One of the most asked questions after people pick up their proverbially jaw off the floor after they find out that we indeed do live in our RV full-time besides why is how do you live in that little bit of space. Well actually its no different than when we were living in our 1050 square foot Condo. Okay maybe not exactly but really the only difference is one is stationary and the other is on wheels and can be moved at will. In reality though there are quite a few differences.
For one in a an RV when you go to the bathroom its just a matter of pushing a lever and away goes everything you just deposited in the toilet never to be seen again hopefully. In an RV well not only will you see it again, but you will smell it and in some cases you have to watch it go from the RV holding tank to whatever septic system your RV is connected to so there is that.
The next thing, and its kind of a big one is how you get electricity and then how that electricity is used in the RV. In your sticks and bricks home you just flip a light switch or plug in whatever device your using and go about your business. Well in an RV you have to have a clear understand of your electrical system so you don’t pop to many breakers as you try to power things. If your in a standard campground you have to hook up a long extension cable that goes from your RV to a pedestal that is next to the RV. From that pedestal you get two options the first is 30 amp service, the second is usually 50 amp service and usually there is a 15-20 amp service depending on the campground. No matter how your hooked up while in the campground you don’t have to worry about using that electricity in your system. Now if your boon-docking (i.e. not hooked into a pedestal) then all bets are off and you hope you either have a good battery system, with a good generator or if you lucky you have a great solar backup.
Now lets look at water. Water in your sticks and bricks is always present. You never have to think about it unless forget to pay your bill. In an RV water works in a very similar way. Instead of pipes you have a hose that connects to the outside water faucet. From there the hose is connected to your RV at what is called a city connection. Through that connection water flows under pressure throughout the RV for your needs almost exactly like a regular home. The only difference is when there is no water source present and your using the water that has been put in your water tank. To get that water out of the tank you use a water pump which is installed in the RV system, that pump works the same way as a pressured system from the city water connections, so there really is no difference except to ensure that you put water in the tank.
Other than those few items mentioned above i think everything else is pretty much the same. We cook, and eat the same. Food is stored in a residential refrigerator the same. Our bed is exactly the same as the one in the Condo, because it is the one from the Condo. So basically that’s about it.
The biggest difference though is that we can move our home anytime we feel like it and its a great feeling.