Birthday Odyssey

Mellow_Yellow

Day 1 of 8: 5-hour trip from Victoria BC to Ucluelet, BC on Vancouver Island. I have a week off “in between jobs” and am on a solo camping odyssey, “staying local” on Vancouver Island. I’ll be here 3 nights. This is my first trip ever at an RV park. All systems go except the Alde on city water which has a steady external (I hope) pressure-rated leak - behind the drivers side rear wheel. Back up plan : I disconnected the city water and am manually filling the fresh water tank. For some reason, the local ravens mew like cats. Also heard, but not seen, bald eagles and belted kingfishers. Birthday cake was amazing!

Sharon_is_SAM

Our first trip to Vancouver Island we visited Ucluelet.  We went whale/seal watching.  Lucky you!  The ravens are so smart.

Regarding the leak, are you using a pressure regulator?  Is the leak coming from under the Alde Safety/Relief yellow flapper valve?  If you are using a regulator, maybe try a different one.

Mellow_Yellow

@Sharon_is_SAM - So you know exactly where I am It sounds like you had a lovely trip!
Sounds like I need a pressure regulator (what’s a pressure regulator? lol) I’m not sure my 2014 Alde has a yellow pressure relief valve. There was a steady drip coming from somewhere under the Alde compartment. @ChanW what are your thoughts?
For now, I’m good with just manually filling the fresh water tank and using the electric pump. First trip ever on (RV) shore power! Appreciating how “smart” and flexible the T@B is

NorthIsUp

The Alde may be set up for winter usage with the underneath drain left open. @Sharon_is_SAM is asking you to check the position of the yellow flap valve under the T@b where it may be leaking. It may be in the open position and just needs a push to flip it back down level with the tubing. Hope I'm explaining it correctly, Sharon?

Sharon_is_SAM

@Mellow_Yellow - @ChanW previously noted this:  “On the earlier Little Guy Tabs, there was no flapper valve. The drain valves in our Tabs are little white tee handled valves, one on the hot line and one on the cold, right on the floor near the Alde. “

Here is a picture from another 2014 TaB - does this look like yours?  If not, is the water coming out of the Alde low point drain?  Pressure regulator should fix that.

Sharon_is_SAM

@Mellow_Yellowhttps://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/151525#Comment_151525

4ncar

@Mellow_Yellow: Yup! You need a pressure regulator.  It needs to be attached to your water hose prior to the camper(obviously).  I put mine at the hose bib, before the hose itself.

Mellow_Yellow

@Sharon_is_SAM - confirmed. The dripping is coming from the hot water drain port under the trailer. Looks like I need to replace the rubber o-ring on the white t-handles. Anybody (@ChanW ?) know the specs on the replacement  part? Hopefully the removal/installation is simple...

Mellow_Yellow

Update: one of my RV neighbors loaned me their extra pressure reducing valve and now I have fresh water, drip-free! Thanks everyone 

Sharon_is_SAM

@Mellow_Yellow - you sure are learning the ropes one step at a time😂

ChanW

@Mellow_Yellow, if the o-ring on the tee-handle was leaking, you'd have water inside, on the floor near the tee-handle. 

If the dripping was coming from outside the Tab, it's something else (possible that the pressure was too much, which you fixed with the pressure regulator!)

If the tee-handle o-ring is toast, and you see water on the floor near it, you'll need to pull the valve-stem out of the valve body to replace the o-ring (if the valve is simply difficult to close, you should lube it, also by taking it apart.)

First, be sure there's no pressure in the water system (open a faucet), and also drain these lines, by opening the tee-valves.

To take the stem out, look closely under the handle for a metal spring-clip. It keeps the stem from pulling out of the valve body. You need to pull this off (pull it to the side and note which way it goes back on). Careful not to drop it! It's tiny and would easily slip into the crack and get lost.

Lift the stem out of the valve body by lifting the tee-handle straight up (those handles spin, but spinning does nothing). You'll see the o-ring on the stem - if it's chewed up, you'll want to take it to the hardware store for a replacement, or if it's not chewed up, either way, put a light coat of plumbers silicone grease on it, so it's easier to close, so it doesn't get chewed up when you use it.

Put it back together the same way, and don't drop the clip!

HTH!

Mellow_Yellow

Thank you so much @ChanW!

Mellow_Yellow

Day 2: awoke to low tide exposing the eel grass where a blue heron fishes. I spent 1/2 of today in pyjamas and the other 1/2 learning the plumbing of my T@B including using city water and sewage for the first time! Awesome and way easier than I thought it would be! One more day here and then another travel day to the next campsite for some boondocking!

Denny16

Happy birthday mate.  This is a lovely part of Vancouver Island.  We spent a week several years ago, gunkholing up the inner passage between Vancouver Island and the mainland, in a converted former steam sea going tug boat, going ashore in a small boat to explore the inserts and old abandoned homesteads and First Nation villages.  It was an amazing trip.  Next time, we will take our TaB and hit the trail on the Island side, going round the shore line.
cheers

Mellow_Yellow

Day 3: high tide st midday. Buffleheads (white dots) fishing in the bay. 

Walked the trail around Amphitrite Point and saw some gray or hunchback whales way out. Also a photo of me, the proud T@B owner

Sharon_is_SAM

@Mellow_Yellow We returned to the island for 2 weeks Fall of 2019.  So much to see.  Took the old mail boat around the Nootka and Kyuquot Sounds - great fun!  Stayed in Ucluelet and visited Cathedral Grove.  Went on a bear watch.  Went on a whale watch and a whale hit our boat!  I would love camp on VI!

SubaruLou

Lovely! A very happy birthday to you! 

Mellow_Yellow

Day 4: travel day I’m camped at an ‘old style’ BC provincial campground. Amazing! I expect to be here 4 nights, full on boondocking!

Mellow_Yellow

Day 6: Doing my best to stay off the inter webs and decompress. I’m plotting my return to civilization, a 4-hour drive home starting late afternoon tomorrow. 

Discovered that for “tall people” the 320 S is a “sit down shower”. LOL. It took me a while and many banged elbows to confirm that. 

The past few days have been my first warm weather camping experience in the T@B. I’m really appreciating its comfort and versatility!
Will post more photos when I’m back on full internet. 

Denny16

Looking forward to seeing them, I am glad you had a grand trip.  The small,shower/head was one of the reasons we got a TaB400.   

Cheers

Mouseketab

Looks like you had a blast!

Mellow_Yellow

I arrived home today in a big rush because I managed to get a same-day appointment for a Covid-19 vaccine. As you might read in the news, there are many supply/demand/delivery issues at the moment in Canada. So I lit a fire under myself to return to Victoria a day early and I'm thrilled to report that I am now vaccinated. 
Here is a rough map of my travel routes, all approximately 4-5 hour trips:
Sunday: Victoria-Ucluelet (blue) 
Wednesday: Ucluelet-Campbell River (red)
today: Campbell River-Victoria (green)

We have a heavy snow pack this year and so the trip was spectacular with dramatic snowy peaks throughout.
Today's pack up got off to a rocky start with my first ever 'sani-dump' experience. The campsite's sani-dump was out of order and in the fuss to get out of there, I left my bottle of bleach behind. There was another sani-dump up the road and all I could get was vinegar to freshen up the black tank. 
I mellowed out to such a degree that I ran out of steam to take more photos. I spent the last few days of the trip taking in the fresh air and abundance of birds. One day to recover/unpack and then I start my new job on Monday!

Sharon_is_SAM

@Mellow_Yellow - what did you need the bleach for?

Mellow_Yellow

While in use, I add "Happy Camper" treatment in the black tank.
After emptying the black tank I use a bleach solution to rinse out the tank and the hose. 

Sharon_is_SAM

Oh.  You can save the bleach for the black tank.  I think you are better off just returning some HC to the tank.  I actually put some Happy Camper with water in the tank during summer storage.  

Denny16

Same here, after emptying the black tank, I rinse several times and add a gallon of water and HC in both gray and black tanks.  Glad you got your Covid jab.  Stay safe.
cheers