DW and I are probably within 2 months of buying our first-ever RV (if that) and it'll be a 5er. So, having never owned an RV and not knowing for sure what comes with a new rig (we are 95% sure it will be brand new), what items of importance do we need to get right away (whether we purchase them or have the dealer throw them in)?
I'm talking about hoses, power cords/adapters, black/gray water additives, etc...
We want to be as prepared as possible for our first night, whenever that may be!
Thanks all!
Jo And Craig said
02:30 PM Jul 15, 2013
I have seen, and copied, a list that Howard had posted somewhere on this site, but I'm not sure where it is. It is a long list of all the "little" stuff that Howard has found useful/necessary/convenient to him over the years. I have no doubt someone will chime in to help locate it. You say you are buying soon, but do you plan to attend their rally in Tennessee in the Spring? I could be wrong, but I'm thinking this could be one of the topics at their rallies. We'll be there!
jjsbergy said
02:33 PM Jul 15, 2013
I'll see if I can find that list.
We actually hope to see Howard and Linda in NC in Oct since we live in SC. We haven't decided yet if we want to attend the Hershey show or the one in RDU in September.
Ckerr said
04:31 PM Jul 15, 2013
Come visit me at the Hershey Show! Did you find the list yet?
Most dealer RV purchases will throw in the basics.
Your 5th wheel should come with the power cord -- don't buy one without it as it can be expensive!
They will generally give you an inexpensive sewer hose with connections. It will probably only be 10' long and you will probably want more length options in the long run, but you really won't need the sewer hose night one unless you plan on taking multiple showers and washing lots of dishes.
They will also supply a fresh water hose. Again, you will probably want more options for length. Depending on the site you might need this the first night.
A pressure regulator or basic inline water filter would be good to have on night one. You can pick up the blue water filter at most Walmarts that have a camping section. I've found it generally reduces any water pressure to an acceptable level.
Tank treatment is good, but again, not critical on the first night and everyone has an opinion on the best one, best approach.
Here's my own personal suggestions:
If your 5th wheel has any sort of RV mattress -- even their premium one -- I would bring a good foam topper.
A nice set of sheets.
Your favorite pillows, towels and blanket.
You'll be tired and enervated the first day, so I would make sure I had all the essentials for a good night's sleep!
Have fun and go with the flow -- especially the first few days. Don't expect everything to be perfect and don't worry about getting it right the first time by... most of us have changed things as we go and find out what works for us.
Lucky Mike said
06:23 PM Jul 15, 2013
Dont forget the TP........most important Item in your coach!!!.....dont get caught without any!!!!!!
Terry and Jo said
06:52 PM Jul 15, 2013
Sam and Belinda,
I wouldn't worry too much about what it is that the dealer or manufacturer will provide. At best, those items will not be the best of quality, especially with regards to hoses and such. If you were to go to a dealership and ask to see the hoses that came with them, you would no doubt find a LOT better quality hoses in their parts department. The dealership we worked with allowed us a discount on any accessories that we purchased when we picked up our fifth wheel. That helped us get better quality right away.
I think you would be better served to really research the RV's and worry about accessories later, especially if you think you will be buying within the next two months. We did research on our RV for two years, but we were also considering motorhomes at one time.
Read as many forums as you can, not only here at RV Dreams, but if you narrow things down to a particular brand/model, then check online for any owner's associations or forums that are specific to those brands/models. You will find that some may report a number of issues that you may not have even considered. With regards to owner's associations and forums, keep in mind that they do tend to "attract" those that are looking for a solution to a problem. Just because you see a number of those, it doesn't necessarily mean they are bad brands/models. If you can, register with those forums and ask your own questions. One question to ask is this: "If you were to buy another RV, would you buy the same brand/model that you currently have, and if not, why not."
Above all else, don't be afraid to ask every question that comes to mind. It's better to ask the questions prior to purchase than it is to have to ask questions later to fix the problems.
Terry
FLCoastalChick said
07:08 PM Jul 15, 2013
Going on Mikes TP challenge.. LOL.. I have already tried this throughout my house and it works (I surprised myself). Take 1 bar of soap and grate it then add it to a gallon of distilled water heated to a slow boil, add 1 tbs of glycerin, mix well!! I had body wash and hand soap that last me over a month and cost me less than 2.00.
FLCoastalChick said
07:11 PM Jul 15, 2013
oops.. sorry.. I use lever 2000 or dial. My colone still stays on me...
Ckerr said
07:48 PM Jul 15, 2013
Lucky Mike wrote:
Dont forget the TP........most important Item in your coach!!!.....dont get caught without any!!!!!!
Good catch on the TP Mike! lol
LibertyLinda said
03:31 AM Jul 18, 2013
Sam & Belinda,
Hi and we just got our first 5er this past Monday. One of the items we have found invaluable not only with the new 5er but with our previous Class A is walkie-talkies. They are essential for backing in and for hooking up I suspect :) Anyway, one of those very helpful items we have found, otherwise the three P's for everything else: Position (have good bed/sleep stuff you like), Pain: have Advil available for the move-in and Potty: have your toilet paper, toilet bowl cleaner and toilet bowl brush, an expansion on what Lucky Mike said :). There are many, many details in preference, but think: light weight and easy to clean.
Best of luck. We are still learning too :)
scrappy said
03:44 AM Jul 18, 2013
Lucky Mike wrote:
Dont forget the TP........most important Item in your coach!!!.....dont get caught without any!!!!!!
Rumor has it, Mike hides his toaster behind his TP. *giggle*
jjsbergy said
06:27 AM Jul 18, 2013
Terry & Jo, Linda, Lucky Mike, and everyone else... Belinda and I are so grateful to all of you who are so quick to lend advice and give input - especially to us soon-to-be-newbie-full-timers!
There isn't a day that goes by that we don't believe God's plan for us is exactly what we are going to be doing - hopefully sooner rather than later, but that's up to Him.
To know there is a place where questions can be posited and the answers will come, not in "1-2 business days," but almost immediately! We did a lot of research, had an idea of what we wanted in our RV, and then a few months ago we found the perfect (for us) 5er. So from that point on it's been about paring down our "worldly possessions," selling what we won't need or can't take, and putting the house on the market (June 15).
Then, last week while going up to look at the model we had settled on, we decided just to look at some of the '14 models and...UGH!!! We started vacillating on whether we should consider a couple of others before we sign on the dotted line (which is still up in the air 'cuz we still have to sell the house). Well, my new friends, we realized yesterday that the past week of waffling was our way of trying to control what He had already led us to, so we are going to stick with our dream 5er even though we might have saved $60-$70 a month going with something else. We realize since we are going to be full-time we need to stick with the one that meets both our desires.
We will probably have to do a custom order for only 2 reasons - all the models available have couches/chairs that are too dark and not the style we're looking for (we want theater seating), and we want an exterior paint theme (we know, that adds to the price, but we prefer less white).
In case some of you don't know we are planning on purchasing the Keystone Alpine 3720FB.
Thanks again everyone and I'm sure we'll be back on here or another thread every other day!
-- Edited by jjsbergy on Thursday 18th of July 2013 06:31:17 AM
jjsbergy said
01:32 PM Jul 18, 2013
P.S. How does one become a "RV Dreams Family Member?"
Lucky Mike said
01:53 PM Jul 18, 2013
Some have tried adoption.......others have snuck in and hid in the kids bedroom.....had a few just show up on the doorstep hanging out with the dog!!!!
But if your posting you are already a member!!!.......You are loved and accepted by all of us!!! please dont Feel like a Step child
no membership Fees
no paper work
just great people and the want and dreams to be part of it all!!!!
Terry and Jo said
03:02 PM Jul 18, 2013
jjsbergy wrote:
P.S. How does one become a "RV Dreams Family Member?"
"RV Dreams Family Member" comes about after one posts 25 times. (I think.) You are close to that, although I consider you to already be a "family member" anyway. If you were to go look at "List All Users" above, you can see a full list of those that have registered for the RV Dreams forums. There are an extremely high number of folks that have never actually posted or have only posted once.
Terry
scrappy said
08:15 PM Jul 19, 2013
Now I have to post something to see if I am an official family member yet.
If not, Im gonna throw myself on the floor and cry.
Edited to add: I am! Yay me!
-- Edited by scrappy on Friday 19th of July 2013 08:16:31 PM
jjsbergy said
02:26 AM Jul 20, 2013
Lucky Mike - LOL!!! Ok, well, we're glad to be a part of this family!
And Terry & Jo... We are humbled!
Belinda & I sure hope our travels will allow us to meet as many of this "family" as possible once we are on the open road. Our first couple of years or so we will be stationary for the most part in KY for 6-7 months and TX for 5-6 months to be near one twin son, then the other, and watch our grandchildren grow.
Once we are as thoroughly indoctrinated in the RV lifestyle as we feel necessary - and $$$ is not a big issue any longer - we will set a course for the great wide open. Every day we read Howard's journal and see the pics of where he and Linda are...WOW!!!
Now, my next question...
Should we have the stackable w/d included in our order, or can we get a better deal elsewhere?
Terry and Jo said
06:39 AM Jul 20, 2013
jjsbergy wrote:Now, my next question...
Should we have the stackable w/d included in our order, or can we get a better deal elsewhere?
This one is kind of up to you. Check with the dealer and see what they can get them for, but do that after you've checked elsewhere, or at least check elsewhere before ordering. When we ordered our coach, we decided that we could get the W/D cheaper through a local dealer and the dealership would install it for us. (Check to see if your dealer would charge for that, and make sure they put in a good vent, not a cheap one.) We also thought that since the coach would last a lot longer than the appliances, we would NOT finance them but buy them outright.
Many other things we had done during the manufacture that were options, like our pure sine wave inverter and two extra batteries. We are really glad we did that because the factory built in an extra compartment for the batteries, with a door at the front of the coach, and the inverter was installed on top of the extra battery box. Had we done that later, we wouldn't have gotten the extra compartment with a door.
Terry
Terry and Jo said
11:39 AM Jul 22, 2013
jjsbergy wrote:
When we got the spec sheet from our salesman for our custom 5er, keystone has several "mandatory" items, including the 13 cf refrig for $2790. Are "mandatory" items not relevant to structural inclusions truly mandatory?
And are residential frig's for RVs the kind I can get at Lowes, i.e?
Also, I posted another question in my "negotiation tips" thread about negotiating add-ins and options. Can I get some input on that?
I'm not sure I fully understand your reference to "structural inclusions." If you mean that anything other than the "designed-for" refrigerator would "weaken" the structural integrity, I can't speak to any brand/model other than our own. We purchased a Samsung french-style fridge to replace our RV fridge. We did have to modify the space for the refrigerator by lowering the "floor" for the fridge compartment a little bit and cut out the storage space above the "original" fridge. However, with that change, our Samsung fits into place with the roof of the slide right above the refrigerator, but still with some room below the fridge to adjust the slide roller if it is needed.
Our Samsung was purchased at Best Buy, but the same model was available in many other stores. Ours is an 18 cubic foot model with two upper doors and a freezer drawer with two levels within. The manufacturer of our brand of RV, DRV Suites, has a line called Mobile Suites Estates that includes a residential refrigerator, a dishwasher, and a garbage disposal as standard items. On the other hand, the dealers for DRV Suites can order custom modifications to their orders. Alicia and Slade at Rolling Retreats in Elk City, Oklahoma always order their "stock" trailers to include the residential fridge. The only drawback I've seen to some of those is that they go with a wider refrigerator, thus ending up with a bit less counter and cabinet space.
That link has several links to posts at my blog about the evolution of our process. While some pictures are included in those posts, there are a lot more photos that I took of the process.
Terry
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Monday 22nd of July 2013 12:06:23 PM
jjsbergy said
01:19 PM Jul 22, 2013
Thanks Terry! From our research we don't see any real price difference between going through the dealer and buying after market, which begs the question...why are RV washer/dryers sooooo expensive?!?
And the same goes for refrigerators...I can understand they are designed as electric & propane compatible, but $3000 for a frig?!? Oy Vay!!!
Jack Mayer said
02:22 PM Jul 22, 2013
I would never order an RV refrigerator at this point. If you never boondock, then power is not an issue. If you do boondock, the energy efficient residential refrigerators do fine IF you design a proper electrical system fort he RV. And since you will add batteries, etc for boondocking the residential refrigerator will be able to take advantage of them.
The washer ad dryer are NOT RV washerr/dryers but apartment size units. The Splendide Ariston units we have are excellent. On a larger coach I would likely put in full size residential units. Although what we have works just fine.
Next time we will put in a propane dryer - although there are a limited number of them in apt size.
Terry and Jo said
02:29 PM Jul 22, 2013
Well, I can't really explain why those things are so expensive. We had our Whirlpool washer go out a while back and they were going to be so expensive that the warranty company elected to replace it rather than try to repair it. We tore the thing apart so we could dump it into a dumpster on the property in little installments. You may be surprised to hear that they have two heavy weights around the drum housing to help prevent "wild rides" during a spin cycle.
As for the refrigerator, if one is going to be in a spot where there are no hookups and generators are frowned upon, the RV style fridge is the only way to go. We had problems with ours after only 2 years of use. Instead of going back to another RV fridge (which the warranty company would have covered), we elected to convert our RV to use a residential fridge. For the most part, we will have hookups, and we have a generator as a backup. We decided that a residential, even if we had to pay for it ourselves, would be better than trying to deal with a malfunctioning RV fridge every two years.
Not everyone appreciates the convenience of having one's washer and dryer right in the coach. However, Jo is really happy to pay the price to not have to constantly be going to a laundromat to wash clothes. The cost of driving to and from one, plus the expense of running the commercial machines would add up pretty fast. Jo likes that she can put in a load a day and not have to spend all day Saturday working to wash everything. And we all know the phrase, "a happy wife makes a happy life."
Terry
NWescapee said
04:26 PM Jul 22, 2013
For now we've elected to keep the RV fridge, however, we've had a few issues with it. We dry camp at art shows a few times a year with free parking and can't run the generator enough to power a residential fridge. That might be something we reconsider once we decide how much solar capacity we're going to add. With the price of the solar set up, we're still debating whether we want to go that route since we generally have at least W/E hookups about 70-80% of the time.
We did decide to remove the washer / dryer, while we try to find places to stay with W/E hookups we rarely stay where we have full hookups, plus we needed the room and the weight capacity for my husband's tools, materials and the storage room for his art work between shows.
There are trade offs and you just have to decide what is right for you. Also keep in mind it's not an irreversible decision, who knows, someday we may undo some of the things we've chosen to do at this time.
jjsbergy said
05:45 PM Jul 22, 2013
When we got the spec sheet from our salesman for our custom 5er, keystone has several "mandatory" items, including the 13 cf refrig for $2790. Are "mandatory" items not relevant to structural inclusions truly mandatory?
And are residential frig's for RVs the kind I can get at Lowes, i.e?
Also, I posted another question in my "negotiation tips" thread about negotiating add-ins and options. Can I get some input on that?
jjsbergy said
05:51 PM Jul 22, 2013
Terry, my wife is like Jo - she does not not want the inconvenience of going to & from a laundromat either. And honestly I don't want her to either. Like you we don't want to finance the w/d.
What's the life expectancy of the $3000 refrigerators?
bjoyce said
05:52 PM Jul 22, 2013
My mother-in-law's 12cuft Norcold RV fridge just died and because of the customized kitchen/bathroom arrangement she has, only another RV fridge will fit. She is getting a 13.5cuft Dometic and with labor is looking at around $5,000, including some attempts to repair instead of replace. The problem is the fridge is in a narrow hallway and there is very little room for extra depth or door swing. The sad part is she does have 8 golf cart batteries, a 2000watt puresine wave inverter, a generator and some solar, so electricity for boondocking is not an issue. She will be getting through the door ice and water, plus some guy named Jack said the Dometic freezer gets cold enough to make ice cream hard.
The lesson is most can decide to replace an RV fridge with a residential in the future, but if you are thinking this make sure your layout will support it.
bjoyce said
05:55 PM Jul 22, 2013
When looking for residential fridges in RVs, look for "counter depth" models. Often Lowes and the like do not have such small (10 to 22cuft) counter depth fridges in stock, so you have to order them. A good online place to find what will work is http://www.ajmadison.com/, plus they have good prices.
DeeJee said
03:04 AM Aug 3, 2013
Hello Sam & Belinda,
Congratulations on your Keystone choice! I must say I'm a LITTLE envious:) Alpine was my favorite, totally looks like a home. DH didn't want that much space in the bathroom since he works from home unless he's traveling.
We finalized our order this week, and did include the W/D and RV fridge. DH thought the gas option was more important to have.
Ours should be ready mid Sept., but I'm praying it's the first week because our son is getting married in TX the 3rd week and that will delay us to the end of Oct.
Ok gang, here's my next question...
DW and I are probably within 2 months of buying our first-ever RV (if that) and it'll be a 5er. So, having never owned an RV and not knowing for sure what comes with a new rig (we are 95% sure it will be brand new), what items of importance do we need to get right away (whether we purchase them or have the dealer throw them in)?
I'm talking about hoses, power cords/adapters, black/gray water additives, etc...
We want to be as prepared as possible for our first night, whenever that may be!
Thanks all!
I have seen, and copied, a list that Howard had posted somewhere on this site, but I'm not sure where it is. It is a long list of all the "little" stuff that Howard has found useful/necessary/convenient to him over the years. I have no doubt someone will chime in to help locate it. You say you are buying soon, but do you plan to attend their rally in Tennessee in the Spring? I could be wrong, but I'm thinking this could be one of the topics at their rallies. We'll be there!
I'll see if I can find that list.
We actually hope to see Howard and Linda in NC in Oct since we live in SC. We haven't decided yet if we want to attend the Hershey show or the one in RDU in September.
Come visit me at the Hershey Show! Did you find the list yet?
Most dealer RV purchases will throw in the basics.
Your 5th wheel should come with the power cord -- don't buy one without it as it can be expensive!
They will generally give you an inexpensive sewer hose with connections. It will probably only be 10' long and you will probably want more length options in the long run, but you really won't need the sewer hose night one unless you plan on taking multiple showers and washing lots of dishes.
They will also supply a fresh water hose. Again, you will probably want more options for length. Depending on the site you might need this the first night.
A pressure regulator or basic inline water filter would be good to have on night one. You can pick up the blue water filter at most Walmarts that have a camping section. I've found it generally reduces any water pressure to an acceptable level.
Tank treatment is good, but again, not critical on the first night and everyone has an opinion on the best one, best approach.
Here's my own personal suggestions:
If your 5th wheel has any sort of RV mattress -- even their premium one -- I would bring a good foam topper.
A nice set of sheets.
Your favorite pillows, towels and blanket.
You'll be tired and enervated the first day, so I would make sure I had all the essentials for a good night's sleep!
Have fun and go with the flow -- especially the first few days. Don't expect everything to be perfect and don't worry about getting it right the first time by... most of us have changed things as we go and find out what works for us.
Sam and Belinda,
I wouldn't worry too much about what it is that the dealer or manufacturer will provide. At best, those items will not be the best of quality, especially with regards to hoses and such. If you were to go to a dealership and ask to see the hoses that came with them, you would no doubt find a LOT better quality hoses in their parts department. The dealership we worked with allowed us a discount on any accessories that we purchased when we picked up our fifth wheel. That helped us get better quality right away.
I think you would be better served to really research the RV's and worry about accessories later, especially if you think you will be buying within the next two months. We did research on our RV for two years, but we were also considering motorhomes at one time.
Read as many forums as you can, not only here at RV Dreams, but if you narrow things down to a particular brand/model, then check online for any owner's associations or forums that are specific to those brands/models. You will find that some may report a number of issues that you may not have even considered. With regards to owner's associations and forums, keep in mind that they do tend to "attract" those that are looking for a solution to a problem. Just because you see a number of those, it doesn't necessarily mean they are bad brands/models. If you can, register with those forums and ask your own questions. One question to ask is this: "If you were to buy another RV, would you buy the same brand/model that you currently have, and if not, why not."
Above all else, don't be afraid to ask every question that comes to mind. It's better to ask the questions prior to purchase than it is to have to ask questions later to fix the problems.
Terry
Good catch on the TP Mike! lol
Hi and we just got our first 5er this past Monday. One of the items we have found invaluable not only with the new 5er but with our previous Class A is walkie-talkies. They are essential for backing in and for hooking up I suspect :) Anyway, one of those very helpful items we have found, otherwise the three P's for everything else: Position (have good bed/sleep stuff you like), Pain: have Advil available for the move-in and Potty: have your toilet paper, toilet bowl cleaner and toilet bowl brush, an expansion on what Lucky Mike said :). There are many, many details in preference, but think: light weight and easy to clean.
Best of luck. We are still learning too :)
Rumor has it, Mike hides his toaster behind his TP. *giggle*
Terry & Jo, Linda, Lucky Mike, and everyone else... Belinda and I are so grateful to all of you who are so quick to lend advice and give input - especially to us soon-to-be-newbie-full-timers!
There isn't a day that goes by that we don't believe God's plan for us is exactly what we are going to be doing - hopefully sooner rather than later, but that's up to Him.
To know there is a place where questions can be posited and the answers will come, not in "1-2 business days," but almost immediately! We did a lot of research, had an idea of what we wanted in our RV, and then a few months ago we found the perfect (for us) 5er. So from that point on it's been about paring down our "worldly possessions," selling what we won't need or can't take, and putting the house on the market (June 15).
Then, last week while going up to look at the model we had settled on, we decided just to look at some of the '14 models and...UGH!!! We started vacillating on whether we should consider a couple of others before we sign on the dotted line (which is still up in the air 'cuz we still have to sell the house). Well, my new friends, we realized yesterday that the past week of waffling was our way of trying to control what He had already led us to, so we are going to stick with our dream 5er even though we might have saved $60-$70 a month going with something else. We realize since we are going to be full-time we need to stick with the one that meets both our desires.
We will probably have to do a custom order for only 2 reasons - all the models available have couches/chairs that are too dark and not the style we're looking for (we want theater seating), and we want an exterior paint theme (we know, that adds to the price, but we prefer less white).
In case some of you don't know we are planning on purchasing the Keystone Alpine 3720FB.
Thanks again everyone and I'm sure we'll be back on here or another thread every other day!
-- Edited by jjsbergy on Thursday 18th of July 2013 06:31:17 AM
P.S. How does one become a "RV Dreams Family Member?"
But if your posting you are already a member!!!.......You are loved and accepted by all of us!!! please dont Feel like a Step child
no membership Fees
no paper work
just great people and the want and dreams to be part of it all!!!!
"RV Dreams Family Member" comes about after one posts 25 times. (I think.) You are close to that, although I consider you to already be a "family member" anyway. If you were to go look at "List All Users" above, you can see a full list of those that have registered for the RV Dreams forums. There are an extremely high number of folks that have never actually posted or have only posted once.
Terry
Now I have to post something to see if I am an official family member yet.
If not, Im gonna throw myself on the floor and cry.
Edited to add: I am! Yay me!
-- Edited by scrappy on Friday 19th of July 2013 08:16:31 PM
Lucky Mike - LOL!!! Ok, well, we're glad to be a part of this family!
And Terry & Jo... We are humbled!
Belinda & I sure hope our travels will allow us to meet as many of this "family" as possible once we are on the open road. Our first couple of years or so we will be stationary for the most part in KY for 6-7 months and TX for 5-6 months to be near one twin son, then the other, and watch our grandchildren grow.
Once we are as thoroughly indoctrinated in the RV lifestyle as we feel necessary - and $$$ is not a big issue any longer - we will set a course for the great wide open. Every day we read Howard's journal and see the pics of where he and Linda are...WOW!!!
Now, my next question...
Should we have the stackable w/d included in our order, or can we get a better deal elsewhere?
This one is kind of up to you. Check with the dealer and see what they can get them for, but do that after you've checked elsewhere, or at least check elsewhere before ordering. When we ordered our coach, we decided that we could get the W/D cheaper through a local dealer and the dealership would install it for us. (Check to see if your dealer would charge for that, and make sure they put in a good vent, not a cheap one.) We also thought that since the coach would last a lot longer than the appliances, we would NOT finance them but buy them outright.
Many other things we had done during the manufacture that were options, like our pure sine wave inverter and two extra batteries. We are really glad we did that because the factory built in an extra compartment for the batteries, with a door at the front of the coach, and the inverter was installed on top of the extra battery box. Had we done that later, we wouldn't have gotten the extra compartment with a door.
Terry
I'm not sure I fully understand your reference to "structural inclusions." If you mean that anything other than the "designed-for" refrigerator would "weaken" the structural integrity, I can't speak to any brand/model other than our own. We purchased a Samsung french-style fridge to replace our RV fridge. We did have to modify the space for the refrigerator by lowering the "floor" for the fridge compartment a little bit and cut out the storage space above the "original" fridge. However, with that change, our Samsung fits into place with the roof of the slide right above the refrigerator, but still with some room below the fridge to adjust the slide roller if it is needed.
Our Samsung was purchased at Best Buy, but the same model was available in many other stores. Ours is an 18 cubic foot model with two upper doors and a freezer drawer with two levels within. The manufacturer of our brand of RV, DRV Suites, has a line called Mobile Suites Estates that includes a residential refrigerator, a dishwasher, and a garbage disposal as standard items. On the other hand, the dealers for DRV Suites can order custom modifications to their orders. Alicia and Slade at Rolling Retreats in Elk City, Oklahoma always order their "stock" trailers to include the residential fridge. The only drawback I've seen to some of those is that they go with a wider refrigerator, thus ending up with a bit less counter and cabinet space.
If you have any other questions about our process, check out this RV Dreams forum thread: The Saga of a Residential Refrigerator
That link has several links to posts at my blog about the evolution of our process. While some pictures are included in those posts, there are a lot more photos that I took of the process.
Terry
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Monday 22nd of July 2013 12:06:23 PM
Thanks Terry! From our research we don't see any real price difference between going through the dealer and buying after market, which begs the question...why are RV washer/dryers sooooo expensive?!?
And the same goes for refrigerators...I can understand they are designed as electric & propane compatible, but $3000 for a frig?!? Oy Vay!!!
The washer ad dryer are NOT RV washerr/dryers but apartment size units. The Splendide Ariston units we have are excellent. On a larger coach I would likely put in full size residential units. Although what we have works just fine.
Next time we will put in a propane dryer - although there are a limited number of them in apt size.
Well, I can't really explain why those things are so expensive. We had our Whirlpool washer go out a while back and they were going to be so expensive that the warranty company elected to replace it rather than try to repair it. We tore the thing apart so we could dump it into a dumpster on the property in little installments. You may be surprised to hear that they have two heavy weights around the drum housing to help prevent "wild rides" during a spin cycle.
As for the refrigerator, if one is going to be in a spot where there are no hookups and generators are frowned upon, the RV style fridge is the only way to go. We had problems with ours after only 2 years of use. Instead of going back to another RV fridge (which the warranty company would have covered), we elected to convert our RV to use a residential fridge. For the most part, we will have hookups, and we have a generator as a backup. We decided that a residential, even if we had to pay for it ourselves, would be better than trying to deal with a malfunctioning RV fridge every two years.
Not everyone appreciates the convenience of having one's washer and dryer right in the coach. However, Jo is really happy to pay the price to not have to constantly be going to a laundromat to wash clothes. The cost of driving to and from one, plus the expense of running the commercial machines would add up pretty fast. Jo likes that she can put in a load a day and not have to spend all day Saturday working to wash everything. And we all know the phrase, "a happy wife makes a happy life."
Terry
We did decide to remove the washer / dryer, while we try to find places to stay with W/E hookups we rarely stay where we have full hookups, plus we needed the room and the weight capacity for my husband's tools, materials and the storage room for his art work between shows.
There are trade offs and you just have to decide what is right for you. Also keep in mind it's not an irreversible decision, who knows, someday we may undo some of the things we've chosen to do at this time.
And are residential frig's for RVs the kind I can get at Lowes, i.e?
Also, I posted another question in my "negotiation tips" thread about negotiating add-ins and options. Can I get some input on that?
Terry, my wife is like Jo - she does not not want the inconvenience of going to & from a laundromat either. And honestly I don't want her to either. Like you we don't want to finance the w/d.
What's the life expectancy of the $3000 refrigerators?
The lesson is most can decide to replace an RV fridge with a residential in the future, but if you are thinking this make sure your layout will support it.
When looking for residential fridges in RVs, look for "counter depth" models. Often Lowes and the like do not have such small (10 to 22cuft) counter depth fridges in stock, so you have to order them. A good online place to find what will work is http://www.ajmadison.com/, plus they have good prices.
Congratulations on your Keystone choice! I must say I'm a LITTLE envious:) Alpine was my favorite, totally looks like a home. DH didn't want that much space in the bathroom since he works from home unless he's traveling.
We finalized our order this week, and did include the W/D and RV fridge. DH thought the gas option was more important to have.
Ours should be ready mid Sept., but I'm praying it's the first week because our son is getting married in TX the 3rd week and that will delay us to the end of Oct.
We also have twins, boy in KS & girl in OK:)
Blessings, Dana