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Roof reflectivity can help your RV beat the heat

RV Staff
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Courtesy Dicor Corporation and RVtravel.com staff
You may have noticed the logo for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program attached to various appliances, electronics, office equipment, heating and cooling products — and the list goes on and on. But what exactly is Energy Star? Energy Star is a program to identify and promote energy-efficient products and buildings in order to reduce energy consumption, improve energy security, and reduce pollution. An Energy Star rating means the product has been tested and found to meet high standards for energy efficiency.
However, did you know that one such requirement for roofing products can apply to RV roofing membranes? A key feature in energy efficiency in roofing products is a factor called reflectivity. What is reflectivity? It’s the measurement of a material’s ability to reflect solar energy back into the atmosphere. It is like the expression: “Right back at you.” Light hits a surface and, instead of being absorbed, it is “reflected” back into the atmosphere. Reflectivity is measured as a percentage on a scale from 0 (hotter interior) to 100 (cooler interior). The higher the number the better, since it is reflecting more light. It’s what makes for a “cool” roof.
There are many roofing choices available nowadays for RVers, whether you are buying a new RV or replacing a roof on a current RV. There are different colors, different types (EPDM, TPO, etc.) and different textures. But for greater reflectivity, flexibility and long life, look to products like DiFlex II Polar White and its Energy Star testing performance. In order to be eligible for the EPA’s Energy Star program, our DiFlex II Polar White roofing had to have a reflectivity greater than or equal to 65 percent. Polar White’s reflectivity is a whopping 86 percent, putting it well ahead of the requirement, and designating Polar White as the kind of roofing material that can make a difference in your energy costs. It helps extend the life of your air conditioner because it runs less. And because it runs less, it also saves energy while reducing noise in the campground, something your neighbors will appreciate as well.
Editor’s note: This information is largely provided by roof membrane manufacturer Dicor. While there’s plenty of promotion for its product included, some of the information and principles may be of assistance to our readers. 

Backup cams: Changing your trailer hitching routine

RV Staff
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By Dave Helgeson
Ever since man first attempted to back a horseless carriage up to the coupler of a trailer he has been trying to devise an easier way to make tow ball and coupler come together in harmony.
Wives have used hand gestures in futility, convex mirrors have been mounted on trailer tongues reflecting a (distorted) view of the tow ball to the driver, “V” shaped deflectors have been mounted on bumpers in the hopes of guiding the coupler over the ball, verbal instructions between spouses via two-way radios have led to division, even tennis balls mounted on fiberglass rods have been employed to solve this age-old problem.
The digital age, which has made life easier in many other of life’s arenas, has also solved the problem of hooking up a trailer. Relatively inexpensive (compared to radios, damaged bumpers/tailgates and broken marriages) backup cameras are now available to RVers everywhere.
There are two basic varieties: wired and wireless. The wired varieties are attached via your license plate frame mounts with power being supplied by your vehicle’s backup lights. The wireless system is powered by alkaline batteries and attaches temporarily (magnetically) to your vehicle. With either variety, the video screen viewed by the driver is powered by the 12-volt outlet in the vehicle’s dash. The screen can also be programmed to rotate the image so you don’t have to reverse what is left and right in your mind as you back up. Now hooking up is a breeze — just turn on the camera and guide the tow ball under the coupler with no fuss or confusing hand signals from your significant other!
An added advantage of the wireless camera is they can also be “stuck” on the steel bumper of travel trailers to view what is behind your rig as you back into tight campsites.

Is your motorhome a “Highline”?

RV Staff
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Courtesy: Motorhomes of Texas

What is it that makes a house a “Mansion”?  Is a 6,000 square foot mobile home a mansion? What makes a car a “Luxury” car? We think of Cadillac and Mercedes as luxury cars but what about the cheaper versions they now offer? Aren’t they still luxury cars?

While those questions will get different answers from different quarters, there is a blurred line that separates one from the other. In the case of motorhomes, some will hold forth that the qualifier is price and they cite a figure $100,000 to $200,000 or higher as the threshold of high-end coaches. Some will say that it’s the size of the coach, or addition of a diesel engine and generator, air ride suspension or air brakes. Still others insist that it’s a combination of these factors and possibly more. While any manufacturer can call their product a “Highline,” there is no official designation or dictionary description of features that allow or disallow use of the term. And to be fair, the term is in fact open to an individual interpretation.

Not to pick on any particular brand, but some manufacturers are not known within the industry as building what industry veterans consider to be high-end units. Still, that outfit might well build products from entry level to those with air ride, air brakes, and $200,000+ price tag units. The folks in that plant may then consider their top-end product to be in the Highline category. Their high-end unit might even be better built and equipped than the lower end offering of a high-end manufacturer, but the former is not thought of as a Highline while the latter is!

Then there’s the manufacturer well-known for building high-end coaches that decides to offer entry-level units. Are their entry-level units automatically “Highline,” as might be with a Cadillac or Mercedes?

Back in the ’70s and ’80s there were many gas-powered rigs like Executive, Vogue, Sportscoach, Kings Hiway, Apollo, Revcon, Country Coach, Foretravel, Landau and others that were considered to be Highline units. That means the addition of diesel and air-operated features were not a requirement for entry into the Highline club back then. Even to this day coaches like Chinook and Born Free, though small, are still considered to be Highline, so size doesn’t make a “Highline” either.

Well, then, what is it?
Most RV industry veterans will agree it’s mostly a process of perception, often connected more to the manufacturer than to the product. We won’t attempt to go down a list of manufacturers designating who is and who is not (in our opinion) considered to be high-end producers — but some are just a “given,” like Prevost conversions, Newells and Blue Birds. Quality cabinetry, superior body frame construction, and custom chassis are regular features of Highline motorhomes, but even those items don’t automatically make a unit anything more than just expensive. It’s hard to imagine a half million dollar motorcoach as anything other than belonging in the Highline category, but there again, it’s really not just price either. It’s the whole package from the manufacturing plant, to the final product, and everything that happened in between.

If you have an RV, sell RVs or build RVs and you want to think of it as a Highline, go right ahead. You may get an argument from the folks in the next campsite, but they’ll have a hard time proving you wrong.

Do you take naps? I do

Chuck Woodbury
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Do you take naps? I do

 

I like to take naps. I’ve taken naps for most of my life. But I have noticed lately that I now take them more frequently. I think it’s because I’m getting older. As a rule I do not like getting older. But taking more naps is okay: it’s a good thing related to old age. The other good thing is not being dead yet.

BE SURE TO TAKE OUR POLL BELOW:
DO YOU TAKE NAPS?

nap530Of all my pleasures in life, taking a nap is among the best. Sometimes my naps last 10 minutes, sometimes an hour. Most of the time I feel no guilt when napping. But sometimes I think, “I really should be working.” I feel guilty for maybe five seconds, then I realize that napping is more important than guilt. I have been self-employed all my life, in part because no employer would permit me to nap whenever I wanted.

My very favorite place to nap is on the couch in my motorhome or on the overhead bunk on a warm summer day. Heat rises, making a nap up there toasty warm. When everything is right — and that means a slight breeze blowing in from the window, the feeling is heavenly. The very best nap is when the temperature is warm enough that I can nap without my shirt, with the breeze flowing over my back like a gentle back scratch. As I have written before, I love my back scratched (not rubbed). So when the breeze does it for me, it’s one of life’s little bonuses.

I MADE SURE when I bought my current motorhome that it had a couch. My last one had only a chair — inadequate for quality napping. With my couch, if I am feeling a little tired while driving, I pull over at a rest area. Within one or two minutes I will be on my couch and ready to nod off. I don’t care about outside noise. If a truck is idling next to me I don’t hear it. I will fall right to sleep no matter what. These naps usually last only 10-20 minutes. That’s all I need. When I awake, I feel refreshed and am ready to drive another 200 miles.

Many people are not nappers, maybe even you. The non-nappers I know tell me they wake up groggy, just the opposite of me. I feel bad for them. They are missing one of life’s joys.

Do you take naps? Answer our poll (and see if other RVers are nappers). And please feel free to leave a comment.

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Are RVers introverts or extroverts?

RV Staff
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Are RVers introverts or extroverts?

Are most RVers introverts? Well, that is surely what an RVtravel.com reader survey suggests. In fact, it shows that RVers are overwhelmingly introverts — not extroverts, who are much more outgoing.

quiz531-2 The book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking describes introverts this way: “At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking, reading to partying; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over brainstorming in teams. Although they are often labeled “quiet,” it is to introverts that we owe many of the great contributions to society — from van Gogh’s sunflowers to the invention of the personal computer.”

Introverts need time alone to recharge their lives. They would not be called “Mr or Ms. Excitement.” The opposite personality is an extrovert, who thrives on being with others: an extrovert might be labeled the “life of a party.” At that same party, an introvert might prefer to sit in a corner and talk with a friend. Introverts can act like extroverts, but it saps their energy after awhile. Introverts usually fear public speaking but can overcome the fear if necessary and even rise to fame as orators. Introverts tend to think things through. Extroverts are less patient and may want to get something done and move on. Most politicians are extroverts.

introvert351Bill Gates and Al Gore are famous introverts who can mimic extroverts. Eleanor Roosevelt was an introvert.

Asians are more introverted. American and European societies are more extroverted. However, Norwegians are famous for being introverts. A joke goes “How do you tell if a Norwegian likes you?” The answer: “He’s looking at your shoes, not his own.”

In our society introverts can be perceived as unsociable or shy. Our society celebrates extroverts and teaches us that being outgoing is superior to being quiet or reserved. Extroverted parents may think something is wrong with their introverted child.

I am an introvert, and I believe that’s a big reason why I love to be away in my RV. I’m a homebody. I like to read, and I can sit in a chair and peer out a window for an hour at a time just thinking. Oh, I like other people and need them, but in moderation. I enjoy attending an RV rally and mingling with the crowd. But when the day is done and I’m “peopled out,” I am ready to retreat to my motorhome for peace. I suspect a lot of other RVers are like me. Maybe even most, judging by our survey results.

RVs: Stable in high winds?

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RVs: Stable in high winds?

By Russ and Tiña De Maris
When high winds cut a path through Wyoming, at least one RVer learned the hard way that RVs can sometimes do tricks — call it, “Roll over and play dead.” Not funny if it happens to you, so how do you prevent a freak wind from ruining your day?

First rule: Minimize exposure. The less “profile” you present to the wind, the better your rig will be able to handle the oncoming blast. We use our research travel trailer as an example. Our travel trailer is 7 feet high and 23 feet long, giving it 161 square feet of surface area when parked sideways to an oncoming wind. A few wind load calculations are eye-openers (see charts below).

An 80-mile-per-hour wind will probably give my little rig a bit of a pause to think about — far more than a rock-a-bye-baby situation. But simply parking with my 7-foot x 8-foot nose to the wind, check out the wind load difference.

With my nose to the wind, I can certainly sleep better.

Of course, we can’t always predict how strong or from which direction the winds will come. To that end, when parking your rig for a spell put out the stabilizers, giving you a more solid footprint against rocking. If you’re in an area prone to high winds, then think about putting down a few “mobile home anchors” and link them to your RV frame with an appropriate system that will allow you to quickly disconnect when it’s time to hit the road.

In our years of being on the road, we’ve been in some hairy situations where the rig has rocked plenty hard. We’ve personally never capsized, nor known anyone who has, and taking simple precautions can give you peace of mind.

Shoosh bugs away from the front of your rig

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Shoosh bugs away from the front of your rig

By Bob Difley

Spring is here and along with the flowering trees and shrubs come the inevitable bugs — hundreds of which decide to end their short lives by splatting against the front of your RV.

Here are a couple of ways to ease the nasty chore of cleaning up after a long trip: First, wash and wax the exposed forward surfaces of your RV to offer up the slickest, cleanest surface to the intrusive bugs. They will find it hard to stick, and will also be easier to remove.

Second, rub a thin coating of baby oil on the front surfaces, creating a nice slick surface. A rub down with a wet rag at the end of your trip should remove most of them without too much hard scrubbing.

Be sure to catch Bob’s e-books: Boondocking: Finding the Perfect Campsite on America’s Public Lands and the Snowbird Guide to Boondocking in the Southwest, both available at Amazon.com.

Who really makes a quality RV?

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Who really makes a quality RV?

By Steve Savage
Mobility RV Service

In a week’s time I received an email and a campsite visitor, both of whom wanted to discuss quality control. The email was from a reader who wanted to know who made the best RV.

My answer is always the same: The best quality control is generally found with RVs from small manufacturers — make that, very small volume manufacturers, usually accompanied by price tags to match their quality control. They are not perfect, but at least with those you might have a fighting chance.

If the question is intended to ferret out the best from large manufacturers — Thor, Forest River, Heartland, etc. — here we go again. In my opinion, quality control is so variable that buying based on brand name and counting on finding a quality product is simply an impossibility. Yes, they all make some good RVs, but they also make some which are a nightmare for their owners. Again in my opinion, warranty coverage is no better from one than from another. Search the Internet for the model of your choice and add “complaints” to the search bar and you will see what I mean. Those complaints also match my experience as a technician.

My campsite visitor wanted to simply vent about the problems he had with his own unit, which he purchased new. In his opinion, such poor quality control was, in his words, “unethical” — an opinion I hear often. What he wanted to know is why things are the way they are, and I think the answer to that question is simple: Sales are going great guns. New RVs are rolling out the doors in record numbers. People continue to buy them while readily acknowledging they will have problems. It is analogous to purchasing a car and expecting the tires to go flat and windshield to leak water.

So here is where RV buyers are stuck. RVing is fun. People like to RV. My wife and I live to RV. We both grew up in RVing families and have been RVing almost our entire lives. In order to RV, people need an RV. Now think back to the years before Toyota dealerships were not on every street corner and we were forced to buy products from GM, Ford and Chrysler. Remember what quality control was like: No one thought in terms of owning a car for a couple of hundred thousand miles. Then Japanese manufacturers came onto the scene and the American manufacturers had to follow suit, and now we all can own a car for years and enjoy relatively problem-free ownership.

Where it gets hazy is RV buyers mistakenly believe owning an RV is like owning a modern day automobile when, in reality, it’s like owning a car made in the ’50s or, worse yet, an automobile of English persuasion made in the ’50s. They could be great fun, but keeping them on the road was a challenge.

Could the RV industry be transformed? Certainly — all it would take is a manufacturer willing to do the same thing the Japanese manufacturers did when they began selling in the United States: Build a quality product with a five-year guarantee on the box, no roof leaks, no slide leaks, no sidewall delamination. Toss in a dose of fixtures that match the quality found in most of our homes, and tires that last as long as those on our cars and trucks.

In order to keep the costs down, dispense with the five flat screens and stick with the stuff that works and is simple to repair. Do folks really need to have the ability to turn their water heater on or roll up their awnings with their cell phones? I think not. What the RV industry really needs is a Toyota Camry!

(photo: bluediamondgallery.com)

A visit with Sky King

Chuck Woodbury
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A visit with Sky King

If you know what I am referring to when I mention “Sky King,” then you are probably at least 60 years old.

sky-k-698Sky King was a TV series that ran off and on from 1951 to 1962, about a modern day cowboy who didn’t ride a horse, but chased bad guys with an airplane. Kirby Grant played an Arizona rancher who fought bad guys and rescued people in trouble with his twin-engine Cessna.

Grant, I learned at the Museum of Mountain Flying at the Missoula airport, was born in Butte, Montana. He is buried in a family plot in Missoula.

Like many little boys of my generation, I loved the old black and white TV shows about cowboys — Roy Rogers, the Lone Ranger, Hopalong Cassidy, Gene Autry, the Cisco Kid. Just thinking of those guys makes me feel warm and fuzzy and happy. They were all good guys —fighting a never-ending battle with thugs and outlaws, always winning, but never shooting anybody. When they fired their guns it was almost always when racing after a desperado on horseback (never hitting him) or, more likely, shooting the gun out of the bad guy’s hand.

kirby-698Kirby Grant, I learned yesterday, was really Kirby Grant Hoon. The show Sky King was his claim to fame, although he appeared in a few dozen B movies. Early in his life he played violin and even led a dance band. After Sky King, he bought and traveled with a circus. Sadly, he died in 1985 at age 74 in a car accident while on the way to a Space Shuttle launch where he was to be honored by astronauts for his contributions to aviation and space flight.

I enjoyed visiting Kirby yesterday. I stood at his grave for awhile and thought about all the hours he had entertained me as a little boy. I thanked him. I felt a bit sad as I drove off, reminded once again that all my childhood TV heroes are now gone.

If you are in Missoula and would like to pay tribute to “Sky,” he’s at the Missoula City Cemetery just a half-mile off I-90. Just park at the cemetery office and turn around. He’s right on the front row beneath a big shade tree.

If you never saw Sky King when it was on TV, you are in luck. You can watch a full episode on YouTube by clicking here.

Why is a water view so important?

Chuck Woodbury
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Why is a water view so important?

A “lake view” space just opened up at the RV park where I’m staying. I’m tempted to pull up and move there. But I won’t because I’m too lazy to unhook the utilities and then reverse the process after moving.

water-703Why is it we love views of the water, whether a lake or ocean? I know that to me it’s pleasing, relaxing. At home near Seattle, my home overlooks Puget Sound. It’s somehow calming to look out over the water. It’s not exciting, but it always makes me feel good. I bet my blood pressure drops a few points.

I wonder if being in view of water has something to do with we humans being composed mostly of water, about 60 percent. Actually, men average 60 percent. Women are a little less, 55 percent, because their bodies contain more fat.

Or maybe looking at water is just pretty, and that’s why the sight of it is so pleasing. Maybe that alone is worth the extra price of a home or campsite.

What do you think?

The man who taught a dog to talk

Chuck Woodbury
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The man who taught a dog to talk

Screen+Shot+2015-10-23+at+8.36.44+AMAlexander Graham Bell is remembered mostly for inventing the telephone. But did you know he once taught a dog to talk?

Bell, born in Scotland, moved to North America in his early 20s, living most of his life in out-of-the-way Baddeck, Nova Scotia. Today, the Alexander Graham Bell Museum there honors the inventor, his inventions and his life. Among his more interesting experiments, which came before he came to Canada, was teaching a dog to talk. He did it. Sort of. . .Here is what I learned on my visit to the museum. In Bell’s words:

“By the application of suitable doses of food material the dog was. . . taught to sit up on his hind legs and growl continuously while I manipulated his mouth, and stop growling when I took my hands away. . .

“The dog’s repertoire. . . consisted of the vowels ‘ah’ and ‘oo,’ and the syllables ‘ma’ and ‘ga.’ We then proceeded to manufacture words and sentences composed of these elements, and the dog’s final linguistic accomplishment consisted of ‘Aw-ah-oo-gamama,’ which, by the exercise of a little imagination, readily passed for ‘How are you, Grandmama?'”

Protect your engine and radiator with a grill screen

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By Greg Illes

We were happily driving along the highway, enjoying the passing scenery, when suddenly a small flock of sparrows crossed our path, darting frantically about in front of our class-A before escaping. Alas, one of the tiny birds was not as adept an aviator as his fellows and I heard/felt a small “thwack.” So we pulled over to investigate.

We were both glad that we stopped. The bird had passed straight through the factory grill (in several pieces) and was distributed in a very messy fashion across two radiators and my hydraulic jack pump.

Needless to say, it was a sad (and yucky) task to clean up, and it left me with a resolve to try to avoid a recurrence. I might not be able to save a hapless bird, but I can do better to protect my engine compartment.

After some brief Interneting, I found an online provider of standard and unique metal products and I purchased a small sheet of what is called “expanded metal” — in stainless steel!

Trimming and mounting the sheet in place of my factory grill took less than two hours of fiddling and fitting, and the results are rewarding. I have a rustproof grill with openings only one-half inch wide now. Anything larger than a bumblebee is going to be denied entrance to my engine compartment, including birds, sticks, rocks and other would-be trespassers. And honestly, as an extra bonus, I feel that the appearance is much improved over the old retro-looking steel-bar grill that came with the coach.

For $60 delivered to my door, this was a worthy mini-project. If you are intrigued by the possibilities, the material is available in various metals, hole sizes, and gauges at metalsdepot.com.

Editor’s note: Amazon also has sheets of expanded metal.

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.

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