Community Forums

sjseng · 10-28-2007, 01:08 PM

First off I want to say how devastating the fires in So-Cal have been. If anyone here has been affected, my thoughts are out there for you. I am a firefighter and crews from my station are down there helping out. I wasn't on duty when they left.

As for the topic, it has been my intention to leave my RV in a semi ready state in case of the big one, i.e. fire, earthquake, flood, and so on. If anyone here was affected by the fires, were you able to use your RV as an evacuation home? How feasible is this thought in such a short notice as some were given during the fires? I know it takes a few hours to load up and hook up the trailer and family (dog included) for a trip. Was there enough time to do this at a moments notice? I am even sure it would be hard to drive out with the rest of the population being more agile without a trailer behind them cutting in and out of traffic.

Are there any suggestions out there that maybe I haven't thought of? I keep mine full of water and fuel, bottled water and some food, batteries, ect.

My intention here is for a learning experience for everyone from those with first hand experience.

Best of luck to all.

sjseng · 10-28-2007, 01:08 PM

First off I want to say how devastating the fires in So-Cal have been. If anyone here has been affected, my thoughts are out there for you. I am a firefighter and crews from my station are down there helping out. I wasn't on duty when they left.

As for the topic, it has been my intention to leave my RV in a semi ready state in case of the big one, i.e. fire, earthquake, flood, and so on. If anyone here was affected by the fires, were you able to use your RV as an evacuation home? How feasible is this thought in such a short notice as some were given during the fires? I know it takes a few hours to load up and hook up the trailer and family (dog included) for a trip. Was there enough time to do this at a moments notice? I am even sure it would be hard to drive out with the rest of the population being more agile without a trailer behind them cutting in and out of traffic.

Are there any suggestions out there that maybe I haven't thought of? I keep mine full of water and fuel, bottled water and some food, batteries, ect.

My intention here is for a learning experience for everyone from those with first hand experience.

Best of luck to all.

450Donn · 10-28-2007, 04:58 PM

Since water can go stale, I personally do not leave any water in the system. You can fill with water in about 15 minutes, so is this an issue? Yes, during the summer, we leave the trailer packed with food clothes, etc. So when we get ready to go, the refer gets turned on, the propane gets turned on, the water tank gets filled, if we will need it, and the perishable food stuffs gets loaded in. we can be ready to leave pretty fast if we need to.

Vette Racer · 10-28-2007, 05:00 PM

Our thoughts and prayers go out to anyone affected by the fires in S Cal, or anywhere for that matter. We keep our trailer ready for emergency use here just in case of severe weather such as ice storms in the winter that might take our utilities down or tornadoes in the spring that might do the same. Just makes sense to have a backup plan available in case of an emergency, especially if you own a toyhauler with all the amenities that go with it.

sjseng · 10-28-2007, 08:45 PM

I have also posted this on GlamisDunes.com and I am getting some good replies by all. We have used ours when the power went out during 110+ deg. weather last year. Started up the Gen. and had AC for the wife and kids.

Thanks for everyones responses.

Peaceful · 10-29-2007, 11:29 AM

We've never had water go stale, yet. All summer we were hooked up to water and when we went to leave SD a couple of weeks ago I tasted the water in the tank and it was ok.
If I were you and the way those wildfires work I'd have the trailer in a READY state to get out of Dodge when you need to.
I believe you should know, as a fireman, the answers to all of your quesyions.
Peaceful

SandyFeet · 10-30-2007, 08:31 PM

Well, we just had a nerve-wracking shaker of a quake here in the Bay area tonight. Makes me reaffirm the fact that we always should have the toyhauler ready and stocked for emergency use!

Ray,IN · 11-17-2007, 04:24 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by 450Donn:
Since water can go stale, I personally do not leave any water in the system. You can fill with water in about 15 minutes, so is this an issue? Yes, during the summer, we leave the trailer packed with food clothes, etc. So when we get ready to go, the refer gets turned on, the propane gets turned on, the water tank gets filled, if we will need it, and the perishable food stuffs gets loaded in. we can be ready to leave pretty fast if we need to. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

To keep your fresh water tank well-er-fresh; add 1/2tsp of Sodium Dichlor per 100 Gallons. It should be fine for many months. Sodium Dichlor may be purchased at pool supply stores. It is a highly concentrated(60%), granulated, chlorine, without the taste of household bleach. Request a MSDS when purchasing, if mishandled it will cause skin burns, eye damage, etc. The up-side is, it is safe to drink the water many months later!
When old "fall-out shelters" were dismantled from the cold war era, the barreled water still tested good after years of storage, which was of course, in air-tight containers.

Vette Racer · 12-15-2007, 09:05 PM

Well, I started to make a new thread but thought, wait a minute, this thread is the one to post this.

Ice storm anyone!!!

Well, I just spent the last week inside my Warrior inside my garage with extension cords running to the house powering the frig and freezer. Had to rig an exhaust pipe to the outside and also had to pull the trailer outside once to fill the gasoline tank (wish that was on the other side) but hey, bottom line, this puppy was a life saver!!! I was able to spend a week living in this with dish tv thanks to my portable dish, big tanks so no problem, batteries which limited my genset use to 5 hrs a day, less if I didn't need to keep the frig and freezer cold in the house,

YES, a toyhauler is IMO one of the best things to have if you suffer any emergency in which you need to live off the grid. It was just about like boondocking except I had to run the genset so much AND, IT WAS COLD!!

Next time I have to live in it I'd like to be in a little more moderate climate if you get my drift.

After 6 days we now have power, chainsaws and warmer weather are next. Anyone want to come out and help?

I have a yard full of wood, some on the ground and some in the air but not many tree's left.

Ray,IN · 12-17-2007, 10:38 AM

Glad you and your family are doing well Tom. That was a devasting storm for thousands of people. Yours is an unexpected and welcome use of a RV. We experienced a light version of that back in the early 1960's, no RV then, as I was getting ready ship to Army BCT.

Vette Racer · 12-17-2007, 11:41 AM

Thanks Ray, Sometimes they are worth their weight in gold.

Kablewizard · 12-17-2007, 12:00 PM

Sure am Glad everything and everyont there is fine Tom We have used our Gen for lights at the house before we had the Dune Chaser but ours also stays ready to go. everything we take out to laundry or what not is back in rubbermade containers in the garage ready to go back. We have a small amount of freash water in the tank for the toilet and the rest can be filled anyplace. Our system is able to pump water into the tank from 5 any source.

Stay safe , I dont think its over yet.

Vette Racer · 12-18-2007, 04:26 AM

Since ours does have to be winterized we can't stay quite that ready but you can unwinterize pretty fast when needed. Now I just have to go find some more antifreeze, used my last bottle for the house last week and need to rewinterize the warrior.

Lynnvt · 12-18-2007, 05:30 AM

It's a good idea to use your rig as a potential emergency housing. Unfortunately when we lost power for 4 days last spring, our rig was at the dealer's getting some work done! We are more fortunate than some to have city water, a gas stove and a gas fireplace for some heat. It wasn't super cold in the spring so our pipes were okay.