First Open: (if camp is already open skip to next section):
Connect Water tank/plumbing:
- Connect all water lines to pump/tank and hot water heater.
- Connect propane to hot water heater
Filling the Water tank
- Connect all lines
- Install water filter cartridge and tighten filter housing with special wrench hanging next to it
- Turn valve to open position (this is done to keep water from siphoning back into the pond after you’ve filled the tank)
- Connect water pump at pond to black pipe.
- Prime water pump (for more instructions on how to operate this pump, review the Honda pump manual here)
- Start pump and fill tank. (This only takes about 10 minutes)
- Once tank is full, shut valve off and then shut pump off (it’s best to have help for this).
Turn on Gas: The propane tanks are normally labelled with a clothes pin that says “In use” or “Full”. The tank “in use should be used first. Start by turning on the gas and ensure the regulator valve/arrow is facing that tank.
Light the Refrigerator: It’s helpful to light one of the gas lights nearby first to ensure gas is getting to the fridge quicker.
- Turn on gas valve on refrigerator
- Set temp to lowest setting (just above defrost)
- Push and hold the gas valve button and click the igniter until the needle moves into the green area on the guage. (You should hear it ignite as well).
Using the Solar/Inverter
Both the Big Camp and New camp have inverters/solar power. The solar panels charge the batteries to keep them maintained. To use the solar simply turn on the power switch to each inverter. There is no need to touch the charge controller screen buttons. Do not press them or the solar may not charge the batteries.
The new inverter will automatically switch to electric from the generator when that is running. The inverter will also automatically charge the batteries when the generator is running. If you have successive cloudy days you should run the generator an hour or two to keep the battery levels up.