How To Build A Rv Hookup Site

6/11/2022admin

The concrete or gravel pad ensures that RVs are parked on level ground. Make sure the pads are at least 10 feet (3.0 m) wide and about 25–30 feet (7.6–9.1 m) long so they can hold an entire RV. Have someone pour concrete or pack the gravel down for you on each site. A recreational vehicle, or RV, campsite must be wired to supply the 20-amp needs of the most modest truck or pop-up camper, the 30-amp needs of a C-Class motorhome and the 50-amp needs of the largest converted motor coach. The most convenient way to establish these supplies is to wire a campsite hook-up box, called a supply pedestal.

Private Property Rv Hook Ups
How To Build A Rv Hookup Site For Free

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By Machelle James
Our phone rang at 5:00 p.m. last Friday. We were in the middle of fixing a propane gas leak on our friend’s travel trailer. As I hurriedly answered the call, I didn’t know who it was. To our surprise, it was our Septic Engineer, Marc, advising us our sewer system is ADEQ (Arizona Department of Environmental Quality) approved.

Our septic system was approved with no changes requested

Marc told us that the confirmation email he received advising that our septic system was approved indicated there were no comments or change requests – it was approved as written. It is very common for ADEQ to come back and request changes, modifications or explanations. That our septic system was approved is a true testimony to Marc for his expertise of being #1 in the septic tank world of going #2! (Please pardon the pun.)

We celebrated with our friends who were visiting us with cold beverages by a warm campfire. AJ and I felt a massive release of stress knowing that we can now move forward with the waste water treatment system. We are now in a rush to see what we can accomplish before the ground freezes. Our Alternative Septic Installer, Dan, is coming over today to give us an update on when we can start digging. Our first snow is coming in 2 days and we hope we haven’t missed our window of opportunity before the ground freezes and the soil is too hard to dig.

Why do they have to test our soil 18 feet deep?

We also had to have a geotechnical company come out and drill 18 feet into the ground. I truly have no idea why this test is needed, so I copied this from designeverest.com’s website to explain it to us all.

What does the Geotech Report entail?

The Geotech Report offers an analysis of the chemical and geotechnical qualities of your soil. The findings of a geotechnical report should include general information on:

Identification of the type of soil
The strength and density of the soil
Any organic material or contamination present
Ground water and soil compaction
Foundation design recommendations
Seismic design factors
Solutions for any foreseeable problems

Most importantly, within this report will be the findings of the type of soil present on site and if it is capable of supporting the proposed structure. Reports will provide a description of the site conditions and geological data, as well as provide appropriate recommendations for site preparation, drainage control, and any conditions that might affect the project. Once all geological elements of the site are identified, then the civil and structural engineer can use the Geotech Report to move forward in designing the appropriate foundation and structure.

Now we all know why this report is needed, so we can determine if our soil will collapse under harsh weather conditions by heavy weight usage of RVs and so the fire trucks won’t sink into the ground if they are needed.

We have to have our roadways tested

By the way, we were just informed by the County that we needed to have the roadways tested, as well. It sure would have been helpful to have this knowledge since they were already here last week! Boring those TWO holes cost us $4,500! I cannot even imagine how much it will cost to test a mile of roadway. I am having severe anxiety over the cost of having them drill where our roads will be.

Our saving grace is that the RV Resort up the street has to have it done as well, so we will have it done on the same day to help with transportation costs of this huge piece of machinery. It is still going to cost an arm and a leg and since I don’t have a price yet, it worries me.

Update on our loan and skyrocketing costs

Speaking of our loan, we met with our bankers and they told us we can request a one-time increase in our loan since the numbers usually do increase when the hard estimates come in. Since COVID hit, the price of lumber has tripled! Our check-in store is now costing us 3 times as much and we are seriously in a panic!

The fires across our country have lumber costs skyrocketing as well as less employees being able to actually work in the sawmills. We knew there would be some cost increases, but this is just ridiculous. We already submitted the store plans to our Building Department for a permit, and to change it this late in the game would push it back several months – and it might not get built in time if we go with a metal building.

Our Civil Engineer told us we would have all our Final Engineering Improvement Plans on Friday. That way we can give them to our General Contractor and they can FINALLY bid out all the projects to submit to the bank. After that, we need to have our Electric Plans engineered by Navopache Electric, and we can start digging in the ground for our water and electric.

What type of fence should we choose?

We stumbled upon a fence company in our state that makes unique fence panels that look like actual wood! I fell in love with the product as is not only severely cuts down on the highway noise, it lasts a LIFETIME! It is concrete panels that are reinforced with rebar. The elk and deer can’t knock it down as they jump the fence – hence, saving on fence repairs.

This fencing would be a solid barrier along the highway and along our entrance road (approximately 1900 linear feet). Then for the back of the property, we would still use cedar fencing as a privacy fence for our neighbors. (Approximately 1900 linear feet here too.)

Can you help us decide what fence we should choose?

We have a tough choice to make as we decide which way to go. Do we spend the money upfront if we ask for a loan increase and get the one-and-done product? OR do we stick with the cedar option all around and repair fence panels for a few years? Your feedback on that would be great if you have been in this situation.

The cost difference is $175,000 vs. $100,000. This cost difference may not seem like much to you, but with the added septic costs, the added check-in store costs and the fencing, this will add up to almost $300,000 more. We still don’t have the hard costs for the ground cover and the electrical installation yet. These costs can very well push us to over $1.5 million. This is probably why you don’t see many new campgrounds being built by Mom and Pop business owners like us – the costs change constantly!

Who knows what will happen in the coming weeks. I will be excited to share with you the changes we encounter during this uncertain time.

Thank you for following our updates and our roller coaster of a ride to build our campground. We truly appreciate your support and kind words!

Until next time, See You in the Trees! And please leave a comment!

AJ, Machelle and Jenna

Read previous articles here.

Machelle James and her husband, AJ, are building, from the ground up, a 15-acre RV park in Heber-Overgaard, Arizona, in the beautiful White Mountains 140 miles from Phoenix. Follow them on Facebook @ AJ’s Getaway RV Park or on Instagram at ajsgetawayrvpark.

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What are RV Hookups?

RV hookups supply your RV with electricity, water, and a sewer drain so you can fully use and enjoy your RV. Sometimes full hookups will include Cable TV or WiFi.

Some campsites offer full hookups which include water, sewer, and electricity. Others only offer partial hookups which could include just water, or maybe just water and electricity. And other campsites offer no RV hookups. Camping with no hookups is also known as boondocking or dry camping.

In this article, we will discuss in more detail each of these types of RV hookups and how to use them. We also discuss some related questions surrounding RV hookups and finally we include our RV Setup Video at the end of the article so you can see how Mike and Susan use all of the hookups with their RV!

Electric RV Hookup

Often called shore power, electric hookups can either be 15, 30 or 50 amp. You likely received the correct power cord for your rig when you purchased the RV but you need to know what type of power you need.

When you get to your destination, you simply need to plug the power cord into the outlet on the pedestal provided at your RV spot. Remember to shut down the power at the source and power down your electronics before you plug in.

If your RV requires a 50 amp to power all your inside goodies and the park only provides 30 amp, you can manage but you will not be able to run everything at once. You will also need a converter.

RVWater Hookup

Water is provided from a spigot, also at your site. Be sure to use a verified dedicated drinking water hose and not a garden hose that can contain harmful chemicals. You may need a heated hose for colder climates. The water from the spigot goes to your sinks, shower, toilet, etc. in your rig.

But you really shouldn’t just hook your fresh water drinking hose up to your RV. You should also use a water pressure regulator and a water filter system before allowing any water to enter your RV through the City Water connection on your RV.

Check out the Related Reading articles at the end of this article to learn more about water hoses and water filters.

RV Sewer Hookup

The sewer is where the wastewater from your sinks, toilet, and shower will go. These go into the black water tank, from the toilet, and gray water tank from the sinks and shower. Never dump any wastewater on the ground. Dumping black water on the ground is illegal! It must be dumped into a septic or sewer system. Bacteria and harmful diseases are present in the wastewater.

Cable TV Hookup

Cable TV is an amenity that is not always included at a full hook-up site. Some long-term parks can allow you to hard wire the Cable TV to your rig. Most are a simple plug and play. If you are staying long term, you may have to call the cable company to get your service hooked up. We have a mobile antenna system that is very easy to hook up and use at our different campsites so we don’t normally utilize any cable provided.

WiFi

WiFi is a service that is provided at most RV parks. But signal strength is dependant on where you are located in the park, if the park has many well placed signal boosters, and the number of people using the WiFi at the same time.

I would not rely on this option if you need to do a work Zoom call. Sometimes you can get a better signal at the park’s office if you have to use the WiFi.

Dump Station

If an RV park does not have a sewer hookup at your site it might have a common dump station that you can use to empty your black and grey tanks. You simply drive or pull your rig to the dump area and empty your tanks just like you would if you were at a campsite.

Some RVers carry a “blue boy,” or small wagon that you can fill with black or gray water and take to the dump station. Using this, you don’t have to move your RV. Other parks utilize a “honey wagon” that comes by your site once a week or so and dumps your tank for a fee.

What Does Full RV Hookups Mean at an RV Park?

Full RV hookups mean electric, water, and sewer can be accessed at your site. You will likely pay a bit more compared to a campsite with limited amenities. Aside from the hookups, many high end RV parks provide other amenities such as cable TV and WiFi.

What are Partial RV Hookups?

Partial RV hookups include water and/or electric but not a sewer hookup. In many cases when you are in a campground with partial hookups there will be a dump station or a honey wagon available.

But this is not always the case. Some campgrounds do not have a dump station which means you must find a place to dump your tanks outside of the campground.

Do All Campgrounds Have RV Hookups?

Not all campgrounds provide RV hookups, although most do. Do your research before booking your site so you know exactly what you are getting at any given park.

And many campgrounds offer a variety of hookup sites. For example, a campground may offer full hookup sites, partial hookup sites, and no hookup sites all within the same campground.

Are There RV Hookups in National Parks?

There are some national parks that have RV hookups but those are limited so be sure you know which campgrounds within the park offer hookups. For example, Yellowstone National Park has 12 campgrounds but only 1 offers full hookups.

Be aware that most of the national parks have length limits of 25 feet. You might not be able to stay if your rig is more than 25 feet long.

Are There RV Hookups in State Parks?

Most state parks offer a minimum of electric at each site so you will have to utilize the fresh water in your tanks and dump your wastewater at a dump station. When we arrive at a State Park we use the community spigot to fill our fresh water tank so we have water during our stay.

A few State Parks do offer full hookups but this is rare. While state parks may not offer a lot of amenities, they usually provide quiet, shady sites away from other RVers.

Do Walmarts Have RV Hookups?

Walmarts do not have RV hookups and parking there is usually a case of first come, first served. When parking at a Walmart, always inquire as to whether RVs are allowed in the parking lot and ask about any rules that might be appropriate for that particular store.

There are a few things to consider when parking at a Walmart. Utilize the store lot for an overnight but don’t make yourself at home for a family vacation. Don’t set up chairs and if you can avoid it, don’t extend your slide outs.

Always be courteous, pick up any trash you may have around your rig, and leave it in good shape for the next vehicle that will be there. Many Walmarts no longer allow rigs to park there overnight because of people who abused the privilege.

Check out our article called FREE RV Parking Overnight At Walmart (Rules & Safety) for all the details about staying overnight at a Walmart.

See How Mike and Susan Use Full RV Hookups!

Conclusion:

For anyone who is new to RVing, spending time reading articles, watching YouTube videos, and talking with your RV neighbors will help get you up to speed quickly. Believe me, you learn as you go, and will be up to speed on all the RV terms, and will be helping your fellow RVers in no time.

Private Property Rv Hook Ups

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About the author…

Terri Nighswonger and her husband Todd are full time RVers and work campers. They have been living full time in their RV for nearly three years with their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Newton, and their Minnie Australian Shepherd, Remi.