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Help your fridge do its best work with a circulation fan

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Help your fridge do its best work with a circulation fan

By Greg Illes
A lot of us have seen the after-market circulation fans for RV refrigerators. They are small, battery-powered units that purport to help keep the inside of a fridge at uniform temperature.

The premise is accurate and air circulation provides several benefits such as even temps, reduced humidity, less ice and so forth. But, unfortunately, the after-market products leave a lot to be desired. They require periodic battery replacement, which most of us can manage (maybe) — but they also provide very little air, have a high failure rate, take up shelf space, and are in general very poorly reviewed.

Taking all this into consideration, I decided on a permanent fan installation. My requirements were simple: reliability, decent air flow and very low current consumption. A brief survey of digikey.com turned up a 12V ball-bearing fan that pushed out adequate air and needed only 25 milliamps (that’s 0.025A) of current. Even running full-time, it takes this fan 160 hours (almost a week) to use up 2% of my coach battery capacity — essentially a non-consumer.

Mounting the fan took only a simple piece of aluminum bent to a shallow angle, and two sheet metal screws to fasten it to the sturdy inside wall of the fridge. Getting 12V power to it required removing the fridge control panel (two screws for a Norcold fridge), finding the 12V line which powers up with the fridge ON switch, and using a simple wire-tap splice. Another one for the ground lead, and we were merrily spinning the fan whenever the fridge was switched on.

For this prototype installation, I covered the wires with white duct tape (shown), but after a trial run I will drill some holes so the wires don’t have to route past the door seal. It works fine either way, but it will be just a little “cleaner” with the wires hidden.

I have a week’s time operating it now and I can easily see the differences. The cooling fins stay frost-free, and all the items and areas in the fridge are equally cool. It also really helps a lot when new items are put in the fridge — they get down to temperature more quickly now. The days of cold cheese and warm beer are finally over.Here are the particulars on the Digikey fan:

Digikey part 381-2500-ND
Volume 19.4 CFM
Power 0.3W (25mA at 12V)
Price $23.11

photo: Greg Illes

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.

Stay longer with supplemental heat when RV boondocking

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Stay longer with supplemental heat when RV boondocking

By Curtis Carper

Setting the thermostat at a comfortable level on your RV’s furnace is the simplest way to bring your rig up to a comfortable temperature. Sadly, it’s not the most economical way to keep warm. If your style is to get as far away from society as possible and if you rely on your furnace, you will be headed home shortly.

Like your older home furnace, the standard propane furnace in your RV sends most of the heat out the exhaust port — they are very inefficient. The other downside is they require electricity to run the blower fan which distributes the heat through your RV.

If you are spending time away from hookups, at best you will last a couple days before you have a dead battery. If you have the means to recharge the battery, you will still run out of propane long before you are ready to head back to the barn.

Catalytic heaters make much better use of your propane supply and, best of all, they don’t require any electricity to function. Generally, they have a piezoelectric igniter that provides the spark to light them, and there is no blower involved at all.

Because the heat radiates throughout the RV, with none going out the exhaust, you get every BTU from your propane, making it last many times longer than what the furnace uses.

You can buy permanently mounted propane heaters or you can use a portable model that is designed for indoor use. Be sure whichever brand or model you use is equipped with a low-oxygen automatic shut-off, such as the Buddy Heater or the Big Buddy heater. Also be sure your heater has an automatic tip-over shutdown feature so if it gets knocked over you will be safe.

I have used the Buddy Heater with an extension hose so I could run it off a larger propane tank that is kept outdoors. I also have a larger heater with a 20-pound LP tank mounted within the heater that really cranks out the heat.

If you only need to take the morning chill off, a smaller heater does the job nicely. The larger 18,000 BTU heater will bring an RV up to comfortable temperatures, even in winter climates.

Camping away from society means you need to be self-sufficient for longer periods of time. Using a supplemental heater will keep you toasty warm and help stretch your propane supply. Just be careful where you place such a heater because there is more danger of a fire or injury to small children.

Catalytic heaters require some extra caution, but when used within the manufacturer’s guidelines they are a good way to provide supplemental heat when you are boondocking.

Editor’s note: Be sure to have adequate ventilation when using non-vented LP appliances — read and follow the instruction manual on this. And never bring an LP container inside your RV. Catalytic heaters and accessories are available at Amazon.com.

Troubleshooting RV electrical issues? Keep it simple!

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Troubleshooting RV electrical issues? Keep it simple!

by Steve Savage, Mobility RV Service

One of the most important rules when troubleshooting anything in your RV is “Keep it simple.” This rule is doubly true when it comes to electricity.

Since a good many folks who own RVs are not familiar with electrical diagnoses, when something doesn’t work there is an automatic assumption that either the cause is something serious or else the problem is with the part we can see or even a part we’ve had trouble with before.

For example, if a number of lights suddenly stop working, the starting point is the fuse panel. Don’t look anywhere else until the fuses in the panel are checked — and that means checked with a meter, not by simply looking at them. There is no way I can emphasize enough how common mistakes are made by visually inspecting fuses. I know it looks like overkill, but when I am troubleshooting, my meter carries the brunt of the load. I tend to be obsessive when checking fuses and even to the degree that I do not assume the fuse designation is what is written at the fuse panel.

Time and again I have found factory labeling to be incorrect — sometimes for more than one fuse. If I find a fuse that is blown, I install a new fuse. I know this sounds simple, but I hate making unnecessary service calls, since charging an RVer to do nothing more than replace a fuse can cause hard feelings. By the same token, I can’t run the truck for free. It’s a real conundrum!

A second rule to bear in mind is this: The cause of a problem, if it is with a component, is seldom with the part you can see. RV manufacturers don’t seem to give any thought to keeping the cost of service work down, so the part you need to worry about is most often the one that is hardest to reach or, in many cases, to even find.

Avoid big trouble: know your RV’s height

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By Russ and Tiña De Maris

It should be intuitive for RVers, but a British insurance firm has the “straight up” facts: If you keep your RV height posted in view of the driver, you’ll be less likely to get snagged by a “low bridge” situation.

The U.K. company Caravan Guard was shocked when finding the number of claims for damages from smacking into something high up jump six-fold between 2005 and 2008. Since the average claim represented damages pushing $4,000 (U.S.), the company was rightly concerned and marched out a campaign to make RV drivers more conscious of their rig’s height. Company insureds were provided a sticker showing the rig’s dimensions and asked to post it on their windshield visor.

Results? Since the sticker plan went into effect in 2009, the company says overhead damage claims have fallen by 43 percent. The company is sticking to the plan, and now offering all U.K. RV owners free dimension stickers.

Since the offer won’t help those of us on this side of the pond, we’re recapping information we’ve earlier published on knowing how tall your rig is. It’s a quick project, but one worth the effort.

First, start with your rig on a level surface, preferably on pavement. There are different ways of measuring, and we’ll start with this one:

Using a tape measure, measure the height from ground to roof level. Add the height of the tallest object on the roof, tack on a couple of inches for a safety margin and you’re done.

A more accurate method involves a bit of equipment. For many of us, the tallest point of our rig is the roof air conditioner. Take a 10-foot 2×4 or other chunk of dimensional lumber and lay it across the top of the a/c unit, so that the ends of the lumber stick out beyond the edge of the roof. Now measure up to the board and call the longest measure your height.

Others who are more technologically advanced could place a laser level on the top of the a/c unit, pinpointing the laser point out across the edge of the roof, then use a chunk of wood or a very rigid measuring stick to determine the height, based on where the laser point falls.

Of course, if you’ve something higher than your a/c unit at roof top (our wind turbine blades are our high point), you’ll have to do a bit of estimating to figure the difference and include this in your calculations. Again, you may want to add an inch or two as a “fudge factor” just in case.

Print the information on a card or label and post it near the driver. Right on the windshield visor is a great place, and learn your height so you don’t have to wait for help after driving under something a wee bit too short.

For a video illustrating failure to observe RV height restrictions, check out this YouTube video. (Note: Don’t click on above photo to watch.)

Just how important are your RV batteries?

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Just how important are your RV batteries?
By Steve Savage
Mobility RV Service

Question: I have heard the batteries in my RV are important to almost everything in the RV. Why?

Answer: What you have been told is spot on. There is no way I can overemphasize how important the batteries in your RV are.

The house systems in every RV depend on 12-volt power, and some systems will not work without a good battery (for example some slideouts), even when plugged in to the shoreline. I have found many RVers have a difficult time understanding what components require battery power and which require the RV to be plugged in. It is perhaps easier to refer to the systems that do not require batteries.

As a rule, anything — other than the entertainment system and the microwave, including any air conditioner with a thermostat on the wall — needs the batteries. That is because the controls all work on 12 volts. When plugged in, the converter can handle most of the 12-volt loads; however, when loads peak, the battery comes off the bench and provides the additional power.

Simply put, when things don’t work, check the batteries and fuses first!

Keep a log in your RV

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By Russ and Tiña De Maris

Do you keep a log in your RV? Before you respond, “Yeah, several, in the basement storage for when we want a nice campfire” — Beware, we’re talking paper, not wood, here.

But enough beating around the tree. Many RVers have found keeping a travel log is not only fun, it can be beneficial when you “come back this way again.” There have been some places in our travels where we’ve seen some wondrous beauty; but, alas, the memory sometimes fails when we try to make our way back there. Having a note in writing as to “just where and what” can help as the old gray matter begins to slow down.

Keeping an RV log can be useful in so many ways. If you keep track of the miles you’ve driven pulling your trailer, you’ll have a better handle on how long your tires last; and if you service your axle bearings by “miles driven,” you’ll know when the maintenance interval has rolled around.

Keeping track of the RV parks you’ve stayed in, listing site numbers for particularly loved (or level) spots and dollar costs for staying there can really help when trip planning and making reservations. On the other hand, you may find having the information on that “RV park from hell” handy when sitting around the campfire and chatting with others who may be headed back where you’ve been.

So what works for an RV log book? There are commercial log books available that have preprinted forms that make it easy to post your data. Other folks print and photocopy their own forms and use a three-ring binder to keep the pages in place. Still others have found that just keeping a spiral-bound steno pad on the flight deck can provide them with just what they need on an inexpensive and easy basis.

We’ve tried to locate a suitable app for use with Android tablets but, so far, nothing really seems to have shaken out. This could be a hot lead for your smart developers out there!

Regardless of what you decide to use for keeping a record of your travels, what might you find useful to keep track of? Here’s a list of possibilities — and from your own needs you can probably develop even more:

• Miles: Odometer readings for both tow vehicle and trailer.

• Expenses: Fuel costs, station where purchased (could be an indicator of where to go next time), oil, maintenance, even unexpected repairs. Fuel economy notes are really helpful, both from a planning perspective but also recognizing that your rig may need mechanical attention.

• Campground data: Name, address, site number, things you liked (or hated) and costs.

• Weather: Combined with a date, this may give you a good idea for trip planning next time. Maybe that snowfall you encountered when towing your fifth wheel was memorable — but not something you want to do again!

• Restaurants and attractions: Your new “favorite greasy spoon” and “that place where we bought Grandma all those neat knicknacks” could be repeat trip items.

• Friends met: You could log their names and contact information here, as a backup for when you lose your address book.

And be sure to keep your log book handy. A side pocket or glove box near the “navigator’s” seat, complete with a pen, makes the process easy to do every day.

photo: windupbaerd

##RVT946

Climb to your roof easier with a ladder extension

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There is a saying that “Sometimes the first step is the hardest.” A lot of RVers would agree when it comes to mounting their ladder for access to the roof.


But good luck finding a factory-equipped ladder that extends down below the bumper.

What this means is that we’re often forced to climb awkwardly onto our RV’s bumper to get onto the first step, or find a stool or chair to give us the extra lift. This isn’t always the safest approach.

Here’s a solution — Surco’s two- and three-step ladder extensions that make getting a leg up on your RV ladder a lot easier.

Features:
• The ladder extension slips easily onto the bottom rung of your permanent ladder and secures with twist hooks.
• Fits on the ladder of any RV with a one-inch tube.
• Twisting hooks make for easy on-off with no tools required.
• Two-step ladder extends down to bumper, providing starter steps from the bumper to the first rung of your RV ladder.
• Three-step ladder extends fully to the ground for even easier access to the regular roof ladder.
• Wide, nonslip steps provide sure footing and added safety.
• Manufactured from heavy-gauge aluminum with a bright dipped finish.
• Lightweight aluminum construction, fully assembled and easy to store.

We found both ladders at Amazon.com at good prices.  Two-step ladder. Three-step ladder.

Do you really want a fireplace in your RV?

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Do you really want a fireplace in your RV?

By Jim Twamley

Many RV manufacturers have been installing fake fireplaces in their RVs. These are really nice for atmosphere, and they do actually give off some heat.

On the other hand, they also take up space that could be used for storage and most RVers don’t use them much. Another drawback is they use a lot of propane gas, but so does your furnace. (If they are the electric models they also draw a lot of electricity.)

When you’re buying an RV, the manufacturers are selling you a dream. They’re promoting an idea of home and hearth, warmth and romance, luxury and leisure. The fake fireplace helps to sell these units; otherwise, they wouldn’t include them. If you want the fun of the fake fireplace then by all means, pick one of these units. If you want efficient, cost-effective heat then have a catalytic heater installed instead. These units will warm your RV much more efficiently and be more cost-effective, though less romantic.

We had these fake fireplaces in our last two stick houses and only used them three or four times. Those of you who have these units in your RVs, please tell us if you think they are worth having. Tell us what you think by dropping a line to the editor Russ at rvtravel dot com.

Helping you get the right options in your next RV.

Pick your hoses carefully

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By Greg Illes

After years of leaks, failures and various disappointments, I’ve finally gotten a “kit” of hoses in my RV that I’m happy with. Well, yes, I’m only happy until something better comes along. I admit it — I’m a compulsive fixer and fiddler, but my wife likes that we always have the best solutions available — so I stay at it.

There are three general types of hoses used in an RV:

• Freshwater (clean water supply)
• Utility (washing and cleanup)
• Sewer (draining black and gray tanks)

These are often characterized by color — white for “clean” water; gray, green or black for a utility hose; and, of course, the unmistakable 3-inch monster sewer drain hose. You definitely want to keep that freshwater hose sacrosanct and uncontaminated by the other hoses or fittings in your kit. For this reason, I recommend against using a second white hose for your utility hose.

The biggest problems are, of course, leaks. Leaks themselves are of differing importance — if freshwater leaks onto the ground, no biggie. If it leaks into your RV storage bay, not so great and you have to dry it out or water damage may result. Same in general goes for non-potable water in your utility hose. Non-potable water won’t hurt you on contact (but don’t drink it), so it’s just another wipe-up chore. But if that sewer hose leaks anywhere, you are in for a messy and annoying cleanup.

So obviously, my years-long search for leak-free hoses was a noble quest, and here’s what I’ve found based on my personal results. Also note that these results are “so far” — I might come up with a new set tomorrow.

Best white hose: the Colorite WRHC8120025 self-coiling 25-foot. It’s easy to store, easy to use, and it’s been dry as a bone for more than a year of nearly constant deployment and storage cycles.

Best utility hose: the Flexeel PGH6025GS 25-foot slender profile. It’s easily half the stored size and weight of a normal garden hose, but has nearly the same flow rate. The fittings are stainless steel and the strain reliefs are actually effective (unlike the useless springs on some hoses).

Best sewer hose: the Viper series by Valterra. I’m using the #04-0475 20-foot kit (two ten-footers), but there are also 15-foot and 5-foot choices. This hose beats the others so badly it’s laughable. It is flexible, leak-proof, and crush-proof. It stores as easily as any of the Anaconda-size hoses, and the flexibility makes it a snap to use.

All of these hoses are available on Amazon (where my wife thinks they know me by my first name). I hope you have experiences with them as positive as my own.

photo: Pixabay

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.

Got a toy hauler? Get your stuff off the floor – and on the wall

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By Jim Twamley

toy hauler rails detailIf you have a toy hauler you may have found a frustration issue in the “storage” area. It seems most haulers don’t have rails or cargo-fastening devices installed in the back. That’s probably because everyone wants these devices in different places, depending on what kind of cargo they are hauling.

toy hauler rails overviewOne RVer we met wanted a place to strap stuff to the wall in his toy hauler, so he built and installed these “moving van”-type cargo rails on the walls. He also wanted to protect the finish on the walls and these rails are just the ticket.

These are easy to make, and I recommend building them from hardwood because softwood will not support a load as well as hardwood.

Holding tank chemicals — choose carefully

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By Greg Illes

Absolutely nobody can tolerate a stinky holding tank. This newsletter and the forums are full of advice on how to eliminate odors, and it’s all for a good cause. Climbing into a stinky RV can just ruin your day.

But what about the methodology? Is it just a case of getting rid of smells? Well, yes and no. There’s a right way and a wrong way, as with so many things in life.

First off, what causes the smell? It’s not the waste in the tanks, it’s actually the bacteria in the waste. Eewww, that’s disgusting. Let’s kill all those nasty bacteria, right? Where’s my can of bacteria poison? Not so fast, pardner. Those bacteria are a natural ecological part of the waste break-down process. Waste must be liquefied in order to be properly distributed through the leach fields and absorbed into the ecosystems downstream from the leach fields. If the waste is not properly broken down, it just solidifies and clumps up. This can be disastrous not only for RV holding tanks but also for dump systems, septic tanks and leach fields. Some states and parks actually prohibit the use of bacterial toxins (usually formaldehydes or derivatives); they are actually carcinogenic as well.

So what’s to be done? “Can’t live with ’em; can’t live without ’em,” as the saying goes. Fortunately, there is a solution — actually many solutions. Providers have come up with a broad selection of environmentally friendly holding tank treatments. Amazingly, these treatments actually encourage the growth of bacteria rather than simply killing them off.

How does this work? As it turns out, the stink mainly comes from poor conditions for bacterial growth — lack of oxygen, primarily. Probiotic tank treatments change the chemistry to promote healthy bacterial growth, which rapidly and odorlessly liquefies the tank contents. This makes dumping easier, and it sure helps the dump system maintain its essential health and efficiency.

To be sure, the use of formaldehyde-based tank chemicals is very effective against odors — but at too great a cost in terms of downstream adverse effects. Try not to be seduced by the easy solution. If you are using poisonous chemicals now, go through the changeover process and be an eco-friendly RVer. Here’s how to do this.

First, select a chemical that is enzyme or probiotic based. Second, execute a very thorough flushing, perhaps several, on your existing tanks so that any residual poison is flushed out. Even a trace of formaldehyde-based chemical will kill the good bacteria needed for proper eco-friendly operation. (Most people who report poor results with enzyme products have not adequately flushed the old poisons from the system.)

When your tanks are spic-and-span, follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for the new chemical. More is not necessarily better — just use what the instructions say.

We went through this process several years ago and our results are spectacular. We used the Bio-Pak, but there are many products to choose from. We never have an odor problem, even in high temperatures and long intervals between dumps (10 days or more sometimes). And we have the satisfaction of knowing that we are doing no harm, perhaps even some good, to the dump stations and eco-systems along our travels.

Editor’s note:  Learn more or order Bio-Pak here or similar products here.

photo: Greg Illes

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.

Get your movies without WiFi buffer blues

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By Dave Helgeson

Do you enjoy watching movies while away in your RV, but don’t want to use up your data plan streaming them over your mobile device? Then use Netflix General Delivery. Netflix will send DVDs general delivery to any post office of your choosing.

Here is how it works: Select a movie(s) online from the Netflix website via your smart phone or other Internet-enabled device, prioritize them in their queue and enter the mailing address for the current place you’re camping.

If the RV park doesn’t accept mail for registered guests, or you are in an unstaffed government campground or are boondocking, use General Delivery of the nearest post office. You can quickly find the closest post office and address on the USPS website. Due to numerous distribution centers across the country the movies typically arrive the very next day.

View the selected movies at your leisure. The period of time you keep them doesn’t matter as long as you don’t have more DVDs checked out at a time than your plan allows (plans allow up to four max). Reuse the same envelope they were delivered in to return them. Postage is prepaid — all you have to do is find a place to drop them in the mail, be it outgoing mail at an RV park or local post office.

The returned movies practically always arrive back at Netflix the following morning. Once received, you will receive an email from Netflix letting you know they’ve arrived back at the distribution center. Then the next batch of movies you have queued will be mailed at that time — in most cases the same day. You will receive an email notifying you that they have been mailed. When in doubt, you can always check their website to see the current status of your movie selections. It’s a fast and easy way to stay up on the latest movies while enjoying the RV lifestyle.

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