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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Tuesday, September 20, 2022
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DID YOU MISS reading this morning’s RV Daily Tips Newsletter? Good stuff there.
Page Contents
RVing Basics
My wife and I have two children, both in elementary school. We really want to RV full-time, but wonder if it’s feasible to homeschool our kids.
More and more RVing families are doing this, using traditional homeschooling methods as well as those via the internet. We don’t know the figures, but a significant number of children are on the road full-time with their parents, being home-schooled as they go. You might want to consider joining the group Fulltime Families at fulltimefamilies.com.
I am in my 30s. Will I just be around a lot of old people in campgrounds?
Actually, millennials make up more than a third of campground users, according to a 2019 industry survey, and are a common sight everywhere you go. You will have no problem finding people your own age where you camp. And, heck, older folks, aren’t aliens: They’ll provide you with lots of company, maybe even try to spoil you. During the pandemic of 2020/2021, many millennials purchased RVs and are staying in campgrounds, so the percentage may even be higher than a third by now.
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Quick Tips
Help your RV reefer cool down quicker
Assist your fridge with ice bottles. You can fill it with ice water bottles (three or four in the freezer and in the fridge section) to cool it down. A bottle of frozen water lasts three times as long as any blue frozen pak, and when it does thaw you have drinking water. —From 100 RV Tips and Tricks (Mack’s RV Handbook). Available on amazon.com.
Switch off breakers when plugging in your RV?
In response to a suggestion from our resident electrical expert, Mike Sokol, that it’s best to switch off pedestal breakers before plugging in your RV cord, Tommy B wrote: “Although it makes good sense to turn off and on the circuit breakers when plugging in your RV, most breakers were not meant to be turned on/off under load. Breakers are made to do so and are marked SWD but you will not know that because the mark is inside the box. That is why the breaker trips prematurely: the mechanism is worn out. They cost more so the chances of having them are small.” Mike responds, “Yes, but in theory, all manufacturer-built campground pedestals are supposed to utilize Switch-Duty rated (SWD) breakers. But I agree that in an older campground that may not be the case.” So the bottom line is: Turn off pedestal breakers before plugging your RV cord in.
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:
“When you are looking for an RV, I would suggest you sit on the toilet and step into the shower when you first look at it. If you do not fit comfortably, stop looking at the unit and go find another that fits. Move to the living room and both of you need to sit for a while and see if it is comfortable for both to watch TV. Where would two others sit and visit with you, and is it comfortable? Where are the grandkids going to sleep and play? Is there safe seating with seat belts?” —George
Random RV Thought
A hard rain pounding on a roof can make a lot of noise inside an RV. Most RVers like the sound. It reminds them that while it is nasty outside, they are very cozy inside their small, portable house.
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This 6-pack of tiny, battery-powered LED “Button Lamps” is just what you need for your RV’s closets and storage spaces. The tiny lamp is ultra-bright and has all the power of a normal-sized lamp. Backed with a strong adhesive, these little lamps will stick to any surface. They’re waterproof and good to have in case of an emergency. 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:
“Some of the best things we have done is installed an inverter from which I put outlets around for certain uses. One being in the kitchen so that on travel days my wife can load the slow cooker and when we arrive we have a hot meal ready. Another is, we installed a small freezer in one of the bays. When we get ready to go out for a couple of months at a time she cooks up soups, chili and other meals ahead so as not to have to spend so much time cooking instead of enjoying the camping.” —Robert
RESOURCES:
• If you’re a member of Facebook, be sure to sign up for our groups RV Buying Advice, RV Advice and Budget RV Travel. For a list of all our groups and RVtravel.com newsletters, visit here.
• 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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You have to remember NOT to fill the water bottle, or use store bought water in those cheap plastic bottles.Plus you have to leave the cap loose while freezing. Water expands while freezing and the bottle will crack and then leak all over the refrigerator. You won’t notice this until it starts to thaw.
We have two large blue packs. One for the frig and the other for the freezer.
If you use a frozen bottle of water to pre cool your frig make sure you don’t lay it on it side. During the freezing process the lid on the bottle may loosen and as it thaws the water may drip out.
The main reason to use a blue ice pack is that they freeze and thaw at a lower temperature than water. (One reference said as low as 10°F versus 32°F)
So blue ice touching a tub of ice cream would be better at keeping the ice cream solid. A bottle of water and a blue ice pack of the same weight should have about the same cooling capacity.
A bottle of frozen water has the advantage of being drinkable. I use both. When traveling, we fill the freezer door shelves with blue-ice packs to help stabilize the freezer temperature.
It’s important to only put already solidly frozen food into your RV freezer. RV freezers can keep frozen food frozen but usually aren’t very good at freezing warm food.