Newbie asking several questions please ?

[Robbie R.]

Hello, sorry for the continuing line of questions but I am looking at an 04 -28 and need some pro help from the AS pros.

1.Does anyone ever use tarps on AS ? Will it hurt ?

2. Does the heated tank via forced air work well on these AS and does it work equally well in 20s F with limited forced air or alternate heat source such as 110 heaters used ? Tricks, suggestions ?

3. Does the 28 w all have a 70 gallon combined grey and black water tank and what is the general overall opinion of this method of water containment ? As good or equal as split tanks ?

4. IMPORTANT : What happens when my porta thingy to carry water to dump station is not big enough to hold all 70 gallons (smile) and how does my porta thingy work when it gets to full after 30 or so gallons and I have another 20 or more left in my 70 gallon tank.......... do I ask my wife to come help ?

5. Are the standard foam mattress good in these units ?

6. My older camper has a 45 amp charger/converter........will the 55 amp on this AS be better or what difference will it be ?

7. will the water pressure reducer work well on these AS or do I need an outside unit between water hose and AS ?

8. I don't understand 30 amp campground connection VS 50 amp........does it matter ? Can I use either ? Would it hurt if I plugged my AS cord into either ?

So sorry for all the question and thanks "sincerely" for all the help condensed into one post..........

Robbie R.

[HowieE]

30 amp receptacles are 110 volts while 50 amps are 220 volts. There are adapters to allow you to plug a 30 amp cord into one side of a 50 amp supply but you will only be getting 25 amps so you are better off to use the 30 if it is there.

If you use an external pressure regulator it should be at the faucet to protect your hose.

The larger converter will be fine.

I have heard of people that change out the mattress. My 91 is great, can't speak to the new ones as Airstream standards aren't what they used to be.

[jkcru]

I think you will find that each leg of a 50amp outlet is 50amp for a total of 100amps on 220. unless you have the proper adapter do not try to use the 50amp outlet.

[Lumatic]

Covering an Airstream with tarps or RV covers will cause rub marks.

Water is 7+lbs a gallon. Gets pretty heavy moving 20 gals or more. My blue boy has an adapter which lets you hook it to a hitch and tow it to the dump station. The bigger blue boys have 4 wheels.

Amps- 45 is plenty for me. My biggest draw is my AC. Also have a small TV, stereo, not much more. Hooking up to 30amps is all I need.

[Minno]

This link will explain the difference between an RV 30 AMP and 50 AMP outlet:

RV Electric

Camping World and other places sell a 50 amp to 30 amp outlet adapter. A good thing to have along in case the campground either doesn't offer a 30 amp outlet, or the 30 amp outlet doesn't work (run into both situations before).

Chris

[Robbie R.]

Thank you all, very helpful info.

Robbie R.

[Robbie R.]

From what that link said it would be impossible to plug a 30 amp plug like on a AS into a 50 amp plug because the plug is different.......is this correct ?

Robbie R.

[TBRich]

Originally Posted by Robbie R.

From what that link said it would be impossible to plug a 30 amp plug like on a AS into a 50 amp plug because the plug is different.......is this correct ?

Robbie R.

That's correct...the plugs are different...but you can get an adapter to use between your 30 amp cord and the 50 amp plug so that you can use a 50 amp plug-in it if nothing else is available...you will still not be using 50 amps even in this situation.

[TBRich]

Here's our take you your questions...

Originally Posted by Robbie R.

Hello, sorry for the continuing line of questions but I am looking at an 04 -28 and need some pro help from the AS pros.

1.Does anyone ever use tarps on AS ? Will it hurt ?

The consensus seems to be not to use tarps because they will wear on the clearcoat and/or aluminum and cause rub marks, etc.

2. Does the heated tank via forced air work well on these AS and does it work equally well in 20s F with limited forced air or alternate heat source such as 110 heaters used ? Tricks, suggestions ?

The forced air from the furnace should be sufficient for keeping your tanks from freezing into the high 20s at least. Some units have electric tank heaters as well. These can also be installed. If you use another heat source rather than your propane furnace (such as electric heater or catalytic heater) the warm air is not getting to your tanks to keep them from freezing.

3. Does the 28 w all have a 70 gallon combined grey and black water tank and what is the general overall opinion of this method of water containment ? As good or equal as split tanks ?

It should have separate grey and black tanks. I think most would agree that separate tanks are better. Your grey tank will probably fill faster than your black tank because of showers, dish washing, etc.

4. IMPORTANT : What happens when my porta thingy to carry water to dump station is not big enough to hold all 70 gallons (smile) and how does my porta thingy work when it gets to full after 30 or so gallons and I have another 20 or more left in my 70 gallon tank.......... do I ask my wife to come help ?

If you can monitor your blue boy (your "porta thingy") to that you know when it is about full you can close the outlet from the black (or grey) holding tank, dump the blue boy and then return to continue to empty the holding tanks.

5. Are the standard foam mattress good in these units ?

Some or OK with the mattresses...others are not...it's a matter of personal preference. We use a feather bed mattress on top of our mattress and it works for us.

6. My older camper has a 45 amp charger/converter........will the 55 amp on this AS be better or what difference will it be ?

It will be a little better...

7. will the water pressure reducer work well on these AS or do I need an outside unit between water hose and AS ?

We use an external pressure reducer at the outside water source just to be sure we are covered.

8. I don't understand 30 amp campground connection VS 50 amp........does it matter ? Can I use either ? Would it hurt if I plugged my AS cord into either ?

Most AStreams require 30 amp (large ones may have 50...not sure about that). Usually larger A-Class RVs have 50 amp. You should use 30 amp if available. If not, you can use an adapter and plug into a 50 amp plug, but you will not be using 50 amps.

So sorry for all the question and thanks "sincerely" for all the help condensed into one post..........

Robbie R.

[Robbie R.]

Wow ! This about does it.......thanks so very much for all the answers and the time spent to write the answers.

Experience is everything..........

Robbie R.