Time to get back to some Motorhome Modifications

Many of my blog readers are RVers ... so today I will post about some RV items, after a gluttony of weaving and train posts the last week or so.  LOL ...

If you remember back a few weeks ago, Steveio just HAD to have a new super duper water pump for our motorhome, along with a big accumulator tank.

(our original pump has been working just fine for 16 years--

but you know Guys: "Bigger is Better")   

Our pressure has been just fine, but he said this pump will have more pressure and be able to handle an accumulator tank.  This is a heavy Jabsco marine water pump that is belt driven with a bigger electric motor.  I got the accumulator tank for him brand new at a rummage sale for $5 --- score!

The new tank is rated for the right pressure for our lines, so we are okay there too. 

After brainstorming his installation ideas, and measuring and figuring and gathering fittings, hoses and pieces, he was ready.  He finally had time this week to get it installed.   He put the tank in a cut-down 5 gallon bucket with the fittings coming out some holes he cut into it.  

If you look close, there really isn't any area to mount the tank to on the frame unless he drilled holes through the steel beam behind it.  So the bucket is a great idea.  He did strap it down by the handle to something behind.  Plus, he can remove the bucket, and screw the two fittings together on a pipe nipple to winterize the rig, and store the tank in our house where it won't freeze.  He has a shroud guard to put by the moving belt part of the pump.    

After he had it all done, I got to go inside to test it out.  Works wonderfully!!!   Using an accumulator tank allows the pump to run less often, and when you use a faucet, the pump doesn't need to kick on each time until you run a large amount of water.  So filling up a pot for coffee or grabbing a glass of water does not need the pump to operate.   Steve said it will save on battery power.  LOL ... yah right.  Me thinks it's just more "justification" to his "Bigger is Better" obsession. 

Now...  I mentioned the old pump, which was manufactured date of 1995, it works just fine.  So he added two fittings to each side that can accommodate a simple garden hose.  He will use this as an auxiliary pump to add water to our tank when we are long term boondocking if we don't wanna move the rig to refill.   We can haul water in a bladder or buckets from a well pump to fill our tank.  Or have it on board if something ever happens to the other new pump?   (perish the thought after all of Steveio's installation and brainstorming!) 

In our water compartment, this area is called a "manifold".  It has various levers and knobs to control the flow of water to various parts of the motorhome.  Also levers to pull to empty the black and grey holding tanks.  Steve added a household water filter unit to the fill area, so all water is run through it before going into our tank.   He added a 12 volt outlet to power either that auxiliary pump or our portable mascerator (poop pumper)    There is also a faucet for an outdoor shower to screw onto, or a hose for washing the rig.  GREAT for washing dirty muddy doggers------  

 Soooo that is it for the motorhome modifications.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We opted to NOT go camping this weekend.  Holidays seem to bring out the weekend warriors in full mode, with noise, fireworks, music and partying.  Being a long weekend, many folks who don't normally camp or aren't familiar with campground etiquette are rude, noisy and make it uncomfortable for the rest of us.

On top of that, the weather is going to be awfully humid and hot in the mid 90's (if you believe the weathermen)   so that would mean running the AC a lot.

So if we were in a rustic campground, we would be the offenders running our generator mid-day to cool the rig for my lungs and breathing problems.  Not nice.  Even though our propane powered generator is very quiet and built into our rig, I still don't like ever bothering anyone else with generator noise.

Also, some clueless weekend warriors who don't camp too often will haul along a big contractor generator or a cheapie one that the decibels are ear-shattering and ground-shaking.

Or if we went to a park with electric hook-ups, the daisy chained electric posts are notorious for blowing out or browning out due to the heavy power usage by everyone trying to run their multiple AC units all at once.  BTDT

And there is always someone shooting off noisy fireworks which send our doggers to cowering, shaking, drooling nervous wrecks for hours afterwards of each erratic display of noise---   most parks ban the fireworks but there are always a few who have to break the rules.....   argghhhh

Soooo I think we will just stay home!   

It's Erin's 28th birthday today 

(HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ERIN!) 

and it was our anniversary on Tuesday, 

so we will celebrate with the kids and stay at home.   

Speaking of home, I started giving our logs a new coat of stain.  Two years ago we painstakingly ground off the old finish to bare wood and added a new coat of Rymar.  It needed a second coat by this year to seal up all the dried out areas and knots.  Now it will be good for about 8-10 years.

(I  took the cover off the gazebo so it wouldn't get any splatters) 

I started all the lower portions around the first floor myself (wearing a mask)  and Steve will set up the ladder for the higher portions for me in the evenings.  I won't go up the ladder until he is home and nearby.

I work a little bit at a time, and then take a break.  I love the way the wood drinks in the oily stain sealer product called Rymar, and is instantly transformed into beautiful wood again!  The very top areas above the 2nd story windows Steve will do for me, because I am a chicken!   No matter how much I try to convince myself that I am only one step higher on the ladder rungs, my legs start to shake and I can not handle it.   I try... I try... but that is where Steveio can take over the task.  (he hates painting)

(And on one quick weaving note, I was shipped a big shaggy rug to tear apart and reweave for a customer, pics to come in future blogs)


.

The GEO method of maintaining your RV holding tanks

Read this on Karen and Al's blog:

http://florida-georgiacamping.blogspot.com/2010/06/holding-tank-maintenance.html

and she read it on IRV2 forums.  http://www.irv2.com/forums/     I have heard of it mentioned in various places but never found out all the details.  We do most of them anyhow, but nice to have it all to refer back to.

So in the event of being accused of plagerism, I noted where I saw it before I will copy and paste it here below, along with the author's name and information, along with his offer at the end of the article to repost it.

Black and Gray Water Holding Tank Maintenance

The Geo Method
By Charles Bruni
cbruni@mindspring.com
Renton, Washington
U.S.A.
Everyone who owns an RV should be concerned with maintaining its wastewater tanks. Problems with wastewater tanks can and should be avoided. Wastewater tank repair is expensive. Due to health concerns, many service facilities will not work on wastewater tanks and lines until the tanks have been completely emptied and sanitized. This may be quite difficult when the tank(s) is in need of repair. So, common sense dictates that the tanks should be kept relatively clean at all times. Additionally, improper use of the wastewater tanks can lead to a build up of solid wastes, which in itself may cause the system to fail.

I've discovered very simple, effective, and inexpensive methods of maintaining my wastewater tanks in a relatively clean condition at all times. I developed these methods myself through my understanding of chemistry, physics, and biology with a smidgen of common sense thrown in for good measure. I also read my RV owner's manual. Although we are not full time RVers we use our fifth wheel camper at least one weekend a month. We never use public bathing and toilet facilities. In other words, our wastewater tanks are fairly heavily used. Since I've met a number of RVers who don't seem to know how to maintain their wastewater tanks I thought many RVers would find my tips useful. If you have not been maintaining your tanks I believe you will be pleasantly surprised the first time you employ these tips. I do these things and they work. 

RVs are equipped with waste water HOLDING tanks; NOT septic tanks. Those holding tanks are nothing more than chamber pots. Chamber pots should be cleaned and sanitized after their contents are disposed of. The Geo Method is based on this fact.

1. DUMP A FULL TANK
When you are camping and your RV is connected to a sewer/septic intake, leave the drain valves closed until the tank is full and ready to dump. Dumping a full tank provides a sufficient quantity of water to flush solids from the tank. Leaving the drain valves open allows the water to drain off without flushing out solid waste. That solid waste will collect in the tank(s) and cause problems over time. If your tanks are not full when you are ready to dump them, fill them with fresh water first, and then dump them.

2. DUMP TANKS IN ORDER FROM DIRTIEST TO CLEANEST
In other words, dump the black (commode) water tank first, then dump the galley tank, then dump the bathroom tank. This way you will be flushing out the dirtiest water with progressively cleaner water.

3. USE WATER SOFTENER, DETERGENT, and CHLORINE BLEACH
This stuff is amazing and it works. Buy a couple of boxes of powdered water softener at the grocery store. You'll find it located with or near the laundry detergent products. I prefer Calgon Water Softener because it dissolves quickly in water. 

(KarenInTheWoods here~~ we buy Calgon in a liquid form, usually found in the laundry aisle)

Cheaper water softeners work just as well but dissolve more slowly. Dissolve two (2) cups of the water softener in a gallon of hot water. Then, pour the solution down the drain into the empty tank. Use two cups of softener for each wastewater tank in your RV. The tank's drain valve should be closed otherwise the softened water will just drain out. Then use the tank(s) normally until it is full and drain it normally. Add a cup of laundry detergent to the black (commode) water tank at the same time you add water softener. This will help clean the tank. The gray water tanks should already contain soap through normal use. 

The water softener makes the solid waste let go from the sides of the tanks. If you've ever taken a shower in softened water you know that after rinsing the soap from your body your skin will feel slick. That's because all the soap rinses away with soft water. Softened water also prevents soap scum from sticking in the tub. Get the connection? With softened water gunk washes away instead of sticking. The same thing applies to your RV's wastewater tanks. 

I use a clear plastic elbow connector to attach my sewer drain line to the wastewater outlet on my RV. It allows me to see how well things are progressing during a wastewater dump. Before I began using water softener regularly the black water tank's water was brown, the galley tank's water was brownish, and the bathroom tank's water was white. 

The first time I added water softener to the tanks the water coming from the black water tank was actually black (not brown) and the kitchen tank's water was also black (not brownish). The bathroom tank's water remained white. That told me that the water softener had actually done what I had intended for it to do and made solid waste, which had been stuck to the interior of the tanks, let go and drain away. I added water softener (and laundry detergent to the black tank) to all the wastewater tanks for the next few dumps to be certain all the solid waste possible had been cleaned away. The wastewater only appeared black on the initial treatment. I now add water softener and detergent to each tank once after every few dumps to maintain the system. 

Too little water softener may not be of sufficient concentration to work effectively. Too much water softener will NOT hurt the tanks. So, if the amount you used didn't quite do the job, then use more the next time. Don't forget the laundry detergent.

Occasionally, I pour a half gallon of liquid bleach into each tank to deodorize, sanitize and disinfect them. I add the bleach when the tank is about half full, and then continue to use the tank normally until it is full and ready to dump. I no longer use the blue toilet chemical because it isn't necessary. I have no odors coming from my black water tank. The chlorine bleach kills the bacteria, which is primarily responsible for waste water tank odor. Generic brand liquid bleach is cheap and very effective.

4. USE A WATER FILTER ON YOUR FRESH WATER INTAKE LINE
Most fresh water contains sediment. Sediment will accumulate in your wastewater tanks and your fresh water lines. It also tends to discolor your sinks, tub/shower, and commode. I use the disposable type and have found that they eventually fill up and begin restricting the fresh water flow resulting in low pressure. That's how I know it's time to get a new filter. It works, it's cheap, it avoids problems, do it. When I fill my fresh water tank I attach the filter to the end of the hose and fill the tank with filtered water. 

SOME OTHER THOUGHTS -WATER, WATER, WATER - and more water! The Geo Method assumes you are hooked up to a plentiful clean water supply, and that you have access to a sewer. The water softener will make the gunk let go. That's only half the battle. After the gunk lets go it must then be flushed through the relatively small drain opening in the bottom of the tank. That takes water. Lots of water. 

Will The Geo Method work even if most of the time I'm NOT hooked up to water and sewer? YES! Just use common sense. If you dry camp ninety percent of the time just keep water softener and detergent in your tanks (especially the black tank) while you're dry camping. This will keep gunk from sticking to the tanks. When you are hooked up to sewer and water take the opportunity to fill the tanks with fresh water and flush the tanks. Keep flushing them until the water runs clear. I know it works because I've done it. 

Never put regular toilet tissue in your RV's black tank. Only use toilet tissue which is approved for RV and/or septic tank use. Regular toilet tissue may eventually dissolve, but not before causing a clog in your black tank. 

(KarenInTheWoods here ~~ we use Angelsoft which seems to dissolve just as fast as the expensive RV paper, we use it at home too in our complicated septic tank with pump system and uphill to the mound system drain field ) 

I believe occasionally traveling with partially filled wastewater tanks that contain softened water promotes cleaning by agitating the water. The same goes for chlorine bleach. 

I believe this process works faster and more efficiently during warm weather. However, I know it works well even during cool/cold weather. 

I believe the process works best the longer the water softener remains in the tanks. So, I don't add water softener during periods of heavy wastewater generation. I wait until I know we won't be generating wastewater quickly so that the softened water remains in the tanks for several days before dumping. 

If you have an older RV you may have to use water softener and detergent several times initially to completely clean the tanks of residue. 

I add a small amount of chlorine bleach to the fresh water tank twice a year to disinfect and sanitize the fresh water tank and fresh water lines. A weak chlorine bleach solution will not hurt you. However, it certainly makes the water taste bad. When we have chlorine in the fresh water system we use bottled water for drinking and cooking until the chlorine is gone. YES, we drink the filtered water that we have in the fresh water tank. NO, it has never tasted funny or caused any problems. 

No, I do NOT do the ice cube thing. The Geo Method works just fine without ice cubes. 

My tanks are plastic and my pipes are PVC.

Don't be afraid to use your tanks. Just use common sense about their care and maintenance.

These tips are inexpensive to do. Some of them don't cost anything. You have nothing to lose in trying them and I encourage you to do so. I actually feel a certain amount of pride in the condition and cleanliness of both my waste and fresh water systems. Naturally, these tips make dumping a much more pleasant and sanitary procedure.

If you have odors in any of your water systems these procedures should eliminate them. Odors indicate a sanitary problem and degrade the enjoyment you derive from your RV.

When my RV is parked and not in use I place stoppers in the sink and tub drains. This forces the wastewater tanks to vent through the vent pipes to the outside instead of through the drains into the RV. Water evaporates. Once the drain traps dry out during periods of non-use, nothing is there to prevent gasses (odor) from venting into the camper. Use stoppers when your RV is stored.

copyright(c) 2004 Charles Bruni

_______________________________________
Please consider printing this information and posting it on bulletin boards in RV parks and campgrounds you visit. Fellow RVers will benefit from your consideration.
________________________________________