Tuesday, February 4, 2020
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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Today’s thought
“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Homemade Soup Day!
Tip of the Day
Traveling? Get the inside scoop on local attractions
by Bob Difley
RVing into a new and unfamiliar area, how can you figure out the “best” of the local attractions, eats, etc? Here’s a tip: After you’ve settled into your campsite, take a walk through the park and look for local license plates.
Look especially for plate holders from local RV dealers, which may indicate that the owner is from that part of the state. When you find one strike up a conversation and ask questions about the area.
Most people (including RVers) like to talk about their local area, and you will likely come away with restaurant recommendations, scenic attractions, unusual or quirky venues, and maybe even some good boondocking locations. Locals can produce information and often steer you to places you’ll never hear about at the visitor center.
You can find Bob Difley’s RVing e-books on Amazon Kindle.
Do you have a tip? Submit it here.
Bad location for television in RV
Dear RV Shrink:
We bought a used motorhome recently. We love the layout better than any new models we’ve looked at. The only problem is the location of the TV. I think the engineers put it in the only place they had left. I am surprised they didn’t stick it in the freezer. It is driving my husband nuts. He isn’t an engineer, but he thinks he could play one on TV. Now he wants to play engineer with our TV. He has so many ideas where to put it, I can’t even keep track anymore. Should I just give up and let him do his thing? I’m afraid he will put it somewhere that is worse than where it is now. —Misplaced in Middlebury
Read the RV Shrink’s response.
Yesterday’s featured article: Starting battery croaks in campground
Reader poll
Quick Tip
Avoid bird droppings on your RV roof ladder, etc.
If birds are perching on your RV roof ladder and ruining your parade (or spare tire, bumper, chairs, etc.) discourage the little feathered poopers. Clamp a flag pole to the ladder rack and raise your banner. The flapping ensign will send them elsewhere.
Mmmmm…risotto. Reader Einar shares his favorite recipe for crockpot sausage risotto. Get it here.
ADVERTISEMENT
Be like Mike Sokol, use silicone!
Mike says: Never use any kind of petroleum-based products on rubber or plastic components in your RV, such as your trailer connector. That includes products such as Vaseline, WD40 or any other type of spray lubricating oil. Doing so will eventually break down the plastic and/or rubber components causing them to swell up and eventually disintegrate. The proper treatment is anything silicone-based. We use a lot of Heavy Duty Silicone in our shop for general connector cleaning and lubrication. You can get some of your own here.
Random RV Thought
Pay attention to the wind when making a campfire. If it’s blowing toward your RV you could end up breathing its smoke later when you go to bed. And be considerate of your neighbors if they are close by: It’s not nice to “smoke ’em”!
Website of the day
The best walks in America
Here are 50 of the best walks in America. If you’re a hiker or a walker, you won’t want to miss these beautiful trails.
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:
• 10 percent participate in one RV club rally each year
• 57 percent never unplug their RV from electricity during a lightning storm
• 31 percent always carry a checkbook with them
Recent poll: Are you worried about catching the Coronavirus? Tell us here.
Universal lid fits all your pots and pans!
This incredibly handy universal pot and pan lid will fit [almost] every pot and pan in your RV kitchen! Works with fry pans, pots, saucepans, skillets, stockpots, woks, cast iron pans and more! Eliminate kitchen cabinet clutter with this multipurpose, compact lid. Don’t you wish you had known about this sooner? Learn more or order.
Trivia
A “gowpen” is what you call it when you cup your hands together to create a cup-like hollow space to scoop water.
What is the smallest vertebrate on the planet? We told you yesterday, and boy it’s tiny!
Leave here with a laugh
Mildred, a full-time RVer, was lonely after losing her husband a couple of years and many miles ago, so she posted an ad on a popular website. The ad said: “Husband wanted.” She was surprised the next morning to find she had more than a hundred replies in her inbox. Unfortunately, they all said the same thing: “You can have mine.”
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. Advertising 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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I generally find that when working out a problem and I want to carry on an intelligent conversation, I talk outloud to myself. Drives my co-workers crazy.
I’m always talking to myself. It started years ago when I was working, I found that when troubleshooting something, it helped to say it aloud when tracing code, then I started answering myself and I got some pretty good answers. So I have been talking to myself, and answering myself ever since. I have had some wonderful conversations…. LOL
Read the survey question, and realized I was humming right then and there..Do it all the time, don’t know why..
I hum, whistle or talk to myself continuously…if I ever don’t hear myself I know I’ve fallen asleep again.
Would that be a Wolfe whistle? 😉 —Diane at RVtravel.com
Haven’t researched it, but a few yrs ago when we were doing one of our “walks” at RIM ROC N.F. So. IL, we met a man from Virginia. He was going across the USA doing the 10 most BEAUTIFUL walks in the country. We’ve been there in all seasons. VERY BEAUTIFUL. Has an Campground next door at Pounds Hollow that has a connecting trail along the Lake over to Rim Roc. Adds an extra 1/2 mi to your walk.
WOOPS! Correction to the CRC Silicone Spray:
Recieved and updated message from CRC Industries concerning the Silicone Spray!
They do in fact use a petroleum distilate in their products.
Here is their Response:
The distillate fraction that we use in this product evaporates very quickly unlike many of the silicone products on the market which use LVP (low vapor pressure) distillates that do not evaporate quickly at all. This product should not affect rubber seals because the petroleum distillates are not going to be around long enough to have a swelling effect. So yes, you are correct. Let me know if you need more clarification. Thanks for your business!
Anthony Rose | Technical Service Lab Technician III | CRC Industries, Inc.
Buy a couple of cans.
After walking through 100’s of RV’s at Hershey a few years ago I’m convinced that 1/2 of the engineer/designers don’t have a clue about living/using a RV. We seen some of the dumbest layouts, wasted space and mis-placed things even in the high $$$ rigs. We walked away from that big show not impressed
Yes
That is so true! No clue about real design
We’re in the shopping phase of our retirement (motor)HOME. We know what we like, but getting touchy-feely with some of them in person makes me wonder WTH the designers were thinking….
The worst for me is the giant TV in the eating area, on an angle into the hallway, with the L-shaped couch a mere few feet away from it.
Another: The 1/2 baths right next to the KITCHEN. Ew.
Finally: The dining table/booth on the driver side of the coach! Wouldn’t we all rather sit at our tables and eat and gaze out at OUR OWN little rented patios? Not the neighbor’s!
All that fussing aside, we hope to find our coach soon…. then let the rejiggering being! (as much as possible without stress ;D)
Tony King, you are absolutely right about too many RV designers not having a clue about using or living in a recreational vehicle.
CRC Silicone Explanation:
Here is a copy of an Email I just received from CRC Industries and hopefully will dispense with any false information!
This is what CRC Technical Support just sent me:
Good morning Jeff,
Thanks for choosing CRC products. These silicone lubricants contain silicone distillates to disperse the silicone. These distillates evaporate very quickly and do not remain in the silicone after it is sprayed. If it were pure silicone, we would not be able to spray it out of the can. Let me know if you have any questions, and have a good day!
Anthony Rose | Technical Service Lab Technician III | CRC Industries, Inc.
Take Mikes advice. I’ve been using CRC products and their Heavy Duty Silicone product for as long as they’ve been around and haven’t found one better for the price -actually at any price. I won’t get into a debate over the chemistry in the product, I’m not a chemist, I just know it works well for its intended purpose.
WILL:
I have used CRC Silicone Lubricant for years on my RV’s. Never had any problems.
In fact Lippert Components recommends using CRC (Green Can) Silicone Lubricant on Hydraulic Rams for RV’s. Virtually eliminates Sticking and Squeeking.
Here is the Link for Heavy Duty CRC that Mike Sokol Recommends.
http://api.crcindustries.com/auto-services/get-pds/05074
Buy a couple of cans.
Mike Sokol says don’t use petroleum-based lubricants on rubber parts, use silicon. But every spray silicon can I’ve seen says they use petroleum distillates in the formula.
Now what?