Monday, September 30, 2019
Welcome to another edition of RV Travel’s Daily Tips newsletter. Here you’ll find helpful RV-related and living tips from the pros, travel advice, a handy website of the day, tips on our favorite RVing-related products and, of course, a good laugh. Thanks for joining us. We appreciate you. Please tell your friends about us.
Page Contents
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Today’s thought
“If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” ―Harry Potter author
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Chewing Gum Day.
Tip of the Day
Tilting solar panels for winter use
Tilt your solar panels? If you’re a “summer only” RVer leaving your solar panels flat on the roof makes good sense. But for those who boondock in the winter, tilting your solar panels can really make a difference. Why? Solar panels are most efficient when the sun falls on them at a 90-degree angle. Since the sun’s relative position in the sky drops in winter, getting full output requires compensating the angle of the panel.
Read more and view a chart that will help you figure out the best tilt angle for your panel.
Do you have a tip? Submit it here.
Going full-time? Need a home base? This is the best.
New and interesting finds at Amazon.com. Wow! It’s fun exploring here.
Mice invading your RV? Lion poop to the rescue!
No…really. Read how RVer Jeff Schwartz keeps mice out of his RV. You’ll roar with laughter. Click here.
Here’s a commercial product that is highly rated by RVers to keep rodents away.
Reader poll
What did we learn about you from our reader polls last week? Find out here.
Quick Tip
Take it easy when dumping your RV’s tanks
Dumping tanks? Don’t “slam open” the dump valve – ease it open, and make sure the hose doesn’t work loose from the dump station port. Oh, what a mess that would be!
Random RV Thought
To conserve water when dry camping, shave with a rechargeable electric shaver rather than with a blade.
Endorsed by tire expert Roger Marble!
Outstanding tire pressure gauge
The Accutire MS-4021B digital tire pressure gauge has an easy-to-read LCD display that provides pressure readings from 5-150 PSI. It’s ergonomically designed with an angled head and a rubber-coated easy-grip handle. If you forget to turn it off, it will do so automatically. The included lithium battery never needs to be recharged or replaced. Used by the RV Travel staff. Learn more or order.
Website of the day
RV Park Supplies
The website sells just about anything an RV park would need – picnic tables, power pedestals, “pet waste stations,” speed bumps, dump station supplies … you name it. See how much it cost your favorite park for each of its fire rings. This is really interesting.
Instant Pots: They’re all the rage. Check ’em out, plus accessories.
Bumper “Snicker”
If you think nobody cares if you’re alive, try missing a couple of payments.
Popular articles you may have missed at RVtravel.com
• Future fulltimers beware: You could be voiding your RV’s warranty.
• Your Sprinter RV cost too much? Blame chickens!
• In-laws spoiling full-time RVing experience.
#857-F
Give your phone or tablet a full-sized keyboard
How neat is this? This tiny, collapsible Bluetooth keyboard connects to your phone and tablet so you can type comfortably. The 5-ounce palm-sized keyboard can be folded into your pocket or backpack to carry around. All you have to do is press “Connect” to quickly pair with your devices. Check it out here.
Trivia
Among America’s “Haunted Places” is the Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh, PA. In 1902, the warden’s wife fell in love with an inmate and helped him and his brother escape. They were killed in a shootout days later, but the woman’s ghost still hangs around, shuffling papers and brushing past guards. Also, in 1907, prisoners on death row were tormented by a murder that was reenacted every night. The warden took their pleas to heart and moved them to a new part of the prison.
Leave here with a laugh
A man speaks frantically into the phone, “My wife is pregnant, and her contractions are only two minutes apart!” “Is this her first child?” the doctor queries. “No, you idiot!” the man shouts. “This is her husband!”
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RV Daily Tips Staff
Editor and Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Managing editor: Emily Woodbury. Assistant editor: Diane McGovern. Marketing director: Jessica Sarvis. Financial affairs director: Gail Meyring. 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 2019 by RVtravel.com
Absolutely loved today’s joke.
Due to some medical issues, our summer trip to New England got pushed off to the middle of September. A little early for the full show, but it is interesting to see the trees start to change color, and see the differences due to latitude and elevation.
We call it Halloween camping. We choose a RV park that is having its annual Halloween gig and a place to walk around to view the area or to an area where we see leaf peeping.
The drive to view fall colors survey is timely. We just left Grand Rapids, MI this morning to travel thru the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to view the colors this week before heading for Arizona.
Dumping tanks? Always test dump hose connection, etc. by releasing some gray water first. If there is a disconnect or leak it’s not a crisis. Always wear gloves. Remember everyone uses the water spigot, hose bib, ground drips, etc. before you came along and who knows what their hands (gloved or not) touched.
That’s why I carry a bottle of Lysol and give everything a good dose prior to attaching my stuff.
As do I, except I use a 4:1 bleach solution.
Lysol bottle lives in the tank valve basement !
Other than the” Support Our Troops” thing, it’s cheaper to get an old knee sock and fill it with gravel or sand or stones. Place it over the sewer line and you’re done.
“To conserve water when dry camping, shave with a rechargeable electric shaver rather than with a blade.”
Great way to save a whole cup of water, and drain your batteries. Pure ignorance.
What planet do these gurus live on?
I was thinking it’s a great tip. Electric razors run on rechargeable batteries. One charge lasts me a long time – hardly every need to recharge when camping so there’s no battery usage. Also, I could solar charge it – if needed but like I say you probably won’t need to.
And, it’s easier than shaving with water and soap because you can do it whenever, wherever you are, no need for anything but the electric razor.
Dry shave… zero water, zero batteries.
Love the comment, but I’m too much of a wienie. I’ll go with the rechargeable electric.
Electric shavers do nothing but leave a five o’clock shadow at best for me. Most of the time it looks like I shaved yesterday.
We will leave tomorrow to spend the month in the Smokies.
Re keeping mice and there cousins away – fox urine (can get it at AGway) works!
Years ago, with our first trailer, I used to climb up on the roof, walk to the front where the panels were, and lift one toward the sun. There were only two settings – up or down. Checking my analog (back then that’s all there was) charging meter, I didn’t see all that much difference. So I quit doing it. Fast forward 25 years and I have a totally different kind of system. Everything is digital, I’ve got way more ‘watts’ on the roof, and none of them is movable. I don’t climb up there either unless it’s to clean the panels off. My MPPT controller gives me a good charge even if the sun isn’t out, let along directly overhead. But also, I’m not wintering in the NW.
We’ve planned a week in the mountains in October near Grandfather Mountain specifically because the colors should be good-to-go.
Quick TIP: Take it Easy when dumping your Black Tank!
Here is what I use and it works GREAT. Never had a problem with the HOSE END popping out!
I took it one step farther and filled each pouch, there are 2 of them one on each side, with Lead Buck Shot! Purchased a 10 pound bag (cheap) and put 5 pounds in each side.
The pouches use heavy duty Velcro, so it won’t come apart. Now you can secure your hose connection without worrying about it coming loose.
The whole system is made of Heavy Vinyl and as you can see in the picture has a strong carry handle.
So, NO MORE filling up water jugs and placing a string over them or purchasing those silly looking water weights! This is the perfect Sewer Hose Weight.
Follow this Link: https://thesewersaddlebag.com/store?olsPage=products%2Fthe-sewer-saddle-bag
Similar, but even simpler, and FREE … Grab two empty half-liter water bottles, remove the caps, and poke a hole in the middle of each cap. Thread a piece of cord (like a shoelace or venetian blind cord) through each hole. Tie a knot inside each cap, leaving about 3 inches between the caps. Fill each bottle half full of gravel or sand, and screw the caps onto the bottles. DONE! Just hang the pair of bottles over the hose end, and it will never pop out.
Dragging our travel trailer to Heron Lake State Park, NM and then driving to Chama to ride the Cumbres & Toltec steam train through the northern New Mexico/southern Colorado mountains to enjoy the changing fall colors.
We’re currently doing the fall colors run from the Maine south. Captain’s orders. She said we must do it, we had 4 states not seen out of the 50. Now we’ve done all 50 states.
Really? Inferiors? Only a Britisher.