The Evolution Of The Top 10 Things to Know WHERE in a RV

[dkoldman]

I need help creating a Top 10 list of things that every RV owner should know where they are in their particular model of RV. The intent is to not try to state where they are in everyone's RV, but maybe What they are and WHY they should proactively want to know WHERE they are in case of emergency or failure.

I will try to rank them because some items may get pushed off the list.

Here is something to start with

1. Emergency Start Switch
2. AC Fuse Panel
3. DC Breakers
4. Battery Isolation Manager (BIM)
5. Latching Relay
6. House Batteries 50 - 70 amp Circuit Protector
7. Inverter
8. Converter
9. ATS
10. Manual Awning Retract

All edits, suggestions are welcome.

[16ACE27]

#2 should be Power Center - AC breakers and DC fuses including the reverse polarity fuses.

Add winterizing valves
Add Furnace On/Off/Reset switch

[dkoldman]

1. Emergency Start Switch
2. Power Center - AC breakers and DC fuses including the reverse polarity fuses.
3. House Batteries 50 - 70 amp Circuit Protector
4. Battery Isolation Manager (BIM)
5. Latching Relay
6. DC Breakers
7. Inverter
8. Converter
9. ATS - Auto Transfer Switch
10. Winterizing valves
11. Furnace On/Off/Reset switch
12. Manual Awning Retract

[Lt Keefer]

If your going to add manual awning retract, how about manual slide retract.

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by Lt Keefer

If your going to add manual awning retract, how about manual slide retract.

Yes Slide manual slide retract procedure would be more relevant than awning retract procedure. While we on the slippery slope, might consider Hydraulic Leveler Retract, and those Euro Lift Retracts for those that have drop down beds in Class A

[dkoldman]

1. Emergency Start Switch
2. Power Center - AC breakers and DC fuses including the reverse polarity fuses.
3. House Batteries 50 - 70 amp Circuit Protector
4. Battery Isolation Manager (BIM)
5. Latching Relay
6. DC Breakers
7. Inverter
8. Converter
9. ATS - Auto Transfer Switch
10. Winterizing valves
11. Furnace On/Off/Reset switch
12. Manual Slide retract procedure
13. Manual Hydraulic Leveler Retract
14. Manual Awning Retract
15. Manual Euro Lift Retracts ( on some Class A's)

[atreis]

Low point drains
Auto-leveling hydraulic fluid reservoir

[happy]

Good list{s}

[Mkayers]

Very good lists! I'll definitely be stealing to add in the MH

[Dan-sr@perra-us.net]

Originally Posted by dkoldman

1. Emergency Start Switch
2. Power Center - AC breakers and DC fuses including the reverse polarity fuses.
3. House Batteries 50 - 70 amp Circuit Protector
4. Battery Isolation Manager (BIM)
5. Latching Relay
6. DC Breakers
7. Inverter
8. Converter
9. ATS - Auto Transfer Switch
10. Winterizing valves
11. Furnace On/Off/Reset switch
12. Manual Awning Retract

Add the following:

My RV has a Mercator pump for draining the sink in the outside kitchen. It took me two months to figure out where the switch for that was located.
Location of second dump valve on RV's with multiple black tanks.
Manual retract slides as someone else pointed out.
Manual retract jacks.
Check / add oil for both chassis engine and generator.

[ducksface]

#1= THIS FORUM'S address you carved into your bathroom wall so as to be known by all who enter.
'If you were to vapid to aquire advance knowledge, contact www.thorforums.com'

#2= find/muster the ability/sobriety to describe the situation and to list what actions you have all already tried.

A noble attempt, this list.

A link to this list will be good ammo to pelt the
'Unwilling To Learn Gang'
With.


(Seriously. This forum should #1)

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by atreis

Low point drains
Auto-leveling hydraulic fluid reservoir

Part of #10 - Winterizing Valves

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by atreis

Low point drains
Auto-leveling hydraulic fluid reservoir

1. Emergency Start Switch
2. Power Center - AC breakers and DC fuses including the reverse polarity fuses.
3. House Batteries 50 - 70 amp Circuit Protector
4. Battery Isolation Manager (BIM)
5. Latching Relay
6. DC Breakers
7. Inverter
8. Converter
9. ATS - Auto Transfer Switch
10. Positions of Winterizing valves / Locations of low point drains
11. Furnace On/Off/Reset switch
12. Manual Slide retract procedure
13. Manual Hydraulic Leveler Retract / Auto-leveling hydraulic fluid reservoir
14. Manual Awning Retract
15. Manual Euro Lift Retracts ( on some Class A's)
16. Hot Water heater Anode



You would be proud of me today. I left a State Park in Colorado dumping both holding tanks leaving fresh water at 1/3rd full, and LPG at 1/3 full

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by happy

Good list{s}

Originally Posted by Mkayers

Very good lists! I'll definitely be stealing to add in the MH

I was thinking restricting to Top Ten, but some items should NOT be left out. Maybe when it stabilizes we can rename, but looks to be at least a Top 16 list

Additionally when the list is stabilized, maybe if we divide conquer we can create some additional details for each of the key topics to help one to understand more about WHAT & WHY and basic ideas of what to look for. Many of the coaches wll be different, but the principles will be the same. There are a few on my list that when I get settled from my Trip, I will need to pull out my manual

[Dan-sr@perra-us.net]

Originally Posted by dkoldman

I was thinking restricting to Top Ten, but some items should NOT be left out. Maybe when it stabilizes we can rename, but looks to be at least a Top 16 list

Additionally when the list is stabilized, maybe if we divide conquer we can create some additional details for each of the key topics to help one to understand more about WHAT & WHY and basic ideas of what to look for. Many of the coaches wll be different, but the principles will be the same. There are a few on my list that when I get settled from my Trip, I will need to pull out my manual

It can still be a top ten list. Lot of the items on the list can be different aspects of a major heading for example:

Manual retract procedures.

• Jacks / levelers
• Awning
• Slides

Location of major electrical components

• BIM / or BIRD
• Converter
• Inverter
• 12v circuit breakers
• 110v circuit breakers
• 12v fuse panels

Plumbing

• Anode rod
• Hot water bypass
• Low point drains
• Mercator pump switch(es)

And so on.

[ducksface]

Not to burst any bubbles, but every magazine RV related does something similar at least once a season.

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by ducksface

Not to burst any bubbles, but every magazine RV related does something similar at least once a season.

I am a kind of burst my bubbles guy. Anything to make me go back to the bar and wallow in my misdeeds is a positive. In my outlook, all negatives must have positives to have any effect

With that said, I will give you one guess at how many RV Magazines I read? Answer Zero. So throw me a bone if you have one to reference. I do know about about RVLife Pro because they bombard you on this and seemingly every RV Forum that I know of? While we are on topic of bursting bubbles, it seems like every time I get drawn to an article or story from RV Life, they seem to always be so broad that it has no real value of substance for me. Captain Obvious RV Reports and / or strictly about indiscreet Marketing the innocent.

But for kicks and to play along, I googled my thread's title and found the below. https://weretherussos.com/rv-for-beginners/

RV for Beginners – 15 Things to Know
Table of Contents


#1: How to Shop For and Buy an RV
#2: How to Rent an RV
#3: A Tour of RV Types (or “Classes”)
#4: How to Drive (or Tow) an RV
#5: Must-Have RV Gadgets
#6: How to Find Campsites
#7 Considering Solar for Your RV
#8: Internet for RVers
#9 RVing with Dogs
#10: Hacks for Living Tiny
#11 RV Toilets
#12 Travel Safety and Preparedness
#13 Memberships
#14 Getting Mail
#15 Health Insurance
#16 Get More Use Out of Your RV

Not sure any of of those make the list intended, but if someone wishes to add, I am all ears or if there is another source out there I would love to see to compare with what we have thus far. Maybe something gets moved out.

[16ACE27]

Here's an ADD - bumped my memory from a recently started thread - Water Pump Location.

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by Dan-sr@perra-us.net

It can still be a top ten list. Lot of the items on the list can be different aspects of a major heading for example:

Manual retract procedures.

• Jacks / levelers
• Awning
• Slides

Location of major electrical components

• BIM / or BIRD
• Converter
• Inverter
• 12v circuit breakers
• 110v circuit breakers
• 12v fuse panels

Plumbing

• Anode rod
• Hot water bypass
• Low point drains
• Mercator pump switch(es)

And so on.

Yes that is option. We got plenty of numbers, I can count almost to Infinity

What does BIRD stand for?

I have added some additional based on your input. When / if we get to end we can look to merge and consolidate if necessary. My thought was the list would quickly tell an RV'er how much they may know or not know; with goal to learn what you don't know; so you can spend time learning BEFORE you got caught in crisis.

An example. A few years ago I did not know #11. I was actually boondocking one day and it was fairly cold for us 40 degrees or so, but I could not get hot water I tried everything and read that manual, but was convinced the hot water heater needed to be replaced. I don't honestly remember who saved the day for me, I just know that I didn't figure it out by myself. I was asked if I had pressed the reset button? I was like What Reset button Then when I found them there were two of those buttons and they didn't tell me which of the two to press So I pressed one making sure my wife was not sitting in her Passenger Ejection seat. Nothing happened; so I pressed again harder this time and I pushed the rubber right through the hole. So I pressed the other one and I heard the flame kick on.


1. Emergency Start Switch
2. Power Center - AC breakers and DC fuses including the reverse polarity fuses.
3. House Batteries 50 - 70 amp Circuit Protector
4. Battery Isolation Manager (BIM) / BIRD
5. Latching Relay
6. DC Breakers
7. Inverter
8. Converter
9. ATS - Auto Transfer Switch
10. Positions of Winterizing valves, bypasses / Locations of low point drains / Water Pump Switches
11. Furnace On/Off/Reset switch
12. Manual Slide retract procedure
13. Manual Hydraulic Leveler Retract / Auto-leveling hydraulic fluid reservoir
14. Manual Awning Retract
15. Manual Euro Lift Retracts ( on some Class A's)
16. Hot Water heater Anode
17. Waste Holding tanks management (Pull valves, macerator pumps, sani flush
18. Fresh water fill (Gravity, Valve positions etc.)

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by 16ACE27

Here's an ADD - bumped my memory from a recently started thread - Water Pump Location.

I have added and inserted at #10 ranking moving everything else down one spot.

1. Emergency Start Switch
2. Power Center - AC breakers and DC fuses including the reverse polarity fuses.
3. House Batteries 50 - 70 amp Circuit Protector
4. Battery Isolation Manager (BIM) / BIRD
5. Latching Relay
6. DC Breakers
7. Inverter
8. Converter
9. ATS - Auto Transfer Switch
10. Water Pump(s) location(s)
11. Positions of Winterizing valves, bypasses / Locations of low point drains / Water Pump Switches
12. Furnace On/Off/Reset switch
13. Manual Slide retract procedure
14. Manual Hydraulic Leveler Retract / Auto-leveling hydraulic fluid reservoir
15. Manual Awning Retract
16. Manual Euro Lift Retracts ( on some Class A's)
17. Hot Water heater Anode
18. Waste Holding tanks management (Pull valves, macerator pumps, sani flush
19. Fresh water fill (Gravity, Valve positions etc.)