[Archived]

I store mine aired up and let it naturally fall over time. I’m thinking about just dumping the air when parked. I wonder if one way is better for the bags than the other.

[Fred]

I don’t know but I think the bags have an internal stop built in so if there is no air in the bag, your not completly crushing the bags.

[Archived]

I’d say leave the air in the bags and put some 20 ton stands at the jack points for even support all around.

[Archived]

I leave everything turned on in my bus… I have often wondered what my options really are? Its just like we were camping in it. that way I know if somethings not working before we leave the driveway. I have always thought things are better when running… they seem to break when being turned on like light bulbs do !!

Also we use the bus almost every weekend too

I am interested in the replies here…. Jon where are you?

[Archived]

I’ve never dumped the air in any of them while at home in the barn. My thinking is if I have an air suspension problem, I would rather see it at home so I can handle the problem. I usually don’t dump the air in the campgrounds either, but this trip the airs all out and she’s on the bump stops. Easy in and out, no step needed.

Your air bags have a stop inside, here’s one I cut open:

[Peter]

I leave mine aired up even when camping the high step not a problem for me

[Archived]

Buddy’s question is a good one and I think everyone has the correct answer. Over the years I have learned things that influence my practices which vary depending on what I intend to do.

Whether in the garage or in a campground, if it makes sense to have the coach low to the ground that is what we do. Some of you may not mind the high step, but we have found if we are going in and out of the coach it is nice to have it down low. That is not always possible, especially on uneven campsites but when we can we lower it down.

In my garage after we have unloaded it and don’t intend to use it right away I raise it all the way up and put stands under it. That way I can go under it any time I want without fear of it dropping. Even with the pit it is safe to have stands beneath it. I do not lower it the 1/2″ or so to make it sit on the stands unless I plan on pulling wheels. If I am not using it for a few months however I do lower it on the stands and then dump the air in the suspension to get the bulk of the weight off the tires. Both Michelin and Goodyear reps have said the life of the tires is extended that way by storing them without weight on them.

The bottom line is to do whatever you want for whatever reasons you choose. If it was a seated coach you wouldn’t have options.

I think if you want to add further confusion to what is really personal preference answer what you do with the water pump or the aux compressor. Leave them on? Turn them off when the coach is not being used?

Since I have the coach parked in a heated garage I turn them both off when I am not using the coach although I have no problem leaving them on because I am near or in or under the coach almost every single day.

[Peter]

One other thought I didn’t mention, I have Cruiseairs and if I’m in an place with gravel or dust, I leave it at road height or even raise a little to give the air intakes as much space as possible from the dirt/dust.

Water pump on when the bus is parked and not in use, NO WAY. You spring a leak and the next thing you know your bus is flooded. Happened to me while setting in a campground, luckily we were sitting under the awning when it happened. I now even turn off the water when leaving the bus while camping.

[Davy]

Good point about the Cruise Airs. I still lower it down in campgrounds because usually it is a concrete pad, but if we were dry camping on grass or a dusty surface I would leave the coach up.

I am showing great restraint in not making a smart assed remark about Tom’s practice of turning off the water pump. But to address that in a somewhat serious manner several days prior to a trip we turn on the water pump so the refrigerator has a full ice bin when we leave. So while I fully appreciate the risk a failed fitting or pipe can create, as a practical matter we have to trust our coach’s water system inegrity or figure out how to make it so we can trust it otherwise every trip turns worrysome.

[Archived]

I did have some thoughts about how long the coach should sit on the tires with out moving it. I move mine back and forth to try to keep the tires in different spots so as not to create flat spots.

I turn the water and or water pump off when ever I leave the coach, in garage or on the road. I have never had a leak any where in the coach.

I have reservations about using the ice out of the frig ice maker because of fear of the quality of the water in the tank. I normally only use city water or what I presume to be a municipal supply and sanitize my tank about twice a rear. Should that be enought to satisfy my apprehinsion about using the tank water for ice or drinking.

[gary]

This thread is really drifting, but the quality of water in a coach can be a concern.

I have gotten into the habit of sanitizing the water tank about 2 times a year. I keep track by dating each time on a piece of masking tape I stick in the water bay. I add about 2 cups of Chlorox to a relatively full tank and then run water through all the faucets and fixtures until I smell the chlorine. I then shut off the faucet and let it sit for a half hour or so.

Then I drain the tank and refill it and open up the faucets and devices to flush out the chlorine with the fresh water.

We have an RO unit for ice and drinking water so we do not ingest tap water. And when making ice for the first time just prior to a trip I usually dump the ice after a few cycles so any stale water that was in the system gets purged.

If we can do a short trip without taking on campground water we do that. We know the water quality at home, and we are not sure of water quality elsewhere.

[Archived]

Still drifting….

That is basically my routine for sanitizing the fresh water tank except I leave it in longer. The manuals from previous RVs said a quarter cup of Clorox for every 15 gallons of water. They said leave it set 4-8 hours and then rinse. We are running water through our fresh water tank every week so I sanitize once a year.

We never drink water from the bus whether it is coming from the tank or city water.

DKO

[Larry & Diane]

We have always drank water from the
refrigerator or the separate dispenser at the sink. If it’s filtered
properly and your water system is in good shape, what’s the concern?

Now we have reverse osmosis and doubt it can get any better than
that and it is filtered coming into the tank twice, then runs through
the RO system and then through the fridge filter.

[AL]

If it’s filtered properly and your water system is in good shape, what’s the concern?

You are probably right but we are in a different city every week and it seems my delicate stomach does better when I drink bottled water. I drink water almost exclusively and I drink more of it than the average camel. It may all be in my head but it sure feels better in my stomach.

DKO

[Bob]

While there is likely little concern about water safety if we are drinking fresh water from our holding tank and system that has been routinely sanitized the RV and campground system have many extreme violations that would shut down service if found by a plumbing inspector.

In the plumbing industry the biggest no-no is what is called a cross connection. That is anything that might allow waste to backflow into the water supply. Everything from the plumbing system basic design to mandated devices such as backflow preventers are used to prevent such an event. Yet some RVs have devices installed on their waste holding tanks that allow a direct connection to the fresh water supply for purposes of “flushing” the holding tank. That should be a big concern for anyone that thinks drinking water from the RV park supply is acceptable. I’m just amazed those tank flushing devices are even sold and I am further amazed RV parks don’t prohibit their use.