Issue 1024 • December 31, 2018
Welcome to another fabulous edition of RV Travel’s Daily Tips newsletter. Here, you’ll find helpful RV-related, and small-space living, tips from the pros, travel advice, a handy website of the day, our favorite RVing-related products and, of course, a good laugh. Thanks for joining us. We appreciate your readership.
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QUICK TIPS
Five tips for a safer downgrade trip
1. DO: Pay attention to road signs. When you see a mountain grade warning sign, prepare to change your driving habits. Get into the slow lane and let other drivers pass you while you ease off the gas pedal. 2. DON’T: Keep your foot on the brakes. Apply firm pressure to slow down a few miles per hour, release your brakes, then move on to downshifting. 3. DO: Downshift into a lower gear. Your goal is to be at least 10 miles-per-hour below posted speed limits. 4. DON’T: Let your transmission rev up too high. Sometimes downshifting into a lower gear when you’re going too fast will cause your transmission to rev up too high, which can also cause damage. That’s when using your RV’s brakes makes sense. Once again, apply firm but brief brake pressure until your transmission returns to safer operating levels. 5. DO: Put your ego aside, look for pull-outs and let others pass. From doityourselfrv.com.Â
Dealing with the smell that won’t go away
There are occasions when there’s an unpleasant odor that just won’t seem to go away from your RV. Here’s a “final option” idea from rvtailgatelife.com: “You’ve probably seen these satchels on Pinterest, as I did. I decided to test out this little project with some of the leftover laundry boosters after I washed the sheets. The little mesh organza wedding bags … are filled with the laundry booster and then left inside the RV. I have put a couple of them around the RV: one hangs from a hat hook over the sofa (see picture) for maximum air circulation, and another in the over-the-door organizer in the intersection between the kitchen, the bathroom, and the closet. They do work to provide a pleasant scent without overpowering the small space.
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MORE QUICK TIPS
Waste valve out of reach? Build a reach extender!
Ever wish RV designers were forced to use their own products? Might make life a bit easier! For example, how about a waste dump valve located under your slide-out? You end up crawling under the slide to dump the tank – yuck! Here’s a trick from loveyourrv.com that “extends” your reach: “A simple yet effective solution. I bought a section of PVC plumbing pipe and notched out the end in such a way that I can now open and close the galley waste valve from a distance.” Here’s another trick for its use: “Add a line on it at the point where your slide extends too. Now you can use it when arriving at the campground to see if it’s safe to open the slide without hitting anything.”
More heat for the basement (storage)
Reader Seann Fox noted our suggestion on using 100-watt incandescent light bulbs to keep the basement storage area from freezing in cold weather. Will those old-style bulbs remain available in the future? A good question, but he writes, “I found using a 75-watt infrared heat lamp also known as a Peppa lamp or a breeder’s lamp is just as good and those are going to remain on the market because their main thing is to produce heat.” Thanks, Seann!
JUST POSTED:
Your opinion wanted:
Is a traditional or convection oven best in an RV?
Do you have a tip? Send it to Russ (at) rvtravel.com
WEBSITE OF THE DAY
The strangest New Year’s Eve traditions from around the world
Here are the top 25 strangest New Year’s Eve traditions from around the globe. Apparently, in Spain, if you can manage to stuff 12 grapes in your mouth at midnight you’ll have good luck for the rest of the year.
Check out the long list of great RVing-related websites from RVtravel.com.
READER POLL
READER POLL
Do you prefer to sleep in total darkness or have some light? Click here to vote.
LEAVE HERE WITH A LAUGH
On New Year’s Eve, a woman stood up in the local pub to make an announcement. She yelled to the crowd, “It’s time to get ready. Every husband here must be standing next to the one person who made his life worth living!” Well, as you can imagine, it was very embarrassing. As the clock struck midnight, the bartender was almost crushed to death.
Today’s Daily Deals at Amazon.com
Best-selling RV products and Accessories at Amazon.com.Â
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RV Daily Tips Staff
Editor and Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Managing editor: Diane McGovern. Staff writer: Emily Woodbury. Contributing writers: Russ De Maris, Bob Difley, Gary Bunzer, Roger Marble, Mike Sokol, Greg Illes, J.M. Montigel and Andrew Robinson. Advertising coordinator: Gail Meyring. Marketing director: Jessica Sarvis. IT wrangler: Kim Christiansen.
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Everything in this newsletter is true to the best of our knowledge. But we occasionally get something wrong. We’re just human! So don’t go spending $10,000 on something we said was good simply because we said so, or fixing something according to what we suggested (check with your own technician first). Maybe we made a mistake. Tips and/or comments in this newsletter are those of the authors and may not reflect the views of RVtravel.com or this newsletter.
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This newsletter is copyright 2018-2019 by RVtravel.com
Give the site a chance. Did everything you tried to change go right the first minute. If you don’t like the site, go to another. Some people might have taken a day off over the holidays. Are you a paid subscriber? Just saying.
Regarding today’s article on descending steep grades safely. Professional truckers have an adage that applies to all of us: “You can go up a mountain too fast as many times as you like. You can go down a mountain too fast only once.”
As a retired trucker myself, I can assure all who read this, that quote is EXACTLY right . . . (regarding hill descents).
I love my traditional oven and would be lost without it. I have never used a convection oven so cannot comment on that. We did replace our puny microwave with a much better one and are happy with that.
A convection oven simply stated is just an electric oven with fans to blow the heat around, so the heat is evenly distributed.. I prefer cooking with gas because of the infinite control you have, but after witnessing a RV burn to the ground in a matter of minutes, and later finding out the fire was attributed to a LP gas leak, I appreciate my induction cooktop, Microwave/convection oven and my residential fridge. I use natural gas @ my homebase, and electricity on the the road…..
When you provide a link to other articles, extended comments, etc, could you make them open in a separate browser tab? That makes it easier to return back to the main page at the same point we left. Thanks
It’s not the transmission you have to worry about, it’s the engine. If you over rev the engine and it blows up then the only brakes you have is inside the wheels. You should slow down and downshift to a lower gear before starting the downgrade. If you wait until you are already going too fast that will cause an over revving condition.
The article DOES say to slow down before you get to the downgrade, and then to downshift. And you’re right in pointing out the danger of engine damage if a driver doesn’t slow down first.
I am confused at times, because these articles never identify if they are suggesting a procedure for gassers or diesels. My procedure is slightly different, because I have an adaptive cruise control which works in conjunction with engine brakes and downshifting the transmission. If I set the CC @ 45 mph, without touching the brake, the RV is held to no more then 1 mph over what I set it at. I have used this on some long steep grades in CO and AZ and it works to perfection. No more white-knuckling for me. I simply watch the road, steer and monitor the speed. It pays to stay alert no matter what..
One thing to also remember….. Many automatic transmissions have limiters that will prevent a down shift even if you do so from the cab. So if you try to downshift into too high of a RPM, the transmission will not respond until you slow down a bit more. Thus you are forced to use your brakes….hopefully they are not overheated and useless !!
The new tips newsletter is now showing less helpful information. This site is going way downhill, quickly, and today’s offering is a prime example.
I think Every news medium provides less “meaty” information at this season of the year. I think it’s a function of our society’s emphasis on what people think is important at Christmas and the New Year, and the hyped emphasis on football for the next few weeks.
Sorry, Robbie. It’s impossible to make everyone happy. When we run older tried-and-true tips (for those readers who haven’t seen them before or maybe have forgotten), we receive negative comments such as “You’ve run that before,” or “Everyone knows that!” And when we run “new” quick tips, people complain about “less helpful information.” If you have some new, helpful quick tips which people haven’t heard of before, would you please send them to Russ (at) rvtravel.com. We’ll give you credit for them, of course. Thanks, Robbie! Happy New Year! 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
I am very new, just rented an RV twice in my life, now retired and looking to buy a large Class A and I appreciate “Old tricks” that are all new and relative to me and my family. I think you are providing a wide range of information and articles to cover the spectrum of seasoned RV Owners to those who are just entering this very exciting adventure of RV Ownership. Thank you very much. Brian “Doc” Burry
Thank you for your positive comment, Brian. We appreciate it. We wish you and your family many happy years and miles of RVing! Happy New Year! 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
I propose a new “Bad RV tips” section… products and procedures that sound good but are NOT, preferably with explanations. Sokol often refers to shoddy internet advice he’s seen, so it could be a good teaching framework. Why point out bad advice? Because most people learn more from unexpected failure than obvious success. Just a thought…
Good thought, Wolfe. I’ll bring it up at our meeting Wednesday. Thanks! And Happy New Year to you and your family! 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
One good rule of thumb that’s been used for years..use the same gear descending a steep grade that you use going up a steep grade.Live longer and use common sense.
Happy New Year.
As usual I had a liitle trouble deciding the survey question. I like a little light, but a nightlight is not perfect. I prefer natural light, or even outside streetlights.
What happened to your poll question that you had daily?
Am I the only one missing the riddle in every issue?
Not alone