Brrr! Take the Chill Out of RV Windows

When my feet hit the deck this morning in the old RV I knew something was decidedly wrong. Even with a bit of nueropathy, my sensors indicated that this was one COLD Arizona morning. The recording thermometer confirmed it: 24 degrees in Quartzsite. Yes folks, it does sometimes get a wee bit on the chilly side, even in this RV nirvana.

Part of the chill factor is that old problem of "single glazed" RV windows. Sure, some manufacturers include "storm windows" on their rigs, but by far, most of us just have that single sheet of clear stuff between us and the outside world. What's to do if you've got too much cold coming through the glass? Add your own "storm window" with shrink-fit window insulation. You can buy this stuff at nearly any hardware store or home center.

Besides the window insulation kit you'll also need scissors and a blow dryer. Some RVers say that they use an electric space heater to "shrink" the plastic into place. If you try that trick, start at a considerable distance away from the plastic lest you find the source too hot and burn a hole in your plastic, rather than shrinking it into place.

Here's a little video that shows you the basic principles of installing the stuff. However, instead of sticking the sticky tape away from the window, most of us can stick it directly to the window unit itself. You may need to "work around" problems like window cranks. We might add too, that the video makes it appear that there's a lot of left over wrinkles in the finished product. We're not sure if that's an illusion, or if our "installer" just didn't work long enough on getting the wrinkles out. With effort, your final product will be flat, tight, and highly viewable.

Does This Little Piggy Go "Boom!"?

It was one of those unfortunate incidents: Somehow the male of the species had let both of the LP cylinders run out--on a cold night--after the LP supplier was closed. The one gallon barbeque tank was about empty--no hope there. Finally, by stretching his imagination (and finding a suitable "height adjuster") the miscreant male managed a house-warming thought: Steal one of the horizontal tanks off the camper and buy time.
After building up to proper height and stretching the LP "pigtail" hose that runs from the regulator down to the tank, it seemed a good idea to "sniff" for an LP leak, since that old pigtail really had to stretch to reach. "BEEEEEEP!" chided the LP leak detector. Sho 'nuf, those old, age-hardened pig tails were both a bit on the leaky side.

What's to do? Pig tails are by nature, time sensitive. Think of it in terms of tires: They may still "look good" but not hold the pressure. Has it been a while since you replaced your LP pig tails? It's an inexpensive and not-too-difficult a fix. A trip down to your RV supplier will fix you up for parts in short order. But what do you want on the "tank" end of the pig tail? With those new "OPD" gas valves, many think that the new "Acme" fittings that spin on the outside thread of the tank valve are just what the doctor ordered. Use your gas sniffer (we think that's best) or soap n dish soap solution to check out the leak-free-ness of your tails. If in doubt, toss the old ones out.

Well, a lot of LP suppliers are having second thoughts. Those new Acme fittings may not be all they're cracked up to be. As we reported last January, some dealers say the Acmes just don't seem to last too long. Our new pig tails came equipped with the "old school" POL fitting (screws into the valve, counter-clockwise) and a quick "handwheel" that allows us to stick it on the tank and tighten it up without a wrench.

The actual changeout is easy: An appropriate size end-wrench will quickly remove the pigtail from the regulator--it threads in the conventional way. Thread on the new fitting and torque it down snug (use a backup wrench on the regulator side to ensure fitness). A pair of 16" pigtails with fittings set us back less than $20. At the price of LP these days, even a little leak can run up a bill in a hurry, not to mention endangering safety if the gas goes where it shouldn't.

Pictured is a new "capped" POL fitting with the dealer supplied hand-wheel.

RV Builder Pumps Tires With Nitrogen--Should You?

It's a heady season for RV manufacturers: The great Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) trade show is on in Louisville, and everybody wants to show off their stuff. Enter Dutchmen, the maker of fifth wheels and travel trailers by the same name. What's new in the Wooden Shoe? Nitrogen in your tires.

If you remember high school chemistry, you may remember our friend nitrogen, the gas that makes up the majority of earth's atmosphere. While 'plain old air' has been used for years to fill tires, the wrinkle a few years back was to fill tires subjected to a lot of stress with nitrogen. Think race car tires, jet aircraft, etcetera. Why nitrogen?

Plain old "air" molecules are about four times smaller than nitrogen. Because of that, rubber tires slowly "leak" air because the rubber is a bit permeable--the air slowly works its way through the tire pores, if you will. Since the nitrogen molecules are so much bigger, tires tend to lose pressure far more slowly. As a result, the tires run cooler and get better fuel economy. Sounds like "N-inflation" is a shoe in? Hang on, might it lead to a false sense of security? If you don't check your tire pressure as often, will you likewise fail to look your tires over for damage?

Tire permeation isn't the only reducer of tire pressure. Witness a statement from tire maker Michelin, "The existence of several other possible sources of leaks (tire/rim interface, valve, valve/rim interface and the wheel) prevents the guarantee of better pressure maintenance for individuals using nitrogen inflation." The company does not recommend nitrogen inflation, except, "in a high risk environment and/or when the user wants to reduce the consequences of a potential abnormal overheating of the tire-wheel assembly (for example in some aircraft applications)."

Notwithstanding, economics may come into play. A nitrogen tire "fill up," can cost you as much as $10 each. If you're somewhere where nitrogen is unavailable and have a low tire, you can "top off" the tire with ordinary air. But later you'll be advised to have the tire bled out and refilled with nitrogen.

Fluorescent Lights Not So Bright?

An RVer who was hooked up to shore power reported a sudden "dimness" in his fluorescent lights. Then a short time later, they simply failed to turn on. Meantime, his incandescent lamps were shining away brilliantly. At first he wondered if it might be a ballast or tube issue, but since the problem was afflicting ALL his fluorescent fixtures, he knew something more had to be going on.

Well, RV Tech Detectives, what do you think?

A little probing with a voltmeter on this issue soon pointed out the source of the mystery. Since fluorescents can be adversely affected by a.c. "ripple current," you may find your "flowers" to be wired directly to the house battery. In this case, the house battery bank was 'on it's way out,' and registered less than 9 volts--far below the needed start-up voltage for a fluorescent fixture. The incandescent lighting circuit, however, was drawing plenty of power from the RV power converter and still giving effective light. But switching off the power converter left everything in a grave dimness.

Prescription? Replace that house battery bank!

Alternative Light Bulbs

Nearly all of us hassle with the issues of RV interior lighting. The typical "incandescent" bulb is a power hog, and not always the most pleasant thing to try and read with. Fluorescent fixtures are much less "expensive" to feed in terms of how much power they use--a real plus for the boondocking set, however they are expensive to purchase.

Some have tried going to halogen bulbs for their reading lights. Halogens put out a pretty fair amount of light--more than than the same "size" and power consumption xenon bulb. However, a xenon bulb will last a whale of a lot longer than the equivalent halogen bulb.

If you do decide to go the halogen bulb route, take care when handling these bulbs. Back in another life, the male specie of this blog team was a movie house projectionist. Our big machines used halogen projector lamps, and replacing them required donning cotton gloves. It seems finger grease causes hot spots to develop on the glass portion of the bulbs, and premature failure is an almost certain result. When handling a halogen bulb, wear cotton gloves or use a CLEAN rag.

What about LED bulbs? They hold a lot of promise: Far less power consumption for the equivalent amount of light. But the problem many RVers report is this: They seem to be extremely sensitive to over-voltage situations and will burn out easily. Since battery charging is inherent in the life of an RVer, higher voltages can be present, and often create all kinds of grief.

Many RVers say they've had good (inexpensive) experiences purchasing xenon and halogen bulbs on eBay. Be careful and check out any potential seller's record before purchasing, and be sure to read the fine print--particularly information on how much you'll spend on "shipping and handling" charges.

Photo: greg westfall on flickr.com

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