A Brit gonna do it large!

[Fireflies]

Hi Guys
A distant opening hello from across the Pond...

After full timing in our ‘Eurobox’ (an 8m white British coach built towing an Ifor Williams box trailer) we took the plunge a couple of weeks ago and secured a deal on an Itasca Meridian 39K with low mileage and full U.K. conversion

HAPPY DAYS 😀😀😎

We are total newbies to the RV world and after surfing numerous RV forums I fell upon this one and am quite impressed TBH
There seems to be a wealth of info in here to keep me occupied at night waiting for my RV to be prepped and finally collected.

We are currently away in South Eastern Spain enjoying some lovely sunshine and will pick up ‘Tasca’ late June when we arrive back in the U.K.

I’d like to read as much as I can about the model we’ve bought, good and perhaps bad so I can better prepare myself (& my good lady) for the head scratching ahead. I’ve read the owners manual a few times and it’s all going in albeit slowly

We are really looking forward to all that space, comfort and the ability to go ‘off piste’ (think that’s what you guys call boondocking) for above a week without filling up.
I’m having 600w fitted up top and tiltable matched to an MPPT controller and 2500w pure sine wave invertor system

Engine (I think) is a Cat 7 350hp married to an Allison 3000 auto box
The rest of the spec seems just big figures at the mo and TBH is gonna be really frustrating idling our time away here till pickup

Any help and pointers would be gratefully accepted as it’s all new to us, the lifestyle no, but the machine a definite yes,

Thanks
Pete

[MSHappyCampers]

Hi Pete! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

Congrats on the new Tasca! Keep her between the ditches!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

[Fireflies]

I forgot to mention that my ‘Better Half’ is Nina who keeps me in check (most of the time
Pete & Nina

[TonyDi]

Hi Pete & Nina



Glad to have you here in the forum with us. You're gonna like it here.

Let us know if we can help you. Congrats on the new Itasca.

Happy Trails!!!

[winniman]

Congrats on the new rv. You dont state what year it is. Might be helpful for others to give advice if they have the same unit. Cheers.

[saddlesore]

Once you get used to having a true sewer system "holding tanks" vs the "cassette" tray (I think that what the euro's call it)
And a sizable fresh water tank with water heater (think something much better than sponge baths)
You will think you have went to heaven!

[Fireflies]

Originally Posted by winniman

Congrats on the new rv. You dont state what year it is. Might be helpful for others to give advice if they have the same unit. Cheers.

Sorry Winniman; the RV is an early 2007 model or at least that’s when it was first registered here in the 🇬🇧

[Fireflies]

Originally Posted by saddlesore

Once you get used to having a true sewer system "holding tanks" vs the "cassette" tray (I think that what the euro's call it)
And a sizable fresh water tank with water heater (think something much better than sponge baths)
You will think you have went to heaven!

Yep we are really looking forward to increased everything! The double sofa arrangement is what did it for Nina and my thing is the fresh water holding tank.
Our Euro has a decent size tank at 136 U.K. litres that lasts just over two days so I’m having an extra 200 litre CAK tank fitted next to the original 350 litre one. Should make around 145 US gallons I reckon or about a whopping 9 days off piste...
The cassette arrangement over here is plain ludicrous with them holding on average 17 litres (4.5 US gal) so guesstimate that one at around a month (if it’s possible to store that long?)
I’m trying to get hold of a Barker 32 Gal tote in the U.K. but struggling at the moment

[MisterT]

Pete and Nina,

we can't help you.....UNTIL....

you get all us 'Americans' in the 'know' on what the difference is between
England, the U.K., and Britain! We need help in our geography, apparently.

(we hear these names tossed around alot and might be a little confused, but,
of course, we use 'America', the 'U.S.', and the 'United States' and the 'United States of America', too... who are we to talk!)

[saddlesore]

Originally Posted by Fireflies

my thing is the fresh water holding tank.
Our Euro has a decent size tank at 136 U.K. litres that lasts just over two days so I’m having an extra 200 litre CAK tank fitted next to the original 350 litre one. Should make around 145 US gallons I reckon or about a whopping 9 days off piste...
The cassette arrangement over here is plain ludicrous with them holding on average 17 litres (4.5 US gal) so guesstimate that one at around a month (if it’s possible to store that long?)

Hmm...Keep in mind that you MUST use an ample amount of water when you flush the RV loo.. otherwise you run the risk of creating a "mountain of dried dung" that is a wooly buggar-all to remove from the black holding tank..
Also remember that you have a "black tank" for the dung and a "gray" tank for the sinks & shower. normally the gray tank will fill fastest and normally is larger than the "black" tank...
dump the black first then the gray to rinse out the "stinky slinky" hose.
With water conservation for sinks & shower.. You should get a week or so between finding a "friendly" sewer manhole cover.

[Fireflies]

Originally Posted by MisterT

Pete and Nina,

we can't help you.....UNTIL....

you get all us 'Americans' in the 'know' on what the difference is between
England, the U.K., and Britain! We need help in our geography, apparently.

(we hear these names tossed around alot and might be a little confused, but,
of course, we use 'America', the 'U.S.', and the 'United States' and the 'United States of America', too... who are we to talk!)

Right Mister T here goes...
The U.K. and Great Britain (I like this empire name ) are essentially the same, at least geographically. Beats me why it has two names but then that’s the way it is...
The ‘United’ bit is well, a bit of a joke really as the countries making up the U.K., namely England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales can’t get on with each other and are all seeking devolution from each other most of the time.
All these form GB or the U.K. and ruled from Westminster in England (and our Queen. There in lies the problem I’m afraid as they resent the English but can’t survive economically on their lonesome.
Next issue is I’m an Englishman born and bred but have to refer to myself as British for the PC brigade, bit like saying you’re a Texan yet still an American I suppose.
Incidentally the French, our very odd neighbors but nice folks, refer to anyone from the U.K. as ‘Les Anglais’ (the English). This is super funny as it winds up the Scots north of the border immensely
You probably knew all this anyway but I’ve enjoyed trying to explain

[MisterT]

news to me! hunh? still confused.... oh well : /

[momdoc]

Welcome and congrats on the new coach. Enjoy the adventure. The learning curve goes on for ever but usually only steep at the onset.
Good luck

[saddlesore]

I "get it"!....... Kind like during WW2 when the "Yanks and Canadians were stationed in GB.. the brits had a saying among themselves about the Yanks.."Over fed, over sexed and OVER HERE"!!
My ancestors (Mum's side) were Scot)