Ten things to know about your rental RV
Ten things to know about your rental RV before leaving the rental yard. RV rental knowledge is key to a great experience.
I was talking with my youngest daughter about RV’s when she mentioned that she needed to pick my brains for what things she would need to know when she rented one. I generated a list of things anyone new to recreational vehicles would need to know to have a good trip. This post is about that list for those looking to rent their first recreational vehicle.
Safety
A note before continuing with the list. The RV of your choice may be larger than you are used to. It may be wider and taller and definitely longer. Find out how tall it is to prevent height related problems. Click here to see such a problem. Make sure that you give yourself extra room when passing other vehicles before cutting back into your original lane. Also, turns will require more room to execute properly. So your the rig does not run over the corner of the sidewalk keep an eye on your mirrors during turns until you feel comfortable with the new wider, length.
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What to Expect
You should as a renter expect a thorough walk-thru of the following procedures before you leave the rental yard. After all, you will need to execute these procedures almost daily or at least once during your rental time frame. The walk-thru should be thorough, not a point and move on type procedure. Be sure to bring a notepad and pencil to take notes. When completed you should fully understand how to accomplish the following tasks.
- What kind of batteries your rental vehicle uses.
- How to level your vehicle.
- How to change the refrigerator from electric operation to gas operation and back again.
- Where the switch is located to turn the hot water heater on and off, also from electric to gas operation if applicable.
- How to turn on the water pump.
- How to fill the toilet bowl with water prior to use and how to flush.
- What kind of toilet paper the rental company or owner recommends.
- How to turn on the generator(if so equipped).
- Where the monitor station is located and how to use it?
- How to properly dump the holding tanks.
The type of batteries
This is not a task. If you’re planning on full hookups for your entire rental time frame this knowledge is not needed. However, you will need to know what kind of batteries your rig uses if you plan on camping “off the grid”. The batteries will run your water pump, furnace(blower and controls) refrigerator electronics and indoor lighting. They will need to be recharged as they get drained. You always want to go into the evening with a full charge if chilly weather is expected. You don’t want the batteries drained with the furnace expected to provide heat that night. The battery type for most capacity from best to good are:
- 2 6volt golf cart batteries
- 2 12 volt deep cycle batteries
- 1 12volt deep cycle battery
How to level the rig
You need to know how to level the rig for several reasons but most importantly so that your refrigerator works properly. There are bubble levels that are usually attached to the rig to help level the rig so that the refrigerator is level when the bubbles are centered. Some rigs have push-button automatic leveling. Sometimes blocking under the tires is used to help level the rig from side to side. If your rig comes with blocking pull it out and have it demonstrated so you will know how to use it when the time comes.
Refrigerator operation
You will need to know how to go to gas operation anytime you are changing locations. Also if you plan on some full connection camping and some “off the grid” camping you will need to know where the controls need to be so that the refrigerator works properly in each situation. Also prior to pumping gas how to turn it off and back on after leaving the gasoline pumps.
Hot water heater operation
You will need to know how to turn it on for camping and off for travel and if connected to electrical service how to change it from gas operation to electric operation if it has that capability. The latter being to conserve your propane usage so that you don’t have to fill up the propane tank(s) during the rental.
Water pump operation
You need to know how to fill the fresh water tank for “off the grid” camping and where to connect the water hose for when you have water connection service. Watch the monitor station video for the water pump switch location.
Using the toilet
RV toilets are a different animal. They don’t automatically fill the bowl with water between flushes like the home system. You have to know how to do this with the use of valves specific to each model of toilet. A good walk thru will point out how to do this for your rental unit.
Toilet paper
RV’s need to use toilet paper that breaks up quickly in water. You will need to know if the paper you plan on using is compatible with the RV system. The rental owner/company may have a recommendation. If not here is a good video on how to test the toilet paper of your choice to see if it will work.
Generator
If your rental rig has a generator you will need to know how to turn it on to recharge your batteries when camping “off the grid”. If your camping with electrical hookups the rig will usually have a charging system built into the electrical system to ensure the batteries are being charged when connected to electrical service.
Monitor station
This is one you will use almost daily. I recommend that you monitor your tank status almost daily. Freshwater and black, and gray water tank condition will determine when you will need to dump the tanks.
Dumping the black and gray water tanks
The ugly side of camping is that this needs to be done. You will need to know how to properly connect the hoses to the rig and how to connect to the dump station. You need to know what order to dump in and any special techniques that the rig requires. Over the years I have found that this is a two-person job. I dump the rig and get the hoses cleaned and put away. My wife drives the rig from the dump station if there’s a line and brings a trash bag for the disposable latex gloves I’m wearing. She also brings me a towel and dish soap for me to wash my hands at a close by water spigot before getting back behind the wheel.
Now you know the basics of your rental rig. Ten things to know about your rental RV before leaving the rental yard will make your camping trip less stressful because your camping like a veteran.
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(By Jerimiah Borkowski (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)
(By Jerimiah Borkowski (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)
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