Monday, December 4, 2023

MENU

RV Daily Tips Newsletter Issue 1286

Friday, February 28, 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.

If you shop on Amazon, please visit through our affiliate site (we get a little commission that way – and you don’t pay any extra). Thank you!


[activecampaign form=34]


Today’s thought

“One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Two, never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it. Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and don’t throw it away.” ― Stephen Hawking

Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Floral Design Day!



Tip of the Day

Do-it-yourself RV storage organizer

By Jim Twamley
No matter what type of RV you own, storage will always be an issue. I’ve used everything from elaborate storage compartment organization units, to stackable plastic storage bins, and cardboard boxes — because they work.

For RV newbies, I suggest starting off with plastic bins and cardboard boxes until you determine what works best for your RV camping style. To help organize your gear, put masking tape on each container and, using a Sharpie, label the contents. Otherwise you will end up pulling everything out trying to locate one item. Continue reading.

Do you have a tip? Submit it here.


City water inlet regurgitates – Help!

Chris Dougherty, certified RV technician, received this question from a reader while he was serving as RVtravel.com’s technical editor: “I have an issue with the fresh water from my fresh water holding tank shooting out the city water inlet connection when I turn on my freshwater tank pump. There is a trickle of water coming to the faucets. However, when the city water connection is hooked to an external water source, everything seems to be OK. Do you know what might be causing this, and can it be corrected fairly easily?”  Read Chris’ response.

Yesterday’s featured article: Wash your rig with dish soap?



You may have missed these recent popular stories…


Reader poll


Readers tell us

Do you buy plastic water bottles in bulk? Find out how many RVers do, and take a look at some RV water filters here.


Best-selling small-space organizers
It can be hard keeping everything organized in a small space like an RV, right? Here’s Amazon’s list of best small-space organizers so you can keep everything in check. You’ll find everything from under-the-sink kitchen organizers, to clothing and closet organizers, to tiny bookcases. Explore these helpful items here.


Helpful resources

NATIONAL TRAFFIC AND ROAD CLOSURE INFORMATION.
ROAD AND TRAFFIC CONDITIONS ACROSS THE NATION.
WEATHER ALERTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
CURRENT WILDFIRE REPORT.
LATEST RV RECALLS.


Quick Tip

Simple custom-sized trash cans

Finding suitably sized trash cans for RVing can be a hassle. Visit the plasticware section of your local discount store and pick up a plastic cereal storage container. The same bag the cashier packs it in (if they still use those at your store) fits great for a trash can liner. If it threatens to slide around, use double-stick Velcro tape on the bottom.


WiFi endoscope lets you peep where your eyes won’t go
Ever wondered what the inside of your black water tank looked like? Is that “tank blaster” really doing the job? You can’t just eyeball the inside of the tank – or can you? With a flexible endoscope, you can run a tiny camera down for a “look around,” and get an eyeful of information on your tablet or phone. It’s pretty handy to have in the RV so check it out here.


Random RV Thought

RVers are always looking ahead to get to their new destination(s). But RVers live in the present moment too, maybe more than most people, absorbing their new surroundings.


Website of the day

How to stop condensation in an RV
A helpful article by the folks at Full-Time RVing about stopping mold in its tracks by not letting any condensation into your RV. They have some other helpful articles too.


Clubs and useful organizations
PLEASE NOTE: We may receive an affiliate commission if you join any of these.

• Harvest Hosts: Stay free at farms, wineries and other scenic and peaceful locations for free. Save 15% on membership.
AllStays: The best website for RVers! Your membership will become your RV-bible.
• Overnight RV parking. Directory of more than 14,000 locations where you can stay for free or nearly free with your RV. Modest membership fee.
• Boondockers Welcome. Stay at homes of RVers who welcome you in their driveways, yards, farmland or other space on their private property. Modest membership fee.
Escapees. Best Club for RVers: All RVers welcome, no matter what type of RV, make or model.


No more sticky windows!RV Travel Newsletter Issue 868
An RVtravel.com reader recommended this white graphite powder as the perfect fix for sticky windows. Frames can contract in cooler weather, making things tight. He said his fix is lubricating the window tracks with a simple “puff” of white graphite powder. Why the white? “It doesn’t make a mess like the black stuff!” he explained. 


Trivia

Avocados do not ripen on trees. They have to be picked first.

How do platypus feed their babies? It’s not at all how you think… Read yesterday’s newsletter to find out. 


Leave here with a laugh

When someone tells me “You’re gonna regret that in the morning,” I sleep until noon because I’m a problem solver.

Today’s Daily Deals at Amazon.com
Best-selling RV products and Accessories at Amazon.com
. UPDATED HOURLY!


Join us: FacebookTwitterYouTubeRVillage

Our Facebook and RVillage GroupsRV Horror Stories • RV Advice • RV Electricity • RV Parks with Storm Shelters • RV Buying AdviceNorthwest RV CampingSouthwest RV CampingFree CampgroundsNEW Budget RV TravelNEWER RV Videos plus Texas RV Camping and Florida RV camping. And please join our group on RVillage (like Facebook except just for RVers).


Did you miss the latest RV Travel Newsletter? If so, read it here.
Oh, and if you missed the latest Sunday News for RVers, make sure to catch up here.


Become a Member!

This newsletter is brought to you Monday through Friday by RVtravel.com and is funded primarily through voluntary subscription contributions from our readers. Thank you! IF YOU APPRECIATE THIS NEWSLETTER and others from RVtravel.com, will you please consider pledging your support?  Learn more or contribute.


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.

This website utilizes some advertising services. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Regardless of this potential revenue, unless stated otherwise, we only recommend products or services we believe provide value to our readers.

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.

Mail us at 9792 Edmonds Way, #265, Edmonds, WA 98020.

This newsletter is copyright 2020 by RVtravel.com

Comments

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe to comments
Notify of

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

33 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

travilenman (@guest_67471)
3 years ago

NONE of the listed Holidays…..They are so commercialized, that it leaves me to think it is ALL about the MONEY for the commercializers…..Big box stores etc.

Sink Jaxon (@guest_67388)
3 years ago

RE: Today’s thought..IMO Hawking was no philosopher, but he was REALLY GOOD at stating the obvious!

TIM (@guest_67305)
3 years ago

The “4th of July” is a date, not a holiday. Same as we don’t celebrate the Twenty-fifth of December. The holiday is Independence Day.

M. Will (@guest_67262)
3 years ago

What holiday do I like the most? Am 70 years old and every day for me is a holiday so my answer is none of them My truck. My trailer and a great place with a wonderful view is an everyday holiday for me!!

jillie (@guest_66953)
3 years ago

The only holiday that should be recognized and schools shut down is Halloween. Awesome holiday. Everything else is over rated and expensive.

Nikki Harnish (@guest_66841)
3 years ago

I’m unable to Download the condensation site.

Admin
RV Staff
3 years ago
Reply to  Nikki Harnish

Sorry, Nikki. Not sure why it won’t work for you. I don’t think anyone else has had problems with that link. But here’s the link again to see if it works for you here: https://fulltymerv.com/f/how-to-stop-condensation-in-an-rv—stop-mold-in-its-tracksDiane at RVtravel.com

J Carriker (@guest_66835)
3 years ago

My DW and I had our first on Valentines Day 50 years ago and have been celebrating Valentines Day ever since.

John M (@guest_66828)
3 years ago

I choose Thanksgiving. Only day anymore that isn’t advertised starting in July until Dec. No Kids around anymore. Just eat then watch football.

Connie (@guest_66832)
3 years ago
Reply to  John M

There’s something very peaceful and somber, and inspiring for introspection, when you spend a holiday alone, or just the two of you. It definitely gives you the necessary time to reflect on the meaning of the holy days.

God bless,

Gary (@guest_66825)
3 years ago

I picked Halloween because its a holiday that isn’t wrapped up in a lot of expectations. You can have fun decorating for it, and its just a fun time for the kids.

Ron (@guest_66826)
3 years ago
Reply to  Gary

Halloween isn’t a holiday… neither is Valentines Day.

Sharon B (@guest_66815)
3 years ago

I don’t trust any water anywhere. I bring my own 5 gallon containers using my own home filtered water when camping, but after the house is sold…yeah….. and I am in an RV full time I will buy the Big Berkey with the additional filters. Not cheap but it is one of the best high end filters on the market.

Bob p (@guest_66827)
3 years ago
Reply to  Sharon B

We save 1 gal. Jugs and buy water in Walmart, it’s filtered and have been using it for 4 yrs. it costs between $.26 & $.29 per gal. and we’ve never had a problem and it tastes good. Most places in FL have a sulfur taste in their water that we can’t stand, so Walmart saved the day. It’s the same water that’s sold in most grocery stores also but is usually 2-5 cents cheaper, we usually use about a gallon a day for coffee, ice maker, and drinking.

Connie (@guest_66831)
3 years ago
Reply to  Sharon B

LOL! I don’t remember posting this…..

Oh, I didn’t!

But I could have.😉 Counting down the days with you, Sharon…..!

Rich (@guest_66813)
3 years ago

regarding holidays…first thought was ‘none of the above’.

except for Easter, turkey day is the least commercialized of them all. the 2-hour commercial disguised as a parade being the exception.

Easter is just another Sunday for me but for many it’s a deeply religious and significant day. IMO it doesn’t belong in the same list as the made up silly v-day. i tell my wife of 50-years that i love her every day..,several times a day in fact.

other than mattress sales july 4th is a close second for non-commercialization. we love the fireworks and appreciate the meaning behind them.

for a super majority Christmas is just Santa and not Jesus. after 50-yrs and no kids we focus on just spending time with friends and close family. but we do reach out and express our thanks and gratitude to those that touch our lives in the form of small gifts to the postman, garbage/recycle pickup crew, lawn/snow guys, housekeeper, etc.

Connie (@guest_66830)
3 years ago
Reply to  Rich

I marked 4th of July, and was shocked and disappointed that not many more did. That low result tells me that perhaps all of our generations have not been properly schooled on that day, and how this nation got to where we are today. Not talking politics here; I’m talking The Shining Light on the Hill for the rest of the world. That didn’t happen by chance.

The words of our Star-Spangled Banner tell the story in a poetic and moving way. But there’s so much more to it, and since.

Hopefully by the time this poll runs again, more of us will have considered the deep impact of that day on our lives. I cry when I see the old soldiers, marching proudly in our local parade, when I hear our National Anthem.

Is it a “holy day”? Maybe not by definition, but it most definitely is to me by history.

Easter is next, for much the same reason.

God bless America. Is there any more beautiful sentiment than that?

KellyR (@guest_66844)
3 years ago
Reply to  Connie

I used to like the 4th of July, but where I live now fire crackers start all night the night before, all night the 4th and the following night. Drives me nuts.

WEB (@guest_67258)
3 years ago
Reply to  Connie

Really? Independence Day – all men are created equal – the big American War Machine… something to be proud of.

Ken (@guest_66812)
3 years ago

Halloween is not a holiday. Reminds me when I was taking a college class, years after my initial degree, a young whipper-snapper in the class asked if there was going to be class on Halloween? Duh’!! Us older folks got a kick out of the question. Any excuse to miss a class.

Karen Willis (@guest_66824)
3 years ago
Reply to  Ken

Halloween may not be a holiday, but it is the occasion I most enjoy decorating for!

Dave Planitzer (@guest_66803)
3 years ago

City water leakback can be stopped easily with one of these plugs.
Camco 3/4 Inch 22103 Hose Plug & Cap-3/4″ Male, Carded.

Bill T (@guest_66798)
3 years ago

From the tip of the day quote “Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it”. I am a retired RV owner and have lots of “purpose” and I am definitely not “empty without work”. LOL

DAVID QUINN (@guest_66804)
3 years ago
Reply to  Bill T

I’m with you on that.

K L (@guest_66806)
3 years ago
Reply to  Bill T

Ditto!!!

bob (@guest_66811)
3 years ago
Reply to  Bill T

Best career move I ever made was to retire. Now every night is a Friday night and every day is a Saturday. That’s the most fulfilling feeling. If your life feels empty without work, get a life.

Wolfe (@guest_66816)
3 years ago
Reply to  Bill T

Purpose comes from productivity… so if you are a follower, work gives you a leader to force you to be productive.

If you are a self starter (like me), you can’t make yourself be idle, and traditional “work” gets in the way of better productivity.

This concludes your Randian philosophy lesson for today.

Cheryl Bacon (@guest_66837)
3 years ago
Reply to  Wolfe

Hawkins is not talking about work as some are taking it to mean. It is not a go to a job type of meaning. His work is being productive, moving and keeping the mind sharp type of work. Like the saying “learn something new everyday”. He also is reinforcing that However bad life is or how bad you feel, there is always something you can do, and succeed at.

Darrel (@guest_66839)
3 years ago
Reply to  Wolfe

Your nose is always so high in the air when you post – how do you see to type the words?

Wolfe (@guest_67006)
3 years ago
Reply to  Darrel

Darrel: That was rather mean to Cheryl, whom I think restated the same point as I quite well. WorkADay is not the only work or the most fulfilling. I value my weekends and time between contracts as better “life,” even if the clients pay for that time. Being part of a team while “working” is fulfilling and some people have trouble finding meaning outside that.

I believe Hawking was advising against idleness, not career-work (which may overlap). Don’t give up feeling you built or learned something every day, whereever you find those.

WEB (@guest_67256)
3 years ago
Reply to  Wolfe

Sorry Wolfe, but notice how a reply is indented? So Darrel’s reply was to YOU, not Cheryl… Just sayin’! 😉

Sink Jaxon (@guest_67387)
3 years ago
Reply to  WEB

LOL!!

Connie (@guest_66829)
3 years ago
Reply to  Bill T

Here’s the thing: When I was working – and I retired only this past June – I found that my “work” kept getting in the way of my Life……

I have things to do, places to go, and people to meet!

Sign up for the

RVtravel Newsletter

Sign up and receive 3 FREE RV Checklists: Set-Up, Take-Down and Packing List.

FREE