New owners of a 26DBH and have a few questions

[linds]

We are very excited to have our first travel trailer. We were not given a thorough walk through at all and have learned most everything through reading and YouTube. Our walk through guide even turned the switch on to the water heater and instructed us that it was the switch for the furnace. 😒
Question 1:
We went to drain our fresh water tank last night and the lines and the drains were also not where they pointed we would find them. They also told us it was a simple valve. We found the end of two hoses that we had to climb under the trailer to reach (Not convenient ) and they had screw on end caps that we had to unscrew. Does this seem right? Are we missing something?

Question 2:
We went on our first trip and arrived to find our fresh water tank empty? We have no idea why. 🤷Everyththing seems closed to us. Anyone know what could have happened?

Questions 3:
While camping there was a nasty smell coming from my closet which sits by the water heater. We had to open the outside storage compartment to vent it out. My husband seems to honk it was onlybhappening when it was windy outside and blowing it in. But I hope not since I’m sure we will deal with wind often and I prefer my closet to not smell like propane and road kill.

Question 4:
We bought a stronger 15 ft sewer hose and we think we need the 10 ft extension. Does anyone know if we will be able to fit the extension in the bumper with the 15 feet we already have?

Question 5:
After it rained be brought the slide in and water was on our floor. Should we take it back to the dealer and have them fix something. I would assume it’s okay to have the slide out while it rains.

Question 6:
All of our outside compartments are hard to unlock. It’s like the dealer damaged the key or the locks while showing the trailer prior to us purchasing it. Is this something they can replace or fix. It’s kind of annoying. Especially since it’s a brand new trailer.

Questions 7:
On the slide under the couch there is a black rubber strip (kind of like a door weather strip) but on the dinette side it’s just open and exposed wood and insulation. Is it supposed to be like this or is the rubber strip missing on the dinette side?

Question 8:
No light switch in bathroom. Is there a remedy for this? My kids can’t reach the ceiling lights.


Thank you so much for taking any time to read my questions!! I really appreciate it!

[josheaton]

I have a similar camper, so I can probably answer many of these questions.

1) Yes these valves are under the camper. They're just screw off caps. A pain to get to, but they're not called low point drains for nothing.

2) Did you fill the tank before leaving? Were the caps open for the drive?

3) Interesting. I normally start with plumbing. Was there any water in the black or grey tanks? Did the P traps have fluid in them? Many times after driving, we run a little water down all drains to fill the traps.

4) Not sure about the sewer hose. We rarely camp with full hookups. 15 feet of sewer hose is a lot. We easily fit 10 in our bumper.

5) Water will sit on top of the slide. When you pull it in, sometimes that water will leak around the edges. I'd inspect the flange on the outside of the slide and make sure that it is intact.

6) A little WD-40 will work wonders on those little locks. Aside from the key being essentially universal, there are a number of reasons to replace them. There are videos all over Youtube showing the replacement process.

7) Not sure, but doesn't sound right. Do you have a picture?

8) Adding a light switch wouldn't be the hardest thing to do, just would require a little bit of creativity, and a few dollars worth of parts!

Good luck!

[Kaadk]

Originally Posted by linds

We are very excited to have our first travel trailer. We were not given a thorough walk through at all and have learned most everything through reading and YouTube. Our walk through guide even turned the switch on to the water heater and instructed us that it was the switch for the furnace. ��

Congratulations on the new trailer! It sucks that your weren't given a decent PDI, but that's what we're here for.

Originally Posted by linds

Question 1:
We went to drain our fresh water tank last night and the lines and the drains were also not where they pointed we would find them. They also told us it was a simple valve. We found the end of two hoses that we had to climb under the trailer to reach (Not convenient ) and they had screw on end caps that we had to unscrew. Does this seem right? Are we missing something?

If there's two hoses, that's probably the low point drains. These drain the water lines, not the fresh water tank. Especially if they happen to be red and blue. The fresh water drain might be a much smaller drain that's going to look something like this:



It may be tucked up where you can't see it, but it will be near where your fresh water tank is. Try looking directly under the trailer near your fresh water fill.

Originally Posted by linds

Question 2:
We went on our first trip and arrived to find our fresh water tank empty? We have no idea why. ��Everyththing seems closed to us. Anyone know what could have happened?

This might be related to the fresh water drain. If it was left open at the dealers, then whatever water you put in drained out as you're driving down the road. Sometimes they've been known to end up with a suction effect from the vent hose, but given your first question, let's rule out the drain first.

Originally Posted by linds

Questions 3:
While camping there was a nasty smell coming from my closet which sits by the water heater. We had to open the outside storage compartment to vent it out. My husband seems to honk it was onlybhappening when it was windy outside and blowing it in. But I hope not since I’m sure we will deal with wind often and I prefer my closet to not smell like propane and road kill.

Not sure on this one. If your tank has an electric option, try running that first instead of propane and see if you still notice it.

Originally Posted by linds

Question 4:
We bought a stronger 15 ft sewer hose and we think we need the 10 ft extension. Does anyone know if we will be able to fit the extension in the bumper with the 15 feet we already have?

Without knowing your exact bumper, I can't say. I can fit 2 Camco RhinoFlex 10' extensions in my bumper with room to spare, but the main line is stored in a different location. I haven't tried to put the main and an extension in at the same time. If you try it and it's just close, then you can maybe hook the extension and main line together to reduce the overall length.

Originally Posted by linds

Question 5:
After it rained be brought the slide in and water was on our floor. Should we take it back to the dealer and have them fix something. I would assume it’s okay to have the slide out while it rains.

Yes, it's ok to have the slide out when it rains. It's not something the Dealer will be able to fix for you, it's kind of the nature of the slides. You're pulling a roof into your trailer after all. A tip is to slightly raise or lower the trailer so it's tilted before pulling the slide in if it's been heavy rain. This will allow the water to run off the slide better. Another option is to get a slide topper, (awning over the slide).

Originally Posted by linds

Question 6:
All of our outside compartments are hard to unlock. It’s like the dealer damaged the key or the locks while showing the trailer prior to us purchasing it. Is this something they can replace or fix. It’s kind of annoying. Especially since it’s a brand new trailer.

Most likely your compartments are the usual CH751 that a lot of trailers have. If so, you may find it interesting to know there's a lot of people out there with keys to your storage compartments. It's generally recommended to change the locks out to something else. I went with a set of combination locks for mine, but many will go with a different keyed lock.

Originally Posted by linds

Questions 7:
On the slide under the couch there is a black rubber strip (kind of like a door weather strip) but on the dinette side it’s just open and exposed wood and insulation. Is it supposed to be like this or is the rubber strip missing on the dinette side?

Without seeing it, hard to say.

Originally Posted by linds

Question 8:
No light switch in bathroom. Is there a remedy for this? My kids can’t reach the ceiling lights.

In our TT, there was a wall switch that ran both the ceiling light and the fan. If you have one, that might the option, otherwise it's not hard to add a switch, if you're handy, but you'll need to fish some wiring in the wall. Some others have installed remote controlled LEDs, but personally I think it's a bit overkill for just a bathroom light.

Originally Posted by linds

Thank you so much for taking any time to read my questions!! I really appreciate it!

Not a Problem, and again, congrats on the new trailer!

[BandJCarm]

Had the same trailer and loved it. I had lots of questions too. IMHO your questions and issues are not major.

1. " They told us" is usually wrong, sad to say. Yes, they are way under the camper.

2. It leaked somewhere. Probably via the low water drain being open for that tank, somehow.

3. Don't know how roadkill got into your trailer. But sounds like stale water in a tank or the water heater, maybe. If it persists, someone should check it, but I bet it goes away after using more water through the system. Just my guess.

4. No idea. Try it out. A 10 foot extension will compress down to about 3 feet. Try to put something that size in there.

5. Tilt the trailer that way before bringing slide in. Rain water is going to pool on top most likely.

6. One of the things I noticed on mine was that the doors didn't work right, and the locks didn't work right, if the trailer wasn't perfectly level. Getting it level was a constant issue. Had nothing against THIS trailer for that, all the manual-level trailers are that way, hard to get level and keep them level

7. Yes, should be a weather strip all the way around. Should be easy to add one.

8. Honestly, I don't remember how the light worked in bathroom. I 'vaguely' remember it worked like you said. I assume (?) some electrician-minded person could add a switch. Sorry, I just don't remember how ours worked.......but it was a 2014 and might be different.

[cavie]

Question #1
there are actually 4 drains under the trailer. The 2 you found with the caps on are the low point drains used for winterizing. Blue and Red. You will also find 2 more near your fresh water tank. 1 will have a valve. that is the tank drain. the other will have nothing on the end. it is the vent for the fresh water tank.

Question 2
Did you fill it? be sure the dave valve is closed. See question #1

Question #3
Be sure your P-traps have water in them. Is the sink near the WH? There may be a Check valve vent stuck open under the cabinet.

Question #4
I don't think the 15 and 10 will fit in the bumper. use a big plastic storage container.

Question#5
Side out in the rain is no problem. You need to get on the roof and brush the water off and dry it before you bring the slide in.

Question #6
WD 40 on the locks And push in on the door while locking and unlocking.

Question #7
you should never see wood and insulation

Question #8
Look on the wall outside the bathroom. Either side of the door or across the hall. There SHOULD be a switch.

We are here to help. We all need help at some point.

[Thurman]

I have the 310 BHDS which is just a longer version of yours with a bunk slide (3 g'son's). This is not our first TT and I have worked on many friends units.
1) I would say that you should be finding four (4) low point drain lines under your unit. One for fresh water tank overflow, which should NOT be capped. A hot water, a cold water, and a fresh water tank drain which all should be capped or valved. Some but not all manufacturers use color coded PEX tubing for these lines: Blue=cold water, Red=hot water, and White=fresh water drains. BUT-I have seen units with all of these using white PEX. You should spend some time familiarizing yourself with which line is for what. I have used colored electrical tape to identify lines.
2) I don't like the word "assume" but I would have to assume that your fresh water tank had water in it before your left on your trip, are you sure it had water in it? No explanation as to why it would be empty at your arrival. Darned.
3) Unless there is a leak at the water heater normally there is no smell associated with a water heater. How close is your closet to the bathroom? I have seen units that had a vent under the bathroom sink for the black water holding tank. Under certain conditions this would allow black tank venting into the bath room.
4) I don't think you would be able to stuff this additional 10 feet of hose into the back bumper along with your 15 foot hose. I have seen people place an additional sewer hose on top of the bumper using rubber bungy straps to hold them on, kinds scary to me. I have also seen people who use a plastic storage bin for all their sewer attachments and place this into a storage area of the RV.
5) O.K., so I have two slides to deal with and I will tell you that I too have found water on the floor after a rain when bringing in the slides. I assure you that all of my seals are in good order. I have also seen this on other units. I believe that the top seal for the slide, the one mounted onto the body of the unit, doesn't not work exactly like a squeegee to wipe ALL the water from the top of the slide. I always, unless it is still raining hard, go up and sweep off the top of my slides before bringing them in. This keeps pine needles, leaves, etc. and excess water from coming in with the slide(s).
6) I have four (4) outside compartment doors to deal with. Let's assume you have the type that uses either a little handle or key to rotate the lock and has the tab on the inside that locks against part of the compartment framing. I had to make adjustments to each/all of my locks by removing the little tab on the inside and bending it either our or in to make my compartments easier to lock.
7) IMO: It appears that your slide contains the couch and dinette as one of mine has. I do know from looking under my unit that there is the rubber seal/wiper the entire distance of my slide, as is also under my bunk slide. I do think you should call the dealer's service department and describe what you see and ask for an email address so that you can send photos of this area under the slide. Document and keep any information and contact you have with the dealer, believe me it has saved my butt many times.
8) Same problem here with my bathroom when we bought this unit. None of my g'son's could reach the light switch up at the ceiling level. Yes, you can add a light switch that would be the same level as a light switch in your home. There are numerous ways to do this, I elected to run new wiring within the ceiling then down inside the wall so that it appears the new light switch was factory added. OH, I also ran wiring for the vent fan, which remains open while camping, in the bath area and have two switches, matching the other light switches in the TT. So easy to turn on the light and vent fan for all of us.
IMO: All campers no matter of it is a pop-up or million dollar RV have some bugs that have to be worked out. Make a list of your little bugs and take them one at the time to get them resolved.

[CaptnJohn]

6. Get a lock spray. It will be graphite. WD 40 will eventually accumulate dust and not make things easier.

[OldJarHead]

Congrats on your new TT!

Question 4: I keep 4 10 foot long sewer hoses in my bumper. The trick is to connect them end-to-end in series, feed them in and allowing them to compress. I keep caps on either end. All the other fittings are stowed in a small plastic container. Hope this helps.

[Jerheye]

Inhave the cherokee 274dbh vasically the same trailer our way around the no light switch was to put a motion detector light in the wall plug

[biker2]

Re: question 5: I had the dealer install an awning over the slide out (cost $1,000.) but I think it's worth it. Keeps debris and water off the slide out and rolls up nicely when you retract the slide out.

[rmac04401]

Originally Posted by linds

We are very excited to have our first travel trailer. We were not given a thorough walk through at all and have learned most everything through reading and YouTube. Our walk through guide even turned the switch on to the water heater and instructed us that it was the switch for the furnace. [emoji19]

Question 1:

We went to drain our fresh water tank last night and the lines and the drains were also not where they pointed we would find them. They also told us it was a simple valve. We found the end of two hoses that we had to climb under the trailer to reach (Not convenient ) and they had screw on end caps that we had to unscrew. Does this seem right? Are we missing



Question 2:

We went on our first trip and arrived to find our fresh water tank empty? We have no idea why. 🤷Everyththing seems closed to us. Anyone know what could have happened?



Questions 3:

While camping there was a nasty smell coming from my closet which sits by the water heater. We had to open the outside storage compartment to vent it out. My husband seems to honk it was onlybhappening when it was windy outside and blowing it in. But I hope not since I’m sure we will deal with wind often and I prefer my closet to not smell like propane and road kill.



Question 4:

We bought a stronger 15 ft sewer hose and we think we need the 10 ft extension. Does anyone know if we will be able to fit the extension in the bumper with the 15 feet we already have?



Question 5:

After it rained be brought the slide in and water was on our floor. Should we take it back to the dealer and have them fix something. I would assume it’s okay to have the slide out while it rains.



Question 6:

All of our outside compartments are hard to unlock. It’s like the dealer damaged the key or the locks while showing the trailer prior to us purchasing it. Is this something they can replace or fix. It’s kind of annoying. Especially since it’s a brand new trailer.



Questions 7:

On the slide under the couch there is a black rubber strip (kind of like a door weather strip) but on the dinette side it’s just open and exposed wood and insulation. Is it supposed to be like this or is the rubber strip missing on the dinette side?



Question 8:

No light switch in bathroom. Is there a remedy for this? My kids can’t reach the ceiling lights.





Thank you so much for taking any time to read my questions!! I really appreciate it!

1-This would be your fresh water drain, way up under camper. Your cold and hot water low point will be the same with twist covers. Most will put valves on the for easier draining. I put coupling on with more tubing and brought it out to edge of camper.

2- the overflow /vent tube they leave hanging under trailer now so if you fill your tank as you move it will create a syphoning effect and empty your tanks. This happens because your hose is lower to your tank as you move and the water sloshes around it will go down the overflow hose and start the syphoning effect. Put a valve on it so after your tank Is full shut it. When get to campsite open for venting.

4- probably not - do a search on how to make a 5” fence post mode to hold these.

6- Amazon has replacement locks and keys. Also do internet search on it.

8- if your real handy and dependent on where light is you can wire a switch. The are remote switches you can wire to that light. Or get a battery touch light for the younger campers to use.

Good luck.

[linds]

This is so very helpful! Thank you all!

The bathroom is at the far back of my trailer and the master closer is at the far front. The water heater sits right under my side of the master closet. It only was stinking when it would kick on to heat the water. We will have the dealership look into it when we take the trailer in to get the weather strip put on under the dinette.
I did call them and that should definitely be there! So thank you again for all the replies!

I will try to connect our two sewer hoses together and slide them in. If they don’t fit I will just use a plastic bin as suggested. Thank you!

Our trailer doesn’t have a ladder to go on top and clean the slide off. We will try tilting it as suggested after rain to get the excess water off. Thanks again!

As far as the locks, we will try some lubricant and look into changing them out possibly!

I really appreciate the replies and time you all took to help me out. Thank you again!

[cavie]

go to Walmart and buy an led wall light/switch combo. about $15.00

[3boxerss]

Until you figure out what u are going to do with that light switch go to harbor freight. They have a stick on light switch that lights up. It is very bright and stick on the wall an has velcro on it so if you want to pull it off an use it like a flashlight you can.. I stuck one in our storage bay.

[alillico]

I just bought a new camper found the fresh water drain behind one of the wheels with just screw in plugs

[RSchleder]

"It only was stinking when it would kick on to heat the water."

I can't help but wonder if you know what Propane smells like? If it only smells when the water heater kicks on then I'm suspicious of a propane leak. My recommendation is do not run the water heater on propane UNTIL you know what's causing the smell. Two potential dangers if you continue, (1) propane gas infiltrating into your trailer or (2) a fire if something is getting too hot. You should be able to heat your water with the 110v heater until you get the smell figured out!

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by RSchleder

"It only was stinking when it would kick on to heat the water."

I can't help but wonder if you know what Propane smells like? If it only smells when the water heater kicks on then I'm suspicious of a propane leak. My recommendation is do not run the water heater on propane UNTIL you know what's causing the smell. Two potential dangers if you continue, (1) propane gas infiltrating into your trailer or (2) a fire if something is getting too hot. You should be able to heat your water with the 110v heater until you get the smell figured out!

(3) a big BOOM if gas accumulates and finds a spark.

[DouglasReid]

I cannot tell in yoru photo if the camper has a ladder in the back. We always climb the ladder and sweep off the top of the slideouts before retracting them. This sweeps off not only any water but any debris (leaves, twigs, pine needles, etc.) that accumulated on them while they were out.

I know many people swear by slide out toppers but we do not care for them. We had a pine cone get under one once. It prevented the slideout from fully closing. WE had a heck of a time getting it out because the topper didn't let us easily sweep it off the 12' slideout.

Personally we would rather just get up and sweep it off. That is easier than getting that darn pine cone out.

Im not saying toppers aer bad, just not for us

One last item, even though your camper is new did you "sanitize" your fresh water system? Stale water from your fresh water tank can get Smelly. I highly recommend you do this before taking it out. Not difficult or expensive. Here is how:

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...tem-39272.html

Good Luck and keep us informed how each of your issues works out.

[Mch5jdm]

Question 5) on the the floor to the right of the slide is a little black cup that drains water that is pulled in if your slide is wet when bringing in. Most like it is plugged with sawdust and metal pieces from manufacturing. Make sure you vacuum it out. I’d also recommend doing this in all the drawers and bunks. Those slivers hurt in the foot. Ask how I know.

6) I recommend rubbing a pencil on the key and running it in and out of the lock then repeat. Wd40 does work but attracts dust in the long run. Pencil is not liquid and it’s what the locksmiths do.

[Quilter3446]

Congratulations on your new TT!

The other folks have given you good answers, I just want to add my 2cents worth on question #8.
If you don’t want to run wires to install a bathroom wall switch, or want to wait a bit before you do, perhaps a plug in night light in the bathroom would work for the grands when you are connected to a campground’s electric power. Another option might be to use a battery power tap on, tap off type light. You could install it on a wall at the child’s height with removable two sided tape.