Here is another tip: If you have a problem with your grey water tank getting full before your black tank. I had the RV dealer install a garden hose drain on the grey tank and install a valve and 12V pump in the water bay that I can use to transfer grey water in through the black tank flush port. This has two advantages 1) I can use the whole capacity of the black and grey tanks. 2) I can flush out the black tank with grey water instead of using fresh water. This comes in handy when in colder areas where there is a dump station but the water is off for the winter.
Nothing like 10 handy RVGeek tips to kickstart the weekend eh? The door trick and napkin/towel tip is applied quite often in our rig. Here's another one: Don't drive over speed bumps while someone is on the toilet.
If you at the time of year when there is a lot of bugs. Take a damp sponge and apply straight dish soap to the front of the RV, At destination just hose off and the bugs come right off.
Love the grill foil trick! Will use it now --on the road and at home. Also, could use bandanas instead of napkins. I use cut-to-size pieces of that bumpy plastic shelf liner between plates, cups, some glasses, pans, and anything else that might rattle. Reusable for years. A quiet RV means you can hear anything out of the ordinary on the road.
Tinker Bell Sorry Tinker. I was kidding around, pretending I had Alzheimers. lol Not funny, I know, and I didn't mean to be cryptic. I also don't expect you to have read all the comments here, and yours is appreciated, but to reiterate my reply to an early commenter further down this video that stated the same thing you did: "Thanks for the feedback and input. Someone made the same comment on our website a few days ago, so we’ve been reading all about cooking with food in contact with aluminum… baked potatoes, grilling etc. What appears to be a very reasoned and succinct summary of the articles we’ve found is the following from the George Mateljan Foundation, which promotes health and a healthier world: “We do not recommend cooking or storing food in aluminum foil - even though there is no strong scientific evidence showing these practices to be harmful to your health. We have three reasons for making this recommendation. First, even though research studies don’t show the food use of aluminum foil to be harmful, they clearly show migration of small amounts of aluminum from the foil into the food. For example, in one study conducted in Italy about 2-6 milligrams of aluminum was found to move over into food from aluminum foils, cookware, and utensils. Even if this amount has not been show to pose health harm, we don’t like our food containing a potentially problematic metal that wasn’t naturally supposed to be there. Second, we believe that the jury is still out on aluminum with respect to chronic long-term health problems. (We’re talking here about exposure to aluminum from all sources, including the environment, certain workplace settings, personal care products, etc.) Potential connections have been found between certain cancers and aluminum exposure, and also between aluminum exposure and Alzheimer’s disease. Infertility connections have also been found. We don’t see any reason to add potential exposure through the use of aluminum foil with food. Finally, we don’t like the consequences of aluminum foil manufacturing for our planet. Aluminum remains on the federal government’s list of priority toxins for the United States, and its mining, manufacture, and post-use disposal pose significant problems for our environment. From our perspective, while aluminum foil is definitely lightweight, flexible, and convenient, these upsides don’t come close to outweighing the downsides here.” Based on everything else we’ve read, this sounds pretty rational. As a cancer survivor, and a generally health-conscious person, I stopped using aluminum-based antiperspirant years ago (it was male breast cancer, and the underarms seemed a little to close to home on that one)! But I honestly never thought about the possibility of aluminum from foil being able to leach into foods, since unlike an antiperspirant it doesn’t seem to be in a form that would allow it to migrate into other substances… like skin or food. I appreciate your input and will continue reading, and looking into alternatives… possibly a stainless steel griddle, which I have read about some people using. We might even say the heck with aluminum foil altogether and let the top of the grill get greasy! Although it's a cast iron grill, so maybe that's bad too! lol We’ve added an annotation to the video that says “NOTE: Some people recommend not cooking on foil” to bring the topic to people’s attention. By the way, I’m also not a big fan of too much grilling over charcoal fires for the same reason: potential exposure to carcinogens. Thanks again for the input!"
Tinker Bell No worries and no apology needed. You're absolutely right... if I'm going to keep making videos, I've got to keep Alzheimer's at bay. lol Congrats on your upcoming new RV! See ya on the road. :)
Put a small 12v fan in the fridge to allow air circulation evenly to avoid freezing of some items rather than others this way it'll keep your refrigerator a constant temperature
Great video! Although I've never had my mat fly away in a wind storm, I love the way the problem was resolved. I use a silicone adhesive, applied to the bottom rims of the plates & bowls, to ease the rattling a bit. Cheers guys!
Get yourself a composting toilet. You'll never go back to water plus it saves carrying and dumping. IMHO Natures Head is fully and ridiculously expensive. Here in the UK there are nicely styled pro unit for around $400
I just found your RUclips channel and I like it! I learned a few things from watching them. BTW: your voice and presentation style reminds me of the announcer from “How It’s Made”. lol
Here in So Cal, we have a drought situation so I clean my RV trailer with microfiber cloths and about five gallons of water. I also use this method for my truck and van. I found that using Mop n' Glo (learned from another boater) works great on my boat and trailer. It doesn't last as long as paste wax, but it sure is easier to use!
Abunai One Thanks for the new tips! We can only imagine how difficult it is trying to keep an RV clean right now in SoCal with all the water issues. We use a pressure washer to dramatically reduce water usage, but I'm sure that even that is too much for CA these days.
Hi Samantha! The video we've done that is most relevant to actually buying an RV might not be exactly what you're looking for, but might help if you haven't already purchased one: ruclips.net/video/uKYjE1YPVU8/видео.html
After meeting you in Quartzite (dust capital of the SW), I'd suggest a video on how you keep the RV so clean. I've seen little tricks in several, but every picture of your RV it's spotless
Hi Bert! Great to hear from you after connecting in Quartzsite. Thanks for the nice comment. We do try to keep our rig looking as good as we can considering it's now nearly 12 years old. This video might be just what you were looking for: ruclips.net/video/AA15MOt9wEA/видео.html
just bought an older style motor home and have never had one before....do you have a video on 10 most common mistakes newbies need to know? thank you for the great tips on this video, very useful
Hi Kathleen, and congratulations on your new-to-you RV! We don't have a "10-most" mistakes video, but we do have a video about a newbie mistake we made that's one of our favorites: ruclips.net/video/IsiXaMEneaY/видео.html
smacdiesel We don't use a softener, but we're planning to research them for use this winter in the desert SW, where the water is pretty awful! We've put up with the water down there for years, and it's time to look into improving it. Stay tuned for a video about that before next winter (hopefully). Please let us know which one you got and how you like it.
DId I miss it?? just wondering were you picked up the wheel well tire cover/shields. I like the clean look. The other day I watched you feed the tire covers in a groove or intall channel.
We got those covers 12 years ago when we first bought the RV. They no longer make them, and they're getting pretty old. Luckily, we've heard about a new kind of tire cover that should be available soon, and we'll of course be reporting on that as soon as we find out more. ;-)
Not yet, but we’re hopeful they’ll be available soon. They’re supposedly different than other covers and we’re holding out to see details when they’re ready. We’ll be sure to keep everyone posted as soon as we know more.
Cooking on aluminium foil is not a good idea and let me explain why. It's not just a rollable sheet of aluminium, it's aluminium + polycarbonate coating. Everytime you grill on aluminium foil, you're basically infusing your meals with burnt plastic. Don't believe me? Take a piece of aluminium foil and heat it with a lighter. I guarantee you'll never grill on aluminium again...
sanshinron Thanks for the feedback and input. Someone made the same comment on our website a few days ago, so we’ve been reading all about cooking with food in contact with aluminum… baked potatoes, grilling etc. What appears to be a very reasoned and succinct summary of the articles we’ve found is the following from the George Mateljan Foundation, which promotes health and a healthier world: “We do not recommend cooking or storing food in aluminum foil - even though there is no strong scientific evidence showing these practices to be harmful to your health. We have three reasons for making this recommendation. First, even though research studies don’t show the food use of aluminum foil to be harmful, they clearly show migration of small amounts of aluminum from the foil into the food. For example, in one study conducted in Italy about 2-6 milligrams of aluminum was found to move over into food from aluminum foils, cookware, and utensils. Even if this amount has not been show to pose health harm, we don’t like our food containing a potentially problematic metal that wasn’t naturally supposed to be there. Second, we believe that the jury is still out on aluminum with respect to chronic long-term health problems. (We’re talking here about exposure to aluminum from all sources, including the environment, certain workplace settings, personal care products, etc.) Potential connections have been found between certain cancers and aluminum exposure, and also between aluminum exposure and Alzheimer’s disease. Infertility connections have also been found. We don’t see any reason to add potential exposure through the use of aluminum foil with food. Finally, we don’t like the consequences of aluminum foil manufacturing for our planet. Aluminum remains on the federal government’s list of priority toxins for the United States, and its mining, manufacture, and post-use disposal pose significant problems for our environment. From our perspective, while aluminum foil is definitely lightweight, flexible, and convenient, these upsides don’t come close to outweighing the downsides here.” Based on everything else we’ve read, this sounds pretty rational. As a cancer survivor, and a generally health-conscious person, I stopped using aluminum-based antiperspirant years ago (it was male breast cancer, and the underarms seemed a little to close to home on that one)! But I honestly never thought about the possibility of aluminum from foil being able to leach into foods, since unlike an antiperspirant it doesn’t seem to be in a form that would allow it to migrate into other substances… like skin or food. I appreciate your input and will continue reading, and looking into alternatives… possibly a stainless steel griddle, which I have read about some people using. We might even say the heck with aluminum foil altogether and let the top of the grill get greasy! Although it's a cast iron grill, so maybe that's bad too! lol We’ve added an annotation to the video that says “NOTE: Some people recommend not cooking on foil” to bring the topic to people’s attention. By the way, I’m also not a big fan of too much grilling over charcoal fires for the same reason: potential exposure to carcinogens. Thanks again for the input!
RVgeeks Yeah from what I understand aluminium is more reactive than other metals and when it gets into your body it will bond with other nasty stuff. I have a hard water where I live and I've noticed that when I use an aluminium pot it will get residue on the pot walls (calcification?) quite fast. On the other hand I believe in moderation and trying to remove things so common as aluminium completely seems like goint overboard to me, so I still use it for example to wrap cold meat and let it marinade in the fridge. I just don't use it whenever heat is involved. It's not even that aluminium is bad, it's that plastic coating that's the worst. I've used to smoke weed (I don't anymore) and we did little aluminium "bowls" to hold the weed so that we didn't have to clean the bong. Usually we would hold the aluminium over the lighter until we saw a black smoke to make sure we don't inhale it, but one time someone forgot to do that and I took a hit of that plastic foil coating straight into my lungs. That was the nastiest thing I've ever put in my body and honestly the mere thought of grilling meat on it makes me wanna puke... Ok, so that's my story and I hope it scares you away from grilling on alumiunium foil :D
question about the squeegee. I was thinking about investing in a portable water softener due to the hard water at my home. Will I need to do that if I make sure I squeegee the water off right away?
We’ve never bothered with a water softener, but when we wash the RV in the Desert SW, we do have to wash, rinse, and squeegee in sections to make sure we don’t let the hard water dry on the rig. As long as you keep it wet, it’s no problem. Having two people washing, rinsing and keeping wet until ready to squeegee a section, makes it pretty easy, although it can be challenging in direct sun!
Hi Annette! Until we get a chance to create the playlist, here's the mirror video: ruclips.net/video/ldekjpYQ7Qw/видео.html And just in case you want to watch the one on turns/off-tracking again, here's the link: ruclips.net/video/y5MSGqfh8z0/видео.html Enjoy, safe travels, and thanks for watching!
With number 7, my grandfather on my mom's side does that, but, he only uses aluminum foil on the actual grilling surface itself, not the inside of the lid.
We’d recommend buying the necessities at first, and filling in with things you “think” you need as you go. You can indeed dry camp / boondock with an all-electric rig, but it will either require large battery and solar panel banks, or running the generator more often... probably daily.
Unsure if you've got a video on this, as after watching you wash the rig and use a squeegee, it had me thinking to ask you if you guys use a 'water softener'? I ask, in that, like you, living here in western Canada our water is soft, but when we head to southern Az in January, I found I made my first mistake last year in washing my coach, and it ended up looking worse than when I started, with all the water spots! I had to get some guys to come in to wash/wax it to get it looking as it did prior to leaving for the trip, which cost me around $300. usd. I just ordered a "On The Go" 16000 grain water softener, so we aren't spending so much time and effort to go and buy drinking water, as we're hoping to stay for 2-3 months. Again, wondering if you have found a water softening solution?
Hi Dale! We don’t actually use a water softener. When we’re in the desert, we keep about 4 or 5 1-gallon water bottles handy, and refill them for a quarter or so at those water machines, and use that for drinking purposes. For washing the RV, the trick is to wash the shady side only, keep it wet, then squeegee it off quickly, before it dries (helps to have two people). Then have lunch while the sun clears from the other side and wash it next! Washing in the sun, or letting the water dry, are the biggest problems.
i have some stubborn bug residue on the front of my RV that just wont wash away i have tried a cpl different bug remover products on the market but they have not worked do you have a recommendation for this?
+joe krigbaum Try wetting a dryer sheet and slowly rub the bug residue until it comes off. Best trick we've found. Please let us know if it works for you! 😊
Many thanks. We're just purchasing our first RV. Never even driven one and only got to ride in it yesterday. We found an unbelievable deal on a 45ft 2003 model that I just couldn't walk away from. We've got a LOT to learn and your videos have been extremely helpful. I've already bookmarks about 10 of them to be able to review. Many thanks for producing and posting them. You ones on wheel tracking and adjusting/using the mirrors are the best around.
Congratulations on your new-to-you rig! How awesome! So glad you liked our driving videos. They were the ones I was going to suggest to help you get started! Safe Travels.
Hi Joe. It’s called “Locally Sourced” by Jason Farnham and I think it was either from the RUclips creator library or iMovie. Been so long I can’t remember which!
OMG that Wynn chickie is a doll!! Easy on the eyes!!!! When the wifey walks in the room and asks if I am watching Gone with the Wynns again I click to the bald dudes and all is well!!! In addition to colored hoses, I mark with black marker" Spare" City" Gray" Etc.. right on hose. Why a spare?? Ever notice the price at an RV park verses Walmart? I have noticed Rvers run over a hose with a jeep etc..or break some way and this is not good. Well..just this Thanksgiving Lone Pine California had an arctic wind like no other. I left the hose on a slow drip drip drip, maybe a quart per hour and I was catching in a bucket to water the trees with. Hose was wrapped with a blanket and all was well. That was until 4 AM when wifey woke me up because the Throne did not refill. Outside I went in sub zero weather and I found a 100 pound iceberg at the hose fitting. Hose was solid ice also. Cheap blanket didnt work. When the sun came up I swapped the hose for the spare and all was well. The store at Boulder creek sold every hose they had and there were still a dozen or so folks with no water because of FROZE HOSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bright sun would not thaw with that wind. Even spoke with one lady who put her hose in a bathtub and used boiled water to thaw. A spare hose is a good thing!!!!! Iam sure you know but check out Pippi Petersons page. She is a very resourceful RVer and a fine individual. Thank you!!!!
+Scott Wall We just spent a few days with the Wynns, and we can attest first hand that Nikki is indeed a doll. :) In other news, an extra hose is a great idea!
+Randy Bobandy RV Geeks.com Great information from great folks who simply share knowledge without drama or sales pitch. Best part..seeing videos of places I camped in my 76 Surfer van 30 years ago.
+Scott Wall They're not bald ahah Peter is pretty much bald I guess but that's sweet. Yeah I used to have/still have but don't use a 1974 RanDell fifth wheel. went everywhere in that thing.
+Randy Bobandy I lived in a 1976 Chevy van for many years, well...sort of as I stayed with girlfirends etc...knowing that rent is a major drain. Great lifesytle. House paid off, soon to retire. Currently looking for Bluebird, Monaco or Foretravel Diesel for retirement travel. Bird Wanderlodge was first choice, now rethinking that due to the quality of the Geek coach.
We packed our clothes in plastic dish bins. Loaded up the night before the trip and then slept in our "next day clothes." Of course, I was 10 years old at the time. I'm sure my folks have a lot more practical tips.
My goodness, that takes me back! We did the same with our kids when we camped and drove from CA to WA one summer. We would have dinner, bathe the kids, put them in clean clothes for the next day, and load 'em into the car when it was time to roll on....(usually 4am or so) Our first stop was breakfast, and the day's driving was DONE by 2pm....so we'd stop and have plenty of time to set up camp and give the children time to run and play. And time for me to get a head start on dinner! If we could stop somewhere near water, swimming was a great way to help us all unwind. Happy Trails!!
Here is another tip: If you have a problem with your grey water tank getting full before your black tank. I had the RV dealer install a garden hose drain on the grey tank and install a valve and 12V pump in the water bay that I can use to transfer grey water in through the black tank flush port. This has two advantages 1) I can use the whole capacity of the black and grey tanks. 2) I can flush out the black tank with grey water instead of using fresh water. This comes in handy when in colder areas where there is a dump station but the water is off for the winter.
Nothing like 10 handy RVGeek tips to kickstart the weekend eh? The door trick and napkin/towel tip is applied quite often in our rig. Here's another one: Don't drive over speed bumps while someone is on the toilet.
RVwithTito We don't even want to know how you discovered that little gem. Poor Melissa?
RVwithTito Don't drive over speed bumps while someone is on the toilet. L M A O
+RVwithTito Like I always tell my wife "Sorry honey, I can't control the road or the terrain" Then I get the "sideways" look. LOL
I enjoy to keep lots of beer on board. that helps me lots
I'll hook it up with the cheeseburgers ol ran bobdany
I love your channel. No drama and lots of great ideas for RVers
If you at the time of year when there is a lot of bugs. Take a damp sponge and apply straight dish soap to the front of the RV, At destination just hose off and the bugs come right off.
Great tip. Thanks!
GENIUS, but does the dish soap effect the fiberglass like it does a regular clear coat on a car?
Love the grill foil trick! Will use it now --on the road and at home. Also, could use bandanas instead of napkins. I use cut-to-size pieces of that bumpy plastic shelf liner between plates, cups, some glasses, pans, and anything else that might rattle. Reusable for years. A quiet RV means you can hear anything out of the ordinary on the road.
GizmoBee1702 We use "no skid" between our plates, too (and underneath anything that can slide around). Thanks for adding that one!
Tinker Bell
Huh? ;-)
Tinker Bell Sorry Tinker. I was kidding around, pretending I had Alzheimers. lol Not funny, I know, and I didn't mean to be cryptic. I also don't expect you to have read all the comments here, and yours is appreciated, but to reiterate my reply to an early commenter further down this video that stated the same thing you did:
"Thanks for the feedback and input. Someone made the same comment on our website a few days ago, so we’ve been reading all about cooking with food in contact with aluminum… baked potatoes, grilling etc. What appears to be a very reasoned and succinct summary of the articles we’ve found is the following from the George Mateljan Foundation, which promotes health and a healthier world:
“We do not recommend cooking or storing food in aluminum foil - even though there is no strong scientific evidence showing these practices to be harmful to your health. We have three reasons for making this recommendation. First, even though research studies don’t show the food use of aluminum foil to be harmful, they clearly show migration of small amounts of aluminum from the foil into the food. For example, in one study conducted in Italy about 2-6 milligrams of aluminum was found to move over into food from aluminum foils, cookware, and utensils. Even if this amount has not been show to pose health harm, we don’t like our food containing a potentially problematic metal that wasn’t naturally supposed to be there.
Second, we believe that the jury is still out on aluminum with respect to chronic long-term health problems. (We’re talking here about exposure to aluminum from all sources, including the environment, certain workplace settings, personal care products, etc.) Potential connections have been found between certain cancers and aluminum exposure, and also between aluminum exposure and Alzheimer’s disease. Infertility connections have also been found. We don’t see any reason to add potential exposure through the use of aluminum foil with food.
Finally, we don’t like the consequences of aluminum foil manufacturing for our planet. Aluminum remains on the federal government’s list of priority toxins for the United States, and its mining, manufacture, and post-use disposal pose significant problems for our environment. From our perspective, while aluminum foil is definitely lightweight, flexible, and convenient, these upsides don’t come close to outweighing the downsides here.”
Based on everything else we’ve read, this sounds pretty rational.
As a cancer survivor, and a generally health-conscious person, I stopped using aluminum-based antiperspirant years ago (it was male breast cancer, and the underarms seemed a little to close to home on that one)! But I honestly never thought about the possibility of aluminum from foil being able to leach into foods, since unlike an antiperspirant it doesn’t seem to be in a form that would allow it to migrate into other substances… like skin or food.
I appreciate your input and will continue reading, and looking into alternatives… possibly a stainless steel griddle, which I have read about some people using. We might even say the heck with aluminum foil altogether and let the top of the grill get greasy! Although it's a cast iron grill, so maybe that's bad too! lol We’ve added an annotation to the video that says “NOTE: Some people recommend not cooking on foil” to bring the topic to people’s attention. By the way, I’m also not a big fan of too much grilling over charcoal fires for the same reason: potential exposure to carcinogens.
Thanks again for the input!"
Tinker Bell No worries and no apology needed. You're absolutely right... if I'm going to keep making videos, I've got to keep Alzheimer's at bay. lol Congrats on your upcoming new RV! See ya on the road. :)
Put a small 12v fan in the fridge to allow air circulation evenly to avoid freezing of some items rather than others this way it'll keep your refrigerator a constant temperature
Those are some good tips for sure, like the one about putting putting drying cloths in the bowls to stop rattling.
Great video! Although I've never had my mat fly away in a wind storm, I love the way the problem was resolved. I use a silicone adhesive, applied to the bottom rims of the plates & bowls, to ease the rattling a bit. Cheers guys!
+roberto abrams Love the silicone tip! Thanks Roberto!
roberto abrams q
I've watched your videos multiple times and still get something new the next time I watch. Have a great day.....
So great to hear Greg! Thanks. :)
Tip 1 is also a good way to stack/store Teflon pans without damaging the coating.
dstubby82 Thanks! That qualifies as Tip #11! :)
Excellent tips and advice! When it's my time to hit the road, I should be prepared thanks to RVgeeks!!!
Thank you for the info tips..Blessings to you.
Just bought a 93 Pace Arrow and will pick up next week, looking forward to watching your video's and learning!
Congratulations Michael! Best of luck with your new rig. :)
Really loved the water pitcher tip. We're starting fulltime in January and plan to do alot of boondocking with three kids....so this is a great tip
Congrats on going full-time! Hope you love it, and boondocking, as much as we do. :)
Get yourself a composting toilet. You'll never go back to water plus it saves carrying and dumping. IMHO Natures Head is fully and ridiculously expensive. Here in the UK there are nicely styled pro unit for around $400
This is possibly the greatest RV RUclips channel I’ve ever seen. Such a great channel keep it up RVgeeks!
Thanks so much for the kind words! Makes it all worthwhile. 😊
RVgeeks it always amazes me what you guys share on RUclips and the videos are very informative
I just found your RUclips channel and I like it! I learned a few things from watching them.
BTW: your voice and presentation style reminds me of the announcer from “How It’s Made”. lol
caj1397 We love How It's Made, so we'll take that as a great compliment. Thanks! :)
As a brand new rver thank you for the videos. They are very very helpful
Thanks so much Glenn! 😊
Wax the windshield, and also use high quality wiper blades, like RainEx.
Good stuff, thanks for putting it together!
We recently moved from a pop-up to a TT and found a lot of useful tips from your videos. Chad
i use the point & shoot therrmometer to check hub pressure at stops to monitor bearing & caliper heat build up.
Great idea!
Thank you for adding another awesome video. Btw congrats on your 12 years full time rv
Thanks for another quality video.
I've learned so much from you guys, and frequently refer others to your channel.
All the Best, and Happy Camping!
Allen Hare Thanks so much Allen! Happy camping to you too. :)
love sharing your tips and tricks. Thanks again.
RV Round Table Thanks RV Round Table! Much appreciated.
Here in So Cal, we have a drought situation so I clean my RV trailer with microfiber cloths and about five gallons of water. I also use this method for my truck and van. I found that using Mop n' Glo (learned from another boater) works great on my boat and trailer. It doesn't last as long as paste wax, but it sure is easier to use!
Abunai One Thanks for the new tips! We can only imagine how difficult it is trying to keep an RV clean right now in SoCal with all the water issues. We use a pressure washer to dramatically reduce water usage, but I'm sure that even that is too much for CA these days.
To show you how much of a Sr. Blonde I am..only one out of the ten was I previously aware of.. soooo THANK YOU for sharing ! Be Safe !
+Janet Folkerts 9 out of 10 is a great batting average for us when providing information. Thanks for sharing, Janet!
Congratulations on your 12 years of being full time rvers guys
Craig Potter Thanks Craig!
very interesting, hoped you had some more infor for newbies buying their first RV, what to look for? great video's thank you.
Hi Samantha! The video we've done that is most relevant to actually buying an RV might not be exactly what you're looking for, but might help if you haven't already purchased one: ruclips.net/video/uKYjE1YPVU8/видео.html
After meeting you in Quartzite (dust capital of the SW), I'd suggest a video on how you keep the RV so clean. I've seen little tricks in several, but every picture of your RV it's spotless
Hi Bert! Great to hear from you after connecting in Quartzsite. Thanks for the nice comment. We do try to keep our rig looking as good as we can considering it's now nearly 12 years old. This video might be just what you were looking for: ruclips.net/video/AA15MOt9wEA/видео.html
You tied that knot like a Eagle Scout 3:15
lots of good tips. keep them coming.
Thanks DJ! Will do. :)
Thanks for the info !
Great reminders and new tips for us! Thanks & Congrats!! :0) ~M
Subbed! Working On getting to live on the Road Soon!
+Christine Lowery (BEACHCRICKET) Awesome! It's great out here. :)
Great info, thank you!
Excellent tips
Thank y'all so much for the info!
Good tips. Thanks.
just bought an older style motor home and have never had one before....do you have a video on 10 most common mistakes newbies need to know? thank you for the great tips on this video, very useful
Hi Kathleen, and congratulations on your new-to-you RV! We don't have a "10-most" mistakes video, but we do have a video about a newbie mistake we made that's one of our favorites: ruclips.net/video/IsiXaMEneaY/видео.html
Thanks for the info.
I use the fridge door lol as long as the bathroom door for levelling
The foil on the grill idea is smart. Do you use a water softener system? Just bought one and was wondering the pros and cons.
smacdiesel We don't use a softener, but we're planning to research them for use this winter in the desert SW, where the water is pretty awful! We've put up with the water down there for years, and it's time to look into improving it. Stay tuned for a video about that before next winter (hopefully). Please let us know which one you got and how you like it.
Great id. But cooking with foil isn't a healthy way to go, as aluminum is connected to alheimizer's.
DId I miss it??
just wondering were you picked up the wheel well tire cover/shields. I like the clean look.
The other day I watched you feed the tire covers in a groove or intall channel.
We got those covers 12 years ago when we first bought the RV. They no longer make them, and they're getting pretty old. Luckily, we've heard about a new kind of tire cover that should be available soon, and we'll of course be reporting on that as soon as we find out more. ;-)
Did you get your new wheel covers yet?
Not yet, but we’re hopeful they’ll be available soon. They’re supposedly different than other covers and we’re holding out to see details when they’re ready. We’ll be sure to keep everyone posted as soon as we know more.
Cooking on aluminium foil is not a good idea and let me explain why. It's not just a rollable sheet of aluminium, it's aluminium + polycarbonate coating. Everytime you grill on aluminium foil, you're basically infusing your meals with burnt plastic. Don't believe me? Take a piece of aluminium foil and heat it with a lighter. I guarantee you'll never grill on aluminium again...
sanshinron Thanks for the feedback and input. Someone made the same comment on our website a few days ago, so we’ve been reading all about cooking with food in contact with aluminum… baked potatoes, grilling etc. What appears to be a very reasoned and succinct summary of the articles we’ve found is the following from the George Mateljan Foundation, which promotes health and a healthier world:
“We do not recommend cooking or storing food in aluminum foil - even though there is no strong scientific evidence showing these practices to be harmful to your health. We have three reasons for making this recommendation. First, even though research studies don’t show the food use of aluminum foil to be harmful, they clearly show migration of small amounts of aluminum from the foil into the food. For example, in one study conducted in Italy about 2-6 milligrams of aluminum was found to move over into food from aluminum foils, cookware, and utensils. Even if this amount has not been show to pose health harm, we don’t like our food containing a potentially problematic metal that wasn’t naturally supposed to be there.
Second, we believe that the jury is still out on aluminum with respect to chronic long-term health problems. (We’re talking here about exposure to aluminum from all sources, including the environment, certain workplace settings, personal care products, etc.) Potential connections have been found between certain cancers and aluminum exposure, and also between aluminum exposure and Alzheimer’s disease. Infertility connections have also been found. We don’t see any reason to add potential exposure through the use of aluminum foil with food.
Finally, we don’t like the consequences of aluminum foil manufacturing for our planet. Aluminum remains on the federal government’s list of priority toxins for the United States, and its mining, manufacture, and post-use disposal pose significant problems for our environment. From our perspective, while aluminum foil is definitely lightweight, flexible, and convenient, these upsides don’t come close to outweighing the downsides here.”
Based on everything else we’ve read, this sounds pretty rational.
As a cancer survivor, and a generally health-conscious person, I stopped using aluminum-based antiperspirant years ago (it was male breast cancer, and the underarms seemed a little to close to home on that one)! But I honestly never thought about the possibility of aluminum from foil being able to leach into foods, since unlike an antiperspirant it doesn’t seem to be in a form that would allow it to migrate into other substances… like skin or food.
I appreciate your input and will continue reading, and looking into alternatives… possibly a stainless steel griddle, which I have read about some people using. We might even say the heck with aluminum foil altogether and let the top of the grill get greasy! Although it's a cast iron grill, so maybe that's bad too! lol We’ve added an annotation to the video that says “NOTE: Some people recommend not cooking on foil” to bring the topic to people’s attention. By the way, I’m also not a big fan of too much grilling over charcoal fires for the same reason: potential exposure to carcinogens.
Thanks again for the input!
RVgeeks Yeah from what I understand aluminium is more reactive than other metals and when it gets into your body it will bond with other nasty stuff. I have a hard water where I live and I've noticed that when I use an aluminium pot it will get residue on the pot walls (calcification?) quite fast. On the other hand I believe in moderation and trying to remove things so common as aluminium completely seems like goint overboard to me, so I still use it for example to wrap cold meat and let it marinade in the fridge. I just don't use it whenever heat is involved. It's not even that aluminium is bad, it's that plastic coating that's the worst. I've used to smoke weed (I don't anymore) and we did little aluminium "bowls" to hold the weed so that we didn't have to clean the bong. Usually we would hold the aluminium over the lighter until we saw a black smoke to make sure we don't inhale it, but one time someone forgot to do that and I took a hit of that plastic foil coating straight into my lungs. That was the nastiest thing I've ever put in my body and honestly the mere thought of grilling meat on it makes me wanna puke...
Ok, so that's my story and I hope it scares you away from grilling on alumiunium foil :D
@@sanshinron I remember smoking weed on aluminum foil too😂
question about the squeegee. I was thinking about investing in a portable water softener due to the hard water at my home. Will I need to do that if I make sure I squeegee the water off right away?
We’ve never bothered with a water softener, but when we wash the RV in the Desert SW, we do have to wash, rinse, and squeegee in sections to make sure we don’t let the hard water dry on the rig. As long as you keep it wet, it’s no problem. Having two people washing, rinsing and keeping wet until ready to squeegee a section, makes it pretty easy, although it can be challenging in direct sun!
Could you put the driving videos in a playlist?
I watched one on mirrors and one on turns. I can’t find the mirror one again...
Hi Annette! Until we get a chance to create the playlist, here's the mirror video: ruclips.net/video/ldekjpYQ7Qw/видео.html And just in case you want to watch the one on turns/off-tracking again, here's the link: ruclips.net/video/y5MSGqfh8z0/видео.html Enjoy, safe travels, and thanks for watching!
With number 7, my grandfather on my mom's side does that, but, he only uses aluminum foil on the actual grilling surface itself, not the inside of the lid.
Forget about leveling the coach to save the door squeeks. Far more important is how lever the pan on the stove is.
When our bathroom door stays put, our stove is perfectly level, too. :)
that was nice!
I have two question.the first is when do I tart buying stuff and numeber 2 is can you dry camp when you have all electric motohome?
We’d recommend buying the necessities at first, and filling in with things you “think” you need as you go. You can indeed dry camp / boondock with an all-electric rig, but it will either require large battery and solar panel banks, or running the generator more often... probably daily.
Unsure if you've got a video on this, as after watching you wash the rig and use a squeegee, it had me thinking to ask you if you guys use a 'water softener'? I ask, in that, like you, living here in western Canada our water is soft, but when we head to southern Az in January, I found I made my first mistake last year in washing my coach, and it ended up looking worse than when I started, with all the water spots! I had to get some guys to come in to wash/wax it to get it looking as it did prior to leaving for the trip, which cost me around $300. usd. I just ordered a "On The Go" 16000 grain water softener, so we aren't spending so much time and effort to go and buy drinking water, as we're hoping to stay for 2-3 months. Again, wondering if you have found a water softening solution?
Hi Dale! We don’t actually use a water softener. When we’re in the desert, we keep about 4 or 5 1-gallon water bottles handy, and refill them for a quarter or so at those water machines, and use that for drinking purposes. For washing the RV, the trick is to wash the shady side only, keep it wet, then squeegee it off quickly, before it dries (helps to have two people). Then have lunch while the sun clears from the other side and wash it next! Washing in the sun, or letting the water dry, are the biggest problems.
i have some stubborn bug residue on the front of my RV that just wont wash away i have tried a cpl different bug remover products on the market but they have not worked do you have a recommendation for this?
+joe krigbaum Try wetting a dryer sheet and slowly rub the bug residue until it comes off. Best trick we've found. Please let us know if it works for you! 😊
Once you hook up your cable to rv how do you search for channels on tv
Every TV is different, Paula. Usually you go into the setup menus and tell it to auto-search for available channels.
Where did you get the 'California Squeegee' ?
On Amazon: amzn.to/2ISeBJ5
Many thanks. We're just purchasing our first RV. Never even driven one and only got to ride in it yesterday. We found an unbelievable deal on a 45ft 2003 model that I just couldn't walk away from. We've got a LOT to learn and your videos have been extremely helpful. I've already bookmarks about 10 of them to be able to review. Many thanks for producing and posting them. You ones on wheel tracking and adjusting/using the mirrors are the best around.
Congratulations on your new-to-you rig! How awesome! So glad you liked our driving videos. They were the ones I was going to suggest to help you get started! Safe Travels.
what was that gauge on the water hose at 0:52
That's part of the adjustable water pressure regulator: amzn.to/2EGaCOJ
What is the background music??
Hi Joe. It’s called “Locally Sourced” by Jason Farnham and I think it was either from the RUclips creator library or iMovie. Been so long I can’t remember which!
@@RVgeeks Thanks. Amazed you found the time to a recent comment on a 3+ year old video. You guys rock!
I looked at 35'2in class A motohome on 8,22,18 I don't know what thy mean when they say BTU. Can you help me. Thank you
BTU is a measure of heat output, typically used in the rating of air-conditioners and heaters.
@@RVgeeks BTU stands for British Thermal Unit ...its the amount of energy requireded to raise one pound of water one degree in temperature.
OMG that Wynn chickie is a doll!! Easy on the eyes!!!! When the wifey walks in the room and asks if I am watching Gone with the Wynns again I click to the bald dudes and all is well!!!
In addition to colored hoses, I mark with black marker" Spare" City" Gray" Etc.. right on hose. Why a spare?? Ever notice the price at an RV park verses Walmart? I have noticed Rvers run over a hose with a jeep etc..or break some way and this is not good. Well..just this Thanksgiving Lone Pine California had an arctic wind like no other. I left the hose on a slow drip drip drip, maybe a quart per hour and I was catching in a bucket to water the trees with. Hose was wrapped with a blanket and all was well. That was until 4 AM when wifey woke me up because the Throne did not refill. Outside I went in sub zero weather and I found a 100 pound iceberg at the hose fitting. Hose was solid ice also. Cheap blanket didnt work. When the sun came up I swapped the hose for the spare and all was well. The store at Boulder creek sold every hose they had and there were still a dozen or so folks with no water because of FROZE HOSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bright sun would not thaw with that wind. Even spoke with one lady who put her hose in a bathtub and used boiled water to thaw. A spare hose is a good thing!!!!!
Iam sure you know but check out Pippi Petersons page. She is a very resourceful RVer and a fine individual. Thank you!!!!
+Scott Wall We just spent a few days with the Wynns, and we can attest first hand that Nikki is indeed a doll. :)
In other news, an extra hose is a great idea!
Who is the bald dudes?
+Randy Bobandy RV Geeks.com Great information from great folks who simply share knowledge without drama or sales pitch. Best part..seeing videos of places I camped in my 76 Surfer van 30 years ago.
+Scott Wall They're not bald ahah Peter is pretty much bald I guess but that's sweet. Yeah I used to have/still have but don't use a 1974 RanDell fifth wheel. went everywhere in that thing.
+Randy Bobandy I lived in a 1976 Chevy van for many years, well...sort of as I stayed with girlfirends etc...knowing that rent is a major drain. Great lifesytle. House paid off, soon to retire. Currently looking for Bluebird, Monaco or Foretravel Diesel for retirement travel. Bird Wanderlodge was first choice, now rethinking that due to the quality of the Geek coach.
We packed our clothes in plastic dish bins. Loaded up the night before the trip and then slept in our "next day clothes." Of course, I was 10 years old at the time. I'm sure my folks have a lot more practical tips.
My goodness, that takes me back! We did the same with our kids when we camped and drove from CA to WA one summer. We would have dinner, bathe the kids, put them in clean clothes for the next day, and load 'em into the car when it was time to roll on....(usually 4am or so) Our first stop was breakfast, and the day's driving was DONE by 2pm....so we'd stop and have plenty of time to set up camp and give the children time to run and play. And time for me to get a head start on dinner! If we could stop somewhere near water, swimming was a great way to help us all unwind. Happy Trails!!
Thanks for the tips