The Age Old Question, How Many Pounds Of Air Shall I Put In My Tires?
July 21, 2008 by Brad Sears · 13 Comments
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our E-mail Digest. We will then send you the stories that are posted each day in an e-mail digest. We use a service called Feedburner for delivery of these emails. You will receive an e-mail from Feedburner after you subscribe and you must click on that email to activate your subscription. Thanks for visiting and enjoy all the information!
RV.Net Blog Admin
Well sir, I have never been accused of being terribly smart and politicaly astue, so here I go jumping from the frying pan into the fire on a subject that some have said in the forums is a dead horse and beaten to death. But there is more to the tire pressure story than just when will it fail or blow up. Or how much pressure to ad and when.
We all know that a tire that is under inflated will use more power to make it roll than a properly inflated tire. That is because of these factors:
Today’s Roof Air Conditioner Choices
June 22, 2008 by Lug_Nut · 8 Comments
Air conditioning is something that many of us have come to expect, whether it is in a house, car, office or RV. In many cases it is no longer an option as it once was. That is the case with most, if not all, motor homes and trailers today. While there are also manufacturers that mount the A/C units in the basement, we will only deal today with roof mounted. There are, and may be, configuration choices with options when it comes to ordering a new rig or replacement A/C unit. The selection may include the number of units, output capacity, heat strips, heat pumps, height profile, air ducted and possibly the thermostat control type. While many of these will probably not be a choice when purchasing a new rig, it is possible that a couple may, particularly if you are ordering a factory build. Let’s look at these choices.
Number of Units: Single A/C units are standard on Class “C” and “B” coaches, most trailers and shorter, entry level class “A” coaches. Larger class “A” coaches usually come standard with two units. The largest group of class “A’s”, 42′ to 45′, generally come standard with three A/C units.
Sway Control
June 8, 2008 by David Kurtz · 5 Comments
When I bought my first new Travel trailer, I asked the dealer to give me everything I needed. As part of my tow package, they included a Friction Sway bar. I was very careful about hooking the trailer to the tow vehicle as I was instructed but I experienced really bad sway. I eventually tightened the sway bar down as tight as it would go which helped, but I still experienced sway. This was a problem because I was very stressed driving and really didn’t enjoy the drive.
I did everything I could to rectify this problem by moving things around inside the trailer to make sure it was well balanced, but I still had sway. I started researching all the methods of sway control. I decided that I wanted to drop the friction bar and do something else. I was a bit overwhelmed about all the options. There are quite a few schools of thought and different approaches to the same solutions. Read more
Boondocking - Part 2
February 18, 2008 by Mike Steffen · 7 Comments
Howdy !
We left off from part one of some boondocking thoughts by suggesting that to get the maximum out of our RV’s self contained operating abilities we might need to do some modifications not only to our lifestyle but also to our rigs.
How well our RV’s work without hook-ups is more up to us and how we utilize the built-in systems of the vehicle, plus how well we can conserve it’s resources within the basic capability or the RV. There is not much we can do to expand our storage tanks. We could carry large water bottles to supplement our fresh water tank, but that same water has to go out the gray tank. Blue boy portable waste water tanks will empty the gray and black tank but then we have the hassle of dumping the tanks into them, carrying the critters to a dump site and then dumping them. The best way to control the fresh and old water is conservation. For example, the water you would normally run in the shower waiting for it to get hot. Collect that water and use it to cook with. After cooking you might want to toss the dirty water down the toilet instead of the gray tank sink. Why? The gray tank will normally fill faster than the black tank so if you put some of the waste cooking water in the black you extend the use of your gray tank. Some of the cooking and dish washing water can also be used to flush the toilet instead of water from the fresh tank so you save two ways. You can even make it a game on the best ways to extend your water and tanks.
How about propane usage? When camping off the plug most of use propane to power the furnace, the refrigerator and the water heater. Let’s look at these systems one by one. The furnace uses a 12VDC motor to run the fan and LP as a heat source. Atwood and Suburban supply most of the forced air furnaces for the RV market. Any forced air unit will consume quite a bit of LP and 12VDC. An effective alternative is the Olympian catalytic LP heater from Camco which uses a special pad to radiate heat so the propane usage is very low and there is no 12VDC usage at all. About the only other way to save here is wear a sweater in the house and conserve your LP and battery’s or better yet hitch up and move someplace warmer!
Gray and Black water tank cleaning.
February 6, 2008 by William Gotthelf · 14 Comments
You mean I have to clean them? Well yes you actually do. Gray water tanks accumulate soap scum on the sides of the tanks because most of the time people leave the valve open when camping so the tank mearly has water pass through it. Old soap scum along with food particles eventually will combine to make some nasty odors. If you have been camping for any length of time you will hear many different ways to freshen the gray water tank and in turn improve the accuracy of your holding tank gauge.
Before your next camping trip go to a pool supply store and buy a 32 ounce bottle of de-foamer solution. This is used in spa’s to eliminate the foam caused by detergent residue in peoples swimming suits. Stop and pick up 2 lbs of baking soda. Now after your next camping trip and before you head home fill the gray water tank about a third of the way. Add 6 ounces of the de-foaming agent down the kitchen sink and let the faucet run for a few minutes. Okay now drive home. The sloshing of the tank will neutralize soap scum and wash the tank walls clean. Leave this solution in the tank until you head out for your next camping trip or next campground. Before you head out add the 2 lbs of baking soda through the kitchen sink running water again for a few minutes. When you get to the campground dump the tank and you have cleaned out the gray water tank. Black water tanks are cleaned a little differently but moving the camper sloshing the mix around helps it get cleaned out also. So you could do both on the same trip. First, one of the biggest mistakes campers make is keeping the black water valve open when camping.
Viking RV Develops First Sport Utility Trailer
January 29, 2008 by RVBusiness.com · Leave a Comment
 |
Viking Recreational Vehicles Co. LLC has introduced the V-Trec 16, the company’s first hard-sided sport utility travel trailer (SURV). The V-Trec 16 offers both affordability and functionality, according to Jeffrey Koch, national sales manager for the Centreville, Mich.-based Coachmen Industries Inc. subsidiary. Weighing in at under 3,500 pounds, the 19-foot wood-framed, aluminum-skinned toy hauler can be towed by most SUVs and half-ton pickups. With a starting MSRP of $13,890, the travel trailer offers a shower, marine toilet, six-gallon gas water heater, fully equipped kitchen and 16,000-BTU furnace. Other features include reinforced sidewalls to allow for hanging tools or gear, a 2,000-pound capacity ramp door and an outside spray-away shower. The floorplan also maximizes space with 6 feet 9 inches of interior height and the ability to sleep six. Viking plans to introduce additional, larger floorplans of V-Trec later this year.
This article brought to you courtesy www.RVBusiness.com
Sanitizing your water system
January 22, 2008 by William Gotthelf · 3 Comments
Ever been at a campground where the water was brown? Had a boil water notice issued while you were there? Ever taken a pipe from your water system and felt the inside of it? At least once a year or if any of the above things have happened to you, you need to sanitize your water system, both city water and fresh water tank systems. It is really not as hard as it sounds. In this blog I will discuss the city water side and in Part 2 I will go over sanitizing the fresh water tank and pump system.
When RV’ers sanitize their city water system (if they remember) most forget the supply hose. The easiest way to sanitize the hose is to add about 12 ounces of bleach (use the store brand) to a gallon of water. Drain the hose completely and refill (using a funnel with the other end of the hose at the same height as the end you are filling) with the bleach/water mixture. Once you have the mixture in the hose screw the 2 ends together and let sit for at least an hour. Contact time with the bleach is what kills bacteria. After the hour is up connect the hose to the camper and the other end to a hose bib. Try not to lose the bleach/water solution in the hose. Turn water on. In your camper turn on one faucet (kitchen, bathroom, shower and toilet) at a time until you can smell the bleach, then shut off the faucet. If you have an exterior shower don’t forget it also. Let the solution sit in the pipes for at least an hour, then run each faucet for at least 5 minutes to flush bleach. If you have an in-line water filter you will need to change the filter. If you have a filter that uses a drop in cartridge remove the filter element before you add the bleach/water solution and after you have flushed the system add a new cartridge. A side benefit to this would be reducing or eliminating the gray water tank smell. Where I live we have a water shortage so when the gray water tank fills I drain onto my lawn. Please follow the rules in your particular area. More next week….
This may seem strange - but -
January 14, 2008 by Mike Steffen · 2 Comments
Howdy !
As a writer with regular columns to get out I tend to lose track of time and forget what my current month is instead of the publication month that I’m working on. Right now it’s the 24th of December 2007 and the articles on the computer are for March and April 2008. This is the time when most of us will be shaking off the last of winter and getting ready to hit the road. If you approach it like I do there are several thoughts going around in your head, like, did I drain ALL the water from the lines and did I remember to blow-out the toilet valve and sink lines? Now, I live in far, far, far, far, FAR west Texas, about 90-miles from the Texas/New Mexico border so freezing is not one of the things we worry much about, until it happens! We get perhaps 10-days a year when Ma Nature does the frozen water trick and with three RV’s parked outside it always puts a cold rock about mid-chest when I look out and see the temp down in the teens and try to remember iffen I did all the winter storage chores like I was supposed to.
The answer is to follow a check list for shutting down the RV in the fall and another checklist for getting her running in the spring. Now checklists are like all good intentions, they only work if you use them and make a date to get the work done. A couple of very good checklists are the Family Motor Coach Association winter storage guides and their spring cleaning and travel preparation guide. You will also see many good checklist ideas on the RV.net forums or over at Escapees.com where there are checklists for almost everything, speaking of which –
Do you know when to come in out of the cold?
January 7, 2008 by Gary Smith · 3 Comments
Late fall with the leaves flaming with color, blue skies with marshmallow clouds, gentle breezes blowing through the camp ground. Sounds like a great day to take a hike on some of the trails around the camp ground!
But what happens when the clouds turn black, the winds turn cold and the rain or snow starts to fall and you are miles from camp? Our ancestors had a name for it they called it “exposure” or plain, old freezing to death! Today we call it Hypothermia and in the mild stages we all have felt the effects of it.
Hypothermia starts out slowly with just being “cold.” The body begins to pull blood to the core of the body to keep vital organs like the heart and brain warm. Shivering begins next and the extremities become very cold and begin to loose feeling and dexterity. Confusion begins as the brain cools and the metabolism slows. If you can’t start warming up soon, the body actually begins to feel more normal and shivering stops; you feel relaxed and euphoric. Soon you are sleepy, and you lay down to “rest,” and, if not warmed, you never wake up. Painless way to go, but it tends to cut short the rest of your camping trips!
