Purchasing 2000 Salem lite in 72 hours

[keeko785]

I used the search feature before making this post, and my unanswered questions are below;

So I just put $300 down on a 2000 forest river, salem lite. It is the 21 foot model(measures 20 feet, but the owner said its 21 foot with the tongue.)

So here is my bind. I am meeting him on Tuesday morning so he can demonstrate that everything works and I can take ownership at that time. I am currently paying $100 a day for a hotel room(just moved to the area) and would prefer to get this situated as soon as possible.

I would normally reference the owners manual(but they lost it) I referenced forestriver website, and they only have downloadable manuals from 2015 and 2016. So I called a few dealers in my area, all of which are closed, and I assume closed till Tuesday.

So I need to rely on this forum and my own knowledge to hopefully take delivery of this thing on Tuesday.

The fridge is propane or electric, I am going to have him fire up the propane version, makes sure it works then switch it over to electric to make sure its still blowing cold. Dual test?

The next is the stove, should be very simple to test.

Toilet, I assume this is very straight forward?

The built in microwave (again going to boil a small amount of water to verify)

The hot water heater will this be both electric and propane or just propane? Single test or dual test needed?

Air conditioner, I assume this will only work with electricity so no propane testing needed with that piece of equipment, correct? Single test?

Heating unit, there appears to be two types of heating methods, electric heat from the ceiling mounted unit and a "propane" heat source from the very rear corner of the rv. Dual test?

Sink, I assume there is a small 12 volt pump that will push water to the sink, shower, other sink and toilet, so filling the reservoir up and turning the water on should be the simple test. Quad test?

There is a few led lights near the sink that show water levels for grey water and fresh water, I assume the only way to test these is to fill up both tanks, or is there a shortcut to the float switch on these?

Next is the inverter that converts shore power to charge the battery up. Since there is no battery available (missing), I am going to use my multimeter, I assume I can just hook that up to the front of the trailer where the battery normally sits and hook up the shore power cord and make sure theres 12-16 volts present? I will bring a car battery but I don't know if that has enough juice to power anything, so I might have to use jumper cables to test that portion of the RV

The unit is missing the shore power cord, he said he has an extra one from his other camper, but I am considering buying one just in case. I asked him what happened to the original, and he said the guys who owned it before spent 100% time in areas that didn't have shore power, so they only used the propane tank.

So I also assume that there is no way to charge the battery unless you have shore power or a generator(and no onboard onan generator)

Since I don't have a manual, or a battery can anyone tell me what battery I should purchase for this unit. We will be living in it for 90 days(till our home loan gets funded). The guy I am purchasing the RV from is a Interstate battery dealer, he said I can buy one from him for $129, but I am considering getting a battery from elsewhere(better battery), I was wondering if I should get two batteries so I have ample power to run all devices for extended periods of time during the summer. I like the idea of two batteries, incase one fails prematurely or at an odd time, I will have power with out having to rely on the generator. At any rate does anyone know what battery size it should have, and what would you recommend.

After that it will sit at a nearby lake in the area, we won't have shore power there so I will be purchasing a generator to charge the batteries.

What else do I need to test on this unit to save me from throwing a bunch of money at this after the sale takes place, there is of course no warranty as its a 16 year old camper. But he is willing to prove everything works or will consider additional negotiations.

Summary: I know this article seems like I am completely lost, I am new to rv's and I am in a time bind, I wish I would have purchased the camper last week as it would have saved me $700 already. I normally research the heck out of purchases but with out access to a manual till Tuesday and with out having a few extra days to do the research necessary I am asking for some guidance. Again I did a search on this forum, clicked on advanced search and selected the "salem" category to try to help thus far.

Lastly, how did I do on pricing, Bluebook on rv's is nearly useless. I offered him $1800 and he accepted. The items the unit is missing is the manuals, the tire chalks and the queen size mattress.

[bikendan]

A few corrections

The fridge doesn't "blow" cold.
It's an absorption cooling system and can take hours to get cold.

It has a CONverter, not an INverter. It converts 120v AC power to 22v DC power and also charges the battery when plugged into shore power or a generator.

It being a 16 year old TT, it may require a battery being installed to run the 12v stuff.

[keeko785]

Originally Posted by bikendan

A few corrections

The fridge doesn't "blow" cold.
It's an absorption cooling system and can take hours to get cold.

It has a CONverter, not an INverter. It converts 120v AC power to 22v DC power and also charges the battery when plugged into shore power or a generator.

It being a 16 year old TT, it may require a battery being installed to run the 12v stuff.

1: Ok, so I will let it run a few hours on propane to test. Open up for a few hours, then run it on battery power from my vehicle for a few hours.

2:I assumed it was also an inverter as it takes 12 volt power from the battery and allows me to have 110 volts in the bathroom outlets.

3: Yes, as you may see above, the owner removed the battery, so wondering what the best option would be. I use Trojan's in my golf carts, I tried the sams club 6v's and not good.

Most of the questions above are probably geared at people who have this exact trailer(or similar year).

[bikendan]

It would be very rare if a 2000 Salem would have an inverter, unless a previous owner hard wired one into the electrical panel.
Usually only motorhome and some larger 5th wheels have them wired in, to be able to use the outlets and require larger battery banks.

[Ida Ratherbe Camping]

First off, you will need a battery. Though a 2000 model, various things need 12 volts to operate. Fridge circuit boards, electronic ignitions on stove and water heater,ect will need 12 volts. If old style pilot light, maybe not.
You going to need a power cord to check and run things on 120 volt. As stated, most TT don't have an inverter. You sure it has electric heat from overhead unit? If it does have electric heat, you will need 120 volts. Mine is cool or circulate only with a separate propane heater that needs 12 volts for fans.
I would have seller run water heater, fridge, a/c on electric before i got there, at least a day before I arrive and on when I got there to check function. Make sure water is in system so not to burn up element and to check for leaks after a day of being on. Then if everything checks out, turn on propane to check if you hear systems lighting. If electronic ignition, you will hear it.
Hope that helps some.