Washer hook up

riverbender · 11-21-2011, 07:41 PM

WE just picked up our 2008 Ventana. Boy do we have questions. First and foremost, it has a washer and on the front it says to remove the outside drain cap before operating. Anyone know where that is located? Is there anything else we need to do before we use it? Is there a drain hose to the gray water when it empties or is it connected to the gray water system somewhere? We are camping with two grand kids with a third arriving on Wednesday, it would be nice to be able to use it!

siggyd · 11-21-2011, 07:59 PM

The "outside drain cap" = Have your Grey water drain open and connected to a sewer line! This way you will not have a flood in your motorhome after some washing & rinsing.

riverbender · 11-21-2011, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by siggyd

The "outside drain cap" = Have your Grey water drain open and connected to a sewer line! This way you will not have a flood in your motorhome after some washing & rinsing.

So the outside drain cap it is referring to is the gray water outlet? We were looking for a drain close to the washer location. Do you have any idea what the little outlet on the front of the machine is? When we opened it, water came out. We were hoping that wasn't the drain!

firedoc · 11-21-2011, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by riverbender

!Do you have any idea what the little outlet on the front of the machine is? When we opened it, water came out. We were hoping that wasn't the drain

I believe you have found the "money catcher". That is where you will reclaim the change that you forgot to remove from the wash.

riverbender · 11-21-2011, 08:41 PM

Is that true? Wish the machine in my house had that! So, if we open the grey water we can safely use the washer? That just sounds too easy. We are assuming the water to the machine is already connected. I am excited, I am going to give it a try in the morning and hope it works! Never had one with a washer before, if it all goes well, it will be a nice feature to have. Of course if not, it could be a real problem.

DandS · 11-22-2011, 06:36 AM

riverbender - The washer in your coach is no different than at home....put in detergent, select cycle and push start. Only difference is you have to be hooked to a sewer outlet to get rid of the water used as stated previously. If you do not have an owner's manual for your unit, would suggest you go to the web site for the brand you have and download one. The outlet on the front of the machine you referred to is usually a lint filter clean out.

Perry White · 11-22-2011, 06:40 AM

Just remember, only a couple of tablespoon of detergent. Too much and you have problems. And lose all the fabric softner.

firedoc · 11-22-2011, 07:38 AM

If you have a Splendide washer/dryer combo just remember to wash small loads and to get the clothes out right after they dry or they will be a wrinkled mass. Enjoy.

GaryKD · 11-22-2011, 08:50 AM

Hi riverbender,
As previously posted, the best way to drain is to be connected to sewer and have the grey tank valve open. However, if you have enough space in the grey tank one can do a laundry with the grey valve closed. I do it all the time. With a 60 gallon grey tank, one can do 2 to 3 wash loads, if one starts with an empty grey tank. Consider, if you need to do a wash and do not have a sewer connection and the grey tank is less than 1/2 full, try a load and see how much the grey tank fills. After a while you'll get a feel for what can be done with a closed grey valve.

The warning is given because some coach manufacturers drain the washer directly to the sewer opening, by passing the grey tank. In this case one would need the sewer opening connected to shore sewer or there would be a flash flood in the coach. Newmar drains the washer into the grey tank. Congratulations on your good taste in purchasing a Newmar coach.

riverbender · 11-22-2011, 07:23 PM

Thank you for all your helpful replies. We are now drying the first load and washing the second. We had a tense moment in the beginning, when we started the load, there wasn't any water going in, but the tub was tumbling. We checked to be sure the valves were turned on, they were, then we tried again, still no water. Third time was the charm, maybe it was the length of hose the water had to get through, whatever the reason, it is running now and the grand kids will have clean clothes for the holiday! Thank you everybody! Happy thanksgiving!

riverbender · 12-06-2011, 05:58 PM

Ut oh, now that we finally have the washer down pat, it is time to winterized it. Anyone have knowledge on how that is done. It is a washer with separate dryer.

**"007"** · 12-06-2011, 07:50 PM

Within the first link, now the fun begins, are the instructions for WD winterizing, the other links will get you to FL. or go winter camping.

riverbender · 12-06-2011, 08:07 PM

We leave for Florida jan. 6, too bad we have to winterized now, reverse and then in feb when we return do it all over again! Thank you much, I will print it up and hand it off to hubby.