Some common RV questions

Knowing I had ALL these questions concerning the differing tanks in the beginning when they came up today by another newbie thought I should post them here in my blog for other newbies out there so you know you are NOT alone;0)

Could someone let me know how do you know if they are full or empty?
(Most RV's have an indicator panel that tells you. There are several buttons and each button is for a different tank.) Now fortunately over the course of the winter we noticed when it the black tank was full and emptied it when checking with the panel to be sure. After this last move for some reason the panel is no longer lighting up the levels? It is going in for a full check up soon and we will find out why. Everything else is working but lighting up tank levels but fortunately you can see thru the toilet and see when it is time to empty.

Is there a valve you need to turn before filling the fresh water tank?

(Most RV's have a valve that reads "City" or "Water Tank". When in the City position, you are using water from the supply hose. When in the "Tank" position, you are filling the tank.)

Also since we will only spend a few hrs boondocking as we rest until continuing our journey how much fresh water should we fill it with so we do not have as much weight?

(You only need a few gallons to flush the toilet or wash your hands.) BTW boondocking is a term used if you will not be hooked up at the rv park, but rather out and about in a parking lot for a night or rest area and the like.

Also how big are all the tanks?

(This varies from RV to RV. By size, usually, the White (drinking water) tank is the largest, the Gray (shower and sink waste) is next and the Black (toilet) is the smallest.) Fortunately our rig came with ALL manuals;0) Some areas were still vague and questions were still necessary.

See how stupid (LOL) my questions can be?

(We all had to learn this once.)

Best Advice given:
Take your unit into a dealer and pay them an hour to walk you through it and explain how everything works. Alot of the RV's are different enough that it might be worth spending a little to make sure you understand everything.