Issue 2143
Welcome to RV Travel’s Daily Tips Newsletter, where you’ll find helpful RV-related tips from the pros, travel advice, RV videos, product reviews and more. Please tell your friends about us.
Today’s thought
“Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is the United States Army Birthday! It is also America’s Flag Day.
On this day in history: 1959 – Disneyland Monorail System, the first daily operating monorail system in the Western Hemisphere, opens to the public in Anaheim, California.
Tip of the Day
Paperwork organization: Keep your owner’s manuals, receipts, warranties in check
By Nanci Dixon
Papers in the RV piling up? Corral those owners’ manuals, receipts, and warranties. There is an easy way for paperwork organization! We have been collecting receipts and owner manuals for the last six years in our motorhome. They were bulging out of a bag that came with the RV. Not only had the information outgrown the rather cute Tiffin bag, but it had become totally disorganized and very hard to move. There were even bungee cords to keep it shut!
I was over it. I dreaded having to search for any papers and found this simple, easy-to-access and organize file tote.
Ask Dave
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and author of the “RV Handbook.”
How do I get rid of mold in and around my RV’s toilet?
Dear Dave,
Our RV toilet has been getting a black substance below the water line. When we flush, the water has a black tint to it. Then, within a few hours, the mold-like substance seems to grow on the surface of the flush ball and the china bowl below the water line. It brushes off easily but comes right back. It’s only happening in the toilet, not in any of the sinks or shower. Has anyone else ever heard of such a thing, and how did they get rid of it? —Roger, 2006 Montana 2955RL
Quit struggling with hose and cable hookups at the campsite
Are you tired of struggling to hook up your coax cables, water hoses and other connections when you arrive at your campsite? It’s a snap with Cable and Hose Grips from J Wright Concepts. Save time and frustration! Life is too short to hassle with the little stuff! Learn more or order.
In the RV shop with Dustin
RV slide-outs: Important tips and maintenance
In this RV slide-out tips and maintenance video, we’ll show you how to keep your RV slide-out in good condition. From cleaning to inspecting to fixing, we’ll cover everything you need to know to keep your slide-out working as it should.
Video of the day
Gas vs. Diesel: What’s best for a Class A motorhome?
By Cheri Sicard
When it comes to Class A motorhomes, the question of gas versus diesel comes up frequently. In fact, expert Matt, of Matt’s RV Reviews (one of our readers’ FAVORITE RV YouTube channels) says this is a question he fields constantly. So he made the invaluable video below so people understand the differences between the two, plus the pros and cons of each.
Are “nomad nannies” a good idea? Are they legal? Safe?
By Gail Marsh
There’s been an interesting conversation on one of the RV blogs I follow about “nomad nannies.” Newbies to the world of RVing have been wondering about the possibility of special services, specifically childcare. It began with a gal kicking around the possibility of becoming a nanny (offering her childcare services) to fellow RVers. Continue reading about this interesting concept.
Reader poll
Have you ever ridden a horse?
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
Mystery holding tank smells?
Got a stinky RV and can’t seem to locate the responsible party? Sometimes the “air admittance valve” that prevents a vacuum from forming when you run water down the sink or shower stall goes “gunnybag” and allows gray water tank smells to come back into the coach. Look for these little valves under your sink. They’re a cheap replacement item from hardware stores like Home Depot. As you can see from the picture, they simply unscrew from the plumbing system with a standard “righty-tighty, lefty-loosey” twist.
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
Do you remember this? If not, this will certainly help you remember this! And many other things, too! Wait… what were we talking about?
On this day last year…
- RV Review: Forthcoming Happier Camper HC1 Studio
- Ask Dave: Why is the carpet in my RV’s step well getting wet?
- Featured article: Husband is extroverted, wife introverted. How do they differ at the campsite?
- Recipe: Oven Fajita Bake
Website of the day
The Best Hike in Every National Park
If you visit a national park, what’s the ONE hike you should do? Probably the one on this list…
Popular articles you may have missed at RVtravel.com
- RV Gadget: Duxtop portable induction cooktop
- Simple question: Why do tires fail?
- New data reveals who RVers are and why they do it
Recipe of the Day
French Onion Mac and Cheese!!
by Samantha Jacobs from Manchester, NH
This is not the mac and cheese you grew up eating… it’s super rich and decadent. The creamy cheese sauce is a nice mixture of the mild Fontina with the zesty Asiago. Caramelized onions add a wonderful flavor and texture. Topping this, though, with croutons and Gruyere brings this mac and cheese to a whole new level. This is not a recipe you’d make every day, but great for special occasions.
[wbcr_snippet id=”337364″ title=”AHM Video Recipe Widget”]
Trivia
In Syracuse, New York, at the intersection of Tompkins Street and Milton Avenue, you’ll find an upside down traffic light. Why? When the first traffic light was installed in 1925, a band of Irish immigrant boys took it upon themselves to put the Irish color (green) over the British color (red). The local alderman allowed for the change, but eventually, the state of New York stepped in and had it reversed to standard conventions. However, by 1928 the light was reversed again and still, to this day, remains upside down.
*What do McDonald’s and the military have in common? Yesterday’s trivia tells you.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Frodo is my best friend and travel companion going on eight years of full-time RVing. I got him from a pound 11 years ago and they said he was 10 then… But I can’t prove he is really 21! He has a collapsed trachea, heart and kidney problems but he soldiers on!” —Janette Steele
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!
• RVing with Dogs group on Facebook. You’ll love it.
SAVE MONEY!
Don’t toss away good batteries!
Most RVers rely on battery-powered devices — flashlights, radios or cameras. But sometimes we can’t tell how much life a battery has LEFT so we toss it. This inexpensive tester will alert you in an instant to a battery’s condition, saving you money from tossing ones with plenty of remaining life! Works on AA, AAA, C, D, 9V and button-type batteries. Learn more or order.
Leave here with a laugh
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Contact information
Editor: Emily Woodbury
CONTACT US
Editorial (all but news): editor@rvtravel.com
Editorial (news): chuck@rvtravel.com
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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“Wrap foil around your door knob ” is another one of those foolish postings that has absolutely nothing to do with what is posted. After looking at over seventy ” next” buttons all postings became nothing but commercials for products that they are trying to sell the viewer. AT NO TIME IS THE DOOR KNOB OR FOIL DISCUSSED. WHY IS THIS ALLOWED ?
Click bait. If no one ever clicked on that stuff maybe it would go away. Google and the others that do that stuff don’t care about you or your time…they just count clicks so they can tell their advertisers about internet traffic to their ads.
It’s not RVTravel doing it.
These are auto inserted ads by Google. RVTravel has no control over them. Just click bait. Learn to avoid them.
AdBlock Plus – free; see very few ads on this or any sites
Or uBlock Origin ad blocker.
Sorry, Tom. Those are auto-inserted by Google, and we can’t control what they drop in. Please just try to ignore them, or, as some readers have mentioned, get an ad blocker. Take care. 🙂 –Diane at RVtravel.com
From a Plumber. Usually worth what you pay for it. Plumbing supplies at big box stores are cheaper versions of standard plumbing supply house materials. Go to an actual plumbing supply house for plumbing supplies.
I have to agree with you. The big box stores sell lower end supplies to keep the cost down.
I am not a pro plumber, but learned early to shop at the local plumbing supply house.
Even the big name plumbing brands make homeowners grade and professional grade.
BIG difference. Cost and convenience is what drives most people to the BB stores thinking it’s the same.
I have the good fortune of having a plumbing supply right down the road. Many miles closer than the big box stores. The prices aren’t far off from the big box store. They have always had what I needed
around here if you’re not a contractor, you can’t go to a wholesaler. And same name brands as big box when it comes to pvc pex and fittings for same
Simon. Have two and play with the grand kids. Always fun to play.
Never owned a horse. Basically have enjoyed trail riding under supervision in Florida, Colorado, Montana, and British Colorado.
About two blocks down the hill from the upside down traffic light is Coleman’s. A great Irish pub and restaurant. FWIW, don’t try to take an RV of any length up to see the traffic light.
The trivia traffic light
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Tompkins+St+%26+Milton+Ave,+Syracuse,+NY+13204/@43.0464546,-76.1855551,3a,75y,332.73h,83.21t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1smPUtKFqDFs5RuK0fQcZ8OA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!4m7!3m6!1s0x89d9f15df4b80695:0xd440bfa604845957!8m2!3d43.0465598!4d-76.1855708!10e5!16s%2Fg%2F11gf0dv8m4?entry=ttu
There’s a much higher quality air admittance valve out there. Here is an example:
https://www.amazon.com/Studor-20349-REDI-VENT-Admittance-Adapter/dp/B00MOOGOAU/ref=asc_df_B00MOOGOAU/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312166004576&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11941495950198082850&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032019&hvtargid=pla-567809607507&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=65805176607&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=312166004576&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11941495950198082850&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032019&hvtargid=pla-567809607507
Considering the plethora of resources available today, why on earth use a source like Jimi Hendrix, who died at age 27 after choking on his own vomit while under the influence of barbiturates, for the thought for the day? Yes, the idea is worth thinking about. But it certainly was not original to him, nor did he practice it in his own life.
Thanks RVTravel for featuring Jimi Hendrix words. You don’t have to be a saint to have your words/thoughts remembered. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone… that pretty much encompasses all of us.
That my dear is an apple head chihuahua. They are prone to heart murmurs and other what ails you. Our dear Kylo Ren passed away 2 years ago from heart failure. When we adopted him about 8 or 9 years ago he was a real devil and loved him to pieces. He was a charmer. But he also came to us with a ticking time bomb. His heart murmur. The vet said most chihuahuas live to about 20. But with a heart murmur you never know when. Ours only made it to 15 before he over the bridge. His brother passed away last year and now his sister of 14 is now at the footsteps of the bridge as well. I now have adopted a pom chi which looks more chi the pom. But she is a character and her other brother as well. So cherish the time you have left with him.