The park is open from March 1 to October 1 and that is their normal season.

Marlan

I have only just begun the awesome adventure of RV living. I am a little intimidated by all the new gadgets of newer RVs compared to the 70s model we had when I was a youngster. However, my wife, 2-year old daughter and I lived in another old tt in 97; I bought it for 1600; it had no air, no heat and mice. She was pregnant at the time too. That 2-year old is now graduating high school this year. Anyway, I am writing you again to tell you that my apprehension to beginning living in an RV while going to law school (need total quitness studying) is real owing to all the buttons, switches, alarms, signals, gauges, along with auto this and auto that found inside my 2003 AF – yes, quite intimidating. However, your website is unbelievably filled with every single unanswered question I have been asking myself (and RV stores) since I started looking a month ago for my new “home.”

Your website is filled with absolutely awesome articles: more informative and knowledge-based articles than any RV store or RV technician could ever know! WOW! I don’t feel as “all-alone” as I once did knowing “if I have ever thought of an issue, the solution to that is in rv52 somewhere!” All I have to do is type in my search question.

To be totally safe, though, I’m going to hire an RV tech to come out and give me a demo of all the fancy junk that’s inside my new home just so I’ll have a fresh, safe, and great start. Then, I plan on reading all of your articles pertinent to my AF. Thank you so much, Marlan, for taking the time to develop such an awesome and “FREE” website!

Your new “hooked” customer;

Gary Smith

If you want to help me out a little – doing any sharing or liking or linking to my pages would be super great!

If I don’t hear from you again soon, have a GREAT weekend.

Marlan

I will be sure to watch those videos.

I like your website.

Gary

From your description above, your converter sounds fine. I don’t think I would bother with a 2nd battery. If this one goes out, just go pick up another one. Temperature, usage, heat, and running out of water are what wear the batteries out.

Here is one article I wrote about battery care: http://rv52.com/better-check-your-rv-battery-it-needs-it-and-it-isnt-hard/
Here is a video collection on batteries: http://rv52.com/how-to-video/how-to-all-about-batteries/
Here is a video collection on converters: http://rv52.com/how-to-video/how-to-all-about-converters/
Here is a fun article about using your battery: http://rv52.com/rv-basics-what-can-you-do-on-a-single-12-volt-battery/

With a fully operational converter you’ll usually have one of the following voltage levels – Equalizing (15 vdc), Bulk (14.2 vdc), and Float (13.2 vdc). Most of the time your inverter will be 13.2Volts. You can get a voltmeter at Radio Shack. If your voltages get to be 12 or 11, then definitely your inverter is not working.

I have no idea on how to know if your wiring is good. I guess check every single thing in the RV. But it is really the UNSEEN wiring issues that will get you. For those, I don’t have any idea how to check. Generally they will show up quick I would think – like right after the RV has been moved. That will be a short or something similar. Or a birds nest where it shouldn’t be.

Good luck Gary!

Cheers, Marlan

Those sure were great tips! Thank you. I have decided to get a service company to come out (if they will) and check all the wiring before I start living in my AF. It only had one battery; although there is a place for two. I took that one dead battery to an auto repair store, and he’s charging it; he told me it looks like it’s going to hold its charge. I’m worried, though, that if whoever I bought it from actually bought it at an auction, they may not really don’t anything about the wiring. Even though when I went to pick it up, they had the 120v plugged in and the lights were working inside and out and the front jack switch was working too. But when we brought it home, the truck that was pulling it didn’t supply enough power to get that front jack switch working like it did when it was plugged into the 120v. And, if it was just sitting around for a long period of time without 120v going to it, then the battery would have normally and naturally discharged. I guess without 120v, it couldn’t have recharged itself – which means (and by the way, I’m only guessing on all of this), that the converter may be good. So, if the battery is charged by tomorrow morning “holding its charge,” then how can I know if the converter is good? When I plug my AF in to the 120v, is the converter designed to keep the battery charged? If the converter is bad, even when the 120v is plugged in, will the power drain the battery too? Should I have two batteries, to purchase another one because there is a slot for a second battery? And just so you can get the full picture, my RV is in our driveway, setup, where I plan on living in it for the next four years, no camping, always plugged into 120v. I hope you don’t mind answering my questions and helping me get used to this type of living. That was smart about the refrigerator needing to be level. That’s like why people say not to lay them on their side, something to do with oil, which is probably the reasoning behind needing the rv level or the refer will go bad. That was another great tip on where to start looking for awnings. Thanks very much!
Gary

Good questions.
1) I’m not sure on the AF. I do NOT have them on my fifth wheel and it is designed so that water does not drain into the RV. You can find the slide awnings on Amazon. Start you search on Amazon here -> http://rv52.com/amazon

2) I DO think that not having a battery would be hard on the converter. The converter is designed to charge the batteries and power is taken off of the batteries. The batteries are like a “smoother” for the power demands. You should be able to find a deep cycle marine/RV battery for around $100 just about anywhere.

3) No. Check the inside of the doors in the basement. Also check around the fifth wheel hitch where it is likely to be stamped into the metal.

4) It doesn’t have to be perfect, but your refrigerator will burn up without being level. Also, you do not want to create a situation where the 5th wheel could move dangerously down a hill.

5) Yes. You might be able to as well. You can find replacements at an RV dealer OR on Amazon.

Good luck.