New motorhomers
Hi Everybody. Recently bought a 2006 Swift 590RS Lifestyle in excellent condition and are looking forward to our first trip in it next week to Skirlington Leisure Park, Skipsea. If I may ask a few questions of you experienced Motorhomer's I would be grateful
for any advise you could give me. Firstly, do I switch on the Leisure Battery whilst driving the M/home, or does it automatically charge from the Ducato engine whether switched on or not.? Secondly, how do you guys go on when you have a pitch that doesn't
have Grey Waste drainage on it. Surely you don't have to drive the M/home to the waste point every time your waste tank is full. The only solution I can think of is getting one of those Water Hog's and trip back and forth to the disposal point when needed.
I'm sure other things I'll need to know will crop up at Skirlington this weekend, but for now thank you in anticipation of your replies.
Comments
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When you drive, some charge will be put in both leisure and vehicle battery. We've never had to switch on the leisure battery on any of our MHs, but I suppose it depends on the MH what that particular system is.
As for waste water, that's a bit like how long is a piece of string? It depends on a few factors, such as: how much water are you likely to use, ie are you going to do all your washing-up and showering in the MH, in which case you'll have more waste water
to get rid off than if you were using the site's facilities for washing and showering. Also, it depends on how big the waste water tank is of course. And of course, it also depends on how long you will be staying on the site. If just a weekend, then your
tank should hold the waste water, but if a fortnight, then no! It's up to you, whether to get a waste container or not. Personally we find it quicker to empty a waste container every couple of days, but others have different opinions. It's what suits you
and works for you. You'll have to experiment with what you find works best, trial and error.Enjoy!
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We drive to the MH service point on our way to leaving a site. Otherwise, a bucket does the job and saves carrying an extra container as the bucket is also needed for windscreen cleaning, dog washing and so on.
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When we had a motorhome we used to take 2 big plastic containers - one for fresh water and one for waste water - if we thought we were going to be on a site for more than a few days to save having to make a trip over to the MH service point.
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we have a large waste tank which can last us five days of 'fully living' in the van....washing up, showers etc....
if you cant (or dont want to get to the waste point) then you'll need some other sort of container....
for us, the problem with a bucket is that it isnt big enough for the waste from two showers and as the waste pull and valve is inside the van (for insulation purposes) there is no easy way of regulating the dump process a bucket at a time.....
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Thanks everybody for your comments. The van has an 80ltr waste tank, and we are staying for 5 days. We will only use the water system for washing dishes, bathroom washing and teeth cleaning, and kettle for cuppas. The shower will not be used, as we will
use the onsite facilities. I think we will give it a go and leave it 'til we leave and empty the Grey Waste on our way out of the site. As you have said, it's trial and error getting used to it. Thank you so much for all your advise.0 -
We have a 100 lt tank and as we use our own facilities it needs emptying, if not in full, partially, every 2/3 days and we don't make regular trips to the service point whilst on site, only on exit. Our motorhome is quite low profile so I use a folding bucket
between the drain tap and a Fiamma waster container.David
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Thanks everybody for your comments. The van has an 80ltr waste tank, and we are staying for 5 days. We will only use the water system for washing dishes, bathroom washing and teeth cleaning, and
kettle for cuppas. The shower will not be used, as we will use the onsite facilities. I think we will give it a go and leave it 'til we leave and empty the Grey Waste on our way out of the site. As you have said, it's trial and error getting
used to it. Thank you so much for all your advise.An awful lot of people don't use the water from the tank to fill their kettles but choose instead to have a seperate small container for drinking water, us included. Water from the main tank can sometimes have a funny taste. We have a 2ltr container which
we fill up a couple of times a day straight fromt he site tap.We also have a 100l waste tank so on a 5 day visit like you are doing we would just empty on leaving the site (in UK) when abroad we tend to use a 20l flat waste container and empty it every couple of days if the M/H waste isn't that user friendly, or if
we are staying longer than 5 days.0 -
Hi Everybody. Recently bought a 2006 Swift 590RS Lifestyle in excellent condition and are looking forward to our first trip in it next week to Skirlington Leisure Park, Skipsea. If I may ask a few questions of you experienced Motorhomer's I would be grateful
for any advise you could give me. Firstly, do I switch on the Leisure Battery whilst driving the M/home, or does it automatically charge from the Ducato engine whether switched on or not.? Secondly, how do you guys go on when you have a pitch that doesn't
have Grey Waste drainage on it. Surely you don't have to drive the M/home to the waste point every time your waste tank is full. The only solution I can think of is getting one of those Water Hog's and trip back and forth to the disposal point when needed.
I'm sure other things I'll need to know will crop up at Skirlington this weekend, but for now thank you in anticipation of your replies.Write your comments here...Are you on a hard standing its rather wet at Skipsea at the moment.
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Hi SELL, yes we have a hard standing Super Pitch with fresh water and Grey Waste drainage.
I was thinking of Steralising the fresh water tank before we go, and Milton seems to be the fluid of choice. Does anybody know how much to add to a 100ltr tank, and for how long to leave it before flushing out?
I will have to do this at the storage compound, so I hope the owner will allow me to fill and drain on the site. It is stood on compressed broken housebricks, so I can't see it being a ptoblem with the water draining away.
I am taking fresh bottled water to drink, and will thouroughly flush the tank after Steralising to rid cups of tea of that Milton taste. Thanks
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We used to use the water from the aquaroll when we had a caravan with no ill effects.
Last August we changed to a motorhome and I thoroughly cleaned the fresh water tank and used the water for tea, coffee etc. Despite this every time we were away we always felt dodgy so started using bottle water and have been fine ever since.
You will be fine with emptying the waste tank when departing the site with your planned usage.
Most important thing is enjoy.
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When we make tea or coffee we always get fresh water from the site tap. Its no real inconvenience.
David
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As you boil water for tea and coffee, within reason, I don't see it matters where the water comes from. I have not cleaned water tanks for some years and have had no ill effects. However we do use water straight from site taps to refill drinking water bottles.
peedee
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Our waste tank will last just about 2 days and the fresh water about 3 with two of us using all the onboard facilities. I carry a Fiamma roll tank that stows neatly into one of my lockers to drain the waste and an aquaroll to replenish the fresh for when
we are staying longer than a couple of days. If it's only a short stay I will use the service point. We get our drinking water direct from the site taps.0 -
Use Milton by all means but don't fill the hot water boiler. I understand it reacts with the copper element.
I put a couple of capfuls in....fill the tank...leave for half an hour...then drain off. (You could always half fill then drive around for half an hour!)
Make sure the cold water taps and pipework are filled.
I sometimes do it as often as once a year!
PS. The hot water system should clean itself with 'hot water'!!
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When we make tea or coffee we always get fresh water from the site tap. Its no real inconvenience.
David
We generally use the toilet in the van, its a real convenience
however, back on topic....we started using a Brita filter jug for tea/coffee (though water still drawn from van tap....) and tastes fine....AFAIK...
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Use Milton by all means but don't fill the hot water boiler. I understand it reacts with the copper element.
I put a couple of capfuls in....fill the tank...leave for half an hour...then drain off. (You could always half fill then drive around for half an hour!)
Make sure the cold water taps and pipework are filled.
I sometimes do it as often as once a year!
PS. The hot water system should clean itself with 'hot water'!!
tricky to avoid filling the hot water tank on vans i have used as, when you turn on the pump (which you will need to do to expell water...) the pump will fill the empty boiler....wont it?
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Oh, red text for danger
There's never a mod around when you need one but unlike police officers they don't seem to be getting younger
.There is no on forum method of editing text size or text colour. I have edited you post content in Word and re-pasted into your post.
David
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Phew! never realised there were so many differing opinions on what to do or use to Steralise the F/W tank.
Thanks [Deleted User User] for the advise and link, although I have run out of time for getting the products you recommend for Steralising for this trip.
My plan was to add the Steralising Fluid (Dr. Johnson's Fluid) to the tank, fill it and leave it for 30 mins before emptying. I wasn't going to swithch the pump on, as I don't want the hot water tank to have the fluid in it. Will this way of doing it work.?
The text on the bottle of Steralising Fluid states the active ingredients as Sodium Hypochlorite 1.3% w/v. Will this do any harm to the sysytem. Thank You.
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I used Puriclean for the first time last year and found it very good. This year i forgot aout it and used Milton tablets.
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I always used to use Puriclean to clean my caravan water containers and the fresh water tank on my first motorhome. The reason I stopped cleaning tanks was due to the suspicion that the cleaning product was damaging the rubber pump seals of the water pump. After the third replacemnent I stopped cleaning tanks and I have not had any problems over the last 5 years or so. If you really do want to clean tanks and how many of you bother to clean out your loft water tanks if you have one, it would, in my view, be wise not to use the pump.
peedee
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If hot water taps are closed...hot water will not run!
....but you dont want stuff like Milton in the hot water tank at all, unless diluted to the nth degree it can eat the stainless steel in the boiler and will invalidate any warranty.
if the pump is turned on (say, to evacuate the cold system) the hot tank will fill (this is exacly how you would normally fill it) just like at home, irrespective of the hot tap being closed.
AFAIK, any water cleaning agent will enter the hot system, as well as the cold, the second the pump is turned on......
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"AFAIK,"....Is that your 'get out' clause?
i only know specifically about the three vans ive owned....2 uk and 1 german.
on all of these, if the boiler is empty, it will remain empty while you fill the fresh tank.
the tank can then be drained if you wish, but most folk will want to clean out the pipework so will turn on the pump to fill the pipes.
at this point, the system will fill the boiler with whatever is in the fresh tank, chemicals and all....
by then charging the hot pipes from the boiler, all tanks and pipework will contain the cleaner.
most are fine, but Milton is corrosive to stainless steel and might be a source of problems and will certainly be a reason to refute the warranty.....i do know this as was told by Truma.
so, AFAIK, turning on the pump will fill the hot water boiler.
no get out clause, just relating 'what i know'
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