New to RV Living

[rcundiff]

Hello! My name is Reilly and I'm new to RVs and to this forum. I'm a college student paying her own tuition and as I'm sure many of you know or remember, it's not cheap! A friend and I recently bought a 21-ft '76 Taurus Trailer as a way to live cheaply while going to school. Needing to park it in a semi-permanent place has raised some issues, and I was hoping you all might have some suggestions.

We both work at the used bookstore in our college town and our boss has already graciously offered to let us park and live in the trailer on his beautiful property, but we first have to establish water, electricity, and sewage. The holy trinity, right? If we could park right next to his house, it would be easy enough to run a garden hose and an extension cord to the camper, but his family has requested a bit of distance.

So, ye of RV wisdom and experience: what takes first priority? What are some of our options re: water and electricity hook-ups? Is the waste issue easy enough to get around? We're not afraid to get creative.

Keep in mind that we're heading into a Virginia winter and don't have meal plans on campus, so will need to cook.

Thank you all so much! I'll be more than happy to provide some pictures ASAP and answer any questions. I'm sure I've left some info out.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Welcome.

At the risk of being labeled excessively negative, I'll mention a few problems I foresee.

Most rvs are NOT built for winter living. Insulation is often minimal, and water and waste tanks are usually exposed underneath where they will easily freeze. The manufacturers assume that they will only be used 3 seasons or that they will be used by snowbirds who go south for the winter. There are a few exceptions, so called 4 season rvs. They are more expensive to build and buy, of course.

I assume you have a propane fired furnace for heat. It's gonna use a lot of propane. I would arrange with the local propane company for them to install and hook up a large propane tank. I would not try to use the small travel tanks that came with the rv. You will be constantly running out and swapping tanks.

Can you shower at the campus gym? I would empty the tanks and winterize the plumbing system with rv anti-freeze. You can find Youtube videos that show you how. You would have to bring in bottled water for cooking and drinking.

As for electricity, if your boss won't let you plug in to his house, I'm not sure what you can do. And your propane furnace won't work without an electric hookup.

Have you checked with any nearby campgrounds, with electric hookups, for a monthly, off-season rate?

Regards
John

 

[rcundiff]

John,

No worries! It was an impulsive decision on our part, and we need a little education in the reality of the situation, so thanks for your response!

We don't have a furnace - we have a baseboard heating system. (I'll have to get a little more information on it - of the pair, I am not the one who is mechanically inclined, but I was told we had "two electric heating systems".)

Thank you for the suggestions on winterizing the system! Is that something we should do even if we end up not living in the camper during the winter?

On our boss's property is a barn that has been outfitted with electricity, so likely what will happen is that we can hook up there for electric, but not have access to running water. Showering on campus is do-able, so that will not be a big loss.

I've checked with our local KOA campground and the rate was something over $400! Not exactly suited to our budget, but I'll keep looking.

Thanks for the welcome and the advice!

 

[Bela's Mom]

If you can hook up to his electricity, that will solve lighting and heating. Since you will want to winterize your plumbing, you could use water jugs for your water needs. Larger containers can be bought at WalMart or most big box stores. There is a lot of information on the forum about various ways to handle personal waste. I am assuming that you will be out everyday going to school and working, so you would be able to get water and dispose of trash/waste while out. If you just use propane for cooking, and heating water on the stove for a quick body wash when needed, your tank should last quite a while. A propane furnace and hot water heater can drain it in no time.

Living in a trailer without hook-ups is not for everyone and can be quite an adventure, but you certainly can save some money by doing this. And learn a lot about yourself along the way.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Thank you for the suggestions on winterizing the system! Is that something we should do even if we end up not living in the camper during the winter?

Yes. Winterizing the rig is something all rv owners do - or have done - before storing it for the winter. You need to do it whether you live in it or not.

Regards
John

 

[Donedirtcheap]

With electricity hook up you will be able to do the basic stuff and not hammer his electric bill. You can run the lights, refrigerator and propane furnace. If you try to run an electric space heater it could raise his electric about $100.00 a month.

If you dont have heat tape and other winterizing done on the trailer and go head and drain the system you will have to come up with alternatives. Cooking, washing up can be done out of gallon jugs of water. Just capture it in a dish pan etc and dump it outside. If you need to use the toilet go with a small portable or a 5 gallon bucket with a heavy plastic bag liner.

Your biggest expense will be propane. You can bring in a 100 pound tank but it may bring up other issues such as who will put it in a pick up and haul it back to be refilled or who will come out to fill it and will the neighbors/county/city catch on to what you are doing.

I dont know how bad your winter is but it would seem that you may get by in the worse month with about $25.00 in electric and maybe $100 to $200 in propane.

The big issue is freezing water tanks and pipes. Avoidable by not using the systems. During warmer months just carry in 5 gallon jugs and ask if the gray water could be dumped in the back area. The black/toilet water would be a tougher issue so even in the summer you may want to not use the rv toilet.

Next would be energy use. Somewhat controllable. Maybe an auto setback thermostat as you wont be worried about freezing the water heater and tanks.

Moisture is also an issue in an RV so it may hurt your energy use but some ventilation is needed.

If the rent is free and you cover the electric use so his wife doesn't flip out, I think you could do it. It may be a little rough at times but hey, that's what it takes sometimes. Good luck to you in obtaining an education, it will carry you far.

 

[Oberneldon]

Reilly,

You have a lot of good advise by others. As you can see your priority will be based on seasons, with freezing temps changing the way you live. Winterizing is not an option where freezing temps exist. You need to first worry about heating. Not being warm will be your main problem. Go figure out your heating system/s. Propane is a cost on you but trying to hart only on your boss's electricity will cause him to see a significant cost increase and may cause him to reconsider his offer. Heating systems need electricity to run the electronics and fan. This is not a major electricity draw. Electric heating of any type is. Do not even attempt to live by using unvented appliances for your main heating. CO can lead to sickness or death!

Water can run over long distances in a hose unless feeding it uphill. When not freezing a fixed hose is best, but note there are separate drinking water hoses. When able to use outside water you could fill your fresh water tank from the hose rather than leaving it connected. This avoids hose breaks and being in the way when whomever mows. When freezing temps prevent this haul your water in jugs.

As for gong to the bathroom the plastic bag method for solids works good. You need to find a place to put in the trash. Walmart sells the kits in the camping section. As far as liquid, bottle it and dump it away from things. The same with dishwater.

It will be an adventure and things will come up over time and this is part of the learning and fun.

Make sure yours work or Go get a smoke/Carbon Monoxide detector as well as a flammable gas detector. A must investment. I know your funds are low but don't skimp on these.

Brent

 

[rcundiff]

Hey everyone! Thank you again for all of the advice and suggestions. We are listening and taking note of everything you say! I thought I should go ahead and post some pics of the trailer -- tomorrow we are going to be doing some renovating.



Here's a link to some photos of the inside and outside: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B_V8ErbEUQMJWklwMmg0aGZEVHc&usp=sharing

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There's a bed, fold-out couch, kitchenette, bathroom, fridge, etc. The cabinet next to the fridge has a hot water heater in it (the blurry photo). We're going to be painting the inside, taking down the blinds and curtains, fixing the light fixtures...

 

[Donedirtcheap]

Not bad. That baby has good times written all over it! You will probably need foam panels or reflectx on those windows near the beds. Watch the curtain near the stove also. Let us know how you decide to heat it as it can be a dangerous issue.

 

[Donedirtcheap]

The older rv furnace's sometimes have rusted out heat exchangers or leaking gaskets. This is a serious issue that you need to address. I would say absolutely get a detector but with an old furnace I would do more than that. Not harping on you but again, this is the part of the whole thing that can kill you.

 

[highdesertranger]

I think she said they were going to use electric heat. it looks really clean inside but the windows don't look like they are trimmed out. are they? I wonder why? highdesertranger

 

[rcundiff]

Donedirtcheap--the furnace or the stove? There's no furnace in there now - there are two baseboard heaters and some kind of unit in the roof; I can take a picture of that. We'll definitely be doing something around the windows to keep the heat in.

highdesert--yeah, the windows are weird; I should take a picture of them now that we've removed those blue frames around them in order to paint. I believe a lot of the drywall/[whatever the appropriate term to use is] isn't original - the person we bought it from was doing a lot of their own renovations and had planned to live in it at one point. Around every window the walls stick out at least 1/4". The blue frames stink though and are hard to paint so we're probably going to put some other type of trim there after winterizing the windows.

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BTW, is there a page on the site or a thread in the forums about winterizing I can direct myself to? Just so I have a reference.

Here's another picture - we did some cleaning and painting today, which has really opened the place up...

 

[coolmom42]

Donedirtcheap--the furnace or the stove? There's no furnace in there now - there are two baseboard heaters and some kind of unit in the roof; I can take a picture of that. We'll definitely be doing something around the windows to keep the heat in.

highdesert--yeah, the windows are weird; I should take a picture of them now that we've removed those blue frames around them in order to paint. I believe a lot of the drywall/[whatever the appropriate term to use is] isn't original - the person we bought it from was doing a lot of their own renovations and had planned to live in it at one point. Around every window the walls stick out at least 1/4". The blue frames stink though and are hard to paint so we're probably going to put some other type of trim there after winterizing the windows.

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BTW, is there a page on the site or a thread in the forums about winterizing I can direct myself to? Just so I have a reference.

Here's another picture - we did some cleaning and painting today, which has really opened the place up...

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go over to rv.net. Free forums, with tons of info about winterizing, & tips on living in a RV in the winter.