New to Escape... new to RV'ing...

[dbailey]

Originally Posted by escape artist

Hi: dbailey... How did the beans turn out? Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

Sorry to say the recipe is still sitting on my desk. Our busy summer continues... Looks like we finally get a free weekend in 2 weeks time, though, so I'm hoping.

[DavidF]

We leave today for a long trip back to South Africa... Was getting worried that if I'd left it any longer it would be 2015 before I'd get one!

After much consideration, we've taken the plunge. I've just paid the deposit on a 19, delivery date 3 September...
Now some fun months ahead, planning the customisation...



Rocky mountain camping next September!!

Cheers

David

[DavidF]

After reading that Neal Carter had managed to get an earlier delivery, I asked if there was any possibility of an earlier slot, and lo and behold, a January 2014 slot opened for us! Now here we were in the middle of South Africa, busy trying to finalise options, fabrics and formica for the Trailer, when we had thought we had months to fuss over everything. Internet in Africa is SLOW...

We landed in Vancouver on Tuesday night from London and Wednesday saw us on the road out to Chilliwack, jetlagged out of our skulls...

What a great bunch of folk at ETI. Kim took us through all our queries, showed us around a 19 so we could get a sense of all the options and we made our final decisions. Well most of them.... the one I'm most at sea about is whether we need a Anderson Hitch or not. I couldn't get a sense from Reace as to whether this was a nice to have or a necessity. I've been reading the columns and following the arguments on various fora. (plural of forum?). and am slowly warming to the idea of installing one. The tow vehicle is a 2008 FJ Cruiser, (yes I've read up on many fora about that as well, it works well in my situation)

Options:

2 way hot water tank, additional insulation package, heat pads and spray foam foam insulation... We are thinking of parking this at Whistler RV park for winter and using it as our Ski Cabin... anything that might keep it habitable is a good idea in my mind. We'll have mains power, so lets make use of it...

Bigger fridge, we like fresh food...

opening window in kitchen area and bathroom, ventilation, ventilation, ventilation.

turn stove 90 degrees, hopefully give us more working space...

aluminium rims, they look prettier.... doubt they are anything other than cosmetic... till they start corroding...

Dual 6v. more power for longer when off the grid...

Solar panel... hopefully keep the batteries charged when off the grid...

U shaped dinette, just seems nicer than the benches...

Prewire for Air con... but no aircon. We are not convinced this is something we want, so rather have the infra structure in place in case we decide to retrofit...

Additional LED tail lights and Bike Rack ready... Well we are heading off to mountain bike north America!!

Stainless steel sink/stove looks good, cosmetic...

Shelves in Wardrobe... additional drawer under the wardrobe.. don't see the need for hanging space...

LED Lights - longer battery life off the grid..

Additional 12 outlets on the front OH cabinet shelf - for recharging all those batteries.. Cameras, phones, GPS's etc etc...

Storage box… seems a good idea for all the stuff you really don’t want inside..

No microwave or TV... we so rarely use either at home..
No Bug room... not sold on this yet...

A great thanks to all on this forum as it’s been a huge source of information and assistance in our choices for our new cabin on wheels!

Merry Christmas to you all..

Regards

David

[cpaharley2008]

Nice unit, David, pictures, pictures, we all love them. Nice thing is you are close enough to the factory to make any changes needed.

[gbaglo]

You've done your homework. That will be some nice unit.
Mzuri sana.

[dbailey]

You can always add the Anderson after the fact if you decide you need it. It can be added very quickly if necessary.

I have no experience with the FJ, but I was in the same position with respect to a WDH -- thought I might want one, but couldn't be sure. In the end I went without, and I haven't felt the need to add one.

[Dave Walter]

Originally Posted by DavidF

?..Kim took us through all our queries, showed us around a 19 so we could get a sense of all the options and we made our final decisions. Well most of them.... the one I'm most at sea about is whether we need a Anderson Hitch or not. I couldn't get a sense from Reace as to whether this was a nice to have or a necessity. I've been reading the columns and following the arguments on various fora. (plural of forum?). and am slowly warming to the idea of installing one. The tow vehicle is a 2008 FJ Cruiser, (yes I've read up on many fora about that as well, it works well in my situation)...

Congrats on your choice of a new 19'. The FJ and 19' is a great combo. You will not "require" an Anderson hitch, although some type of WDH system is advisable. I went with the conventional WDH supplied by Escape and it has worked flawlessly for me. Here is a pic of my setup.

[Jim Bennett]

Looks like you have chosen well. As others mentioned regarding the hitch, it may not be needed (this was the case with my Honda Pilot, but not sure with the FJ), but it is nice to have now that we use it.

[daveh]

If you plan on any wilderness camping .. ie rocky mountains .. I have to recommend you getting the screen room .. I do most of my camping in remote areas and the bugs can drive you crazy in less than 15 minutes.. the screen room works very well once you get the hang of it. It is the difference between staying camping or going home on some occasions !

[DavidF]

OK after months of silence, an update. Picked up the Trailer mid June and have only just got out to use it.. (New Job, much travelling for work 78k airmiles so far this year, new house... some small renos).

The trip went well, very well, with a few challenges... We went to Tyax in the Chilcotins and had a wonderful long weekend camping at the lakes Tyaughton and Marshal. FJ tows fine, (we added an Anderson hitch, not sure if it helps but towing sure is easy). Some of the roads there are pretty steep but no problems, just slow up and down. Lillooet to Pemberton is an awesomely pretty drive...

So a few queries: Mostly our ignorance, we've always dry camped with our Landrover and Tents. Its all new to us. PLEASE don't laugh at some of these questions!


1. The Toilet... We simply don't know what to do with it and haven't used it... Do we put the bottle of chemicals into the toilet before use? during use? After use?


2. Emptying the grey/black water tanks... Where do you do this? We haven't had anything added to the black one, but the grey one fills up awfully fast if you're linked to a water supply... Campsite we stayed at had no facilities for waste disposal...


3. Battery Disconnect Switch.. Front Left hand side of dinette... When do you turn it on or off?


4. Switch under the bed, near hot water tank. What is it for? Which position is on? Up/ down? When do we need to bother with it?


5. Smoke/CO detector. We don't seem to be able to do anything in the trailer without setting this think off.. Unless we have windows open,. doors open and the extraction fan on the da&^ Thing beeps incessantly... Is there a sensitivity setting? Or is that just the way we have to roll, keep all ventilation open??


6. Quick connect Gas line... OK so we bought a small two burner gas cooker for outside, but it uses those little camping cylinders... I can get a converter to use a 20lb bottle, but that doesn't look anything ike the thread on the flexible pipe... Also I guess the stove expects high pressure, when the quick connect is after the regulator so low pressure? How does one connect the cooker? Any clues?

Not managed to download any pictures, but will post some after our next trip, up to Calgary back working our way slowly through the rockies, heading out on Thursday..

Cheers

David

[cpaharley2008]

I believe the switch under bed by the water heater is your 12v heat pads, at least that was where mine was located. The battery disconnect is for when you are in storage to stop any parasitic drain on the battery. The toilet uses water to flush and every now and then you put a couple of drops of the blue stuff in the toilet and let it sit there until next use. You always empty the black first and then the grey, that way the cleaner grey water flushes out your waste line. Only dump when full to utilize the benefit of the volume of water.

[dave macrae]

My advice , for what its worth ( which isn't much ) would be to call Eti and go back out there for a bit of a orientation. There is alot to learn, especially when you are new to all of it. Looks like you live fairly close to the factory.

[GerriJ]

Originally Posted by DavidF

OK after months of silence, an update. Picked up the Trailer mid June and have only just got out to use it.. (New Job, much travelling for work 78k airmiles so far this year, new house... some small renos).

The trip went well, very well, with a few challenges... We went to Tyax in the Chilcotins and had a wonderful long weekend camping at the lakes Tyaughton and Marshal. FJ tows fine, (we added an Anderson hitch, not sure if it helps but towing sure is easy). Some of the roads there are pretty steep but no problems, just slow up and down. Lillooet to Pemberton is an awesomely pretty drive...

So a few queries: Mostly our ignorance, we've always dry camped with our Landrover and Tents. Its all new to us. PLEASE don't laugh at some of these questions!


1. The Toilet... We simply don't know what to do with it and haven't used it... Do we put the bottle of chemicals into the toilet before use? during use? After use?


2. Emptying the grey/black water tanks... Where do you do this? We haven't had anything added to the black one, but the grey one fills up awfully fast if you're linked to a water supply... Campsite we stayed at had no facilities for waste disposal...


3. Battery Disconnect Switch.. Front Left hand side of dinette... When do you turn it on or off?


4. Switch under the bed, near hot water tank. What is it for? Which position is on? Up/ down? When do we need to bother with it?


5. Smoke/CO detector. We don't seem to be able to do anything in the trailer without setting this think off.. Unless we have windows open,. doors open and the extraction fan on the da&^ Thing beeps incessantly... Is there a sensitivity setting? Or is that just the way we have to roll, keep all ventilation open??


6. Quick connect Gas line... OK so we bought a small two burner gas cooker for outside, but it uses those little camping cylinders... I can get a converter to use a 20lb bottle, but that doesn't look anything ike the thread on the flexible pipe... Also I guess the stove expects high pressure, when the quick connect is after the regulator so low pressure? How does one connect the cooker? Any clues?

Not managed to download any pictures, but will post some after our next trip, up to Calgary back working our way slowly through the rockies, heading out on Thursday..

Cheers

David

Dave:
1) We always put a cup or so of the toilet chemical down the toilet prior to using the toilet after emptying the tank. (however we only use the toilet for #1).
2)You empty your black and grey tanks at a Sani-Dump located in most campgrounds or down the sewer connection in your campsite if you are camping in a full service site. Black first, grey second as mentioned.
3)As mentioned turn it off when ever you are not using your trailer, if it is not hooked up to 110 power.
4)Don't have a 19 so I don't know what this is.
5)There is something wrong with your detector or heaven forbid something is leaking. Contact Escape Trailers for advice.
6)Don't know this one either.

Hope this helps.

[Dave Walter]

Originally Posted by DavidF

...
5. Smoke/CO detector. We don't seem to be able to do anything in the trailer without setting this think off.. Unless we have windows open,. doors open and the extraction fan on the da&^ Thing beeps incessantly... Is there a sensitivity setting? Or is that just the way we have to roll, keep all ventilation open??
...

David
We also (summer 2013) had a similar problem with our smoke detector going off frequently, often when the humidity in the trailer was a bit high. We tried changing batteries, but that did not work. Finally, Reace sent me a replacement smoke detector and I swapped it out with ours, and sent back the original. Since then, we have had no issues with the smoke detector. You may want to contact Reace and ask his opinion.

We also have more recently experienced problems with the CO/propane detector going off for no apparent reason, usually when trailer is not being used and is mostly closed up with propane off. I ended up replacing the detector this summer when we were on vacation (about $150).

[FMLNM]

By all means, view the video orientation here on the Escape Forum in the Documents section:
http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f1...n-video-5.html

It will answer several of your questions with visuals to boot! Should be helpful for you.

[santacruzer]

Originally Posted by ice-breaker

David

We also have more recently experienced problems with the CO/propane detector going off for no apparent reason, usually when trailer is not being used and is mostly closed up with propane off. I ended up replacing the detector this summer when we were on vacation (about $150).

co/propane detectors are supposed to have a life of around 10 years. If one fails early, it might pay to take it up with the manufacturer if the trailer is out of warranty.

[DavidF]

Thanks all. Much to follow up on...

David

[float5]

Originally Posted by DavidF

OK after months of silence, an update. Picked up the Trailer mid June and have only just got out to use it.. (New Job, much travelling for work 78k airmiles so far this year, new house... some small renos).

The trip went well, very well, with a few challenges... We went to Tyax in the Chilcotins and had a wonderful long weekend camping at the lakes Tyaughton and Marshal. FJ tows fine, (we added an Anderson hitch, not sure if it helps but towing sure is easy). Some of the roads there are pretty steep but no problems, just slow up and down. Lillooet to Pemberton is an awesomely pretty drive...

So a few queries: Mostly our ignorance, we've always dry camped with our Landrover and Tents. Its all new to us. PLEASE don't laugh at some of these questions!


1. The Toilet... We simply don't know what to do with it and haven't used it... Do we put the bottle of chemicals into the toilet before use? during use? After use?


2. Emptying the grey/black water tanks... Where do you do this? We haven't had anything added to the black one, but the grey one fills up awfully fast if you're linked to a water supply... Campsite we stayed at had no facilities for waste disposal...


3. Battery Disconnect Switch.. Front Left hand side of dinette... When do you turn it on or off?


4. Switch under the bed, near hot water tank. What is it for? Which position is on? Up/ down? When do we need to bother with it?


5. Smoke/CO detector. We don't seem to be able to do anything in the trailer without setting this think off.. Unless we have windows open,. doors open and the extraction fan on the da&^ Thing beeps incessantly... Is there a sensitivity setting? Or is that just the way we have to roll, keep all ventilation open??


6. Quick connect Gas line... OK so we bought a small two burner gas cooker for outside, but it uses those little camping cylinders... I can get a converter to use a 20lb bottle, but that doesn't look anything ike the thread on the flexible pipe... Also I guess the stove expects high pressure, when the quick connect is after the regulator so low pressure? How does one connect the cooker? Any clues?

Not managed to download any pictures, but will post some after our next trip, up to Calgary back working our way slowly through the rockies, heading out on Thursday..

Cheers

David

HI, David,

Someone at your campground should be able to tell you where the nearest dump station is located. Toilet chemicals are often sold in packets. After each time dumping tanks and closing black valve, a packet can be thrown down the toilet with four liters of water. Then when traveling, it is sloshing around the tank.


Battery disconnect switch should be turned off when in storage or maybe while having work done. Ours goes down for "off." Keeps the detectors or anything from draining the battery. See if up or down for the switch turns your propane detector off.

You'll get it all soon enough.

[Jubal]

Originally Posted by DavidF

OK after months of silence, an update. Picked up the Trailer mid June and have only just got out to use it.. (New Job, much travelling for work 78k airmiles so far this year, new house... some small renos).

The trip went well, very well, with a few challenges... We went to Tyax in the Chilcotins and had a wonderful long weekend camping at the lakes Tyaughton and Marshal. FJ tows fine, (we added an Anderson hitch, not sure if it helps but towing sure is easy). Some of the roads there are pretty steep but no problems, just slow up and down. Lillooet to Pemberton is an awesomely pretty drive...

So a few queries: Mostly our ignorance, we've always dry camped with our Landrover and Tents. Its all new to us. PLEASE don't laugh at some of these questions!


1. The Toilet... We simply don't know what to do with it and haven't used it... Do we put the bottle of chemicals into the toilet before use? during use? After use?


2. Emptying the grey/black water tanks... Where do you do this? We haven't had anything added to the black one, but the grey one fills up awfully fast if you're linked to a water supply... Campsite we stayed at had no facilities for waste disposal...


3. Battery Disconnect Switch.. Front Left hand side of dinette... When do you turn it on or off?


4. Switch under the bed, near hot water tank. What is it for? Which position is on? Up/ down? When do we need to bother with it?


5. Smoke/CO detector. We don't seem to be able to do anything in the trailer without setting this think off.. Unless we have windows open,. doors open and the extraction fan on the da&^ Thing beeps incessantly... Is there a sensitivity setting? Or is that just the way we have to roll, keep all ventilation open??


6. Quick connect Gas line... OK so we bought a small two burner gas cooker for outside, but it uses those little camping cylinders... I can get a converter to use a 20lb bottle, but that doesn't look anything ike the thread on the flexible pipe... Also I guess the stove expects high pressure, when the quick connect is after the regulator so low pressure? How does one connect the cooker? Any clues?

Not managed to download any pictures, but will post some after our next trip, up to Calgary back working our way slowly through the rockies, heading out on Thursday..

Cheers

David

#4
Electrical switch under the bed by the water heater is for the fresh water and grey water tank heaters. The switch toggled down is in the off position. The switch should be marked indicating on and off.

[tractors1]

#6 - The quick disconnect is AFTER the tank regulator, so it's low pressure. Anything you buy with a regulator on it will need the regulator removed. Check with a propane supplier for a source that can make you a hose of whatever length you need with the correct fittings on the ends for the quick disconnect on the trailer and whatever device you want to attach. I had to change out the ETI trailer quick disconnect because I could not find a mating piece locally. I had a 25 ft hose built with the fittings I needed on both ends for $40 USD.