Just Starting out (1 Viewer)

wiskr

Free Member
Aug 24, 2010
2
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13,373
Hi, My wife and I are new tio motorhoming. We have just taken delivery of a Winniebago Access 31c. It's very nice but is bigger than I thought to drive. The thing that is concerning me at present is the water supply. We stayed overnight when we picked it up. We appeared to use 3/4 of the 40 gallon tank in one night. If we have to refill and dump the waste every day this will be tedious having to drive to the services from a pitch every day. Are we doing anything wrong and is it worth investing in a portable waste and water barrel.:RollEyes:
 

dylan

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Aug 31, 2007
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sw wales
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201
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Welcome to MHFun, I'm sure someone will come along to help out.:thumb:
 

American Dream

Free Member
Aug 20, 2007
0
156
Lincoln
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125
MH
?
Exp
?
Hi, My wife and I are new tio motorhoming. We have just taken delivery of a Winniebago Access 31c. It's very nice but is bigger than I thought to drive. The thing that is concerning me at present is the water supply. We stayed overnight when we picked it up. We appeared to use 3/4 of the 40 gallon tank in one night. If we have to refill and dump the waste every day this will be tedious having to drive to the services from a pitch every day. Are we doing anything wrong and is it worth investing in a portable waste and water barrel.:RollEyes:

Hi Wiskr.

Short of having a Bath, it would take some doing to use this amount of water overnight.(Approx 30 gallons)

We have 3 kids and do not have to fill up on a 3 night stay.

We do have a small container and filter jug we use for drinking and the rest (Washbasin , Washing up etc and toilet) comes from the tanks.Can you give any more info please re usage?

Frugality pays dividends and we encourage them to use the local amenities on site as well if available.

By The Way....Welcome..:welcomefunster:

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hilldweller

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Dec 5, 2008
605
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Zilch Mk1
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From Aug 2007
Are we doing anything wrong

You must be.

Water gauges are not very accurate.

Have you been taking a lot of showers ? You have to live with wet-soap-wet again in a MH, can't have a shower belting it out like at home.

Water/Gas/Electricity/Poo are all limited, you need to learn to live with you new limitations.
 

Mags52

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Jun 2, 2010
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Melrose Scottish Borders
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Hymer B774
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Water/Gas/Electricity/Poo are all limited, you need to learn to live with you new limitations.

This sounds like the onset of ageing! :ROFLMAO: Although in most of my croneys gas is not limited it is increasing exponentially. :Doh:

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Mandaxxx

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Feb 19, 2010
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Wherever we stop.
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I think you may find the water gauge isn't accurate it's only a guide.
Most MHers have a seperate container for drinking water-making tea etc. the tank water is for washing/washing up/showers-showers always get wet-soap up-then rinse off. I also use a bowl in the kitchen sink then I can throw the water out under a hedge-saves space in the waste tank.
You will find your own little tricks, we all have them.:thumb:
 

DESCO

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Mar 11, 2009
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Hi Welcome to MH Fun:thumb::thumb:

Maybe water gauge is wrong, or maybe you are using water as you would at home.

When we caravanned my wife and daughter used water at an alarming rate till we took it in turns to refill the barrel, and empty waste. Water consumption dropped rapidly. Nothing concentrated the mind better than having to go and collect water and empty waste on a wet and windy day.

You will find that once you are used to motorhome life your usage will drop.

Dave :thumb::thumb:
 
Oct 15, 2007
1,621
280
Five Roads Alyth
Funster No
633
MH
A class RV
Exp
since 2005
No way should you use water at that rate.

As said, maybe you 'doing it wrong' but question, do you notice the pump rattle now and again when no water in use? The obvious, beyond style of usage/dodgey guage is the dreaded leak. Once presurised the RV pump shouldn't run unless a tap is opened. It will tick once on a blue moon so to speak, either just a minor drop or usually as the hot water cools (shrinks in volumn) but typically with ours once a day it'll give a second or so burst just due to hot water cooling.

Welcome by the way to another enlightened Winne owner:thumb:

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wiskr

Free Member
Aug 24, 2010
2
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Funster No
13,373
Thanks for all the tips. I was the only one to shower and used the on off facility to wet then soap then rinse. Any advice on getting a water barrel and portable waste. would be helpful. We are going for a 4 day trip with 5 of us next week to try it out. I cant find out if the site has a chemical waste disposal either. Lets hope we don't have any issues. If the site is lacking in said facility where do you suggest I dispose of the waste? I live in Essex near Braintree.:Sad:
 

staging lady

Free Member
Nov 12, 2007
1,131
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North Wales in the Hills
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826
MH
A Class
Exp
6 years but caravan owner in past
Hi and welcome to motor home fun.
What does the site say when you ring them? There must be somewhere to dispose of the recycled food and drink!
Have a great trip away!
Lucille
 

slobadoberbob

Free Member
Jun 1, 2009
6,151
1,960
Kent, garden of England
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6,953
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Winnebago 23' something
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25 years & counting
Some thing wrong here

Hi, My wife and I are new tio motorhoming. We have just taken delivery of a Winniebago Access 31c. It's very nice but is bigger than I thought to drive. The thing that is concerning me at present is the water supply. We stayed overnight when we picked it up. We appeared to use 3/4 of the 40 gallon tank in one night. If we have to refill and dump the waste every day this will be tedious having to drive to the services from a pitch every day. Are we doing anything wrong and is it worth investing in a portable waste and water barrel.:RollEyes:


Firstly welcome to the site.

I have a Winnebago Aspect which is 24' long and will have a similar water system as on your Access. The tank sizes are very much standard on the size RV you have.

I have found my water gauge on the control panel to be a fair guide of what is used. But the way I do it is I have a 5 gallon water container with a fair large screw on plastic lid. This I fill at a water point on a site and use a set of baggage trolly wheels (Me I actually fill it and transport it on my electric buggy) but I do have a set of baggage wheels on the RV in case Sue (my wife) has to get water. I also have a length of hose which I have fitted a screw adapter (from B&Q) as a lot of site taps have threads and it save a slow fill up of the water carrier and wet hands. I also have a 12v submersible pump and delivery pipe and plug this in to the outside locker (Our has an entertainment locker) next to the water locker door. I then down load the water to the main tank.

If I am lucy to have a serviced pitch I connect a flat hose to my city water connection (you do not have to then use a pump) but let take it you do not have direct connection to the tap and you have to load the water.. I put between 2 and 3 containers full a day i.e 15 gallons and Sue is just learning she cannot run the tap as in doors.

I can go a whole weekend without dropping the black or grey tank i.e Thursday shows through to Monday shows.

You need to get the mind set that this is not in doors but a motorhome.. the shower hot water tank holds 6 galls on an RV and you take short showers or use the site showers. But I think you will find it is the way you are using it not the gauge.

But filling up using a container will soon show you how much you use... I for my sins travel with a full tank.. yes I know the weight, but being disabled I do not want to have to fill up as soon as I get on site.. that is my choice.. you will make your own.

Good luck with the new RV you will soon get use to driving it.. this site has an American section..scroll down after the posts and you can get all the advise you need... remember to subscribe to it, cost only £12 - well spent and we hope to see you at one of the shows.

Bob - Winnebago B class Aspect.:thumb:

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slobadoberbob

Free Member
Jun 1, 2009
6,151
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Kent, garden of England
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Winnebago 23' something
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25 years & counting
Alright if Sue turns the pump off

No way should you use water at that rate.

As said, maybe you 'doing it wrong' but question, do you notice the pump rattle now and again when no water in use? The obvious, beyond style of usage/dodgey guage is the dreaded leak. Once presurised the RV pump shouldn't run unless a tap is opened. It will tick once on a blue moon so to speak, either just a minor drop or usually as the hot water cools (shrinks in volumn) but typically with ours once a day it'll give a second or so burst just due to hot water cooling.

Welcome by the way to another enlightened Winne owner:thumb:

Our big argument on the Aspect is Sue not turning the water pump off.. that dam green light is always on. Thankfully we only hear the pump when she is using the taps. But at Malvern our daughter came along in her tent and yes sue left the pump on and my daughter did not turn the tap off in the bathroom and we lost a lot of water and a pump working over time.

Have pleaded, threatened and nothing works.. Suggest she paid a fine each time I spotted it on.. what is the use I would end up paying it in the long run...did suggest a few other things and told 'on your bike'.. well wishful thinking...

What was it three things about yanks over here, over sexed was one of them if I recall.. anyway back to my green pump light...

So if he has a pump tick then he has a leak in the system somewhere.. but I think Dodgy he is using it like he is in doors... could be wrong.

Bob:thumb:
 
Oct 15, 2007
1,621
280
Five Roads Alyth
Funster No
633
MH
A class RV
Exp
since 2005
Ok, there is only two of us, well three if you count Shelby, our Westie, and we too travel with full fresh water, why, because I'm lazy. I don't want the faff arriving where ever we're going. Anyway, we find, and we're not the most economic with water that 5 days is easy, depending on showering. 5 days also happens to be convenient for emptying, the blacks usually not full but close enough for a good dump:ROFLMAO: with the grey around two thirds and the fresh fundamentaly empty.

As to site dumping, you need to find a suitable manhole, ie sewer. More and more sites seem to have either upgraded the motorhome service point to include a manhole as well as the grey grated drain, though obviously you just dump both down the manhole and likewise many that have not upgraded will have a suitable manhole identified.

So far we have only really been on one site where we couldn't dump the black (or grey in the conventional way) so we finally got to try our fiamma roll tank. This tank is approx 40 liters and has a bayonnet type connection similar to the yank setup but typically not the same so we have thier hose (bloomin expensive) and so it now has the fiamma end one end and a yank the other, this allows possitive leak free dumping, though obviously again in stages. The tank has an indicator, float type, that if I shut of flow as soon as it comes up it's easy to lift to the normal elsan point, simples. On this one occation, three trips and all good(we wern't full). There are American equivalants but these are designed more to be wheeled over a manhole still and pretty much any site will have an elsan point, resemmbling (or actually being) a loo. For the grey, same system but just wheel to the nearest grey point, again OBVIOUSLY having given it a good flush out after the black run:Eeek:

You soon get the hang of which sites have and haven't and at the end of the day adapt. We prefer using our own facilities, why not they're loverly but if dumping looks problamatic use the site facilities more, or drink less beer:ROFLMAO:
 

cheesestraws

Free Member
Aug 25, 2010
1
0
Funster No
13,391
Introduction

Not new to motorhoming but new to this site. Had same van from the start of our experience of 12 years ago (Compass Drifter). My wife and I have been very happy with it`s layout and have used it all over Europe. Although now in our 70`s, we hope to have many more years of motorcaravaning ahead of us.
We are ardent users of free camping and use it wherever possible, especially as our main interests are natural history and walking in the countryside.

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Oct 15, 2007
1,621
280
Five Roads Alyth
Funster No
633
MH
A class RV
Exp
since 2005
Our big argument on the Aspect is Sue not turning the water pump off.. that dam green light is always on. Thankfully we only hear the pump when she is using the taps. But at Malvern our daughter came along in her tent and yes sue left the pump on and my daughter did not turn the tap off in the bathroom and we lost a lot of water and a pump working over time.

Have pleaded, threatened and nothing works.. Suggest she paid a fine each time I spotted it on.. what is the use I would end up paying it in the long run...did suggest a few other things and told 'on your bike'.. well wishful thinking...

What was it three things about yanks over here, over sexed was one of them if I recall.. anyway back to my green pump light...

So if he has a pump tick then he has a leak in the system somewhere.. but I think Dodgy he is using it like he is in doors... could be wrong.

Bob:thumb:


Know we should but I never turn it off when we're away, stored yes but away no. Sort of lazy/indulgent, we like just turn the tap on and water, not reaching for the switch, which yes isn't really that far away/much of a hardship:Blush:

That's why I say listen for exsesive re presures, because on all the time we find 1 or maybe 2 1-2 second bursts a day with no tap on and that's usually because the waterheaters cooled down and the reduction in volumn triggers it. I tend to just run the water heater once in the mornig depending on need and once late after noon, washing up basically unless shower required. Our old Dodge heater had quite a temperature drop between hot and relighting the burner so I could light it and forget, but these new fangled fancy ones, same thing but with electronocs:Doh: are intent on keeping the water scolding, another thing on the old one I could set the temp, so the run to regularly and at a guess would eat gas if left, and drive everyone batty with jet turbine sound track:ROFLMAO:

Always feel sorry when on a site and 'they' pitch a tent next to us:Eeek:

I'm waffling, must go do some work
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
maybe:Blush:
 

slobadoberbob

Free Member
Jun 1, 2009
6,151
1,960
Kent, garden of England
Funster No
6,953
MH
Winnebago 23' something
Exp
25 years & counting
so we finally got to try our fiamma roll tank. This tank is approx 40 liters and has a bayonnet type connection similar to the yank setup but typically not the same so we have thier hose (bloomin expensive) and so it now has the fiamma end one end and a yank the other, this allows possitive leak free dumping, though obviously again in stages. The tank has an indicator, float type, that if I shut of flow as soon as it comes up it's easy to lift to the normal elsan point, simples.:ROFLMAO:

We have a blue Fiamma type dump unit we use at home to dump to our own out of the way drain unit. It has a normal type 4 pin unit that allows our yank hose to fit.. it also has a big red removeable plate (screws on and is about 12" across) when removed we can see the level and smell the pong... poor mans version I expect.. Heavy when full... but we have got round the problems and I expect you will as well as time goes on.. just ask on the site, there are enough American owners to solve most questions.. none to silly, we see them all and we all have our own ideas, some work so do not for everyone. Of course the non American owners will chip in with advise as well. A lot of them are still leaning we do not have hatches in the side to take the toilet out... I think they like them as it gives them an excuse to have natter when they discharge them. Now us yank owners use the time for a beer:Blush: more up to date are the avarage yank owner and enjoy the finer points of life... (wait for it:shout:.. I can see the replies.. I love to wind them up)

Bob:Blush:
 
Oct 15, 2007
1,621
280
Five Roads Alyth
Funster No
633
MH
A class RV
Exp
since 2005
We have a blue Fiamma type dump unit we use at home to dump to our own out of the way drain unit. It has a normal type 4 pin unit that allows our yank hose to fit.. it also has a big red removeable plate (screws on and is about 12" across) when removed we can see the level and smell the pong... poor mans version I expect.. Heavy when full... but we have got round the problems and I expect you will as well as time goes on.. just ask on the site, there are enough American owners to solve most questions.. none to silly, we see them all and we all have our own ideas, some work so do not for everyone. Of course the non American owners will chip in with advise as well. A lot of them are still leaning we do not have hatches in the side to take the toilet out... I think they like them as it gives them an excuse to have natter when they discharge them. Now us yank owners use the time for a beer:Blush: more up to date are the avarage yank owner and enjoy the finer points of life... (wait for it:shout:.. I can see the replies.. I love to wind them up)

Bob:Blush:


:ROFLMAO:

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