Common Things RVers Get Wrong. 

Bingo...

Came here to say this… both this’s actually. I’ll cut slack on the direction he tilted it since the rear of the awning was up against a tree

Yep, my understanding is that the whole shock absorber design was invented because people didn't know you had to tilt them, so they came up with the auto dumping design. Plus, most of the new awnings are so high off the ground that you need a step ladder to reach them to try and lower one side.

Congrats, use the wait time to read up on things, and make sure your dealer gives you a VERY thorough orientation, have them hook up the water with you, both city water and tank filling hook up the power, test EVERYTHING, the heat, the air conditioning, the stove, oven, microwave, the hot water, the fridge, the lights, the stabilizers, the waste dumping hose connection, the low point drain. Is there a fuse or breaker for the 12V system? Where is it? How do you reset it? Where are the batteries? Where is the low point drain? How do you operate the slides, the awning, the steps, the weight distributing hitch? Make sure they have a FEW HOURS dedicated to explaining this all to you. Before you leave the lot is the time to find out that the microwave doesn’t work when the hot water or electric fireplace is on (common issue people run into) or that there’s no power to the outlet in the bathroom, etc etc. I am active on a forum for our type of RV and we see questions by new owners every day that are very basic and should have been covered by the dealer. Come with a list of questions. I’ll say it again, do this before the last paper is signed and while you still have leverage over the dealership, while it is still in their interest that you are satisfied. Don’t let the excitement of your new toy blind your judgement and let them rush you. You’ll get off on the right foot and be set up for success. I hope this helped. Happy travels!

To add to Jeremy's comments... I took a video of my walk through so I would remember everything I was shown. So thankful that I did. I've been living full-time in my 5th wheel for a year now and these videos have helped me so much!

Thanks

Thank you!

Thanks Jason, you’re too kind.

I’ve woken up more than a few times to a middle-of-the-night wind storm that sounded like it was going to rip our awning off the side of the camper. We have a pretty traditional style awning so our method is to swing the legs down to the ground and then ratchet strap to those large corkscrew anchors or, better yet, to the truck or a tree or something else solid.

I am a seasonal camper, have my awning tied down with straps and a pair of spiral stakes. Has worked well for the past 3 years

Ours won't stay down. What do we need to do that? Tighten it up?

They make a wind sensor for awnings. Depending on the awning you have you may be able to add the sensor. I had to replace one of the arms to add the sensor but it's saved my awning more than once!

Thanks! Sorry about the awning. Hope you guys are doing well. Did your house get done?

@@AllAboutRVs Yes - house done and we're working to get it customized to our liking - but it's a tough battle to customize a cookie cutter house. Daughter is craving life on the road again but son absolutely loves the space and stability of 'sticks n bricks' life. We'll be back on the road someday - but will live through others in the meantime ;)

Thanks

Thanks

Wow that’s nuts! I wonder if it’s supplier dependent? I just ordered two from an aftermarket supplier (still based in Elkhart Indiana where most rv manufacturers are) two weeks ago and I had them in 3 business days. Maybe because it wasn’t through the RV manufacturer?

geez it would have to be just a trickle of water to keep the water heater from working

@@jimbeaver27 our tankless actually doesn't turn on at the kitchen sink with the standard (government mandated) flow regulator. Once the flow regulator is removed it activates the water heater. There are also problems with waterfall faucets used on higher end models, as they don't have enough flow either.

Nice to see another Botkin out there !

What do you recommend for very low flow water from the source?

@@janetwisecarver7804 tank with pump?

From what you say, I'd guess 100Ah, or 1200 watt hours. It's very important to know that standard batteries should not be taken below half. So you're really looking at 600Wh.

Virtually all RVs will have some minimal parasitic draw from the CO/ smoke detector.

How are you wiring the 2 6-volt batteries to make 12 volts? Is that series or parrellel? I've forgotten, one way yields 12 volts, the other allows more amps at 6 volts.

@@Tsch6373 hi! It's a series connection to make 12 volts.

Thanks

Which is precisely why he's using a pressure regulator...

Where did you get the sensor for the awning?

@@CozyQueenAdventures it’s called a Solera Smart Arm and has this sensor as one of its options that can be bought from Solera. I don’t think it would work with any other type of awning other Han the smart arm.

Thank you @ Bud Lamy. We will check it out. We want to change our awning arms eventually. Having that sensor would be great!