Miscellaneous Questions

[JudyJB]

Now that I know how to hang pictures on the wall and have my pasta fasta, I have a few more questions, if some of you don't mind:

1. How reliable are the refrigerators and freezers in most of these units (2-door type)? If I stock the freezer up, and drive around, even camp in places without electricity, can I be pretty sure things will stay frozen and nothing will conk out on me?

2. Assuming I use propane for the freezer/refrigerator and cooking, but not heating the place up, how long with a tank last? In other words, if I full-time will I be filling that thing up every couple of weeks or every couple of months??

3. I have a small air compressor for my bike. Do a lot of you who full-time carry one around with you? It is about 2' tall x 14" wide x 10"deep. My bike tires always seem to need air, and a handpump isn't going to do it. (I expect to buy a Class C 24-28 feet long, maybe, so I should have a basement?) It seems like it would be extremely handy, even if it is a little big.

4. This one has been bothering me. Do any of you who full-time leave your motorhome at airports and fly off somewhere? My kids are in Ohio and California, and I might want to see my kids on the other side of the continent for holidays. It would not be worth driving. Might even get a few days work here and there. Where do you leave the darn thing?

Thanks

[Echo]

I'll try to answer a couple of your questions. At least as far as my experience will let me.....

Normally from what I've read the fridge will keep stuff cold for a day and the freezer will keep stuff frozen. I know a lot of the ladies here run their fridges on propane while traveling but always make sure they turn it off when fueling. I can't do that with mine and haven't needed to yet cause I don't have a trailer/house battery.

I use the regular 20lb propane tanks the same size you find on home BBQ grills. Only things I use the gas for is the fridge and some cooking. Depending on how much I cook one tank will last me about 2 weeks. I try to do very little cooking on the stove. Have not used the oven at all!!! Most of my cooking is with the micro, ele fry pan, crockpot and small portable gas grill.

I did have a very small portable air compressor but forgot it when I left TN last January. My son had adopted it. I do plan on getting another one, but the next one will be a little bigger than the one I had.

As to parking your rig at an airport??? I have seen lots of RV's sitting in the long term lots. I use to drive big truck, every so often I would rent a car at the airport and go visit my son in TN. I would leave the road tractor in the long term lot then ride the shuttle back to the terminal to get the rental car.

Hope this helps a little

[kdmac]

For as many people that answer you will likely get some different answers..and that's good cuz it's all informative based on lots of different experiences...
So, here goes my stab at it:

1. One neverknows when a fridge unit will fail. There are only two types (I think) that the manufacturers use in these RV's. The most common is Dometic. They don't have "freeon" (sp?) like a normal fridge instead they have amonia...so you want to be level as nearly perfect as can be so the amonia can't "pool" and eat through stuff.
Most newer Rv have electric/gas...so you are never without...nothing will thaw on you unless the whole thing goes capputtt. But, eventually some years later it will need to be replaced...never know just when. My dealer told me that with these fridges and furnaces...you can get a bad one but most of the time they will be fine for as long as can be expected...Most RV's aren't designed for "full-timing" but they do a good job at it...things will need replacing eventually.

2. Lot's of vaiables there. Size of tanks, outside temp, how often and what you cook on stovetop or oven. You likely will have a "bypass" (easy to install if you don't have one already) on the hotwater heater allowing the use of electricity for heating the water, if not, I suggest only heating your hot water when you want to use it..no sense keeping it hot 24 hours...that may be harder on the thermocoupler which may then need replacing sooner (always two schools of thought here). When you are in a park you likely will use electricity for your fridge. I have two 10 gal tanks and do "quick" stove top cooking, nothing fancy and not every day, I "sometimes" give a quick blast of heat in morning, but turn it off as soon as I feel the temp increase...maybe two minutes..then off. and I fill up every or 10 or more weeks...sure can be longer when no use of furnace.

3. Yes, I carry a 12 volt "truck/RV air compressor

4. Several approaches to this issue. I plan to find an RV park in Arizona, and pay monthly (I have a truck and TT). Then I will drive to the airport in Blythe and park my truck there for a small fortune while I am gone for Christmas a week or two. That way the TT will be safe and snug (hopefully) in the RV park. There are parking lots at the airports for RV's...but I bet they cost a fortune...you may find an RV storage unit unrelated to the gouging prices associated with airports situated along a bus route and get a better deal. and just take the bus, or a cab, to the airport from there.

[sharon]

Good questions, Judy, but I can only help with a couple of them...

1) Very reliable, but as with anything that's mechanical the possibility of a crash is there. As long as it's working properly, you have nothing to worry about.

2) No way to tell...it all depends on whether your coach has 1 or 2 tanks, how hot the weather is...quite a few variables on that one. I have a 40gal tank on my coach and I usually only fill it once a year even when I use it for heating. But I don't full time and most of my winter trips are in my BF's rig to go jeeping around here.

3) Not an issue with me, I have on-board air, but if you don't have room for it after you buy your coach, there are smaller options available that hook up to your cigarette liter in the coach. They're pretty in-expensive.

4) Again, because of the size of my coach, parking at the airport isn't an option, but I have left my coach twice in an rv park for a week and flown out of a local airport to go on cruises. Once drove from Mountain Home, Idaho into Boise and left the car at long term parking and once had the shuttle pick me up and return me to the park. Some parks have storage that is pretty cheap, but both times I just paid the weekly rate and told them I would be gone for a week. This time I'm leaving Hope at my son's in Paris, Arkansas and driving to Little Rock to fly to Miami for Carolyn's birthday cruise. There are always options and there might even be a forum sister near you that has parking space for a week. If you're ever in SoCal and need a place, you're welcome here!

[JudyJB]

I forgot all about hot water!! So hot water is heated also by propane or by electric, right? Why don't they have the European-type water heaters that only heat water when you need it??? (I am thinking of getting one of those for my condo since I only use hot water once in the morning and a little at night for dishes. Waste to keep it hot all day.)

I'm not planning on having a car, so I suppose I will have to call around at airports or find a place to leave the RV and then take a cab. Would a Class C even fit through those arms at parking lots? I figured it would be too wide, or am I wrong about that??

I was hoping to stay places where I wouldn't need a lot of heat or AC, so I like the quick blast in the morning. I am not a really hot or really cold weather person, so I figured I'd time the seasons--Arizona in spring, Florida in winter, Colorado in summer, etc.

I don't really do a ton of cooking since I am only one person. Mostly I cook a lot of something and then freeze it in little packages for reheating in a microwave--soups, stews, roasts, etc. I probably only cook twice a week on average.

Do the cigarette lighter air compressors fill tires up to 70lb per square inch? My bike requires a lot of air so I have always used a regular one, but then again, if not electricity, I am out of luck.

Question #5: Does the AC also work on propane and electric?? I guess I thought it would be electric only and work only if you had a hookup for electric.

[Bethers]

Full time since June 2005 and I boondock a LOT. Here's my experience.

I last bought propane in November. My tank made it to May 25th and was still 1/4 full. I do cook, and it had to run my fridge whenever I boondocked. I boondocked a tad less this winter, but did for at least 3 of the weeks. And, of course, all the driving time. I only heated water when I needed it. That could have used up a lot more, but I'm really frugal. But even when I wasn't, I never got propane more than every month or two or three - EXCEPT when I run the furnace a lot. The winter I went down Baja - I filled up in AZ a couple weeks before leaving the US - in November or early December. I boondocked all but maybe 7 days in two plus months. The end of Feb or early Mar I filled the propane again - to be on the safe side. So even then - I could go a couple months.

As to the fridge. Mine runs on propane all the time. I sometimes think it runs better and colder on propane. So much so that sometimes when running on propane I actually have to turn it off as the coils start to freeze up. So I will occasionally turn it off to unfreeze them.

Is it reliable? As much as any appliance. One year while on the road and boondocking, my fridge light showed it wasn't working. Turns out it worked on electric at that point but not propane. It was a themocoupler - I was lucky. When my fridge was 9 years old, it completely died and I had to get a new one. That was 2009. I've known people using theirs for many more years than that. But as in a home, they do die. I took it as it was it's "time".

As to the hot water tank - some rv's only heat it via propane. Some have the switch between propane and electric. When traveling and boondocking, I only turn mine on once a day - and I conserve water as well as the propane usage. It only takes my tank about 15 minutes to heat up.

A class C will fit through toll booths and yes, those "arms" - never been anywhere it wouldn't. That said, I have no idea how much the airport might charge you for parking. I haven't flown since I bought my rv.

As to an air compressor, I don't carry one. If I did, I'd make sure it would fill my tires as well as the bike tires. AND I'd make sure where ever it plugs in that it will reach all the tires. I borrowed one from someone once that I never did figure out how they used to fill their tires, as I couldn't reach any of my back tires, and it was really a pain to use. Make sure it'll be easy to use, fit in your storage, etc.

Good luck.

[JudyJB]

Thanks, Beth. Sounds like heat up the water heater to do dishes and take a shower in the evening, leave it off most of the rest of the time. I think being single really helps!

My air compressor is a good one (Sears) and holds pressure up to 100 psi, so on my list will be a 50' heavy duty extension cord. It will blow up car and truck tires with no problems. The only thing it won't do that the big ones will do is run a lot of air tools, but I am not opening a garage! I think I would rather take it than a bunch of chairs and a barbeque grill. Lifestyle and wanting to be prepared.

Good to know the refrigerator really keeps things cold. I was told by someone that you can't open the door often or it will never stay cold, so I was worried about that.

I would have never thought you could get through those arms! Glad to hear that.

I think it is amazing how little resources you can live on in an RV! Can't complain about that "footprint."

[Gentleladybear]

I have a 32 foot class C. Never had trouble with the freezer and fridge keeping things cold/frozen. BUT, I do NOT run my fridge on gas. I run mine on driving trips on the battery. I have two house batteries and far less expensive to use them than gas. I find that when I stop at night, whether I run the generator for awhile or hook to electric, it recharges those batteries just fine. Also note the engine is charging those batteries while you are driving. I usually turn my gas off when driving so that prevents anything from being turned on while driving and perhaps starting a fire.

I have a small air pump right now for my bike tires and for my air shocks. Have been looking for an electric one, found one at Lowe's, may pick that one up. But I don't want one that plugs into a cigarette lighter that cord isn't long enough.

Hope you enjoy your travels.

[Pooker]

And to answer your added Question #5: The A/C only works on electricity. If you buy a "C" with a generator on board you can use any of your electrical appliances (including the A/C) by running the generator.

Most of us use the electric devices exclusively when we're in a park with electric hookups. Why use up your propane if you don't need to. That's why so many of us cook in the micros, crockpots, electric grills, toaster/ovens, etc. Saves the propane for boondocking.

Now you can ask about converters and inverters!

I don't think I'd try to bring my rig to airport parking since I'm not sure all airports are okay to park them. Usually there is some sort of off airport parking places with shuttles that take you to directly to your concourse. A call ahead will tell you whether they accept RVs or not. Otherwise, I'd make arrangements with an RV park or RV storage facility nearby and get the airport shuttle to come get me (if there is one).

Pooker

[JudyJB]

Oh no! Not converters and inverters!

OK, what do I need to know about them??? This is sounding complicated.

Sounds like the generator would burn up a lot of fuel using the AC, wouldn't it? I assumed these little places would cool off quickly in the evenings with a few windows open. I'll save the deserts for winter.

Any more technical surprises?

[JudyJB]

Nan, my air compressor looks like this:

It has a handy handle and is on wheels. Doesn't weigh too much--cost $99 and works well. Might be a little big for you, but it is a real air compressor, as opposed to the cigarette lighter things and smaller ones meant only for blowing up air mattresses.

May seem like an extravagance, but better than driving on a flat tire and will keep my bike tire inflated. It is 13.5" L x 11" W x 19" H; and weighs 20 lbs.

[snowball]

4. Several approaches to this issue. I plan to find an RV park in Arizona, and pay monthly (I have a truck and TT). Then I will drive to the airport in Blythe and park my truck there for a small fortune while I am gone for Christmas a week or two. That way the TT will be safe and snug (hopefully) in the RV park. There are parking lots at the airports for RV's...but I bet they cost a fortune...you may find an RV storage unit unrelated to the gouging prices associated with airports situated along a bus route and get a better deal. and just take the bus, or a cab, to the airport from there.

I was going to answer some of your questions as we boon dock as well as park in rv parks...KD said you would get lots of answers and you did!
KD we will be in Quartzsite and would be glad to take you to the airport so you don't have to park it at the airport...where are you going to stay at?
Judy you have mentioned that you will go to AZ to the deserts for the warmth yes it is warmer than snow country but it still gets chilly even down right chilly! Every once in awhile we would say remind me why we came to the desert...this past one was chilly the year before not as bad as this one was...but love going to the desert
sheila

[JudyJB]

Sheila, I live in Michigan so even a little desert chill is better than the single digits and teens here in the winter! I don't mind cold nights at all and prefer sleeping under a down comforter or two. I don't even wear a jacket to work unless the temp is below 50.

I'm still almost two years from buying a motorhome, but I am a planner and have been wondering how things work. When the time comes and I need to fly somewhere, I guess i will have to do a lot of research and find a place to park slightly away from the airport.

Thanks

[Colliemom]

Having been in on a discussion of compressors on another forum. this is one that I want to check out. A Black and Decker AS1300. It runs on both electric and AC if needed. The one website I was told to try and has the best price is http://www.Boat&RVAccessories.com..

I don't use much propane either, but of course I am only camping a couple of nights at a time. I cook out on my BBQ grill as much as I can. Have some great cooking in foil cookboods wth a lot of receipes to try yet . Plan atoa buy a small electric frying pan and crockpot. I only use my hot water in the mornng to wash dishes and myself , then turn it off. Don't wash didshes again till after dinner and do whatever I have then.

I don't run my fridge on propane when I am on the road, but I don't go that far either. I have driven over 200 miles and most of a day with it off and no problem at all. My though is, that if I stop where it is going to be parked for awhile, I can always turn on the gas while I am gone. I carry a bag of ice in the freezer and that helps keep it cold as well.

As to heat, I prefer to use a small ceramic heater. Does a good job in my small TT. My furnace heats up nice, but cools off just as fast. There are nice comfty comforters and also electric blankets for one's bed that will keep you toasty. And of course there are always furry bodies too

[rvgrammy1953]

Full-timing since Aug. 2004....living in both a small TT and a 5th wheel, so here's our findings on some of your questions....

1. Our fridge is set on the Auto setting which means it will automatically switch between propane and electric....so when we are parked in a CG with electric, it's on electric....while traveling, we're on propane....when we travel we limit ourselves to 350 miles per day, always stopping for the night before it gets dark..(around 3-4pm). Everything keeps nice and cold......

2. We have 2-30lb. propane bottles....and 1 bottle will last us about a month..(are they bottles or tanks? )...we turn off the hot water after supper dishes are done and/or an evening shower for either of us.....then we turn it on again in the morning....

3. We have a portable generator which will run the whole 5er if needed....and have a med. size compressor, too.....and also have one of those small compressors that plug into the cig. lighter.....the med. one travels with the generator and the small one travels under the seat in the truck.

4. Have no clue about parking at airports...so have no help there for ya'.....

This works for us.....as with raising kids, also taking advise about full-timing...I've found the following very true....."Listen to all advise given....take/use what makes sense for you...then throw the rest out"......

Always, have fun....full-timing is always an "Adventure"