RV parks are not always known for their outstanding electrical hookups. Larger or older parks may have issues with brownouts or incorrect wiring to the posts. One of the ways you can help insure that you will not have issues with your hookup is to have a surge protector, either installed onboard or portable.
This is the one I currently have. Shows me visually the following
Surge Protection: 3-Mode / 825J / 22,500A. Ratings: 30A / 120V / 3,600W. Operating Temperatures: -40C to +105C
Open Ground, Open Neutral & Reverse Polarity Detection, Miswired Pedestal Indication, Surge Failure Indicator
If nothing else you should have something akin to this so that in the event of a power surge you won’t fry your RV electrical system.
I also have added the following voltage regulator which has solved a really big issue for me.
When the temperatures start to rise above about 85 degrees the a/c starts to want to draw more more power. More power means more amps. More amps means the a/c will start to drag. Ours would actually blow its circuit breaker.
Once I hooked up the voltage regulator I had a visual indication of what was going on and I also had no more issues with the a/c blowing its circuit breaker. There are indicator lights that show me when the power is okay and when the voltage is getting a boost.
To eliminate any lingering odors that might still be left over I also installed a Siphon 360.
The Happy Camper seems to have eliminated our odors but just to be on the safe side I installed the Siphon 360 a couple of days later. For me the install was pretty straight forward. I did not have to remove the base from the old vent. I cut down my vent pipe and then just used Dicor to attached the Siphon to that base.
I have been RVing for over 50 years and have always had an odor problem in the black tank, especially when the weather gets warmer. This summer seemed especially bad for some reason. We are full timers and just had to do something about the smell. My wife found this product online and we checked the reviews.
Pretty much everyone seemed happy with it but I am always skeptical. I ordered the smallest container to give it a test. The day we got it I put the recommended amount in the black tank. We still had an odor that day but the next day it was gone! I was actually amazed. I had never had anything that actually worked! I was still a little skeptical though and wanted to see if there was any odor when I had to empty the tank. Again – no odor!! And it is cheaper than the liquids or packets that you throw in. Definitely recommend this for anyone who has an RV.
Found this online. I had some screws that were not holding well and were not able to keep my air conditioner vent in place. The screws had gotten loose and could not be tightened. They would fall out when traveling and the vent cover would hang down from the ceiling.
Get some toothpicks (yup – toothpicks), enough to fill in the original screw hole. Put some Elmer’s glue on them and place them back in the hole. Make sure you put in enough of them so they are really tight in the hole. Wait about 24 hours to be sure the glue is set.
Worked great for me and I don’t have to further worry about the screws falling out and the vent cover hanging down.
When I first saw these I wasn’t really excited about getting one. But then I ended up having to change the city water inlet due to the weight that the hose was putting on the inlet making a not so secure hookup with water leaking a lot of times. I decided to try this to see if it really made a difference.
It really does make it easier to hook up and disconnect the hose. Install the elbow first and then hook up the hose. The connection is more secure and when you are ready to disconnect the hose it is a whole lot easier to get off since there is no pressure pulling down on the connection. And it is fairly cheap.
RV’s are small, enclosed and odors tend to rapidly fill the available space. Some are okay, some not so okay. My wife was looking around on Amazon and found these:
According to their advertisement they absorb odors, bacteria, pollutants and allergens. They prevent mold, mildew and excess moisture. I don’t know about the prevention part yet but it seems they do absorb odors fairly well. We haven’t noticed any more odors around the RV, especially coming from the bathroom area. They seem to work so well in fact that we purchased an additional package of 4.
RV fridges are not known for their large freezers (unless you have the money for a large Class A with a full size fridge) or large anything else for that matter. It takes a lot of careful planning to make sure you have enough room in your fridge for whatever you have purchased at the grocery store.
There is not always room for ice cube trays and you have to be careful when putting them in and taking them out as they probably will not freeze in a hurry.
What we have purchased is an ice maker (see the link below). I don’t believe that particular one is still available however there are many good ones on the market. The one we have does the job nicely. Turn it on and in about an hour you will enough ice for a couple of drinks. A few more hours and you can start having a party. I usually start ours around 11 in the morning and by 2 o’clock we have enough ice for the day. As long as there is water in the system it will continue to make ice all day.
Once you own an RV you will start getting emails and postal advertisements from many companies asking you to join them and receive their benefits. I personally belong to a couple depending on what they provide. For this post I am going to write about the Family Motor Coach Association.
Although it was previously only open to owners of motorhomes (no travel trailers allowed) it is now open to anyone who owns an RV, independent of the type. This includes Class A, Class B, Class C, fifth wheels and travel trailers. As long as it has a bathroom and kitchen you may join.
(you will need to copy and paste this link)
Checking their website you will see that there are several benefits. The reason I joined was for the FMCAssist that comes with the membership at no additional cost (I have roadside assistance from Good Sam).
One of the other benefits they provide that I really like is the annual Towing guide. This is a compiled list of makes and models of vehicles that can or cannot be towed.
If you decide that you would like to join please use me as a reference and use my member number F457678
Having your pets with you is becoming more and more common as more and more people are living the RV lifestyle. Even those who only go for a weekend or holiday are taking their pets with then instead of leaving them with someone or in a kennel.
We have our two dogs with us and the steps to get in and out of the RV are not exactly spaced right for them to get in and out easily, especially for one of ours. He is getting older and has arthritis and frequently has to stop and rest or his legs will give out while he is walking. The other one will easily leap from the ground into the RV even though she is older.
What we are using is a pet ramp that we found on Amazon.
The ramp helps them to get in and out more easily. Although our one dog still needs assistance going up and down the ramp, we do not have to carry him in and out which is less stressful for him.
We had a traveling vet stop by to take a look at our dogs and she actually used our ramp to get him in and out of her van.
I would highly recommend this ramp if you have larger dogs, for smaller dogs not so much as most people can carry them in and out.
Ever been stranded somewhere with a dead battery? I am sure you have! Everybody has. With an RV though you would need to have roadside assistance in order to jump start a larger engine. I left my lights on one time, went to eat, and yup dead battery. Had to call roadside assistance (I have a Good Sam package) and then wait until they showed up. But I have found a better way,
Found this portable battery on Amazon and it works great. I have a Ford Triton V10 and have used it a couple of times when I had an older battery, Attach the cables, start it up and good to go on my way in less than 5 minutes.
It comes in its own carrying case and fits nicely under my passenger seat. Haven’t even had to recharge it yet and I have had it for several months.
My wife wanted to have a vacuum with us as we travel but did not want to have to lug one around. We tried a Dyson portable but she was not happy with the suction and cleaning that it did. What we did find though was a Dirt Devil RV vacuum that could be installed in the RV.
This is the perfect solution for us. The vacuum can be installed anywhere you have space for the canister and you can get an electrical connection. Ours is under one of the seats for our dining table. I cut two holes in the back of the seat – one for the hose connection and one for the power cord.
It doesn’t take long to do the install, maybe an hour. My wife loves it. The vacuum is out of the way and we carry the accessories in the back of the truck in a small bag.
Almost every RV park we have been in has a rule about putting up clothes lines – Not Allowed!
However they have no rules about putting up clothes racks that are attached to your RV. We have the one shown below
I hook ours to the ladder at the rear of the RV to dry our towels and bathing suits (if we have been swimming). Works great and have never had an issue at any RV park.
Notice my great license plate!
Only problem that I have had with it is there are rubber strips acting as slip pads that have a tendency to come off every now and then. Glue ’em back on and keep on trucking.
There are times when you will feel cramped when traveling (probably most of the time) in a smaller RV. Ours is a 31 foot class C and with three of us in here plus 2 dogs space comes at a premium.
One solution we have been using is an outdoor room extension that attaches to the awning. I purchased the one shown below (click on the image and it will take you to the Amazon page)
It is really easy to set up and will probably take you about 15 or 20 minutes. The front panels slide into the slot on the awning. The side panels clip on to the awning itself. It is large enough inside to bring in the picnic table that is at most RV sights. The door can be on either the left or right side as it is a separate panel. The only thing I am not crazy about it is the door panel. All the panels are zippered together when setup and I have to bend down each time to unzip the door to get in and out. This can get hard on my back at my age.
The whole thing fits in a bag that is fairly easy to carry around.
Lots of campgrounds (and I mean a lot!) only have well water at their sites. If you are not used to it then you won’t like the taste or the yellow stains that it leaves on your sinks and showers. There is a solution to the issue. You can get a portable water softener. It uses salt to treat the water and does an excellent job. I got mine from Camping World but they also have them on Amazon. Based on user’s reviews I got the one below.
You will notice an immediate difference in the quality of the water you are using and it is very easy to set up. Connect the water from the campground to the input side (they are marked in and out). The initial load of salt is already installed. Let water run through the system for about 10 to 15 minutes before hooking up the output hose (and connecting to your RV). This will provide the initial generation of the system. That setup should last for 1600 gallons or 40 days for this model (there is a smaller model that will last for up to 20 days). To regenerate the system you will only need to add one 26 oz box of salt back into the system (got mine at Walmart for 40 cents) and then run the water through for 10 or 15 minutes again.
This is a photo of my setup. I first hooked up my filters and then the water softener. I no longer get yellow stains in my sinks or shower and the water tastes great. No more iron taste. Make sure you let the regeneration run until you no longer get a salt taste also.
If you are like me then you hate the toilet paper that you buy at the RV stores, 1 or 2 ply doesn’t seem to matter. Very thin and tears easily. It is also a little on the expensive side. But I have found something that is really good. Scott Rapid-Dessolving Toilet Paper. Made for RV’s and boats. I got mine on Amazon (click on the link below) but it looks like it is also available from Walmart. If you get it from Amazon then you will get a case of 48 rolls. That was okay for me since I am traveling as I put the case in the back of my truck and don’t have to run to the store all the time (especially in an emergency). It is thicker and doesn’t tear as easily as the other stuff.
I don’t know if I am alone in this but I can’t believe I would be. Whenever we are having hot muggy weather and it is raining and we have the air conditioner going we get a lot of condensation and moisture around the air conditioning vents. If it gets to be a lot then it will start to go into the channels that are hidden in the ceiling between the vents. This will then cause stains to start appearing in the ceiling.
My ceiling after one such incident. This is actually the worst I have ever had. If you start seeing the stains appear while the moisture is still accumulating you can dab at it with a paper towel to help reduce the wetness that is coming through and help lighten the stains. Once the ceiling has dried there is a fairly easy way to remove them. Hydrogen Peroxide!
It might take a couple of tries but get a cotton ball and dab on the hydrogen peroxide until the spot is damp. You will notice it starting to fade as soon as you do this. Once it has dried you should see a significant reduction in the color. As I stated, you may need to do it a couple of times. Below is a picture of the same part of my ceiling after I applied the hydrogen peroxide 4 times.
We are now visiting our daughter in Philadelphia (see my Facebook page for Kevin’s pictures and comments) but before getting here I started thinking about long term RV living and how we would have to replenish our propane. I noticed that a lot of full timers had larger rigs and could not believe that they would pull out every couple of weeks to refill their propane tanks. And by golly they don’t.
There are several ways that you can set up your extended LP gas system but the one I use is the Camco 59123 Propane Brass Tee. I got mine from Amazon (click on the image below) and have been extremely happy with it.
It was pretty easy to set up. You just disconnect the regulator from your onboard LP tank and install the brass 4 port adapter. Remember that the threads are reversed when you are removing the regulator and reinstalling the adapter and regulator. After that you install the 5 foot hose to the smaller port on the adapter. That is then connected to your external tank. I have 2 20 lb tanks that I carry with me which allows me to not have to use my onboard tank very much, usually only when driving for the refrigerator. The picture on Amazon is a little deceiving as the 5 foot connection actually has a handle on the external tank end that makes it easier to attach.
This is a picture of how mine is installed. The cover for the regulator must be removed to make it easier to do the install. Then you can just slip it back on. I leave the 5 foot hose connected to the adapter when traveling so I don’t need to remove and reinstall it every time I move. I use the 2 bungee cords pictured to attach it to the RV framework.
Here is a shot attached to my external tank (notice the handle on the hose to assist in connecting). Once again, this has reverse threads on the hose so be careful when hooking up.
The 12 foot hose that is included may be used to hook up a propane grill to your onboard propane supply using the larger port on top of the adapter.
If you have spent anytime in your RV in the summer, especially on extra warm days, you know how hard it is to keep cool. The average air conditioner will only drop the temperature about 10 to 12 degrees from whatever the outside temperature is unless you have a rig with a 50 amp connection and are lucky enough to have two air conditioners.
There are a couple of things you can do. The first is the obvious one – park in the shade. Not always easy to do in some campgrounds but you can ask if they have a spot available when checking in that has trees around it.
Put your awning up. That will at least create some shade around the entrance way.
This one my wife found. There is a product called Reflectix that you can get at Amazon (click on the image below), Lowes or Home Depot, to name a few. It is actually used in crawl spaces and attics to help provide insulation. It come in 16″, 24″ and 48″ widths (maybe other sizes as well).
We cut pieces to fit in each window and between the front seats and the back of the RV. I then secured it in place with strategically located velcro.
Even on the hottest days so far (up into the low 90’s) it has never been higher than 72 degrees inside the RV. And when it is cooler out or you want to have a breeze in the RV it is easy to remove and open the windows.
It has also provides a side benefit of being room darkening.
My true retirement is about to begin. House was sold in July. Last day of work was Jul 28. Gina is finishing up her last couple of jobs. Have been living in the RV for almost a month already working out the kinks. Tuesday we start traveling. Since Kevin loves Cedar Point guess what our first stop is!
If you have been thinking about replacing the lights in your RV you probably have considered LED lights. They are easier on your house batteries when dry camping and operate at a lower temperature. We like to keep the one above the sink on at night and the old lights would be too hot too touch after a while. They also tend to melt the housing if left on for too long a time.
I purchased these on Amazon and have been extremely happy with them (click on the lights and it will take you to Amazon). They come four to a package (you can order smaller packages if desired) and come as double or single light sets. I needed 8 of each (double and single sets) for my RV. They are fairly reasonably priced and are easy to install.
To install, you remove the old light fixture. Mine had 4 screws holding each one in place. You will see 2 wires attached to the old fixture that you will disconnect. I just cut mine leaving as much wire available as possible. The new lights come with wire nuts and the polarity doesn’t matter. Just connect the wires and screw the new fixtures back into the same position. It took me about 3 hours to remove and install all 16 sets of lights I needed.
This is one of my ceiling lights. The bulbs are not replaceable however they last an extremely long time (60,000 hours) and they are cheap enough that you can just buy a new fixture if they ever burn out.
I actually found this helpful hint on another site. The sinks in an RV can become dirty looking quite quickly and all your scrubbing really does no good in getting it cleaned. However there is another easier way to do it. OxyClean!
The Picture on the right shows how stained our sink was (I had already cleaned the sink on the top side). Close the drain and add about an inch or two of hot water. Then stir in about a quarter cup of OxyClean. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes (the longer the better) and then drain. The picture on the left shows the end result. If you still notice some yellowing in the pictures that is actually from our LED lights (I will cover installing them in another post)