RVer Tackles Corrosion Control With Adaptive Shelter

We are camping 100 yards from the beach in Corpus Christi, Texas. It’s windy here and the salt air causes corrosion on anything made out of metal. Our campground neighbor Neal Lund is a “Winter Texan.” He’s actually from Minnesota but has been coming down here for the last three winters. You can’t help but notice the silver tent-like object in front of his motorhome. As it turns out this is a portable shelter for his 2003 Harley Davidson “Fat Boy” motorcycle. This product is made by Cycle Shelter. It’s a portable non-contact (meaning it won’t scratch your bike) stand-alone storage unit; a one-size-fits-all unit that’s easy to assemble and comes with a carry bag. Neal says this shelter has withstood sustained winds of over 50 miles per hour broadside without additional ropes or tie-downs. He should know because he has a miniature weather station on top of his motorhome. He added a plywood floor with a front wheel cradle attached. I asked him to explain the little bell on the bottom of the front fork and he told me it was for warning rhinoceros and giraffe to get off the road. “So far it’s worked,” he said. The plywood provides additional support and he doesn’t need to stake it down because the weight of the bike holds it firmly in place. The shelter is vented to prevent condensation and Neal says it really does help protect the chrome. Living at the beach still requires a lot of TLC in order to keep this beauty in mint condition. Riding a big Harley down a coastal highway is a marvelous experience and worth the trouble of a little extra work. Having the Cycle Shelter makes it much easier to prevent salt air corrosion and ultra violet damage. For the return to Minnesota this week he’ll load his car and motorcycle on the trailer he tows behind his motorhome. The Cycle Shelter is yet another example of how RVers adapt their hobbies to the RV lifestyle. Your under cover reporter - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing.

Don't Goof By Ignoring Your RV Roof

Every year you should do a thorough inspection and cleaning of your RV roof. Failure to properly maintain your roof will result in water damage and dry rot inside your RV. Inspect every place where there's an entry point through the roof like the TV antenna. Air horns, CB antenna, solar mounts, sky lights and vents should all be inspected for possible leaks. A tree branch could have easily damaged one of these components causing a breach on a weather tight seal. Visually inspect the caulking for nicks and cracks and then run your hand over it to be sure it's not loose or brittle. Remove and replace any caulking that is defective and patch any nicks or holes in the roof itself. Rubber roofs are particularly vulnerable to tree branches, so be sure to check them more frequently when you camp under or near trees. A good soap and water washing will help keep your roof looking good, but be very careful when working on top of your RV. Never stand on a wet part of the roof. Wash small portions of the roof at a time and keep safety in mind while you're working. A well maintained roof will ensure years of enjoyment from your RV. I've got you covered - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing

RV Batteries Get Drug Store Treatment

Does plain mineral oil extend the life of RV lead acid batteries? Edison marketed a “Battery Oil” that was nothing more than mineral oil. A thin layer of mineral oil covered the electrolyte solution floating on top inside the battery cell to prevent both evaporation and absorption of CO2 in Edison Primary Batteries. Edison’s batteries were used in commercial applications like railroad crossing signals. RVers have been using mineral oil this way in their RV batteries for years. What is the theory behind this concept? Well, the idea is that when batteries are discharged and charged (which happens frequently in RVs) increased water consumption occurs through evaporation. During this process sulfuric acid fumes discharge from bubles rising to the top of the cells. This results in external corrosion problems. The thin layer of mineral oil acts to retard the rapid bubble explosions thereby reducing the amount of sulphuric acid that escapes. I do not have scientific data to determine whether this actually works or not, but I do know many RVers have told me this treatment has increased the life of their batteries and significantly reduced the amount of corrosion on battery posts, cables and trays. They also report less evaporation resulting in less maintenance. A down side to this is you have to get the tube of your electrolyte tester down past the layer of mineral oil in order to do an electrolyte test. I’m not recommending that you do this. I could not find sufficient data to support doing it, but, I am using my RV batteries as a test bed for this project to see if indeed these claims are true. So, today I put two ounces of plane white mineral oil in each of my battery cells using a one ounce syringe. I had to remove some of the electrolyte to ensure a proper level in each battery cell. I purchased the mineral oil at the WalMart pharmacy. I’ll report back in a year and let you know how my batteries are performing. Doing stuff at home without adult supervision - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing

RV’s With Big Batteries Now Have a New Watering System

Single point battery watering systems are fairly new in RV applications. I for one don’t enjoy the whole “battery watering” drill. One of the reasons I’m a full time RVer is because I don’t want to be bothered having to “water” stuff, especially my batteries! Unfortunately, it’s fact of RV life unless you go with alternative gas matte batteries which have their own unique problems. These systems have been in service on the regular sized 12 and 6 volt batteries but unavailable on the larger 4, 6 & 8 D batteries found on commercial type trucks and many motorhomes. I did a story on why you should use these systems here Battery Watering System: As far as I know, Tom Tomlinson is the only one selling these 8 D battery watering systems to RV customers. The new single point all in one snap-in coupler is unique because it is a coupler, valve, filter, flow indicator and Y-splitter all in one. This system equally fills each battery cell simultaneously without overflow because the individual fill caps stop replenishing exactly when the proper water level is reached. The fill caps also have level indicators so you can tell when you system needs more water just by looking at the caps. Just connect the pump to your quick coupler and put the pump into a bottle of distilled water and after a few pumps you’re done. You can read more about it at Tom’s website here RV Power Supply: I like how this system works because it’s both safe and easy.

Helping you keep the lights on - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing

Be Aggressive With Condensation in Your RV

Dealing with condensation is a fact of RV life. Moisture is the RV’s worst enemy so you need to be aggressive in preventing it from causing damage. Most often condensation will form on the windows of your RV during the night when you are asleep. As you breathe, your body exhales moisture into the air. When it’s cold outside RVers tend to close all the windows and vents trapping moisture vapor inside the RV. The airborne moisture finds its way to the windows and forms a condensation of water droplets. Our motorhome has dual pane windows everywhere except the windshield. No condensation forms on the dual pane windows but collects on the windshield instead. If you allow the condensation to remain on the window it will run down and pool on your dash. I normally use a towel to remove this excess moisture. I prefer micro-fiber towels because they have superior absorbent qualities. Simply run the towel across the glass and you’re done. The best thing about these towels is they don’t leave streaks. Micro-fiber towels are great for RVs and can be purchased at hardware stores, RV parts stores, and warehouse stores like Costco. I buy mine at Costco because they have high quality towels at a great price. Don’t forget that venting your RV helps remove excess moisture, especially when cooking and showering. I really appreciate the fantastic vents we’ve had in our RVs over the years. They quickly remove odors and moisture from your RV. When you store your RV over the winter it’s a good idea to use a dehumidifier (see my article, “Dry Air Makes a Happy RV”). Clearing the air on condensation - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing

RVs Require Constant Care And Repairs

RVs are like pets, don’t buy one unless you have the time and inclination to take care of the beast. A few months ago I opened our motorhome pantry and found this. The staples had worked loose and I had to fix yet another problem on our Country Coach motorhome. You may be thinking I abuse my coach, but if you knew me, you would know I take excellent care of my equipment and besides the coach only has 21,000 miles on it. Staples are heavily used in RV construction because they are fast and cheap. They are fired into the wood with a pneumatic staple gun at a rapid clip. You would think a high end coach would use screws and quality glues to put cabinets together, but alas, gone are the days of quality craftsmanship. In fact, I just replaced the carpet in my rig (didn’t like the color) and I had to remove about a thousand staples from the wood floor because Country Coach didn’t use the traditional tack-strip, just staples….lots of staples. If you want it done right, you have to do it yourself or hire a qualified conscientious professional (very difficult nowadays). I took the pantry rack down, removed the staples and replaced it with screws and gorilla glue and I haven’t had a problem since. Speaking of craftsmanship, let me show you how the drawers in my coach were made. Yes, they were slapped together with staples and particle board. Here’s how I make drawers. So what's the difference? I have the time to do it right and I don’t cut corners, I “dovetail” corners. It’s only a matter of time until my coach drawers fall apart (I’ve already had to repair some of them). So, it’s a good idea to carry enough tools to take care of RV problems when they crop up. Least you think I’m picking on Country Coach, I’m not, it’s just the nature of RV manufacturing. They have to produce and sell products and shortcuts in production help get the product to market faster and improve the profits for the company. Staples are cheap and fast and if they fail under warranty the dealerships will “fix” the problems by putting in more staples. My 2005 Hitchhiker 5th wheel also fell apart like this, so it’s not one manufacturer, it’s the entire RV industry. RVs could be made with Japanese automobile precision, but that would require an RV industry revolution not likely to happen in my lifetime. So, for the time being, carry enough tools to fix most problems and don’t expect perfection out of your RV or you’ll be gravely disappointed. My advise is to be pro-active and fix small problems before they become larger problems. Don’t ignore leaks, broken drawers, plugged drains and that funny sound in the engine. The old saying, “a stitch in time saves nine” is especially applicable in RV maintenance and repair. Keeping you in stitches - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing

Brush Up On Your RV Dipsticks

RVers should be very mindful of the fluid levels in their towing vehicles and motorhomes. You should check all your fluid levels prior to hitting the road. After a few miles your dipstick may begin to look a little tired. Sometimes, you can’t even tell what the fluid level is because the the stick is too dark and the fill lines are hard to make out. There are a couple things you can do to make this situation better. You can drill a couple of small holes in the blade where the “low” and “full” lines are and as the fluid covers these holes you can readily tell the level. I used a wire wheel brush to clean up my automatic transmission dipstick. Now I can clearly see where the lines are and I don’t have to guess what the level is. Many of these dipsticks are so long you could use them as a flag pole. I curl mine around into a loop when I take it out so I’m not dragging it in the dirt. Helping you get the maximum use out of your reading glasses - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing

Battling Your RV’s Worst Enemies

RVs are exposed to many enemies and successfully combating them is the secret to the longevity of your rig. The common enemies of the RV are ultra violet radiation, road vibration, tree limbs, neglect and one of the most costly - water. It’s the rainy season again and once again water threatens damage to our RVs. Water is a very powerful force in nature (just think of the Grand Canyon) and it can do its penetrating work on our RVs just as well as it can on rocks. If water gets into your RV it will stain the ceiling, cause mold and mildew and worst of all dry-rot. Once that happens you have no choice but to tear it out and rebuild it. Water has to have an entry in order to cause damage, so prevention is the cure. The most common ways water enters an RV is through holes in your roof like around the air conditioner, holding tank and refrigerator vents, TV antenna and lights. Windows can easily be the cause of leaks, but I always check my lights first. My Country Coach motorhome has running lights that I recently discovered were filled with water. The water was finding its way into the lights but could not escape so it was trickling down through the light wire hole making its way inside my coach. As it turns out there was a crud buildup inside the rim of the light lens which acted as a water tight barrier. This “crud” barrier allowed water to accumulate inside the lens assembly until it filled to the point it could enter the inside of my motorhome. To remedy this situation I removed each lens with a screwdriver blade. The lens cover just pops off with a small amount of pressure. Next I wiped the lens holder rim clean with a cloth. I thoroughly cleaned the crud covered lens. After that I drilled holes in the bottoms of the lens itself so that it will be able to drain. I know some of you will think this procedure will cause even more problems, but having a combination running light/rain gauge is not my ideal. I put the holes at the bottom of the lens (duh) on the outside of holder where the lip intersects the lens. It’s been raining for a few days now and so far so good. Instead of drilling a drain hole, you could seal the unit with caulking, however, whenever you needed to change the bulb you would have to cut through the caulking and reapply it. Another more expensive alternative would be to remove the old lights and install new LED marker lights that are completely sealed units. Installing these new lights would allow you to completely seal off the wire opening preventing water entry. The bottom line is that you MUST keep water from entering your coach otherwise it will severely damage your RV. Helping you preserve and maintain your RV - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing

RVers Can Repair UV Damage With this Simple Tip

Look around the RV park and you'll see examples of UV radiation damage. Window frames, vents and corner pieces that have yellowed are abundant. These items are still serviceable, but they will eventually become brittle and crack allowing moisture into your RV. You can purchase new frames and vents (they are inexpensive parts) or you can remove them give them a good cleaning then spray paint them. They will look as good as new. You should also clean off the old caulking and reapply fresh caulking at this time. If you choose to replace them with new parts, I would still paint them with a high quality paint before replacing them. Paint will stand up better to UV radiation than the PVC type material these are made from. Bringing you great RV ideas every day - Jim Twamley the RV Guy.

Here Is A System That Will Extend The Life Of Your RV Batteries

Batteries are expensive and we RVers depend on them to do a lot for us. Therefore keeping them in tip-top shape is important.The biggest killer of battery life is allowing them to become deeply discharged (usually beyond 50% depending on the type of battery) and the second biggest killer is allowing cells to go dry. Keeping the proper water levels in your RV battery cells is important but it’s a pain doing it the old fashioned way. RV Power Supply sells great stuff for RV’s and you’ll want to check out their website just to see if there's something there for you. RV Power Supply One of the things they sell is a system that makes watering your batteries simple. After you hook it up, all you have to do is place a plastic tube into a distilled water source and squeeze the hand pump. I received the kit with all the parts shown below: The system automatically fills each cell to the proper level through the special battery caps that are connected to the fill tube. You can’t “over-fill” the batteries because of a special shut-off valve in each individual cap. No more spill-overs from doing it the old fashioned way.These systems are fast and easy to install. There are two primary systems, the Pro-Fill system that is designed for four six-volt batteries and the Quik-Fill system that works with two 12-volt batteries. You can also obtain kits that will service more batteries if your battery bank is larger. Not only will this system save you time, but it will also save you money. But the best part is that it will give you peace of mind knowing that your batteries are at their proper water level. Jim