RV University this Week
Learning RVs the Easy Way
by RV Education 101
U of RV Journal #119 14 November 2011
From the industry leader in RV Education Inside this Issue: Mark’s Editorial (Pg 2) This Week’s Q & A (Pg 3) This Week’s RV News (Pgs. 5-6) Feature Article “Polk’s Top 10 RV Buying Tips” (Pg 7) This Week’s RV Buzz Quick Tips (Pg 9) Article “How to Extend the Life of your Engine” (Pg 11) RV How-To Videos for the Do-It-Yourselfer (Pg 14) RV Play & Learn Crossword “Cold Weather RVing” (Pg 15)
Your RV University Weekly E-newsletter is here!
Hi Folks, I would like to start off by thanking everybody who commented on our new e-news format. I think the over-all consensus was the format is acceptable with a few minor modifications. The biggest complaint we received was the black lettering on the gray background, and links being difficult to view. I agree on both counts and we will work on improving the new format as me move forward. I think one of our readers summed it best saying, “I thought the newsletter was very well done and the format appealing to the eye. But it really is the content that you provide that is important.” All of your feedback & comments are greatly appreciated. In a couple of weeks I’ll be heading to the 49th National RV Trade Show in Louisville, Ky. I always look forward to seeing new products , getting current updates on the “state of the RV industry”, seeing old friends and networking with industry colleagues. I will update you on what I see and hear at the show. Remember: Don't give up on your dreams of exploring the country in your RV; instead plan to make your dreams come true. Plan your RV trip, load it up, hook it up, fuel it up and Keep an eye out next week for our “RV How-To” e-news special edition. Until next week, plan your trip, travel safe and enjoy your RV experiences. Remember, getting there is half the fun!
Mark Polk 2
This Week’s RV Bulletin Board The moment one gives close attention to any thing, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself. ~Henry Miller
Question: We purchased a 29' travel trailer and would like to purchase a generator, but I have no idea what size generator we need to run everything in the new trailer. If you have any information I would appreciate the help!
Answer: This is kind of like a trick question because it’s not always possible to run everything in your travel trailer even when you are connected to a campground electrical service. For example if you are running the roof AC (13 amps) the water heater in the electric mode (9 amps) and the microwave (12 amps) you will exceed a typical 30 amp electrical system found on many travel trailers. With that said , it really depends if the travel trailer has a 30 or 50 amp electrical system. Let’s say it has a 30 amp electrical system, which is basically capable of using up to 3,600 watts before encountering any problems. 120 volts X 30 amps= 3,600 watts. Generators are rated in kilowatts. One kilowatt is equal to 1000 watts, so if you want to be able to use your trailer’s electrical system the way you normally would when plugged into a 30 amp electrical service, I would recommend a 4KW or 4,000 watt generator. 4,000 watts divided by 120 volts = 33.3 amps. Anything over this is probably overkill.
3
Try to find a generator that has a built-in 30 amp receptacle that you can plug the RV power cord directly into. This way you have electricity from the generator going directly to the RV through the RV power cord. Some generators just have a couple 15 amp household type receptacles. In this case if you plug into one receptacle you would be limited to a 15 amp circuit.
Portable Generator tip
In an effort to make it easier for you to learn about your RV we took six of our individual DVD titles and put them together in a full set. It is equivalent to over five hours of one on one RV instruction. Included in the set: 1) RV Care & Maintenance DVD 2) EZ RV Upgrades DVD 3) RV Awning Use, Care DVD 4) RV Campground Basics DVD 5) Deep Cycle Batteries DVD 6) RV Safety Features DVD
Read the new Onan Generator Handbook online
A $150.00 value for only $99.95
Click for more information> 4
RV News for the RV Consumer Budget Cuts Close Another CA State Park The park, along with one-fourth of the state's 278 parks, have been earmarked for closure by the state's Parks Department as it works to ax $11 million from this year's budget and that same amount from the next year's budget.
Read the Story> Read my “Why are State Parks Taking the Budget Hit” article Read Mark’s Articles on State Park Closures
Read my “Let your Voice be Heard on State Parks” article United States Dedicates 397th National Park PATERSON, N.J. - U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) joined National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis and several others at Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park for a signing ceremony to officially dedicate the site as the United States’ 397th National Park, reports Paramus Post. “I’m incredibly proud, as a New Jerseyan and as the son of immigrants, to witness today’s declaration of Paterson Great Falls as a National Historic Park,” said Senator Menendez, who fought to get the legislation authorizing the new park approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
5
RV News for the RV Consumer Durango, CO KOA Selected as 2012 KOA Campground of the year A KOA Campground, owned by Carol and Jay Coates, was selected Monday as the Kampgrounds of America 2012 Campground of the Year. The award was presented during the opening day of KOA's annual convention at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The Coates have owned the Durango KOA for the past 20 years. During that time, they have worked tirelessly to make the Durango KOA one of the jewels of the Kampgrounds of America system of more than 475 campgrounds in North America, said Pat Hittmeier, KOA president.
Would Permanent Daylight Savings Boost Tourism? The tourism argument is that extra daylight in the evening hours would make people more likely to visit parks and other attractions. "In a nutshell, it would extend the spring and fall shoulder seasons for the tourism industry," said Kurt Janson, policy director at the Tourism Alliance a lead organization in the United Kingdom's Campaign for Daylight Saving. "There would be more usable daylight in the evening hours, when people are out and about and attractions are open.“
Read the Story> Own a Motorhome? Membership in FMCA brings with it a wealth of benefits and services, all specially designed to meet the needs of motorhome owners. The value of these benefits and services far exceeds the cost of the annual dues. Click for info
6
This Week’s Feature Article
Buying an RV is a major investment, similar to your home or automobile. It is extremely important that you make educated, well informed RV buying decisions. When you purchase an RV it's easy to overlook something, forget to check something, or most importantly not be properly informed about something. Whatever the case may be you don't realize it until after you buy it, and then it’s too late. For those of you in the market for an RV I want to offer my top 10 tips to assist you in buying your RV.
Read the Article>
7
RV Buying Resources
Learn everything you need to know about buying an RV before you buy it & save thousands of dollars in the process. Insider’s Guide to Buying an RV book
RV Buyer’s Survival Guide book
Insider’s Guide to Buying an RV E-book
RV Buyer’s Survival Guide e-book
Click Here for more great RV Buying Resources 8
RV Buzz Quick Tips RV Buzz Tip #1 Did you know that your tires can lose up to 2 psi of air pressure every month? That means if the RV is in storage for 3 or 4 months the tires could be seriously under inflated. Try to get in a habit checking tire pressure before each trip you take with your RV. Don’t forget to check your automobile tires periodically too.
RV Buzz Tip #2
Performing routine maintenance on your generator assures years of reliable service. Maintenance schedules for generators are based on usage. Monitor the hour meter gauge and refer to the generator owner’s manual for recommended service intervals. It’s nice to know that the generator will start and run properly when you need it. Click to Research Vehicle Tow Guides 1999 thru 2011
RV Buzz Tip #3 Every single component in a towing system has a weight rating. This includes the vehicle, the receiver on the vehicle, the hitch, hitch balls, ball mounts and safety chains and cables. Never exceed the lowest rated component in the towing system. This applies to a truck towing a trailer and a motorhome towing a dinghy.
9
G E T C O N N E C T E D
Stay Connected to RV Education 101
CONNECT
CONNECT
T O O U R S O C I A L
CONNECT
CONNECT
M E D I A
10
How To Extend the Life of your Engine There are probably more than 20 ways you can extend the life of your RV or automobile ’s engine, but we are going to narrow the list down to what I consider to be my top 7. When all you hear every day is how poorly the economy is doing it only makes sense to buckle down and take better care of what you already own. A little bit of Preventive Maintenance (PM) now can pay big dividends in the long run. What’s that old saying? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! So what can we do to extend the life of our vehicle engine? Let’s take a look. 1) Routine Oil and Oil Filter Changes: This is number one on my list. I have known people who I think change their engine oil and filter more frequently than is needed, but it is usually the other way around. You should follow the vehicle manufacturer guidelines for changing the engine oil and filter. If at all possible try to change the oil and oil filter prior to any long term storage. Acids accumulate in used oil and can corrode the engine bearings. Don’t forget the generator oil and filter too. 2) Help your Engine Breathe: A dirty or clogged air filter can rob life from your engine. When the engine can breathe properly it not only lasts longer but it is more fuel efficient. Recommendations for checking and replacing air filters are normally based on driving conditions. It only takes a couple minutes to check the air filter. I check mine when I change the engine oil, and it gets replaced if it’s dirty. Continued next page
To learn more about this product click to watch the video
11
How To Extend the Life of your Engine cont. 3) Pay Attention to Service Intervals: The manufacturer recommends service intervals for a reason. You guessed it, to maximize efficiency and extend the life of the engine. Whether it’s a diesel or gasoline engine it’s important that you pay attention, and follow these recommended service intervals. If you don’t perform your own routine maintenance find a local dealership or repair shop you can trust and set the vehicle up on a routine service schedule. 4) Keep it Running Cool: Just like clean engine oil lubricates moving parts and extends the engines life, clean engine antifreeze helps the major components of the engine stay cool and extends the engines life. Follow the engine manufacturer guidelines for flushing and replacing the coolant (make sure you use the proper type of coolant for the engine) and every time you lift the hood check the coolant level and inspect coolant hoses for any damage. Coolant hoses deteriorate from the inside out. Inspect all hoses for wear, cracks, soft spots, brittle areas and leaks. Replace any damaged hoses or clamps as required. Read my “Why Replace your Automobile Antifreeze “Article 5) Perform Pre-Trip Checks: Before moving the RV make the following checks concerning the engine. Check all fluid levels in the transmission, power steering, engine coolant, engine oil, windshield washer and brake fluid. Consult your vehicle owner’s manual for proper levels. Start the engine, allow it to reach operating temperature and check for proper readings on all gauges. Look under the vehicle for any signs of leaks. Have any leaks checked out and repaired before using the vehicle. Continued next page
12
How To Extend the Life of your Engine cont. 6) Driving is Important Too: Smart drivers can extend the life of their vehicle engine. Watching RPM’s, knowing when to shift gears and monitoring gauges all contribute to extending the life of your engine. Always warm an engine up before driving. Don’t race a cold engine; accelerate slowly until the engine is up to operating temperature. Avoid quick starts and fast stops whenever possible. Always monitor your gauges and if a gauge is reading outside of the normal operating range pull over when it is safe and have it checked/repaired. 7) Proper Storage Procedures: Proper storage procedures can extend the life of your engine, whereas improper procedures can harm the life of your engine. I already mentioned that changing the oil and oil filter prior to long term storage (say 4 or more months) can help you engine. Acids accumulate in used oil and can corrode the engine bearings. Start the engine periodically when the motorhome is in storage and run it until it reaches operating temperature. Fill the fuel tank and add a fuel preservative to the tank. Run the engine and generator long enough to get the preservative through the fuel system. Protect the engine compartment from critters. Squirrels and mice love to chew on plastic, rubber and anything else they can find, and a vehicle engine compartment makes a safe and cozy winter home. If the motorhome is stored outside I recommend starting the engine more often to deter these critters from calling it home. Exercise the generator on a regular basis. When you run the generator make sure there is at least a ½ rated load on it. Check your generator owner’s manual for instructions on exercising it. I mentioned earlier that there are many other factors that can help extend the life of your engine, but I think these are some of the most important. If any one of these items is not properly maintained it could end up costing you thousands of dollars in repair bills. Maintaining your RV & auto’s engine is not that difficult to do and in times of uncertainty it is what I would call cheap insurance. RV101
13
U of RV “How To” Videos
Click Here to Play
Discover some EZ to use RV sewer hose fittings
Click Here to Play Digital Tire Pressure Gauge
Discover the Benefits of a Digital Tire Pressure Gauge?
14
Play & Learn RV Crossword Puzzle
Click To Play
Cold Weather RVing Crossword
15
U of RV E-Newsletter We hope you enjoyed this week’s edition of the U of RV e-newsletter. We want our e-newsletters to be fun & enjoyable to read, but more importantly we want them to be educational. If there are topics you would like to see in future issues e-mail me at Mark@rveducation101.com and let me know what they are. Keep an eye out next week for a special “RV How-To” e-news edition. Happy RV Learning Mark & Dawn Polk
ENJOY YOUR RV: Don’t give up on your dreams of exploring the country in your RV; instead plan to make your dreams come true. You worked hard to buy the RV, now you need to work just as hard on enjoying your RV. Plan your RV trip, load it up, hook it up, fuel it up and…
16
General & Unsubscribe Our goal with this RV e-newsletter is to provide you with helpful information to make all of your RV experiences more enjoyable. I left my position as an RV Sales and F&I manager in 2000 to start my own company, RV Education 101. We produce RV educational videos, DVDs and e-books on how to safely & properly use and maintain your RV. The reason I left my job was due to my concern over the lack of educational and safety awareness material available to the RV consumer, in other words, you. My wife Dawn left her position in RV sales to help start the company and is our Sales and Marketing Director. We currently have a 35-foot Class A motor home. We have two boys, Tyler 14 and Josh 21, both avid RVers and three dogs, Roxie, Gracie and Buck. Copyright , Mark J. Polk except where indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved worldwide. Reprint only with permission from copyright holder(s). All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All content provided as is. Not all content is the opinion of the e-newsletter editorial staff or RV Education 101. Advertisers are solely responsible for ad content. To subscribe please visit our sign up page. All RV Education e-newsletters are opt-in e-newsletters delivered by subscription only. We neither use nor endorse the use of spam. Your e-mail address will only be used to distribute RV Education 101 e-news and will never be sold or given to any other entity. If you would like to learn more about us and RV Education 101 please visit www.rveducation101.com RV Education 101 150 Bay Ridge Rd. Harrells, NC 28444 910-484-7615 Contact: Mark@rveducation101.com Dawn@rveducation101.com
Don’t Miss a Single Episode of Mark’s RV Garage
17
Visit our Sponsors
www.koa.com
www.campingworld.com
www.equalizerhitch.com
www.direclink.com
www.maxxair.com
www.valterra.com
www.dicor.com
2011 Media Kit
RV Education 101 Learning RVs the Easy Way 18