By Bob Difley
Our response time slows as we age. We don’t think or process information as efficiently as when we were young.
As much as you think you can perform certain functions as fast now as you ever could, it’s just not true. One area that it doesn’t pay to take chances or cling to old beliefs is our ability regarding safety.
For instance, how fast could you react to a sudden galley fire? Fast enough to stop it before it spread to the rest of your RV? Don’t guess. Try a timed practice drill.
Have your spouse shout “Fire!” (Don’t do this in a crowded campground.) Jump from your chair, rush to free the fire extinguisher from its wall mount (while your wife screams [not too loud] and reacts with feigned panic to create an atmosphere of chaos — which will likely be the case in a real emergency and will affect your thinking and efficiency), release the trigger, and — here, just pretend — pull the trigger while aiming the extinguisher at the virtual blaze. Call out to your spouse to stop the stopwatch.
Now do it again. And again. After a few times — admit it, your reaction time from start to finish decreased, didn’t it? — it will be planted more firmly into your hippocampus, or hippopotamus, whatever that part of your brain is called that stores memories.
This means that if the real thing happens, your chances are now much better of getting the fire out before it’s too late.
And, here’s a recommendation: Before “spraying” that fire extinguisher on any RV fire, make sure you have the right one for the job. Our friend Mac McCoy, Mac the Fire Guy, is the expert on this sort of thing. His website offers a wealth of information about fire safety.
We live nine months of the year in a Class “C” motorhome. It is usually 27 feet of heaven. The only time I find it small is when my wife stays up late watching television. She is a night owl and I can’t sleep. Don’t tell me to buy ear plugs or earphones, I’ve tried both of those items. My wife gets so involved in her shows she starts crying or laughing both of which make the coach rock n’ roll. She also pops popcorn when I am trying to sleep. I need a solution before I develop a severe case of sleep apnea. —Sleepless in Seattle
Usually you will stay in your own rig but have access to electrical and water connections and the use of a bathroom facility or sewer hookup. Each caretaking position is different and usually involves trading your services for free living and sometimes, depending on the work and responsibility, also a small stipend.
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Start with a coated wire rack that is the width of the bottom of the sink you’ll be using. You can buy a new rack, but we used one we found for 39 cents at a thrift store. If the rack is too long to fit the sink, use a wire cutter to trim one end to the length you need.
I carry a digital camera right along with my other tools and I never hesitate to snap pictures when I’m working on something I haven’t seen before. I also shoot pictures when I have to remove a part and order a replacement, and may not get back to the job for several days.
The vent was routed immediately out of the tank and down below the RV floor. Consequently, normal driving would slosh our fresh water out of the vent. On one occasion, we arrived after a long winding road at our destination with nearly 30 percent of our water already spilled overboard!
Receiving is easy. All that’s required is a phone number that receives the faxed document and redirects it as an attachment to an email. We’ve used eFax.com for many years and have had no problem with our grand total of about three faxes per year! Here’s how it works: You sign up for a free account; you will be assigned a fax number; now you can give that number when anyone wants to send you a fax. To them it’s just like sending to any other regular old fax number, but to you it looks like an attachment to an email.
Here is an example of how a tree limb can remove RV siding with surgical precision. Tree limbs are also brutal on rubber roofs, causing punctures, or rubbing and tearing on roof edges. A good patch kit will fix the rubber roof, but the siding will need more extensive repairs.
You’ll find many RV manufacturers have used Robertson screws to varying degrees. What’s the advantage? The Robertson is square – to a point. Below the top level of the screw head the socket has a taper, which makes getting the bit in the socket easier and can keep the screw on the bit without fussing. Try that with a straight slot or Phillips.