Category Archives: RVing

Well, What Did You Forget This Time?

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Whether you are a new Full Timer, a Newbie, a Part-Timer, or a Weekender we all seem to forget something vital to our RVing enjoyment or safety at the beginning of each season.  What do you really need to have to hook up your RV and have a safe but fun RVing experience? To find out I asked a bunch of Facebook RVers to give me a list of their most important, not to be forgotten, “must-haves” for the RV before you pull out.  Here is the list in no particular order.




1. Power Cord to hook up the RV along with an extension cord. You need enough to go to either end of your RV.

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15 Ft 50 Amp Extension Cable
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25-Ft 30 Amp Extension Cord

2.  An extension drinking water hose is a must.  You should have a 25-foot regular hose and a 25-foot extension.

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25 Foot Drinking Water Hose

I make the assumption that you already have a drinking hose with you.  If not, you are going to need one. Get a 25 foot one for everyday use and another 25 foot as the extension. (I once stayed at a park where the water was on one side of the TT and the electric was on the other side of the TT.)

3. Another good thing to have is a Water Hose Splitter for the park supply line. That way if you need some additional outside water you will not need to unhook the water supply to the rig.

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Plastic Water Hose Splitter

4. Extra sewer hose is a must these days.  With longer rigs you can’t leave home without it.

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10 Foot Sewer Hose Extension

5. In addition, to the hose extension you should also have a short clear section of sewer pipe to keep an eye on what is coming out of the sewer and to know when it is done draining.

45 Degree Clear Fitting

With the above fitting, you can really see if that new RV TP really is quick-dissolving.

6. In some States and in some RV Parks you must raise the sewer line off the ground.  It is the law. There are lots of idea floating around but here is one of the simplest.  Remember in some States this is required.

7. If the park you are staying at has Cable TV you will need some TV cable to go from the Utility Box to the rig.

25 Ft RG6 Cable TV Wire

8. How about better tasting water?  Please read the Blog Post on “Water Out Of The Campground Faucet, YUCK!!” for all the best options but, here is just one.

RV Water Filter

9. A good tire pressure gauge is vital for any RVer.  A cheap one is not an option.  As always check your RV tires when Cold.

Good Digital Tire Gauge

10. Wheel Chocks are the next must-have item.  Oh, the Horror Stories I could tell.  Get some Chocks.

RV Wheel Chocks for Pull Behind RVs.

11.  For reasons of safety and anti-theft I also recommend an X-Chock.

Locking Chock

12. A spare set of water hose washers is a good idea.

Water Hose Washers

13. And by all means an RV 30 or 50 amp (depending on your RV’s power requirement) Power Management Protector (Surge Protector).

30 Amp Surge Protector
50 Amp Surge Protector

Just be sure to get one that works with your Rig.

14. A Water Pressure Flow Manager would be a good thing as well.  This limits the water pressure to your Rig to no more than 50 psi of water pressure in your RV’s plastic water pipe system.  Much more than that and you might start to blow water fittings.

Water Pressure Regulator
Water Pressure Regulator With Meter

14.5 If you use a Water Hose Splitter, like number 3 above for cleaning out your RV sewer hose then you should have a water Back Flow Preventer like

Water Back Flow Preventer

This little unit attaches to the hose splitter and prevents and water hose connected to the open side of the hose splitter from leaking water back into the water source and contaminating it.  Like when you wash out the sewer hose or the spare hose falls into a puddle.

15. Often times people will suggest that you take boards with you to level the Rig in a campsite that is not level.  While boards may work they add weight and can absorb water when left on the ground during rain.  Here is an alternative.

RV Ramp/Leveler

16. You will not want to forget some RV Dog Bones.  These adapters change your electrical hookups from one type to another.  For example from 50amp to 30amp.  Why because the campground only has 30amps. Please read “RV Dog Bones What Are They and How Are They Used” further down in this Blog for more details.

Adapt 50amp Plug to 30amp Plug

17. You should also carry a water hose for everything but drinking.  Wash the kids feet, flush the sewer hose, etc.  You get the picture.

General Duty Water Hose

18. You should also have a spray bottle of disinfectant to use on park water taps.

Spray Disinfectant

Feel free to add your Can’t Be Left Behind” items to the comments area.

Until next time.


And finally, please remember that this blog is an Amazon affiliate. When you order something through the Amazon links, it doesn’t add anything to your cost, but I do earn a small commission on everything you buy. Just click on an Amazon link, then shop as usual.

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Keep Track Of Your Tire Pressure And Temperature

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I read all the time that one of the biggest fears people have when RVing is a blown tire and the massive amount of damage that it can cause.  But I rarely read about a Fulltimer or a Newbie adding or adjusting a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).  Why?  I doubt that every RV sold comes with a tire monitoring system. I just got back from one of the big RV shows and not one 5th wheel that I looked at came with a TPMS nor did a single salesman recommend a tire monitoring system during the sales presentation.  I also read that more than 60% of the RVs on the road today are overloaded or worse that the tire pressure on the RV is below the manufacturer’s recommended tire pressure.  To make it worse [if that is possible] many of the  RVs going down the highway, are going at  70 mph or higher. Even though the RV’s tires are marked not to exceed 65 mph.  As we get our RVs ready for another season of camping, let’s look at what we need to do to be safer going down the road and monitoring our tires.  

 

1. 

You need to check the tire pressure when the tire is still cold. 

It has been shown, by an  infrared thermometer, that after only 10 minutes of Summer Sun, that the temperature of RV tires have risen above COLD and should not be measured for pressure and thought to be cold.  After you have driven 1 mile the RV tires are not considered cold and should not be tested for pressure as being cold. 


2.

When you stop for gas or a bathroom break, you should do a tire check of the RV as well as the tow vehicle. My daughter was checking the tow vehicle for me and found a large cut in the sidewall of the truck tire.  We were able to get the tire replaced before the large accident occurred.  I did not even remember hitting or running over anything on the highway.


3.

Before starting out on the RVing trip be sure to carefully look at the tread, and the side walls both on the front and the back of the tire.  Most RV tire experts agree that if your RV tires are more than five years old from the date of manufacture [shown in a code on the tire] you should replace them. 


4.

Most tire failures occur when the side wall of the tire is under inflated or rots out from the inside where you can not see. Remember you are riding on air, the tire just keeps the air captured and held in place.  You can thank Mr. Sun for sidewall failure in some cases.  Most tires have a Mr. Sun inhibitor built-in but when a tire sits and sits the inhibitor does not get moved to the outside of the tire by the tire going round and round.  Now you see why you need wheel covers right? Trailer Wheel Covers   for less than $25. 


OK, I have exposed you to some of the basic safety things you need to do, now let’s look at those Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems.

A good system for monitoring your tire pressure as well as the tire temperature is the  Wireless Tire Pressure Monitoring System .

Wireless Tire Pressure Monitoring System


The system will tell you of an overheated tire, in most cases before it blows, and of course tell you of low pressure in any monitored tire, even the spare, in real time. 

  • Monitors up to 22 wheels (0-232 psi)
  •  Quickly reacts to abnormal pressure or temperature
  • Waterproof & Dustproof sensors; 
  • Customizable Tire Pressure Monitoring Criteria
  • Sensor Alarm system included; Locking Ring to Guard Against Theft
  • For use in RVs, SUVs, Caravans, Trucks, & Passenger cars

RV Flow-Through 6 Tire Sensor – Tire Pressure  Monitoring System (TPMS)


RV Flow-Through 6 Tire Sensor – Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)

  • The flow-through sensor with replaceable battery can be secured to prevent loss or theft
  • Portable monitor has rechargeable battery and monitors tire pressure 0-199 PSI & temperature
  • Monitor tires 24/7: low/high pressure, high temperature, and slow leaks.
  • Monitor warning thresholds are user adjustable; low-pressure alert level is per axle adjustable.
  • Tire sensor signals have excellent range and not require signal booster for most vehicles



As a lower cost alternative, you can use a screw-on tire pressure indicator, such as Quick-Pressure-PSI-50-Monitor, which at a glance can tell you that you may have a problem [use only if your tires are supposed to have 50 lbs of air when cold. Other pressures are available]  and the traditional pencil like gauge, such as Pencil-Pressure Gage .  

A low-cost way to check the tire and the tire hub temperatures is to use a non-contact  Infrared temperature gun.  Such as the HDE Non-Contact Infrared IR Temperature Gun Digital Thermometer

As you stop during your travels you can check the tire temperature and hub of each tire.  They should be with-in a few degrees of each other.  If you find a tire or hub that is very much higher than the rest you should take action to find out why before you proceed.

The first thing you should do is to check the air pressure of the tire that is over heating.  I know that you have been traveling awhile but the pressure in the HOT tire should be with-in a few pounds of the rest of the tires on the rig.  You might want to consider a digital tire pressure gauge such as the NorthONE Digital Tire Pressure Gauge.

NorthONE Digital Tire Pressure Gauge

Just be sure that the gauge you buy can read pressures above those that your tire is supposed to have in it.

To protect the tires in storage from Mr. Sun and any other nasties that come along.  You can also use an RV tire protective spray which is applied, as directed, to the tire side wall that is exposed to the sun.

I have used RV Tire Protection Spray with good luck.  This spray is not designed to make the tire side wall shinier, it is not a decorative spray, but something that is designed to put back into the surface of the rubber what Mr. Sun is taking out.

RV Tire Protection Spray

Also, note, that if you are going to store the RV for an extended period of time you should protect the tread of the tire from the surface that the tires are sitting on.  Nasty things can leach out of your tires into the blacktop or concrete that your RV sits on while being stored. Or from the blacktop or concrete into your tires during storage.  You can use an  Office Chair Carpet Protector 

as a way to protect your tires during storage.  It is an inexpensive solution to tire protection during storage.

I hope this better explains why it is important to know what is going on with your tires and also helps with the fear factor.

 

Until next time.

 

And finally, please remember that this blog is an Amazon affiliate. When you order something through any of the Amazon links, it doesn’t add anything to your cost, but I do earn a small commission on everything you buy. Just click on an Amazon link, then shop as usual.

Campfire Safety

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As we all get ready to start camping or have already started.  I am reminded that in many parts of the USA you can not have a campfire do to outdoor burning restrictions.  So many of us remember the nights spent by the fire watching the sparks work their way up into the air from the burning logs and hearing the original snap, crackle, and pop. (sorry Kellogg)  Well, things have changed that’s for sure.  First in many states now you can not bring firewood from one state to another or even from one part of a state to another do to bugs, worms, and what have you.  You must use the firewood that is at the park store or Ranger station.

How far is too far to move firewood? And what is meant by “local” firewood?  When discussing local firewood, I am referring to the closest convenient source of wood that you can find. That might be from down the street, or a state forest in your county. As a general rule of thumb, 50 miles is too far to move firewood, and 10 miles or less is the max firewood should be moved.  In many, states there are rules, regulations, and quarantines that clearly state how far is too far. Always acquaint yourself with local rules and regulations when transporting firewood from one jurisdiction to another.  Find out more here Don’t Move Firewood .

So you buy some firewood from the Ranger’s supply at the park and you can burn it during the time you are in the park but you should leave what you do not burn behind.

You have firewood from the local area and you have piled it up in the fire pit and you get ready to light it, but how do you get the green wood, high in moisture content, to burn without dumping a bottle of charcoal starter one it.  One fun idea is to use to get the wood burning is InstaFire .

InstaFire Fire Starter

These little fire starter pouches can get a fire going almost anywhere and burn hot enough to get not so great firewood started.

How can you make a campfire fun and exciting?  Well, S’mores are fun to make S’mores.

When you are done making the S’mores you might want to be amazed by the camp fire northern light show.  Camp Fire Northern Light Show .

Now sit back and enjoy the rest of the evening and watch the light show from your camp fire.

What happens when you can not burn wood but you still want to sit around a campfire.  Well, the solution for that is the gas campfire.  Most RV camping areas do not have a problem with the gas campfire even if there is a burn ban because the fire does not give off sparks and with the turn of the gas valve, the fire is off.  You can still make those S’mores the kids want and you can still enjoy sitting outside of the RV around the campfire.  See Portable Gas Campfire for what I am talking about.

This portable gas campfire runs off of LP gas either the little 1lb green cylinders (runs for 2hrs) or the 10lb gas tanks.  It runs for hours and the red cover is used for storage and to elevate the gas campfire off the ground.  Also, the red cover has the carry handle attached.  With an extra accessory, you can even cook on the campfire just like a fire log one.

With any fire outside you need to have a fire extinguisher at the ready just in case.  Not just for grass fires. Fire Gone White/Red Fire Extinguisher – 16 oz

Until next time.

Don’t forget to join the Weekend RVers group on Facebook a no DRAMA place with Hints, Tips, Free Stuff, Recipes, for every kind of RVer.


And finally, please remember that this blog is an Amazon affiliate. When you order something through any of the Amazon links, it doesn’t add anything to your cost, but I do earn a small commission on everything you buy. Just click on an Amazon link, then shop as usual.

Fire, Smoke, Gas, Oh My

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Did you know that there is a date code on the smoke detector as well as your carbon monoxide detector in your RV?  Did you know that the propane detector in your RV has an end of life?

 

 

I sure didn’t know.  If you are just changing the detector batteries at the beginning of each RV season and removing the batteries at the end of each season you may not be doing everything you  need to be safe, there is more to it.  When was the last time you tested all your detectors to be sure that they all worked? (In many cases pushing the test button on the detector does not test the most important part of the detector, the sensor.)  Do you know how to test the detectors?  When is the last time you had a fire drill in your RV?

Let’s look for some answers.  On the back of every smoke detector, there is a date code.  You may have to hunt for it but it is there.

Beginning in 1999, Underwriters Laboratories (UL) required the manufacturing date code on the back of the device to be printed in plain English. This information may appear on the back of the device, on the face of the horn, in the battery compartment or on the top sensing chamber.

It is widely held in the RV industry that if your detector is more than five years old, or is out of date, it should be replaced.

Some detectors have permanent batteries built-in and others need to be replaced annually.  Always use alkaline batteries when replacing batteries in detectors.  Alkaline batteries last the longest in low power usage situations, such as detectors.

Now let’s talk turkey.  Most RV manufacturers use the lowest cost, simplest smoke detector they can in their rigs.  So false alarms and the possibility of alarm failures are there.  What can you do, upgrade your standard smoke detector to a combination ionization and Photoelectric smoke particle alarm such as the

 Kidde Model Pi9010 Dual Sensing Smoke Detector

These alarms have fewer false alarms and will give you and your family more time to get out if there is an emergency.

Most fire safety experts agree that you have about 20 seconds to get out of an RV that is on fire before you will be overcome and not be able to get out.

Where should I put the smoke detectors in the RV you ask?  One should be in the Master bedroom and one in the Bunkhouse (if your RV has one).  Another one should be located in the kitchen area of the rig.
There is a new small size model smoke detector for use in storage bays or in areas where the size of the detector is important.

Photoelectric Smoke Detector

This type of small space detector is a great idea for storage areas where we may have cleaning chemicals and fire-starting chemicals and other stuff that in the right conditions can ignite and start a fire.

You can test smoke type detectors by using a burning candle near the detector and then blowing it out.  See what happens.  Also, you can push the button located on the detector to test the battery.
Pushing the button just test the battery and the electronics and does not check the sensor inside the unit.  The candle does that.

Next we have the Carbon Monoxide Detector.  This detector looks for the gas from combustion. CM gas is odorless, colorless, and tasteless.  This is a very deadly gas.  Every year there are deaths caused by CM gas when people run gasoline generators outside of their trailer. This detector can be located in the hallway to the bedrooms or in the bedroom itself.  Don’t forget to put one in the bunkhouse. The CMD should be located off the floor about head high or higher. In my rig, the detector is located on the ceiling. The CM gas is lighter than air and will be found near the ceiling first.  Here is the one that I have  Battery Operated Carbon-Monoxide Detector.

Battery Operated Carbon-Monoxide Detector

NOTE: Be sure to replace the batteries at the beginning of the RV season (remove batteries at the end of season) and keep the surface of the detector clean.

The LP Gas Detector is the last of the required detectors in your RV.  This one usually runs off of the 12-volt battery system of the RV.  It is located very near the floor usually in the hallway to the master bedroom, but not always.  This is the guy that will detect if you stove, oven, furnace, refrigerator, or any other LP gas product in the RV is leaking LP into your breathing space.  LP Gas is heavier than air and sinks to the floor and builds up from there.  It has a bad odor that has been added to the gas by the LP Gas provider.  So LP Gas is not odorless, you sure can smell it.  Unless of course you are sleeping.  If you smell gas get out, get out now, do not look for the leak just get out, and get help.

Here is a 12 volt LP Gas detector that has gotten good reviews and could replace what you are currently using if after testing yours does not work or the 5-year replacement date is up.  Remember pushing the test button on a detector does not test the sensor just the electronics and sounder.  Here is a detector that has gotten good reviews 12v LP Gas Detector.

12v LP Gas Detector

So how do you test one of these?  Remember those BIC lighters and Charcoal Starters?  Well get down near the detector and flick the BIC but do not light it.  Hold the lighter near the detector for a few seconds and you should set the alarm going.  Stop the flow of gas from the BIC and blow on the detector to dissipate the gas and the alarm should stop sounding.

A word of caution here I think is advisable.  I have heard that people are replacing the two gas detectors with one that claims it will do both jobs.  I would not want to bet my family’s safety on this all in one detector.  These gasses are not the same weight in the air one rises and one sinks, now how is one detector going to be in the right place to detect the right gas?  Just say’in.

Now let’s talk about firefighting.  Don’t do it.  Get Out!!!  If you must fight the fire to give yourself and your family more time to get out, do you have the right fire extinguisher?  Here again, in most cases, the cheapest fire extinguisher was installed in your rig.  When was the last time you check the extinguisher?  Now is a good time before you start off for this season.  If it is a powder type, turn it over a few times to resettle the powder.  If it is a squeeze the trigger type what is the date of manufacture?  You should plan on replacing the trigger type ever six years or sooner if the gauge says so.   RVers die every year from rig fires, use the fire extinguisher to give you and your family time to get OUT not to fight the fire.

You need a fire extinguisher in each bedroom, in the kitchen area, and at the front and back door of the RV and in the storage area.  You could also have one under the driver’s seat of the TV or Class A. I recommend using

Fire Gone

as the best you can get to give you more time.  If the kids are old enough be sure they can operate the Fire Gone and be sure to put one in the bunkhouse.

Because of recent fire events, the following fire suppression device was developed RV Refer Compartment Fire Suppression.

RV Refer Compartment Fire Suppression

Because of the number of fires that have been caused (or thought to have been caused) by refrigerators in RVs, an automatic fire suppression system has been developed, shown above.  This system is one the average RVer can install and will activate in the presence of a fire in the refrigerator compartment of an RV.  While you still need to get out as quickly as possible this unit may put the fire out completely or give you more time to, get out, either way, it is a plus.

OK, the fire drill.  Do you know how to get out of your Rig if the front door is blocked by fire?  In each bedroom area of the rig as well as other locations you will see a window with a red lever at the bottom.  With the word EMERGENCY EXIT printed on it.  Move the handle in the direction indicated and the window will open and you can climb out.  Of course, it will be a real job because you may have forgotten a few tools that will help make it easier.  First did you have your emergency window prop open stick?  If you said no, you should.  Take an old broom handle, rake handle, hunk of PVC, etc, and cut it to 24″ long and paint it red.  Attach two dots of hook and loop to the top and bottom of the stick and to the wall, alongside, or below the window and voila you are ready.  When the emergency occurs, open the window put in your prop stick and pull a blanket or comforter from the bed or a blanket from other area and lay it across the bottom of the window frame covering the exit handle area of the window.  This will stop you from being cut or badly scratched by the window frame as you crawl out.

Have a meeting place well outside of the rig area, that everyone knows and will meet at if there is a fire so you can take a head count and be sure everyone is safe.

Last but not the least.  Do the kids know how to get out?  Each season before you hit the road you should go over the fire safety rules and how to get out.

Rule number,

  1. GET OUT
  2. GET OUT
  3. NEVER FIGHT THE FIRE (you have approx 20sec to get out before you can’t)
  4. DO NOT GO BACK FOR THE DOG, CAT or GOLDFISH
  5. EVERYONE MEETS ACROSS THE ROAD

I am sure you get the picture.  Cats and dogs are part of the family for sure, but they are not humans and the kids and grandma are far more important.  Be sure to remind the kids of that.

Fire Safety Quick Check

  1. Test all Fire, LP Gas, and CM detectors
  2. Do not fight the fire GET OUT!!!!
  3. Know where the emergency exits are located
  4. Have an escape plan
  5. Have fire drills
  6. Be sure the fire extinguishers are up to date

Until next time

Don’t forget to join the Weekend RVers group on Facebook a no DRAMA place with Hints, Tips, Free Stuff, Recipes, for every kind of RVer.

And finally, please remember that this blog is an Amazon affiliate. When you order something through any of the Amazon links, it doesn’t add anything to your cost, but I do earn a small commission on everything you buy. Just click on an Amazon link, then shop as usual

911, What Is Your Emergency? — Water!!

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Have you ever opened the Kitchen or Bathroom under sink cupboard doors only to find the contents wet or a bit damp?  To make  matters worse, you are dry camping (boon docking) and have no one around to ask what to do.  Well, wonder no more just keep reading to find out.

First you need to find the source of the leak.  This could be from water seeping around the top of the sink and draining inside the cupboard.  This is a simple and quick fix. Just use some Kitchen and Bath approved caulk, such as,

Kitchen and Bath Caulk

Follow the instructions on the tube and that water seepage should be a thing of the past.  I keep a tube of this product in white and clear in the RV all the time because you just never know.  But, what if that is not the problem?

Next check all the black sewer pipes to be sure the fittings are good and tight.  The black drain pipe fittings should be hand tight not wrench tight.  Do be careful not to over tighten these fittings as you can break the pipe or strip out the plastic threads on the pipes.  I check these fittings every time in the Spring before the first camping trip and several more times during the year to be sure they are tight and doing just fine.  I did find a loose one in the Master Bathroom last year.  So all the black pipe fittings are tight and you still find water and things damp.  Now, what?

Well, there is really only one thing left.  The hot and cold water fittings.

From the picture above you can see the red (hot) and, in this case, the white (cold) water lines as well as the black plastic sewer pipes. Getting a bit closer, we see where the problem is.

The metal clip that holds the screw on connector has come a bit loose and the water is dripping out from that fitting on to the stuff under the sink.  It is not a flood but a constant drip.  This scenario is not good for lots of reasons and needs to be taken care of right now.  If you do not have the PEX crimping tool you will never get the metal squeezed tight enough to stop the slow leak.

There is a quick and sure-fire way to fix this problem and end up with a far better connection than what the RV manufacturer used.  It is called a Shark Bite connector.

Shark Bite Push-on Connector

This is a push-on type of connector for the plastic hose and does not need any special soldering or tool to install.  You just cut off the leaking end and push on the Shark Bite.  Screw the female end to the faucet and you are good to go.

Please note to double check that after you cut off the old leaking connection, that you will still have enough plastic pipe to reach back to the faucet once you put on the Shark Bite.  The plastic pipe used in most RVs is 1/2″ and the Shark Bite Connector you will need is the 1/2″ type.  This connector is available in most hardware stores and the Big Box retailers of plumbing supplies. The packaging looks like below.

The package and product at my big box retailer was not hanging just stuffed  into a box on the shelf so I had to look a bit for it.

So here is what I ended up with.

You can see on the red plastic pipe what I had before the switch and you can see by the white pipe what I have now.  My plan is to change over the red pipe connector to a Shark Bite type to ensure no more future leaks from this area.

Here is a convenience add-on that I bought, just to help in replacing future connections with Shark Bite.  It is called the Shark Bite Deburring Tool. After cutting the old fitting off the PEX plastic pipe, you use this tool to deburr the pipe and the tool shows you how much of the plastic pipe you have to push into the Shark Bite connector to make a good water tight seal.

Shark Bite Deburring Tool

Again this tool is not mandatory.  It is just a nice convenience tool to have around.  One last tool you might want to pick up is the PEX plastic pipe cutting tool.  Again not a mandatory tool to have just a nice tool to have.

PEX Plastic Pipe Cutting Tool

Well, that is it.  If you have a water leak anywhere even a constant drip you need to fix it fast and the Shark Bite pipe fitting system is the fastest and easiest system I know of.  I keep a couple around because you just never know when you will need them and the cost is cheap insurance against a faucet connection leaking and damaging the rig.

I would like to thank Michael Cook who’s Facebook posting gave me the idea for this post.

Until next time.

Don’t forget to join the Weekend RVers group on Facebook a no DRAMA place with Hints, Tips, Free Stuff, Recipes, for every kind of RVer.

And finally, please remember that this blog is an Amazon affiliate. When you order something through any of the Amazon links, it doesn’t add anything to your cost, but I do earn a small commission on everything you buy. Just click on an Amazon link, then shop as usual.

RV Stocking Stuffer Ideas From Facebook

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I am sure most of us have gotten the big RVer Christmas Gift for this year and just need a few odds and ends to fill in.  If that is the case and you need some small RVer gift ideas here are a few that have been suggested by people on Facebook.

A. First is smoke and fire alarms for the basement storage of a TT or 5th wheel.  Are you protected in those areas?  I wasn’t but I am now.

Smoke and Fire Alarm

B. Next is a product that is used to replace that foam filter stuff that you find when you clean the Air Conditioner cover.  You don’t do that?  Never knew that there was a filter behind the ceiling A/C grate. Well now you do.

You will need to cut the filter material to match the current filter.

C. How about a protectant that you can spray on just about anything on a RV to protect it from Sun and weather.

Regular use gives 100% prevention of UV caused slow-fade

303 Aerospace protectant keeps UV-sensitive materials “like new” year after year.

D. When you have a squeak what do you use to get rid of it? When something is hard to turn what do you use to free it up?  You should not be using WD-40. You should be using.

Contains PTFE for long-lasting protection

Withstands extreme load carrying situations

Displaces moisture and seals out corrosion

E. For those black tank watchers.

ODOR FREE: absolutely no chemical or sewer smell

ORGANIC: biodegradable, environmentally friendly, septic tank friendly

EFFECTIVE: in extreme hot & cold temperatures ( over 100°f )

EXTENDED DUMP INTERVAL: keeps on working ( don’t have to add more before dumping )

LIQUIFY: waste solids & most ordinary household tissue ( no expensive special tissue needed )

F. To repair a tire on the road or dry camping you need one of these Tire Repair Kits.

Tire Repair Kit

G. When you need to wash off your tow vehicle the front of the RV and you don’t have or can’t use any water.

Can be used as Waterless Wash or Just spray on after wet washing to Wax As You Dry. Works on wet or dry surfaces. Kit includes 1 full 32oz spray bottle , 1 mini bug scrubber and 3 Microfiber towels. Waterless Wash up to 8 cars or Wax As You Dry 12 cars. Leaves a non-stick UV protective coating on ALL surfaces

H. To keep things frozen while going to your campground try this.

Nu-Ice Freezer Pack

Nu-Ice is a non-toxic, non-hazardous, chemical freezer pack capable of maintaining a sub-zero temperature “charge” in a freezer or other insulated environment for an extended period of time. This is accomplished by charging the pack to initiate the simple chemical reaction within the pack. The pack immediately begins to absorb energy (heat) and emit sub-zero temperatures once environment temperatures begin to rise. These packs are safe, environmentally friendly and re-usable up to five years! Therefore, the Nu-Ice packs are a great alternative for gas emitting dry ice as our pack do not require special handling, training or costly haz-mat shipping fees. 5 lb.

I. With all the rubber weather seals our RVs have we need a rubber protectant.

Rubber Seal Protectant

Gummi Pflege is a special rubber treatment that conditions rubber weather seals on car doors, windows and trunks reducing squeaks, rattles, wind noise and potential water leaks. Gummi restores color to dried out rubber and keeps them elastic while protecting them against the damaging effects of heat, freezing temperatures and UV rays. It uses a petroleum free, water-based formula. Easy-to-use shoe polish type applicator makes application simple without the mess.

J. To dry you off quickly and then dry itself quickly you need a special quick drying towel.

Quick Drying Towel

Microfiber with super soft ultra-suede finish

Remarkably absorbent and fast drying. Machine washable

Features a silver-ion antibacterial treatment. The microfibers are given a permanent coating of silver ions, which prohibit the growth of bacteria and other microbial life. The result is a towel that doesn’t smell or transmit germs

Packaged in Mesh Bag

Sizes XS: 12″ x 24″, 1.3 oz; SM: 16″ x 32″, 2.2 oz; MD: 20″ x 40″, 3.6 oz; LG: 24″ x 48″, 5.1 oz; XL: 30″ x 60″, 8.1 oz

K. How about a nice flag or turn it into a picture to hang in the RV?

Just Go Flag

L. All most every RVer that I know likes Donuts.  With below you can make your own fresh daily.

Pan makes 6 standard donuts at a time, each 3.5 inches/9cm diameter

Durable nonstick coating helps ensure effortless food release

Recipes and instructions included

Hand washing recommended

Until Next Time.

Don’t forget to join the Weekend RVers on Facebook a no DRAMA place with Hints, Tips, Free Stuff, Recipes, for every kind of RVer.

RV Dog Bones and Adapters

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Many times as you travel around the country you will find that you are in need of some sort of thingy that changes what you have into something you need.  This happens most often in the electrical side of your Rig.  If you have a 50 amp rig you may find the the campground you have only has 30 amp plug-ins.  Or you may want to plug in your power pedestal power analyzer into the 30 amp or 50 amp plug-in to be sure that it is safe you plug into your rig.

Let’s see what these things look like and what they are use for.  First the RV Dog Bone.

The typical RV Dog Bone is an electrical adapter that changes a 50 amp RV plug so that it can plug into the 30 amp socket of a power pedestal. The 30 Amp Male to 50 Amp Female Dog Bone  looks like this;

30 Amp Male to 50 Amp Female Dog Bone  

Of course there maybe a time when you need to plug your 30 amp Rig power cable into a 50 amp power pedestal socket  The 50 amp Male to 30 amp Female Dog Bone looks like this;

 50 amp Male to 30 amp Female Dog Bone 

Plugging in you 30 amp RV into this adapter will not harm your Rig and will give you no more power that what you should have. The reason to do this is often the power socket on the power pedestal is worn or broken and the only good one is the one your power cord will not plug into.  These RV Power Dog Bones let you mix and match to get some power.

So you have stopped by Grandma’s house to spend a few days and you need a way to plug your RV into her outside power socket so you can get some lights and keep the fridge going.  What do you need well you need a 15 Amp Male plug to 30 amp Female plug . This little gadget is shown below.

                                                15 Amp Male plug to 30 amp Female plug

While these may not be all the ones you will ever need this group will get you started and cover most of the situations that you will find.  One last bit of information the industry does make Y connector so that you can get 15 amp sockets from both 50 amp and 30 amp outlets from the power pedestal.  I have shown one type below.  I do not use these myself because where I camp has always had 15 amp sockets to plug into if I need to have 15 amps at the power pedestal.  If you have a blow-up boat or kayak

you might need this type of Y Adapter with 50 Amp Male Plug To RV 30 Amp and 15/20 Amp Female Connector  Shown below is what it looks like;

Y Adapter with 50 Amp Male Plug To RV 30 Amp and 15/20 Amp Female Connector

The last thing I would like to cover is the pedestal power combiner.  These devices combine the power outlets of the power pedestal to give you more amps.  For example if you combine the power output of the 30 amp socket with the power output of the 15 amp socket on the power pedestal you would get 45 amps of power to work with.  Or at least that is the theory.  Again I do not use this type of device as my KZ Spree is only 30 amps.  But to be fair I am showing you the device. The 45 amp Power Maximizer  The unit is shown below;

The 45 amp Power Maximizer  

Click on the name of the item to learn more. 

Until next time,

Smoke, Fire, Gas Safety

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Did you know that there is a date code on the smoke detector as well as your carbon monoxide detector in your RV?  Did you know that the propane detector in your RV has an end of life?

I sure didn’t know.  If you are just changing the detector batteries at the beginning of each RV season and removing the batteries at the end of each season you may not be doing everything you  need to be safe, there is more to it.  When was the last time you tested all your detectors to be sure that they all worked? (In many cases pushing the test button on the detector does not test the most important part of the detector, the sensor.)  Do you know how to test the detectors?  When is the last time you had a fire drill in your RV?

Let’s look for some answers.  On the back of every smoke detector there is a date code.  You may have to hunt for it but it is there.

Beginning in 1999, Underwriters Laboratories (UL) required the manufacturing date code on the back of the device to be printed in plain English. This information may appear on the back of the device, on the face of the horn, in the battery compartment or on the top sensing chamber.

It is widely held in the RV industry that if your detector is more than five years old, or is out of date, it should be replaced.

Some detectors have permanent batteries built-in and others need to be replaced annually.  Always use alkaline batteries when replacing batteries in detectors.  Alkaline batteries last the longest in low power usage situations, such as detectors.

Now let’s talk turkey.  Most RV manufactures use the lowest cost, simplest smoke detector they can in their rigs.  So false alarms and the possibility of alarm failures are there.  What can you do, upgrade your standard smoke detector to a combination ionization and Photoelectric smoke particle alarm such as the

Kidde Model Pi9010 Dual Sensing Smoke Detector .

These alarms have fewer false alarms and will give you and your family more time to get out if there is an emergency.

Most fire safety experts agree that you have about 20 seconds to get out of a RV that is on fire before you will be overcome and not be able to get out.

Where should I put the smoke detectors in the RV you ask?  One should be in the Master bedroom and one in the Bunkhouse (if your RV has one).  Another one should be located in the kitchen area of the rig.

You can test this type of detector by using a burning candle near the detector and then blowing it out.  See what happens.  Also you can push the button located on the detector to test the battery.  Pushing the button just test the battery and the electronics and does not check the sensor inside the unit.  The candle does that.

Next we have the Carbon Monoxide detector.  This detector looks for the gas from combustion. CM gas is odorless, colorless, and tasteless.  This is a very deadly gas.  Every year there are deaths caused by CM gas when people run gasoline generators outside of their trailer. This detector can be located in the hallway to the bedrooms or in the bedroom itself.  Don’t forget to put one in the bunkhouse. It should be located off the floor about head high or higher. In my rig the detector is located on the ceiling. The CM gas is lighter than air and will be found near the ceiling first.  Here is the one that I have  Battery Operated Carbon-Monoxide Detector.

Battery Operated Carbon-Monoxide Detector

Be sure to replace the batteries at the beginning of the RV season (remove batteries at the end of season) and keep the surface of the detector clean.

The LP Gas Detector is the last of the required detectors in your RV.  This one usually runs off of the 12volt battery system of the RV.  It is located very near the floor usually in the hallway to the master bedroom, but not always.  This is the guy that will detect if you stove, oven, furnace, refrigerator, or any other LP gas product in the RV is leaking LP into your breathing space.  LP Gas is heavier than air and sinks to the floor and builds up from there.  It has an bad odor that has been added to the gas by the LP Gas provider.  So LP Gas is not odorless, you sure can smell it.  Unless of course you are sleeping.  If you smell gas get out, get out now, do not look for the leak just get out, and get help.

Here is a 12volt LP Gas detector that has gotten good reviews and could replace what you are currently using if after testing yours does not work or the 5 year replacement date is up.  Remember pushing the test button on a detector does not test the sensor just the electronics and sounder.  Here is a detector that has gotten good reviews 12v LP Gas Detector.

12v LP Gas Detector

So how do you test one of these?  Remember those BIC lighters and Charcoal Starters?  Well get down near the detector and flick the BIC but do not light it.  Hold the lighter near the detector for a few seconds and you should set the alarm going.  Stop the flow of gas from the BIC and blow on the detector to dissipate the gas and the alarm should stop sounding.

A word of caution here I think is advisable.  I have heard that people are replacing the two gas detectors with one that claims it will do both jobs.  I would not want to bet my family’s safety on this all in one detector.  These gases are not the same weight in the air one rises and one sinks, now how is one detector going to be in the right place to detect the right gas?  Just say’in.

Now lets talk about fire fighting.  Don’t do it.  Get Out!!!  If you must fight the fire to give yourself and your family more time to get out, do you have the right fire extinguisher?  Here again, in most cases, the cheapest fire extinguisher was installed in your rig.  When was the last time you check the extinguisher?  Now is good time before you start off for this season.  If it is a powder type, turn it over a few times to resettle the powder.  If it is a squeeze the trigger type what is the date of manufacture?  You should plan on replacing the trigger type ever six years or sooner if the gage says so.   RVers die every year from rig fires, use the fire extinguisher to give you and your family time to get OUT not to fight the fire.

You need a fire extinguisher in each bedroom, in the kitchen area, and at the front and back door of the RV.  I recommend using Fire Gone 2NBFG2704

Fire Gone 2NBFG2704

as the best you can get to give you more time.  If the kids are old enough be sure they can operate the Fire Gone and be sure to put one in the bunkhouse.

Because of recent fire events, the following fire suppression device was developed RV Refer Compartment Fire Suppression.

RV Refer Compartment Fire Suppression

Because of the number of fires that have been caused (or thought to have been caused) by refrigerators in RVs, a automatic fire suppression system has been developed, shown above.  This system is one the average RVer can install and will activate in the presents of a fire in the the refrigerator compartment of an RV.  While you still need to get out as quickly as possible this unit may put the fire out completely or give you more time to get out either way it is a plus.

OK the fire drill.  Do you know how to get out of your Rig if the front door is blocked by fire?  In each bedroom area of the rig as well as other locations you will see a window with a red leaver at the bottom.  With the word EMERGENCY EXIT printed on it.  Move the handle in the direction indicated and the window will open and you can climb out.  Of course it will be a real job because you may have forgot a few tools that will help make it easier.  First did you have your emergency window prop open stick?  If you said no, you should.  Take and old broom handle, rake handle, hunk of PVC, etc, and cut it to 24″ long and paint it red.  Attach two dots of hook and loop to the top and bottom of the stick and to the wall along side or below the window and voila you are ready.  When the emergency occurs open the window put in your prop stick and pull a blanket or comforter from the bed or a blanket from other area and lay it across the bottom of the window frame covering the exit handle area of the window.  This will stop you from being cut or badly scratched by the window frame as you crawl out.

Have a meeting place well outside of the rig area, that everyone knows and will meet at if there is a fire so you can take a head count and be sure everyone is safe.

Last but not the least.  Do the kids know how to get out?  Each season before you hit the road you should go over the fire safety rules and how to get out.

Rule number,

  1. GET OUT
  2. GET OUT
  3. NEVER FIGHT THE FIRE (you have approx 20sec to get out before you can’t)
  4. DO NOT GO BACK FOR THE DOG, CAT or GOLDFISH
  5. EVERYONE MEETS ACROSS THE ROAD

I am sure you get the picture.  Cats and dogs are part of the family for sure, but they are not humans and the kids and grandma are far more important.  Be sure to remind the kids of that.

Fire Safety Quick Check

  1. Test all Fire, LP Gas, and CM detectors
  2. Do not fight the fire GET OUT!!!!
  3. Know where the emergency exits are located
  4. Have an escape plan
  5. Have fire drills
  6. Be sure the fire extinguishers are up to date

Until next time

Do RVers Really Need A Power Monitor System?

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I see that question all the time on Facebook and most of the Blogs that I read.  For the simple, easy, straight forward answer, YES you do.  There are so many factors involved here that I can not possibly cover them all in a single post but, I would like to cover the basics so that you can better understand why you need a Power Management system of some kind.

1. You need to know what the AC (Shore Power) voltage is inside your rig.  This is the power that indirectly powers lights, water heater, microwave, furnace, charger for the 12-volt battery system, etc.  If the voltage gets below 102 volts and should stay there for a few minutes it would be possible to sustain approximately $1200 of damage or more.

So what do you need?  You will need an AC Line Voltage Monitor.  The unit shown below is plugged into an AC wall outlet that you can see and will monitor what the line voltage is.  If it should go below 105 volts you need to unplug your rig from the outside power pedestal until the voltage goes back to normal.

AC Line Voltage Monitor

So how do you know when the outside power pedestal is back to normal.  You plug the Voltage Monitor into the 125 volts two pin socket in the power pedestal and see what the monitor reads.  It should read 110 volts or higher up to 125 volts.  The same caution goes for overvoltage.  You should unplug the rig form the power pedestal if your Voltage Monitor begins to read over 122 Volts.  Plug the Voltage Monitor into the power pedestal and watch for the voltage to drop to below 122 Volts.

Could this monitoring of the voltage be done for less money?  Yes, by using a cheap Digital Volt Meter  pictured below;

 Digital Volt Meter

You could plug the test leads that come with the meter into the meter and then the other ends of the test lead into the slots on the AC wall socket. (Caution do not leave unattended) Or you could make up a cord from a 6-foot extension cord and the test leads that come with the meter.  See below for an example.

AC Cord With Test Meter Leads

2. Next is  The Polarity Tester.  This is used to be sure that the Neutral wire of the power line is not reversed with the positive lead of the power line.  If that were to happen you could have what is called a hot skin condition.  Meaning that if you had an aluminum skinned rig you could receive quite a shock from your rig.

 The Polarity Tester

The Polarity Tester can also tell you if the Earth Ground (the bare copper wire) is hooked up properly.  

The Earth Ground is a separate conductor which may seem to be doing nothing but, is, in fact, a protective wire. It is there, ready to take the current away to earth ground, from the body or frame of the electrical device it is connected to, makes contact with any “hot” wire. [the 120 volts mains power is carried in two current carrying conductors called “hot” and “neutral”.] 
So, IF one of the “hot” conductors should contact the metal frame of the rig or housing of an appliance, perhaps because the appliance got damaged by being dropped from a table, or similar accident,  the third wire which is the earth ground wire, which runs directly from the housing to the grounding [or earth ground bus] in the fuse or breaker panel, will in effect cause a short circuit which should blow the fuse or trip the breaker. 
This third wire also guarantees a current path back to the electrical panel where the fuse or circuit breaker protecting that circuit is located, in the event that the hot wire should come in contact with the rig frame, but the neutral conductor should happen to have been cut or damage and become disconnected, or open. 
The idea is to guarantee that if a part of the rig, device or appliance should become “hot,” which could be fatal to anyone who then came into contact with it. That the earth ground would trip/open the circuit protection device [fuse or breaker], and turn off the flow of AC current. 

To help further in checking for unwanted or wanted electricity a good investment is the Voltage Sensor which is shown below;

 Voltage Sensor

With this probe, you do not need to touch the power line to tell if there is voltage present.  You can use this probe to find power lines behind the wall or under the floor of the Rig as well as the towing vehicle.

3.  Often times you want to know or need to know how much power something uses, especially if you keep popping a breaker or the power pedestal. The solution is Kill-A-Watt.  The unit shown below can be used to show how much power an appliance, tool, or piece of electronics is using.

 Kill-A-Watt

4. Next, let’s look at surge protectors for the various pieces of equipment in your Rig.  Surge Protectors protect only what is plugged into them and only for overvoltage surges.  Surge Protectors do not protect for under voltage or high voltages.  Shown below is a pair of good simple surge protectors;

Surge Protectors

There are Appliance Surge Protectors made just for appliances like, microwave and coffee makers

Appliance Surge Protector

AC refrigerators, freezers. 

Refrigerator/Freezer Surge Protector


These special surge protectors offer extra features like audible alarms, flashing lights, displays, etc and are to be used with just the items listed on the packaging for the one you would buy.

5.  Next is a group of power management items that will protect your entire Rig not just one item or several items in it. First is the Portable Power Management System This type of system looks at High and Low voltage protection, time delay for air conditioning compressor startup, 3-mode surge protection, reverse polarity protection, open neutral protection, open ground protection, AC frequency protection accidental 220 Volt protection. Includes an Integrated information panel, previous error code display is weather resistant and has a built-in locking bracket so it can be chained to the power pedestal at the campground to prevent theft.  The only thing this unit cannot do is flush the black water tank.  The miracle unit we are talking about is shown below.

30 Amp Portable Power Management System

These portable units come in two sizes the one above 30 amp and the one shown below 50 amp.

50 Amp Portable Power Management System

Let’s say you were involved in a lightning-caused power surge at a campground.  It is estimated you would suffer approximately $3000 worth of damage to the electrical system of your Rig along with the things plugged into it.  The features of the 50 amp unit are the same as the 30 amp unit.

Ah, but there is more!  What happens if you do not want something portable but something more permanent in the Rig? Then you have the permanent installed units which are called Fixed Power Management Systems  These units are not really DIY type of items but, they can be installed by the DIYer if care is taken during the installation.  The 30 amp models is shown below;

 30 Amp Fixed Power Management Systems

There is also a 50 amp version of the same unit as above and can be found here;  50 Amp Fixed Power Management Systems .  The features of both units are the same and are,  high and low voltage protection, time delay for air conditioning compressor start-up, 3 mode surge protection, surge trip indicator, reverse polarity protection, open neutral protection, open ground protection, AC frequency protection. Accidental 220V protection, with the remote information display panel, and unit bypass switch.  Unfortunately, this unit also does not dump the black tank.


 I hope that you now have come to the conclusion that some type of power management is needed to protect your Rig, its contents and YOU!

 

Until Next Time

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