RV Units - Basics for Quarantine Use

Ed Note: While this article was created specifically to assist those who may find their initial use of an RV due to the C-19 epidemic, it would likely also be useful as a sort of “RVing 101” primer for anyone contemplated a first use of an RV.

RVs have served many purposes over the years. Most think of them in the context of “travel for pleasure”. And indeed, that’s the purpose for which they are made. But they have found other uses as well. In times when housing affordability has become a challenge, some RVs have attempted to fill a role beyond the manufacturer’s intended usage, and become quasi-permanent homes. In times of natural catastrophe, such as hurricanes, RVs have been deployed to provide temporary housing in areas where large areas have have had widespread home destruction.

So it is hardly surprising that one of the many unexpected results of the Covid-19 pandemic has found RVs with one more unintended use — to fill a demand for separate living areas where quarantine measures present an immediate need. This can follow where an individual may have been exposed to the virus and needs to be physically separated from other family members. Either the exposed individual may choose to “isolate” in an RV; or one or more family members may choose to isolate themselves by temporarily staying in an RV to avoid proximity or contact with an exposed family member. Alternatively, a health care worker may choose to limit proxity to his/her family if job duties involve dealing direct with patients.

In most cases the RV will likely be positioned immediately adjacent to the home — likely parked in a driveway or at the side of a house. And for most individuals, the use of an RV for temporary living quarters will be an entirely new and unfamiliar experience. It is primarily to help provide a measure of guidance that this article is written. We do not pretend you will become an instant expert on the subject of RV living. Those of us who have had a lifetime of RV experience realize that’s beyond the reach of even those who have enjoyed the pleasure of full-time RVing. Rather we’d like to focus instead on those issues that need your priority attention when faced with an immediate need to use an RV for temporary living needs.

Where to get an RV for temporary use: If you’ve found your way to this
article, almost by definition you’ve resolved that issue. If you didn’t already own one, you’ve arranged to use one owned by a friend; or you’ve arranged to borrow or rent one from a local dealer or individual. It’s beyond the scope of this article to examine the options and challenges in that process — so we’ll assume that bridge has been crossed. And that you are either consider whether to acquire an available unit, or that you have one and just need help with the basics of getting it set up.

If you have a choice: If you’re at the stage of evaluating whether to acquire an RV, and have some degree of choice, there are some core things for you to consider. If you plan only to use it on a temporary basis, you are most likely best served by using a towable (i.e., a trailer or a fifth wheel) rather than a motorhome. That is, providing you have or can get a way to have the unit towed to your location (which for our purposes here we’ll assume is your driveway). Towables are less costly, in case there’s a rental fee involved; and a on a per- foot basis offer more space than a motorhome of equal length. That’s purely because a towable can devote all of it’s available space to living area, where a motorhome requires some allocation of space for the engine and motorized chassis. Add to that fact that towable tend to be easier to to “level” — referring to the interior living area being not being tipped towards the front or back — or side to side. Regardless of motorized or towable, units that have one or more slide out rooms will have a more spacious interior feeling than units that do not. Pick the right parking spot: Our assumption is that usually this will be a driveway at the destination residence. Street parking is often prohibited, and has other obvious disadvantages. One important consideration will be to find a suitably level surface. This can be compensated “front to back” with a trailer or fifth wheel. And the side to side adjustment can be made by simply using one or more pieces of boards under the wheels. Some larger motorhomes have the ability to self-level (within limits). But our assumption is that expensive high end motorhomes would most usually not be an available option

Choose a parking surface that suitable to all weather conditions: This is especially important in areas subject to rain, as the surface needs to provide solid support for the wheels (concrete or well-compacted gravel); and the entry needs to be free of puddles — but especially potential mud. Consider the usual route of travel into and out of the RV. This may often just be the distance to and from a parked car in the same driveway. All weather access can help ensure clean interior living space within the confines of an RV.

What’s the reality of “self contained”? One of the key assumptions bing made is that an RV is completely self-contained. This means it has all the same “systems” found in a normal house. Besides electricity (more on that in a minute) it assumes the unit can be heated in cool weather, or cooled in hot weather. It means that it has its own water supply, and the ability to retain both gray and black waste water. Usually it assumes as well a supply of propane gas to power the stove, a hot water heater, and interior gas heat. But there are limitations to all of these systems in an RV. And how long you can park in one place requires a knowledge of the limitations of all of them.

Electrical: Most RVs have both “house batteries” and a connection for plugging into AC current. The house batteries, which look like a typical car battery (but are in fact different) provide DC current which for a limited time can power some electrical needs such as for lighting or small appliances. They cannot be used for heavier duty use such as to power a microwave or air conditioner. They typically can provide light duty power for lighting, etc., when the unit is not connected to an AC supply. An RV’s DC “house battery” will automatically recharge when connected to “shore power”. These are typically 30 (or even 50) amp power cords, that will require an adapter if plugged into a standard 15 amp house outlet. When there is an AC power source available, it will constantly keep the RV battery(ies) charged. DC power is typically only used for short periods when AC power isn’t available. Some RVs will also have a generator, which can be used when no other AC power source is available. But they are often quite noisy. They also consume either gasoline or propane. They are definitely not something to be relied upon as a primary power source. They are most often used when RVs are taken places for overnight stays that have no available “shore power” hookups. Some RVs will have “solar power”; but typically that is intended only to top off the batteries. It is not sufficient to provide electricity on a continuing basis.

Electric hookup Caution! A special note on electrical connections made to a house circuit... If an RV is parked in a driveway, with a proper adapter the RV’s electrical cord can be connected to a standard 20 amp electrical plug at the house. However, extreme care must be taken not to overload the house electrical outlet. Residential outlets are typically made to power a single device, like a lamp or at most a power tool. When connected to an RV, it will automatically start powering everything that’s connected. This could include some appliances that draw a considerable amount of power — such as an electric water heater, a microwave, or electric heat/air conditioning — in addition to the normal uses such as TV, lighting, computer or device charging, etc. An overloaded residential outlet will trip the breaker in the house, and the power to that outlet goes off until the problem is identified and fixed. Some sophisticated RV electric systems can “meter” the amount of power it will draw from an outside electric hookup. But that is rare; and can be difficult for a novice RVer to use. As a consequence, the message here is that before plugging into anything less than a 30 amp source (which a house typically does not have), you should make sure there are no major appliances (especially an electrical heater or air conditioner) turned on. An RV electric water heater can usually be switched to operate on propane only if that should prove necessary. The same is true of the refrigerator, which can run for a very long time using propane only. The same is true of the RV stove which also typically operates only on propane — and uses very little in daily operation. A “PS” teaching point here is that it’s always good

idea to make sure the propane tank is filled before parking in one location for several weeks.

Fresh Water: RVs will alway have a “fresh water” tank. The capacity of the tank will vary greatly — and is intended to last for a day or few when no fresh water hookup is available. At commercial RV parks water hookups (i.e., a water spigot at the site) are typically available. At more remote public campgrounds, such as most US Forest Service campgrounds, there may be a place to fill the RV water tank; but usually no source of water at the site. The size of an RV’s water tank is significant, as without care smaller tanks (20-30 gallons can be easily depleted in one day. Only very large RVs will offer up to 100 gallons. But here, as with the battery powered DC electrical system, fresh water conservation can make a huge difference. If an RV is parked at or near a house, access to an outdoor water faucet within reach of a garden hose can provide indefinite refills to the onboard fresh water tank. Note that if a regular garden hose is used, rather than a hose designed for RV use, you may get a slight taste of garden hose in the water.

Grey Water: Self contained RVs always have a grey water tank. This usually contains all fluids drained from the RV except from the toilet. Here is one of the most significant of limitations when an RV is used other than in an RV park or campground. Here again, the size of the grey water tank is significant. It is typically less than the fresh water tank; and the smaller the RV the smaller grey water capacity it will have. The problem with grey water is that when it’s full, you’re unable to use any water at all in the RV. There are only two actions available to preserve grey water tank availability. The first is “conservation” — using water sparingly in the RV. Showers are major contributors to the problem. Using caution while doing dishes is essential. But at some point, the only solution is to dump the grey water and start over. At most RV parks and campgrounds there is either a sewage dump at the site; or alternatively at a common site within the campground. In the latter case, it’s a very short drive to get the job done. But parked in a private driveway, neither of those are options. You’ll either need to drive or tow the RV to the nearest public RV sewage dump; or use a portable sewage container of adequate capacity to empty the RV’s grey tank — and then take the portable tank to the nearest publicly accessible sewage dump site.

Black water: That’s RV lingo for everything that’s flushed from the RV toilet. It goes into a separate tank, often with less capacity than the RV’s grey water tank. As with the grey water tank, when it’s full the toilet is no longer available. The only solution is, as with the grey water tank, to dump it. This too will either involve driving or towing the RV to the nearest available RV dump station; or using a portable sewage container of adequate capacity to handle the size of

the RV’s black water tank. But here again, there will be a need to transport the portable tank to the nearest public sewage dump site. Managing the black water tank may be the single largest challenge to parking an RV at a residence. Most RVs will ordinarily be used at an RV park or campground, where there are bathrooms available for guest use. This of course greatly prolongs the useful time of the RV’s own black water tank, since usage can be minimized. However, depending upon the constraints of “quarantine”, the demand on the black water holding tank may require dumping the tank more frequently. It’s important to take careful note of this limitation when contemplating use of an RV where there is no ready access to an RV sewer dump.

Summary: All except the very largest and most luxurious RVs are not designed by the manufacturer as full time living accommodations. Rather they are intended for relatively short stays — and most typically at RV parks and campgrounds that offer utility hookups and restroom facilities. “Self contained” means they can be used for short periods of time without these amenities — something RVers refer to as “dry camping”. All necessary facilities and services are contained in the RV. But staying in on place under these conditions will require careful consideration and planning. It’s the purpose of this introductory article to help identify what some of these additional considerations are — and to suggest options for dealing with them. With sufficient knowledge and planning, an RV can provide an alternative living option for longer periods of time. We hope that these comments will be helpful!