Issue 1905
Welcome to RV Travel’s Daily Tips Newsletter, where you’ll find helpful RV-related tips from the pros, travel advice, product reviews and more. Thanks for joining us. Please tell your friends about us.
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Page Contents
Today’s thought
“Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National I Love Horses Day!
On this day in history: 1916 – In Seattle, Washington, William Boeing and George Conrad Westervelt incorporate Pacific Aero Products (later renamed Boeing).
Tip of the Day
Clever ways to store pet food bowls in an RV
By Gail Marsh
Crunch! Crunch! That’s the sound of your shoe pulverizing a piece of your dog’s crunchy nuggets (or whatever dog food your “good boy” eats). The squeak, squeak noise? What you hear after you’ve stepped in water that’s dripped from your pet’s water bowl. Got pets? Then you’ve probably grimaced every time you hear these unmistakable sounds. If you travel with fur buddies, you’ve probably dealt with the spilled kibble and the water drips on your RV’s floor more than once. But no more! (The mess, I mean.)
Read on to discover where to store pet food bowls that work in most RVs.
Today’s RV review…
The Keystone Bullet 312BHS is a problem solver
Tony writes, “I like this floor plan quite a bit. It fits into a lot of different use-case scenarios and does it pretty well. I also like seeing Bullet—and any brand of RV, really—continually make their product more useful and better. As mentioned, there are a number of very usable improvements I see in this brand since the short time ago that I was selling RVs.”
For previous RV reviews, click here.
CONTEST! Is this your RV?
Win a $25 Amazon gift certificate if today’s RV photo shows your rig
Every day we post a photo of an RV either submitted by its owner or by our editors as they move about the country.
Click here to see if your RV made it into today’s issue.
Ask Dave
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and author of the “RV Handbook.”
My RV’s black water flush valve doesn’t work! Why not?
Dear Dave,
My RV’s black water clean-out valve has quit allowing water to go into the tank. Why doesn’t it work? —Ronald, 2002 Newmar Mountain Aire
How far can you drive with the low fuel light on? Find out.
When was the last time that dreaded low fuel light came on in your car? Uh-oh. Nobody likes seeing that orange glow, especially if you’re out in the middle of the boonies – no gas station in sight. It can be pretty scary. And if you’ve run out of gas before and been stranded, we imagine seeing it again might be even scarier for you. (Although, we hope you learned your lesson the first time.) Read more.
NEW! Video of the day
What to look for when buying a used RV: 5 common flaws
Are you planning on buying a used RV? Then you must see this video! I love Josh the RV Nerd’s entertaining but informative presentation. He packs a lot of good practical information in this 12 minutes that should be required viewing for anyone shopping for a used RV. Especially RV newbies, although even more experienced RVers are bound to pick up some tidbits.
Josh breaks it down to five simple areas that you should ALWAYS inspect closely when considering buying a used RV.
You may have missed these recent popular stories…
- Reserved but empty campsites: The campground’s side of the story
- RV inventories up, prices dropping. Trouble for dealers?
- KOA direction is ‘luxury and rustic camping’—Really?
- Ask Dave: My holding tank gauges never work. Is there another option?
Reader poll
Which two natural disasters do you fear most?
If you enjoy this newsletter, please help us spread the word! Learn more here. It’s fun!
?????? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??????
By far the best tow vehicle we’ve ever seen. You’ll agree. BY FAR the best (not to mention the most unique)!
Quick Tip
Dirty contacts? DeoxIT!
Several readers picked up on a discussion of cleaning shore power connectors. This led to a product that could have a number of uses for RV do-it-yourselfers. Called DeoxIT, here are comments from our electrical specialist, Mike Sokol: “I’ve used DeoxIT for decades on my pro-sound gear. We use it on speaker connectors, power connectors such as cam-lok and twist-lock plugs (just like RV power), volume controls, gold-plated circuit boards (like in RV refrigerator control boards), etc. There are several different versions of DeoxIT depending on if you want built-in lubricant for potentiometers, or gold contact refurbishing or simply oxidation removal.” Thanks, Mike, for the lead. Here’s a page from Amazon that’s a great jumping off point for more information.
On this day last year…
- RV Review: Thor Sanctuary 19P 4X4 Class B Van
- Featured article: What you didn’t know about RV tire pressure
- Recipe: Caprese Chicken Stacker With Reduced Balsamic
Website of the day
Your State’s Best Sushi Joint
Mmm… sushi. (If you don’t like sushi, you’re missing out!) Here’s the best sushi in every state, according to loveFOOD.
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.
• 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.
• Road Trip Wizard: Make your RV road trip planning easier than ever.
Recipe of the Day
Blackened Tilapia Baja Tacos
by Lynette from FL
If you like fish tacos with a little kick you will love these! The blackened seasoning on the tilapia is great. But the sour cream/jalapeno sauce on top is fabulous and makes the taco. The sour cream is what holds the fresh sauce together. Even if you’re not a fan of fish, we suggest trying these fish tacos. The tilapia has a very mild flavor. Delish!
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Trivia
Ladies, it’s time we give the men a break. Well, the men of the mosquito world, that is. Did you know that only female mosquitoes bite and suck your blood? Males feed exclusively on nectar, much like a bee or hummingbird.
*The only building on the National Historic Landmark Registry outside of the U.S. is located in… ?? Find the answer in yesterday’s trivia.
Readers’ Pets of the Day
“Boo and Sophie, a Pomeranian and a Boxer, are always waiting at the rear of our trailer as we eat a meal. This time, they decided to quietly share a bed while watching for our meal to end.” —Betty Burke
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. No blurry photos, please! Please do not submit your photo more than once. Thanks!
Leave here with a laugh
Thanks to our reader Glenda Gay Alexander for sending this to us. Glenda wrote, “I took this photo while on vacation in Kentucky.” This is hilarious! It reads, “This is NOT junk. IT RUNS!”
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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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The dog pic reminds me of my lady bug she is a pom chi. The black one looks like a pom chi and boy do they have attitude. Especially mine.
Ok, OK 3 pages of Deoxit for any purpose you can think of. Just give me one for cleaning and maintaining the contacts/spade contacts on the end of my RV shore power cord.
You need DeoxIT D5 for your application.
Thank you, Mike. Now go to bed. 😆 –Diane
Love the dogs. Great picture.
After reading the sushi has to refrigerated for 30? Hours at low temperatures to kill off parasites, I think I’ll let others eat raw (bait) fish. I,ll stick with fried fish.
It ain’t bait. Smh.
Breaking News: A cure has been found for sushi……..fire!!!!!
To continue: (See following post lst!) I have been having my engine oil analyzed in November annually for 5 years at Blackstone labs. (Excellent service and analysis.). Their advice on starting during storage was limited except to say if doing so, the oil temp. must be brought to operating temp – not the coolant temp only! I also have an oil temp gauge installed and at ambient air temp of about 0 deg f., it takes about 30-45 minutes at idle to bring the oil up to temp.
Never poo-poo oil analysis – ($25.00 a yr.!) it could save you big time! I would appreciate any knowledgeable comments!
I didn’t get a timely opportunity to thank you for yesterday’s very informative newsletter on engine and transmission maintenance. Excellent articles! I have installed an engine pre-oiler system on my GM 454. I pressurize the oil system to 35 to 45 lbs prior to cranking. This primarily pre-lubs and takes the slack out of the timing chain as well as other critical engine parts.
I know there is still controversy on starting and warming an engine during storage periods. The pre-lub helps a lot with that discussion of oil draining out of the galleys etc..
In response to why your black tank rinse quit. Ours did and it was the backflow valve failed. Real pain replacing it.
The quote from Mark Twain is incorrect. Close tho…..
I agree with Mike about DeOxit. I worked in electronics most of my life. We used about every type and brand of cleaners. DeOxit is the only one that worked and lasted. It dries and does not attract dirt and dust, but leaves a protective coating on the contacts.
Also, plastic and rubber safe. I use the DeOxit D5. It’s not cheap, but a little goes a long way.
There have been comments about using dielectric grease. Dielectric grease is an insulator to prevent arcing and moisture infiltration on high voltage applications.
The article on running out of fuel read like it was written by the AI contributor.
Sushi: not a single “southern fried“ place on the list. Disappointed.
Which may explain why the Japanese tend to live well into their 90’s,. and many Southern states are lucky to hit 75. (And I do love some good Southern cooking, but you know what they say about ‘to much of a good thing’.)
Do the have ‘Southern Fried Sushi “. Seems like a contradiction in terms.