Thursday, November 14, 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.
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Page Contents
Today’s thought
“The finest literature in the world is the unwritten stories told around the campfire.” —Raymond Carlson in “Arizona Highways”
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Pickle Day!
Tip of the Day
RV journal writing
A journal is not a diary with your innermost thoughts. It’s a chronological list of what happened in your life. Not everything, of course. Just the things and events that you think you might possibly want to know a year from now. Here is a partial list of the kind of things and events that you should consider recording:
• What went wrong with your rig. What you did to fix the problem with your rig.
• What date you installed that new refrigerator.
• When you replaced that tire that blew out and how much you paid for it. (Of course, if you keep a maintenance log for your RV, you don’t need to put this information in your journal. There’s no need to list things in two places.)
• When you bought that new keyboard and how much you paid for it.
• The names of the camp hosts where you stayed when you were in AZ.
• The names of people and the names of their dogs you met at different campgrounds. Nothing impresses people more, and makes them feel like you really remember them, than knowing their dog’s name.
Basically, jot down anything you think you might possibly want to know a year from now. Three to five minutes a day is all it will take, and you will be surprised how much you will use and appreciate this information.
From RVing: Less Hassle—More Joy: Secrets of Having More Fun with Your RV—Even on a Limited Budget
Do you have a tip? Submit it here.
BREAKING NEWS: Urgent recall: Airstream trailers may separate from tow vehicle. Due to improper welding, the Demco ball coupler installed on the travel trailers may not provide enough clamping force on the tow ball, potentially causing the coupler to separate from the tow ball. Click here.
Easily clean those stubborn bugs off your RV
The Microfiber Mesh Bug and Tar Sponge has millions of tiny fibers embedded in the microfiber cloth that grabs and holds the dust and dirt. It is so effective it even cleans without chemicals, saving both time and money. The secret of this sponge lies in its unique, double-layer microfiber mesh. Older nylon bug sponges can harm your clear coat, but this one is completely paint safe. Learn more or order.
Leveling vs. stabilizing an RV
There is a big difference between stabilizing and leveling an RV. You need to know the difference to properly use the equipment on your particular RV. Learn about stabilizers and levelers in this article supplied courtesy of Diamond RV Centre, West Hatfield, Mass. Learn more.
Did you miss our story last week about the RV in storage that got struck by lightning? It put a big hole in the roof, and water poured in, causing a huge amount of damage. Why, then, did the insurance company balk about paying for anything but the roof damage? Click here to find out.
Reader poll
Stay free on private property across America
Boondockers Welcome is a great alternative to expensive, crowded RV parks or even Walmart parking lots. With a membership, you can stay for free at more than 1,000 private property locations across America. And, wow, will you meet some great people! Learn more or sign up.
Quick Tip
Water heater monitoring
We added a meat thermometer to the hot water outlet of our water heater, and use this to measure the temperature of our hot water.
–From 100 RV Tips and Tricks (Mack’s RV Handbook)
Random RV Thought
The best thing next to actually being on an RV trip is studying a road map before going and dreaming of what’s to come.
Protect your RV’s slideout! Use this rubber seal lubricant. Learn more or order.
Attention Big Rig RV owners! This annual road atlas will keep you away from too-narrow roads and low bridges. Learn more or order.
Camping at Corps of Engineers Campgrounds. Many RVers consider these the very best places to stay. Learn more or order the directory.
Website of the day
Go RVing Canada
There’s a good chance you’re already familiar with Go RVing, but did you know they have a Canada site as well? If you’re planning to visit Canada soon, or just curious about RVing up in our northern neighbor’s territory, check this out.
Be RV fire safe! See what can happen if you aren’t. Visit our site Motorhomes on Fire.
And the Survey Says…
We’ve polled RVtravel.com readers more than 1,500 times in recent years. Here are a few things we’ve learned about them:
• 76 percent are grandparents.
• 47 percent prepare their income tax return themselves.
• 37 percent drive more miles on back roads than interstates.
Trivia
The little dot you use to dot your “i” and your “j” is called a tittle.
Say goodbye to goop!
Have you ever seen the sediment that collects in your water heater? You probably don’t want to. Camco’s water tank rinser is an easy-to-use gadget that is a must-have for any RVer. The tank rinser will get out all the yucky sediment that’s been sitting at the bottom of your water heater and, most importantly, will extend the life of it too. Read the many positive reviews, and get one for yourself here.
Leave here with a laugh
We used to run a feature called “The Dying Art of Proofreading.” Here’s one we ran a few years ago:
In a Laundromat:
WASHING MACHINES: “PLEASE REMOVE ALL YOUR CLOTHES WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT” (and when the light comes back on you are sure to attract a lot of attention!)
Today’s Daily Deals at Amazon.com
Best-selling RV products and Accessories at Amazon.com. UPDATED HOURLY!
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RV Daily Tips Staff
Editor and Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Managing editor: Emily Woodbury. Senior 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
Why? Give the hot water heater about 1/2 hr and water is hot. Drain some till it gets hot into the dogs water bowl. Hot water is ready
So…
My attention span is very short… …what was that? A shiny object? Why am I writing this?
But… I do have the patience of Joeb – most things happen “slowly, but steadily”.
Some projects only come to fruition after years of patience, mind you, most of it it is on my wife’s part. – lol
How would I describe my attention span? well Squirrel!!!, Shiny things…. Is that pie???
Sign in restroom in Wyoming – If no employee is available, wash your own hands.
I feel like people who see the ad about the sponge that “easily cleans stubborn bugs off your RV,” might like to know that it doesn’t actually “EASILY” clean bugs off. You still have to scrub like crazy even with this sponge. It is a durable sponge that does its job, but in my opinion it’s still a pain to deal with cleaning off bugs after road trips even with it.
One of the issues is it’s too small to cover a lot of bugs with each scrub. And, you have to push down hard sometimes to get it to work. Plus, there’s all that climbing up and down the ladder to get to high spots since you hold the little sponge in your hand – kind of dangerous with soapy water all over the place.
I think an inventor should come up with something even better attached to the end of a telescoping pole – maybe it would spin, too. I have taped this sponge on a pole and it kind of works, but still it’s a big job when the bugs are really bad.
Jim, have you tried getting after those bug carcasses with either Fantastic or Spray Nine spray? Melts the bugs before you take the soft brush then the garden hose to the residue. I have never experienced any paint damage or anything else harmful about these products, and have been using both (which ever I find cheapest) for decades
Regarding journaling–I write my dinner menu down so when I am stumped for what to cook I look back several months for inspiration. It usually works.
On the attention span, it really depends if my buddy’s telling me about the options on his new truck or my wife is telling me about shopping with her sister.
Amen brother!!! LoL!!!
I read the article about the Airstream trailer recall due to bad welding or ? on there newer travel trailers and had to laugh. Airstream up until the time they were I think bought out by Thor were probably one of the best quality travel trailer ever built I wonder why something like this can now be happening?? The answer is probably in the previous sentence!!
The answer is……………….RIGHT ………in the previous sentence. Take heed future buyers and save yourselves one hellofalotofmoney
I think my attention span is like that of a little puppy. “What’s that? What’s that? What’s th…. gotta pee! What’s that?”
Where would I put a meat thermometer in my water heater?
My exact question too.
Yes, inquiring minds would like to know too.
Why do you need one anyway?
I wouldn’t put the probe into/through your heater walls anywhere, but you don’t need to… if your heater is encased in foam, just stick it alongside the side of the tank under the foam. As for why… strange curiosity? Checking for thermostat malfunction? Knowing when water has reheated for dishes or next shower? Hopefully the last…
PS…I use a remote probe on LCD thermometer, not a meat thermo.