Advice from the 'Experts'

[brunsje]

Getting ready to take delivery of my RV and would love your help on several questions:

1. What brand and length of water hose?

2. What of patio mats do you like? Too large would be heavy and cumbersome and tough to store.

3. Brand of Ladder to do the Washing/Cleaning?

Thanks, JohnnyB

[RickO]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Congrats on your new rig too.

I carry several fresh water hoses in different lengths. To save space you might want to go with two 25' lengths. I just bought mine at Camping World or WalMart.

I bought a 9'x20' patio mat at Camping World in 2007 and it's still in pretty good shape. It is fairly large though and if that's a concern you might consider a smaller one.

My coach came with one of the collapsing 7' ladders and it has worked great. I'm sure CW sells them too.

Best of luck.

Rick

[Hikerdogs]

I can tell you what hose not to buy if you use the motorhome in temperatures below 50*F. When we picked up our new motorhome I bought one like this because I forgot to bring along the one from the old motorhome.

Ramble 5/8" dia. Water Hose - 25 ft. - Teknor Apex 8513-25 - Hoses, Reels & Fittings - Camping World

When the temperatures hover in the 50* range the thing turns into a stick. It's difficult to roll out and equally difficult to roll back up for storage. It has to be in the 70* range for it to be truly flexible.

We carry along a Dewalt 6' step ladder like this one.

DXL3810-06 6' Fiberglass Stepladder 500 lbs. Load Capacity | DEWALT Tools

It's tall enough that I can reach the roof and short enough that it fits cross ways in the pass through storage compartment. There are many good ladders on the market. We chose this one when we needed it on the road and the old one we used for our previous motorhome was to short.

We don't use a patio mat just a 3' x 5' mat in front of the steps. We generally don't stay any place more than a few days so a patio mat would be more of a hassle than a benefit.

[Pepper2]

Like RickO said except on the mat. I searched the internet and found a good mat that was much less expensive,even with shipping, then CW. Sorry I don't recall the company's name. I believe ours is 9x12. We are not FT, so storage is not a problem for us. That's JMHO, not necessarily "expert" advice.

[brunsje]

Thanks for the info.

I am a bit confused.

Why would I need more than 25' of water hose? Is the water faucet next to the electrical and sewage?

[pagosajoe]

Although I decline the "expert" title, I'd suggest that two lengths of 25 foot hose is a good investment. Typically, the water/electrical/sewer lines are near each other, but the electrical is away from any water source, and the septic is away from the water source too, for apparent safety/sanitary reasons. Cheap insurance for any situation you may encounter.

Walmart's RV department typically sells mats - cheap - and we bought a small 3 step collapsible ladder from the local hardware store that 1) works, and 2) was easily stored in the RV. The primary ladder use is cleaning the windshield, rather than washing, as we do that at home. Most RV parks don't allow washing motor homes/trailers at their facility.

Hope that helps!

[deandec]

Originally Posted by brunsje

Thanks for the info.

I am a bit confused.

Why would I need more than 25' of water hose? Is the water faucet next to the electrical and sewage?

Most of the time.

If you decide to boon dock or stay in a State Park, you may not have hook ups. I also carry a thing called a "Water Thief" that will help you load water from a hose bib that does not have a threaded connection.

That bib also may be more than 25 feet from the rig.

[Mac99]

I've had to use as much as 35' of hose to reach the spigot. Not
all campgrounds are laid out to perfection, in fact most are not.
Also have 35' of sewer hose (15' + 10+10) needed 25' several
times last year.
I carry two 25' coil hoses for fresh water, plus 10' white one.
SpringHose « Plastair

[sailwing2003]

You might do fine with one hose 25' long, till your find the park with a totally different set up. We were just in several park over a month's trip. We used at different times, our 10'er, 25'er, or added those two together, and in one needed both 25's. In one park the sewer was on driver's side, but the power, water and patio was on the passenger side of every other space. Saw some interesting solutions while walking that park! People were having to jump over their tightly stretched "too short" of cables and hoses. I always carry a "Y" valve to add to the park hose bib. I can then have water for a bucket or a second hose without unhooking the coach. But more often we are moving every few days, and we run off tank water, hooking up only the power nightly. We also never leave the coach with the pump or the hose bib turned on.

Read of a stretched 25' hose from the bay to the hose bib. It had worked fine for two days. They returned one evening to find the coach end hose had failed at the screw end fitting. The hose was trapped by the bay door, was filling the bays, and water was pouring out the bay doors all around the coach. Had they been in a campground or park, a neighbor would have noticed the water pouring out.

[Grimesy]

This advice is worth what you pay and an ex, is a has been and a spert is a drip under pressure. Along with 2, 25 foot water hoses I also carry a 25 foot 30 amp extention cord and just a small entrance mat.What you really need will come with use.

Enjoy and welcome.

Don

[McCharlie]

We carry two 25 foot roll flat hoses and a 15 foot water hose. I would suggest adding a hose bib 'Y' connector with shut-offs so you can use a second hose for washing off dirty/muddy/sandy things like dogs, feet, shoes, kids, mats, etc.

Adding extra lengths of sewer hose is a must. We added ours out of necessity - after the fact - not because we thought of it before hand.

At a minimum I suggest a 9 X 12 mat, but it really depends of where you plan to stay. We spend 90% of of time in regional/state/national sites where a mat plus a small door mat helps keep the outside, outside.

The ladder we use is an 8 foot step that we secure to the roof access ladder on the back. It is tall enough and does double duty as my around the house ladder when we are home. Oh and I do not use the roof access ladder to get on the roof - a 16 foot extension ladder seems better as the angle of attack suits me better.

[JFXG]

Originally Posted by brunsje

....I am a bit confused....Why would I need more than 25' of water hose?......

If the faucet is 26 feet away?

I carry two 25 ft lengths (white, orange) of hose exclusively for potable water. One length is electrically heated, for freezing temps. I also carry two 25 ft lengths (black, green) for utility use, and a 3 ft piece to connect my tank flush. The quick connects on all pieces are set up such that the utility/tank flush hoses can never be connected to the potable water points, and vice versa.

We have two 9 x 12 mats purchased from CW last summer. They seem fairly thin and flimsy to me, but they are very light weight, and DW likes them. We'll see how they hold up. OK so far. The old mat was 8 x 20, very heavy duty (good), and also very heavy (bad). But it was just plain beige, and getting pretty beat up and very stained, so it was retired.

I carry a Werner folding ladder. 16 ft straight out (gets me onto the roof), 8 ft as an a-frame (general use, and I can comfortably reach onto the roof), 4 ft folded. It weighs 40 lbs, and I hang it on the coach ladder for travel.

[DA_BUS]

I have a Black water flushing system you hook up when dumping....I invested in one of those shrinking hoses to keep on my flushing system so I wasn't dealing with a too long or to short hose at the dump station (no it isn't a personal problem)....so far - it works great for that purpose. I don't think I would trust this type of hose for a water hook up though. Like the others - I have a 25' hose on my reel and another 25' section for a out of the way hookup. When camping with a group you may not want to park in the "normal" spot - so you might want an extension....