Monthly Archives: November 2014

Emergency Power & Emergency Air Pump

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When you dash off for a weekend camping vacation, most of us just don’t sweat the details.  I know, I don’t and that is what gets us all into trouble.  Last camping season,  the wife, grand kids, and I headed out for just such a weekend.  It was early in the season and when we got to the campsite we were the only ones around.

So far so good.  We had a great time exploring the Spring outdoors and when we were ready to go the truck would not start.  Normally that would not be a problem because, we would have lots of fellow campers around us to help out.  Not this time.  There also was the time we were on our way to Branson MO to meet relatives, when one of the trailer tires decided to blow and the spare was nearly flat.  Forgot to air up the spare tire at the beginning of camping season.  Hey it happens.  Short term memory fading as I get older.

All of this drove home the point that Murphy is always with us and bad thing happen to good people as well.  So what is the solution?  One of these, 12Volt Emergency Power & Tire Pump

What this thing does is provide emergency power to start your truck not all of the units that look like this one will start a V8 or larger engine, as well as an air station to pump-up just about anything that needs air.  You can use a standard AC extension cord as the power cord to charge the unit up.  You can even leave it plugged in for a continuous charge and not damage the unit.  Oh, it does have a DC output jack that may be used for 12volt stuff.  Also it has a built-in tire pump that will pump up most TT and 5th wheel tires.  Again many of these combo units can not pump up a RVs tires before the cows come home.  As always be sure you check your rigs tire pressure when the tire is cold not when it has been run on the road for several hours.

NOTE: To find out more about the care and feeding of your RV tires please see the first entry of this Blog located on the bottom of the blog.

But I hear you say that you needed something that had AC power like the 110volts that comes out of the power pedestal that your RV is plugged into.  Fear not, because you can use one of these, 110volt and USB Dual Power Inverter

110volt and USB Dual Power Inverter

The 300W DC-AC Power Inverter with USB charging ports is designed for most major brand notebook computers, digital portables devices like, video camcorder, digital camera, iPhone, Galaxy phones and computers, iPod, cell phone, PSP handheld Game, DVD player & etc.

You may want to pick-up the battery hook-up cable just in case.  It looks like this, 12volt Battery Clip-on Accessory Socket

This device allows you to hook-up to any 12volt battery or any device that has 12volt battery clamps, such as the 12Volt Emergency Power & Tire Pump.

Some of us will like a bit more AC power than the little power converter above can provide, if that is the case you might want to consider this, 1000watt Power Converter

This more powerful converter can power notebook computers, TVs, fans ,refrigerators, game machines, DVDs, lights, musical instruments.  And can be powered by the 12Volt Emergency Power & Tire Pump above.  So if you need 110volt power at the picnic table or anywhere while camping, there are ways to get it that will help keep your family safe and make camping fun.

Don’t forget that you can use Emergency Power at home when the lights go out to recharge your cell phones and provide power for lights.

Until Next Time

Can You Hear Me Know – Breaker Breaker 19

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For this post I would like to discuss keeping in touch with the family while camping.  Many people in the good old days, used string and two soup cans or a CB walkie talkie to keep in touch with family members during camping.  Most of the campers in the olden time and even RVers today, nothing was or is used to stay in touch.  While some may believe that at cell phone is good enough, and it maybe  traveling down the interstate, in a campground in the wilderness or at the nearby lake you may find that the good old cell phone does not work, even a little.   You may find that the carrier you have is the wrong carrier for good service in the area that you are in, and that the other guy would have been a better choice.  What ever the case, today we have very small radios called FRS/GMRS that will last a long time on batteries, give you several miles of range, be quite and can even be set up for “selective call” so only your family members will hear you when you call them in for lunch or are backing up the rig.  RVers who are backpackers take note, these little radios can have weather radios and GPS built-in as well.

Let’s take a look at a few [shown below] and discuss their features and benefits in more detail.

Shown above are some Basic FRS radios.  They come as a pair when you buy them and have the following feature set.  The units come with rechargeable batteries, two belt clips, charging cable, AC adapter and have a range of 20 miles over flat and open terrain.  They offer a 12hr battery life.  As you can see the unit does not offer a lot of features but it works and could be used when backing the RV into that tight site, right next to the lake.

Above is shown a step-up model of an FRS/GMRS radio.  It can run on alkaline batteries for up to 10hrs or 8hrs on rechargeable batteries.  This model from Motorola includes 11 weather channels, 22 talk channels and each channel has 121 privacy codes, (selective call)  for privacy.  Range is 23 miles over flat and open terrain.  It comes with belt clips and 1 dual drop-in charger to charge the pair of radios at the same time to save you time.  Use one as a base station at the RV and give the other one to who ever you want to keep track of.  Additional units can be purchased so everyone who needs one has one.  This unit would be great for a fisherman to keep in touch while out in the boat on the lake.

 Calling all Backpacking RVers out there.  Here is an FRS/GMRS radio that has a built-in GPS or a GPS that has a built-in FRS/GMRS radio.  This unit is not low cost, but it does show that just about any need for communications while RVing can be met with a FRS/GMRS radio.  For the fun of it here are some of the features of this radio.  The radio has a 2.6-inch color touchscreen that is glove friendly.  A high sensitivity GPS receiver, a rugged waterproof case. Runs 18hrs on a set of batteries, and has a list of accessories as long as your arm.

While most of us will want a lower cost unit you need not suffer with little to no features.  Range, number of channels, the privacy feature (selective call), and battery life are the important ones to watch out for.

Safety and peace of mind make the weekend RV get away fun and exciting for the whole family and the ability to stay in touch with all members of the camping party does that for me and my family.





Until next time.  Over and Out?

RV Fridge – Get It Cold & Keep It Cold

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Posted on November 9, 2014

Do you find that your RV refrigerator does not keep your food cold enough?  Does your RV fridge have it’s own unique smell?  Do you know how to chill down a warm RV fridge?  I think you are in the right frame of mind now.

Many of us store our RV in places that do not have electricity for us to keep the fridge plugged in and working all the time or even a few hours before we take off  for a fun filled and safe camping adventure.

So let’s talk about the care and feeding of an RV refrigerator.

1.   I hope you do not keep the fridge sealed as tight as a drum during storage.  You need to leave the door cracked open just a bit, so that air can move in and out of your fridge. This helps keep the inside of the fridge dry and reduce mold build up.  Did you ever wonder what that slide button on the fridge door is used for? Well to lock the door during travel to be sure but, if you slide the button so that you are locking the fridge door while the door is being held open the slide lock can be used to keep the fridge door from closing during storage. Be sure your fridge is as clean as possible before you close the door on the RV.  Making sure the fridge is clean will help stop the growth of mold inside of the unit.  Also if possible you should use a Naturally Activated Charcoal Odor Absorber like this one; RV Activated Charcoal

RV Activated Charcoal

This little odor eater would hang from a shelf at the back of the fridge to help keep odors out.  You can also use box of baking soda but that can spill going down the road and make quite a mess.

2. What can you do to get the fridge colder quicker once you get to the camp ground or on the way?  You could buy a bag of ice and put it on the top shelf of the fridge next to the silver fins at the back.  You could buy some cheap cold packs That look like this;

Cheap Cold Packs

Freeze them (usually three) and use them in place of the ice.  Very little if any water to clean up.  Or you could get some Zip Lock Heavy Duty Freezer Bags and put ice cubes from your home freezer in them and use them in place of the bought ice. Another idea for an ice pack is to partially fill a strong zip-type sandwich bag with Dawn dishwashing liquid, close and freeze. The liquid soap stays cold much longer and it can be refrozen many times. The frozen Dawn will conform to the place you need an ice pack. Maybe a bit more water to clean up than you would like.

The Nu-Ice Freezer Pack is a  chemical freezer pack capable of maintaining a sub-zero temperature by putting the pack into an insulated environment for up to 96 hours. This is accomplished by first  freezing the special pack to initiate the simple chemical reaction within the pack.

Nu-Ice Freezer Pack

But you could do even better and help the ice or cold pack by adding a RV fridge fan like this one; RV Fridge Fan .

RV Fridge Fan

It uses 2 D cell batteries (be sure to use alkaline type) and will give you 30 days of use before the batteries need to be changed.  It will reduce your fridge cool down time by half. I use one in my TT and it does work. (just be sure to turn it off before storing the rig).

I know some of you are a bit more high tech than a simple battery operated fan inside the fridge, and would like something a bit more.  I reference you here; High Tech RV Fridge Fan .

CAUTION:  Do not run your RV Fridge on GAS while going down the road.  Guys this is very dangerous for a lot of reasons and not recommended by anyone in the know that I have talk to.   I am sure someone will tell you that they have done it for years with no problems.  But it only take one time, of a fire or explosion or both.

3. What else could you do to help your RV fridge?  You could put a fan on the backside of the fridge inside the outside fridge compartment.  I am talking about the outside compartment in back of the fridge.  There are several type of this kind of fan.  One type uses a thermostat  to sense when there is too much heat, inside the outside compartment, thus slowing down cooling, and turns on the fan.  Or there is the DIY system that uses a 12 volt computer fan that comes on when ever power is turned on to the rig (this is what I use).  Let’s look at them both, first the thermostat controlled fridge compartment fan; RV Fridge Outside Compartment Fan

 There is some DIY here as well but a lot less that the system that I use.  Follow the link and read some of the user comments to better understand how this system works.

 RV Fridge Outside Compartment Fan

Next lets take a look at the one I used; 12 Volt Computer Fan

12 Volt Computer Fan

This is a completely DIY project so please remember that.  I found a convenient place on the inside of the outside refrigerator compartment’s grated grill cover and mounted the fan with some zip ties.  I ran the power wire from the fan to the rigs 12 volt power line, that I found inside the refrigerator compartment.  My 12 volt lines were the same color as the fan’s wiring. The fan blows air across the fins on the outside of the fridge located inside the fridge compartment.  The power draw is so small I did not worry about it and the fan runs whenever the rigs 12 volt system is on.  The fan is designed to be used in a computer so is whisper quiet. Boy does it work.

4. So we have the fridge getting cold but how cold is it and when can I put in some food?  Well if you do not have a thermometer to measure the temperature then how do you know?  There are two kinds of thermometers one is digital and one is analog.  Let’s look at them both.

Digital RV Thermometer Digital RV Thermometer

Digital RV Thermometer

The unit has two sensors one for the freezer and one for the fridge.  The unit runs off batteries and can tell you at a glance from the outside of the refrigerator unit what is going on inside and when you unit is cold enough for food.

Analog RV Thermometer; Analog RV Thermometer

 Analog RV Thermometer

This simple unit hangs from one of the shelves in the fridge and tells you when it is safe to put in your food. The negative thing is that you have to open the fridge to tell if it is ready, letting in more hot air and letting the cold air out.  I am saving for the digital version.

Well we’ve got your RV refrigerator humming along but, it is time to go home and park the rig until the next time.

How can you get it cleaned out and dried out fast?  One of these guys should help; Inexpensive Hair Dryer

Inexpensive Hair Dryer

Because I do not dry camp I have the power needed to use this, to dry out the fridge and freezer fast and get going home. Darn the ice cream is going to melt again.

Until next time.

Tools Of The RV Trade

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What tools do you need to have when RVing?  If you ask 10 RVers you will get 10 answers.  That’s because we all seem to run into problems with our RV that is a bit different from the next RVer and the tools to fix the problem that arose is slightly different. But there are some basic tools of the trade, so let’s talk about those.

You will find that you will need something to put whatever tools you decide to carry into something that is strong but light.  Tools have weight and it does not take too many until you have added measurable weight to your rig. So here is a tool box that works.Simple Tool Box

Simple Tool Box

Now that we have a toolbox, lets see what needs to be in it.

A screwdriver Multi Screwdriver

Multi Screwdriver

I chose one like above because it cut down on weight and space in my tool box.  If you rather, you could buy two flat blades (one large, one small) and two phillips screwdrivers a #2 and #1 or an  additional size of your choice.

You will need a special set of screw drivers for use with those pesky square headed screws that are used around the inside and the outside of the rig. These special square screw drivers are shown below.

square screw drivers

A set of basic pliers is next.  You will need several types.  Here is an example Basic Pliers

Basic Pliers

You will also need several advanced pliers, such as the ones shown below.

Slip Joint Pliers

Vice-Grip Pliers
Vice-Grip Pliers

You will need and use all the above pliers.  It is just a matter of time.  Next we move on to crescent wrenches.

#8 Crescent Wrench (8″ Crescent Wrench )

8″ Crescent Wrench

#10 inch Crescent Wrench (10 inch Crescent Wrench)

10 inch Crescent Wrench

Now for the special stuff.  This is stuff you need but will not use monthly.  I use this stuff yearly.  The first is the torque wrench.  This is used to check the lug nuts on the tires of the rig to make sure they are tighten to factory specifications.

Torque Wrench

3/8 inch Extension Bar Kit

3/8 inch Extension Bar Kit

The extension bar kit is used to get the torque wrench outside of the tire rim for a safer tightening of the nuts that hold the tires.  You will also need a drive socket that fits your tires lug nuts and is made for a  3/8″ drive.

If you have a Suburban water heater you will also need a breaker bar shown below, to remove the anode to check the anode as well as to replace the anode if needed.

3/8″ Breaker Bar Wrench
Suburban Water Heater Anode

You will also need the socket that fits the anode, along with the white plumber’s tape

Plumbers Tape

to prevent water leaking around the threads.

Hex Key Set

Of course a hammer is also a tool that should be carried

Hammer

To see into those dark areas around the RV you will need a small but powerful flashlight.

Cree 7W Mini LED Flashlight

One tool that I have that I really like is not really a tool but my multimeter.  I can check to see if there is voltage what kind and how much.  I can check for open and shorted wires as well as other things.  I highly recommend one for your tool kit.

Multimeter

Another tester that is handy, and some people think it should be a mandatory basic tool is the AC voltage monitor.  This shows what the park voltage is at any given time, (low voltage can damage your RV electrical system and electronics) and shows if the power pedestal is wired correctly if plugged into the pedestal before plugging in the RV.  You may have to get a Short jumper from 30 or 50 amps to standard AC wall socket to test the pedestal. Meter is shown below.

AC Power Monitor

The following is the tool I would not be without.  The multi-tool.  I carry this tool on my belt and I even bought the expansion kit for it.  You just never know when you need a screwdriver or pliers to tighten or loosen something.

Multi-Tool

I know someone will say, this is not all you need and will give me a list of stuff as long as my arm.  Things like gorilla tape, super glue, black electrical tape, clear and white silicone caulk.  I agree they are important and should be carried, but as I said earlier. This is the basic list and like American Express “I never go RVing with-out them”

Until next time.