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Expert
Posts: 2685
   
| We got our first living quarter trailer (yay). We got a walk through from the dealership but we still have a few questions and I want some experience based advice. The trailer is small, 4ft short wall, but has a cook top, fridge, sink, shower & toilet.
1. Winterizing: what do you guys do to haul in the winter when it gets cold enough to freeze?
2. Dumping after staying all weekend: where do you guys go dump your tanks after staying al weekend? Do most overnighters have a dumping station?
3. Condensation: the floor sweated when we stayed in it overnight and used the a/c. Should I worry about this?
4. Leveling: is it bad for the trailer to live at an angle or should I unhook and level it out when I’m not using it?
I might have more later but that’s all I can think of at the moment... |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 889
| 1. If hauling in winter; I either drain all tanks and lines in between using it OR plug it in and run the heat so nothing will freeze.
2. SOME places have dumps but not very many. We just dump at home in the field.
3. Not sure on this one? I would think over time you wouldn't want condensation...I keep a tub of Damp Raid in mine, that might help.
4. I always level out, especially if staying 2-3 days. If you're just pulling in and staying 1 overnight, I wouldn't worry about it. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1515
Location: Illinois | I get mine winterized at a place close to me. They clean my tanks out and then winterize it for $100. I could do it myself but it's so convenient to have them do it at that price. And they do a quick inspection of the whole thing as well. If I haul in the winter I just don't use water. There's nowhere I go that doesn't have a bathroom and showers so I'm always covered.
I dump mine before I leave the barrel race a lot of times, but it's very rare for me to actually use the toilet. I've had the trailer 8 years and I bet I haven't used the toilet 10 times yet, I've never used the shower. I typically put maybe 5 gallons of water in at most. Most of my friends dump on the side of the road on a back road near their house or in front of their house.
My floor has never had a condensation issue, I might have that looked into. My guess is it's not insulated properly.
I try to keep mine level, but that's not always possible. I've kept it stored on a slant before and never had an issue. I do try to keep it level front to back though
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Veteran
Posts: 155
| 1.i drain everything and leave all lines open. I get snow and it's pretty cold, and I've never had a problem
2. Fairgrounds, gas stations, rv parks. Most times it's only about $10
3. ??
4. If you store your trailer unlevel, it can affect the refrigerator |
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 Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | We run rv antifreeze through ours...we dump ours in the field...not sure about condensation we dont have that happen..maybe crack a window....and we try and keep it as level as possible all the time..some fridges wont run if they are not level....congrads on the trailer....m |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 629
Location: Roping pen | #3-you might either have a water line leak or the condensation from the AC is coming back into the trailer. Neither are good. I would take it back to the dealer that sold it to you and get them to check it out. It could be an insulation issue on the floor, but ???
In my experiences, that shouldn't happen. Good luck! |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | JLazyT_perf_horses - 2018-07-05 9:42 AM I get mine winterized at a place close to me. They clean my tanks out and then winterize it for $100. I could do it myself but it's so convenient to have them do it at that price. And they do a quick inspection of the whole thing as well. If I haul in the winter I just don't use water. There's nowhere I go that doesn't have a bathroom and showers so I'm always covered. I dump mine before I leave the barrel race a lot of times, but it's very rare for me to actually use the toilet. I've had the trailer 8 years and I bet I haven't used the toilet 10 times yet, I've never used the shower. I typically put maybe 5 gallons of water in at most. Most of my friends dump on the side of the road on a back road near their house or in front of their house. My floor has never had a condensation issue, I might have that looked into. My guess is it's not insulated properly. I try to keep mine level, but that's not always possible. I've kept it stored on a slant before and never had an issue. I do try to keep it level front to back though
I know here in Texas its Illegal as heck to be dumping on the side of the roads, backroads, camp/rodeo grounds, anywhere, you get a helfty fine for illegal dumping so I would check with you state about this..
Edited by Southtxponygirl 2018-07-05 12:20 PM
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| 1. Winterizing: We generally don't stay weekends in the winter so we winterize ourselves per the instructions that came with the trailer and then we obviously don't use the bathroom in the winter. We do run our furnace when at barrel races in the winter and it's great cause you can get in and warm up.
2. Dumping after staying all weekend: My husband ran a dump pipe into our septic so we just pull by the house and hook our hose up and dump. Some of the bigger shows we go to, like at the fairgrounds, do have dump stations and a lot of truck stops like flying Js have dump stations also. If you have any local RV places they may have one too. You should never, never, never just dump in a parking area or field, especially if it's not yours! This really shouldn't need to be said but believe it or not, lots of people do.
3. Condensation: Agree with the poster above. Take it back to the dealer and have them check it out. This should not happen.
4. Leveling: we do try to level ours when we can. It doesn't have to be perfectly level but it is better for your appliances if you can keep it somewhat level. |
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Location: Not Where I Want to Be | Southtxponygirl - 2018-07-05 12:52 PM
JLazyT_perf_horses - 2018-07-05 9:42 AM I get mine winterized at a place close to me. They clean my tanks out and then winterize it for $100. I could do it myself but it's so convenient to have them do it at that price. And they do a quick inspection of the whole thing as well. If I haul in the winter I just don't use water. There's nowhere I go that doesn't have a bathroom and showers so I'm always covered. I dump mine before I leave the barrel race a lot of times, but it's very rare for me to actually use the toilet. I've had the trailer 8 years and I bet I haven't used the toilet 10 times yet, I've never used the shower. I typically put maybe 5 gallons of water in at most. Most of my friends dump on the side of the road on a back road near their house or in front of their house. My floor has never had a condensation issue, I might have that looked into. My guess is it's not insulated properly. I try to keep mine level, but that's not always possible. I've kept it stored on a slant before and never had an issue. I do try to keep it level front to back though
I know here in Texas its Illegal as heck to be dumping on the side of the roads, backroads, camp/rodeo grounds, anywhere, you get a helfty fine for illegal dumping so I would check with you state about this..
it is everywhere
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 BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25351
Location: Bastrop, Texas | Dumping on the side of the road sounds fun and classy.
Do they muck out their trailers there as well? |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Bear - 2018-07-05 12:53 PM Dumping on the side of the road sounds fun and classy. Do they muck out their trailers there as well?
How about in front of their own home, now thats class.  |
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 Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
Location: North Dakota | Sorry OP, but I'm going to address the dumping on the side of the road/field/septic system:
It is illegal and a public health nuisance to dump effluent directly onto the surface of the ground. (AND its Gross) Your body carries viruses and pathogens that must be "treated" as to not sicken others.
As a side note, if you are dumping your tanks into your home septic system, please be aware that the chemicals (blue rv solution or heavy chlorine) are VERY detrimental for your septic tank and drain field health. The chemicals will kill the good bacteria in your septic tank and ultimately damage your drain field.
RV dump stations are super easy to use, and they are maintained to protect the safety of the environment and the population.
OP we drain all of our lines in the winter and pour antifreeze in the p traps (but we live in ND and we don't depend on our living quarters water during the winter months)
Condensation on the floor either means a leaky hose OR an A/C unit that is not adequate. or maybe the unit wasn't sitting level enough and the condensate ran back into the seal separating the roof and the a/c. (the condensate should drain off the top of the trailer when set on a level surface)
If you are going to use the fridge or A/c when it is parked at home, have it as level as you possibly can. |
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BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25351
Location: Bastrop, Texas | It’s a pretty sad day when some needs to be told why random dumping of their raw sewage is frowned upon. Kinda like explaining why it’s not a good idea to use a blow dryer while bathing. |
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Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
Location: North Dakota | Bear - 2018-07-05 1:13 PM It’s a pretty sad day when some needs to be told why random dumping of their raw sewage is frowned upon. Kinda like explaining why it’s not a good idea to use a blow dryer while bathing.
Agree  |
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| LMS - 2018-07-05 12:06 PM Sorry OP, but I'm going to address the dumping on the side of the road/field/septic system:
It is illegal and a public health nuisance to dump effluent directly onto the surface of the ground. (AND its Gross) Your body carries viruses and pathogens that must be "treated" as to not sicken others.
As a side note, if you are dumping your tanks into your home septic system, please be aware that the chemicals (blue rv solution or heavy chlorine) are VERY detrimental for your septic tank and drain field health. The chemicals will kill the good bacteria in your septic tank and ultimately damage your drain field.
RV dump stations are super easy to use, and they are maintained to protect the safety of the environment and the population.
OP we drain all of our lines in the winter and pour antifreeze in the p traps (but we live in ND and we don't depend on our living quarters water during the winter months)
Condensation on the floor either means a leaky hose OR an A/C unit that is not adequate. or maybe the unit wasn't sitting level enough and the condensate ran back into the seal separating the roof and the a/c. (the condensate should drain off the top of the trailer when set on a level surface)
If you are going to use the fridge or A/c when it is parked at home, have it as level as you possibly can.
This is something I did not know. Thank you for the info. |
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Expert
Posts: 2685
| I just wanted to clarify the condensation. The floor felt cold & moist under my feet. There wasn’t visible water. I need to do it again and look at it more closely. I was in a huge hurry that morning and didn’t get to. It resembled morning dew I guess? |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12838
| On the condensation-- this is very detrimental to any RV will cause everything in the trailer to mildew. Ruins the floor other problems too
On the dumping on the side of the road--- I live WAY in the country. We have a community water system and the water line often is close to the edge of the road. Don't think I would appreciate you dumping on my water line. It is called respect for others besides being illegal.
Yes, crap can seep into a water line.
Edited by streakysox 2018-07-05 2:46 PM
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