By Chris Dougherty
Certified RV technician
It really doesn’t matter what form of “transportation” you use, breakdowns happen. Whether it’s a car, plane, cruise ship, yacht or RV, you have to be prepared for the possibility that you might get stuck on your vacation. As Forrest Gump said, “It happens.”
I have had a number of breakdowns over the years and have taken them in stride. I must admit that I usually deal with them all myself now, but in the early days I was as dependent on RV technicians and tow trucks as many of my customers have been dependent on me — which is a sentiment I take seriously, by the way.
So how do you deal with the ever-present specter of the dreaded breakdown?
1. Be prepared. If you are good at repairing mechanical things, have tools with you that will help you take care of the problem. Have a good RV repair and maintenance guide with you, or online resources to give you the information you need to do the repair. Have a plan for a breakdown that includes things you will need to do, including finding a place to stay, calling your destination to postpone your arrival, and so on.
2. Use a roadside assistance plan. These are particularly useful in getting a tow, RV service, lodging and so on. These companies, which include AAA, Coach-Net, Good Sam Roadside Assistance and more, have enormous resources at their fingertips to help you from the moment of breakdown to the moment you’re back on the road.
3. Extended service plans for RVs are a great safety net for many RVers. I always recommend ESPs for RVs, especially larger and more complex motorhomes.
4. Have an open mind, and try to consider the breakdown as part of the adventure! Most places where you’re stuck have things to see nearby.
One of the things that has always bugged me is finding room for a garbage can in the RV. Sometimes it’s hard to find a place for it when the RV is set up for living; but when you’re ready for the road and the slides are in, it can just plain be in the way.
Standing only fourteen inches tall on retractable legs and less than four inches deep it travels and stores easily and weighs under five pounds. Endless Breeze can be powered by any 12-volt power source with its attached 12 volt plug and cord such as automotive lighter outlets, connecting jumpers to any 12 volt battery, or you can plug in your Endless Breeze in a *110 volt AC, 5 AMP converter.
The filter, which the company says will last an entire season, contains KDF, or Kinetic Degradation Fluxion, which creates zinc oxide in the cartridge which kills bacteria, stops it from growing and allows the carbon to last longer.
There are a lot of other things you can do to the outside of your coach. For instance, many people are making the move to LED lighting, which is more visible than incandescent and uses much less energy.
Parking an RV on any kind of incline, especially if it’s a trailer, can be a dangerous proposition. In the case of a motorhome, a parking pawl (metal pin or lever) in the automatic transmission and the parking brake are all that’s preventing up to 56,000 pounds of hardware from rolling away and crashing through everything in its path. In the case of either a fifth wheel or travel trailer, the tongue or front jacks are not designed to hold the weight and pressure being exerted on them on an incline. Therefore, it is always important for RVers to chock the wheels on their RV.
Similar in size to the plastic RV chocks, the steel wheel chock is still pretty lightweight but has a 6,000-pound capacity, making it the best choice for large trailers and small to mid-sized motorhomes. Larger coaches with 22 1/2-inch wheels should still consider larger wheel chocks designed for big rigs to hold their enormous weight and wheel/tire size.
With the credibility gained after successfully introducing his line of tents with Nemo’s air supported technology, he moved on to other products. Bugout was one of those.
Ventilation of an RV’s interior is of primary importance. During the warmer months, using a roof vent allows the hotter air to escape and draw cooler air in through the windows. A stored RV collects moisture (condensation) inside, especially when there are the large winter temperature swings, making ventilation essential. When using a shower, a roof vent aids in letting the hot steamy air out, and the same goes with the kitchen.
MaxxAir, a division of Airxcel, has three different covers to fit any budget or ventilation need, and all are designed to fit over the standard 14-inch by 14-inch roof vent. The Original was the first on the market and is the company’s most basic solution, as well as smallest in size, and is available in four colors including a transparent smoke color, white, almond and black.
TailGater is a simple, safe and easy way to transport 20 and and 30-lb propane tanks. Simply tying the tank down with a bungee, or in some sort of base will NOT prevent the tank from flying through your back window, or worse, exploding. It’s constructed with 1200lb breaking strain webbing!
Unlike conventional waste traps — which work well in stationary houses, but have many drawbacks when used in RVs — the HepvO® does not rely on trapped water to create an odor seal.