Idling in campground

[WeBRVing]

Ok, here is my deal.

I don't have an issue with diesels running for 10 minutes or so while putting in slides and raising jacks and waiting for air pressure to build when leaving, or putting out slides and extending jacks when arriving. I get all that.
It takes me 5 minutes or so to put in slides, raise jacks, put the pads away and do a walk-around to make sure I haven't left or forgotten anything. Then do the walk-around again. Same when I arrive, about 5 minutes to put the pads out, jacks down and slides out.
What chaps my butt is when the diesel guy pulls in next to me and leaves it running after the jacks are down and slides out, then he hooks up the H2O, sewer and electricity (while it's still running) and then he goes to visit with this traveling companions a few spaces down (again leaving it running). The sewer, H2O, etc. can be hooked up after it's shut down, which is what I do.
Same goes for departing, the diesel guy fires it up at O-God thirty in the morning and goes about unhooking H2O, sewer, electricity, etc. (while it's running). Then he farts around for another 30 minutes or so visiting, etc. before pulling in the slides and raising the jacks. Then he just sits there for another 10 minutes or so doing who knows what (figuring out the GPS)?

A little consideration for your fellow travelers is all it takes.

[MRUSA14]

Originally Posted by DMTTRANSPORT

Then complain when you have to replace your starter, turbo, batteries, relays, etc. The fuel burned is cheap!

That's absurd. One additional start per trip is not going to burn up my starter, batteries, turbo or relays. This thread is not about use of fuel, either. It is about not running your engine in the campground when not neccesary, and not gassing people or disturbing their peaceful enjoyment. It is about being polite to your neighbors.

Some people have articulated bona fide reasons for running their engine. Some have done just the opposite.

[WeBRVing]

Originally Posted by palehorse89

What ever time it take you to close up your Coach, per the manufactures instructions..........is acceptable. If you start it and are standing around visiting.............is when the problems starts.
I do everything I can to be ready to start it,air it up, jacks up, and a quick final walk around, and start rolling out......if I want to run it a bit more......I do this out towards the exit of the campground/resort.
My water, sewage hose, TV cable, electric cord, chairs, awning, etc..........are all put away before I start the engine.

Perfect!

Wouldn't mind having you stay next to me anytime.

I do the same as you, but with a gas coach.

[Mike and Cha]

This thread, when originated, really didn't have anything to do with how late people sleep in or how early you should start your engine, but as many threads do it morphed to this. The bottom line of the thread whether you have a diesel or gas MH just be considerate of others, and doing so isn't dependent on age, if your working or retired, or how big/small your rig is. I think it's really easy to spot the ones that only care about their needs and are probably that way in all areas of their life, not just when RV'ing. So do what you got do to get your rigs ready, but show consideration while doing so. Pretty simple idea we all should follow.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by tmandoug1

This entire thread is priceless........

Or maybe worthless too!

[CampDaven]

So what ever happened to politely observing quiet hours?


Dave and Nola, RV Mutants

[Hit_the_Rhod]

With our dual pane windows, and insulation that came with our coach, I would be hard pressed for someone idling their diesel in the spot next to me to wake me up in the morning!

If I were sleeping with windows open, I guess it would be a different matter. Life is too short to get upset over inconsiderate people, just relax and enjoy the scenery! It'll help your blood pressure in the long run.

[head gamez]

Originally Posted by CampDaven

So what ever happened to politely observing quiet hours?


Dave and Nola, RV Mutants

As you will see from reading this thread, even when you observe the quiet hours you can be ridiculed for not doing it correctly (sorry.... I mean for not doing it exactly like your neighbor thinks you should).

[Sheriffbubba]

I really try to limit my idle time when breaking camp and constantly ask myself "can I do this task with the engine off?"
My issue with my particular coach is that I can only move the slides in and out with the coach at ride height.... Fully aired up.
So my decision is do I start it, let it idle and slowly air up, or do I start it, bring it to fast idle, (which makes more noise) to air it up much quicker.... And be able to turn it off quicker?
I can do all other tasks, including the leveling jacks, with the engine off but I cannot move the slides in or out without inflating the suspension to ride height... This includes some idle time.... No way around it.
If we are just making a quick overnight stop and leaving early the next morning, (still have to work for a living) I will evaluate if I need to dump my air or not so I can leave with less idle time the next morning... Whether I can do this or not sometimes depends on how level my spot is.....
I think that sometimes people that have no experience with air suspensions think us "smelly diesel exhaust" people just idle for no reason.... I think most responsible diesel owners do not idle excessively.

Thank you for your time, Brian.



Sent from my iPad using iRV2 - RV Forum

[Alan_Hepburn]

Originally Posted by Rsponsford

...idling is very bad for my Detroit 6V92 two stroke motor as it can cause irreversible damage due to "wet stacking" of the cylinders.

Wet stacking is, indeed, an issue with 4 strokes as well, and I mentioned it in my earlier response - when a diesel engine idles it generates enough heat to support combustion but very little excess to warm things up. As a result when the fuel gets injected into the cylinder it can, and does, condense on the (relatively) cool cylinder wall. This causes different issues: the raw fuel tends to dilute the thin film of oil on the cylinder wall, causing excessive wear; the raw fuel also leaks past the rings and falls into the oil sump, diluting the lubricating oil. And, more rarely, the rings seal the cylinder well enough that the fuel condenses and builds up in the cylinder, causing catastrophic failure when the cylinder fills with liquid fuel. That last issue is rare, but when it occurs it's not pretty!

[barmcd]

Originally Posted by Alan_Hepburn

Wet stacking is, indeed, an issue with 4 strokes as well, and I mentioned it in my earlier response - when a diesel engine idles it generates enough heat to support combustion but very little excess to warm things up. As a result when the fuel gets injected into the cylinder it can, and does, condense on the (relatively) cool cylinder wall. This causes different issues: the raw fuel tends to dilute the thin film of oil on the cylinder wall, causing excessive wear; the raw fuel also leaks past the rings and falls into the oil sump, diluting the lubricating oil. And, more rarely, the rings seal the cylinder well enough that the fuel condenses and builds up in the cylinder, causing catastrophic failure when the cylinder fills with liquid fuel. That last issue is rare, but when it occurs it's not pretty!

Both my truck and motor home manual say not to let the engine idle for an "extended" period of time. Having the oil wash off the cylinder walls is exactly what my Cummins manual says will happen if the engine idles for an extended time. Neither the truck or motor home manual defines "extended" period of time. The longest I will let mine idle is the time it takes to build up air pressure before taking off, otherwise if it's going to idle for more than a couple minutes I turn it off.

[DMTTRANSPORT]

Originally Posted by MRUSA14

That's absurd. One additional start per trip is not going to burn up my starter, batteries, turbo or relays. This thread is not about use of fuel, either. It is about not running your engine in the campground when not neccesary, and not gassing people or disturbing their peaceful enjoyment. It is about being polite to your neighbors.

Some people have articulated bona fide reasons for running their engine. Some have done just the opposite.

Did I state that one extra start would burn those parts up?

[Crasher]

Some of these comments are hilarious and childish. There are people that could care less about how their actions affect others and nothing said here is going to change them. That is probably how they are in their non-camping life as well. Then there are people who are considerate of their campsite those around them. They are probably the same way in their everyday life. It's just natural for them to be considerate of others no matter where they are. They are the type of people I want around me. Fortunately, in our travels, we have met more of the "good neighbors". When we encounter the guy who doesn't care how long he runs is engine needlessly or how much noise he makes , we try to ignore him and move on. Nothing I could do or say will change him and he isn't worth the effort to try.

[Ted Lambert]

Originally Posted by Rich-n-Linda

Old, outdated and wrong information.

Pick up a Cummins manual some time. There is absolutely no need to "warm up" a diesel for 15 to 30 minutes!

I agree!