Getting a 23SS on Saturday!

[tolley31]

Picked up our new camper yesterday. Absolutely LOVE it! The dealer forgot to put our outdoor grill in it. (Told us it was in there when I asked but got home and not there.) Will have to pick it up next week. No biggie. Had the Maxi Air vents installed. We had thunderstorms within an hour of getting it home so we didn't get to offically take it camping. We live directly accross the street from a camper/boat storage lot. So we parked it over there and slept in it. My kids had a blast! We justed booked a spot at our local campground for next weekend to do the real test. Can't wait!

[RichSandy-NJ]

Congrats, we just bought ours on the 17 and will pick up on the 24th, seems we will be learning together.

[tolley31]

Congrats on your new camper as well!

[gbpacker]

Originally Posted by tolley31

Do you like all the storage the 23SS offers. My husband and I must have went over the floor plans of all the models and believe this one really meets our needs best. We also liked some of the TT without tent beds but they weigh more. The lighter weight ones didn't offer more than 1 big bed. With two smaller children we didn't like the bunks. Our kids toss and turn all night and would end up on the floor! Even with a rail at home my littlest one ends up sleeping next to his bed. The idea of having to put the dinette back together daily wasn't apealing. I also liked the 233S and the 21SS but the 23SS just seamed more practical with all the storage options. Does anyone know if the back bed has a TV hook-up?

I too own a 23SS. On my trailer, there is a shelf outside the bunk with ant/12VDC outlet.

[gbpacker]

Originally Posted by trudinator

That's some funny stuff right there. If you only plan on camping when it's totally dry, you may not be doing much camping! And BTW, DH and DW stands for "dear" at least in my case. May mean something else to others, such as dumb, dorky, etc. Happy camping!

We travelled across the country last summer doing over 6,000 miles and six weeks. It was a wonder trip. In the fall we went to Nashville via IL then up thru MI, thru upper MI to Ste Staint Marie, down thru WI to home.

What does this have to do with your question? During all of this travel we encountered all kinds weather; fierce rain, extreme wind and heat. The trailer performed without any problems and we have great confidence to travel anywhere

[tolley31]

We take our first offical trip to a campground tomorrow (only 4 miles away from home) to test it out. We did sleep in the first night we got it home and it rained with no issues at all. They are calling for storms tomorrow into Saturday morning so it will get another test. We did find an issue when we de-winterized the camper this week. We have a leak on the backside of our water filter so we take the camper into the dealer next weekend for repair. Looks like we will be showering at home. Good thing we won't be far from town. LOL. We are bring water to use for hand washing, dishes and the toilet. Redneck camping at it's finest! We already had the spot booked and paid for when we discovered the leak so instead of letting it ruin our weekend we are working around the problem. Just glad we found the problem when we did and not while out camping.

[gbpacker]

Originally Posted by tolley31

We take our first offical trip to a campground tomorrow (only 4 miles away from home) to test it out. We did sleep in the first night we got it home and it rained with no issues at all. They are calling for storms tomorrow into Saturday morning so it will get another test. We did find an issue when we de-winterized the camper this week. We have a leak on the backside of our water filter so we take the camper into the dealer next weekend for repair. Looks like we will be showering at home. Good thing we won't be far from town. LOL. We are bring water to use for hand washing, dishes and the toilet. Redneck camping at it's finest! We already had the spot booked and paid for when we discovered the leak so instead of letting it ruin our weekend we are working around the problem. Just glad we found the problem when we did and not while out camping.

Good morning Beth

First time I changed the water filter on my Roo 23SS, encountered a similar problem. Further investigation uncovered a improperly seated O-Ring on the filter housing. The O-Ring fits in a groove in the top of the filter housing and can move around when not properly placed in the groove. A little plumber's grease or petroleum jelly can be used to hold the O-Ring in place while attaching the filter housing. Do not over tighten the filter housing. Just need to be hand tight, then turn about half a turn with the wrench.

Improperly seated O-Ring is the most likely cause of the leak. Forest River could locate the filter in an easier location.

Welcome to the forum and many, many happy miles of RVing.

Hank

[tolley31]

Thanks Hank. The poor thing is at such an angle I couldn't even tell you if the O-ring is in there! There was no such thing attached to the top of the removable part of the filter. It's going in Saturday and the dealer is going to look at it. We took our first offical trip with it this weekend to test everthing else out and found our furnace wasn't working right either. When I first turned it on it worked great. Once it kicked off it wouldn't come back on. After cooking on the stove I tried again and it worked until it got to the right temp then would never kick back on. I am suspecting that there is may just be air in the line but am going to let them have a look at that too. We went out and bought a small ceramic electric heater to use and made it quite toasty in there! Can't wait to go again!

[gbpacker]

Originally Posted by tolley31

Thanks Hank. The poor thing is at such an angle I couldn't even tell you if the O-ring is in there! There was no such thing attached to the top of the removable part of the filter. It's going in Saturday and the dealer is going to look at it. We took our first offical trip with it this weekend to test everthing else out and found our furnace wasn't working right either. When I first turned it on it worked great. Once it kicked off it wouldn't come back on. After cooking on the stove I tried again and it worked until it got to the right temp then would never kick back on. I am suspecting that there is may just be air in the line but am going to let them have a look at that too. We went out and bought a small ceramic electric heater to use and made it quite toasty in there! Can't wait to go again!

Beth

Sorry my tip did not help. The groove I was speaking of can only be seen with the filter housing removed. Have your dealer show you how to install the O-Ring to ensure a positive seal.

We always use an electric heater when camping with shore power. The problem we encountered by plugging the heater into the camper outlets, was that the circuit breaker would trip if we used a coffee maker or the microwave oven. To overcome this problem, I run a separate extension cord out the back storage compartment and plug it into the 20 amp outlet on the power pole. This places the heater on a separate circuit and does not trip the camper circuit breakers.

Hankj

[tolley31]

Thank you for all of your help. I don't think I tried running the microwave and heater at the same time this trip. At least I will know what to expect and how to fix that problem should it occur. We are hoping the dealer is able to fix our issues Saturday so we can camp that night. If not it will be two more weeks before we can go again. Already having withdrawls! LOL

[Barney1]

Originally Posted by gbpacker

Beth

... stuff...

We always use an electric heater when camping with shore power. The problem we encountered by plugging the heater into the camper outlets, was that the circuit breaker would trip if we used a coffee maker or the microwave oven. To overcome this problem, I run a separate extension cord out the back storage compartment and plug it into the 20 amp outlet on the power pole. This places the heater on a separate circuit and does not trip the camper circuit breakers.

Hankj

But depending on the CG it can trip the circuit breaker on the power pole or even worse some centralize CG power panel that will redoubtably be locked and the park ranger will be nowhere to be found.

At least that is my experience on a cold night at the CG when everyone has their portable heated plugged into the power pole.

[tolley31]

Thank you - All good to know.

[RnR4Us]

Hi Everyone,
We just got a 23ss last week and are heading out for our first camp away from home in three days. I'm really glad I found the forums. They are already helping. Going to call about the 2 nd year warranty tomorrow. Looking forward to learning and comparing notes. Thanks for being here.

[Triguy]

Originally Posted by RnR4Us

Hi Everyone,
We just got a 23ss last week and are heading out for our first camp away from home in three days. I'm really glad I found the forums. They are already helping. Going to call about the 2 nd year warranty tomorrow. Looking forward to learning and comparing notes. Thanks for being here.

Good to have you here RnR!

[tolley31]

Welcome to the forum RnR4Us. Have fun camping! We really like our 23SS (the little we have got to us it so far). Testing it out this weekend.

[RnR4Us]

Questions from a new camper owner for you all. We just got our 23SS. We are getting the max air vents when we go back to the dealer. We need a new awning already. Brought it home from the dealer, pulled in to the back yard, and promptly caught the awning on the edge of the metal building roof. . Sliced it all the way through the layers.
Does anyone use any of those complete camper covers in the winter? I saw some in our catalog and wondered if doing that here in Illinois would save the exterior finish or be a waste of time and money.
I am going to look up pugs somewhere before I ask about them.
Tolley31, we are on here because we saw your posts and all of the nice answers. Thanks a bunch already!

[Triguy]

Good idea on the Maxxair covers. Very usefull.

We have an Adco cover and like it. It will definitely stay cleaner. I have had no problems with it but some people swear it wears down their trailer's finish. I could see that if you stored it in a high wind area. Lots of opinions both good and bad.

Pugs are PopupGizmos.

By the way, sorry to hear about the awning. I've nearly done the same thing with a previous trailer. I did do the same thing with a Yakima carrier that fits on top of my truck. I forgot it was there and tried to park in my garage. I didn't make it very far

[RnR4Us]

Hi All,
Update on newbie camping and the 23SS. The dealer installed our new awning (groan), fixed the water pump and sink leaks, and installed another genesis sound panel or system. Awning works and looks great without all of the tear marks. Leaks seem to be stopped. Cd's now play, love the Bluetooth linking feature.
We have about 12 nights under our belts now. Smoke alarms are really sensitive. . Bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers are probably a no no in the oven.
We bought a generator and tested it with the AC. Nice Champion from the local Gander Mountain.
It's at the dealer right now, though. . Couldn't get the fan to start for the air conditioner after we had turned it off. Read the forums, crawled on top of the camper for the next two days every time we needed the AC and started the fan with screwdriver. Waiting on a capacitor?
Fridge was warm when we stopped for lunch on the way home. Battery was either dead or something. They say a breaker? Apparently the propane doesn't even switch if there is no battery at all. Still in a learning phase.
Hope to get it back next week. We got the plates last week woohoo.
Question about the black water tank. We emptied it when we left the campground the first time. When we got to the campground a few weeks later with what should have been an empty tank. It showed full after we leveled and unhooked. !?! We tested with a stick. Lol. And it was empty. Next day it showed a third, after a few uses. Is this normal? Maybe some level got stuck? Fun stuff, learning all of this. I'm glad you are all out there.
Oh did I mention that we got a newer tow vehicle? 2006 f250 4x4 now or an e350 utility van. Whew. Busy few weeks!
Really like Giant City Campground near Makanda, IL.

[TURBS]

Originally Posted by RnR4Us

Hi All,
Update on newbie camping and the 23SS. The dealer installed our new awning (groan), fixed the water pump and sink leaks, and installed another genesis sound panel or system. Awning works and looks great without all of the tear marks. Leaks seem to be stopped. Cd's now play, love the Bluetooth linking feature.
We have about 12 nights under our belts now. Smoke alarms are really sensitive. . Bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers are probably a no no in the oven.
We bought a generator and tested it with the AC. Nice Champion from the local Gander Mountain.
It's at the dealer right now, though. . Couldn't get the fan to start for the air conditioner after we had turned it off. Read the forums, crawled on top of the camper for the next two days every time we needed the AC and started the fan with screwdriver. Waiting on a capacitor?
Fridge was warm when we stopped for lunch on the way home. Battery was either dead or something. They say a breaker? Apparently the propane doesn't even switch if there is no battery at all. Still in a learning phase.
Hope to get it back next week. We got the plates last week woohoo.
Question about the black water tank. We emptied it when we left the campground the first time. When we got to the campground a few weeks later with what should have been an empty tank. It showed full after we leveled and unhooked. !?! We tested with a stick. Lol. And it was empty. Next day it showed a third, after a few uses. Is this normal? Maybe some level got stuck? Fun stuff, learning all of this. I'm glad you are all out there.
Oh did I mention that we got a newer tow vehicle? 2006 f250 4x4 now or an e350 utility van. Whew. Busy few weeks!
Really like Giant City Campground near Makanda, IL.

Do not ever trust the tank sensors!
Do not let your black tank "dry" out,always add a few gallons after you dump and to help clean sensors and keep tank smelling fresher use one capful of dry laundry water softener granulates "found at wall mart or any grocery store" and one scoop of laundry detergent dissolved in hot water and add too black tank after dumping.

[Triguy]

Originally Posted by RnR4Us

Fridge was warm when we stopped for lunch on the way home. Battery was either dead or something. They say a breaker? Apparently the propane doesn't even switch if there is no battery at all.

Yes, the fridge will need power in order to cool on propane. So, was the battery dead or disconnected?

Originally Posted by RnR4Us

Question about the black water tank. We emptied it when we left the campground the first time. When we got to the campground a few weeks later with what should have been an empty tank. It showed full after we leveled and unhooked. !?! We tested with a stick. Lol. And it was empty. Next day it showed a third, after a few uses. Is this normal? Maybe some level got stuck?

Like Turbo said, the indicators are notorious for being wrong. There's a couple of reasons for this but the black tank will easily be off due to gunk on the indicator. Best to do what you did and just visually confirm it by looking down the toilet.

Originally Posted by RnR4Us

Fun stuff, learning all of this. I'm glad you are all out there.

Glad we can be of help!

Originally Posted by RnR4Us

Oh did I mention that we got a newer tow vehicle? 2006 f250 4x4 now or an e350 utility van.

Sounds like a great tow vehicle.