Did gas check. We have a gauge. I have to find out of if this comes standard or if it it reliable. Needless to say, it failed the gas check. This is possible because I do not know how to switch of the pilot lights in the gas heater, furnace or fridge or if they indeed have pilot lights. However, both the dealer and the mechanic did a gas check before we took delivery, so I think we are good anyway. Either that of we’ll go out in flames (I’d rather be ashes than dust – Jack London). I think I feel much like the older generations do when it comes to computers. They always ask me “but how do you know where to find that function?” Answer: “Well, it just seems natural to me that there should be a utility like that and that it would probably be in that general area”. Well, nothing seems natural here. I tell you, regular home owners live a very protected, that is from the knowledge of the operation of their appliances, life. We had our walk through scheduled around 1pm. We did not make it. I was cleaning. DW was packing and throwing out stuff. We must have made 20+ runs between the house and the RV. Things were piling up outside. Are we beginning to look like trailer trash. Bad form. Tried lighting the stove. I could smell gas around the LP tank when I opened the valve (is that normal?) and we can manually light the stove. Couldn’t get the damn pilot light on and I simply can’t find the pilot light for the oven. It’s not like a computer. Also the plumbing compartment is leaking as the maintenance guy noted when he came over with the sewer connector adapter — turns out that this place was built in 1944 (old army barracks?) and it’s not standard. So now we have electricity, generator (in case of an earth quake, we will have the power, yo!), satelitte, running (cold) water, a place to take a dump (but nowhere to dump it yet), and a shower. The shower drain seems to be clogged. The fridge/freezer does not work, so our food is slowly going and has to be eaten soon. Also the dog freaks out every time we leave him in the RV. I go to bed not being able to sleep very well. Stressed out having feelings of being a bad provider or some similar atavistic feelings. I feel that the next few days is going to make or break this adventure.
8 users responded in " Second day in the RV "
Subscribes to this post comment rss or trackback urlIf I think anyone can turn that RV around, it would be you. Best of luck man.
Yikes. I’m sorry, I had to laugh. RV’s are just like learning to juggle at first. Everything goes wrong. When I got mine the toilet drain was clogged (people told me that wasn’t possible…yes it was), the electric switch for the water heater melted itself, and the cooling unit in the fridge died.
Get one of those RV books from the library, I think one is called the RV’ers bible or something. Or find an old fella to show you the secrets or if you can’t find an old fella, spend a little money and hire someone to show you. Some things are really important and some things aren’t and you need to know the difference.
I don’t know if our RV’s are similar at all, I have a 1992 NuWa hitchhiker 5th wheel. My fridge has a control panel on top. Can be electric or gas. It lights itself when switched on gas(if it isn’t clogged by dirt or a little spider). I light the stove top and oven every time. I’m not sure if they have a pilot. I wouldn’t want them to burn my gas up anyway. My furnace lights itself. Water heater is a little more complicated. There were directions for lighting outside in the water heater compartment. I stopped using gas for hot water and only use the electric switch located in my kitchen (not labeled either).
Stick with it! It will get easier once things become familiar…and yet there will always be something new that goes wrong. Camping is fun right?
Oh, and get a $50 mini fridge off craigs list like I did for back-up. RV fridges are terribly tempermental and horribly expensive to fix. I spent $800 last year and $200 this year and the thing still won’t work on electricity. Does seem to work on gas now but only because I got a new gas burner last year.
Hope life gets better in the RV 🙂
Yay, thanks for convincing me never to live full time in an RV.
So much for dreaming of a care-free RV life. Goodluck, I hope you make it!
Stick with it!! Remember. RVers Mantra 101: If the neighbors truly are annoying trailer trash, start your engine and move. That one aspect alone would make taking a dump outside in a hole worth it.
LOL – at this point you’ll die early from all the stress and won’t have to worry about early retirement!! KIDDDING – hang in there – anything new that you do takes ramping up time. You’ll both be laughing your heads off about this in a few months. Cheers! -SoCal