Issue 1357
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 simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.”―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Best Friends Day!
Did you see the news? Click here to read the latest issue of the Sunday News for RVers.
Tip of the Day
Take good care of that RV fridge!
By Greg Illes
Most RVs have what are known as gas-absorption refrigerators. This is a meaningless term to all but the most technical, and it doesn’t matter anyway. All you want is for your fridge to hold the correct temperatures, right? Well, you can do a lot to help out here. Continue reading.
Do you have a tip? Submit it here.
RV Electricity – This week’s J.A.M. (Just Ask Mike) Session:
Beware of “electricity-saving” and other scams. Here are some “bogus finder” rules from Mike Sokol on how to separate out ads for beneficial products from the (sometimes) scams which are auto-inserted into articles.
• Join Mike’s Facebook group, RV Electricity.
• Read more of Mike’s articles here.
Sewer hose 101: The good, the bad, the ugly
Okay, it’s sewer hose 101 education time. Here are three RV sewer hoses spotted at RV parks. Our panel of sewer hose experts commented on each setup. Continue reading to see.
Reader poll
Are you, by nature, a hugging kind of person?
Please tell us 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.
• DIRECTORY OF RV PARKS WITH STORM SHELTERS.
Windshield wipers for big RVs
Good luck finding windshield wipers for your large motorhome at Walmart or chain auto parts stores. With spring rains in full force, now is a good time to replace them for the rest of the season and your summer travels. Check out blades for large windshields here. For all other vehicles, click here.
Quick Tip
Brighten your taillights
Taillights can get dim from dirty contacts. Make sure there’s no power to the taillights, then pull the bulbs. Use steel wool to clean bulb contacts and base; do the same for the contacts and base of the taillight fixture.
Random RV thought
Keep walkie-talkies with you at the campsite. Once you start using them, you’ll be amazed at how handy they are. Plus, if you’re going for a walk at night in the dark, you’ll feel comfortable knowing you’re a button away from your loved one(s) back at the RV (it is bear season, after all).
Website of the day
RV parks for handicapped RVers
Here’s a list of RV parks in a dozen states that go out of their way to accommodate physically challenged RVers.
Tiny LED button lamp perfect for RV’s small, dark spaces
This 6-pack of tiny, battery-powered LED “Button Lamps” is just what you need for your RV’s closets and storage spaces. The tiny lamp is ultra-bright and has all the power of a normal-sized lamp. Backed with a strong adhesive, these little lamps will stick to any surface. They’re waterproof and good to have in case of an emergency. Learn more or order.
Popular articles you may have missed at RVtravel.com
• RV Shrink: Dealing with a nosy campground neighbor.
• Will “rubber band barriers” save you from death or injury?
• Lemon law attorney: “Don’t buy a new RV!”
#916F
Trivia
Tic Tac mints are named after the sound the container makes when being opened and mints are dispensed.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“This is my favorite camping photo with my pets. Sadly Jinx the cat passed in 2018 and the golden, Biscuit, passed last year. Our black lab, Holly, though, has a new camping companion, Ruby, a Rotti mix. We have 3 cats as well, but they don’t get to camp with us – though 5 animals, 2 humans, one 27 ft. camper is our hurricane evacuation plan.” — Carissa Miller
Send us a photo of your pet with a short description. We publish one each weekday in RV Daily Tips and in our Saturday RV Travel newsletter.
Pan liners protect kitchenware while driving
These 9 pot protectors come in three sizes and are perfect for placing between pots, pans, plates and bowls while driving down the road. Nobody likes arriving at the campsite to find broken or scratched kitchenware! Learn more or order.
Leave here with a laugh
Thanks to Tom H.
Today’s Daily Deals at Amazon.com
Best-selling RV products and Accessories at Amazon.com. UPDATED HOURLY!
Our Facebook and RVillage Groups: RV Horror Stories • RV Advice • RV Electricity • RV Parks with Storm Shelters • RV Buying Advice • Northwest RV Camping • Southwest RV Camping • Free Campgrounds • Budget RV Travel • RV Videos • RV Coronavirus News • 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.
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RV Daily Tips Staff
Editor and Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Managing editor: Emily Woodbury. Senior editor: Diane McGovern. Social media 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.
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This newsletter is copyright 2020 by RVtravel.com
Wiper blades? You guys still use wiper blade? Well I do too, but rarely. I clean the windows real good with steel wool and a razor blade. Then add two coats of Rain-X. Any speed above 40 mph and the water just dissipates right off the windows. Wipers are rarely needed……especially at night. You also get the use of the full windshield not just where the wipers wipe.
Likewise love RainX… Aquapel lasts longer but costs more per day. There’s another product that lasts a year but costs the most per day.
But, I would be very careful using metal on your glass as it can scrape. Better to use windex, plastic rescue scrub pad and magic eraser… then RainX every few weeks to months.
I figured walkie talkies was a thing of the past with everyone carrying a cell phone.
Not really. We travel extensively in the West, many miles off the interstate. Cell service is not available n many locations.
We use them when backing the trailer.
I have four of them. Very useful at the campground. While maneuvering. Also while driving with a group,each driver has one and we keep in touch when stops are needed,etc.
Using any type of fine metal such as steel wool In a light socket could be recipe for blown fuses or worse, using it on the bulb alone is OK as long as it is cleaned really good. If the socket and contact is really tarnished I suggest a contact cleaner board (they look like a nail filing board) that is made to burnish electrical contacts. The board can be bent and using a pair of needle nose pliers one can clean the contacts then use A spray contact cleaner to give a good cleaning followed up with DeOx or bulb grease.
Using steel wool is a no-no, but sticking your needle nose pliers in is OK? And people, do not use any dust attracting grease in a filament bulb light socket. The bulb will get really hot and ‘cook’ the grease in there for good.
The article about the easy cable connector caught my eye. Their cable with the handle grips to twist the connector to the cable hookup is 25′ long and cost $29.99 and 50′ is $38.99. Just the grips alone were $18.99. I use PUSH ON connectors on my coax cables which costs $6.97 for a 4 pack. Takes 2 seconds to hook them up.
Check them out here:
https://www.amazon.com/CIMPLE-CO-Coaxial-Connector-Corners/dp/B06XGWWXPW
We took care of our fridge as best as we could but it still croaked after 5 years (just after the warranty expired of course). Spent last winter pulling its guts out and converting it to dc electric. No more worrying about a gas flame burning in a wooden box or having to turn it off in gas stations.
RE: The wiper blades from Amazon. Several years ago I tried their Motium brand and couldn’t be happier. Streaky, bouncy, wipers are annoying, so I always change them when one starts to give up. I’ve used Rain-X, Trico, Michelin, all the good brands, and always beam style. Then years ago I tried the Motiums. They cost half as much and just seem to last forever, much longer than the familiar premiums brands. Did I mention they cost half as much? Less than $20/pair.
I ordered $2 beam-type wipers from AE (Wuhan) last year on a whim …and they work great at 1/10th the Anco Bosch etc prices.
Would like a contact that works for Greg Illes please….have refrigerator question.
Hi, Sarah. I’ve sent an email to Greg with your request. 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
Sarah, please ask your question here and I’ll do my best…
I disagree with the advice to use steel wool to clean electrical contacts. Use copper mesh instead. Also, after scrubbing them be sure to wipe clean to remove any loose particles and then add DeOx to prevent future problems. Ask Mike what he thinks!