Basic RV'ing Books?

[Rounder44]

Howdy,

While AF is invaluable it is a bit more cumbersome to search and weed through topics for answers.

As a first timer getting ready for an extended road trip I still have tons of questions and am looking for a bit better than "we do this" but perhaps some of the reasons why.

For instance; black water management. Using which additives and how much, when to empty. Pros and cons of disposal systems.

How a refrigerator works; battery/propane/shore power etc.

Battery management...

And on and on.

I know most information should be universal to RV's and not specific to my AS.

Many of the books I see on Amazon are motorhome centric so most likely deal with issues that don't concern my rig....

Is there a "bible" of RV'ing that could answer my questions so I don't clog up AF with basic questions?

Thanks,

Rounder44

[lynnsr]

Basic RVing

Cumbersome, it maybe, however your best source:
Airforums
RV.net
Browse the YouTube channels

It may take some time, however, it is enjoyable, educational, and you will garner some of the latest thoughts.:wally

Lynnsr

[smithcreek]

Newbies Guide to Airstreaming. As far as technical "how to questions go there is really almost nothing in it that is not covered in your manual, just a lot more concise and to the point.

[MWBishop]

And don't forget the newbies-guide follow-on book:


Airstream Life's (Nearly) Complete Guide to Airstream Maintenance

[Hittenstiehl]

Explore More just did some great videos on their YouTube channel about basic systems.

[Rounder44]

Thanks!

I have the books mentioned but they don't address the finer points.

I started to research black water "additives" and an hour later thought I had some good advice but little of it explained "why".

Mostly anecdotal and "worked for me" explanations.

Even the ins and outs of travel; best practices of fueling, checking propane, weigh stations, rv parks etc.....

I see some "idiots" guides on Amazon but 3-4 star reviews mostly....

AF is fantastic but I'd love an hard copy reference. When I'm at the AS I only have small iPhone and it's difficult to access information that way!

Thanks,

R44

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Rounder44

Howdy,

While AF is invaluable it is a bit more cumbersome to search and weed through topics for answers.

As a first timer getting ready for an extended road trip I still have tons of questions and am looking for a bit better than "we do this" but perhaps some of the reasons why.

For instance; black water management. Using which additives and how much, when to empty. Pros and cons of disposal systems.

How a refrigerator works; battery/propane/shore power etc.

Battery management...

And on and on.

I know most information should be universal to RV's and not specific to my AS.

Many of the books I see on Amazon are motorhome centric so most likely deal with issues that don't concern my rig....

Is there a "bible" of RV'ing that could answer my questions so I don't clog up AF with basic questions?

Thanks,

Rounder44

Hi

Ok:

Black water - dump it when it's full, flush the tank when dumping, put in an additive of your choice after the dump. Why? If it's full you can't put any more in. Flush to get everything out. Additive simply to make it smell a bit better.

Fridge: A normal RV fridge works by boiling and re-condensing an ammonia solution. There is a boiler and a condenser involved. The system needs to be reasonably level or the tubing will block with bubbles or fluid (depending on which side). Since it's heat driven, you need to get rid of the excess heat off of he condenser. On shore power the boiler runs off of 120V. On the road the boiler heats off of propane. If it's a three way (many are not) it can boil the fluid off of 12V battery power. In all cases the control board runs off of 12V power.

Battery management:

Assume it will take 8 hours of charging to get the battery "full". It may not, but this is a good starting point. Once charged, with nothing going on (no shore power / no loads / 2 hours of settling / at 70F) the battery should read about 12.6V. Why? Voltage drops in wiring will throw off readings. Batteries take time to chemically settle after use or charging. Battery voltages are temperature dependent. Each of those points could be expanded into at least a dozen books.

Battery capacity for lead acid batteries is a "100% discharge" number. You *can* discharge to this point. They will not live very long if you do. Best advice is to stop using them around 50% discharge. That is roughly 12.0 to 12.1V at 70F. The stop using point will be a higher voltage when it's cold and a lower voltage when it's hot. Just how much higher or lower is very much a "that depends" sort of thing. A half volt higher at freezing is not uncommon.

Flooded cells should be checked for water level from time to time. In hot dry climates that may be monthly. In the cold and damp that may be a lot less often. AGM batteries don't have this issue. Why? AGM's are sealed. Flooded cells turn the water in them into gas which then floats off into the atmosphere.

Batteries in an AS should be charged about once every week or two. There are parasitic loads the will flatten them if you don't. How fast they go down is very dependent on your exact trailer and it's configuration.

That's more than you likely will see in any book on RV use on any of those questions. It does not get into advertising specific products. Unlike the authors of some of those books, I have not been paid to sell you less than ideal products.

Are the points above complete? Nope, a full discussion of some of them will get into 4 years of college level training. Are they open to debate? You bet they are !!! Tune into any thread here and there will be debate.

Any more questions?

Bob

[Gopher John]

I know this isn't exactly what you're looking for, but "Travels with Charley" by John Steinbeck is an awesome RV book!

[Overstreet]

I don't know it they speak to what you want but I'm sure they would be entertaining...………….

https://www.amazon.com/Long-Honeymoo...70_&dpSrc=srch

[Overstreet]

Originally Posted by Gopher John

I know this isn't exactly what you're looking for, but "Travels with Charley" by John Steinbeck is an awesome RV book!

John Steinbeck didn't explain why things did what they did the way the OP wants, but I agree it was a good book.

[ITSNO60]

Originally Posted by Overstreet

I don't know it they speak to what you want but I'm sure they would be entertaining...………….

https://www.amazon.com/Long-Honeymoo...70_&dpSrc=srch

I love those two and I am going to have my wife watch their videos to help her get over some of the fear she has of RVing.

[Prickly Pear]

“Trailer Life’s RV Repair and Maintenance Manual” by Bob Livingston is good reference on how things work. It is 2002 publication, This is a dated publication on the basics of systems. New systems have more bells and whistles, but the basics remain. I bought a copy for my son this summer because I didn’t want to pass mine along. Used copies available at Amazon.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

One of the big things that a book really can't give you is the "this system on that year of this model has this issue ..." sort of thing. At least in my case, that stuff has been incredibly valuable (like it probably saved some big money ...). The same forum research that keeps you up on that stuff also educates you on the various systems.

Bob

[Rounder44]

Thanks!

I ordered a copy of the Woodall's RV Guide.

While I get it about model specific issues I'm looking for a more general approach to figuring out the whole idea of RV'ing.

I'll mostly have my iPhone for referencing online info and that's far from ideal especially if out of signal range.

While we're at it is there a good road atlas geared toward RV's? Focus on camping and fuel stops etc...

Thanks,

R44

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Like it or not, we now live in the world of apps. There are lots of apps that will give you all sorts of info on this and that. For most of the country, publications that detail what's going on around you no longer exist. The one exception I can think of is the Milepost if you are headed to Alaska.

There are RV oriented GPS units that have *some* info stored in them. The ones I have seen are very much hit or miss on the loaded data. They will get you in trouble about as often as they get you out of trouble.

Bob

[Rounder44]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi
. The one exception I can think of is the Milepost if you are headed to Alaska.


Bob

I was just thinking of the Milepost! I did the Al-Can back in the 1980's and that book was cool!

Apps are great but limited and distracting. iPhones etc tend to foster a 30 second attention span with me. Old time atlas I can pour over for hours!

Apps and even Google maps are increasingly advertiser driven too, so unlike a print atlas paid promotions will be above what you're actually searching for. An atlas allows me to see along my route what's coming up

While speaking of atlas's I see a GoodSam atlas that may only highlight their facilities but that could be good enough.

I'd love one with BLM information and maybe suggested routes or ones to avoid etc...

Thanks!

R44

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Rounder44

I was just thinking of the Milepost! I did the Al-Can back in the 1980's and that book was cool!

Apps are great but limited and distracting. iPhones etc tend to foster a 30 second attention span with me. Old time atlas I can pour over for hours!

Apps and even Google maps are increasingly advertiser driven too, so unlike a print atlas paid promotions will be above what you're actually searching for. An atlas allows me to see along my route what's coming up

While speaking of atlas's I see a GoodSam atlas that may only highlight their facilities but that could be good enough.

I'd love one with BLM information and maybe suggested routes or ones to avoid etc...

Thanks!

R44

Hi

Think of the number of Milepost's that get sold each year (and the cost). Given that the rest of the universe is app centric, would you be willing to pay $300 a copy each year for your BLM map book (that covers 4 states maybe ...) ? Yes, that sounds a bit high, but the costs in the publishing world are a bit crazy. Think of all the ads in the Milepost. Probably not much advertising revenue from that BLM map book.

Bob