Forest River misinformation

JFM-jr · 02-09-2012, 10:06 AM

Before purchasing a 2009 FR Salem 30QBSS i called the FR tech support to get holding tank capacities. I was told 42 fresh/60 Gray/ 35 black. Purchased the unit got it home crawling around underneath to get familiar with everything I see the tanks. First clue the specs I was given were wrong was the balck and grey tanks were indentical. I look up the manufacturer of the tank stamped on it with the model number and they are both 28 gallon tanks. They did get one out of three correct the fresh is indeed 42 gallon. I guess 33.3% correct is not bad. Not a huge deal here but a far cry from what I was told.

Filthy Beast · 02-09-2012, 10:28 AM

I guess I would have been a bit more upset as tank size is a deal breaker for us. We want larger tanks as we boondock quite a bit. But whatever works for you.

Dave_Monica · 02-09-2012, 11:41 AM

Are you sure that there isn't another, separate grey water tank for the kitchen...that's very common. The manufacturers usually quote grey tank capacity as total gallons. We have 2 x 38 gal tanks...spec says 76 gal.

Dave

JFM-jr · 02-09-2012, 03:48 PM

I'm positive the brochures from FR list the capacities all the way to 2011 the same as she told me. I stopped by the dealer today and looked underneath a 2012 identical model and it has the same 28 gallon tanks as my 09. Looked at a 2012 brochure and what do you know they changed the listed capacities to the correct figures.? It does state on the rear of the brochures FR reserves the right to change specs without notice , real nice eh?

donn · 02-09-2012, 04:00 PM

And at the bottom of every brochure I have ever seen, whether it was for a car/truck or RV is a disclaimer saying something to the effect "we are not responsible for the specs printed in this brochure. They were accurate at the time of printing."

ng2951 · 02-09-2012, 06:57 PM

You might also check to see when the model year changed. It might be you have either an early or late model year trailer and the specs might have changed.

Rod Johnson · 02-11-2012, 10:36 PM

Sometimes it goes the other way. I was supposed to have a 34 gal fuel tank for the fuel station, turns out its 40 gallons.

campdohbrew · 02-14-2012, 06:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JFM-jr

Before purchasing a 2009 FR Salem 30QBSS i called the FR tech support to get holding tank capacities. I was told 42 fresh/60 Gray/ 35 black. Purchased the unit got it home crawling around underneath to get familiar with everything I see the tanks. First clue the specs I was given were wrong was the balck and grey tanks were indentical. I look up the manufacturer of the tank stamped on it with the model number and they are both 28 gallon tanks. They did get one out of three correct the fresh is indeed 42 gallon. I guess 33.3% correct is not bad. Not a huge deal here but a far cry from what I was told.

Your experience with being misinformed does make me curious about Forest River organizational structure – what department does Technical Support come under? I guess before now I have never thought about it. Because of your experience, I hope it is not under the engineering department. If the Technical Support is part of the engineering department, there is absolutely no excuse for that type misinformation. The tech support is got to be under something other than engineering.

As you, the difference in tanks’ capacities would not have bothered me simply because I always camp in improved sites with hookups. The biggest difference of what was quoted and what was received is with the grey tank which is 47% capacity of what you were quoted. The black is not too bad as it is 80% capacity of the quoted. The grey tank capacity could reap havoc for somebody who does not camp where there are sewer hookups.

I bet technical support comes under the sales department. It would be nice to see an organizational chart.

LadyWindrider · 02-14-2012, 09:28 AM

The fresh water tank is also probably a 36 gallon, and then you have 6 gallons in the water heater. that makes the total 42 gallons. Of course, you can't use it all, but that amount can be on board. As an RV tech, it is rare to find a camper with a larger gray tank than fresh water tank. No need for it as you would be out of water before the tank is full. It's possible the tech support person looked up the wrong trailer when you called them. If you really need that much capacity, get a Blue Boy, and dump the gray in that when it is full, and have fun hauling fresh water to refill the fresh tank, because it will be dry.

JFM-jr · 02-14-2012, 10:15 AM

The fresh water tank is 42 gallons I measured the tank dimensions and used the formula to figure out U.S. gallons. Tech support person DID NOT look up wrong model. Have a look in a Forest River brochure from 2009-2011 and tell me the listed specs on a Salem 30QBSS. I since purchasing have and it states 42/60/35. Only the new 2012 brochure shows the CORRECT capacities. I can say the brochure changed but looking at a 2009 (mine) and a 2012 the tanks have not changed only the brochure has. Using the blue boy does not bother me much and I have a 12volt pump with a spare tank in my pickup for freshwater refill so I'm setup just fine and plan on "having fun". Fact is its LAME to be misinformed like I was but I can't wait for camping season.

JFM-jr · 02-14-2012, 10:30 AM

The only other thing I can think of here is I have an "LE" model not sure if that has any bearing in this tho. . . . . . Windrider are you a FR tech?

Oakman · 02-14-2012, 10:42 AM

Tank capacities are very important in my decision when I buy an RV, the larger the better. Small grey water capacity can be a deal breaker for me. Most Wildcat fifth wheels offer a 60 gallon fresh water tank, with 100 gallons of grey water capacity, and 50 gallons of black water capacity. While our waste tanks are much larger than the fresh water tank, I have no problem keeping water in the fresh tank. When my wife and I boondock I add 3 to 5 gallons of fresh back into the tank every day. It doesn’t take long to add that small amount when done as a daily chore and it really extends the time we can spend boondocking before we have to leave to dump our tanks. BTW, we use bottled water for our drinking water, coffee, and tea.

Blue Totes aren’t always an option in many NFS campgrounds because many lack a dump station.

LadyWindrider · 02-14-2012, 03:03 PM

I work part time for an independent dealer, and we carry Shasta, Wildwood, and Cardinal. We also carry Freeports. I am in not affiliated with Forrest River, other than I own a Work and Play toy hauler. We work on most any and everything, except motor homes.

TURBS · 02-14-2012, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by windrider

The fresh water tank is also probably a 36 gallon, and then you have 6 gallons in the water heater. that makes the total 42 gallons. Of course, you can't use it all, but that amount can be on board. As an RV tech, it is rare to find a camper with a larger gray tank than fresh water tank. No need for it as you would be out of water before the tank is full. It's possible the tech support person looked up the wrong trailer when you called them. If you really need that much capacity, get a Blue Boy, and dump the gray in that when it is full, and have fun hauling fresh water to refill the fresh tank, because it will be dry.

Your statement about no need to have a grey water tank bigger than usable fresh water is really incorrect because more often than not I think people have more city water connections than not.
90% of Midwest camping has city water hook ups and your limited to grey and black water capacity.
my fresh water tank is 42 gallons
My grey is two tanks at 63 gallons each for a total of 126
and my black is 42 gallons

LadyWindrider · 02-15-2012, 01:39 AM

F100turbo, my statement, and you quoted it, "As an RV tech, it is rare to find a camper with a larger gray tank than fresh water tank". Read the word RARE. I'm also on the east coast, and we do have campgrounds with water and power, and no sewer at the site, so yes, tank size would matter. That is why I suggested a tote, to dump the gray, and haul it to the dump station. Later the OP said the campground stated "no dump station".

We all can't visit every campground, or try every trailer on the market. We can only make suggestions, and offer suggestions based on our experience, and our equipment, and what we are familiar with. Of the several hundred trailers I see every year, it is rare to find one, with a gray tank larger than the fresh tank. Never said they didn't make them, just a rare occurrence in my experience. That is all.

campdohbrew · 02-15-2012, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by windrider

...it is rare to find a camper with a larger gray tank than fresh water tank. No need for it as you would be out of water before the tank is full.

Windrider statements make a lot sense to me. The city water connection cannot be used because ideally the water supply is to infinity. Only the built-in self-containment water supply factor (fresh water tank capacity) which is finite can be used to determine waste water collection capacity (another finite).

JFM-jr · 02-15-2012, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by windrider

Later the OP said the campground stated "no dump station".

You have me mixed up with another member who added to this thread. I have yet to visit a campground anywhere on Long Island without a dump station. This is why this whole "misinformation" topic was not a catastrophic thing for me I can use the BlueBoy tote. The intention of this thread was the fact I was a little annoyed with being provided false information. Here are pics of the 2011 and 2012 spec sheets from the FR brochures.

2011

as you can see in the colomn for the 30QBSS the capacities near the bottom are 42,35,60 hell they even got the awning size wrong (very bottom)as well they list it at 21' and its actually 18.

2012

This pic above is the 2012 brochure with much more accurate tanks sizes as well as the awning. Again I can state with crystal clear certainty the tanks on my 2009 and the tanks on the 2012 at the local dealer are identical. They are Ameri-Kart BH052 tanks and here is info right off the Ameri-Kart site:

BH052
Blow Molded
Holding Tank

28 Gallons

campdohbrew · 02-15-2012, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JFM-jr

...this whole "misinformation" topic was not a catastrophic thing for me I can use the BlueBoy tote. The intention of this thread was the fact I was a little annoyed with being provided false information.

You got ever right to be annoyed! Thank God the misinformation is not catastrophic in your particular case. Tank capacity is a big deal. Specifications matter. It is shameful the way people work today – absolutely no pride.

JFM-jr · 02-15-2012, 04:51 PM

Yeah i'll live, fact is I took a hit in tank capacity over the 1998 Skyline unit I sold for this FR unit. Those tanks were all 40 gallons right across the board. I usually had to dump the grey tank with the BlueBoy with that unit after a few days. Nice part was the black tank always managed to hold out for me and I never once had to use the BlueBoy to dump the black tank. With a 12 gallon hit on this FR unit i'm afraid im not gonna have that luxury.

You may also like: