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Eldoroda68

Home to the Country
Neighbor
Joined
Jun 26, 2018
Messages
14
Location
Southeastern Pennsylvania
I thought I'd start a thread here about my escape from the city. There are so many good threads on here I would like to contribute too. I really enjoyed the song memory thread.
So I introduced myself in the other forum I'm leaving a rental house in the City of Brotherly Love aka Killadelphia to go stay in my RV on my friend's 4 acres in the country, sock away my money to get my own place. I finally gave myself permission to ACT on my NEED to be in the country, if you ain't helping me then get out of my way, it finally got to that point. It's going pretty good I guess. Some of the highlights:
The Good:
My friends are cool as in they are not micromanaging my activities. They are happy they will have some help up there. I will do as much as I can up there while maintaining my FT job an hour away. I am confident that we are able to communicate good through any pitfalls which may come up.My friend made me breakfast today, she broke out a crate of eggs from her chickens and said, "What color do ya want?" There were blue, brown, and olive colored eggs. They were delicious!
The RV is an 86, it's got a 460 engine in it, the hill is a steeper grade than it looked and it took several tries to get it up the hill. It's leveled on jacks and blocks. I can cook, take a shower, watch TV, go on the internet, all oblivious to the >95* humidity outside.
I am doing this as a single female with a minimally helpful teenage kid, and no knowledge of carpentry, mechanics, or...any of that. BUT, I have my buddy in AZ a phone call away to tell me what to do if anything goes down. Like a blown fuse! Or running out of propane! Haha. I am getting a little less helpless each day.
The Bad
My dog figured out how to open the gate into their sheep pasture and chased the hell out of their sheep the other night.
The Ugly
It has significant water damage , tore out a bunch of rotted wood so now it's down to fiberglass. The area is my son's bed, the sleep loft in the front end above the cab, gotta fix that.
And my door opens up to a hill, its dirt cuz we cleared all the brush. Need a patio with drainage of some kind or I'll be living in mud in a few months. A pallet at the bottom of the step will do for now, I am on a modest budget.
I have many challenges ahead but I am deleriously happy to be out in the country again I don't care, I just feel like, OK, let's do this!
I am feeling so blessed!
Thought I'd share that. God bless ya all and Happy 4th of July!
 
@Eldoroda68 First welcome. Second you have started a journey to the Twilight Zone. So the very first thing you need to do is secure your life requirements. (1) Water (2) Food (3)
shelter (4) Defense (5) Sanitation. By secure I mean Have on site and readily accessible. If I understand your post, there are the two of you, so how much water do you have stored on site? How much food on site? Is the shelter adequate (no -- there are leaks -- needs repair ASAP). Are you able to SAFELY provide protection for you and your teenage kid? Your RV tanks are going to fill up in two places and run dry in another. Water and Sanitation are very closely connected (no pun intended). The good part is you have a positive outlook and with that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to get accomplished. Since you stated the RV is level and on blocks, I have to assume there is a second vehicle for the daily trips to the job. There are a million things you are going to need to do and this forum has the people that can and will be happy to help. You simply have to ask or just state your issue and they will jump in and provide options. With two of you in the RV, the gray and black water tanks are going to fill up quickly and your water holding tank is going to empty quickly. So you may want to figure out a method to drain them the full tanks and how to fill the empty water tank, without having to leave your site. We have folks that can and will offer suggestion on this problem. Enjoy your new life, the fun and challenge is just beginning.
 
congratulations on the move! Sounds like you feel much better in the peaceful country than in the loud city and it makes a great place for your son. I'm sure it's going to be an adjustment period for all of you, including your dog. He just needs to learn where and where not he can go. . . I wish you luck on fixing the roof and rotten wood. We also have had this problem and it's been a pain. For the time being, throw a tarp over the roof to prevent any more water damage. It's nice to have friends you can depend on to help walk you thru when needed. Exciting new journey for you :). Enjoy!
 
You have to use a Blue tarp for some reason only that color tarp makes things "problems" just magically disappear !!! The RVs made before the early 2000s did not have the best in waterproofing , that is the reason so many of the earlier models are parked under the Carolina metal carports it's cheaper to keep the water out that way. I am not trying to rain (pun intended) on your experience but I am surprised it even moved!!!!!! If this is as far as you are moving it then it has done its job, these RVs were not built on a commercial chassis but were built on special order for the RV industry so many parts to repair the running gear will only bavailable from special RV salvage(junk) yards.
 
If you can source some inexpensive metal roofing from a nearby property (maybe an old barn or couple outbuildings no one wants any longer) I second building a carport rather than fixing the roof perfectly. Or just put the roofing material right on the RV and use flexseal. The infomercials say you can repair a boat split in two back to usable watertight condition :).
 
Welcome!


Is the RV going to be a permanent residence or just semi-temp until you can gather materials for a structure?

If more of a permanent (5+ years) I would just “tar” the roof now to prevent further damage then build an actual roof over it. It might look ugly but you need to stop further damage now. You can extend the new roofing structure out over the sides for storage/shelter or plan ahead and have enclosed space there. It also can be extra storage on the roof with an access hole from inside the RV. In NE PA many friends started with a trailer and slowly added on so that you would never know there was a trailer as the base. Great way to live somewhere and slowly expand to meet your needs.

I agree water disposal/refill should be your first project. Is it hooked to a septic system? Is there a well or spring nearby?

For propane you can purchase a larger tank, like 100#, for extended use. Those 20# tanks go really fast if it is your main source, especially if they run a generator also. If a propane truck can get to the site ask locally about getting a larger tank from them and having them get you on a refill schedule.

RV living is challenging but enjoyable. You just have to scale way down on everything.
 
Congrats on your journey!

The only caution to the wind I would toss out there with the water rot in the camper area where your son sleeps, is the mold issue. Even if you can't see or smell it, mold could be there (and I think likely would be) and you son could be inhaling it. I really don't have any recommendation for you, but it is something you should consider and perhaps research. Saving a few bucks now won't mean much if your son gets sick later on.
 
If you can source some inexpensive metal roofing from a nearby property (maybe an old barn or couple outbuildings no one wants any longer) I second building a carport rather than fixing the roof perfectly. Or just put the roofing material right on the RV and use flexseal. The infomercials say you can repair a boat split in two back to usable watertight condition :).

Kinda like what we used on the Jon boat, we used Steel Flex 2000 same thing they use on air boats here in the swamps. Just be careful breathing it and use a respirator. Plus it sets up really FAST!
 
We had a product called RV Armor put on the roof of our 5th wheel last summer. Lifetime garuntee and zero issues so far.

As I understand it (I could be mistaken here) that is the same material they use for pickup truck bed liners and nearly indestructible.
 
Hey from the hill!
Well TMT I'm hooked up to my friends house for water n power with a heavy duty cord goin directly into their box and white hoses for my water so that's Workin good for now. I'm about 250 ft away from them. I'm doin a compost toilet out of a bucket w sawdust for solid sewage, n using the flush toilet in the rig for liquid. By the time the bucket fills up I gotta have a bin to receive it.
 
Dani, ssonb Woody etc with the leak suggestions, well luckily, FOR NOW, my caulk solution is holding up...we have had some serious rain and it's still dry under there. I am a holder of a magical blue tarp and it will be employed though.
Ang, I am indeed concerned re: mold. I have an air filter running up there. I have sprayed it with bleach fwiw. I'm going to have to tear out more wood. Got to fix this, can't do without the space!
I just gotta breathe...breathe...calm....!
 
Eldorada,
When you are writing your post there are three tabs on the lower right of your screen. [post reply] [upload a File] and [More Options...]
Click on the [Upload File] select the picture from your computer (one you have saved on your computer)
WolfScanning.jpg

Then click on the [open] tab. The picture will be represented as a thumbnail with two choices: [Thumnail] [Full Image].
Click on [Full Image] and the picture will appear after your last line of writing. If you want to write more then scroll to the bottom of the picture and hit <Enter> and continue your message.
 
Eldorada,
When you are writing your post there are three tabs on the lower right of your screen. [post reply] [upload a File] and [More Options...]
Click on the [Upload File] select the picture from your computer (one you have saved on your computer)
View attachment 8143
Then click on the [open] tab. The picture will be represented as a thumbnail with two choices: [Thumnail] [Full Image].
Click on [Full Image] and the picture will appear after your last line of writing. If you want to write more then scroll to the bottom of the picture and hit <Enter> and continue your message.


Winner, beautiful animal. Favors a wolf we had 60 years ago.:thumbs:
 
Sorry, My phone plugs into the wall so I can't help with transferring pictures from a phone.
 
Setbacks galore!
MVIMG_20180717_114921.jpg
The main first thing: Plan for tomorrow is to reset this tire, relevel the whole rig actually. After settling it is at this sick angle. We tried to find big square pavers but there were none to be found so made do with these. Not too scared since it is also on jack stands.
So I get home from work tonight at 0100 and there's cat pee on my bed! Left the enzyme cleaner in storage in the city. Ugh! Sleeping on springs tonight, foam mattress is out under awning. Giant pile of bedding to take to laundromat. It rained too so everything is soaked. No wetness inside thank goodness. Mad at my kid for not putting cats out.
The mattress and bedding will have to wait though. Still gotta get this leveled tomorrow.
Still gotta be at work on time an hour away tomorrow!
Crazy?
No one can "hand you" empowerment and self sufficiency. My task is to attain these things, however ungracefully. It will clearly be one thing after another but I expected that. Here it is now.
Minor setbacks. Thanks for listening.
 
Setbacks galore!
View attachment 8220 The main first thing: Plan for tomorrow is to reset this tire, relevel the whole rig actually. After settling it is at this sick angle. We tried to find big square pavers but there were none to be found so made do with these. Not too scared since it is also on jack stands.
So I get home from work tonight at 0100 and there's cat pee on my bed! Left the enzyme cleaner in storage in the city. Ugh! Sleeping on springs tonight, foam mattress is out under awning. Giant pile of bedding to take to laundromat. It rained too so everything is soaked. No wetness inside thank goodness. Mad at my kid for not putting cats out.
The mattress and bedding will have to wait though. Still gotta get this leveled tomorrow.
Still gotta be at work on time an hour away tomorrow!
Crazy?
No one can "hand you" empowerment and self sufficiency. My task is to attain these things, however ungracefully. It will clearly be one thing after another but I expected that. Here it is now.
Minor setbacks. Thanks for listening.

Be careful with the bleach mixing with other chemicals in the wet materials. Dawn Dish liquid also gets rid of mold without the harmful bleach solution. So does ammonia with less toxins in it than bleach. We used ammonia to clean out all the vents, AC in our house and van.

Also a quick fix for leaks is roofing tar we used on our old camper. I also got on the roof of our mobile home and fixed leaks near vents with tar, that was 35 years ago though, no more roofing work for me now a days. I'm also a woman who has survived some trials of life.
How old is your son? Is he healthy? I camped in tent with 3 teens and that was a challenge but they shaped up quick.:D. Made them all strong adults now almost seniors themselves with lots of grandkids.
Eldo, you came to the right place for help here if we don' have the answer we know somebody who does, to most problems anyway. First thing is to get that rotten material out soon as you can. It can make both of you very sick.:huggs:
 
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Well it took awhile cuz of the rain but I got it set up to something I feel safer with. Here's the before n after.
I am going to stay with this rig (the Cool Change!) because it's already here and I'm pretty sure I can fix the damage. It's not meant to be a permanent residence. If I can get a couple years out of it on this hill it will have done it's job.
Everything works in her.
Took me hours just to figure out the way to jack it up safely.
Its not perfect and it not the BEST but it's better than it was!
MVIMG_20180724_115247.jpg
IMG_20180727_173227.jpg
 
Good job on the support!
Yes, we have that line of storms coming through. Doesn't look too bad though, we have the thunder here also.
 
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