# Innocent questions....



## smokem (Apr 14, 2008)

We picked up the Winnie this past Saturday after a "briefing" if you will.  i asked as many questions that i could think of but being so excited in the process forgot all about the fridge.  I'm going to read the manual this week!   (The Mrs. videotaped the briefing too.)  The dealer gave us a 6" drop hitch for my utility trailer and also installed a electronic brake control for me (i paid).  They also threw in a $50.00 gift certificate to use in the parts department.  They're there to sell!!!   

Now let's get to the necessities of life.  Toilet paper, for example.  They insist that we use RV toilet paper because it supposedly doesn't clog or stick.  True?  Or are we just being conned into buying/spending money?

Another item was the fresh water hose.  The "city water" here in Utah might be potable but it tastes like ****!  We normally drink bottled but they might be selling that from the tap too.  The salesman wanted to sell us a special hose that wouldn't give us a "taste" of garden hose.  Is/was this just another misleading purchase?   While on this topic of water hose...   What is the "ideal length" to purchase?

....haven't climbed up on the roof yet to see what's up there in relationship to the satellite dish that's supposedly up there.  Do i need Dishnetwork to come to my home to get that up and running?   The RV site i'm staying in next month in Moab told me that they have TV hookups.   Two channels...   i'm not into TV but my wife is addicted to CNN, Fox News, etc.

The Winnie is wired for the PC too.  She has a laptop that i swear has an umbilical cord attached to her.  Gotta figure that out too....

What's the best resource/guide to use for finding RV sites?  Is KOA overated?  So this is a start and i thank you in advance for your responses and any helpful suggestions!!!

OH!!!  One more quickie!  As stated previously, the winnie has a triton 10 gas engine.  In my wifes car, she must use 91 octane and i use it it my Ford Ex as well.  The dealer put in the cheapest and lowest octane.  Those of you with the tritons or otherwise...   What octane # do you use?  

uh-oh...nother question   The salesman told me that "after" we get the Winnie all loaded up we should take it in for alignment at someplace like Schwabb's.  True?  

again, thanks in advance!

Bud


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## hamdave (Apr 14, 2008)

RE: Innocent questions....





> Toilet paper, for example.  They insist that we use RV toilet paper because it supposedly doesn't clog or stick.  True?  Or are we just being conned into buying/spending money?
> 
> *Ans: I was raised on a farm, so was taught not to put TP down commode using septic tanks. I treat black tank the same way.*
> 
> ...


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## JimE (Apr 14, 2008)

RE: Innocent questions....

I can help you with a couple of questions and the braintrust should be able to help with the rest. As far as TP I either use the RV stuff or single ply marked safe for septic systems. As for the water hose they were not lying to you, get the white hose. Walmart has that and the TP at a reasonable price, you'll find an RV section in the auto parts. As for the satellite, I have Dish in my house and I also have a spare dish on a tripod. When I go out I take one of my receivers with me and tune it up wherever we stop. Its pretty easy and once you've done it a couple of times you get the hang of it.


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## TexasClodhopper (Apr 14, 2008)

Re: Innocent questions....



Toilet paper, for example. They insist that we use RV toilet paper because it supposedly doesn't clog or stick. True? Or are we just being conned into buying/spending money?  

Bud, I was raised in the country and always had a septic system. (No offense meant, 'hamdave'!) To each his own, but if it stinks it goes down the sewer.  We just buy the 2-ply paper from anywhere. It's not quilted or softened, but it doesn't stop anything up either. You don't want to get your black tank stopped up where you can't reach it. What a mess that would be. I've used a gadget to drain the tanks called Sewer Solution and haven't had one single problem. I don't mess with that big hose and never come in contact with the 'stuff', either. 


the winnie has a triton 10 gas engine. In my wifes car, she must use 91 octane and i use it it my Ford Ex as well. The dealer put in the cheapest and lowest octane. Those of you with the tritons or otherwise... What octane # do you use?

I use the lowest octane regular that is available. No problems for 4 years. I also made a mistake one time and grabbed the wrong handle. I got a little better gas mileage on that tank filled with premium.


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## smokem (Apr 14, 2008)

Re: Innocent questions....

Okay!   and again....thank you.!!!  i was born and raised in the Adirondack Mtns. and we also had a septic tank.  But TP was pretty standard back then.  In my wifes native country they put a wastebasket next to the toilet.  Needless to say, i found it quite disgusting!  So at least i know my dealer and their sales people were being upfront with us and it makes me feel good about them.  i will give them the business instead of Walmart  i know Walmart is cheaper but i don't like their business/personnel ethics....

Where do i find the date on the tires?  This is an 07 Winnie.  Wouldn't the manufacturor make sure to use "newer" tires?

ty...Bud


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## utmtman (Apr 15, 2008)

Re: Innocent questions....

As for tp we have used Scots since we decided not to pay for the rv stuff and it works just fine and have not had a problem in two years of using it.

Reading the Sidewall of a tire http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel/Tires.shtml#SIDEWALL


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## hamdave (Apr 15, 2008)

Re: Innocent questions....





> smokem - 4/14/2008  3:16 PM  Okay!   and again....thank you.!!!  i was born and raised in the Adirondack Mtns. and we also had a septic tank.  But TP was pretty standard back then.  In my wifes native country they put a wastebasket next to the toilet.  Needless to say, i found it quite disgusting!  So at least i know my dealer and their sales people were being upfront with us and it makes me feel good about them.  i will give them the business instead of Walmart  i know Walmart is cheaper but i don't like their business/personnel ethics....  Where do i find the date on the tires?  This is an 07 Winnie.  Wouldn't the manufacturor make sure to use "newer" tires?  ty...Bud





You would think an '07' would have newer tires, but they could be a lot older. Look on the sidewall(both sides) , you will find a number that begins with DOTxx...wwyy, where the wwyy is a code that says the tire was made the ww week of yy year. 0507 would be the 5th week of 2007 for example.



cheers


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## DARLING (Apr 16, 2008)

Re: Innocent questions....

Scott's makes TP for at least a dozen different labels.  Maybe more by now.

You never know who's TP is under that label.

Darlin


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## Kirk (Apr 17, 2008)

Re: Innocent questions....

We too use Scott's single ply and we put it in the toilet. Been full-time now for eight years and have not had a single problem from that. Just always use generous amounts of water when you flush and always allow the black tank to be 1/2 full or more before you dump it and all will be just fine. No need for any fancy chemicals from the store or any home brews from the internet. Natural works best.

On hoses, as fulltimers, we have found that the cheapest white hose isn't always the best buy as the cheap ones tend to leak at the fittings. I usually buy one of the better ones. We also use a "whole house" type of water filter on the water supply before it enters the RV. We use a 10 micron, carbon block type of filter. That removes all sediment, most impurities and nearly all of the taste from water as we travel. Only two or three places have we had the need to buy bottled water to drink.

On the fuel for the V-10, Ford says to run the 87 octane all of the time, no matter the altitude. As you go up in altitude you will find at times that the octane rating for "regular" is lowered to 66 or even 65. Ford says 87 even then. If I encounter this issue I buy a fill of the higher one on alternate fills, usually filling at 1/2 or 1/4 tank.

I would agree that KOA is over priced in most cases. I have been told that those letters stand for "Keep On Addin" because they seem to have so many extra charges that are added to the price that is quoted in the campground guides. The best way to find RV parks is to get a copy of either Trailer Life or of Wheeler's campground guide to use. The one from TL seems to us to have the best directions.

On dish TV, you will have to either get a receiver installed, or bring one out from the house and use it. There should be pointing directions with the dish on the RV. There is a "set-up" menu in the dish menu that you can use to find the proper settings and then to locate the satellite.

For internet on the road there are several ways, but that is an entire new subject. The best answer will depend to a large extent upon what you have at home and do you plan to keep that? Cellular phone services sell a card to get it with a laptop or there are also dish systems for satellite internet.

On the alignment, if this is a new RV, then chances are it should be at least checked once it is loaded for travel with the tanks full. If used, it has probably already been done. Watch the tire wear closely when you first start to travel as you will know pretty quickly if it needs it.


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## smokem (Apr 19, 2008)

Re: Innocent questions....

Thanks again!  ....purchased the "special" hose for the potable water and one of those pressure reducers for it the other day.  the Mrs. is draggin me to Wallyworld today for some more shopping.   Initially we were headed for Moab next weekend but they're having a car show....so we're skipping it and optong for Kanab RV Corral.   Somebody on this forum had posted/suggested using RvParkReviews.com and by that it seems to be a good place to bring the "kids" with us.  Since we live and will be travelin in the Rockies, i'm going to take your suggestions Kirk and mix/alternate the high/low octanes.  Have a list of several things for the dealer to do and might find more next weekend when we take it out.  The alignment factor will have to wait until next month because we won't really get it really loaded until just prior to my trip to Moab on the 12th. for our UTV Rally.  i hope the dealer put the right electric brake controller in for my trailer.  The Ford dealer missed the boat when they installed the first one on my Ex. and they had to do it again.  My wife and i have always stayed in hotels when travelin` and now am finding that locating a good RV park isn't as easy as one would think it would be.  It's a whole new ball game!!!  

had the dish people out the other day and they put a receiver in the rig.  i'm into puters but she's the one with the laptop so i'm s-o-l.  it's gonna be tight sharing the space with two large dogs next weekend but afterall, we're family!  the 320 mile drive one way should get me accustomed to driving it anyway!  

couple more quickies?   After you disconnect your sewer lines, do you rinse them out and stuff them into a garbage bag for keeping?  What about your water tank?   You keep it filled when your "on your way?"  i found a slide out safety strap for the front slide out and attaced it.  But couldn't find the strap or a place for the bedroom slideout.   Will read the manual prior to take off  again thanks to all for your responses/help.

Bud


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## DARLING (Apr 19, 2008)

Re: Innocent questions....

Bud

Avoid cross contamination between FRESH water hoses & SEWER hoses.  Think what you are touching after touching the SEWER.

While you are at WM  don't forget to pick up a box of disposable gloves to use when handeling the sewer hose.
Also think about a 2-way splitter for you water hook up for your fresh water connection & a small(less than6ft) piece of garden hose to rinse out your sewer hose with before packing away..  

DO NOT USE  YOUR FRESH WATER HOSE.  

I know that this may sound like basic hygine but sometimes people just don't think or pay attention to what they are doing.

Darlin


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## DL Rupper (Apr 19, 2008)

Re: Innocent questions....

Hey smokem, where are you from in UT?  The RV corral is the best in Kanab.  Make sure you get the disposable gloves.  Best thing going.  I often mention checking your next RV site on www.RVparkreviews.com.  Great site for getting good info on RV parks.  We have found it to be about 85% accurate.

Kirk is right about the white hoses from Wal-mart (they leak).  I always get the ones with thumb flanges on the female connection.  They last for years without leaking.

SLC, UT born and raised.


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## smokem (Apr 19, 2008)

Re: Innocent questions....

Hey there again....

Bought my water hose at Motor Sportsland in SLC.  (We live in North Salt Lake)   We're just back from WM.   Great tip about the hose split too!   We need to do some more shopping before next Friday so i will pick that up and the plastic gloves!  Also picked up a couple of "just in case" items.  Our Winnie has 30 AMP hook-up so i purchased one of those gizmo's that would allow a hook-up to the 50 AMP....just in case.  Have another question in regards to driving.  Today, we're experiencing high gusty winds with the average being about 25 MPH.  Do you ever refrain from traveling when there's high winds?  What might the winds be when you would say, "The heck with traveling today?"  Is there a safety bar, if you will?


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## DL Rupper (Apr 19, 2008)

Re: Innocent questions....

Smokem, I say the heck with traveling whenever the weather makes me uncomfortable.  We traveled through Iowa 3 days ago and the wind was hitting about 20 to 30 miles an hour steady.  Wasn't that bad, but if it starts to get real gusty I would hang it up for the day.  My mileage dropped about 1 to 2 miles per gallon.  That's bad with the price of diesel now.

My big no, no to driving is when the temps get over 90 degrees.  I've had 2 blowouts in the summer and traveling in the afternoon.  I just get up early and quit at about noon.  

You might need a gizmo (adaptor) that will adapt your 30 amp down to 20 amp.  Doesn't happen very often, but every now and then you might need one.  Some public campgrounds only have 20 amp service.  If the voltage is low (105 V AC or lower) I hook-up a AUTOFORMER to the RV parks connection.  It boosts the voltage back up to about 115 V.  If you run your air conditioner with low voltage you can damage or shorten the life of the compressor.  In the summer with lots of a/c's running the parks voltage often drops into the low voltage area.  The Autoformer is a big $$ investment.  Around $350 for the 30 amp.  A new air conditioner costs more.  I use a plug-in voltage meter in my RV to monitor the parks voltage output.

I lived in Woods Cross from 1969 to 1979.


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## vanole (Apr 20, 2008)

Re: Innocent questions....

Lots of good info in this string.  Another thing I might add not knowing what type of EMS you may have is a plug in volt meter.  (Plugs into a recepticale and you can check the status of the park power).  Green good Red might think about unplugging due to park load vice damaging an A/C component or something else.

I'm also a believer in a surge protector (some folks don't).  I have had my bacon saved three time with one of these the last time was last summer sitting in a campground in Western Pa when a bad storm system rolled thru with mega lightening.

V/R
Jeff


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## DL Rupper (Apr 20, 2008)

Re: Innocent questions....

Hey Jeff, if you get an AUTOFORMER you won't need to unplug or turn your A/C off when the park voltage gets low.  The Autoformer will keep you in the green zone.  We use a surge protector also.


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## vanole (Apr 20, 2008)

Re: Innocent questions....

DL, 

I am real sorry I did not read your post ahead of mine.  I mentioned the same stuff as you.  I also have a hughes autoformer.  Cheapest place I found it when I bought mine was at PPL out of Houston.  I did not mention it in the post due to price and you are correct it is a significant investment (worth every penny I might add).  I hardwired it in (was a piece of cake most difficult thing was the heavy guage wire).  Like you said when parks are crowded with havy power draw it is nice to know you are not killing your electrical components.

Once again DL sorry for the overpost.

Very Respectfully,
Jeff


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## smokem (Apr 20, 2008)

Re: Innocent questions....

i'm really appreciative in relationship to the answers and very helpful suggestions!!!  Have a couple more questions for you too!   Some of you have driven thru the Rockie`s i'm sure and as you know we have some really loooong and steep grades.  There's a few on I-80 that i will be traveling on often enroute to Flaming Gorge.  On the Winnie, there's 1,2,3, and drive (with the load and haul switch)  i won't really know which gear to use until i get out there with it.  But for those of you that are driving, do you find yourself using 3rd gear the most for engine braking???  We live on what they call the east bench and i use 2nd gear in my Ex all the time when descending the ridge.  It sure saves on buying disc brake pads and shoes!  

Now i'd like to take my questioning in another direction  My wife has taken charge of the "outfitting" for the interior.  With the exception of furniture covers because i began to cut some of my cow hide that i'd used as display covers.  (i'm a cowpounder and used to do home and office decor working in art/craft shows until sandbagged by rhuematoid arthritis)  Yesterday, she picked up some small throw rugs, silverware, lawnchairs etc.  She bought a wine glass rack and had purchased extra wine glasses when i stopped her.  To my way of thinking, REAL glass is the last thing we want in the RV.  One hard bump and we'd be picking up glass shards, right???  Do you normally restrict your dinnerware items to metal or plastic?  Another thought/question....    As a rule.....in most states, one cannot have open containers.  LEO in this part of the country can take things to quite an extreme.  (ask the guy that got tazered or the gal that was raped)  Sorry, if i appear to have an "attitude" but most of us vets do.  Let's just use a hypothetical situation.  Now, i always check my equipment prior to take-off.  Tires, flashers, lights etc.  But just supposing LEO stopped me one day and wanted to look inside.  To my way of thinking, they better have a search warrant first off.   But supposing they came in......and found an opened wine bottle in the fridge.  Can thet ticket me for open container?  Am i gonna have to buy my liquor in the minature 1 ounce bottles too?  In relationship to the "kids", i suppose that i will need to carry a copy of their shot records too showing they've been vaccinnated for rabies.  Speaking of which brings up another question.  Here at home, we have discovered that ONLY one vacuum cleaner really gets the dog hair out of the carpet and that's a Dyson (animal) vacuum.  The Hoover and Kenmore now sit in closets.  The Dyson's are right up there in cost!  i suppose that the real cleaning will have to wait for our returns.   But....anyone find/use something else "on the road" that works well?  ....again, my sincere thanks!

Bud


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## DL Rupper (Apr 20, 2008)

Re: Innocent questions....

Hey bud, I'll let the Motorhome owners answer the which gear to use as I have a manual trans in my diesel pickup.

The only fragile glass dinnerware I have is ceramic coffee cups.  They are heavy duty and don't break too often.  The plates and dishes are corelle and even they will break occasionally.  Use a roll of non-slip drawer/cupboard liner to line your drawers/cupboards.  It helps.  We also use lots of plastic baskets to put odds and ends in so they won't slide all over the cupboards while traveling.  

As for any "LEO'S" searching you RV I don't believe I have ever seen or heard of anyone driving a RV and being pulled over and searched unless they were weaving all over the road.  An opened bottle inside your "HOME" should not be a problem.


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## DARLING (Apr 21, 2008)

Re: Innocent questions....

When stopping at WM or the Dollar Store pick up silverware bins for you drawers. 

We have 4 long bins(spoon,forks,dinner knives & sharp knives) & 1 short bin(cork screw, manual can openers, sm paring knife, crab crackers, etc).  This locks in the 5 bins & secures everything in them.

Darlin


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## hertig (Apr 22, 2008)

Re: Innocent questions....

When you dump, make sure that both your black and gray tanks are over 1/2 full.  If not, add water until they are.  Then dump the black tank, and flush it until the water runs clear.  Then dump the gray tank, which will clean any remaining sewage out of the system.  Do this and there should be no need to rinse the hoses.  Yes, it is best to store them in a container of some kind, best is a piece of PVC pipe with vent holes.  If you have a hollow square bumper on the back, that is often used to store the hose.  Or a plastic bin.  Basicall, anything which it will fit into, keep drips from escaping and is vented to allow drying will work.  I would not trust garbage bags to keep them in.

The 50 to 30 adapter is good, so is a 15 to 30 adapter.

DL, where'd you find that 30 to 20 adapter?  I couldn't find one, so ended up making one.

In water hoses, 25' is a good length.  I also use 4' and 10' along with a handfull of brass 90 and 45 degree fittings.  This 39' will handle most campgrounds, and I carry 50' of flat hose on a reel for non-standard stays.  Make sure you get 'drinking water certified hose' because most hoses these days are made with harmful chemicals.

Carry plenty of coax; the cable tv jacks are sometimes in strange locations.  I started with 25' and that wasn't enough, then went to 2 x 25' and still ran into an insufficient cable situation.  Now I carry 25' and 50' and so far that seems to be enough (plus the adapter to fasten them together)  I've gone to a push on fitting for the cable source, since screwing the fitting onto those old, battered, dirty fittings can be annoying.

Most laws restricting open beverage containers in vehicles specifically exempt the 'living' space of a motorhome.  And as for letting them in?  Not hardly.  It is a home and no searches with warrents are allowed.


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## H2H1 (Apr 22, 2008)

Re: Innocent questions....

John I got my 30-20 amp adapter at Wall Mart. I think it was in price range of $3.00 no sure. I got a 50-30 amp adapter when I bought the MH. I also have 2 -25' white water hose plus an extra one for washing out the tank from the toilet if it ever gets stopped up. but we use plenty of water no problem yet.


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## DL Rupper (Apr 22, 2008)

Re: Innocent questions....

John, the adaptor may be a 30 to 15/20 I'm not sure.  I bought it years ago.  I use it to check the wiring at the RV park shore power 30 amp connection.  I have a little yellow 15/20 amp continuity/polarity/ground checker plugged into the 30-20 adaptor.  I have found a few RV parks with faulty wiring in them.  Not too many recently.  Some of the older run down parks used to have crappy wiring.


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## smokem (Apr 22, 2008)

Re: Innocent questions....

Many thanks to all of you again.  ....find myself coming back often and just realized that i'd forgotten to pick up the the Y hose connection   been busy packing the Winnie....trying to keep the weight distributed yet everything in proximity to the area used.  Friday morning after the rush hour(s) my wife....two kids(dogs), and i will head south.  we're all excited!   have been reading the manual and will read some more hopefully before departure.  as much as i'd like to spend more time with it....there's too much yard work that needs attention as well.  Next week, i'm supposed to bring it back to the dealer so they can repair a few minor things.  one thing i find quite irritating is that someone "misplaced" one set of keys at the dealer.  ....i hate using copies!  they also misplaced two pillows that were in the rig when we viewed it together.  you can bet your life that all of my compartments will be LOCKED when i bring it in.  had to order to special blanks and must order another special key to open the hood.  must be my age.....but this "hiccup" was really aggravating for me.  am thinking that the autoformer and voltmeter gizmo would be very worthwhile to invest in.  i'm a lousy mechanic and plumber....   got my duct tape but can't find my vice grips   ....but i will do everything carefully as i can.  oops....gotta take the kids out and let them do their business.

happy trails...Bud


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## hertig (Apr 23, 2008)

Re: Innocent questions....

The compartments in most RVs are keyed alike...


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