Black Water Tank Troubles Continue.

     As mentioned in an earlier post we developed a leak in the black water tank, my husband repaired it and all is well, however the leak could come back, the tank could split again, it could happen in winter and then we couldn't fix it due to cold weather, all these worries sit in the back of our minds.  Well my husband has been worrying about this incident 24/7 as is his way, always worrying things through.  In all the worrying he has come up with a solution, we are going to install a marine toilet with a macerator attached.  The marine toilet needs a lot of  revamping to work in a

Toilet drinker. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

pressure water situation, as marine toilets use sea water and lets it in when needed.  So we have to add a solenoid valve, do a bunch of piping, block a pipe, remove the old toilet put in a new floor, bypass the tank, but make it accessible if needed.  Finding the parts necessary is going to be the biggest challenge.  We have been to Home Depot in Bellingham, Surrey and Langley and still have not found everything we need.  Hopefully the plumbing wholesaler will sell to us so we can get this throne installed and lay our black water tank worries to rest.  We are going to bypass the tank but have a valve to open if and when we travel with the 5th wheel.
     Well that is all the news from us right now, will let everyone know how this experience ends in our next blog

Settling In.

It has been one month since we took up residence at our RV park and we are almost settled.  Although it seems that everyday we find something else that needs updating or moving.  For example, the other day my husband decided he should take a turn at making dinner, so into the cupboard he goes.  The cupboard I had the canned goods in was at waist height and very, very deep.  Now I am the cook so this was not a problem for me just an inconvenience as you can't see the labels so you have to hunt for what you are looking for.  Please remember I do 98% of the cooking so I had accepted the fact that every time I needed something it was going to be a chore.  Well the one time he cooks he is not accepting of the fact and decides to turn the coat closet that is situated in the kitchen into a pantry.  What a wonderful guy, I now can see all the cans.  They are organized according to their purpose and so easy to get at.
Another great thing about this is that I now have a cupboard I can put my material in instead of under the bed.  Since moving here I have been able to make a baby quilt, a purse and two wallets, but it takes both of us to get at my material stash so the new cupboard will be excellent for my productivity.  Not sure what else I will make but I will think of something once I can more easily see all the fabric I stored under the bed
If you have been following my blog you will know that we developed a leak in the black water tank that my husband very adeptly patched up.  We thought that would be the end of our black water woes but alas that is not the case.  We have researched numerous times the opinions of others on closing the valve or opening the valve on the black water tank, and all the opinions are when you are not travelling the valve should be closed and emptied when the tank is full.  Okay we thought, closed valve it is, however we are having to empty the tank every three to four days, which is fine in good weather but when winter comes that will not be such a pleasant task, not that it is a pleasant task.  We then decided to take a walk around the park and see what the other full timers were doing.  Most of the full time residents have the bottom of their RV closed in limiting their access to the black water tank valve, so we are still unsure of what is the right course of action.

 We will let you know what we decide when next I post.

Week One Complete.

     We have been situated in a RV Park for one week.  There have been a few hiccups but all in all it has been most enjoyable.  We have met a few of the neighbors and they seem very pleasant.

     We have built a deck and porch to make the 5th wheel seem more like a permanent structure.
My husband is very happy to be able to build a deck, when we owned homes he would always build a deck or an addition to the existing deck every spring.  He does beautiful work and it really makes the small RV site seem more homey.

    I have started sewing so we really must be getting settled.  I have always had a HUGE sewing room, so it is very different in the 5th wheel.  I have to get everything out of the cupboard, set it up on the kitchen table, find a place to set up my new miniature ironing board and get down on the floor to cut things out.  I really think this will be okay though it will push me to finish things quicker and be more organized so I don't quit in the middle of a project by getting distracted with looking for some material in my material treasure box, I always find a piece of material I had forgotten about and I start thinking about what I could make with my new discovery instead of finding the piece I was looking for and getting on with the original project.  I am presently working on a baby quilt for my niece.  I am experimenting with appliqueing a page from a cloth book onto the quilt.  In my imagination  the quilt will be amazing, let's hope my imagination is right!

     We are living very close to the Canada U.S.A border so went shopping in Ferndale Washington yesterday.  The shopping trip made us more aware of the storage space in the fridge, we really had to limit our purchases as there just is not enough room to put the amount of food we normally buy. Oh well just have to buy less more often, I don't have a problem with that!

Until next time.

Finally!!

     We are moved to our permanent spot (may-be).  We had the 5th wheel moved to the RV park on Wednesday and have organized the inside for full time RV'ing.  There is still lots to do on the outside, build a deck and a porch as well as cover in the front of the 5th wheel for additional storage.

     Everyone here seems really friendly, there are 120 full time RV'ers here.  We are not really a social couple so this will take some getting used to.  There are so many things you have to think about when making the move to full time RV'ing.  The list is endless but first and foremost living in a small space is uppermost.  The space is small so I feel you need to put things away when you are done with them so there is no clutter because clutter makes it seem even smaller.  The next thing to adjust to is a friendly RV park, as it appears that everyone knows everyone and their goal is to get to know you as soon as you unhook the trailer.   This is a challenge for us being the private people we are, we will survive the onslaught though.  Next is to keep busy, I have my sewing and my husband has a bunch of projects so we are set for a while.

     On another note our cat has settled in beautifully, we thought or should I say I thought she would not want to go out as she is a bit timid, however I was wrong, she loves it here, she is out exploring and finding new friends.  There is an abundance of pets here and she is loving it.

     That is all for now blog later.

Two Days to Go!

     Well, we are in the dodo now, I guess when buying a used RV one should expect the unexpected but this was not one we were expecting or wanting for our worst enemy.  Our black water tank which I explained in the last post was half full when we brought it home and apparently dry so material was dried on the inside of the tank.  We have been emptying and rinsing the tank once a week hoping that we could dislodge some of the dried on material.  Today we discovered a crack in the tank, we have apparently cleaned the sides well and exposed a crack.
     My husband is a very handy man and was able to figure out a way to patch the crack, thanks to a phone call to a mobile RV repair man.  Glue, fiberglass hairdryer and he was set.  Four hours later and he hopes he has conquered the leak.  If this does not work it means we will need a new tank.  What more can go wrong?  We are waiting until morning to make a decision about the move.  We do not feel it is wise to move to the RV park with a leaking black water tank.
     If he has conquered the leak we have to get the 5th wheel ready to be towed, that in itself will be an all day job.  Do folks who travel south have to pack up breakables?  We don't know so we are going to do it and be safe.
     So many things to think about when buying a used RV and we didn't think of half of them, you need to check for leaks, cracks, condition of the tanks, size of the fridge, size of the bed (this one we did check), condition of the carpet, did the previous owner  have dogs, how much cupboard space is there, and etc.
     Hopefully our next blog will be from our new parking spot, until next time.
   

Moving Day is Fast Approaching!!

     The house is empty!  We have finally gotten rid of all our belongings that we are unable to fit in the 5th wheel and take on our new adventure.  What a relief to have it done so far ahead of the end of the month.  We have made arrangements to have the 5th wheel moved, told the RV Park we are coming, we are now just waiting for it all to transpire.
     Something happened last week that we had thought about but then forgotten about that required some quick thinking and some unfortunate spending.  We knew that black water tanks need to be jostled around from time to time to make their dumping more successful, however with all the other chores we had listed that particular piece of knowledge seemed to slip into the unknown.  What to do?  The first step is to google it!  My husband found lots of useful info on the internet and was very impressed with a gadget called Sewer Solution, it breaks up solids and cleans out the drain pipe at the same time.  Next step is to find one in Canada!  Every RV site we looked at here in the lower mainland re-directed us to a U.S. site!  So frustrating.  He searched on his laptop and I searched on mine, he was not successful but I was.  I sent him the link but for some reason he was sent to the U.S., anyway to end this rambling we eventually found where we can order one and pick it up the next day.

Vancouver Night (Photo credit: rmillar91)

     We go to pick up the Sewer Solution and come home, thinking we will start the clean out but typical Vancouver, there is a torrential downpour.  We will leave it until tomorrow.  Wake to the same rain the next day but decide to suit up and get the job done.  The little gadget works a treat!  We are thinking that this will be the way we empty the tank always as we will not be hauling this 5th wheel around.
     Well it is St. Patrick's Day and my 65th birthday so better go drink some green beer.  Thanks for reading we will blog again soon.
   

Ready To Move It!

     We have finally emptied the house and are ready to move the 5th wheel to it's new home!  We found a park to our liking and have reserved a spot, they also have storage for our small RV, which we think is fantastic as we want it close when we do decide to go camping.  Having to load the truck and drive to a storage lot then unload the truck would be such a lot of trouble.  This was we are able to walk across the park, load up and be on our way.
     We are still cooking and eating in the house to save on propane.  It is quite strange to be living in two places at one time.  We have moved most of our cooking supplies to the trailer, spices, flour, etc, so occasionally I have to send hubby out to get ingredients for me in order to prepare a meal.  That is one thing I didn't think about when I retired, preparing meals three times a day, but that is what I do and my better half certainly appreciates it.
     The spot we are moving to will let us have a deck and a small shed, which we are ecstatic about,  my husband will have a place to store his beloved tools that he can not seem to part with.  The RV park has a pool and laundry facilities, so we are set.
     Will blog more once we are settled.  Thanks for reading.