casperboy77
Batavia, NY
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Hi everyone,
I have a 23.9' Aerolite Cub Hybrid Travel Trailer and am pulling it with a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a straight 6 engine (I have weight distribution hitch with anti-sway control as well). We were told by the RV dealer not to tow the camper with water in the tanks as it is bad on brakes and adds more weight which will ultimately use more gas.
Anyways I have 2 situations. #1: I have never used my fresh water tank in the 8 months I have owned my trailer (bought it used from a dealer), I see wal-mart sells a water tank sanitizer that you mix with the fresh water and is safe to drink when it is diluted with the water in the tank. But I am guessing you have to have that in the tank and drive it around to slosh the water. #2: My black water tank one of the sensors keeps reading 1/3 full even when it is empty. I was told by a guy that own a campground to nearly fill the tank and dump a couple of bags of ice down the toilet and drive it around like that. So these 2 situations from my understanding I have to drive around with water in the tanks. Does anyone have any advice on these 2 issues and how to correct them properly? By the way the RV dealer said to sanitize the fresh water tank use pool chlorine and I also read on another website to use bleach. I'm guessing the wal-mart solution is the best way to go, however even that is just chlorine. Thanks for the help!
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skipnchar
Topeka or somewhere else
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Joined: 12/17/2003
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I'd forget the ice in the black tank it'll only make things even more stopped up and will generally do nothing to clean the sensor. Lots of water is the best solution for cleaning the black tank and it you can fill it about half full then add some Dawn Dishwashing soap before taking it for a long ride on a curvy road it'll probably clean your sensors just fine.
towing with tanks full is generally certainly NOT forbidden. some smaller trailers however tend to use the weight associated with holding tanks as ballast and they may tow differently when full then when empty. some better and some worse. As for the gas mileage difference unless the tow vehicle is REALLY on the margins you will probably not be able to even MEASURE the difference in MPG. How much mileage to you loose by carrying a couple of passengers? It'll be about the same difference. Remember your trailer has it's own brakes and they should be designed to handle the GVWR of the trailer without doing damage to them. If they're not the manufacturer is subject to some really heafty fines from the NTSB for mislabeling the DOT safety plate which shows the GVWR of the trailer. Braking capacity is one of the MAJOR components that goes into establishing the GVWR of a trailer.
Rather than purchase a special sanitizer for your FW system, I'd advise you to use the product recommended by virtually ALL RV manufacturers....household bleach. Remember that 95% of the municipal water systems across the country use Chlorine bleach to sanitize drinking water. Use between 1/4 and 1/2 cup per 10 gallons of tank capacity then fill the FW tank completely, run the bleach solution through all faucets until you smell bleach. Leave it sit in the system for a couple of hours then drain and flush the system and you're good for about 6 months of sweet, safe drinking water. Be sure you have the water heater in the USE position (not bypassed) to you sanitize the hot water system also.
Good luck / Skip
* This post was
edited 02/16/11 09:00pm by skipnchar *
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SLSAntigua
Pennsylvania
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Hi,
If you plan on drinking the water out of your tank and have never used it, I'd flush it thoroughly then put the Walmart sanitizer in. Not sure about the Chlorine bleach but there has to be something antibacterial out there that you can use that won't kill you or make you very sick. I buy jugs or gallons of water for drinking and use the tank water for bathing etc. Very rarely drink the water from my fresh water tank. As for the black tank sensors, all it is really just an approximation. Mine does the same thing, tried the ice, it didn't work. I t still reads either 3/4 or full when bone dry. If you are that concerned about it, invest in a tote with a hitch connection.
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Chuck&Gail
In the Colorado Mountains
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What is tow rating, and VEHICLE tongue weight limit specs on Jeep?
What does fully loaded trailer ACTUALLY weigh, and what does tongue weigh?
My guess is dealer was trying to keep you from exceeding all the Jeep specs and causing problems. Water is VERY heavy.
The ice trick is to get rid of "piles" under the toilet caused by folks not using enough water when they flush, or camping with waste valves open. It isn't for cleaning sensors, although it might work.
It seems to me most stupid sensors never work right anyway, but 1 cup dishwashing liquid, and 1 cup water softener like Calgon, added to about 10 gallons of water and driven on a curvy road might help.
Chuck
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bikendan
Napa, Cal.
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first, i guessing your GC is underpowered for that trailer. it's a Cub 236, correct.
we almost bought one back in '06. but i remember the weight as it set on the dealer lot at around 4300lbs. that sounds like too much trailer for a I-6 engine and a short wheelbase.
that may be why the dealer told you to not carry the water. he probably knew you were at or over the max capacity of the GC. the bad on brakes statement is just ludicrous. and the wind resistance of the trailer front does more to gas mileage than the weight.
i've been sanitizing the FW tanks, with regular bleach, on my past popups and my current hybrid. no need for fancy additives.
we always use our FW tanks and carry the water because our home water is usually better than the campground's water. but i have plenty of extra tow power so i don't have to worry about the extra weight.
the cheap OEM sensors in the holding tanks are famous for their inaccuracies. i've used the ice trick with some success. but unless you replace them with ones like Horst sensors, they are always going to be inaccurate.
make sure you never leave the black tank completely empty of water. otherwise you'll have problems that will be "hard" to get rid of.
Dan- Firefighter , Shawn- Musician/Entrepreneur, Zoe- Faithful Golden Retriever , 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche LS, 2007 Rockwood Roo 23SS w/Equalizer and Prodigy, and 5 Mtn. bikes and 2 Road bikes
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smkettner
Southern California
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Unless you are already way overloaded you will not even notice the tanks full vs empty.
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Chuck_S
Broadview Hts, OH, USA
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Read sanitation instructions here: RV Water System Sanitation. I do this every spring as part of the pre-season preparation.
The convenient solution for the tank sensors is Horst Miracle Probes. Mine have provided accurate readings for two seasons. Make sure the tanks are empty, really empty, before installing them!
I'm seeing approximately 5000 pounds max towing for an Inline 6 cylinder Grand Cherokee. And that only with the HD Tow package (whatever that might be). With no other data I'm guessing you're at or exceeding your towing capacity with this SUV and trailer.
Water weighs 8.34 pounds/gallon. My 36 gallons of fresh water (6 of it in the water heater) weighs 300 pounds. Since we often dry camp we run full tanks much of the time. At least half full so we can use the sink and toilet on the road.
-- Chuck
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kellem
Shenandoah valley,VA
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Since day one I've always pulled the hybrid with full fresh water tank and several gallons of water,dish liquid and calgon in the black tank.
If towing at max "not recommended" then i would leave home with empty tanks including water heater.
I'm not so concerned with the sensors for the black tank as you'll notice it takes several days to fill this tank and for a typical week-end you'll likely never reach this tanks capacity.Easy to inspect via the toilet.
Now...with three girls,the grey tank requires daily attention.
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casperboy77
Batavia, NY
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RRUGG wrote:Forget the overpriced water sanitizer from Walmart. Read the label and it'll say it's sodium hypochlorite which is exactly the same thing as household bleach. Don't believe me? Read both labels.
Your right!
As for everyone else about the weight of the trailer and capacity of the Jeep I'll look at the labels and post them here later today. For the one post yes it is a Cub 236. Thanks again!
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RRUGG
Newaygo, MI,USA
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Forget the overpriced water sanitizer from Walmart. Read the label and it'll say it's sodium hypochlorite which is exactly the same thing as household bleach. Don't believe me? Read both labels.
RRUGG
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