Issue 859 • March 5, 2018
This newsletter is brought to you Monday through Thursday by RVtravel.com and is funded primarily through voluntary subscription contributions from our readers. Thank you!
RVing Tip of the Day
Volunteering for RVers doesn’t just mean camp hosting. Though there are volunteer positions available to students, retirees, and for seasonal needs, RVers who bring their houses with them are top-tier candidates for volunteer positions where local housing may not be available and where there is room to park RVs for the volunteers.
- At Volunteer Match you can enter the area you want to volunteer in and your interests, and the site will try to match you to a position.
- At the Corporation for & Community National Service, a government site, they ask you what interests you and where you would like to volunteer then offer a list of matches.
- At Volunteer.gov the site matches volunteers with available positions.
You can find Bob Difley’s RVing e-books on Amazon Kindle.
Read the most recent tip: Change out that flat tire in no time flat!
Did you miss the latest RV Travel Newsletter? If so, read it here.
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Walmart Locator
Find stores for shopping and overnight stays
This is an invaluable aid for RVers who occasionally spend a night in a Walmart parking lot. State maps identify where the stores are located in the USA. Detailed information includes city or town where each store is located, type of store (Walmart or Supercenter), availability of gas and diesel fuel, distance from Interstate if within 10 miles, and more. Published 2016. Learn more or order.
QUICK TIPS
Got a hot lap from your laptop?
Ever burn your lap with your laptop computer? Here’s a handy do-it-yourself fix. Get a piece of 1/4-inch plexiglass cut to the appropriate size. Glue a chunk of soft foam cushion material on the bottom of the plastic. Computer on top, foam on legs — no burns, no slips.
Have a ground rod if distributing power to other RVsWith electricity expert, Mike Sokol
Portable generators in RVs don’t require ground rods because they’re totally isolated from the earth and create a floating ground system separate from the power grid. However, if you’re distributing power to other RVs, then a ground rod at the generator is required to prevent a short circuit in one RV from creating a hot-skin voltage on all other RVs powered by your generator.
Slow-running kitchen faucet?
RV kitchen sink spout running too slow for your taste? Unscrew the aerator and check the screen for crud. If that doesn’t do the trick you can remove the water-saver fitting.
HOT TOPIC AT RV TRAVEL.COM
Where is your favorite “go to” place for RV accessories?
Easy way to level your RV!
The RVtravel.com motorhome packs along two of these and, boy, are they handy! Camco’s RV Yellow Tri-Levelers are designed to raise the RV up to 3-7/8″ on any tire for a more level position. The lightweight levelers are durable and have a resin non-slip surface with a load capacity of 3,500 pounds. Learn more or order for a great price!
WEBSITES OF THE DAY
Family Days Out
Plan fun and educational adventures with your kids, grandkids, or just for yourself! Enter your state or zip code and see what fun awaits!
Dodge Ram Towing and Payload Capacity
Do you own a Dodge Ram pickup or van? Here, from Dodge, is a rundown of each vehicle’s maximum payload and towing capacity (and more).
51 uses for WD-40 (wow!)
We bet you don’t know about a lot of these! Read about all the things you can do with this magic little can.
Check out the long list of great RVing-related websites from RVtravel.com.
Protect your RV’s slideout
with this rubber seal lubricant
If you don’t take care of your slideout you’re asking for problems including dangerous, costly water damage. This rubber seal lubricant from Thetford prevents fading, cracking and deterioration. It cleans, conditions and shines, keeping seals flexible and protected from sunlight destruction. It is also useful on door seals and window seals. It’s a mineral oil product and also acts as a lubricant. Learn more or order
Installing an inexpensive weather station in your RV
Ray, of LoveYourRV.com, shows you a weather station he purchased in Canada for about $70. He demonstrates how he installed it, and then shows the monitor inside his RV and what it tells him about the weather.
2018 Large Scale Road Atlas now available
This 2018 Rand McNally Large Scale Road Atlas has maps of every U.S. state that are 35% larger than the standard atlas version plus over 350 city inset & national park maps & a comprehensive index. Road construction & conditions contact info is located above maps. Mileage chart shows distances & drive time between 77 North American cities & national parks. Tough spiral binding allows the atlas to lay open easily. Learn more.
MORE QUICK TIPS
Keep your wipers from sticking to the windshield
Camping in frost country? If you try to move your rig early in the morning and find your windshield wipers stuck to the glass, pulling them loose can damage the wiper blade. If you suspect frost or snow is possible, pop a tennis ball under the wiper arm, holding the blade off the glass and out of harm’s way, or check out these handy Wiper Stand-off Wedges.
Trying to get rid of an unwanted (or worn out) RV decal? Use a “vinyl eraser” mounted to your corded electric drill. The rubber disc erases the sticker without damaging the rig’s finish. Search for these on the Internet using the keywords: vinyl eraser, arbor.
Batteries last a long time!
Motion detection nightlights can last a year on a set of batteries
When you need a nightlight when without hookups, these are great: they light only when they sense motion, shutting off after 30 seconds of no movement. They use no wires & install in less than 5 minutes. Use outdoors, too. Lights come in a 3-pack. Can last up to a year! Watch the short video for a demonstration or learn more (or order at a great price) at Amazon.com.
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LEAVE HERE WITH A LAUGH
Sally: Why did you quit your job at the coffee shop?
Sue: Every day it was the same old grind.
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Pot of Gold. Did you win?
Here are today’s Zip and Postal Codes. If you’re the winner, let us know immediately! If you are, you’ll win $118. Good luck!
RV Daily Tips Staff
Editor and Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Managing editor: Diane McGovern. Staff writer: Emily Woodbury. Contributing writers: Russ De Maris, Bob Difley, Gary Bunzer, Roger Marble, Deanna Tolliver, Mike Sokol, J.M. Montigel and Andrew Robinson. Advertising coordinator: Gail Meyring.
ADVERTISE on RVtravel.com and/or in this newsletter. Contact Gail Meyring at Gail(at)RVtravel.com .
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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Morning Chuck, how do you select the zip codes for the Pot Of Gold?
Thanks Dave
PS: I was glad to hear the the POG had a sponser & members were not supplying the CASH
Dave,
We use a website that generates random Zip codes. Ditto for Canadian postal codes. We pick three of those each for each day, 18 zip codes total a week. And even if we did use money from our sponsor’s donations, it would still be worth it as we generate about 5,000 page views a day, which brings us more subscribers, higher open rates on our emails, and income from our Google ads and an occasional sale from our Amazon affiliate program. It takes some work monitoring the contest (it’s no longer automated like years ago), but in the big picture, it is beneficial to us.
Regarding the quick tip to make a plexiglass lapboard to hold your laptop. It is much easier especially for those of us who are handy man challenged to just get a cutting board at the store. There are two sizes that work great one just holds the laptop the other one is just a bit bigger and in addition to the laptop sitting on it it you have room to use a mouse. I have been using this method for over 20 years.
Kudos to that,,,same here.