Thursday, March 26, 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
“I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it.” —William Shakespeare
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Spinach Day!
Coronavirus Updates for RVers
Coronavirus Updates for RVers
Because so much is happening, and so fast, we are separating our daily coronavirus news updates into its own file.
There is so much interest now on how the virus is impacting our lives as RVers, our staff is devoting more time to keeping you informed of critical matters that affect how you use and travel with your RV.
Read today’s coronavirus news updates for RVers.
New Facebook Group: How the coronavirus is impacting RVers. Learn about park closings, cancelled rallies and RV shows — and more. Your input requested.
If you are a member of an RV club or are affiliated with an RV-related event would you please let us know if its gatherings, meetings, etc., are cancelled or postponed because of the coronavirus? We’ll pass along the info to our readers. We appreciate any news related to RVing that’s being affected by the virus. Please submit it here. Thank you!
Tip of the Day
Using RV locks safely – and wisely
By Greg Illes
My RV has a LOT of locks. Cargo bay locks, water filler lock, two door locks, ignition lock. And then there’s the toad. At first blush, the way to be safe is to just lock everything up – right? Maybe, maybe not. It depends on where I am and what I am doing.
Personal safety is a delicate and contentious matter. That’s fine – everybody needs to manage their own safety. So I’ll state very clearly that these thoughts are my considerations, and yours may vary. I’m not going to suggest that you do what I do – I’ll just describe my reasoning. Read more.
Do you have a tip? Submit it here.
Ernie Pyle was a pioneer road-tripper
Ernie Pyle won a Pulitzer Prize as a World War II correspondent. But what many people don’t realize is that he would never have succeeded as a war correspondent had he not polished his writing skills in the 1930s as a roving journalist exploring America. Chuck Woodbury reflects on this remarkable man.
Yesterday’s featured article: RV Mods: Upholstery foam sagging? Give it the bum’s rush!
Reader poll
Quick Tip
Easy windshield cleaning
Keep a can or bottle of good-quality window cleaner within easy reach when you stop to fuel up. Before starting to pump fuel, spray your windshield liberally with the window cleaner. Let it sit while fueling and then use the “usually” available squeegee to easily remove the bug guts. The cleaner virtually dissolves and also releases the bug guts from the glass and it saves a whole lot of scrubbing. Our thanks to George Bliss!
“50 States, 5,000 Ideas” – the best book for travelers!
This book from the experts at National Geographic showcases the best travel experiences in every state, from the obvious to the unexpected. Sites include national parks, beaches, hotels, battlefields, dude ranches, museums and more. Each entry provides detailed travel information and fascinating facts about each state that will help fuel your wanderlust and ensure the best vacation possible. The book also includes a section on the Canadian provinces and territories. Learn more or order.
Will ice cubes in an RV sewer tank dislodge waste buildup?
Most of us have heard that putting ice cubes down the toilet will do the job. The idea is the hard cubes will bounce around when the RV is moving, banging all that nasty buildup away. So does it work? See a demonstration.
Random RV Thought
Turn off your water when you leave your RV for the day. You will be very sorry if you don’t and then return to the RV to a broken pipe and flooded floors.
Website of the day
The oldest restaurant in every state
If you want a good adventure, make it a goal to eat at the oldest restaurant in every state. That would be fun (and delicious), wouldn’t it? Here’s a list to get you started.
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:
• 2 percent sing professionally
• 48 percent say socializing at a campground is not important
• 6 percent have a personal blog
Affordable tire tool will save you tons of trouble
What gives when you think your tires are “good to go” but down on air again the next day? Your valve stem valve probably isn’t tight enough. A loose, leaking valve stem can cause a tire failure due to low pressure under load at highway speeds. So do yourself and your vehicles a favor – pick up one of these very inexpensive tools and make sure your valve cores are snugly seated in the valve stem. Click here to order.
Trivia
Grapes will light on fire in the microwave. In 2011, a video of a physicist at the University of Sydney went viral after he placed a grape in the microwave and filmed the fiery aftermath. Scientists couldn’t explain the phenomenon until recently. A March 2019 study said that the fireball occurs as a result of the loose electrons and ions that cluster to form plasma when grapes get hot.
Where is the toilet paper capital of the world? Find out in yesterday’s trivia section.
Leave here with a laugh
A heavily pregnant woman hobbles painfully into the hospital with one hand on her back. A nurse comes over to her and asks her what’s wrong, but the woman just shouts, “Shouldn’t! Wouldn’t! Didn’t!” The nurse shakes her head and says, “Sorry, I don’t understand.” The woman screams, “Can’t! Won’t! Don’t!” The nurse is terribly confused and turns to a doctor, who says, “Admit her. She’s having contractions.”
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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Any suggestions on the best place to purchase new tires for my motorhome??
As I read through the Oldest Restaurants in Every state, a thought came over me. What a fabulous time would be had starting at one end of the country and taking in every single one of those places. I wonder if anyone has ever claimed that prize – I’m betting not. Here’s one in the waiting for Guinnes.
Contractions tickled my 72 year old funny bone pretty good. Share-worthy humor. Heh, heh.
Chuck is it alright to share the laugh for the day? I always have one or more granddaughters and/or great granddaughters pregnant.
Please do share it, Don! We get them from all over the place. Stay healthy — sounds like you have lots of kids/grandkids/great-grandkids to enjoy! 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
Not yet, anyway.
The Reader Poll hit me as being very funny today. I was recently working on our toilet and had just finished tightening the bolts. I was testing for leaks and dropped my wrench into the toilet while it was open. I figured it would stay there until it rusted away but was delighted to see it in the end of the hose after about the second cleaning. I’m surprised at the low “No” vote. 😂😂😂
Speaking of turning off the water. If you don’t do it at your home when you leave you may have a really serious mess! A few years ago a homeowner in our area went south for a couple of weeks – the pipe fitting blew off in the upstairs bedroom bath. The mailman noticed a giant ice flow coming from between the 2nd and lst floors. Almost destroyed the house!
I had the kitchen sink fitting come apart one nite while we were home – and happened to hear the water running – investigation found my shop – under the kitchen being rained on from above! No serious damage – but a large mess! We were home – thankfully!
A neighbor down the block went to FL for the winter – they have hot water heat! So, the water couldn’t be shut off! Well the furnace misfired and the house froze up – almost ALL the pipes froze!!!
$75,000. later –
TURN THE WATER OFF AT THE SOURCE AT HOME TOO!
The third choice should have been “not yet”.
Great. You just jinxed and challenged the gods for all of us who answered “no”.
When I do something, I do it right. The only object I dropped down a toilet (at home) was my cell phone.
Good job, Gene! 😆 —Diane at RVtravel.com
The you tube video for ice in the black tank is the one I typically provide to others, who have this question, on the several rv forums I am a member of. It’s just amazing the number of people who believe this myth and swear by it.
I usually wait to clean the windshield when we stop for the day- unless it’s really bad. We drive in warmer weather in the deserts. If I did the trick explained here today the windshield would be a dried up mess before I could get it clean.
Point your windshield to the east, away from the sun, at the end of your day.
I ALWAYS turn off the water if I leave, and also before I go to sleep at night. I’ll use the fresh water tank at night when needed. I just don’t trust supply hoses.
That’s a great idea about turning off the water overnight!!! We keep some water in the fresh tank anyway for traveIing (so we don’t have to use the rest stop bathrooms). I will totally do this now. Thanks!!
I think that’s a great idea. Just last night our toilet failed to stop filling for some reason and this morning I had a floor full of water. It was enough of a flow to fill the black tank and the toilet bowl. But guess what, our motor home is now cleaned and sanitized.
Gad zoooks Batman…. flaming grapes! I recently witnessed a small amount of frozen peas & carrots sparking in our microwave when I was preparing our dogs dinner. I’ll just let them defrost in a bowl on the counter from now on.
Regarding the truckers’ plea in the corona virus section, I agree we should stay off the road and out of the truck stops in this emergency so vital truck supplies can get through, but I resent being told to do so by someone who is hauling ‘ice cream’.
Have a friend who is a trucker. He occasionally mentions what he is hauling. Sometimes it might be “ice cream” and other frozen food such as meat and frozen vegies. Other times it may be a LTL of Cereal, hand tools and house paint.
Keep clear, I NEED that ice cream!
The tip to turn off the water from the spigot when you leave your RV is an EXCELLENT suggestion. Our friends had accidentally knocked the kitchen faucet open slightly before leaving for several hours. What happened???…..They came back to a flooded RV. The grey water tank had filled and the water back filled the sink and then overflowed. There was literally a “stream” of water that exited their RV when they opened the door. It was such a bummer. We helped empty everything from their RV that was soaked and provided extra towels for drying.
Lesson learned for me? No matter what, I turn off the water at the outside spigot. Even if I just take a walk around the campground. I use a Y connection on the spigot in case I want to use a hose, so I just close the valve on the Y connection.
And when boondocking, always turn off the water pump when away from your RV. Turn it off at night too!
When you practice closing the lid on the commode, stuff falling in becomes non existent! Just saying…….
Your article on “Tire Tool” makes me scratch my head. I’m 60+ years old, I’ve never had a valve stem come or get loose. This includes all the tire changes I’ve gotten for all the vehicles of various makes and models I’ve own, including various bicycles. The kit comes with 20 valve stems, all for about nine bucks. I don’t believe for one bit you will ever use or need this and certainly won’t have it in your RV tool box. For those who own this or say it came in handy, you just have bad karma, lol!
Glad to hear you have never had a valve ‘core” leak. A leak of a “core” or TPMS can occur for anyone. Even I had one as shown in this blog post. https://www.rvtiresafety.net/2012/11/why-do-valves-leak.html
They can leak from being loose or over-tight or even from overuse or a bit of grit getting in the valve core valve itself as seen in the picture in the post.
I have had to replace 1 valve stem in 35 years of driving at a remote town. For all the space it takes in my toobox I now carry the tool and spare valve stems. I might not need but someone travelling with me might.
Now that you said that, knock on wood. Please update us on this when you need it but didn’t have it.
The internet emoji library needs a groan character. That way we could apply it to the contractions joke.
Thanks for the comment…I was slow on that one…contractions(BIG groan)
An “eye roll” emoji would probably work, Phil. 🙄 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
I always make sure the seat lid is closed after using the bathroom, I’m not a fisherman and know I wouldn’t like fishing in the holding tank. My wife on the other hand doesn’t always adhere to my theory and very seldom closes the lid so every time I go by the bathroom I’m closing the lid.
We came to an agreement after being married for a short time. I would leave the seat up which would really aggravate her and she would always leave the lid up. Our mutual agreement was that we both would put the lid down after using….. has worked for us for the past 54 years.
Same here Ron, and you have us beat by 2 years – Aug 17, 1968 for us.