Another newbie 1st trip

Well my wife and I bought the new to us 2008 22 foot Towlite , and am going to use it for the first time this weekend at Lake Cushman WA. I have been reading up, checking the forum so I guess that I am ready as I will ever be. I am a retired submarine sailor and the RV is similar to the boat. Small, tight spaces, limited power, small head (bathroom). Unlike the boat, there are windows to look out and beer in the fridge. Hoping to get there before sunset on Friday so I won't have to set up in the dark for the first time. Going forth and conquering.
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2208T
2014 Toyota Tacoma

bill p said:

Well my wife and I bought the new to us 2008 22 foot Towlite , and am going to use it for the first time this weekend at Lake Cushman WA. I have been reading up, checking the forum so I guess that I am ready as I will ever be. I am a retired submarine sailor and the RV is similar to the boat. Small, tight spaces, limited power, small head (bathroom). Unlike the boat, there are windows to look out and beer in the fridge. Hoping to get there before sunset on Friday so I won't have to set up in the dark for the first time. Going forth and conquering.
_____________________
2208T
2014 Toyota Tacoma

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Hi Bill,

Welcome to the forum and have a great 1st trip! I used to work on subs so I know what you mean about the similarities. Don't drink the beer until you get to the campsite, though.

Anchors aweigh!

Potable Water Drain Valve/Propane

OK, hit my first snag. I filled the potable water tank and added a little bleach to sanitize it. When I went to dump the tank, the valve handle broke. I imagine that this type of valve is a pretty common RV part so I am going to go buy another one and whatever type of RTV is required for potable water use. The repair looks pretty straight forward (unless someone has a horror story about changing this part). Also plan to double check the propane gas and run the furnace here at home before I make my trip tomorrow. Never had an RV but it does not appear to be that difficult. Yeah yeah I know, the new guy with his issues.

Bill p
Do not use any sealant on the plumbing unless the last resort, and then it should just be silicone1. Some day you may need to repair it again.
I STRONGLY suggest that you don't use the furnace until you have a CO2 alarm installed. Test OK. Nice to awake from that nap.
That drain valve on my hi-lo is plastic and crimped on. But a hose clamp works well and cheap. Easy fix!

Welcome to the forum.

Plumbing and Furnace

Yes, I have now determined the water valve is crimped on. Need to go buy a hose clamp. Propane, smoke and CO alarm all work. Will test furnace after I repair the water valve. Thanks for the tip. Wish I would have known about the hose clamp. Another trip to the store now.

bill p said:

OK, hit my first snag. I filled the potable water tank and added a little bleach to sanitize it. When I went to dump the tank, the valve handle broke. I imagine that this type of valve is a pretty common RV part so I am going to go buy another one and whatever type of RTV is required for potable water use. The repair looks pretty straight forward (unless someone has a horror story about changing this part). Also plan to double check the propane gas and run the furnace here at home before I make my trip tomorrow. Never had an RV but it does not appear to be that difficult. Yeah yeah I know, the new guy with his issues.

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The drain valve on mine also had the handle break. It's a pretty standard part. I found a replacement at Ace Hardware. On my trailer the valve body is screwed to the lower trailer body. It has a hose attached to the back with a spring clamp (no RTV). They come in three hose sizes, so measure it or take the old one with you. Replacing it took 5-10 minutes.

I agree with the recommendation on a CO detector/alarm.

bill p said:

OK, hit my first snag. I filled the potable water tank and added a little bleach to sanitize it. When I went to dump the tank, the valve handle broke. I imagine that this type of valve is a pretty common RV part so I am going to go buy another one and whatever type of RTV is required for potable water use. The repair looks pretty straight forward (unless someone has a horror story about changing this part). Also plan to double check the propane gas and run the furnace here at home before I make my trip tomorrow. Never had an RV but it does not appear to be that difficult. Yeah yeah I know, the new guy with his issues.

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The owners manual has the procedure for sanitizing the potable water system. In a nutshell, you should pre mix 1/4 cup of bleach with one gallon of water for every 15 gallons of tank capacity then completely fill tank and let stand for three hours. Drain and flush.

I have heard that pouring bleach directly into tank can cause problems but not sure what. I have also been told that you don't want bleach in water heater tank so make sure you bypass HWH.

bill p said:

Yes, I have now determined the water valve is crimped on. Need to go buy a hose clamp. Propane, smoke and CO alarm all work. Will test furnace after I repair the water valve. Thanks for the tip. Wish I would have known about the hose clamp. Another trip to the store now.

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Since the trailer is new to you, I recommend you pressurize the propane system and do a "soap bubble" test on all pipe and tubing joints before firing up the furnace. Also, give the inside the "sniff test." I think Hi-Lo designed the system so all joints are accessible. You will need to get under the trailer though, but it's a wonderful way to get to know your Hi-Lo.

Plumbing repair complete, Furnace good

Finally got the dump valve for the potable water tank changed out,(tight area to work. Tank has been flushed twice so I believe that it is good to go. Gas piping "soap tested" sat. Did not detect any gas smells. More like a smell of a heating element that has not been run in a while. Thermostat a bit tricky but I think I have a handle on it now. The campground I am going to only has 20amp power available. I think it will be fine as I should not need the AC this time of the year in Washington. Thanks for all the input. Nice to have a forum for Hi-Lo questions.

Raising up

At the campground and it appears as though the right front corner is not fully raised. Off by and inch or two. I tried lowering and raising again, but it the problem persist. Any ideals?

Welcome to hi lo life. Check the library section on procedures for cable adjustment and run a search on it. Live with it at the campground and don't do adjustment until you get home. There are precautions you will want to take . Also review maintenance section on cables and hydraulic systems. An old submariner should find this fun. . Good luck and good camping.

Rick

bill p said:

At the campground and it appears as though the right front corner is not fully raised. Off by and inch or two. I tried lowering and raising again, but it the problem persist. Any ideals?

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What are you using for your alignment line? Is the upper and lower seal making contact in that corner?

Alignment line

I looked at the seals around the trailer, the seal did feel lower on the right front side and at night, on the outside I could see some light from the interior so I do not think the right front side is adjusted correctly. I will do some research on it. One other thing I have a question on is that my grey water tank was full Sunday morning (backed up to the shower), I used the water connection at the park vice my tank, I also had my 5 year old Granddaughter with me and probably was not diligent in monitoring her water usage. Is there any leak by associated with using city water? I did use the regulator with the hose connection. All in all a good first time experience.

bill p said:

I looked at the seals around the trailer, the seal did feel lower on the right front side and at night, on the outside I could see some light from the interior so I do not think the right front side is adjusted correctly. I will do some research on it. One other thing I have a question on is that my grey water tank was full Sunday morning (backed up to the shower), I used the water connection at the park vice my tank, I also had my 5 year old Granddaughter with me and probably was not diligent in monitoring her water usage. Is there any leak by associated with using city water? I did use the regulator with the hose connection. All in all a good first time experience.

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Hi Bill - welcome to our happy band of HiLo nuts.

Unless you have some seriously non-standard plumbing, there is no way city water will make its way directly into either the black or grey water tanks. It will have to enter the grey tank by way of one of the faucets or the shower and the black tank is fed only by the toilet. I suspect you filled it mostly through the actions of your Granddaughter and possibly washing dishes in the sink, etc. We find that our grey water tank seems to fill rather quickly too, even though we are pretty careful about letting water run. As I've posted in other threads, I use the grey water to put out campfires, and that seems to keep things under control. (I have a large dishpan that I put the water in for that purpose - I don't lay a hose over to the firepit.)

Using a regulator at the city water faucet is good insurance against bursting the hose or any of the plumbing in the trailer.

Your noting of light at the seals is good evidence that the top could be raised a bit at that point. Shorten the cable just a bit at a time, maybe no more than 1/4 inch. You DO NOT want to over tighten a cable.

- Jack