Issue 2300
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
“More people would learn from their mistakes if they weren’t so busy denying them.” —J. Harold Smith
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Popcorn Day! How about celebrating with pickle popcorn? Or what about delicious Reese’s popcorn (that sounds a little better than pickle popcorn!)? Or what about French toast popcorn seasoning?
On this day in history: 1953 – Almost 72 percent of all television sets in the United States are tuned in to “I Love Lucy” to watch Lucy “give birth.” (She had actually scheduled a C-section at the hospital for the same night this episode aired.)
Tip of the Day
Easy way to check trailer brake light connections
By Dave Helgeson
Checking the brake lights on your travel trailer, fifth wheel, truck camper or tent trailer has been problematic for years. Without a partner to stand behind your RV and tell you if they are working or not meant having to jam something on the vehicle’s floorboard to hold the brake pedal down, then running to the back of your RV to take a look to check your trailer light connections.
Others checked their brake lights’ operation by looking for their reflection in a window, chrome bumper or other reflective surface located behind their RV. With the advent of remote vehicle entry via a key fob, checking your RV’s brake lights these days is as easy as pushing a button.
Ask Dave
Bubbles and loose areas on new RV’s roof membrane, but Grand Design wants to just pull it tight
Hello Dave,
We purchased a brand-new Imagine XLS travel trailer a couple of months ago. While installing a cover I noticed there are pockets along the edge where it meets the front cap, along both sides. There are wrinkles at every seam that are continuous from one side to the other. The air pockets in the front are close to 3 inches wide. Bubbles on the sides are close to 2 inches in width. Grand Design is recommending the dealer pull the membrane tight, without any adhesive, then replace the transition pieces. I looked around at other RVs in the lot and no one else has any bubbles. —Carlos, 2024 Grand Design Imagine XLS
Are you handy? So is this bucket organizer!
This “Bucket Boss” will change the way you work! Use this well-organized bucket insert as a toolbox (and never lose anything again), for your car and RV parts, for garden tools, and even for keeping gadgets organized. It couldn’t make things easier! We’re guessing that everyone who sees you using this will want one too! Learn more or order.
In the RV Shop with Dustin
Not maintaining your slide out seals could cost you big
Your slide out seals are pieces of rubber that surround the edges of the slide. They create a suction seal around the slides when they are pulled in, which prevents debris and the elements from entering your RV. They also protect the walls around the slide out. In this example, the slide out sealant is separating from the wall. If the unit is left this way, over time this allows water to absorb into the wall above the slide out.
DON’T MISS ANY RV REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE ARTICLES! Every Tuesday we issue a free weekly email digest of all our articles from the past week on the subject. Sign up here for RV Repair and Maintenance Tips (and check out all our other reports and newsletters).
Video of the day
How to save money on gas: Budget-saving tips for RVers
By Cheri Sicard
In the video below we join Carol from Glorious Life on Wheels for tips on how to save money on fuel. To be sure, gas or diesel represent some of the biggest ongoing expenses facing today’s RVers, but Carol says you can save thousands of dollars by implementing these tips.
Reader asks: Fuse is popping. How do I find the short?
By Dustin Simpson
Recently, our RV repair shop received the below email from Lee, an RVtravel.com reader, regarding the 30-amp fuse that keeps popping: “We have a 2021 F-350 towing a 2018 Reflection 337RLS. The problem is that somewhere there is a short. I don’t know if it’s in the trailer or the truck. …” Read the rest of the question and watch the video here.
You may have missed these recent popular stories…
- New and improved Dump Buddy is a must-have gadget for RV dumping
- No crowding, but high gas prices, poor RV and tow-vehicle quality, and ‘sketchy service centers’ among RVers’ greatest concerns
- Dealership totals new RV during delivery, offers new RV but ‘disgruntled’ electrician apparently intentionally miswires it
- In defense of the RV shut-off valve: A $15 plumbing mod you shouldn’t live without
Reader poll
Have you ever ordered groceries to be delivered to your RV campsite?
Don’t struggle to get in or out of your car!
Easily get in and out of your car with these car door handle assist supports. The ergonomic design is comfortable and is suited for almost all U-shaped latch cars and will ease any worries of falling. They’re made of high-quality steel and are anti-rust and anti-corrosion. Each handle holds up to 400 lbs. Learn more about these here, and never struggle to get in or out of the car again!
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
On this day last year…
- Ask Dave: Five short Q&As with Dave
- Video: How to make a campfire in the rain
- Featured article: Hubby wants to buy new RV; wife wants used. What’s an RVer to do?
Website of the day
Instacart
This website takes inspiration from today’s poll. Get all your groceries delivered right to your RV’s door (and much more than groceries, too!). Costco, Walgreens, Petco, Lowe’s, Michaels, 7-11… you name it! It can all be delivered to you via Instacart.
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
Pop, pop, pop! You’ll see why we like this one—it’s space-saving, which is perfect for RVers. Plus, it works great (we know from experience)!
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.
• RV LIFE Trip Wizard: Make your RV road trip planning easier than ever.
LIKE GADGETS? Read yesterday’s brand-new Great RV Accessories Newsletter. If you like gadgets, you’ll love this newsletter!
Recipe of the Day
The Best Chicken Pot Pie
by Gail Herbest from Bangor, ME
This is a classic homemade chicken pot pie recipe. The best part is it’s fairly easy to make (but no one needs to know that). Inside the flaky crust is a creamy filling that’s filled with chunks of chicken and veggies. The ultimate comfort food. A great meal to serve on a busy school night.
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Trivia
Despite horses being introduced to the Americas by Spanish explorers, horses were actually being reintroduced to the Americas. The oldest fossils of horses were found in the Wind River Basin in Wyoming. So why did they disappear in the first place? Nobody knows (well, they have some guesses). But if the Spanish hadn’t reintroduced us to one of our own species of horses, there may not be as many horses as we have today. (There are currently 9.2 million horses under human care in the U.S. and an additional 33,000 wild horses.)
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Ryder (Maltipoo) is a great traveler as he curls up in our lap and sleeps until the vehicle stops.” —Ralph Burns
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.
Say goodbye to rodents with Tomcat Rodent Repellent
The Camping Loop uses Tomcat Rodent Repellent spray to keep rodents away from his RV. Made with ingredients like cinnamon, peppermint, and garlic oils, it is safe around kids and pets while repelling rodents. Use it on the RV frame, the outside electrical connections, around (but not on) the tires, etc. As it lasts about 9 months, Tomcat Rodent Repellent provides another form of cheap insurance against a mouse infestation. Watch the video and learn even more ways to keep rodents out of your RV.
Leave here with a laugh
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Contact information
Editor: Emily Woodbury
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Editorial (all but news): editor@rvtravel.com
Editorial (news): chuck@rvtravel.com
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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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RV Travel has continued to give bad advise on “Brighten your taillights”. Steel wool is the worse thing to use to clean most electrical devices and should never be used due to small steel fibers can break off and cause a short! It is far better to use Scotch Brite (I prefer the green pads) contact cleaner such as Deoxit or CRC contact cleaner, and a very light coating of contact grease. If I have a tight area to clean I will cut a piece of Scotch Brite and hold it with a thin pair of needle nose pliers or tweezers.
This is what happens when journalists start typing before researching what they write. Researching is so easy with the computer age.
Bob P, you are naive to believe that researching is easier in the computer age. Researching could in theory be easier with the computer age, but it is actually harder than ever because so many legitimate-looking resources (websites, etc) are, in fact, filled with misinformation, increasingly written by no-nothing content creators and artificial intelligence. And who is Joe to say we are giving bad advice? What are his credentials?
Try touching a 9 volt battery to steel wool. It’s a great fire starter.
As a former Aviation Electronics Technician in the US NAVY, with a 37 year private sector career in industrial electronics, and a life-long electronics DIY’er (home, automotive, hobbies, etc…), I have used steel wool to clean electrical contacts countless times (including vehicle lighting). I have NEVER experienced a problem. That said; Joe’s comment is valid in regards to circuit boards and micro-electronic components (non-residue spray contact cleaners are best used here). I totally agree with Chuck regarding misinformation on the internet. The baffoons on YouTube are an endless source of entertainment.
Bob P. your comment was uncalled for, and insulting to Chuck and his staff.
Thank you, Sven.🤗 Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Chuck, I have 40+ years in the electrical department, power production industry. Many moons ago an electrician cleaned the pins on a 6 pin Amphenol connector with steel wool. When he closed the isolation links to the circuit it simulated a closed circuit on two of the pins causing a ripple effect that just about tripped one of the generators, if it wasn’t for a fast thinking operator we would have lost close to 700 megawatts. As it was we were at half load for a few hours costing loss of revenue. Sorry to ruffle your feathers but I still stand by my statement that steel wool is not the preferred method to clean electrical connections, especially newer vehicles with sensitive electronic
The steel wool seems to have struck a nerve. What does Mike say.
Re: Joe’s credentials .. Common sense, maybe?
Joe: Any minute particles or strands of steel wool, which short, will be short lived when current is applied. Take a 9 volt batt and connect the points with a wade of steel wool and see what happens to it! Don’t hold it in your hands!!! I’ve used it for years 0000 fine wool and haven’t shorted anything yet!
Love the joke of the day. I can relate.
I’ve learned so much from my mistakes, I thinking of making few more!
Joke of the day. LOL!!!
I have three senior, bachelor brother-in-laws.
A similar scenario plays out multiple times daily in their home.
research needs to be done the old fashion way by contacting actual people who know more than you about the subject and can be confirmed as experts in their fields, not by anything on the internet, internet.is mostly hearsay and. opinions.
In my opinion… I tend to disagree. I find the Internet to be a great source of information. One must just use common sense and research thoroughly. Even a factory trained professional or two, may not be or have the best solution in every case.
Thank you, Emily and Diane! 🙂 Ryder is adorable. The joke evoked a broad grin. 🙂