A few newbie questions

[Riwright]

We recently purchased a used 2003 3124KS. I am getting it ready to go out for our first trip next weekend.

We plan to camp full hookups at first but we would like to make a fairly rapid transition to dry camping.

I've been reading the forums quite a bit and found them to be a great resource. $12 a year is a good deal considering what I am getting out of it.

I do have a few questions for the more experienced.

When do you need to sanitize the fresh water tank? Is this needed when you have a water hookup or just for dry camping? If you have a water hookup is the fresh water tank involved or is it bypassed? If you plan to drink bottled water and use the fresh water tank for showers, hand washing and dish washing is it less of a concern?

I notice that the water heater has an electric element that can be used in addition to the propane for faster recovery. If you turn this on, does it draw current from 110 volt or does it use 12 volt? Seems like it would be a real battery killer if it uses 12 volts, but a nice help if it uses 100 only.


There are some instructions printed in the bedroom that say how to get out in case of fire. They don't make any sense to me. Can you get out of a 3124KS from the bedroom?

When I turn the valve on the propane tank it gives off a little hiss at a certain position in the rotation. Should I have the valve replaced? Lube it? Ignore it? It doesn't seem to be leaking once I get it turned on.

Should I replace the smoke detector and propane detector? Any models that will fit the existing holes?

[Dave99gst]

Ill take a stab @ what I know the answers too.

Originally Posted by Riwright

When do you need to sanitize the fresh water tank? Is this needed when you have a water hookup or just for dry camping? If you have a water hookup is the fresh water tank involved or is it bypassed? If you plan to drink bottled water and use the fresh water tank for showers, hand washing and dish washing is it less of a concern?

People only sanitize once a year as far as I know, fresh water tank is not in use when using city water hookups.

I notice that the water heater has an electric element that can be used in addition to the propane for faster recovery. If you turn this on, does it draw current from 110 volt or does it use 12 volt? Seems like it would be a real battery killer if it uses 12 volts, but a nice help if it uses 100 only.

Pretty Sure it uses Shore Power (110v)


When I turn the valve on the propane tank it gives off a little hiss at a certain position in the rotation. Should I have the valve replaced? Lube it? Ignore it? It doesn't seem to be leaking once I get it turned on.

im sure the hiss is just the lines filling, you could test with a tank from a BBQ to verify

[mjlaupp]

Originally Posted by Riwright

When do you need to sanitize the fresh water tank? Is this needed when you have a water hookup or just for dry camping? If you have a water hookup is the fresh water tank involved or is it bypassed? If you plan to drink bottled water and use the fresh water tank for showers, hand washing and dish washing is it less of a concern?

Sanitize at the beginning of the camping season and as necessary. It is not used when hooked up to fresh water.

I notice that the water heater has an electric element that can be used in addition to the propane for faster recovery. If you turn this on, does it draw current from 110 volt or does it use 12 volt? Seems like it would be a real battery killer if it uses 12 volts, but a nice help if it uses 100 only.

It uses 120 VAC when hooked to shore power. Caution: The water heater must be filled with water before power is turned on. It only takes about 15 seconds to burn out the element if it is on in an empty tank.

There are some instructions printed in the bedroom that say how to get out in case of fire. They don't make any sense to me. Can you get out of a 3124KS from the bedroom?

Unlatch the safety latch between the bed and the bathroom wall. Lift up the front of the bed tray while standing in the hallway. Crawl out under the bed. It may be possible to tip the bed up while laying along the back wall if it is unlatched - depends on your weight.

When I turn the valve on the propane tank it gives off a little hiss at a certain position in the rotation. Should I have the valve replaced? Lube it? Ignore it? It doesn't seem to be leaking once I get it turned on.

It is leaking when you hear the hiss. Mine does the same thing. I,m going to try tightening the packing nut and see if it will stop the leak. I have not been able to find a shop that will repair/replace a valve on a horizontal tank. Note: The tank will have to be flushed if the valve is replaced.

Should I replace the smoke detector and propane detector? Any models that will fit the existing holes?

Test the smoke detector with a smoke source and replace the battery at the start of the camping season. Remove the battery during winter storage. The smoke detector is surface mounted with two screws, any small replacement will work.

Test the propane detector with a propane lighter but do not light the flame. Several of the RV/camping stores carry the replacements.

Couple more things.

When turning on the propane after being off for some time Open valve slowly for first turn or so. If the lines have emptied, sometimes the rush of propane to fill them will trigger the safety valve and shut off the flow of gas.

You don't mention tires. Check the date code and replace them if 3-4 years old. Trailer tires generally never wear out, but deteriorate and will separate usually doing additional damage.

I added a tag on my shore power plug to remind me to check the water heater electric switch before plugging in so I don't fry the element if the tank is empty.

Search for my earlier post on adding a marine deck plate to the top of the water tank. It makes cleaning out the water tank very easy. It als allows you to drain "all" the water from it at the end of the season.

[ShrimpBurrito]

Originally Posted by mjlaupp

It is leaking when you hear the hiss. Mine does the same thing. I,m going to try tightening the packing nut and see if it will stop the leak. I have not been able to find a shop that will repair/replace a valve on a horizontal tank. Note: The tank will have to be flushed if the valve is replaced.

As Mike eluded to, anytime you hear a hiss around a propane system, gas is escaping. If you're hearing this around the tank, you should definitely not use that tank until you get it repaired. It's a serious safety hazard. The valve on my horizontal tank did the same thing, and I took it to an AmeriGas shop and they replaced the valve and recertified the tank. Worked fine after that. This was a few years ago, but I think they charged me $20-$30, which is much cheaper than $150-$200 to replace the tank.

Dave

[Bill]

Try this. Put a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid in a glass of water. Mix gently, but do not cause froth or bubbles. With the gas valve off, drizzle the soapy water over the valve, and turn on the valve as you normally do. If it leaks, it will blow bubbles that are easy to see.

My wife uses big tanks of propane and oxygen for hot glass work (lampwork, so-called). When she changes out the tanks, she uses a spray bottle of plain old Windex, rather than soapy water, and says it works perfectly.

I'm with Dave. If it is leaking, don't mess around, just get it fixed. Gas is just too dangerous to play around with.

Bill

My tank has the hissing issue also. It only hisses when opening/closing the valve at certain points and does not leak when completely open or closed. I asked my local propane repair business about it, and they said the valve should be replaced the next time the tank is empty. It is OK to use until then as the amount of leakage is tiny and momentary. If I should stop posting in the future you can figure that this was not good advice!

[T and C]

The way you make sure the hot water heater is full before turning on the heat element is to run water through the faucet. It will belch and sputter out the air if it is not already full. When the water runs w/o sputtering, you are good to go.

Tom

Not to brag, but...

Sprint 2009 I did a one hour presentation on "Dry Camping, Disconnecting the Umbilical Cord"

I can not find any posts from that far back. Perhaps someone else can.

It is available on DVD for a nominal fee to cover media, duplication and postage. I do not know if it is still available.

The West Coast club would know if it is still available.

I did not know that I could stand on my feet and talk non-stop for an hour until that day. I tried to have as many items as possible to show. Holding up a Honda 2000 generator was a bit difficult.

I hope this is not viewed as a commercial post. I make no money from it, and neither does anyone else. I did the presentation to share my dry camping experience, hoping to convince others that they should abandon the parking lots some of the time.

I don't do RV parks. I prefer the forest where camping is free and no one else is around.

What everybody else said is good advice. I do think putting a filter on the water faucet is an excellent idea since it will protect from a variety of water problems...