Take Care With Your RV Generator

Got a "built in" RV generator? Don't have to "plug and unplug" shore power cords when switching from shore power to the genset? Then you have an ATS (automatic transfer switch). They're convenient, indeed, as the rest of us without them have to go outside, typically open a door, and plug the shore power cord into a special receptacle fed by the genset.

However, there are a couple of caveats you need to be aware of: An ATS is not a "perfect" device, and problems can occur. Here's a good rule when firing up the generator when using an ATS. In fact, this is a good rule when firing up any RV generator, ATS or not: Reduce power consumption before firing up the generator. That means, make sure the air conditioner, the microwave oven, the portable electric space heater--any of those "big draw" devices are turned off.

A big surge in electrical current can actually damage an ATS, and in some cases, the genset itself. There have been cases, too, when the ATS somehow wasn't fast enough to isolate the generator from the shore power system--with very nasty and sometimes expensive results. Take the extra moment to reduce your power consumption before you hit the start switch.

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Breathing a Little Fresh Air on Tire Longevity

RVers depend on their RV tires--and they're an expensive thing to replace. We've often talked about the matter of safety and RV tires, but this time will highlight finances and what you can do to cut costs.

Industry experts, including tire-consuming fleet folks--all agree: "The largest contributing factor [to a tire's life span]," says Pat Martindale, "is air pressure. It was years ago, and it still is today." Martindale is a maintenance guru for Penske Truck Leasing, and recently gave this maxim to Light & Medium Duty Truck magazine.

Similar views are echoed by Michelin North America through their customer engineering support manager, Doug Jones. Jones says that underinflated or overinflated tires simply wear unevenly and prematurely wear out. Underinflation can lead to zipper ruptures along the sidewall that lead to rapid deflation. As little as 10 pounds "under recommended pressure" can cause an increase in tire wear of 7 to 15 percent. Overinflate that big rubber roundie and you can look to see increased wear and tear on the center of the tire tread, a stiffer ride, and a lot less forgiveness when hitting 'road hazards.'

You dually runners, listen up: Pressure between two tires in a dual set should not differ by more than 5 pounds. If the difference is bigger than that, one tire will be larger than the other, and the smaller one won't roll nor deflect as it should.

Photo: kearnj on flickr.com

Caring for Your RV Slideout

How do you keep your slideout happy? A little bit of maintenance and forethought will go a long way to making sure your RV experience doesn't get unhappy when your slideout room won't slide like it should.

First, when opening or closing a slideout room, check the floor. Sand, grit, or other "foreign" substances can get under the slideout and scratch the flooring. Doesn't make Mama happy, and if she ain't happy--well, you know the rest. Likewise, before retracting the slideout, check up topside. Branches, leaves, bird nests, all manner of odd things can wind up on the outside of your slideout, even if you have a retracting slideout awning. If this "junk" gets trapped in the retraction process, you can be in a world of hurt.

Read and follow the instructions provided with your rig. Some hydraulic slide mechanism builders suggest you keep the extend/retract button pushed for a few seconds after the slide has made the full travel--somehow keeping the hydraulic system pressurized. Others simply tell you to get off the button when the room is in or out. Others are "death" on changing room movement direction unless the slideout has gone full cycle. In other words, if you're in the middle of retracting the room and change your mind, they don't want you to try and extend the room until after you've retracted it all the way.

In terms of periodic maintenance, seals certainly need to be looked after. Seals can dry out, leaving you without protection from the elements. What does your manufacturer recommend? There are some commercial nostrums available, but we'd suggest you be careful of something that contains silicone. We've been on this lectern before, silicone can dry rubber out.

What about the slide mechanism? Here's where things can get contrary. Nearly everyone agrees that slides should be lubricated regularly, it's just what lube to use is where it gets dicey. One prominent RV technician says you should never use a "wet" lube like WD-40. He feels that the lube may well attract dust and dirt to the mechanism. Others suggest using silicon sprays. Ach! Again, what's your manufacturer recommend? If you're under warranty, best to use what they call for in case you develop a problem that they'll need to fix.

Hydraulic reservoirs should be checked regularly. If they're low, you'll need to find out why. Is there a system leak? Follow the lines from the hydraulic fluid reservoir through the pump, and out to the actuating cylinders. If you need to 'filler'up' then again, be sure to use what the factory calls for. Some slideouts call for transmission fluid, others specialty hydraulic fluids. Know what you need before you pour!

Finally, this golden rule applies to ALL types of slideouts. KEEP THE BATTERY CHARGED! There's nothing more difficult than being in the middle of nowhere and having that slide refuse to go back in because your battery is low or kaput. Cranking that slideout back in by hand is a long, and slow process.

Fix Plastic Plumbing Problems--It's a Snap!

It started out like a "B Grade" horror movie: Water was spotted on the floor near the shower. "Hey," says I, "Looks like we need to get a better tub mat. There's water on the floor here." Of course the reply had to be, "Not me, Big Boy. I completely towel off before I get out of the shower."

A little later that morning the disconcerting report came: "Hey! There's water squishing up from between the flooring pieces in front of the refrigerator!" A quick check revealed that we had more than a problem, Houston, we had a major plumbing leak. A closer examination revealed that the plastic fitting leading out of the water pump had cracked through, and water was making its way under the "Pergo" type flooring and squishing up wherever pressure was applied.

Our fulltime unit is a circa 1980's fifth wheel equipped with that nasty old gray plastic plumbing tubing that caused so much trouble a few years ago. Happily, a fix isn't all that difficult, and since there's so much of it out there, fittings aren't too hard to find. Maybe you can learn from our repair.

First, cut the water off--turn off the pump, or if you're connected, the 'city water' supply. While the tubing can be cut with a real sharp knife, or with a fine toothed hack saw, the best tool for the job is a PVC tubing cutter. You can pick one up at the big box hardware store for about ten bucks. Just be careful and don't get too close to the fitting like I did--some have metal sleeves inside the tubing and it'll chew the dickens out of your new tubing cutter blades in a hurry. Cut off the fitting (or open up the offending portion of tubing) squarely. If you use alternative tools, make sure you "clean up" any burrs with sandpaper.

A quick trip to Quartzsite's finest hardware store--Herb's--set me up with a new water pump elbow. Tubing replacement fittings built for the job are plastic, and a have a coupler wherever the fitting meets up with tubing. Remove the coupler, slide it down over the tubing, and shove the fitting down into the tubing with a twisting motion until it "seats" down all the way to the neck of the fitting. Now screw the coupler onto the threaded portion of the fitting and hand tighten. After you hit the "hand tightened" point, give it a little more torque--up to one-third more turn and the fitting's in place.

Turn your water pressure back on and check the job. It's a snap!