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How to fix a sticky black tank valve

Chuck Woodbury
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By Chris Dougherty

Editor’s note: Chris Dougherty is a certified RV technician in western Massachusetts. Here is a letter he received from a reader while he was serving as RVtravel.com’s technical editor.

Dear Chris,
Pulling the black water handle on my 2012 Entegra is getting more difficult compared to the gray water side. Is there any way to ease this or prevent it from getting even more difficult? —Ed

Dear Ed,
This is a common issue that black valves have over time and with repeated use. Lubrication wears off and material can get trapped in the track for the knife valve.

The best way to fix this for the long haul is to service the valve. The valve manufacturers like Valterra make seal replacement kits that are inexpensive and pretty easy to change. Once the tank is emptied, rinsed, and has been left open for 24 hours to ‘dry’ out, you can go ahead and begin the job.

All you will need is a wrench, the kit, and a good valve grease. Dow-Corning 111 is recommended. Remove the four bolts from the valve head, and while lightly prying the pipes apart, remove the valve from the two flanges. There will be a rubber seal on each of the flanges. Remove those taking note of how they seat in the flange.

Thoroughly clean the valve using a brush, cleaner (like Spray 9) and copious amounts of water. Look for any damage on the valve that might indicate it needs replacement. Once dry apply the Dow-Corning 111 to the blade of the valve on both sides and operate the valve until it moves smoothly. Install the new seals that come in the kit on to the flange and coat them with the Dow-Corning 111 to help hold the seals on to the flange, then while prying the pipes apart slide in the valve and align the bolt holes and install the new bolts that come with the kit.

While there are other ‘homebrew’ ways of treating sticky valves that may work for a little while, the repair I noted here will make the valve operate like new for a long time.

As a side note, you may not ‘need’ to replace the seals, however any kink in the seal can result in a leak. For the minimal cost, I think its better to go ahead and change the seals. You can also replace the entire valve for a bit more money, but I would still apply the Dow-Corning 111 to the new valve before installing it.

##RVT923

Is this motorhome beautiful or ugly?

Chuck Woodbury
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Is this motorhome beautiful or ugly?
This is the actual interior of a motorhome. I will make 10 or 11 people in America (and maybe a few in Canada) angry with this statement, but here’s is what I think of this RV: I think it looks like a bad Las Vegas hotel room.

Now, I realize this isn’t a camper you take to Yellowstone with the kids for a summer vacation. This photo is from an ad in a motorhome magazine. There is no price shown but I can pretty much guarantee that the motorhome goes for at least a half million dollars, probably more.

Who buys a motorhome that looks like this? Don’t ask me, because I don’t get it. My own tastes run toward a much smaller RV, one that would fit in a space somewhat smaller than a football field — like maybe what you would find in a national forest. This RV looks like a Greyhound bus on the outside except there is no picture of a dog and it’s shinier.

What do you think?

Mac and cheese and guilt

Chuck Woodbury
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Mac and cheese and guilt

I wonder if some nights around dinner time if Bill Gates chooses to cook a package of macaroni and cheese. Does he, with all his billions, every so often yearn for something so simple? Even though he comes from an affluent family, I bet back in his college days at Harvard there were a few nights where mac and cheese were the evening’s entree. I wonder if Queen Elizabeth ever dined on Mac and Cheese? I’m thinking that she did. I’m sure that Elvis ate a lot of Mac and Cheese.

The trouble with this particular meal is that it’s addictive. You never outgrow your taste for it.

Tonight, I ate macaroni and cheese. I’m talking about Mac and Cheese from a box. While I am not nearly as rich as Bill Gates, I can easily afford to spend more than a dollar for dinner, which is about what I paid. Around 6:30 p.m., out of the blue, I got the urge for macaroni and cheese. Once I got the urge I could not help myself.

Now that I ate it, I feel guilty. My stomach feels fat, which makes me feel ugly. I ate the whole package. It’s shameful. I am being brave even confessing to you that I ate such a meal, and I am being especially brave telling you I cleaned my plate of every single piece of macaroni in the little cardboard box.

Why do I tell you this? I think it’s to ease my guilt by telling someone. And for right now, that’s you. Will you please forgive me?

Dolly for truck camper comes in handy

Chuck Woodbury
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Dolly for truck camper comes in handy

RVing with a truck camper certainly has its advantages – but at times there are some drawbacks. Storage for some can be an issue. We’ve heard situations where a truck camper owner’s landlord wouldn’t permit him to off-load the camper and store it on the slab with the jacks supporting it. “It’s gotta be on wheels!” came the argument. Or then there was the camper owner who wanted to store his rig under cover – but the ceiling height wouldn’t allow him to back the rig into storage while on the truck bed. Oh, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to move a camper around easily, when off the truck bed.

Some enterprising truck camper owners have come up with solutions. Think about a truck camper dolly – a wheeled platform you can off-load your camper to, then push theunit around. “OK, landlord! It’s on wheels!” And with lower overhead areas, with the camper on the dolly, the height issues are erased. One camper owner had what he needed – a narrow, flatbed trailer with low-slung axles that he could back under the camper and drop the unit onto the trailer.

A few years back, one of the mail-order tool companies had what they described as a “utility wagon,” that boasted a 4,000 pound capacity. Alas, they don’t seem to carry it any longer. Ah, but a little research yielded up this idea: A commercially built camper dolly, specifically designed for truck campers. With a price tag of less than $600 Reico-Titan’s carrier will handle “most campers up to 6,000 pounds.” No, we haven’t tried it – anybody out there had experience with one? Drop us a line, Russ at rvtravel dot com. —Russ and Tiña De Maris

Mauve provides an RV with both convection and microwave cooking options

Bob Difley
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Mauve provides an RV with both convection and microwave cooking options

Convection_microwave_oven-4-300x205Exclusively designed for the recreational lifestyle, SalVinCo’s built-in stainless steel convection microwave oven Muave’ model MUCMKT120S offers a sophisticated ‘boutique-ness’ to enhance your boat, RV or compact kitchen area.

Differing from traditional cooking, convection cooking utilizes a circulating fan which spreads the heat throughout the chamber and allows for food to heat more uniformly and quickly at comparatively lower temperatures.

In a built-in situation it is important to have proper ventilation in order for the convection to operate optimally. For ease of installation  the Muave’ convection is ready-fitted with a fully attached vent duct system that carries both UL and CUL approvals for built-in use.

Unique to Muave’ is the easy-find green ‘start” and red ‘stop’ buttons found on the distinctive, perspective enhanced touch pad. Complete with a stainless steel interior and oven light, other features include: nine one-touch menu buttons; 10 power levels; 1-6 minute express cook; 30-second quick start; a positive lock, push button door; and child safety control panel lock.

Compactly sized this 1.0 cu. ft. MUCMKT120S provides 1000 watts of cooking power with 1,500 watts of input power and operates at 120v, 60Hz.

This stylish unit requires a cut-out of 22.44” W x 19.25” D x 15.13” H and includes standard stainless steel trim kit of 24”w x 17”h.(Optional 23”x17” trim kit avail.) This model will fit new or retrofit brands including: Franklin Chef; Contoure; Tappan; Cuisinart; GE and Panasonic.

The Muave convection microwave is available at Amazon.

Turn your tow dolly into a utility trailer in minutes

Chuck Woodbury
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Leave it to an innovative RVer to come up with the answer to what could be a thorny issue. If you’ve got a motorhome and tow your rig with a tow dolly, what do you do with the dolly when you’re at home and not towing? Probably shuffle the thing off to the corner of the yard and leave it in “stasis” until it’s time for your next RV trip. Why not make that dolly do more?

The same thought struck Joe Grape. Joe was a motorhome owner with a tow dolly. After buying a new riding lawn more, Joe had to borrow a utility trailer to get the mower home. Then his eyes lit on his “unused” tow dolly. Wasn’t there some way he could convert that tow dolly into a utility trailer? And go one better – figure out a way so that the same system could be used by any tow dolly owner, regardless of the make or age of the dolly?

The Edgar, Wisconsin man got cracking and sure enough, Joe’s “Tow Mate” is now a patented “universal flatbed attachment.” The flatbed, which weighs in at slightly more than 100 pounds, can be laid down on your tow dolly, attached, and be ready to haul in minutes. With a payload capacity of 1,595 pounds, you can haul a lot of lawn mower, lumber, or what-have-you, keeping your tow dolly busy year-around.

The system doesn’t require you to drill holes or make modifications to you dolly, and with a bed that’s six by eight, there’s plenty of room for hauling stuff. If your “stuff” includes say, a motorcycle, Joe can provide you with an optional motorcycle rail system that keeps your bike stable as you tow it down the road.

While Joe’s website doesn’t list a retail price, a little quick math shows it’ll set you back less than $1,000, as Tow Mate will finance your new dolly bed for $70 a month for 12 months. The new company is looking for dealers, too. Learn more at tow-mateusa.com, or ring them at 715-370-3342.

Super USB charger can also find your car when you can’t

Chuck Woodbury
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Super USB charger can also find your car when you can’t

Imagine a USB car charger that can also help you find your vehicle in a crowded parking lot. That’s what you get with ZUS Car Finder — a handy device that should appeal to many RVers.

ZUS charges twice as fast as normal car chargers. It also helps owners find their vehicle with an application available through iOS and Android. Kids can keep their tablets charged up, while Mom and Dad don’t have to fight over who has enough juice to turn on their GPS.

With the ZUS’ Car Finder application, users can quickly find their car or other vehicle by simply opening the app and checking the compass or mapping function. ZUS will guide them straight to the car. The device is portable and transferable from car to car, handy when traveling with a rental vehicle.

The ZUS Car Finder application offers several additional features including: share-your-location, a map view alongside ZUS’ vehicle compass and a parking timer. Zus’ MSRP is $49.99 but the device is available at Amazon.com for considerably less.

Designed in Germany, ZUS is made up of German Bayer Material with titanium coating and can withstand temperatures as high as 212 degrees.

Pioneer photographer Evelyn J. Cameron, one of immigrant ‘women brave enough, sturdy enough’ to live on Montana’s frontier

Julianne G. Crane
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Pioneer photographer Evelyn J. Cameron, one of immigrant ‘women brave enough, sturdy enough’ to live on Montana’s frontier
Photographer Evelyn J. Cameron with wolf pup. (Montana Historical Society)

 Evelyn Jephson Cameron was among the thousands of women who immigrated from Europe in the closing years of the 19th century to help ‘homestead’ the West.

It is written that she gave up a life of wealth and privilege in England when, in her mid-20s, she moved with her husband, British ornithologist Ewen Cameron, to America’s frontier in eastern Montana.

Evelyn J Cameron with “Lexie” her favorite camera.

“Evelyn Cameron thrived in two vastly different social strata. A story of surrendered privilege and of hardships known only to those women brave enough, sturdy enough to live on the Montana frontier of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s,” according to the Evelyn Cameron Heritage website.

“The story tells of an amazing woman who befriended wild animals such as coyotes, antelope and wolves. Finally, it’s the story of the birth and evolution of a great American artist – born in the most unlikely place imaginable.”

“She preferred not having servants and reveled in doing her own housework, gardening, and ranch tending. When Ewen and Evelyn’s attempt to raise polo ponies failed miserably, Evelyn took to photography as a way to earn a living. From her photographs, it is obvious that she admired the ingenuity and propensity for hard work that characterized the Montana pioneer” (Lucey, xvi).

Cameron photographs her friend, Janet Williams, tending cattle.

Her 35 years of diaries recorded daily life in Prairie County from 1894 until her death at the age of 60 in 1928.

Her written words and thousands of black-and-white photographs (taken and processed under crude conditions) detailed life on the high prairie of Montana at the turn of the 20th century.

According to Montana Public Broadcasting, Cameron “photographed the changing face of Montana horse and cattle drives, sheep herding, the wool trade, the railroad, and the arrival of homesteaders.”

Evelyn Cameron feeding a sparrow hawk (first published in 1908)

Cameron personified the strength and perseverance of early pioneer women. She thrived in the area’s rugged beauty and the freedom life on the prairie afforded her as a woman. It was where women and men worked side-by-side to survive under rough and challenging circumstances.

Ornithologist Ewen Cameron with pet wolves, Tussa & Weecharpee.

Cameron would document everything from weddings to immigrant sheep shearing crews, to technological milestones. “To take her pictures, she often rode horseback for 50 miles or more and frequently climbed precipitous mountains on foot with her heavy camera equipment strapped to her back.”

A witness to the end of the open range and the height of the railroad, Cameron’s view of the prairie is one that should not be missed. You can view hundreds of her photographs at the Evelyn Cameron Heritage in Terry, Montana.

If you go

– Evelyn Cameron Heritage, 212 Laundre Ave., Terry, Montana. (406) 635-4966.

– Information about: Terry, Montana

– Prairie County Fair — Aug.5-7, 2016

More information on Evelyn Jephson Cameron
– “Evelyn Cameron : Montana’s frontier photographer,” by Kristi Hager, (2007).

– “Meetings with Mrs. Collins: Sketches of life and events on Montana’s open range; from the diaries of frontier photographer Evelyn Cameron, 1893-1907,” by Colleen Elizabeth Carter, (2008).

– “Evelyn Cameron: Pictures from a Worthy Life” first aired on PBS, Sunday, March 1, 2009. Written, directed, filmed and produced by John Twiggs, KUFM-TV/MontanaPBS.

–– Julianne G. Crane
To read more about the RV lifestyle, go to RVWheelLife.com

(Photo Source: Montana Historical Society. Click on images to enlarge.)

Spin and Win Contest Headquarters

Chuck Woodbury
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Welcome to our
Spin and Win Giveaway!

A new giveaway is posted every Saturday and runs for three days.

The rules are simple:

•You may enter once a day per household.
•Enter by responding to one or both tasks. If you answer the first one correctly, you will earn five chances to win. The second task earns you one entry point or one chance to win. You may choose to perform just one both the tasks offered per day in a particular giveaway.

•If you answer a knowledge question incorrectly you will disqualified if you are selected as the winner.

•If you attempt to enter the contest twice in any one day, you will be disqualified.

•Return every day of the giveway to increase your chances of winning. But, remember, just one entry per day per household.

•Prizes may only be sent to addresses with a U.S. Zip Code.

•No purchase is necessary.

•Winner will be notified by email after his or her name is chosen randomly from all entries and will have 12 hours to confirm with a mailing address for the prize and a phone number. If we do not hear from the winner within 12 hours, he/she will be disqualified and another winner will be selected with the same action required to claim the prize. We will continue three times until we have a winner. If no winner responds, the giveaway ends and the prize saved for another day.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New National Monuments — see the largest, Mojave Trails

Russ and Tiña De Maris
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Of the three newly created national monuments, the largest is the Mojave Trails National Monument. Chances are you may have already driven through part of the new monument – that is if you’ve retraced part of America’s “Mother Road,” Route 66. Considered to be America’s most famous highway, a chunk of Route 66 runs through the monument.

Describing the layout – start at the Nevada-California border and fly west 140 miles. The endpoint puts you in Barstow. Overall, you’re looking at more than a million and a half acres of land, highly diverse. From sand dunes to lava flows, toss in a few amazing mountain ranges, and plenty of brush, you’ve got a partial descriptor of this new American attraction.

What might attract you for a visit?

  • Wildlife: Bighorn sheep are rife in the Cady Mountains. 
  • A big hole: Amboy Crater, a volcanic cinder cone around 80,000 years old, containing a lava lake. Back in the heyday of Route 66, thousands of folks climbed it so they could say they’d visited a “real volcano.” 
  • Old fossils: Think you’re ancient? Try being a Cambrian trilobite – a small marine crustacean resembling a horseshoe crab. At 550 million years old, these denizens of the Marble Mountains Fossil Beds now live inside a national monument. 
  • Colorful canyons: Rockwalls in glorious Technicolor, complete with ever-changing lighting makes for amazing photo-ops. Catch this at Afton Canyon. 

Camping opportunities? Yes indeed. Where the trail is open, if not otherwise posted against, you’re free to boondock in the monument.

Check back next time for our final installment on the three new National Monuments.

Photos: Route 66 — Dave Johnson on wikimedia.org. Bighorn Sheep — Magnus Kjaergaard on wikimedia.org. Amboy Crater — Bureau of Land Management. Trilobite — public domain photo.

New national monuments — here’s the scoop on the first of three — Castle Mountains

Russ and Tiña De Maris
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New national monuments — here’s the scoop on the first of three — Castle Mountains
Castle Mountains, David Lamfrom, wikimedia.org

For some folks, their first knowledge of Devils Tower was the ancient sci-fi film Close Encounters of the Third Kind. That spot in Wyoming became the locust of activities between us earthlings and visitors from outer space. Devils Tower was the first of the nation’s 120 national monuments – can you name the most recent three?

California lays claim to having its own “close encounter” with the three, because all of them are located in the Golden State, and all of them received their designation in February when President Obama granted status to Castle Mountains National Monument, Mojave Trails National Monument, and Sand to Snow National Monument. RVers may be very much interested in these three new monuments – and what recreational opportunities they provide – and will yet provide in the future.

There’s a lot of ground to cover with three monuments, so in this first installment, we’ll cover the northern-most tract of land, Castle Mountains National Monument

whitehouse.gov

A good chunk of this new monument’s 21,000 acres lies in northeastern San Bernardino County, between I-15 and I-40, northwest of the Colorado River. It’s a dry county, stifling hot in summer but attractive in late fall through mid-spring. Castle Mountains is a land of forests of Joshua Trees and solitary dwelling desert creatures.

Don’t mistake Castle Mountains with a national park, where paved roads and visitor centers are standard features. The only roads in the monument are dirt, and they’re of the kind that would like to eat your rig when the rains turn the surface into mud, so plan your trip carefully. There is a visitor center, however, that reaches deep into the natural and human history of the monument, near Essex at 90942 Kelso Cima Road. Spot it on your map 18 miles north of Interstate 40 and some 34 miles south of Baker.

Hole-in-the-Wall, NPS

Camping? Yes, both for the hardy, and the fainter of heart. For boondockers, you can do plenty of roadside camping unless otherwise posted as a no-no. If you prefer a more developed place to park your rig for the night, the National Park Service provides two campgrounds. Hole-in-the-Wall Campground has 35 sites that can accommodate RVs, but be self-contained, there are no utilities, unless you count pit toilets. But there is a dump station and available potable water in the campground. At the 4,400 foot level, you’ll find the place most-loved in October and November, and again in March and April.

The other campground is Mid Hills Campground. At a much higher elevation, this little tiny spot offers cooler nights, but monument officials suggest you don’t try accessing it with a motorhome or travel trailer. Could be great for truck camper enthusiasts, but we recommend other RVers scout it out with the toad car before trying to take a rig up.

And one more caveat – don’t trust your GPS, at least not for showing you reliable roadways. Monument staff say that many GPS databases are NOT up-to-date with the existing road and trail system, and while you’ll know where you are in terms of latitude and longitude, the order of the day could be, “You can’t get here from there.” Carry those old fashioned paper maps to be sure.

Sedona: awesome views, special places

Julianne G. Crane
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Sedona: awesome views, special places
Sedona, Arizona, is Red Rock Country (Source: VisitSedona.com) 
There is a special uniqueness about Sedona. It’s partly the natural beauty in this Red Rock Country and the pull of the majestic mountains–whatever it is, there is definitely a magical essence here. It is said that ancient winds blow rose-colored sand grains into the surrounding mesas sculpting magnificent monuments of timeless crimson beauty.

Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village.

People come to Sedona “to heal and be healed, to express creativity and be inspired.” Among those lured here over the years have been thousands of fine artists, poets, musicians and writers.

Visitors can experience some of today’s artists’ work at the Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village with more than 40 shops and art galleries.  A Sedona landmark since the 1970’s, Tlaquepaque was originally conceived as an artist community. These days people frequently have an opportunity to meet well-known visual and performing artists at Tlaquepaque. To learn about mostly-free events, including First Fridays Evening at the Galleries,  click here.

Chapel of the Holy Cross

The Chapel of the Holy Cross is nestled in the Red Rocks above Sedona. This amazing architectural feat is well worth a visit. There is no charge.

The Chapel rises out of a 250-foot-high twin pinnacle spur, and offers stunning views of the surrounding area. Inside the sweeping views continue through giant glass windows beyond the alter.

Hours: daily from 9-5, and on Sunday from 10-5.
Location:  At the end of Chapel Road, off of AZ Hwy 179.
There is limited free parking at the base of the hill (larger rigs, or pull trailers are not encouraged). From the parking area there is a short, but steep, hike up to the Chapel. A courtesy cart, at no charge, is available for those who need a lift.

Sedona Community Farmers Market happens every Friday, May 27 through October.

Meet the local growers and taste farm fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, grass fed beef, goat products, tamales, breads and pastries, gluten free, vegan, hand-made chocolates, and live music.

Hours: Friday from 8-11:30 am.
Location: Tlaquepaque Creek Side Parking Lot, 336 State Route 179, Sedona, AZ 86336

Slide Rock State Park (Arizona State Parks)

Slide Rock State Park a public park for outdoor play.

The sun shines an average of over 300 days of the year in Sedona. That’s more sunshine than Florida. Arizona has more National Parks and National Monuments than any other state and Sedona is centrally located near most of them, including Slide Rock State Park, located in Oak Creek Canyon seven miles north of Sedona.

This day-use public park features a smooth natural water slide that cascades into a swimming hole, wildlife viewing, picnic areas and short hiking trails. To read about other nearby state parks, click here.


Entrance Fees: Monday-Sunday: $10 per vehicle
Hours:
Feb 1-Oct 31 – 8 am to 6 pm (last entry 5:30 pm.)
Nov 1-Jan 31 – 9 am to 5 pm (last entry 4:30 pm.)

Free Visitor Information:
Sedona Net –
Click on this spot to connect with a comprehensive calendar of events, many free or low cost, including a film festival, open mic night and quilters’ demos.

Visit Sedona – 
“Want to know where to eat? Where to shop? Where to stay? Curious about special events? Sedona’s unique history? Or would you like to view a map of our most famous hiking trails?” Obtain information from this free Sedona Visitors Guide. Order a glossy guide, or view it online for free.

Sedona’s Best –
If you’re looking for fun things to do in Sedona, Az, and are here on a vacation or visiting, there are many Sedona events and attractions.

Read a previous item on “Vineyard hopping near Jerome, Arizona” elsewhere in RV Short Stops.

–– Julianne G. Crane 
Read about the RV lifestyle at RVWheelLife.com

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