new used Tent trailer

[jaspion3d]

hi everyone.

new on this pop up tent trailers. bought it an used 2002 rockwood tent trailer and need some help.

what should I do first? what should check or for new??

how do I connect electric while camping in my driveway ? the plug is different ?

Do I need to clean the water tank? how?


any additional tip or recommendation will be nice
thanks

[Flybob]

Lots of good information in the library section of the forum. See Library in green bar.

[upflying]

I'd repack the wheel bearings as your first project. Check for soft areas and loose trim around the corners, a lot of those popups have dry rot from water leaks.
You will have to get an adapter to plug a 30amp trailer plug to a 15amp residential extension cord.

[Jayhawker]

Originally Posted by upflying

You will have to get an adapter to plug a 30amp trailer plug to a 15amp residential extension cord.

This is one example of what an adapter looks like. Adapter is available at Amazon for $3.99. Walmart has them for $ 7.90.

[jaspion3d]

thank you everyone .

I will start with the bearing repack, and at the same time fix small things.

by the way, there's a water container under my trailer how do I clean it? should I clean it ?

since I don't have anything I also created my initial list inside Amazon with some mandatory initial items in my opinion .

[chaps2018]

The tank underneath is likely the fresh water tank- there should be an overflow hose and a drain plug, Typically the tanks are white. If you search “Sanitize freshwater system” it will show how to use a bleach solution to sanitize the tank and plumbing.

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by jaspion3d

thank you everyone .

I will start with the bearing repack, and at the same time fix small things.

by the way, there's a water container under my trailer how do I clean it? should I clean it ?

since I don't have anything I also created my initial list inside Amazon with some mandatory initial items in my opinion .

To sanitize your Fresh Water (FW) tank, you'll first need to figure out how big it is. Fill it with an empty 1 gal milk jug. The number of jugs = the size of the tank. (Make sure it's empty before you start.) There should be a drain somewhere on the bottom. The drain may be either a 1/4 turn valve or it may just be plug.

Once you know how big it is, you want to refill it, but while you're filling it, add 1/4 cup of chlorine bleach per 15 gallons. Once filled, pump some water through the lines until you can smell the bleach in the water coming out of the spigot. Then let everything sit for 4-5 hours.

Now drain the FW tank, then refill/drain a few times to flush out the bleach. Run some of the water through the lines to flush them out, too. Then you'll be good to go. Most folks do this at the beginning of each camping season.

[upflying]

Originally Posted by jaspion3d

thank you everyone .

I will start with the bearing repack, and at the same time fix small things.

by the way, there's a water container under my trailer how do I clean it? should I clean it ?

since I don't have anything I also created my initial list inside Amazon with some mandatory initial items in my opinion .

Is it a gray water or black water tank under the trailer?
Fresh water tanks are usually under a seat or in or behind some interior cabinet. Flush your freshwater tank with a mild mixture of bleach.
Waste water tanks are typically under a trailer. I assume your popup only has sink originated gray water holding tank and not a black water tank from toilet waste. Popups typically have cassette toilets with their own holding tanks.
Cleaning the tank at home depends if it is full or empty. If it's full you need to find a place to dump it. Look up dump stations near you on the internet.
If it's empty, pull the slide valve open and stick a garden hose/nozzle in the tank drain opening and flush away.

[GalsofEscape]

Originally Posted by upflying

Is it a gray water or black water tank under the trailer?
Fresh water tanks are usually under a seat or in or behind some interior cabinet. Flush your freshwater tank with a mild mixture of bleach.
Waste water tanks are typically under a trailer. I assume your popup only has sink originated gray water holding tank and not a black water tank from toilet waste. Popups typically have cassette toilets with their own holding tanks.
Cleaning the tank at home depends if it is full or empty. If it's full you need to find a place to dump it. Look up dump stations near you on the internet.
If it's empty, pull the slide valve open and stick a garden hose/nozzle in the tank drain opening and flush away.

For popups, fresh water tanks can be under the trailer. Ours was.

[jaspion3d]

Great. I will do the cleaning.

By the way here is my initial list so far:

Camco 44721 Tent and Pop-Up Camper Starter Kit



Camco 55223 RV 15M/30F AMP Power Grip Adapter
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00...K6Y9EEQB&psc=1


Camco 22733 1/2"ID x 25' Drinking Water Hose



LEDs




Camco 39901 RV HTS 15' Self Clamping Sewer Hose
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00...K6Y9EEQB&psc=1


What else should I look for?

[upflying]

Originally Posted by GalsofEscape

For popups, fresh water tanks can be under the trailer. Ours was.

Thanks for the correction, the last time I pulled a popup tent trailer was in the 1970's. It was pretty primitive.

[GalsofEscape]

Originally Posted by upflying

Thanks for the correction, the last time I pulled a popup tent trailer was in the 1970's. It was pretty primitive.

Yeah, things change. The highwalls come with flush toilets now instead of cassette toilets and have gray and black tanks as well... bet we may see the flush toilets in the regular wall pup soon too.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Originally Posted by upflying

Is it a gray water or black water tank under the trailer?
Fresh water tanks are usually under a seat or in or behind some interior cabinet. Flush your freshwater tank with a mild mixture of bleach.
Waste water tanks are typically under a trailer. I assume your popup only has sink originated gray water holding tank and not a black water tank from toilet waste. Popups typically have cassette toilets with their own holding tanks.
Cleaning the tank at home depends if it is full or empty. If it's full you need to find a place to dump it. Look up dump stations near you on the internet.
If it's empty, pull the slide valve open and stick a garden hose/nozzle in the tank drain opening and flush away.

Most likely he only has a FW tank. Being a Popup...not many with Black/Gray tanks.

[jaspion3d]

Originally Posted by TheWolfPaq82

Most likely he only has a FW tank. Being a Popup...not many with Black/Gray tanks.

Where can I check if I have a gray water tank?

[rsdata]

all of your tanks will be visible from under the rig...

fresh water is white

often pop-ups do not have a grey water which is for a sink drain or shower drain... often just a piece of hose that drains to a tub you set on the ground...

a lot depends on the actual size of your new-to-you popup

plug in your rig in the driveway and do some driveway camping to see what you need for a couple of nights on the road.

what shape is your canvas top in?

[Jayhawker]

Originally Posted by jaspion3d

Where can I check if I have a gray water tank?

More than likely you don't have a gray water tank. There is a hose fitting on the drivers side of the popup that you connect a short length of garden hose and drain it into a five gallon bucket or suitable container.

[jaspion3d]

Originally Posted by rsdata

all of your tanks will be visible from under the rig...


what shape is your canvas top in?

Here it is a photo so you can tell m the shape

[jaspion3d]

By the way, the canvas is brand new ( it really is) but for me it looks that it was not completed the installation, shouldn't the bottom part of the windows be attached at the lower body of the trailer?
Maybe that's one of the reason it was cheaper

Also in a first walk around I noticed a few things :

The sink sewer hose is broken (Cheap replace )
There's no Battery. (Should I buy one or a generator Inverter)
There's only one Propane tank, but space for two ( should I go for the second one)

[jaspion3d]

More photos of my pop up








Besides these two water in, there's another one, with a sing saying "Only Clean water"

[Boomerweps]

Originally Posted by jaspion3d

By the way, the canvas is brand new ( it really is) but for me it looks that it was not completed the installation, shouldn't the bottom part of the windows be attached at the lower body of the trailer?
Maybe that's one of the reason it was cheaper

Also in a first walk around I noticed a few things :

The sink sewer hose is broken (Cheap replace )
There's no Battery. (Should I buy one or a generator Inverter)
There's only one Propane tank, but space for two ( should I go for the second one)

Only PUP I've owned was a bare bone 1964 Apache.
There are either snaps or clips that are on the bottom of the canvas that attach to the trailer's main body under those windows. My ancient PUP had clips on a rubber strip that went into an aluminum rail. My ends were just looped under and had a pull string to seal them up. Had my two year old daughter roll out one night. Woke up to her crying and found her under the bed outside. Older son slept on the tent side of the bed after that.
Normally, yes, you'll need a battery for heater controls, refrigerator controls, installed lights & radio, water pump, if you have any of that. If you do need a battery on that PUP, it likely has a converter/charger installed and a fuse box.
2nd propane tank? Depends on your gas use, heater, water heater, gas RV fridge, stove. When I'm at a campground with full hook up available, I take them. It appears water and electric sites may be all you'll need. I use the electric for the fridge, water heater, space heater, most cooking, etc. Save on the gas usage. Air Conditioning, too
A second propane tank means you'll likely not run out unexpectedly.
If you haven't read the propane threads yet, your best option is to always have tour existing tank refilled and not exchanged. You have your tank and not a spray painted over older tank. Exchange tanks are ALWAYS 14 & you can get a full 20# if you take yours to get it filled. Almost 50% more gas. Depending on your tank mounts (& tongue weight considerations), RVers also use 30 & 40# tanks. A filled single 30# tank would over double a 20# tank exchange! Math is your friend Tanks do have to be re certified so then an exchange might be a productive option.
Tires. Trailer tires are marked with month & year of make. Age alone is hard on them. For most RVers more so than mileage. Take some time and review the various tire threads here. Yes, it will zone you out but a lot of good info. If your tires are over five years old, it's best to replace them now. A blown tire on a camping adventure makes it memorable in a bad way ;( Check the spare, too, for the same reasons.