Newbie needs help

DianaWayneScott · 05-13-2016, 10:29 AM

My husband and I just purchased our first pop up (a 2017 Rockwood 2516G). We were die-hard tenters before, so we are clueless when it comes to the new world of pop ups! Not to mention our dealer is not very helpful... We took it out last weekend for the first time and tried things out but realized we didn't know how to use the hot water heater. The manual says there's a switch to turn it on, but we only have a switch for the water PUMP. Are they the same thing? any and all help and advice, and any good info you may have is so very appreciated! Like I said, we're clueless with even the basics! Thanks!!!

spurticus · 05-13-2016, 12:13 PM

Just go to the website for Roberts Sales. Tons of information and tutorials.

dmdrj5 · 05-13-2016, 12:22 PM

Have you opened the outside door to the hot water heater? There should be an on/off switch in that area. This is for electric use. If you have a gas option on it, that switch should be inside.

MAKE SURE THE TANK IS FULL WHEN YOU HIT THE ON SWITCH. If you turn the water heater on when empty, you will burn out the element. Always turn it off when done camping, just in case.

Also, when you winterize at the end of the season, make sure you release the pressure relief valve or you will get a nice shower.

Good luck,
Don

DianaWayneScott · 05-13-2016, 12:27 PM

Thanks! I'll check that website... We did open the outside door but there's no switch in there either. Just something that says "pilotless ignition"... So I assume that means it's gas but there's no on/off switch...

**Flybob** · 05-13-2016, 12:29 PM

If you have a suburban water heater, Open the outside access panel and in the lower left corner of the unit you will see a small black rocker switch. After making sure the WH is full of water, turn it on. CAUTION ; always turn it off when breaking camp as plugging into shore power with it on without water in the WH will burn out the element within seconds.

DianaWayneScott · 05-13-2016, 12:45 PM

Fly bob - it is a suburban... Thanks so much - we'll check for the rocker switch tomorrow when we open her up again!

Trevor43 · 05-13-2016, 01:12 PM

The water pump switch is over by power center......across from the bathroom. The hot water heater switch is at the end of the fold down couch across from the sink......about mid way between the floor and the edge of the couch. Make sure you have water in it before you light it off.........there is a pressure relief valve outside that can help vent off the air while filling or just turn on the hot water fawcett until it runs clear with no air coming through the lines. We have the 2014 2516G. One last thing......make sure your valves are turned for use and not in winterizing mode. The handles on the valves are oval shaped......the two going into the tank should be turned so that the long ends run with the tubing........the valve in the middle should be the opposite as in going across the valve to shut it off so water can't pass through it......this is the by-pass valve used during winterization.

DianaWayneScott · 05-13-2016, 01:27 PM

Trevor - oh you own a 2515g too!! I may have to pick your brain about other things too if you don't mind! �� So, where you're talking about the hot water switch being, there's a black square panel but no switch on it. Is this actually a door to open? Our dealer we bought the pup from didn't show us any switch...

DianaWayneScott · 05-13-2016, 01:29 PM

And thank you SO much for all your help... We've been going crazy trying to figure out this darn heater!!

Trevor43 · 05-13-2016, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DianaWayneScott

Trevor - oh you own a 2515g too!! I may have to pick your brain about other things too if you don't mind! �� So, where you're talking about the hot water switch being, there's a black square panel but no switch on it. Is this actually a door to open? Our dealer we bought the pup from didn't show us any switch...

Thats where our switch is for the hot water heater is.......maybe some things have been moved around in 3 model years. Questions?........ask away.

DianaWayneScott · 05-13-2016, 01:40 PM

Here's some questions - do you ever use a generator when you camp off the grid? Or solar panels? We found our battery didn't last long at all, just running lights inside! How long does it take for your battery to fully charge? Our rv dealer told us if the battery ran out while camping, to just plug it into the truck pigtail and it would charge fully in half an hour. We charged for an hour and it barely charged at all. We are thinking of buying a small generator, but I really like the idea of going solar instead... I only wonder how long THAT would take to charge...

Trevor43 · 05-13-2016, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DianaWayneScott

Here's some questions - do you ever use a generator when you camp off the grid? Or solar panels? We found our battery didn't last long at all, just running lights inside! How long does it take for your battery to fully charge? Our rv dealer told us if the battery ran out while camping, to just plug it into the truck pigtail and it would charge fully in half an hour. We charged for an hour and it barely charged at all. We are thinking of buying a small generator, but I really like the idea of going solar instead... I only wonder how long THAT would take to charge...

We mainly stay at resorts......we're mainly at some beach somewhere on the coast, so no generator for us. You never want your battery to go below 50% charge......this really shortens your battery life. Some folks here really like the Honda 2000e generators........very quiet. You truck can charge the battery but it will take a very long time to charge it back up......."a half an hour" is laughable. So, if you like going off grid......look in to a two battery setup.....group 27 of the same type and age. Switch your over head lamps into LED bulbs. Do you have twin Propane tanks?

DianaWayneScott · 05-13-2016, 02:28 PM

Uh-oh - our first time out we drained the battery to nothing! Told you we know nothing! Hopefully this didn't kill our battery too badly. We'll definitely not do that again. I like the idea of two batteries - is it hard to hook that up? We hate the idea of going back to our dealer - they were pretty much useless for information when we picked the pup up... Yeah, another camper where we were at last weekend couldn't believe our dealer told us half an hour charge time was all it took thru the pigtail. So you see why avoiding our dealer is a keen desire! Ha! We only have one 20 lb propane tank... This fellow camper last weekend had a Honda 3000 and we could not believe how small and quiet it was!!!! So we are leaning towards a genny. Here's a question - does the genny charge the battery at the same time it provides power for the rv? Is that a stupid question? ��

Trevor43 · 05-13-2016, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DianaWayneScott

Uh-oh - our first time out we drained the battery to nothing! Told you we know nothing! Hopefully this didn't kill our battery too badly. We'll definitely not do that again. I like the idea of two batteries - is it hard to hook that up? We hate the idea of going back to our dealer - they were pretty much useless for information when we picked the pup up... Yeah, another camper where we were at last weekend couldn't believe our dealer told us half an hour charge time was all it took thru the pigtail. So you see why avoiding our dealer is a keen desire! Ha! We only have one 20 lb propane tank... This fellow camper last weekend had a Honda 3000 and we could not believe how small and quiet it was!!!! So we are leaning towards a genny. Here's a question - does the genny charge the battery at the same time it provides power for the rv? Is that a stupid question? ��

Yes.....depending on the generator setup......you would need a 30 amp to 20 amp plug adapter to plug into the generator......unless the generator has a 30 amp plug. Once you plug in your power center which as a battery charger built in will begin to charge your battery. A two battery setup is easy to setup.......you just need to have the ability to have two batteries on the rack and you should look into getting two propane tank setup. Some things that will kill the battery is a hurry......running the fridge on the battery......does much better on the propane system. You have a 3 way fridge....DC..AC or propane. Yep, your dealer sounds like a real keeper.

DianaWayneScott · 05-13-2016, 02:44 PM

Thank you SO much for all this info! I really appreciate it! Yeah, we ran the fridge off the battery come to think of it. No wonder it drained so quickly!!! Yeah, though I love our pup, the whole experience with the dealer and not getting help from them has been very frustrating (to put it mildly). And the manuals that came with the pup are nearly useless to us newbies.... Finding this site and receiving help from owners is a godsend!! Thanks again!!!

dmdrj5 · 05-13-2016, 02:47 PM

In addition, if you go with a 2 battery setup, make sure they are wired in parallel. In parallel you maintain 12V, but if you hook them in series you will get 24V which will cause problems you don't need. There are many good threads on this site showing how to do it.

Don

5picker · 05-13-2016, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DianaWayneScott

Thank you SO much for all this info! I really appreciate it! Yeah, we ran the fridge off the battery come to think of it. No wonder it drained so quickly!!! Yeah, though I love our pup, the whole experience with the dealer and not getting help from them has been very frustrating (to put it mildly). And the manuals that came with the pup are nearly useless to us newbies.... Finding this site and receiving help from owners is a godsend!! Thanks again!!!

The manuals that come with most all units are nearly useless to everyone!
One of my pet peeves!
I have a $15 clock radio that came with a more informative owners manual.

Welcome to the forum!
Enjoy!

DianaWayneScott · 05-13-2016, 02:53 PM

Ha!!! Soooo true about the manuals! Thanks - you made me not feel so ignorant!!

**bikendan** · 05-13-2016, 03:01 PM

We owned two popups before we bought our Hybrid TT.
Most popups can have a two battery setup. If you're handy, you can easily do it yourself.

Another suggestion is to use YouTube for finding helpful videos.

Your furnace is the biggest power drain on the battery. The fridge, lights and water pump are minor drains.

If you don't need to run the a/c, a Honda 2000i will run everything else and weighs much less than the 3000i model.

Suggest you Google "the 12 Volt Side of Life"
Should be required reading for all newbies.

pgandw · 05-13-2016, 03:48 PM

Having owned 2 PUPs, and now an A-frame, battery is the first thing to run out when camping without hookups. With the A-frame, I finally wised up and went to a 2 golf cart battery configuration - replacing the single battery box with a long dual battery box on the trailer a-frame. Two GC-2 6V batteries from Costco or Sam's Club will fit there tightly (cost $150 - $160).

You also want to install a battery cutoff switch - PUPs and A-frames don't come with them installed. While in storage, things like your stereo and propane/CO alarm run your battery down (almost to dead in a few weeks). So you probably didn't have a full battery to start with.

Before you leave on a camping trip, plug in the camper for a day or two. Turn the disconnect on to charge the battery, and pre-cool the fridge, running it on AC (controls are accessed from the outside through the fridge vent panels). While towing to the campsite your tow vehicle will maintain the battery charge, even with the fridge on DC. But it won't charge much more than that.

The dual 6V batteries provide us enough power (116AH usable) to run the heater 5hrs/night for 4 nights (assumes batteries are fully charged at start of trip). The inside lights are LED on our 2014 Rockwood A122 A-frame, and we rarely use the outside lights or the stereo. Fridge must be run on propane upon arrival at campsite (I do it before disconnecting) - it WILL eat the battery in just a few hours if run on 12V with no external power (I have seen friends do this accidentally). The fridge takes NO battery when running on propane, and cools much better on propane.

Your hot water heater is propane only. It is completely automatic if propane is on, and the switch is on. On my A-frame, the water pump switch is inside the cabinet under the sink, and the hot water heater switch is on the front of one of the dinette seats, very close to the hot water heater which is under the same seat. The converter/electrical panel is also very near the hot water heater and hot water heater switch. And the CO/propane alarm is in that area, too.

hope this helps
Fred W
2014 Rockwood A122 A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time

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