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  1. #1
    Seasoned Camper FordmanNJ's Avatar
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    Going seasonal in 2021 Got some questions in general.

    Hello!

    Late in the camping season last year my wife and I decided to take the pluge at our local campground. We signed up for a seasonal spot. Our seasonal spot begins in the middle of May.

    According to our seasonal guide sheet, we are required to bury our utilities from the utility pole to the trailer. When I asked why it is too eliminate grounds keeping issues with the maintenance staff. (Weed wack hits, mower strikes, etc) Made sense when I spoke to one of the other seasonals who also is a property caretaker and will be my neighbor this year. He said it doesn't need to be deep or anything. Just below ground for the crew to cut the grass between sites and around the trailers. What do you guys and gals do out there in this case? I would like to make sure my trailer's utilities are portable for when we go on RV vacation trips. I was thinking installing a second set of these items and keeping the travel set in the trailer. I can power off and lock out the other utilities when gone from the site. Plus I know all the people around me so there should not be any issues there as well.

    Any other helpful advice we should have? I have spoken with a number of other seasonals at the campground we are at. (I am going to another one of those Grand Design owners there LoL 1 of 2 new GDRV owners going seasonal) My wife was thinking about a small landing steps deck. We are allowed a canopy but not a carport style unit. So I need to find another screen house for the site. We are planning to get some chairs to reside at the site as well. Honestly, I was a kid when my parents were seasonal decades ago. Those rigs are long gone. I know my father would just pack up at the end of the weekend and call it a day. Depending what is happening in May and June, my wife and child maybe be doing a WFT instead of WFH.

    Thanks for the advice.
    2016 Ford F-350 Super Duty XLT CCSB 4x4 6.2 gasser 3.73 E locker
    2018 Grand Design Reflection 285BHS

  2. #2
    Big Traveler Wicked ace's Avatar
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    My brother opted to do the same as you last year and has a seasonal site near Sea Isle City. They required the same of the utilities from post & hub to the trailer. He had some unused 3" PVC that worked well. For the electric (30 amp) & water he used a length of the PVC as a sleeve putting it in a shallow trench below grade. For the septic he made up an adapter to connect 3" PVC to the drain valve propping it on 2x4" stilts and pitched to the septic hub.
    2018 F150 XLT 301a, Screw, 4x4, HDPP, Max tow, Andersen Ultimate w/ Curt Double Lock hitch.
    2019 Grand Design Reflection 150 series 260RD.... SOLD!!!!.

  3. #3
    Site Team WhittleBurner's Avatar
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    I'll leave burying utilities to someone else . We picked up a Gazebo 3 years ago that goes together easy with little hardware for our seasonal spot in FL and anchor it down well. Curtains and bug screening included for added privacy or protection from weather. It is stronger than a collapsable canopy but not a thousand plus dollar investment and it worked well. Unfortunately Home Depot doesn't apper to carry it any more but something simular could be found. It took up a bit of truck bed space but worth taking it and bringing it home.

    We also just picked up a used set of those fiberglass coated steps with rail and landing someone left behind for free...ask the park if they have any stashed that someone left behind. I'm having a love hate relationship with the steps. While it is solid and wide and the landing is nice to have , the railing prevents the door from opening all the way and that is the one thing I don't like. Right now we are trying to come up with some sort of solution to make the rail movable.

    If you can't leave anything on site during off season a Porta deck would be the ideal solution.

    Marcy & Gary
    2014 Grand Design - Reflection 303RLS
    2022 GMC 3500 Denali Duramax Longbed SRW
    2015 GMC Denali 3500 - Retired
    2003 F350 - retired
    Michigan
    We're in trouble now, the dog are bloggin'!
    https://3dogsandatrailer.wordpress.com/


  4. #4
    Seasoned Camper FordmanNJ's Avatar
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    So the burying of the final connections is not uncommon as I thought. I also have to install a new dry well for grey water as the one on site might need to be replaced. Bury any tubing or hoses from the connectors. I will be ordering replacement caps with a 3/4 inch hose connectors for my 2 drain valves. I My trailer has 2 grey tanks dump valves. One in the front by the bathroom. One in the rear for the kitchen. They do not have sewers. So the trailer is still a pump out for the Black. As for the utilities. I was thinking about buying a length of SOOW or SEOOW 6/4. I found the 50 Amp plug with no problem. I just need to find the twist lock style short power end for the trailer. I wished I could find it with a 90 on that side to allow the plug not be stressed off the trailer. I will figure something out. The 3 or 4 inch piping was an idea I was kicking around. This year my wife and I are going conservative as we want to see if going seasonal is for us. So year one is a trial run. If it works for our lifestyle, great. If not, I hope to recoop the coin for the outlay of additional set of utilities. I know the stock power cord is about 15 feet short on the new site. The site we had this past year, the cord was barely long enough to reach the ped. I really enjoy it when my utilities on right next to the trailer on the side. LoL.
    2016 Ford F-350 Super Duty XLT CCSB 4x4 6.2 gasser 3.73 E locker
    2018 Grand Design Reflection 285BHS

  5. #5
    Seasoned Camper FordmanNJ's Avatar
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    A wrap up of sorts...

    After the first full season we elected to renew for the 2022 season. This was not without some issues.

    Utilities. Electric. Since I was about 15 feet short in this particular site. I was not able to find something used on FB marketplace or even find the parts to make something work. My wife and I placed a "site supplies" order with Amazon. I found a 50 Amp twist lock 50 foot cable for the trailer. Also added a 50 foot water hose. I made a 50 foot coax cable for the CA TV service. Over the course of the season, I also rigged up a 3/4 inch PVC line to evacuate the grey water into the dry well. Speaking of which, I made a 20 gallon dry well for grey water. Worked well. I didn't have any issues. Also my neighbor installed it for me since I fixed his TV in his trailer. So he had his sons install the Dry well. So no digging on my part.

    Also we learned a 10 by 20 canopy is the thing to have at the trailer. We didn't get a screen house since we had no idea what to expect. Luckily, one of the campers I know up there was selling a Clam quick set up. So we bought that off of them. However this upcoming year, we are purchasing a 10 by 20 canopy. We purchased a small shed that worked very well for storing games, outdoor equipment and supplies for the trailer. My wife and I went to the local home depot for some indoor outdoor carpeting to cover our awning area. Worked well for the season.

    The site this year was kind of tight from what we usually had in the past with the campground. Honestly we felt a little tight in space as our unit was fairly close to back line and that neighbor. We also had a neighbor right right as we came out of the door. We knew it would be tight but we didn't know how much. When it came time to request a site move, we placed our request. However we liked the seasonal route.

    This takes us to the next season...

    We are moving to an area that we have been in before. As matter of fact, it is only a few spots away from a spot we had when we were thinking about going seasonal. It had good amount of space. You didn't feel like you were on top of your neighbor. This new particular spot is next to the bath house for that area. You might say well it doesn't sound that great. That bathhouse is about 30 feet off the back line of the site. There is a 25 foot wide space that is an access to bathhouse. So when you come out the door, the next trailer over is at least 45 feet away. The trailer to the left is about 30 feet away. So more space each side. The site is just as deep as what we had up in the front of the campground. When we were checking out the site, the current seasonal on it, invited us over. They are going to be our neighbor that is 40 or so feet over. The wife wanted more sun and this site was a bit shady for her. However, the husband and I went over the site. he and his wife made recommendations of what they would have done a little differently and what they recommended as well. It worked out well for us since we got to see how the site layout. They gave us their honest opinion on the access path. They said there is no issues with weekenders walking through. The utilities are much closer as in I will not need to run 50 foot services for electric, water, and CATV. I am thinking I could get away with a 25 foot cable. The previous seasonal said he just installed a 10 gallon dry well and they didn't have any issues with it. This means once I check and make sure this works for us, I will try to unload the longer 50 foot cord.

    The neighbors... Well that's a good thing. I will be in the company of 3 other GD owners which I am friendly with to begin with. 2 of the owners were people who I had spoken with about purchasing a GD RV back in 2018. Another owner started camping at the campground last year and went seasonal this year. However there are 4 other families they are friendly with and all line up together. However, I know more people in this section of the campground which is funny since I know someone in every section it seems. The wife and I have already be invited to a couple of campfires, drinks and games already going into next year as I do not have the excuse "I'm in the front section" anymore! LoL Heck we got a welcome back to the neighborhood speech from of them as they found out we were moving to the back again.

    Looking forward to next season.
    2016 Ford F-350 Super Duty XLT CCSB 4x4 6.2 gasser 3.73 E locker
    2018 Grand Design Reflection 285BHS

  6. #6
    Site Team WhittleBurner's Avatar
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    Sounds like it all worked out well for you. It is so much fun when you have great neighbors who become great friends. You will all help each other when needed and makes for a fun community feeling.

    We , with 3 other yearly neighbors cleared some scrub out on the creek line behind us and created a community firepit placing it on the lot lines while we were seasonal. Makes a fun spot to gather and when others that know us see smoke or flames they come walking back to join the fun.
    We went yearly on our seasonal FL spot last year, SO much easier leaving the FL items that are not used any place else behind in a cargo trailer parked on our spot. No more dragging BBQs and heavy gazebos. When we leave for the summer we vac packed the curtains and lowered the gazebo tied down securly. Covered with a tarp to protect from the summer sun. So it won't get blown away in a hurricane.. it held tight in some pretty good winds so planning to do the same next May.
    Marcy & Gary
    2014 Grand Design - Reflection 303RLS
    2022 GMC 3500 Denali Duramax Longbed SRW
    2015 GMC Denali 3500 - Retired
    2003 F350 - retired
    Michigan
    We're in trouble now, the dog are bloggin'!
    https://3dogsandatrailer.wordpress.com/


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