First ever rv trip

[Rgrigutis]

Bought 323lkts and will be heading to Florida in January. I have the rv stored 10 miles away and there's no electricity there. To make matters worse the supplied batteries are dead. Way dead! So I can't get the slides out and find stuff like water pump, etc. now I need new batteries before I go. Anyway looks like I'll have a few questions when I get to Florida. First question is; after I purge the plumbing system of antifreeze do I then need to sanitize it?any recommended tips or tools to help accomplish this. Thanks, Rick.

Should be a couple of interesting days ahead

[dalengail]

Rick, are you sure the batteries are dead or, is the battery switch just shut off? If the batteries are dead and they have not been frozen, they may still be OK. Just need recharging.

Dale

[Rgrigutis]

Well the dealer left the isolator switch on and apparently the parasitic load depleted the batteries. I removed them from the rv and after a week of 2 amp charging one is at 11.1v and the other got up to 13.3 v but after 36 hours off the charger it sank to 12.1v. Looks like 2 new ones. Thanks

[dalengail]

I would take them and have them load tested, first.

[Flapper]

Not specifically familiar with your model - but if you hook your TV up, can you then put the slides out using the TV battery? At least on my 5th I can!

Have to agree that the batteries are probably dead. Been there, done that.

Yes, sanitize after flushing out the Rv antifreeze. The only tool you may need would perhaps be a funnel to get the bleach water into your fresh water tank. Make sure your heater is drained first, replug, and let the whole system fill with bleach water from your fresh tank. Let sit per Jayco's recommendation. Then drain everything using low point drains, faucets, and pulling the heater plug again. Finally, replug everything and finish flushing. The heater can hold several gallons, and if you flush just by running all the faucets, it can take a long time to replace all the bleach water in the heater.

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by Flapper

Not specifically familiar with your model - but if you hook your TV up, can you then put the slides out using the TV battery? At least on my 5th I can!

Have to agree that the batteries are probably dead. Been there, done that.

Yes, sanitize after flushing out the Rv antifreeze. The only tool you may need would perhaps be a funnel to get the bleach water into your fresh water tank. Make sure your heater is drained first, replug, and let the whole system fill with bleach water from your fresh tank. Let sit per Jayco's recommendation. Then drain everything using low point drains, faucets, and pulling the heater plug again. Finally, replug everything and finish flushing. The heater can hold several gallons, and if you flush just by running all the faucets, it can take a long time to replace all the bleach water in the heater.

Or you can bypass the heater (assuming you have the winterization bypass valves on the back) and not get your bleach mixture in there. Keep the bleach mixture in just the fresh tank and water lines and it'll be an easier job when it comes time to rinse your solution out of the lines..

+1 on having the batteries charged and tested. Oreilly auto parts does it for free around here (maybe that's because it was an Oreilly battery? IDK). Last time DW's car battery died, I dropped it off on my way to work and picked it up at lunch and it was GTG.

Either way, they will at least test it for you for free. At least then you'll KNOW you need to drop coin on new batteries instead of just guessing.

[Jagiven]

Good chance the batteries are toast. You need to have at least one on board when the TT is in motion. The battery will power the emergency brakes in case of disconnect. If you only plan to camp at sites with power, you only need a single battery. If you would like to boondock , multiple batteries true deep cycle batteries are best.

As for sanitizing the water system. A funnel is helpful, but I have carefully poured some bleach down the gravity fill spout. If you do not have access to lots of water at your storage area. Just sanitize once you get to your first CG that has water hookups (sewer too is helpful). Up until that point use bottle water for any consumption needs.

I like to let the water solution to sit in the FW tank and lines overnight, then drain, then flush until the taste of bleach is gone.

Check you bypass valves on the water heater, they should be switch to bypass mode. After an initial flush (getting the antifreeze out of the lines) flip the valves and flush the water heater too. I like to open and close the bypass valves to isolate the tank and drain it to get the bleach solution out of it, as it takes a long time to flush the tank. Depending on the WH you have you might need a 15/16" wrench to remove the drain valve. You can also drain the tank by opening the low point valves and faucets.

[robkelly]

Same unit you have, and all you should have to do to bypass the water heater is set the valves appropriately at the utility center. A hose from the city water connection to your sanitizing solution is needed too. Once the solution is in the tank adjust the valves to fill the fresh tank and take it from there. Believe it or not, the process is laid out pretty well in the manual

[Gutshot]

Don't forget to bring one hose for fresh water and another hose to flush the black water holding tank,keep them separated when not in use! We keep all of the sewer related hoses in a clear rubber maid container in the basement. Also,do yourself a favor and pick up a box of blue nitrile gloves to use when handling the sewer related items.Good luck on the maiden voyage.

[RodgerS]

Good first lesson: you need to learn about battery maintenance and maintaining a charge. You did not say how long the batteries were stored. If there is no electricity at the location you can use solar if outside or drop the batteries off at home and attach to your home system. Batteries will slowly discharge without any phantom load help.

Second lesson: the dealer did not leave the isolator switch on, you did. When you drive off the lot, that baby is all yours.

Easy internet searches can answer all of your questions and deal with all your concerns at this stage, so I won't write more.

[Rgrigutis]

Batts were installed 2 months ago and dealer left switch hot for 2 months. They were dead when I picked up unit! Thanks!