Fresh Water

pregan · July 2019

Hi ,
We are pretty new to the T@B world and still trying to figure some things out . I know that the 2018 320S has an 11 gallon fresh water tank and that there is a hot water tank which holds 3 gallons (I believe ). Does that mean that it really holds 14 gallons or is the water in the hot water tank included in the 11 gallons ?
Evergreen PDR

Sharon_is_SAM · July 2019

You are correct. We tell owners to prefill their Alde tank before departing (2.5 gallons). Then on arrival to a camp site, you can fill your fresh tank and not worry about any reduction of your fresh water supply in the process of filling your Alde tank.

ScottG · July 2019

However, keep in mind that once the freshwater tank is drained there will be nothing to "push" that ~3 gallons out of the hot water tank. As such, you still have no more than 11 gallons to work with before the show stops! (Probably less, since the pump usually loses prime before the tank is completely empty.)

Bayliss · July 2019

@pregan, take a look at your Alde manual to determine how many gallons the hot water tank holds (mine says 2.5 gallons). The Alde tank water is completely separate and in addition to the 11 gallon fresh water tank. You fill the fresh water tank via the fresh water fill port on the front driver's side of the camper (you don't need to turn on the water pump to fill that tank, except to expel air in the water line - - - see comment below.)

You can fill the Alde hot water tank by either connecting a hose from a municipal (city) or campground fresh water spigot to your camper fresh water hose connection (preferred and most efficient method) OR, by turning on your water pump and pulling/transferring water from the previously filled fresh water tank to the Alde tank. Keep in mind, however, that if you pull water from your fresh water tank, you will need to replenish that tank by topping off the displaced water (assuming you want a full fresh water tank.) Either way, be sure to open up your hot water valves at the kitchen sink faucet and showers as you fill the Alde tank so that you expel any air that is in the hot water lines. Once those valves (e.g., faucet) stop sputtering (releasing air), your Alde tank should be full. You should do the same with the cold water lines while filling the fresh water tank - - I always open up the wet bath shower, toilet and outside shower valves to expel air from those lines as well when filling my fresh water tank. (Greg)

ZippyA · July 2019

Ok, the Alde system and something else not explained by the dealer! He just quickly showed me the device on the wall. I have watched one video and I've read the manual. Just as confused.
Greg - in reading your post, I have so many questions.
1. I had NO idea there were separate tanks for Alde and fresh water! If I am hooked up to city water at a site, will that be the source of my shower?
2. On the T@B, there is a place to hook up hose for city water. There's also a tank if there is no city water hook up. The dealer told me that if I'm at a site where there is no city water hookup then I ask to use the hose at the office and I fill that other tank. Are you saying that the other (non city water tank location) fill tank thing is for the Alde?
3. As for filling fresh water tank - again, if I am hooked up to the city water, what should I be doing? Should I turn on the faucet in kitchen and shower? OR are you talking about some other valves. (I haven't used shower yet bc I'm too intimidated still!)
4. The manual has photos of all of these valves - again, not showed to me or explained by the dealer. I gotta go find them and do what the manual says!

The manual. I have more questions after reading the manual.
5. "When only hot water is required, e.g. during the summer, no settings need to be made, the heating system handles the function automatically." What does this mean? When I turned on the Alde system myself for the first time, I did see that the shower symbol was half full. Does this mean it's automatically heating the water and I don't have to full around with anything.

6. The manual mentions that I can heat with both electricity and gas at the same time if I choose. Why would I do that??
7. To use the gas setting, that means I have to turn on the LP tank, right?
8. If heating with electricity, it says to "set the power level according to the fuse for incoming electricity to the vehicle. Or set the power to the max - 2kW and use a LOAD MONITOR! Huh? It says in the notes that this helps prevent the 120v breaker from being overloaded and that it "has to be installed for the function to be used." Is this something that the dealer does before taking possession? I bought a brand new 2019 T@B and the dealer said I didn't have to do anything - everything was done by their prep team.
9. When using only hot water (summer) it mentions an "air cushion." It says to "always renew the air cushion after 10 days of use. This can be done by "opening the safety/drain valve on the heating system for a few seconds." Huh, huh, and huh? Where is this safety/drain valve?
10. Finally, it says that to maintain the air cushion, the "hot water tank should be emptied after 10 days of use to help ensure a new air cushion is formed." When I empty my gray water (another thing I did for the very first time las week), am I emptying my hot water tank??

Sorry for so many questions, but the more I think I'm getting the hang of owning an RV, the more questions I have. It's like being in a foreign country and not speaking the language.

Thank goodness for this site. Gold stars for whoever can tackle all of the questions above. I'm off to camp next week and thought I'd just use the camp shower rather fool with the Alde!!

Sharon_is_SAM · July 2019

@ZippyA,

1. The Alde consists of a central cylinder of glycol that the boiler heats up and the glycol circulates to heat the cabin. There is a separate 2.5 gallon “jacket” surrounding the glycol cylinder that functions as the Alde hot water tank. There are 2 sources to fill your plumbing system including the Alde hot water tank - city water via a hose or water from your fresh water tank using your water pump. To fill the Alde hot water tank you can hook up to city water and then open up your hot water tap and the air will clear from your plumbing lines and Alde tank. When the sputtering stops, it is filled. Same applies to using the water from the fresh water tank to fill your Alde tank, only you need to turn on the pump - takes longer and depletes your fresh water supply. So, the source of your hot shower is always from the Alde hot water tank with water sourced from the city water connection or your fresh water tank.

2. If the campground does not have a water hookup at your site, then generally there are spigots located around the campground to use a hose to fill your tank or to fill a jug to top off your fresh water tank. You will need at least 25 feet of fresh water hose and a shorter hose also comes in handy for use at spigots.

3. If you are hooked up to city water, there is no need to fill your fresh water tank. To fill your Alde hot water tank as you prime your plumbing system see #1.

5. The Alde manual can be confusing. It looks like you have the Alde 3010, correct?

If you have the Alde 3020: I think they are referring to floor heating. The 3020 allows you to turn off the shower icon so that it is empty.

“ Normal operation. If hot water is required, press the ”+” button (the symbol will then be half-shaded). If the 10.12 (Floor heating*) function has been set to Cont., this option cannot be selected. When only hot water is required, e.g., during the summer or when no heating is needed, no settings need to be made; the hydronic heating system handles this function automatically.”

6. If you arrive at a camp in the winter and you want to heat the cabin faster, choose both electric and gas. The gas boiler provides a lot more heating power (5 kw) relative to the electric heating elements (2 kw) and they will work together to heat the cabin faster. Once the cabin temperature is reached, the fas will cut out, but will resume heating if the cabin temp drops a couple degrees.

7. To use the gas you must open your LPG tank (slowly) and select gas on the Alde display.

8. You do not need to worry about the fuse. I think this is noted because over in Europe they can use 3 kw and we are limited to 2 kw.

9. The Safety/Drain valve is a yellow flapper valve. If you have a 320 S it is under the driver side bench, if a CSS it is under tge galley counter.

10. Your gray water tank is the soapy water that you used in the shower and sink - nothing to do with the Alde hot water tank. The air cushion is required in the Alde hot water tank to allow heated water to expand. Without the air cushion, the water in a full Alde hot water tank may create excess pressure.

Hope this helps. Keep plugging away - eventually it makes sense!

ZippyA · July 2019

Wow. That explains a lot. One folo up question to your great explanations:
"To fill the Alde hot water tank you can hook up to city water and then open up your hot water tap and the air will clear from your plumbing lines and Alde tank. When the sputtering stops, it is filled."

What hot water tap? The kitchen sink or the shower? If it's the shower, will water start coming out after the sputtering? (I have some stuff stored in there. Guess I should take everything out before doing this??)

Thanks so much!

Sharon_is_SAM · July 2019

You can open any hot water tap (sink or shower) to draw water into the Alde hot water tank. Either tap will sputter until the air is cleared (you get sputtering from the cold water tap, too, but that is only the air being cleared from the plumbing lines, not the Alde hot water tank).

If you open the sink hot tap and clear the air and fill the Alde water tank, then when you go to use the shower, there will be some sputtering, so you may want to do them both just to clear the air. And yes, water will come out after the air as long as the tap is open.

pthomas745 · July 2019

Here is an Alde FAQ site that describes some of the questions you have (Sharon-is-Sam has covered them, too.) You will also find links to manuals for download.

https://www.alde.us/how-can-i-get-help/knowledge-base/

And, practice. Alde manual in hand, standing in front of your control panel, with the Forums on the phone ( or device of your choice) is the way to learn this.

Bayliss · July 2019

@Sharon_Is_Sam and @pthomas745, thank you for helping out @ZippyA by answering the follow-up questions. I was tied up all day, so I was unable to review Sharon's very thoughtful responses until well after midnight here in Arizona.

@pregan and @ZippyA (and others reading this), consider adding a standard "Signature" line to your posts. You can include your name and city/state if you like (makes your communications a bit more personal, though totally optional), but what is most helpful is if you identify the year and model of your camper, your Alde model (i.e., 3010 or 3020), and the year/make/model/engine size of your tow vehicle ("TV.") If you take a look at the bottom of my posts, as well as those of @Sharon_is_SAM and @pthomas745, you will see that we have each done that. That basic info is extremely helpful to others who are attempting to answer questions and help diagnose technical issues you may encounter. It also eliminates the need for other forum users to obtain that basic info when trying to understand your specific situation. For example, there are a number of operation differences between the Alde 3010 vs. the 3020, so just knowing the model number impacts how the issue can be addressed.

To personalize your signature line, click on the "Settings" icon (a gear symbol) at the top right adjacent to your screen name, then select "Edit Profile" in the drop-down menu that appears. Next, click on "Signature Settings." Enter the info you wish to automatically include at the bottom of your posts and don't forget to click on the "Save" button before exiting that screen.

Also, be sure to take a look at the discussion "Categories" along the left side of the forum pages. They are helpful in directing you to info on specific topics. AND, probably the best feature available to you is the "Search" option in the upper right hand corner of the forum pages. Just type in a few key words (e.g., "no hot water") and you will find tons of information. Read, read, read all that is available here and you too will soon be "T@B certified!"

Finally, @ZippyA, if you do not live too far from your T@B dealer, I think you should contact them and make an appointment with a knowledgeable employee there who can give you a proper walk-through and orientation of your camper. The only caveat to this suggestion, however, is that many have discovered that far too many RV dealers know very little about the nuances of T@B and T@G campers, let alone how the Alde operates.

P.S. Regarding the Alde, if you look at the lower right hand corner of the document that @pthomas745 provided a link for, you will see handy links to a demo program for the Alde control panel. Click on all the buttons and maneuver through the various screens to see what is available, such as heating options and settings that you may not be aware of. As suggested, have your manual handy so you can practice with the control panel in the comfort of your own home. AND, don't forget YouTube and Google as sources for information on all things T@B.

Sharon_is_SAM · July 2019

Regarding the signature line, @Bayliss directions are perfect for accessing from a PC, Mac or iPad. If you are using a phone, access to the forum full view “desktop” site depends on your use of Android vs iPhone. Guidelines will hopefully be posted soon😁

BrianZ · July 2019

@Sharon_is_SAM, on my android phone, when using Google's Chrome browser, I can only see signature lines in posted comments (& some other features) by checking the "Desktop site" box in the browser settings. However, even though this setting displays the "Edit Profile" menu option, it does not display the existing profile - I must use a PC to get the edit function & others.

UPDATE:
The "Desktop site" browser setting works for getting the signature menu & other features in three different android web browsers I tried, but only on the Vanilla hosting site, not on the site hosted by Nucamp. That appears to have been my issue, thanks to help from Sharon.

ZippyA · July 2019

Thanks @Sharon_is_SAM, @pthomas745 and @Bayliss for all of your help. I've been watching videos, reading the manual, reading the FB T@B group, and now here. I've just got to start doing, rather than avoiding out of fear and I plan to test the shower when I'm out next week!

My salesperson DID a walk-thru with me but very little time spent on the Alde and I didn't know what I didn't know back in May when I purchased it.

And finally @Bayliss thanks for the signature line tip. I hadn't even noticed them. I just changed and saved mine so let's see if it works.

Bayliss · July 2019

@ZippyA, you're very welcome. Good job with the signature line. You just eliminated at least four common questions asked by forum participants when they are trying to help out a fellow T@bber.

morey000 · July 2019

So- when boondocking... if you start off with a full Fresh water tank of 11gal, and a full Alde with 2.5gal... you still only have 11 gal of usable water?

Sharon_is_SAM · July 2019

Yes.

morey000 · July 2019

Sharon_is_SAM said:

Yes.

darn

Michigan_Mike · July 2019

Here is a diagram that will give you an encapsulated idea of water flow and where things end up,etc.

4ncar · July 2019

Water conservation is mandatory. Never leave the water running for any reason, including while showering. Take navy showers. I carry 12 additional gallons (2 @ 6 gal. Jerry cans)always, and have never used both.

morey000 · July 2019

4ncar said:

Water conservation is mandatory. Never leave the water running for any reason, including while showering. Take navy showers. I carry 12 additional gallons (2 @ 6 gal. Jerry cans)always, and have never used both.

Most recent trip: 2 people. Daily showers. cooking and drinking, some toilet use, some 'woods'. used 4.5gal/day (not each, total). Thought that was pretty good. Can't imagine being able to boondock and use much less. So- with 2, 6gal cans on the rack (100 extra lbs on the hitch) and a full tank, that's 23 gal. or 5 days max.

dCliffhanger · July 2019

Bayliss said:

@pregan and @ZippyA (and others reading this), consider adding a standard "Signature" line to your posts. You can include your name and city/state if you like (makes your communications a bit more personal, though totally optional), but what is most helpful is if you identify the year and model of your camper, your Alde model (i.e., 3010 or 3020), and the year/make/model/engine size of your tow vehicle ("TV.") If you take a look at the bottom of my posts, as well as those of @Sharon_is_SAM and @pthomas745, you will see that we have each done that. That basic info is extremely helpful to others who are attempting to answer questions and help diagnose technical issues you may encounter. It also eliminates the need for other forum users to obtain that basic info when trying to understand your specific situation. For example, there are a number of operation differences between the Alde 3010 vs. the 3020, so just knowing the model number impacts how the issue can be addressed.

To personalize your signature line, click on the "Settings" icon (a gear symbol) at the top right adjacent to your screen name, then select "Edit Profile" in the drop-down menu that appears. Next, click on "Signature Settings." Enter the info you wish to automatically include at the bottom of your posts and don't forget to click on the "Save" button before exiting that screen.

I'm pretty new and tried to edit my signature. When I follow the above directions and choose "Edit Profile" it brings up my Name dCliffhanger and my email. I can find no options to add anything else.

4ncar · July 2019

@morey000...& then time to get more!😀

jgram2 · July 2019

@dCliffhanger, the instructions vary by the device you’re using. On my iPad, I need to change the orientation to horizontal to see my editing options. On smart phones, it’s different. Here’s a thread re .Android instructions if that happens to be what you’re using: https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/8233/android-phone-profile-and-signature-access

ZippyA · July 2019

Ok. Just came back from a 4-day trip with electric and water and tried to follow everything learned from posts by @Sharon_is_SAM, @Bayliss, @Michigan_Mike and others. Some lessons learned and some questions for you all.

Lessons Learned:
1. Take hardcopies of everything or download online info as PDFs. (Note: I have all manuals in the T@B. I thought I had the T@B manual bc I rememberer reading it. I realized that I read the manual ONLINE and never got one from the dealer! There was cell service of any kind in the park so I could not read posts from this forum or read the T@B manual. So, I will be downloading the T@B manual - only see 2017 as the latest on NuCamp though).
2. Copy and paste relevant posts from this site into a Word doc or something that I can access if no service at the campsite.
3. Read my checklist and don't rely on memory! I forgot to get out and plug in my brake controller and forgot to switch fridge to battery when I left my house. It's on the checklist, but I was so proud of myself thinking I had everything down pat when I was hooking up!
4. Read the water tank levels! I used the shower ONCE (first timer) and then for no more than 15 seconds bc it was COLD. I did use the sink to rinse stuff and I had been running the water to see if it would ever get hot and to get past the foul odor. I didn't realize that all of that added up and filled the gray tank sooner than I anticipated.

Questions about the water!
I read everyone's post about the Alde, fresh water, etc. and thought I understood it all until I had to put it into practice.
A. I never had hot water the whole time. The "sputtering" never happened when I opened the faucets - water came out of the sink and shower immediately. Here's what I did:

I hooked up to city water (using regulator). There was a lot of leaking coming from my hose so I did turn water on and off a few times to try to stop leak (which I was never completely successful at doing.
I opened shower and sink faucets and water came out immediately. Was this water left over from the last (and first) time I camped in the beginning of July? I realized that when I left camp then, I emptied the gray tank but I never turned on the faucets to empty the lines. Could the water have been from that time??
I had Alde turned on and the little icon was half full.

B. The water was foul smelling - immediately. This is a brand new T@B, only taken out once before. Again, I realized that I never opened the faucets the first time I took it out for 2 days to drain any water out of the lines. I kept running the water in the sink and shower to get rid of smell. It eventually went away. Was water still in the lines from the first trip a few weeks before the cause of the bad odor?
C. The shower had several inches of standing water. I used the shower once to rinse off for 15 seconds (it was too cold for any longer). I'm assuming this happened because the gray tank was full, right?

D. Can you tell me if my process for leaving camp is correct? I tried to follow what I've read from others.

I emptied gray water tank at dump station. (Never used the toilet)
I turned on shower faucets and sink faucet to drain all water out while the gray tank was being emptied.
I closed gray tank lever.
I poured about 3/4 gallon of water down the sink. Opened gray tank lever again. I think this water drained out -- but was I imagining this?
I poured about 1/4 gallon of water back down the sink. Didn't pull gray tank lever. (Read to leave some water in to slosh around while driving) Question about this: When do I get rid of this water that I poured down the sink??

E. Kitchen faucet - hot water? There is only a blue dot on the single handled faucet. Does that mean it doesn't get hot water at all? I couldn't tell bc I never got hot water in the shower either.
F. Are there any other levers I'm supposed to be pulling, closing, opening for the water? I'm just using gray water lever to get rid of water when I leave camp. I read about "valves" but unclear if I'm supposed to be fooling with other stuff.

BTW - I have been going through the other posts related to water/plumbing on this forum and still trying to make sense of it all!

Thanks so much for any insights. Will be leaving again in a few weeks for a longer trip...and trying to find the 2019 T@B manual...watching as many videos and reading as many posts as possible.

ZippyA · July 2019

Regarding previous post -- there was NO cell service of any kind in the park!

ZippyA · July 2019

Forgot one thing about the water pump in my lengthy post above.
I was hooked up to city water. Somewhere/sometime I realized that I had flipped the water pump switch. I don't know how long it was on or when I flipped it on. As soon as I realized that was the noise I was hearing, I turned it off.

Could that have been the cause of the water smelling bad or not getting hot water or water coming out immediately (instead of the sputtering)?

Did I cause any damage (not yet seen) by having both city water and water pump on at the same time?

Cbusguy · July 2019

the thing to remember is you will never get 11 gallons out of the fresh water tank. Not sure exactly where it starts sputtering at, but my guess would be about 9 or so.

Michigan_Mike · July 2019

When you are hooked up to city water you will get water immediately and obviously there was water in the lines left over from your last trip out. Take a photo of your Alde digital screen (is it set to electric or propane?) and post it up to the forum. I’m guessing you were plugged into shore power at the campground? Did you have any problems (did you have hot water) in your last camping outing?

And if you are standing in 2” of water in your shower your gray tank is full. Any water dumped into your sink ends up in the gray tank. I doubt that you have created any damage to your water pump and that shouldn’t impact water quality, nor have any impact on water odor, etc.

dCliffhanger · July 2019

jgram2 said:

@dCliffhanger, the instructions vary by the device you’re using. On my iPad, I need to change the orientation to horizontal to see my editing options. On smart phones, it’s different. Here’s a thread re .Android instructions if that happens to be what you’re using: https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/8233/android-phone-profile-and-signature-access

Thanks for that info...however, I am using a desktop computer with a screen big enough to see... Maybe, though I use my phone, usually, as phone maybe I can modify my profile through it and it'll pass through to my desktop.

dCliffhanger · July 2019

dCliffhanger said:

jgram2 said:

@dCliffhanger, the instructions vary by the device you’re using. On my iPad, I need to change the orientation to horizontal to see my editing options. On smart phones, it’s different. Here’s a thread re .Android instructions if that happens to be what you’re using: https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/8233/android-phone-profile-and-signature-access

Thanks for that info...however, I am using a desktop computer with a screen big enough to see... Maybe, though I use my phone, usually, as phone maybe I can modify my profile through it and it'll pass through to my desktop.

I just tried editing my profile via my Android and I get the same thing. Just my name and email. No other fields or other options to show more. I can go into View and see my activity. That's it.

Bayliss · July 2019

@ZippyA........lots of questions here. I'll take a stab at a few. Others may provide similar answers by the time I finish typing

:

1. Remember that when you have a hose connected to city/campground water, the water pump is not involved at all and should be "off." It is just like your house. Water pressure from the city water supply fills the water lines (and will also fill your hot water tank as long as your bypass valves are set for camping mode.) When you open your sink, shower, or toilet valves, there may be a bit of air in the lines, so it will sputter briefly unless there is already water in the lines from the last time you used your camper. Open both the hot and cold valves at the sink and shower to pressurize the lines. Also, once the Alde tank is heated (takes maybe 30 minutes), you will have approximately 2.5 gallons of hot water available. You're going to want to take short showers (get wet, turn off shower head (you probably have a push on/off button on the shower head), lather up, rinse off, etc.) As hot water is pulled from your Alde tank, the tank is automatically replenished from the city/campground water pressure. (NOTE: After you take a shower, be sure that you turn off the hot and cold valves. Sometimes, people only push the on/off button on the shower head and forget to also turn off the hot and cold knobs at the wall.)

2. You only use the water pump to draw water from your fresh water tank. You fill the fresh water tank separately via the fresh water fill port. If you are not connected to a city/campground water supply (e.g., dry camping or boondocking), then you will be using the pump to pull water from your fresh water tank. If you will not have access to city/campground water while camping, it is advisable to fill your fresh water tank while you DO have access to city/campground electric power and water. I say that, because you can use the electricity to send power to your converter, which in turn sends 12 volt power via your battery, and use that electric power to keep your battery reserve from being depleted somewhat. Turn on your water pump and open the hot and cold water valves a bit (you don't have to turn them on all the way, at least not until you get the air out of the water lines) to pull water from the fresh water tank to both "prime" your pump (i.e., get it pressurized/filled so it can pull water from the fresh water tank) and pressurize your water lines (which may already pretty much be pressurized if you were previously connected to a city/campground water supply.) Once your Alde hot water tank is full, it will be replenished (each time you use hot water) when the pump is on and pulling water from the fresh water tank. Remember that if you do not have city/campground water pressure available to fill your Alde tank (i.e., you are only able to fill your fresh water tank and have to pull water from that tank to fill your Alde using power from your battery to operate the pump), then once you fill your Alde tank, you will then want to go back and top off your fresh water tank to replace the fresh water that was displaced by approximately 2.5 gallons to fill your Alde hot water tank.)

3. I always turn off my pump when I am not using it. You don't have to do that, but I think it is a good practice. If you have a water valve open (such as if you forget to turn off the shower knobs), some water will likely be dripping from the shower head. As the pressure in the water line is reduced, more water will be pumped from your fresh water tank (slowly) and the pump will kick on and off. That will in turn deplete some battery power. You may occasionally forget to turn off the pump, but eventually it will become a habit to turn it off.

4. I'm not sure what caused the odor in the water, but be sure to sanitize your fresh water tank and water lines using the instructions that can be found on this site. Since your pump was on for a lengthy period, I suppose it is possible that it somehow contributed to the smell by pulling old/stale water into the water lines. Hopefully, your pump is OK and not burned out. You won't know for sure until you fill your fresh water tank and operate the pump with a water valve open. If it pumps water OK, then you should be good to go.

5. Your hot water issue is most likely due to the Alde Mixing Valve not being properly adjusted. You will need to review the posts about how to do that. I think you may already be familiar with my post on my experience with adjusting that valve. Once you do that adjustment, you should get hot water.

6. After dumping your holding tank(s) at a campground, and leaving water to slosh around in your tank(s) on the drive home, you will probably want to find another location along the route home (or close to home) to again dump your tanks to get rid of residual water. Many Interstate rest stops have free dump stations. Some gas stations have them as well (e.g., Pilot, Flying-J, or Love's truck stops), but charge a fee. Most private RV parks will also allow you to dump your tanks for a small fee. I am lucky, because I have a free dump station at the locked storage facility where I store my trailer, but there are lots of RV dump stations, likely near where you live. Just google "RV dump" or "RV dump station" and you will probably find some. (IMPORTANT: When at a campground, keep your tank valves closed, especially for the black water tank. Dump the tanks when they are at least 2/3 full for best cleaning/flushing. AND, always dump the black tank first, followed by the gray water tank. The gray water will help flush out your sewer hose, but if you are going to be storing your trailer, you will want to add plenty of extra water to the black water tank and flush out residual debris. You may need to do that a few times.)

7. It is definitely a good idea to keep your various owner manuals with you while camping. And, yes, download the nuCamp manual. It was published in 2017, but I believe there is an "unofficial" version that somebody updated in 2019. Those should be located in the User Manuals section on the left side of the forum pages. I have kept tons of notes of great input from others on this site. Especially electrical, plumbing and Alde topics. Those notes have been invaluable to me. Also, if you click on the "star" symbol at the top of posts that you find helpful, that will create a "bookmark" for you and those posts will be readily available to you to access via your personal page for future reference. Very helpful.

8. Below is my checklist, but some of it only applies to my personal situation and tow vehicle. Others have posted their own lists. Regardless, the following may be of some value to you.

HITCHING UP CHECKLIST

· Remove Wheel Lock

· Tire Pressure (45-50 psi)

· Torque Wheel Lugs (95#)

· Raise Stabilizers

· Secure/Store Loose Items

· Secure Shower Door

· Close Roof Vent & Windows

· A/C & Fan OFF

· ALDE OFF

· Refrig Elec/Propane OFF

· Water Pump OFF

· Close Outside A/C Vent (mine has an after-market locking cover)

· Campground Breaker OFF

· Unplug 30A Power Cord

· Propane OFF

· Battery Switch ON

· Attach & Lock Hitch

· Pull Open Coupler Latch

· Hitch Up & Lock Coupler

· Attach Safety Chains

· Attach Brake Cable

· Connect 7-Pin Plug

· Remove Wheel Chocks

· Retrieve/Store Leveling Blocks

· Test Lights

· Refrig Battery ON

· Lock Door & Raise Step

· Lock All Storage Areas

· Lock DiamondBack Cover

· Leave Front Tub Unlocked

· Final Campsite Check

· Tow Haul/Test Brakes

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