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Old 05-19-2016, 12:21 PM   #1
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New Travel Trailer and a easy question about WH & Slide

Wife and I picked up a 2016 Salem KQBSS this spring. The maiden voyage was last weekend and it was great. The 4 daughters (19,10,7,5) all love it, but the 19 yo won't be with us too much. After 4 years of eyeballing a camper we finally made it work. I can't wait for the memories the kids will have.

Anyway, we are camping around a few different places this first month. Then, have a permanent spot for a couple months by some family not to far away. We are going to make it a "weekend getaway" for that time, then back to a few different places before winter comes.

My question is this... Do I need to or should I drain the water heater each time we come and go? It will be almost every weekend, but there will be the occasional time it will sit for two weeks. Then, do I run the slide in and out every weekend or just leave it out?

Thank you in advance and I look forward to the comments and advice for years to come!
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Old 05-19-2016, 01:17 PM   #2
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The water heater one is a fair debate. I personally wouldn't be emptying it. Just make sure you turn it off- no sense in heating water when you're not around.

As for the slide, most seasonal folks leave them extended between visits to the camper.
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Old 05-19-2016, 01:25 PM   #3
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Personally I wouldn't worry about draining the WH but like mentioned above I would turn it off.

The only way I'd consider leaving my slideout extended for two weeks unmonitored would be if I had slideout covers installed.




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Old 05-19-2016, 02:03 PM   #4
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New Travel Trailer and a easy question about WH & Slide

We owned a seasonal RV lot for a few years. Filled the water heater in the spring and emptied in the fall. Turned of the H/W when we were not there. Opened the slides in the spring and closed in the fall. Not sure what the slide cover statement above was supposed to mean. We don't have them and never wanted them. But remember to bring your awning in. We left our fridge on all season as well. I also jacked the trailer up every few months to rotate the tires a bit and kept the tires covered.


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Old 05-19-2016, 02:22 PM   #5
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As Ependy said the WH is debatable but I fill mine in the spring when 'summerizing' and it doesn't get drained until fall 'winterizing'.

I wouldn't see a need to pull the slide(s) in at a seasonal site (from a mechanical/structure standpoint) unless you felt there was going to be an excessive amount of debris (sap/leaves/bird crap/etc.) on the slide, if left out.
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Old 05-19-2016, 02:23 PM   #6
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As pointed out, draining the water heater isn't really necessary. I wouldn't leave stagnant water in there for any real length of time, though. You may want to run the hot water lines a few minutes before lighting the water heater just to "flush it out" a bit before use.
I leave my slide out nearly 100% of the time. Just about the only time it is in is while we are on the road, but then, I am in and out of the camper nearly every day. You might want to bring the slide in when nobody is using the camper because there may be space underneath that can allow critters access to the inside of your camper. I'd take a look at the bottom edge where the slide goes through the wall to see how well that area is sealed.
Slide toppers can help prevent the build up of debris on top of the slide, but they are also attractive havens for nest builders of all kinds. Just make sure the top of the slide is clean before closing and you'll be fine.
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Old 05-19-2016, 02:27 PM   #7
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I have often wondered why people are leaving their slides out while the trailer is not being used. I always thought it was safest to have the trailer all sealed/closed up will not using it.

Is it a matter of wearing out the slide motor??
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Old 05-19-2016, 02:31 PM   #8
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All excellent comments and suggestions. I don't think the water will ever get to the point that it sits in the WH. With a family of 5 using it, even dishes, hand washing (kids love to leave the water running) and routine day to day activities should use a good portion of the water in it. I have seen a couple anode rods with a valve right in them to do just this, but didn't know if it was even needed.

Slide covers. That is a new term for me. I think I know what he is talking about, but never actually knew what they were called. I will have to check and see. Not to install them, but to educate on what they actually are.

Good idea about moving the tires and stuff. We have a grass spot were we will be so i bet getting them moved once and a while will extend the life if not stop the other side of the tire from getting jealous.
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Old 05-19-2016, 02:40 PM   #9
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All excellent comments and suggestions. I don't think the water will ever get to the point that it sits in the WH. With a family of 5 using it, even dishes, hand washing (kids love to leave the water running) and routine day to day activities should use a good portion of the water in it. I have seen a couple anode rods with a valve right in them to do just this, but didn't know if it was even needed.

Slide covers. That is a new term for me. I think I know what he is talking about, but never actually knew what they were called. I will have to check and see. Not to install them, but to educate on what they actually are.

Good idea about moving the tires and stuff. We have a grass spot were we will be so i bet getting them moved once and a while will extend the life if not stop the other side of the tire from getting jealous.
I got the slide cover option on new 5'er. Basically, they are the same as awnings, but just cover the top of the slides and automatically deploy as the slides deploy, and vice versa.
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Old 05-19-2016, 02:54 PM   #10
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I have often wondered why people are leaving their slides out while the trailer is not being used. I always thought it was safest to have the trailer all sealed/closed up will not using it.

Is it a matter of wearing out the slide motor??
I do not know the answer to this. I leave mine out because I am in and out of it quite often. In fact, I keep the 'fridge stocked and will go out to relax and watch tv, Netflix, a DVD, etc.
Of course, I've been known to put the awning and chairs out and sit to enjoy the breeze of an evening too...

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Old 05-19-2016, 02:55 PM   #11
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...
... Slide covers. That is a new term for me. I think I know what he is talking about, but never actually knew what they were called. I will have to check and see. Not to install them, but to educate on what they actually are.
Here you can see the slide toppers on the back side of our 8529IKBS.
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Old 05-19-2016, 02:57 PM   #12
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Slide cover... aka slide topper




5picker was quicker on the downbeat!
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Old 05-19-2016, 03:17 PM   #13
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I have often wondered why people are leaving their slides out while the trailer is not being used. I always thought it was safest to have the trailer all sealed/closed up will not using it.

Is it a matter of wearing out the slide motor??
I'm not positive, but I believe that a slide should be equally sealed when fully extended vs. fully retracted.
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Old 05-19-2016, 03:46 PM   #14
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Here you can see the slide toppers on the back side of our 8529IKBS.
OK, I have seen them before. Just didn't know the term for them.

How do they weather in a storm? Noisy from flapping or do they stay pretty quiet? I could see some benefits from them. Debris, rain, bird crap as one put it.
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Old 05-19-2016, 09:50 PM   #15
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I'm not positive, but I believe that a slide should be equally sealed when fully extended vs. fully retracted.
I can attest that my slide is sealed when retracted but when extended there is a section in the center underneath where the seals don't cover the gap between slide and frame. Too small for a squirrel, perhaps, but big enough for all kinds of other critters.
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Old 05-19-2016, 09:52 PM   #16
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How do they weather in a storm? Noisy from flapping or do they stay pretty quiet? I could see some benefits from them. Debris, rain, bird crap as one put it.

You'll get mixed reviews on that. Most say no issues. Some say they get some noise.

To me, the benefit far outweighs the negatives.
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Old 05-20-2016, 08:20 AM   #17
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You'll get mixed reviews on that. Most say no issues. Some say they get some noise.

To me, the benefit far outweighs the negatives.

X2


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Old 05-20-2016, 08:38 AM   #18
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Draining the WH would depend on the quality of the water. If it is decent treated water then it should be OK. If you have lots of iron or sulfur in the water( untreated well water) then I would drain it. If it is an Atwood, just replace the drain plug with a 1/4turn valve and the task is very easy.
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Old 05-20-2016, 12:19 PM   #19
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We don't drain the WH but we do make sure the city water source and WH are turned off, just in case a leak develops. We leave the slide out for the weekend, but if we are going to be away from the camper for more than a day or two we retract the slide. We always retract the awning.
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Old 05-20-2016, 01:25 PM   #20
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Stowing the awning is mandatory if you want to keep it. You never know what kind of weather you're going to get, but most of it is entirely capable of destroying an awning.
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