RV University This Week 09/19/2011

RV University this Week
Your weekly source for interesting
RV articles, tips, tricks, video clips and advice

From the Industry Leader in RV Education:
RV Education 101® - also known as: RV 101™
U of RV Journal #114 - Sept 19, 2011

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"Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence."
~ Abigail Adams

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RV Education 101 is the creator of the Go For The RV Gold Online Training ProgramThis is the only online RV training program that will teach you everything you need to know about your RV at such a reasonable cost, and totally at your leisure with no deadlines. There is no driving to get to the training location, no crowded classrooms and no time restraints to complete the specialized RV training

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by Mark Polk

Hi Everybody,

I just returned from helping clean up after a flood, and spending one day at the 2011 PA RV & Camping Show in Hershey Pa. Seeing some new 2012 RV models was a welcome sight after dealing with the devastating affects high water can bring.

The media referred to this as a 500 year flood. What that means is there is one-tenth of one percent chance that it would flood this bad over a 500 year period of time. I experienced a 100 year flood in 1996 when the house had 21 inches of flood water on the first floor. It's interesting to me that both 100 and 500 year floods occurred during my lifetime. We were very fortunate this time, compared to others who lost everything, but it is still a huge mess to contend with. Although it will take some time to get things back to normal we are thankful everybody was okay. Thanks to everybody who helped, offered to help and sent their best wishes.

The season finale of Mark's RV Garage has been pushed back for at least one week. If all goes well we will release the final episode on 26 September.

Watch the previous Episode #16 if you missed it.

Until next week, plan your trip, travel safe and enjoy your RV experiences. Remember, getting there is half the fun!
Mark Polk

**REMINDER! Like the RV Education 101 Facebook page. We post helpful RV information often and would also appreciate feedback, tips, RV related photos and comments from you!

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Why Replace your Automobile Antifreeze?
Normally I would be discussing RV antifreeze, used to protect the water system in your RV or boat from freezing, but today I want to talk briefly about automotive antifreeze. If I were the CEO of an automotive antifreeze company my entire focus would be on the need to regularly flush the coolant system and add new antifreeze to the vehicle cooling system. ....... Read the article on Why Replace your Automobile Antifreeze?

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RV Savvy Tips by Mark Polk

The lead and plastic used to construct batteries can be recycled. More than 97% of all battery lead is recycled. Be sure and recycle your old batteries

RV Batteries

It’s very important that you use the right battery for the type of application. The battery used to start and run the engine is usually referred to as a chassis battery or a starting battery. Vehicle starters require large starting currents for short periods of time. Starting batteries have a large number of thin plates to maximize the plate area exposed to the electrolyte. This is what provides the large amount of current in short bursts. Starting batteries are rated in Cold Cranking Amps or CCA. CCA is the number of amps the battery can deliver at 0 degrees F for 30 seconds and not drop below 7.2 volts. Starting batteries should not be used for deep cycle applications.

The battery or batteries used to supply 12-volts to the RV itself are commonly referred to as house batteries. House batteries need to be deep cycle batteries that are designed to provide a steady amount of current over a long period of time. Starting batteries and marine batteries should not be used in this application. True deep cycle batteries have much thicker plates and are designed to be deeply discharged and recharged over and over again.

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...with Mark

*NOTE: At Mark's discretion, material might be edited to suit a wide audience. Due to the large volume of material and correspondence we receive, individual replies might not be possible, nor can we acknowledge receipt of submitted material. Selected questions will be answered in future issues of our RV Education 101 newsletter and on our site. Thank-you for your understanding.

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Q We recently purchased an '82 Sunline... 17.5 ft. total. It is a double axle...and came with used Carlisle tires. We recently took a one night trip to a campground near us in St. Petersburg...and before we left I inflated all of the trailer tires to 50 psi. I checked them the next morning....three of them were now 40 psi...and one was at 35. We did some extensive on-line research yesterday on tires...and nobody had a good thing to say about Carlisle tires. Lot's of blowouts... and tearing up their trailers to boot. What was strange though...is that although everyone seemed to despise the Carlisle tires... and the Goodyear tires as well (Same company)...we never found a single recommendation from anyone on what brand of tire is considered good and reliable.
Care to make a recommendation???
Our current tire size is ST175/80D13... Load Rating C.

Mark Says: My first recommendation would be to replace the tires on your 82 Sunline trailer. The general rule is to replace tires on RV's that are over six years in age. There is a DOT number on the tire sidewalls that will inform you how old they are. Information on how to interpret the DOT number is in the link to my tire article I included in this response.

I have heard the same horror stories about Carlisle tires, but in their defense since they supply most of the tires for all trailers manufactured you're bound to hear the few who are not happy with the product.

The truth of the matter is, in most cases, tire failure on RV's is due to a lack of maintenance and proper care. The causes for tire failure are numerous; overloading the tires, under inflating the tires, over inflating the tires, age, extended exposure to ozone and UV rays from the sun etc.

This is a link to one of the articles I wrote on tires that might be helpful http://www.rvuniversity.com/staticpages/index.php/tires_101

And this is a link where you can download some free brochures with great information on taking care of your tires and worksheets on how to weigh your RV to make sure it is not overloaded. http://www.bridgestonetrucktires.com/us_eng/rv/index.asp

Read over this material and it should clear up any questions you have about the tires on your trailer.

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Q My wife & I are planning on towing an RV trailer with our 4 cyl. Toyota Tacoma, 4x4. What is the towing restrictions we have to adhere to so as not to harm our vehicle?

Mark Says: You can go to www.trailerlife.com and towards the bottom of the page click on the tow rating guide section. Once there go to the guide for the model year vehicle you have and look it up to see what the tow rating is. Pay attention to any special notes that may apply.

Remember to subtract any weight that will be in the fully loaded vehicle from the the tow rating. Any weight added to the vehicle takes that same amount off of the tow rating. When you purchase your trailer the truck should be capable of towing the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of the trailer you select. And be sure and use the proper hitch work required to safely tow the trailer.

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Q. I have an 07 Georgetown 373 class A. When I'm not hooked up to city water and using the water pump it pulses when it runs. It seems to stop & start while a faucet is on. I just bought the unit new last May & I only have 5000 miles on the coach. Any ideas why this is happening?

Mark Says: It is most likely the quality of the water pump itself. I have seen and heard of this problem many times. You can replace the water pump with a higher quality pump to solve the problem if it warrants such action. Some people say it interferes with showers and other things when using the water pump. Go to www.campingworld.com and put water pump in the search box. It will list several pump upgrades that will eliminate the problem.

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Q. My wife and I converted a Springdale rv into a mobile kitchen. We live in Denver, CO where the winters can be harsh. During our cooking in our rv we use water everyday. If we keep the water in our tanks during the cold days and nights, will that freeze and burst our pipes our or tanks? It would be a great hassle to get fresh water and to dump water everyday if need be. When we store our trailer overnight I can use an external power source for my heater. Can I keep that running during the night to keep the tanks from freezing?

Mark Says: This is a tricky question. Basically if all of the water is above floor level, in a heated space, and you keep heat in the trailer then it should not freeze. Some RV's are manufactured with the fresh water holding tank mounted below the floor, outside, exposed to the elements. If this is the case it can freeze and cause costly damage to the water system.

If all of the water is loacted in a heated space you still need to consider things like the water heater. It's possible for water in the water heater tank to freeze and expand, damaging the tank. If you have water in the water heater tank keep the water heater turned on too to prevent this from happening. Also keep in mind the water going down the drains into the gray water tank. I would recommend pouring some RV antifreeze into the gray and black water tanks to prevent the contents of the tanks from freezing.

So I guess the answer could be yes or no depending on your particular situation. We have actually used our RV in climates where the high for the day was 12 degrees and didn't have any problems, but you have to exercise caution and keep an eye on everything. I always leave the faucets dripping water to keep the water moving through the system too.

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Newtowne Neck State Park gets funds to develop recreation
Newtowne Neck State Park in Compton is getting a total of $800,000 to develop the waterfront park. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources received a $400,000 matching federal grant to develop outdoor recreation facilities ..........

Bogue Chitto State Park has successful year
FRANKLINTON, La. -- Bogue Chitto State Park was among Louisiana’s most-visited parks in its first year.........

Misty weather doesn't dampen spirits for outdoors day
Cold temperatures on Wednesday might not have made it ideal to be outdoors in the Black Hills, but for some, it was just right. Despite temperatures that hovered in the upper 30s, the seventh annual Experience the Outdoors Day for Adults with Special Needs brought together about 200 adults, most from Black Hills Workshop and Northern Hills Training Center, to the Palmer Gulch KOA campground.........

Buzz's Marina Overcomes Another Zoning Hurdle
Last month the county commissioners voted to approve changes in zoning regulations for campgrounds at marinas. Under the regulation changes up to 15 campsites will be allowed as an accessory use in the Commercial Marine (CM) zoning district. And, up to 20 campsites will be allowed in the Rural Preservation District........

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FOR MEDIA & ADVERTISING Media Kit Contact Dawn Polk for Pricing

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