So Many Questions

[Neil]

We're new to motor homing and have quite a few questions as a result of our first couple of trips.Rather than ask all at once I think I will post a few at a time. Having used our grey water tank a few times now there appears to be a rather nasty smell coming from the tank is there anything or anyway of cleaning the tank that may stop this? The whole electric thing is an absolute mystery to a techophobe like myself and we,ve asked a few people how you work out what you can and can't power up in the van, but this has only confused us more.This is particularly distressing for me as I would like to use a coffee machine as I need at least 4 cups of fresh full caffiene coffee before i'm able to function any pointers or reference books to purchase that are available to help us would be greatly appreciated thanks,Neil. P.s Hopefully this is a two way thing and when I am more experienced in motor homing i'l be able to pass this on(the way i'm going it may take some time though).

[twooks]

Hi Neil and welcome to Motorhoming, can't really help with your current queries because: a. we tend to empty the grey water frequently and have avoided smells, it is a common problem I believe, so someone will be along to give you all the details. b. I regard electricity as akin to black magic, and am constantly amazed that just pressing a switch can have such great results. Your query will be resolved by someone versed in the magic jargon and they will give you a spell to equate or perhaps that should be convert watts to volts to amps to hogwarts to spiilikins to eye of newt. (lol) B-)

[Don Madge]

[QUOTE]Neil - 2006-07-12 10:08 PM We're new to motor homing and have quite a few questions as a result of our first couple of trips.Rather than ask all at once I think I will post a few at a time. Having used our grey water tank a few times now there appears to be a rather nasty smell coming from the tank is there anything or anyway of cleaning the tank that may stop this? The whole electric thing is an absolute mystery to a techophobe like myself and we,ve asked a few people how you work out what you can and can't power up in the van, but this has only confused us more.This is particularly distressing for me as I would like to use a coffee machine as I need at least 4 cups of fresh full caffiene coffee before i'm able to function any pointers or reference books to purchase that are available to help us would be greatly appreciated thanks,Neil. P.s Hopefully this is a two way thing and when I am more experienced in motor homing i'l be able to pass this on(the way i'm going it may take some time though).[/QUOTE] Neil, A book that will answer most of your questions is "Go Motorhoming Europe" details at http://tinyurl.com/qgkj8 This is almost a must for the novice motorhomer. Good luck Don

[twooks]

Hi Don, Looks like an interesting site with potential. Have you read their CamperStop book? B-)

[mom]

I have just taken delivery of the Go Motorhoming book and am awaiting delivery of the CamperStop book. Although I have now been campervanning in the UK and on the continent many times a year in all seasons for the last 4 years, I still found the book great, either as new, un-thought-of information, or as confirmation to what I had already figured out. My advice to those of you new to the game is to make several camping trips, write down what you learn and the questions you have. Learn some things the hard way. It is important. Get a little camping under your belt. Then buy the book. It will then be providing answers to your questions rather than an overwhelming hit of information up front that becomes too much to digest that early.

[Don Madge]

[QUOTE]twooks - 2006-07-12 11:12 PM Hi Don, Looks like an interesting site with potential. Have you read their CamperStop book? B-)[/QUOTE] Not had a chance to read it yet, but from all accounts it's well worth buying. I'll review it if I get a chance :-D Don

[Don Madge]

[QUOTE]mom - 2006-07-13 7:51 AM My advice to those of you new to the game is to make several camping trips, write down what you learn and the questions you have. Learn some things the hard way. It is important. Get a little camping under your belt. Then buy the book. It will then be providing answers to your questions rather than an overwhelming hit of information up front that becomes too much to digest that early. [/QUOTE] Hi mom, I can't agree with you on this one, when you say "camping" I assume you mean trips in the motorhome. There's so much info in the book for beginners you need it from day one IMHO. No, I have no connection with the authors, I'm not on commission, I would like to meet them though. Would be interested in your views on the Camper stop book when it arrives. :-D Don

[Derek Uzzell]

I've no experience of the Go Motorhoming book, but I've always advocated that anyone contemplating buying a motorhome should obtain John Wickersham's "The Motorcaravan Manual" (Haynes Publishing) and familiarise themselves with the contents pre-purchase. As far as stinky waste-water tanks are concerned, you can either introduce 'traps' into the waste pipes (as fitted in domestic water systems) - the tank still stinks but the smells can't get out - or you can stick stuff down the 'plug holes' to clean the pipes and kill the bacteria. There are plenty of specialised 'tank cleaning' products on the market, but I suspect most people use (with appropriate care) common-or-garden bleach. Once the tank is clean, there are other products sold to maintain it in that state. A well known wheeze (once the tank is clean) is to introduce a small dollop of 'green' toilet chemical into the waste-water tank, but I found the resultant odour intrusive (though better than the original horrid pong!) John Wickersham's book covers all aspects of motorhome systems (gas, water, 12V and 230V electrics, etc.) in-depth but simply. All technophobes and technophiles should have it on their book-shelves.

[mikemoss]

This is not an original suggestion as I read it on another forum, but getting rid of grey tank whiffs can be achieved by filling the sink with a solution of bio washing powder (apparently non-bio doesn't work), then flushing it into the grey tank before a trip so it can slosh around happily. At journey's end, empty the grey tank and (in theory) no more smells! About to try it for myself this weekend after fearful pongs last time.

[twooks]

It would seem that the Go-Motorhoming authors are members on this site. So, 'Hi, guys' B-)

[docted]

Bicarbonate of soda ,is a quick and easy cure . Fill sinks with bicarb and hot water after emptying tank. Hey presto no smell!

[mom]

[QUOTE]Don Madge - 2006-07-13 8:20 AM Hi mom, I can't agree with you on this one, when you say "camping" I assume you mean trips in the motorhome. There's so much info in the book for beginners you need it from day one IMHO. No, I have no connection with the authors, I'm not on commission, I would like to meet them though. Would be interested in your views on the Camper stop book when it arrives. :-D Don[/QUOTE] Yeah! The book came today. Guess what I'll be reading to sleep tonight! You're right, Don, by "camping" I meant trips in the motorhome. I just always think of it as camping! Don't get me wrong, I think the book is great, and I recommend it to everyone. I guess I should have said "my advice to people 'like me'...", cos I know that if I'd read the book before I'd gained some experience, I'd still be bogged down in the "what you really need"s and still looking for that Dutch man who sells solar panels in Spain! But that's just me. I guess I have always found that I make better decisions having first tried something twice. But if your enthusiasm runneth over... buy the book! Regards, mom

[Go Motorhoming]

Well done twooks your right, spooky hey. Yep the Bicarb works a treat and seems to last about 4-5 days depending how hot. The hi tech Go Motorhoming solution is stick your plugs in they last indefinitely and and can cope in temperatures that will kill you also coping on the steepest mountains, tried and tested. We have compared and review CamperStop against Bord Atlas but not against the French version as we don't have an up to date one. I have put it up as a new thread "Which Stopovers Guide Review" as this one seems to be loosing its way, still that's what happens when you don't have the right information. Wickers book is excellent I have personally read it three times but still have to go back to it when my memory fails me about wiring or some other tekky thing. we recommend you take one with you when you go abroad, it is a shame its so heavy though, in the physical sense. Go Motorhoming Fulfill your dreams sleep through your days.

[Ranger]

Hi Neil, a hand full of good old fashioned washing soda chrystals desolved in a quart of boiling water tipped down the kitchen sink drain and left to slosh around on voyage works very well too. And like Derek sez put a trap in the pipe like house drains helps too. My Mrs puts a few drops of "Zoflora" down to stop the smell between soda flushing sessions, it is in just a small bottle so does not take up much room, buy it in Tesco etc or any chemist, various different smells but nicer than loo bloo or loo green.

[Chris B]

Aqua Kem make a grey tank cleaner, can't remember the full name, we add 100ml to the waste tank each time we have emptied the tank and when we leave the 'van laid up. This has cured all the smells problem.

[Derek Uzzell]

Aqua Kem is the brand-name of Thetford's toilet-chemical range, so I expect you are referring to Thetford's "Tank Freshener" product. It costs about £4 for 1.5 litres and the tank 'dosage' is quite large. My experience with it was that it was essential to get the waste-water system thoroughly clean first otherwise it had little effect.

[Brian Kirby]

Hope this isn't too obvious, but you've probably got two electrical systems in your 'van.  One is a nominal 12V system, probably does the lights and maybe a couple of 12V sockets of some sort.  The other I would expect to be 220/230V and only available when your 'van is coupled to the mains.  I suspect this will be what you need for the coffee!

How much you can plug in to the 12V is largely dependent upon the size of your battery, how fully charged it is, and what you plug in.  You can get many things that run on 12V, but apart from lighting, most will run the battery down quite quickly.  I'm sure others will be able to advise the ratio between Amperage at 12V and battery life.

When it comes to the mains power, your onboard installation should be rated at around 16Amps.  That is, roughly, 3.5KW.  The main complication that will arise is that not all site connections provide you with the full 16A.  However, all appliances should have a rating plate somewhere that tells you how many KW (or possibly Amps) the appliance takes.  If the current is given in Amps, multiply that by Volts, say 230, to get the Watts.  1,000 Watts = 1 KW.  Add up the load for all things you'll have "on" at the same time, and you'll soon see if you're going to trip the site supply pillar.  Just remember to allow for the on board battery charger and fridge when adding your connected load.

The biggest mistake most people make is taking a 3KW electric kettle.  Get a low wattage one, especially if you're going abroad.

If you do go abroad, be aware that many sites only allow 6A power per connection, some (especially in Italy) only 3A: one we encountered in Portugal only alloweed 2A!  That really could only cope with the fridge and the charger.

Enjoy!

[Chris B]

You are right it is "Tank Freshener". If you follow the dosage on the bottle it is high, but we have experimented and find in our 72l tank 100ml is sufficent. we do rinse the tank with fresh water every time we empty it. It is no good just relying on chemicals.