Hello From A Total Newbie in Ohio

[TheSalemWitch]

Hi, all! I have been browsing the forum for quite some time, and finally joined. My husband and I are totally new to this, but hopefully not in too far over our heads . I was fortunate enough to take an early retirement incentive last October, and my husband is partially retired following a stroke in 2013. We researched a lot, looked at even more, and bought a 2015 Salem 30QBSS last November. We had it delivered and it's parked at my brother's house because we don't have a tow vehicle yet. We're doing this in stages. For the short term, when we finish moving out of our house, we'll be staying in the camper while it's parked there. My brother has us hooked up to his electricity, wireless, and cable, but we haven't de-winterized the camper for water yet. We stayed in the camper for the first time for a few days at Christmas when it was in the 40's, and we stayed nice and warm. It was a bit inconvenient for everyone without us having water other than bottled water to drink, but we just ran into his house when we needed the bathroom and used his shower.

We plan to get a tow vehicle in the next few months, but there is no rush. We want to stay in the camper for a few months with water hooked up and everything working and get the hang of it. I camped as a kid, but we just had a pop-up. Because of my husband's stroke, I'll be the go-to person to fix basic things if something needs to be done, but that wasn't much different before my hubby's stroke. My brother built his log home, so he is my guide and helping me to learn the ropes on basic repairs I'll need to know before we ever go on the road.

That being said, we went there over the July 4th weekend to de-winterize the water lines and ran into problems. The white water line for the fresh water going into the toilet bowl leaked all over, and the power wasn't working. My brother has tested everything and charged the battery with a trickle charger, but it won't hold a charge. He tested the wiring and got the shore power working. But it appears that the DC converter doesn't work, if that makes sense. I've contacted Couch's where we bought it, as there is warranty work needed, but they want to know if there is someone in the area to do the work, since we don't have a tow vehicle. So I guess I need to find someone near Marysville Ohio to come out and take a look at it, or pay to have Couch's pick it up and take it in for the work. Any and all suggestions would be appreciated.

We plan to live in this camper full time (heading to warmer weather in the winter months.). We already know we can co-exist comfortably in the space, and we selected this camper specifically to suit us and our two kitties who spent Christmas in there with us. The back room is the perfect space to keep the litter box out of the way after we removed the small dinette table. And we are using the bunks as light shelving space for clothing.

Sorry, that was a longer introduction than I planned! I'm excited about this next phase of our lives.

[aceinspp]

Welcome to the forum and the world of RVing. I would further do your shake down at your brothers to see if you have anymore issues. Don't drag your feet as the warranty will run out on you as it's only for a year. Check to make sure hot water heater works, fridge Ac(if you have 30amp service for the camper) Check the use of the fresh water system. check city water system. Check all lights. Check control panel lighting and functions. TV and stereo systems. Check the toilet and check slide outs work properly. I have may have missed a few things but you get the idea. Enjoy your new adventure. You can also read the thread on tow vehicles to give you an Idea of what you need. Later RJD

[TheSalemWitch]

Thanks! The only thing we haven't checked thoroughly is the water, toilet, and hot water heater, because we turned off the water when it started leaking badly from the bathroom fresh water line. The furnace worked great last winter, and the A/C was cooling everything down nicely over the 4th. So once we get the water line fixed and can turn on the water and water heater, and figure out if it's a bad DC converter, we should be good to go!