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Ol' Faithful
Being new to the RV lifestyle and just getting used to maneuvering the 32' beast I ran into quite some difficulty my first time bringing the rig home. While backing up my drive all of a sudden a massive amount of water started running out from underneath the rig. I was partially on a dirt berm, which I should not have been. My wife runs around the front to tell me there is a major problem of which I could see. I immediately thought I had ruptured my water tank. As I eased forward the running water turned into a geyser as I moved the rig away from where the water was coming from, a water line in the ground! It was my reclaimed landscaping supply line! By now there was a flood for sure and all I had to do was to locate the shut off valve, grab a pair of channelocks and shut'er down! 15 minutes pass while my wife and I are digging through mud and floating red ants! I knew the valve was there somewhere! Low and behold it was when my wife says, "You're probably parked on it!" Well, I take my dripping, muddy self into the rig and move 3 feet forward and there she is! So, I was finally able to shut the water off and I continue to put my trust in my loving wife "Ol' Faithful".
Submitted by:
Art Heinrichs,
FLorida
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Help is on the Way – Part 2
This is a second of a two–part series to help RVers address their concerns about the amount of money they spend on gas or diesel fuel for the RVing activities. Part 1 provided suggestions for adapting to higher fuel prices and continued use of their RVs. Part 2 will cover hybrid options for RVers to conserve fuel and reduce engine emissions.
What about Hybrids and RVs? – While many think of hybrid powerplants as a recent technology, they've been used in diesel/electric locomotives since the 1950's, replacing steam locomotives and providing substantially more power with the ability to haul longer trains and conquer steep grades.
The hybrid systems require a combination of gasoline or diesel engine, batteries, and electric motors, improved transmissions, braking systems, and other new technology. Electric motors provide substantially more torque than gasoline or diesel engines for acceleration. The electric motors act as generators when the brakes are applied to help slow down the vehicle and to charge the batteries, eliminating the need recharge the batteries when the vehicle is parked.
The development of hybrid gas/electric and diesel/electric for automobiles has been underway for since the early 2000's (with some Japanese autos on their third generation of hybrid systems). Hybrid systems provide improved fuel usage and reduced engine emissions.
continued…
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Do you have questions about RV technical issues, the RV lifestyle or RV's in general? Ask Mark!
Hi Everyone! We had a large response to the recent newsletter column on Winterizing. Thanks for sending in your questions! Since it is "that time of year", I think it would be worthwhile to answer some additional questions on the topic of winterizing and storage. I hope that some of these answers will help you as you put your rig to bed for a winter nap!
Happy Trails!!
Mark
Dear Mark,
We only park our motorhome for about 6 weeks during the winter months. However, we live in Maryland and the November, December, and January temps can dip down into the 20's for extended periods. My question: we keep our motorhome (2006 Winnebago Adventurer) plugged into our electricity and keep the thermostat set on 60 degrees. Is it still necessary to have the unit winterized?
Thanks, ShaRon
Conway
Beltsville, MD.
Mark says…
Even with an electric heater, or the furnace running, you are still taking a big chance with your plumbing when your rig is stored in sub–freezing temperatures. It will be a lot cheaper (and possibly a lot less hassle in the long run) to winterize the plumbing system before you store it. A cracked fitting or pipe somewhere under the floor of the RV will be a huge pain to find and fix come spring.
Read More Questions…
Do you have a question for Mark?
Please submit your question via e–mail to woodalls@escapees.com. Questions should be about RV technical issues, general RV or RV lifestyle.
Please remember, material will be edited. Because of the large volume of material and correspondence submitted, individual replies will not be possible, nor can we acknowledge receipt of your material. Selected questions will be answered in future issues of the Diamond Club newsletter in the Mark, My Words column. The Mark, My Words column also appears in Escapees magazine, a bi–monthly publication of the Escapees RV Club. For more information visit www.escapees.com/magazine
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Create Your Own Personal Travel Website… at woodalls.com.
Announcing a new Diamond Club member benefit! Powered by MyTripJournal.com, your personal travel website will allow you to:
- Plot your own journey with My Trip Journal's custom mapping software,
- Store and display photos and journal entries about your trip,
- Communicate with family and friends who can check out your personal website at their leisure, or even recieve automatic email notifications when you update your site,
- Post internet movie clips,
- Download a personal, high quality archive at the end of your trip!
You can get your free personal travel website for 30 days… if you like it, then sign up for a longer term and save 15%! Aren't you glad you're a Diamond Club member?
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