Month: December 2010

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Living Off the Fresh Water Tank

During an unrelated discussion on a forum, I had a revelation about the fresh water tank.

I forget how we got on the topic, but I found myself saying that I don’t like to use my fresh water tank because the water is musty and I’m pretty sure there is some algae growth in it. I shock it with chlorine twice a year before filling it for my travels between locations, but that doesn’t seem to make a difference.

What the person said in response to that was that if I filled and emptied the tank regularly, that is actually used it on a day to day basis, there would be no time for water to stagnate and grow organisms. So obvious, but that completely escaped me!

So, I’m definitely living off my fresh water tank this winter. I’ll fill it up every time we go above freezing and use the weather forecast as a guide to how much I can use. We’re supposed to go above freezing for a stretch starting Sunday, so I need to make my current half tank last. That means showers every other day and being frugal when I do the dishes. But when we’re on a long stretch of warm where I’ll be able to fill every day, I won’t ration myself.

One of the things I will do when we hit the warmest day of the stretch is to work on the non-repair of the fresh water tank intake. What I did in May of ’09 has held up well enough, but it’s getting harder and harder to fill without getting a significant leak. I catch that leak in a bucket and use it to flush out the black tank, so there’s no waste, but it might be time to bite the bullet and do a proper repair.

For drinking and cooking, I am still using a BPA-free plastic jug, which I love, and which I fill with tap water. I’m so glad the tap water here is as good as it is. I fill up the jug every three or four days and getting water from it is no more effort than getting it from the tap.

The only downside to this plan is that every time I go out and fiddle with the water, a ‘helpful’ person comes by and tells me that I should invest in heat tape and insulation for my hose or that I’m welcome to string hose from their tap to my intake. The first few times this happened was fine, but it’s getting repetitive. I explain the reasons I’m not doing heat tape, such as my having to ration my amperage, but folks of a certain age have a notion about things needing to be done their way even if it’s not the right way for someone else. I did the heat tape thing back in Oliver and, frankly, I found that the expenditure wasn’t justified; I still had issues with the hose freezing. If I felt it to be a good solution I would spring for the $70 or so, but it doesn’t seem worth my while. Living off the fresh water tank is no hardship and now that I’m in the habit of doing it, I’m guaranteed running water to about minus ten, a luxury I never experienced while running heat tape.

With the water pump getting so much use, I wonder if I should be getting a quote for having it replaced. Just in case. šŸ˜€

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Wanting and Having a Dog

It’s been two full days now that I’ve had Donna‘s dog Midnight with me. This dog is perfect for me and exemplifies all the reasons why I want a dog even though I am not a ‘dog person.’

Midnight in his turquoise sweater (warm enough for afternoons, he has a coat he wears at night)

I want a dog as a pal to do things with. The cats are great at home, but I love the idea of having a critter to take with me wherever I go, on hikes or in town running errands. I had this idea that if I had a dog in the house, I’d be more motivated to go out and get some exercise. What I have trouble with is getting my shoes on. Once I’m outside, I’ll gladly turn a dumpster run into a 5K walk. Since a dog has to go out regularly, there’s my motivation.

That’s the way it’s been since Midnight came here. We go out for a frolic first thing in the morning, then he comes out and putters with me during the day. I went down to the office for propane this morning and it was the most natural thing to invite Midnight to ride shotgun. He loves going for car rides! After dinner, sometime around nine, we head out for a loop around the park and then we do one more quick business trip before bed.

He is just so sweet and obedient. I can’t stand dogs that are in your face all the time and obnoxious. Midnight’s fun because you can spend time interacting with him instead of disciplining him.

I’m surprised by how well he has integrated into the household. There was no animosity to speak of on the part of the felines and they all respect each others’ turf. He’s not in the way and having a third body to take care of doesn’t feel like extra work at all. He’s not afraid of asking for what he needs, whether it’s fresh water or a cuddle, and he understands “Midnight, go lie down!” the odd time he’s underfoot (I have a small kitchen!).

In short, Midnight’s going to be a tough act to follow should I take the plunge and get a dog. There are some major things still holding me back, smoothly as this experiment is going, and IĀ  am actually more convinced now than ever that getting a dog is not a path I’m meant to follow.

1) Full-time commitment

Right now, Midnight’s fun because it’s not going to last and he isn’t interrupting any plans. A dog isn’t like a cat, you can’t leave it at home for a full day, much less a weekend.

2) Life span

I estimate that I have about ten years left with my two kitties. I will have by that point lived my whole adult life with pets and half of my life with Miss Bitha. I might want to try life without pets for a while, especially if I go forth with my plans to do Europe by RV one day. If I were to get a dog, it would have to be an older one whose lifespan fits within that window of time.

3) Cost

Dog ownership is a lot more costly than cat ownership. I don’t think I’m solvent enough to bring a third critter into this house.

I’m really grateful to have this week with Midnight and thankful to his parents for trusting me with their precious little one.

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D’eau!*

(*’of water’, pronounced ‘Doh!’ šŸ˜€ )

When I started to get ready for the colder weather, I debated whether to get a water hose heat tape or not. I decided not since I didn’t find it that effective for really cold spells. Instead, I decided to live off my water tank and to keep my water hose empty so that I wouldn’t have to worry about having it available for fills. For some reason, I forgot all of this when we had our recent thaw and I’ve been without water since my hose froze again before I had a chance to disconnect it.

Since we went up above zero today, I got the hose thawed, then filled up the holding tank and the drinking jug. So long as I don’t go crazy with the showers and it doesn’t drop below minus five or so during the day, I should be good for water for a week.

I brought Midnight out while I was playing with the water. It wasn’t cold enough for his winter coat, so I had him wear his sweater. Ain’t he cute?

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So THAT’S What An RV Furnace Sounds Like!

I awoke to plus one, so the rig was very comfortable. First order of business was a doggy with his legs crossed. Never mind that mine were crossed as well, we went out and frolicked in the snow for about ten minutes. Then he went right back to bed. Must be nice being a dog!

Life on Our Ark’s very own Midnight

I was just starting to get a hankering for breakfast when there came a knock at my door. Could it be the furnace man? It was! He spent about a half hour getting it hooked up and then we tested it. I can’t believe how quiet it is! Yes, there, is the sound of blowing air, but I don’t find it annoying in the least. It does help that I’m two rooms away from the blower; we’ll see what it’s like at night.Ā  Now that I know what the furnace is supposed to sound like I can tell it’s been on its last legs for a very long time.

I can’t believe it’s December 1st and that very soon I will be full-timing RVing in a fourth year. 2008 feels so far away!