Welcome to the Beginner’s Guide to RVing from RVtravel.com. The information we present here every Monday through Friday is for brand-new RVers – those in the market to buy their first RV and those who just purchased theirs. If you are an experienced RVer, this material may be too basic for you.
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Friday, August 26, 2022
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DID YOU MISS reading this morning’s RV Daily Tips Newsletter? Good stuff there.
Page Contents
RVing Basics
Do RVs have both hot and cold water?
Yes. Virtually all RVs have a water heater (six gallons is most common), powered by propane or electricity (flip a switch to choose). The water will heat up in about 15 minutes and provide an adequate shower.
How do you take a shower in an RV?
If you are relying on your onboard water supply and waste water tanks, generally you’ll have to be a water miser. However, if your rig is fully hooked up to water and sewer you can shower just like at home. When “boondocking” or camping without water hookups, RVers generally take a “Navy” shower — first getting themselves wet, then soaping with the water turned off, and then rinsing. You’d be surprised how little water it takes when you conserve this way. The hot water tank on even the smallest RV will provide enough hot water for one comfy shower before heating up again for the next one. And when brief “Navy” showers are taken, one tank of hot water will be easily adequate for many showers, depending on how efficiently the bather controls the water flow.
Quick Tips
Speed bumps and cabinet doors
Purchase the “childproof” latches for cabinets. Get the ones that reach across both cabinet handles where you have matching doors. Don’t get the ones that attach to the inside of the cabinet door. Latch those doors together when you drive and be sure to go over those speed bumps dead slow. Thanks to Ron Jones at AboutRVing.com.
Clean iron-stained porcelain toilet with toothpaste
One time when camping in a park with heavily iron concentrated water our porcelain toilet bowl got badly stained by the iron. I tried many things to get rid of the reddish-brown stains. Finally I gave a whitening toothpaste a try and voila, the stains scrubbed right off. Thanks to Ray Burr at Love Your RV.
“If you could tell someone new to RVing just one thing, what would it be?”
From the editors: We asked our readers this question. Here is one response:
“Buy and install a ‘blade valve’ right at the point you connect your sewer hose. This WILL eliminate any surprises when you remove the sewer cap on your RV!!” —Larry Byers
Random RV Thought
The next best thing to actually being on an RV trip is studying a road map before going and dreaming of what’s to come.
Book is a must-have for state park campers!
This book, “50 States: 500 State Parks,” is a must-have for all state park campers and explorers. The book is a beautiful visual journey through America’s best state parks. Whether you’re looking for stunning vistas, rare wildlife, a dose of history, or an enjoyable hike, the state parks offer an array of experiences. Learn more or order.
“What’s the best modification you’ve made to your RV?”
From the editors: We asked our readers this question. Here is one response:
“We have made several alterations and modifications in our RV since we purchased it 1.5 years ago, but I feel the most important one made is the full security system. This system includes all doors contacted, smoke detection, temp and water sensors in critical locations and cellular connections for monitoring. This allows us to remotely monitor our RV by smartphones for security, power outage, arm/disarm, water leaks, low temp and fire. If an alarm occurs we can notify the authorities for response. One of our favorite features is that we can leave the toy hauler rear door open for view and fresh air and still have the security system on for the screen doors. We have done this at night and not worried about unwanted visitors in the RV. With this system, we no longer worry about theft of the unit or break-ins while away from the RV and, best of all, we sleep better with the security system on. We do use the security system year-round, even when closed up for the winter. The security system brand is DSC and the communication system is Alarm.com.” —Steve Lawrence
RESOURCES:
• If you buy a defective RV and are unable to get it fixed or its warranty honored, here is where to turn for help.
• If you need an RV Lemon Law Lawyer, Ron Burdge is your man.
• Why you should never finance an RV for 20 years!
Contact information
Editor: Emily Woodbury
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Everything in this newsletter is true to the best of our knowledge. But we occasionally get something wrong. We’re just human! So don’t go spending $10,000 on something we said was good simply because we said so, or fixing something according to what we suggested (check with your own technician first). Maybe we made a mistake. Tips and/or comments in this newsletter are those of the authors and may not reflect the views of RVtravel.com or this newsletter.
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We did 2 modifications: hang a curtain at the hall next to the bathroom, to use it for changing clothes. We replaced our bedroom door, that same hall, with a bifold door. Makes more hall space.
The best mod ever is the add-on hybrid Gaza’s/electric furnace kit we added that allows us to heat with electric rather than gas when we are plugged at the RV park. With the cheapheat system now our furnace works like our hot water heater where we can choose between gas or electric at the flip of a switch. It’s great I’ll never have another RV without the upgrade.
I just returned from a month long trip. One campground prohibited using electric heat. Another was installing electric meters at each site.
Tip to new RVer shopping for a motor home. Especially a class B. If at all possible test drive on an interstate in the right lane just slow enough for trucks to pass. This causes the worst wind effect. Meeting trucks on a two lane road does not cause near that much disturbance. (My first Interstate 4 passing truck blew me off the road. I never cured that RV.)
The best mod we’ve made to our RV was to cover the screens in our front door with polycarbonate lexan. We can have the door open winter and summer and not feel closed in.
What exactly is polycarbonate lexan that you use? Please explain in more detail. Thank you.
Lexan is a brand name of polycarbonate plastic. You can get it at any hardware or big box store.
Lexan is GE’s Brand name for polycarbonate. It is more expensive than plexiglass but is resistant to breakage. polycarbonate will scratch easier than plexiglass but is much more tolerant to breakage and shattering. Most aircraft and motorcycle windshields are polycarbonate. GE’s Lexan is more resistant to scratches.
Lexan can also be bent with the proper equipment. Will not crack when drilling or cutting with a power saw.
‘Lexan’ is also used to make “armored cars ” bullet proof. It is installed behind the regular windshield as bullet proofing the driver’s windshields on modified vehicles
The best modification I’ve done is to install a totally separate water system to that already present in the RV. The supply is a 5 gallon plastic jug (I have two) the same as those that go onto a water cooler. A hose goes to a pump dedicated to this system and a hose runs from the pump to a tap with a toggle handle that’s in the kitchen. No more worries about how pure or impure the water is in the main tank.
I like that