Hello from Wisconsin

[Al V.]

Hi everybody,
My wife and I just bought a 2009 Shamrock 23SS. We have been camping since our late teens; I'm about to turn 57. First it was a tent, then my parents pop-up. That pop-up was a Bethany that they bought new in 1978; we went camping this Memorial Day weekend in it for the last time! It has been a good rig, but we had been talking about upgrading for a long time. This year when I went to open it up for the first time after winter, I said to myself, as I do every year, "I wonder if this is the year the mice got to it, heh heh..." Well this year they did! So we went and purchased the aforementioned Shamrock. We liked the popup but wanted something with hard sides; the expandable seems like a perfect mix for us. We are going on our first "shakedown cruise" in it this weekend; can't wait.
I like the dealer that we went to, but this evening I discovered that the black water tank and gray water tank are not empty, according to the gauge. I read on some of the threads here that the electronic gauges are not accurate; so I opened up the toilet flush gate and put a stick down there and found 3.5 inches of you know what. The tank looks to be about 7 inches deep; seems like too much to leave in there. So I suspect the gray water tank as well, but of course can't look in there. It seems to me that the dealer should have emptied these, if only in the cause of winterizing (I think the sales man told us they took this in a trade in November). What really bothers me is that if they did not do this, what else might they not have winterized and what damage might have been caused? I am going to call the dealer tomorrow; pretty aggravated about this. Am I blowing this out of proportion? Other than that issue, we love the camper and can't wait to try it out.
Thanks for this forum; it looks like lots of good info here. Any insights on my dealer issue, I would love to hear.
Al Vitse

[Terier]

to the Forest River Forums! Sorry to hear about the mice but the Shamrock is a great trailer. I'm with you about expecting empty tanks but my cousin ran into the same issue when she brought a used trailer.
Good luck on your "shakedown cruise"!

Take care,
Terier

[Glenn5995]

Welcome to the forum!

[Wiscampsin]

Welcome to the forum from a fellow Wisconsinite. Congrats on your 2009 Shamrock 23SS, very nice hybrid. I would take it back to the dealer and show them what you found in the black tank and ask them to flush it out. We're on our 4th camper and have never trusted the tank sensors. A peak down the 'hole' will let you know how full it is.

[bikendan]

there's no way that those tanks should have had stuff still in them and without any water!

those should have been flushed out by the dealer, if they're going to be selling used trailers.

welcome to the 23SS Club!!
lots of us out there and there have been many cool mods done to them.
be sure to post in the Expandable/Hybrid section here.
there's a Shamrock and Roo sub-forum also, since they are twin brands.
lots more Roo 23SS owners, since Roo dealers vastly outnumber Shamrock dealers.

[SALTY]

Good luck and welcome to the forum!

[Triguy]

Hi Al,
I see you are from Cedarburg. I grew up next door in Grafton. Where do your find yourself camping in the area?

Congrats on your new to you Shamrock. I agree that your dealer or you will want to flush those tanks.

[Al V.]

Thanks to all for your welcome messages!
I talked to my salesman today about the tanks; very apologetic, said they are supposed to be turned in empty, should have been checked, etc. etc., and all the systems have been checked before we picked it up... So ok, I'll deal with it and get on with life. Still love the camper and can't wait for this weekend!
Scott, our mailing address is Cedarburg but we actually live in the Town of Grafton. As far as camping goes, we do an annual family/friends Memorial day weekend at Pike Lake State Park in Hartford, so not real exciting there... just fun; but we are planning to roam a little farther around the state this year as my wife just retired from teaching and we are looking forward fall camping, which we haven't done for years. Also looking forward to being inside hard walls if things get cold and wet, as they do sometimes in fall. This weekend we are going to Point Beach State Park; last minute reservation so we are going to check it out. We have always been partial to State Parks.
To all the rest of you who are not from around here, I would like to point out that the State of Wisconsin is one of the best kept secrets in the US, and I hope you all get a chance to visit!
Al

[trudinator]

Originally Posted by Al V.

Thanks to all for your welcome messages!
I talked to my salesman today about the tanks; very apologetic, said they are supposed to be turned in empty, should have been checked, etc. etc., and all the systems have been checked before we picked it up... So ok, I'll deal with it and get on with life. Still love the camper and can't wait for this weekend!
Scott, our mailing address is Cedarburg but we actually live in the Town of Grafton. As far as camping goes, we do an annual family/friends Memorial day weekend at Pike Lake State Park in Hartford, so not real exciting there... just fun; but we are planning to roam a little farther around the state this year as my wife just retired from teaching and we are looking forward fall camping, which we haven't done for years. Also looking forward to being inside hard walls if things get cold and wet, as they do sometimes in fall. This weekend we are going to Point Beach State Park; last minute reservation so we are going to check it out. We have always been partial to State Parks.
To all the rest of you who are not from around here, I would like to point out that the State of Wisconsin is one of the best kept secrets in the US, and I hope you all get a chance to visit!
Al

Shhhh...don't tell everyone,then they'll be even harder to get into. LOL.welcome to the forums from another southeast Wisconsinite (Plymouth). Our favorite is high cliff in Sherwood.

[TURBS]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the new unit!

Those tanks should have been flushed as well as possible.
With that being said the black tank should never be left dry.
You should always have a gallon or two in the tank. And as most of us do 2 capfuls of water softener crystals and one cup of laundry detergent mixed in hot water till dissolved and added to black tank.
Just my 2 cents.
Have loads of fun this summer!

[Triguy]

Small world Al. My folks were also teachers in the area; although many years retired now.

Pike Lake is great. Also in your area, check out Harrington Beach SP in Belgium. They opened up to camping about 3 years ago. Great newish state park.

[Wiscampsin]

Originally Posted by Al V.

Thanks to all for your welcome messages!
I talked to my salesman today about the tanks; very apologetic, said they are supposed to be turned in empty, should have been checked, etc. etc., and all the systems have been checked before we picked it up... So ok, I'll deal with it and get on with life. Still love the camper and can't wait for this weekend!
Scott, our mailing address is Cedarburg but we actually live in the Town of Grafton. As far as camping goes, we do an annual family/friends Memorial day weekend at Pike Lake State Park in Hartford, so not real exciting there... just fun; but we are planning to roam a little farther around the state this year as my wife just retired from teaching and we are looking forward fall camping, which we haven't done for years. Also looking forward to being inside hard walls if things get cold and wet, as they do sometimes in fall. This weekend we are going to Point Beach State Park; last minute reservation so we are going to check it out. We have always been partial to State Parks.
To all the rest of you who are not from around here, I would like to point out that the State of Wisconsin is one of the best kept secrets in the US, and I hope you all get a chance to visit!
Al

We love Point Beach.