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RV roof coating adds extra protection

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Courtesy Dicor Products

Protecting your RV roof with a coating specially designed for the type of roof material you have is one of the best investments you can make in extending and refreshing the look of your RV roof. Your RV roof is exposed to many elements, including sun, rain, hail, snow and wind-blown debris, along with atmospheric conditions that can range from freezing to dry desert heat to humid swamplands.

Whatever conditions your roof is exposed to, the right coating system will help give your roof a brighter, cleaner look over a longer period of time and enhance the value of your RV investment.

For EPDM roofs, a roof coating can help make it easier to maintain a great looking roof. It does this by adding another critical layer of protection, while reinforcing seals against leaks and making it harder for discoloring dirt and mold to stick around.

For fiberglass roofs, a proper coating provides another barrier to the sun and weather, elements that can over time produce discoloring and spider cracks (or crazing). Dicor Product’s coating also produces a brilliant white finish that aids in reflecting sunlight to reduce heat absorption.

For metal roofs, products like Dicor Products’ Elastomeric Metal RV Roof Coating also provide a brilliant white finish to aid heat reflection, while reducing environmental and weathering effects on the finish. Used in conjunction with Dicor’s Rust Inhibitive Primer, the potential for corrosion is also reduced.

The bottom line: if you want to restore your roof to make it look like new again, or if you simply want to maintain and extend your roof’s good looks and investment value well into the future, you should look into a roof coating system designed for your particular kind of roof.

[Editor’s note: This information is provided by roof membrane manufacturer Dicor. While there’s plenty of “promotion” for their product included, some of the information and principles may be of assistance to our readers.]

Tricks for camping in National Parks without a reservation

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Tricks for camping in National Parks without a reservation

By Bob Difley

 

When campground usage is up, reservations become harder to nail down. It’s a real problem for those who procrastinate, make last-minute travel decisions, or find themselves wherever their RV leads — most of the time without campground reservations. But don’t let that discourage you from visiting the national parks. You just need to practice some tricks and tips for increasing your odds of securing a campsite.

Many national parks are often by national forests or Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands. These are great alternative camping options. Use their campgrounds for first night camping with the goal of securing a national park campsite the next day.

It’s nearly impossible to get a campsite in a National Park by arriving in mid-afternoon or later, since most parks fill well before noon, even on weekdays. A primitive campsite or boondocking on public lands will probably be your best bet, since most private campgrounds are generally on private land far away from national parks and also often fully reserved with few, if any, last minute sites.

These tips can up your chances of getting a campsite.

  • Research close-by public lands for campgrounds and dispersed camping areas — easy if there’s a Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) available for download. Find which national park campgrounds have sites large enough for your rig and confirm that some of them are held for first-come-first-serve campers.
  • Plan to arrive on a weekday instead of a weekend and visita Forest Service or BLM office on your way in to see which campgrounds have available sites.
  • No sites available? Ask about boondocking outside of an organized campground (dispersed camping areas). Ask for a MVUM (for now only available in NF) that will map those areas. If there is no MVUM you can camp anywhere that you can get off the road providing you are not within a mile of an organized campground and where not otherwise prohibited.
  • When you have your site, figure out if it will work for a few days, is in easy reach of the National Park, and whether spending time to secure a national park campsite is worth the time and effort. If not — stay where you are.
  • If you want a site in the park, rise with the birds the next morning and plan to arrive in the campground very early — before 10 a.m. if possible — and get on the list for a campsite.
  • No sign up list? Roam around the campground looking for signs that someone is leaving, then hang out until they do and leave something in the campsite — a camp chair or “Taken” sign — to reserve it until you retrieve your rig.

Each park has its own policy on campers without reservations. Get what information you can from its web page or phone the visitor center so you are prepared. That should increase your odds of finding a campsite.

You can find Bob Difley’s RVing e-books on Amazon Kindle.

Ripped off by shady RV dealers — What can be done?

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Dear RV Shrink:
rvshrinkWe were trapped at an RV dealership in New Mexico for two weeks because it was a cold winter and our heater would not stay running. The mechanic pulled it out once and said it worked fine after bench testing it. He then sold us a new propane regulator and filled our coach tank with a drying agent to the tune of three hundred dollars. The heater would still not light, and we were then told we had electrical problems in our converter and the furnace was not getting enough juice.

After two more dealers, and two more bills, we found out it was the main board. After this was replaced everything started working fine.I feel abused by incompetent and shady RV dealers who took advantage of our lack of mechanical skills. Knowing that the furnace could not have functioned on the first bench test we paid for, I feel we should get a refund for at least that service. My husband does not agree. He doesn’t like to rock the boat. He will usually do the right thing after he has tried everything else. This issue is causing tension between us. Should I just drop it or do you suggest I keep harping until he calls them? —Ripped Off Road Warrior

Dear Ripped:
I don’t think your husband should call any of the dealers. He doesn’t seem to have the stomach for conflict and debate. I think you should call them. You sound like you understand the problem, have ample facts to prove your point and the passion for debate it often takes to wear down a business that has made mistakes honestly or otherwise.

I would give the dealer the benefit of the doubt. Don’t come out swinging no matter how upset you are. The secret of success is sincerity. Once you can fake that, you’ve got it made. If you cannot come to some agreement after the first attempt, it is simply a matter of persistence and volume control.

I ran into a mechanic once who told me it took him 15 years to discover he had no talent for fixing RVs, but he couldn’t give it up because by that time he had a constant stream of people clamoring for his expertise. In the future, make sure you do not send your husband in to do the negotiating. He is too easily bamboozled. Leave him in the parking lot and handle it yourself. Get an understanding of results expected before service fees, and never, I mean never, let them see you sweat. —Keep Smilin’, RV Shrink

The RV Shrink is not really a psychologist (or professional RV technician). But he does know a lot.

#rvs737

Shovel your way out of trouble

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Shovel your way out of trouble


By Greg Illes

Sure, the best way to get unstuck: “Don’t get stuck in the first place.” Ah, but despite the most honorable of intentions, sometimes that dang gas pedal just won’t make us go forward any more. We’re stuck.

It’s almost always a case of having traveled into soft terrain. Mud, loose dirt, or sand have swallowed up the tires — more throttle just means more stuck. Tow trucks are hideously expensive and many of them won’t venture onto dirt roads anyway. The seemingly desperate situation doesn’t have to be so. A simple shovel can usually extract your rig from its predicament.

If you don’t yet carry a shovel, by all means head to your local hardware store. A full-size, short-handled, round-point shovel is the overall best tool and it stores much more easily than the long-handled version. For a smaller rig, even a folding shovel (from camping or surplus shops) will still do the job.

Inspect how you got stuck and what the shortest path is to freedom. Often, the best option is likely to be backing up the way you came. Don’t automatically think that you have to keep going forward. Every time that I have driven my 15,000-pound class-A into harm’s way, it was always best to back up out of trouble.

Dig a trench behind each dug-in tire. The idea is to get the mud, sand or dirt out of the way of the tire so it can roll easily. You must do this for every tire, down to tread level. This might mean digging six trenches nearly a foot deep and it can take a while (but not as long as waiting for a tow truck). Dig those trenches back at least six to eight feet.

Be sure your front tires are straight and aligned with their trenches — otherwise they’ll just act as anchors. Start the engine, shift to reverse, RELEASE the parking brake (!), and gently apply some throttle. Do not allow the tires to spin.

Your rig will begin to move along the trenches. As it begins to move, you can give it a little more throttle, and the momentum will take you back to good earth. If it starts to get stuck again at the end of the trench, don’t panic and slam the gas. Just get out and extend the trenches some more.

When you are free again, clean off that shovel and stow it away for your next “adventure.”

Greg Illes is a retired systems engineer who loves thinking up RV upgrades and modifications. When he’s not working on his motorhome, he’s traveling in it. You can follow his blog at www.divver-city.com/blog.

Need water? Get an extra bladder

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Need water? Get an extra bladder

By Russ and Tiña De Maris

No, this isn’t some kind of new prescription medication. RV water bladders are devices that allow you to fill up your RV’s fresh water tanks without having to transport your RV to a water station.

A commercial water bladder is a plastic container resembling a water bed. Placed on the roof of your tow vehicle, filled with fresh water, then (cautiously) driven back to your rig, it’s a handy invention. By hooking a water hose between the water bladder and your RV water inlet, gravity empties the bladder into your RV fresh water tank.

Drawbacks? Some have found that the weight of a filled water bladder can “pop” the rig’s roof, leaving a bit of a dent. Often it can be popped back into shape. Some have rasied concerns about how police might view a rig tooling down the highway, apparently hauling a filled water bed on the roof. Could it possibly violate a law — or at least cause an unwanted traffic stop? We’ve never heard of it happening.

ALTERNATIVES
Put the water bladder in your pickup bed. But in the bed it’s harder to get the water out since gravity flow is out of the question. An RV water pump, mounted on a chunk of plywood and equipped with appropriate fittings can fix that. If your RV battery compartment is fairly close to your pumps, a short length of paired wires equipped with “crock” clips to hook up to the battery can make quick work of the issue.

When we were transferring water to our rig, our RV batteries were too far to reach, and a long run from the truck battery back to the pump was also impractical. We wired our transfer pump to the truck-to-RV battery charge line, and with the ignition switch turned on to “fire” the battery isolator system, our little transfer pump would spring into life.

On the subject: Some RVers have found a less expensive alternative to the formal water bladder. Instead, they’ve started using an inexpensive air bed, adapted to fit a water hose fitting. We’re not sure how “drinking water safe” air bed vinyl plastic is, but if you don’t use your RV fresh water for drinking purposes, it’s worth considering.

The ABCs of “camping” at Wal-Mart

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By Chuck Woodbury, editor RVtravel.com

 

For some reason, I have become a national authority on “camping at Wal-Mart.” If you look around you’ll find me quoted on National Public Radio and in Business Week, among others. The odd thing is, I have never done it myself. But I have heard a thousand stories from other RVers who routinely stay a night in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

But first things first. Camping at Wal-Mart is not “camping.” It’s not about pulling out the BBQ or even extending the slideouts. And it shouldn’t be about using automatic levelers, which can damage the surface of the parking lot. What it IS ABOUT is pulling into a quiet area of a Wal-Mart parking lot, turning off your engine and blending into the environment. Keep lawn chairs inside and don’t extend an awning. The idea is to sleep the night and then move on. Wal-Mart is not a campground. It’s a retail store that happens to be okay with RVers staying in its parking lots. It says so on its corporate website.

The website notes that some stores do not permit such stays. In that case, signs will be posted. Some RVers ignore the signs and get a night’s sleep, then move on. Others get kicked out 2 a.m, most times by a Wal-Mart security guard but sometimes by police. So, a good rule: Don’t stay if signs are posted.

Generally, stores post “No Overnight Stays” signs for three reasons:
•They are fed up with abuses by some RVers, who have stayed weeks on end, left trash, dropped oil on pavement, or even worse, leaked or even dumped sewage.
•The stores are located in popular snowbird or tourist areas, where hundreds of RVers might flock in for a night, with many abusing the privilege and staying a week or more.
•Local ordinances do not permit “pavement parking.” These laws are often promoted by local RV park owners who would rather RVers spend $40 a night to stay with them, which many RVers find a waste of money.

But what it boils down to is that perhaps 90 percent of Wal-Mart stores allow RVers to stay. But it’s implied it will be for a night (or maybe two in an emergency, perhaps due to sickness). It’s also implied that staying overnight means doing so in a self-contained RV. It does not mean pitching a tent.

Before settling in, many RVers ask inside the store if it’s okay. But some don’t ask. Generally, if you see a bunch of other RVers already there, it will be okay to stay. Most RVers who stay visit the store to stock up on supplies or just wander around. “I spend more in the store than I would at a campground,” is a common comment by overnighters.

Is it safe to stay? Yes, say most RVers. In all my years monitoring the news about the RV lifestyle, I have only seen a handful of reports of crimes committed against RVers in Wal-Mart parking lots, and most were among people who knew each other, not acts towards strangers.

 

Is age slowing your response time? Practice!

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By Bob Difley

 

Our response time slows as we age. We don’t think or process information as efficiently as when we were young.

reflex testAs 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.

What to do about conflicting sleep schedules in “small” RV?

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What to do about conflicting sleep schedules in “small” RV?
Dear RV Shrink:
rvshrinkWe 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

Dear Sleepless:
There is only one way to eat an elephant — one bite at a time. Your first step should be a good set of support jacks to eliminate the coach movement. Then you need to discover the things that you do that annoy your wife when you get up at dark thirty and she is trying to sleep off her wild night of popcorn bingeing. Never go to the negotiating table empty-handed.

Being on the same schedule in a small space would make it much easier on both of you. If you can’t work out an arrangement you will both need to work on your consideration skills. Nothing is easy to the unwilling. I know you have already tried ear plugs but they are not the only solution. A fan nearby will create a constant noise level that you might find soothing as well as noise insulation against exploding popcorn.

If none of these ideas works, you might try installing a smoke alarm above the toaster. When you get up to watch the early morning farm report on TV, the toaster will trip the smoke alarm about the time the coffee begins percolating. This will wake your wife and bring her to the breakfast (negotiating) table that I mentioned earlier.

Unless you want to buy a larger motorhome, don’t flinch too early. Hold out for good faith bargaining that will work for both of you. The most important trip you may take in your motorhome is meeting your wife half way to the popcorn popper. —Keep Smilin’, RV Shrink

The RV Shrink is not really a psychologist (or professional RV technician). But he does know a lot.

#rvs737

Stretch your camping dollars with caretaking

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Stretch your camping dollars with caretaking

By Bob Difley

 

Caretaking takes many forms, from simply camping at a remote location to deter theft or vandalism, to staying on someone else’s property while they are away. This can often entail watering plants, feeding pets, or gardening.

caretakerUsually 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.

To find caretaking positions, check with local realtors for house sitting positions, in the classified sections of local newspapers, word-of-mouth at federal agencies like the BLM, NFS, Fish & Wildlife Service, etc.

However, the best source may be in the listings in the Caretaker Gazette, which specializes in finding property caretaking and house sitting positions. It’s published quarterly and includes descriptions of the position, whether pay is included, and details of duties.

If you find a listing of interest, act on it quickly — the choicest ones go first. Have letters of referral and references ready to email or print and send to those seeking caretakers. The easier you make their decision of who to hire, the more likely you are to get the position.

You can find Bob Difley’s RVing e-books on Amazon Kindle.

Guide to basic RV weight terms

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Guide to basic RV weight terms

Overloading an RV, whether a motorhome, travel trailer, fifth wheel trailer or other recreational vehicle, can spell big trouble. Here is advice from RV expert Mark Polk of RV Education 101 about how to understand basic RV weight terms. Make sure you understand these terms before buying an RV.

Everyone should have a basic understanding of RV weight terms. Do your research to avoid becoming a statistic in relationship to overloaded recreational vehicle, whether it’s a motorhome, travel trailer or other RV.

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR):
The maximum permissible weight of the vehicle when fully loaded for travel including the vehicle, cargo, liquids, fuel, passengers, and any towed vehicle tongue weight. Motorhomes, tow vehicles, and trailers all have GVWR.

Unloaded Vehicle Weight or Dry Weight (UVW):
The actual weight of the trailer or truck as built at the factory. The UVW does not include passengers, cargo, fresh water, LP gas, or after market accessories.

Cargo Carrying Capacity (CCC):
The maximum permissible weight of personal belongings that can be added. CCC is equal or less than GVWR minus UVW, full fresh water weight, and full LP gas weight.

Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR):
Every axle has a GAWR. It is the maximum allowable weight that the components (tires, wheels, brakes) of each axle are designed to support.

Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR):
The maximum permissible weight of the tow vehicle and trailer combined when both are fully loaded for travel. GCWR also applies to a motor home towing a vehicle or trailer behind it. GCWR minus GVWR represents the allowable weight for the towed vehicle. Note: The hitch receiver mounted on the towing vehicle must be rated for this amount of weight. If it is rated for less that is the maximum amount you can tow.

Gross Vehicle Weight or Gross Trailer Weight (GVW), (GTW):
This is not a rating this is the actual weight of the tow vehicle or trailer when they are fully loaded for travel. This includes the vehicle, cargo, liquids &amp fuel, passengers, and the towed vehicle’s tongue weight.

#NRV

Husband thinks wife expects too much from campground host

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Husband thinks wife expects too much from campground host
Dear RV Shrink:

rvshrinkMy wife and I just had a big argument because I told her she was short with the campground host. We came into the campground, with our tent camper, late evening, and the host reluctantly opened his motorhome door to talk to us. I think he was watching a ball game and we disturbed him. My wife thought he was rude and was very upset with him. I tried to explain that the campground host program is not a 24/7 job, usually pays with free rent, and is designed more to supervise an area, not monitor and police it around the clock. When I told her the campground host is not like the doorman at the Ritz, Mount St. Helen went off. Can you straighten one of us out — preferably her. Thanks in advance. —Squabble in Sequoia

Dear Squabble:
You are absolutely right in your understanding of the campground host job, but you need some work on your explanation delivery to your wife. Give her a break. Nothing is as frustrating as arguing with someone who knows what he’s talking about. Sometimes after a day of driving and getting in late, nerve endings can be a bit frayed, fuses a bit short and sarcasm levels a bit high. 

At this point in the day everyone should put themselves in the other persons moccasins. In a perfect world the host would see that you are in late and having a tough time. Your wife might consider the host has had enough problems for one day and is trying to relax and watch his game. 

You have the hardest job. You have to be a spectator and not a referee. I think you were doing fine until the “Ritz” remark. My suggestion would be to get your wife a campground host job. This will save you some rent, give her a broader view of the many duties a campground host is responsible for, and a glimpse into the hassles many of them have to deal with daily.

I must temper all these remarks with the fact that hosts come in all varieties and some have a much more compassionate disposition than others. Your wife could have been partially right about this host. You should always try to meet her halfway unless she is a poor judge of distance. I’m not suggesting you and your wife ignore your disagreements. “Discussion is an exchange of knowledge; and argument an exchange of ignorance.” But, one thing you should never do is argue in a tent. When you go stomping out of a tent and slam the flap behind you, there are no sound effects.  —Keep Smilin’, Dr. R.V. Shrink

The RV Shrink is not really a psychologist (or professional RV technician). But he does know a lot.

#rvs737

Do-it-yourself dish drainer

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By Cheryl Probst

 

RV sinks come in awkward sizes, especially when it comes to dish drainers. There’s usually not enough room on the counter for a standard size drainer, so what’s a person to do? One solution is to make your own drainer to fit in the sink. Our version is inexpensive and takes only a few minutes to make.

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.

Next, you’ll need two pill boxes. Ones that Wal-Mart gives away (the long “pill-a-day” boxes), or something similar, are perfect for this. Use zip ties to attach the pill boxes to the rack. Voila! You have a dish drainer.

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