’ll say it again, do this before the last paper is signed and while you still have leverage over the dealership, while it is still in their interest that you are satisfied. Don’t let the excitement of your new toy blind your judgement and let them rush you. You’ll get off on the right foot and be set up for success. I hope this helped. Happy travels!
To add to Jeremy's comments... I took a video of my walk through so I would remember everything I was shown. So thankful that I did. I've been living full-time in my 5th wheel for a year now and these videos have helped me so much!
I enjoy your videos and learn lots. Hoping to expand how often and far we travel as we get closer to retirement.
We have our longest trip (distance) planned for June. Normally we just go to one campground for 10-12 days.
1) No issues with Amp Hours over Watt Hours as we are on Shore Power nearly 100% of the time (Campground Power Outage!)
2) Awning. We always set our so that water can easily shed when we set it up. We even chose which way we want the water to go.
One of these days we may get caught leaving our Awning out, as it is not easy to put In and Out, and we always have things below it (i.e. Toaster, Kettle ...)
3) We have only once had Water Hookup, but we do have a regulator. We almost always camp on Electricity Only camp sites.
I know you are Full Time Campers. What percentage of your time do you spend on Full Hookups. Partial or Boondocking.
They make a wind sensor for awnings. Depending on the awning you have you may be able to add the sensor. I had to replace one of the arms to add the sensor but it's saved my awning more than once!
Great job again 👏
About the awning....OR you could follow manufactures warning ☺(at least on my class A's awning) and "do NOT leaving awning out during rain"
Great video, thank you !!!
Also Project farm on youtube did a water hose test and did burst test the hoses including the zero g :)
Love the video.
Stopping by to say that you're pretty much the best at this. Great video.
Thanks Jason, you’re too kind.
I always tilt my awing if rain is expected or not. However I usually y pull down the end nearer to the e rear .
i like watching your videos as we too have a Reflection by Grand Design and can relate to everything you show
Beautiful park!
Pressure in a campground can also fluctuate! I like the initial testing, though. That's a great idea. I have such a hard time "understanding" my pressure regulator (just like yours). There's a screw in there to adjust it, but... sometimes it has no effect, and I'm wondering, always, "the number went down, is that good? Should it go up, because I'm 'restricting' more?"
Until I learned the awnings were tilted for rain, I thought all the awnings were poorly made and all the tilted awnings in the campground were broken already. Then I learned!!!
Ours won't stay down. What do we need to do that? Tighten it up?
We left our awning out during Florida rainy season and came home to a broken awning. Also, love the tip about the pressure regulator and freezing weather! Miss bumping into you out on the road!
Thanks! Sorry about the awning. Hope you guys are doing well. Did your house get done?
@@AllAboutRVs Yes - house done and we're working to get it customized to our liking - but it's a tough battle to customize a cookie cutter house. Daughter is craving life on the road again but son absolutely loves the space and stability of 'sticks n bricks' life. We'll be back on the road someday - but will live through others in the meantime ;)
One note about awnings. Be watchful of snow load since snow doesn’t shed no matter how much you lower one end
Thanks for getting rid of that annoying background music while you explain things. Loved the video!
Don't forget to straighten out any slant you have put in the awning back to normal BEFORE YOU PULL IT BACK IN!
Just a heads up folks. Awning material has a really long lead time. Just had ours replaced. It was ordered beginning of February, material didn’t arrive until April 29. With those long lead times I’d error on the side of caution when leaving my awning out.
And thanks for the link to the pressure regulator! Going to purchase one
Wow that’s nuts! I wonder if it’s supplier dependent? I just ordered two from an aftermarket supplier (still based in Elkhart Indiana where most rv manufacturers are) two weeks ago and I had them in 3 business days. Maybe because it wasn’t through the RV manufacturer?
My batteries do not have AH ratings on the label. And yes, I asked on several levels. They are 12V group 27 DC marine from Walmart.
HELP if you have a few moments. I find your videos VERY helpful and have saved many😊
From what you say, I'd guess 100Ah, or 1200 watt hours. It's very important to know that standard batteries should not be taken below half. So you're really looking at 600Wh.
Another awesome video. 🙏🏼⛺️😎
Thanks
We like to lower our awning on the side away from the entrance. So puddles don’t form and so I don’t wack my head on the lowered bars.
Great info!
Another thing with amp hours is what an amp hour really is. Typically a lot of people believe a 115 amp hour battery will last 1 hour at 115 amps of draw or it will last 115 hours if only 1 amp is being drawn. However this is not so. The industry rates it like this: Its based on a 20 hour period. 115 divided by 20 will give you 5.75. So that means if you are drawing 5.75 amps, in 20 hours the battery will be dead. This being if you start at a full charge of 12.7 volts. Two 12 volt batteries wired parallel will double this equation.
I've got a restrictor that drops water pressure to 20lbs. I've got a gauge installed after the restrictor to make sure that's true.
Thank you on the use of the awning arm adjust But i do have a question do you need to straighten that arm back out before you roll it back in or will it do that itself automaticly
Jared, as usual, another fine video. Nice tip on your awning, we will adopt that for our rig. I do have to counter your idea for measuring everything in watts. Watts are a function of voltage and amperage, per Ohm's Law and Watt's Law (aka The Power Formula). The problem is that DVOMs don't measure in terms of wattage, they measure in volts, ohms, and amps. So if you are troubleshooting your system, trying to figure out if you have a parasitic draw issue or some such, you would have to know the wattage of every item in your rig. Bulbs, pumps, motors, TV's, inverter/chargers, the list goes on and on. Then you still have to do the math to figure out if you have a problem. However, if everything is still measured in terms of amps, the math for Ohm's Law is simple and universal. I struggle with the concept that people who use golf cart batteries don't know they are only 6-volt, and that you need 2 in order to make a 12-volt system work. I know Tesla owners will be up on arms over this, but since they are not in 12-volt systems, either, (at 350-375 VDC), wattage is easier for them since the voltage is so high. But we are talking RVs. The 12-volt side is easy math to do if you know your times tables.
Virtually all RVs will have some minimal parasitic draw from the CO/ smoke detector.
How are you wiring the 2 6-volt batteries to make 12 volts? Is that series or parrellel? I've forgotten, one way yields 12 volts, the other allows more amps at 6 volts.
@@Tsch6373 hi! It's a series connection to make 12 volts.
Good advice.
I destroyed a green Clear2o pre-filter by mistakenly installing my water pressure regulator after the filter and connecting to a 90psi water spigot at the Valley of Fires campground in NM. It could have been much worse, if I left off the regulator and one of the pipes burst inside the walls of my MH instead of the filter rupturing. I won't make that mistake again.
Just would like to get your thoughts on anchoring the outer end away from the campers, awning to the ground are used to do it with my old style awning seem to work decent with a slight angle
Thanks nice job god bless
Another tip...tilt the awning away from the door!!.😂😂😂
I’m chicken, so I always just fill my water tank and run off the tank with the pump in the motorhome. I always have the same pressure. Thank you for the video.
Fantastic!
Thanks
ProjectFarm did a test of all the best hoses. The Zero G and the Flexzilla I believe both didn’t burst until about 650psi
Project farm channel test hose great video
Hi, thanks much! Where is the information on your recommended water regulator?
I’d like to see a campground with over 60 lbs water pressure? Most campgrounds atleast in Michigan are less than 40lbs. The awning tip was kinda strange also? Tip one end down so water runs off on this style awning doesn’t make sense with the gas piston struts? They release when the water weight overloads the pistons just like pulling down on a SUV back hatchback door?
Here is a thought to consider- we love boondocking. I put my water filter in my RV after the tank and pump and city/Rv water selector as when I fill my tank I want chlorinated city water in my tank to prevent anything from growing. If you filter it in the line before it entered your RV of fills your tankfilling your tank then there is no chlorine to prevent things from growing in your tank and you could end up using less than totally clean and pure water. Any thoughts about this being another thing many RVers do wrong?
You have your awning bent toward the front where the door and the entrance is. That means the water is going to shed and you're going to be walking through mud or getting dumped on if you're trying to get into the rig. You should have the opposite so it sheds toward the back of the rig where you never go. I learned my lesson the very first time right after I bought the thing it was raining like crazy and I noticed it was holding a lot of water so I figured out the bend the frame trick toward the back of the rig and gallons of water came dumping down almost on top of me. Also everybody's buying these fancy schmancy pressure regulators you could just get a cheaper one without a gauge because most places don't have that higher pressure. Never had a problem with hoses bursting.
When we picked up our new TT and were doing the walkaround they told us that the manufacturers still consider the awning to be a "sunshade" and should be retracted in heavy rains.
I loved it too
Thanks god bless
What do you generally set your water pressure regulator at when it is connected right to the water supply?
Do I need a pressure regulator (perhaps an extra one solely for this purpose) when I connect the water spigot to my black tank flush at the dump station? Water sprays out of the connector on the RV black tank flush no matter how tight I make the connection. Rubber washer is good.
Good information
Thanks
I have awning covers on my slide outs. I have noticed the one seems to be sagging a bit and collects water. Is there a way to tighten the canopy?
Haven’t read All the comments yet, but do suggest trying to always make the sloped side of the awning on the side farthest from the entry door - For two reasons. 1, on a non-fifth wheel RV, sloping the side closest to the door, can cause the door to rub on the awing whenever open/closed - which is Bad for the awning. 2, the closer to the door the water is draining off the awning, the more water here will be near the entrance/tracked in. But, sometimes the natural slope of the ground Will require sloping the awning on the door side, to keep the water running off the awning from running Towards the entrance of the RV. Each RV site, can require a Different technique…
Is the pressure regulator adjustable? If do, what pressure do you recommend it be set to? Thanks
I agree, In a series circuit, the lowest amp hour of one battery is the amp hour of that circuit and the battery voltage is added where there are two or more in series. Does your awning have some way of shedding the water when you're bringing it in after a rain...assuming the sun doesn't come out and it's still damp? I like you're tilting the awning suggestion. So, is there a knob on your pressure regulator to turn down the pressure?
Any way you could walk us through your settings on the Multiplus 2? I have just installed the Multiplus 2 using your diagram. And I have 2 lion energy batteries. I am curious what your settings are set at? My set up seems to work pretty well but I’m having a little trouble with the shore power GCFI tripping g after about 10 minutes or so.
Coming from the old style awning that I could leave out in some wind, can these handle some wind if the outer edge is tied down (like with an awning sun shade)?
Just make sure that if you pitch the awning that you push the arm back up straight before you bring it in.
Great job🎹🎤🎸🙂👍
How often do you need to replace a water pressure regulator? Or do you even have to.
When storing camper for a few weeks should both battery terminals be disconnected or just taking off negative terminal.
What awning do you have? I like it and need to change mine.
I have a 24V truck, should I have 24V solar and a 24V inverter? I am guessing there'd be less loss that way. I do have a 24-12 drop down for lights and things that need 12V, just talking about an inverter to get to 100V
Pressure regulators - There is a lot of confusion among RV'ers with tankless water heaters. These new water heaters need to sense a flow rate to activate. Many people are having problems with using pressure regulators because they think it creates too low of pressure for the water heater to kick on. Many people stop using the regulators all together because they cannot get hot water with it installed. What these people are missing is that they need a high-flow pressure regulator. Lots of confusion between pressure and flow.
geez it would have to be just a trickle of water to keep the water heater from working
@@jimbeaver27 our tankless actually doesn't turn on at the kitchen sink with the standard (government mandated) flow regulator. Once the flow regulator is removed it activates the water heater. There are also problems with waterfall faucets used on higher end models, as they don't have enough flow either.
Nice to see another Botkin out there !
What do you recommend for very low flow water from the source?
@@janetwisecarver7804 tank with pump?
3:47 but wouldn't it be better to shed the water away from the entrance? Better to lower the rear end of the awning than the front imo, but this is still a great tip
Hi Big Ben from 🇨🇦 , just watched video ,great info. Like awning topic ,question about water pressure, I know each trailers are different, what water pressure is ideal ?? 40-45 , cheap inline regulators set at 30psi ,also bought a Y with ball shut off . Good idea to shut off at water supply if connected to city connection, when leave camp site?🤔🐴 ,remember if anything fails when gone trailer full of water..😱 Something to think about. Also is there anything about how long does your 2500watt gen. vs 3500watt gen.take to charge back up on lead acid compared to lithium??🤔🐴🙂🤟🇨🇦👍
With regards to batteries, whether watt hours or amp hours are used is not the biggest issue...the real issue is what percentage of amp hours or watt hours can actually be used before rwcharging...for example, with a lead acid battery you can use a max of 50%...if more is used it will harm the battery
Can you do a quick tip on HOW to set the Water Pressure Regulator? If it's not set PRIOR to hooking up to the rig, then damage can happen... so do you just run the water on the ground until you set it? Have not seen ONE channel address it...
Jared For President!
So which has more usable energy,2x6v 235 ah lead vs 1x 12v 100ah lion?and what is the usable wh or ah difference ?
We have an awning like yours. We were told it had a wind sensor and would automatically roll back in. Is this true or did they not know what they were talking about