Issue 2123
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.
Today’s thought
“You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.” —John Lydgate (English monk and poet, ca. 1370-1449)
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Cherry Cobbler Day!
On this day in history: 1900 – The children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum, is first published in the United States. The first copy is given to the author’s sister.
Tip of the Day
Make your RV door(s) so much better
By Gail Marsh
It’s one of the most often used parts on your RV. Your entry door(s), that is. There are many ways to make your RV door work better for you. Check out these RV entry/exit door tips and hints.
RVers who travel with small children often wonder: What if the toddler opens the RV door and falls down the steps? What if one of the children opens the door and the dog escapes? These problems can easily be solved by installing an additional door latch.
The challenge with adding a latch is that most RV doorframes are quite narrow. Too narrow, in fact, to accommodate a deadbolt or many other locks. We’ve made our RV door better by adding a sash lock to the door and frame. A sash lock is normally used to secure double-hung windows. This lock is perfect for RV doors because it only requires two small screws for each of the two components.
Ask Dave
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and author of the “RV Handbook.”
My RV’s water pump is noisy. What can I do?
Dear Dave,
My RV’s water pump was very noisy so I replaced it with a Quiet Pump, with no change. I still have the water hummer noise. What do you suggest? —Donald, 2019 Greyhawk
In the RV shop with Dustin
How to identify your RV roof vent lid hinge style
Did you know that there are five different RV vent lid styles? The main difference among all of them is how they hinge on the vent base. To better help yourself or your local repair shop, make sure you either remove the vent lid and bring it in, or take a side and back view picture so it’s easier to match it up for you.
Video of the day
You’re using your RV power awning wrong!
By Cheri Sicard
Josh the RV Nerd, one of our reader’s favorite RV YouTube channels, says that if you have an RV built after 2011, chances are good you have a power awning. And chances are even better that you are using it incorrectly.
Josh says not a lot of people know this and that even RV dealers don’t know it, but in the video below, he is going to let us in on a secret.
The story of Airstream, NASA and the space program’s Mobile Quarantine Facility
What do NASA, Airstream, astronauts, the Extra-Terrestrial Exposure Law and a Mobile Quarantine Facility have in common? A totally cool Airstream-designed facility that was built to prevent the spread of scary moon bacteria and pathogens! But there’s much more to it than that. Read more.
Reader poll
Do you routinely salt your food when eating?
Helpful resources
• NATIONAL TRAFFIC AND ROAD CLOSURE INFORMATION
• ROAD AND TRAFFIC CONDITIONS ACROSS THE NATION
• WEATHER ALERTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
• LATEST RV RECALLS
• DIRECTORY OF RV PARKS WITH STORM SHELTERS
• THE BEST RV TRIP PLANNER APPS AND TOOLS
Did you buy a lemon RV? Here’s more about RV lemons and lawyers who will represent you if you need help.
Quick Tip
Organize your fridge for safety and ease of use
Clear plastic bins are great for organizing the food in your refrigerator. They not only prevent items from falling out when you open the fridge door after a bumpy trip, but also they’re easy to pull forward to get into stuff in the rear, instead of moving items out of the way individually.
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
Don’t you love when we help you clean your RV? Well, when we suggest things like this we sort of are!
On this day last year…
- Tip: 29 ways to use baking soda while RVing
- RV Review: 2022 Heartland Torque T285 Toy Hauler
- Ask Dave: My RV’s fridge won’t turn on when using battery power. Why?
- Featured article: Cargo trailer RV conversions: What spurs the trend?
- Recipe: Grilled Chicken a L’Orange
Website of the day
40 of the Most Colorful Places to Visit in the United States
It’s the time of year when we crave color… enough of those winter browns and grays already! Here are 40 places to get your color fix.
Popular articles you may have missed at RVtravel.com
- RV prospector: How to file a mining claim (plus a surprising boondocking benefit)
- Springtime RVing in the Los Padres National Forest: The hills are alive!
- RV design makes mice infestation easy
Recipe of the Day
BBQ Asparagus With Parmesan and Lemon Zest
by Brad Nichols from Pleasantville, NY
This is a seriously easy way to cook asparagus while outdoor grilling. No dishes, no fuss, and everything is in a simple disposable pouch. We loved the citrus tang the lemon gives the asparagus. We used lemon zest and a little juice – it gave such a fresh flavor. Parmesan cheese adds some saltiness (so you may not need extra salt). The pouch steamed the asparagus perfectly on the grill. If you follow Brad’s cooking time, the asparagus will be cooked but have a slight crisp. If you like soft asparagus, we suggest adding a few minutes onto the cooking time.
Trivia
If you have prosopagnosia, you are unable to recognize familiar faces. It’s sadly true. People who suffer from this neurological condition are “face blind” and cannot process or distinguish differences between faces they see or interact with. There is no treatment for this disorder. Actor Brad Pitt reports he suffers from prosopagnosia.
*What (and where) is the richest neighborhood in the U.S.? Yesterday’s trivia tells you, and Wow!
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Our Cinnamon crossed the rainbow bridge two years ago. We miss her every day. Here she’s showing her displeasure at not getting immediate human attention.” —Bonnie Hanely
Send us a photo of your pet with a short description. We publish one each weekday in RV Daily Tips and in our Sunday RV Travel newsletter. No blurry photos, please! Please do not submit your photo more than once. Thanks!
Don’t take a break on your brakes!
Every RVer needs one of these!
Wonder what it would be like to have your brakes go out while you’re going down a long, steep grade? You might find out if your brake fluid is moisture-contaminated. Water in brake fluid boils and can wipe out your braking ability! Buy yourself a brake-fluid tester for about $10 that warns you if there’s too much water in your fluid. Simply dip the tester into your rig’s brake fluid and you’ll be able to see where you stand. Learn more or order.
Leave here with a laugh
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Contact information
Editor: Emily Woodbury
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Help desk: Contact us.
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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Thanks for sharing your picture and words about Cinnamon. Our fur child, Bella, also enjoyed the RV travel life. Bella crossed over Nov. 2021.
Cinnamon has not crossed the Rainbow Bridge yet; she’s waiting there for you.
That’s sweet. Thank you, Michael.🤗 Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
I see a problem with using the mystery item in an rv fridge. Being waterproof also means no air can flow through. An rv fridge works best if air is allowed to circulate all around.
I was thinking the same thing! Though we use a fan in ours & it does a great job of circulating air!
Same concerns here plus the article on plastic bins in fridge! In order for the fridge to work most efficiently, it must have great circulation. We use a fan, as well!
Love the Leave here with a laugh. The person that came up with that must have been staying near us !
RE: today’s Mystery Product (refrigerator mats) … Ikea sells very similar material in roll lengths as shelf liner. Great stuff. We have used it for cupboards & drawers in our house and in all our RVs. Coming in rolls, it can be cut to custom fit spaces. The only downside about the durability of the material is it is equally difficult to deliberately cut. I place a board under the material, use a carpenter’s sheet rock square above, and after careful measurements, cut with a very sharp retractable box cutter using the square’s edge as a guide. Oh and warming the material with a hair dryer helps flatten it.