Happy Thanksgiving

By Lynn Difley Thanksgiving is such a great holiday. I think it’s my favorite. The combination of family and food, what could be better? It is far enough away from the commercialism of the other holidays that it can still be enjoyed with a minimum of fuss. We can enjoy the company of family and friends; delight in the foods prepared with love and regard for the quality of the ingredients. Thanksgiving is a great time to enjoy the fall harvest of foods; farmers markets are still full of greens, peppers, winter squash, and root vegetables. If you are worried about adding on too many pounds this holiday, I have some facts to share, and will leave you to make your own conclusions. Read more  Read More →

Regular Maintenance Equals Long Life

      Fuel prices have returned back to Earth (at least for the time being), but the simple fact is that we are all still feeling the crunch of the slow economy. People can’t afford to trade up to a new coach or trailer every few years like the might have done previously, so now we’re getting more and more people who want to know how they can make their RV last longer. Like any vehicle, a big part of that answer is regular maintenance. My philosophy is “grease and fluids are cheaper than parts and labor.” Change the oil and filter about every 5,000 miles or every season, whichever comes first. Manufacturer’s recommendations vary, of course, but changing the oil at the beginning of each season is a good idea even if the coach was not driven many miles. Condensation and contaminants can collect in the crankcase when a vehicle sits for several months. Which reminds me, unless you can’t get to your coach for some reason, it’s a good idea to start and run it once or twice a month to keep everything well lubricated. The same goes for the generator-its biggest enemy is lack of use, so make sure you start and run it under load at least once a month until travel season begins. As many of you have probably already read, I’m a big advocate of synthetic oils in every place you can use them-engine, transmission, even power steering. Yes, they’re more expensive, but they provide better protection and last longer, too. They don’t... Read more

Mom’s Famous Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce

Thanksgiving dinner at home (a.k.a. my RV) is my favorite way to celebrate the day. And yep, I cook it all – from soup to nuts – in my rig. You can watch as I prepare this dish, and/or view the printer-friendly recipe on my site here. P.S. For quite some time I’d been looking for a tasty sweet potato dish that wouldn’t overpower the rest of the meal. I found one and I think it’s a keeper! Here’s a bonus Thanksgiving recipe from the RV Cooking Show picnic table to yours – Really Delicious Sweet Potatoes…mmm!!  Read More →

Is Battery Sulfation Some Kind of Salad Dressing?

Sorry Bunkie, it is not. It is a disease of the battery whether in your motor home, travel trailer, car or truck that occurs when you put the battery to bed hungry. A battery whether it is an Abosorbed Glass Mat, sealed maintenance free or a flooded type, does not make electricity, it converts with a chemical reaction to cause the flow of electrons, electricity. All batteries are made of two dissimilar materials dunked in an acid of some sorts called an electrolyte. The conventional auto battery that we all know and tolerate, uses plates made of lead, PB, and lead peroxide, PBO2, that are dissimilar metals. They are separated from touching each other by separator plates that are insulators. Not heat insulators but electrical insulators to stop the flow of electricity from plate to plate. The insulators also known as separators are pourus so that the electrolyte will flow back and forth. Read more  Read More →

Winter time travel, is your vehicle prepared?

This week I am told is the biggest travel week of the year. Everyone is thinking of going “Over the river and through the woods to Grandmothers house we go….” But what happens if your iron sleigh doesn’t know the way? Or worse yet breaks down on the way there? Are you prepared to spend a few hours in your vehicle or worse yet a few days? Could you make some emergency repairs to your vehicle if need be? What do you need? How can you be better prepared? As with most of my articles, I want you to think about what you think is most important to you and your needs because it varies depending on your needs and where you live. For example, here in Northwestern Pennsylvania, a good warm blanket is much, much more important than it would be down in Florida this time of year. But, I can talk about what I personally do, and have, and it will at least give you a starting point. But most people think I go way, way over board on being prepared in my truck! So don’t feel you have to carry around all the junk that I do. In fact, I bet I could increase my gas mileage by a mile or so per gallon if I took half the stuff out! But, let’s get started. First off, in my truck I carry some fresh water in bottles or half gallon milk jugs, just something for if I get thirsty. Then I have a gallon of mixed antifreeze, a bag of sand or kitty litter (PLEASE NOT USED!), jumper cables, and, to be honest, a Craftsman 101 piece tool kit with two sets of extra... Read more

Full-timing, RV’ing and your health!

From the desk of Firedude In this blog I’ll discuss the issues of health and well being specifically with full-timers, but it really applies to everyone. I can’t stress the importance of regular checkups such as your annual physicals ect. It’s so easy to retire and venture out into the world of full-timing, traveling, seeing the sites and all the lifestyle has to offer and slough off the importance of these checkups just because you happen to feel OK so many feel there’s no need. WRONG! Read more  Read More →

Class A Basement Storage, Manual or Power Trays?

The basement storage in a class “A” coach provides a great volume of space in which to can carry the equipment and personal needs that we all have.  In addition, on some coach models, the basement also houses outside entertainment centers, slide out freezers, washers and dryers and pass-through access.  Much of this is dependant on the coach size and basement height. One of the challenges faced when using this storage area is accessing the center of a pass-through area or the close-to-center rear of the compartment.  Inevitably, this center section will be empty, or at the least, scattered unless you are willing to climb in each time you put something away.  Still another issue is loading or unloading a heavy item.  It is difficult to lift out a heavy load from a basement compartment, given the relatively low ceiling.   This has led to the design and offering of “Joey Beds“, or roll-out trays.  These trays are much like a drawer, allowing easy access to even the items in the far back.   There are half trays, for non-pass-through applications, and full coach width units that slide out on either side.  Both these provide full access to all items stored on them.  Heavy items also can be managed far easier when you can stand directly over them. Slide out trays are available in a manual pull-out model or a push button electric powered unit.  The manual are the most commonly used type as they are less expensive.  Many people do not see the need... Read more

Sensor Cleaning – Part 2

If you have not read part one, it would be a good place to start. So, if you have “sticky” dust on your sensor that does not come off with the camera’s built in “Sensor Cleaner or Shaker” what are your choices? Before we start, I feel I need to insert a disclaimer -  Before you dig or poke into your $500.00 – $5000.00 camera, be sure you understand what you are doing.  It isn’t rocket science, but repairs are expensive! Read more  Read More →

Just as with Dirty Diapers, Change is Coming

If change gets your adrenaline pumping, you are living through a great and historic period. The most pervasive and disruptive changes in history are happening all at once in major segments of the world’s operations: energy, the economy, climate, and politics. In energy, the end of fossil fuel and foreign oil dependence is clearly visible down the road, as renewable energy sources whittle away at 100 year-old energy profiles. Another strange thing is happening. The Wall Street Journal reports that energy demand from utility companies has dropped dramatically in 2008 where they normally see a 1 to 2 percent increase. It appears that “the trend isn’t a byproduct of the economic downturn,” according to the WSJ, “and could reflect a permanent shift in consumption that will require sweeping change in their industry.” Could it be that a general population shift toward conservation of energy use and away from waste could be triggering the lower usage? Maybe it’s time for utility companies, with the help of government incentives, to change their business plan from making a profit from how much energy they can sell to how much energy they can save for their customers. In Politics, no one needs to be reminded of the historic nature of new president-elect Barach Obama. But not only the election of an avowed energy and environmentally conscious leader, but with also a supportive House and Senate behind him, we may finally see a much quicker move to... Read more

There are battery voltages and there are battery voltages!

And yes there is confusion about battery voltage numbers. Double speak you ask? It would seam so. This column is in response to a comment on last weeks column where I indicated that 9.6 volts was a low cut off for a battery that was either dead or needed a charge. Rob R. wrote in a comment, “9.6 Volts…you need help…Please read something like http://www.phrannie.org/battery.html“.  Well I read the indicated article and we are saying the same thing but using a different route to get there. Read more  Read More →

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