Kirk W

Isn't that what a public forum is for? I think that would apply to most subjects. 😊

As those previous replies have said, the soot is from air/gas mixture not burning completely. In most cases a through cleaning will resolve the problem. Not all of the air mixtures are adjustable so do the cleaning first. The first picture is of the Atwood burner which is adjustable. The second is of a Suburban burner tube and it is not. If yours is Dometic it should be the Atwood as Dometic bought them several years ago. Note the screw on the side away from us along with the sliding tube with slots in it. Both types are easily removable but use care to put them back in the previous location. While you have it out, use a vacuum to suction the burner area as well.

One of the problems is that it is usually impossible to force those people to get the help available if they do not wish to do so. My wife used to work in the office of a large, inner city church that had a food bank and various other assistance programs for such people. It was part of her job dispense very small sums of money to some of these folks. They also offered help for them to get into mental health programs and even provided transportation to the facilities, but many of those most in need of such services either refused to go or didn't stay once there. There is a great deal of freedom to the homeless life once you know the ropes and how to work the system. And not all of those folks are uneducated either. At least one of their regulars had an MBA. That particular fellow was a regular part of the crew that came each Friday to walk the grounds and the parking areas for litter, after which each participant was given lunch and 10, $1 bills for the service. Clearly, not all of the homeless have any desire to change their status and it is very difficult to help those who do not want help. While I am sure that not all of the homeless prefer to live that way, I doubt that any of us know how many prefer to live that way and how many want to change their life. I do know from personal experience that at least some will try to take advantage of those willing to help, like the fellow who asked me for $7 to have enough to pay for a bus ticket at a truck stop last summer. When I gave him a $10 he then asked if I could spare another $5 for lunch. I often wish that there were some way that I could know which of the homeless really want and need help and which are just panhandlers. Because I don't have that ability, I give to agencies that do provide help and sometimes offer to assist them to places that give assistance. There is little doubt that some of them are worthy of help and assistance, but I still believe that it is more effective for most of us to give our support to the organizations who are helping, rather then trying to pick out which ones are deserving of our assistance. I once had a friend who would take one or two homeless into his home for Sunday dinner several times per year.

When you are sitting still you can make the water from the present extender reach a few inches farther by putting a wooden clothespin on the extender. The water will follow that pin out to the end of it.

Maybe Glen just holds a stinger in each hand and uses both! 😁

It isn't voltage that kills, but current. The current is determined by the body's resistance at the moment you receive the shock and that can vary widely depending on circumstances. While 12V isn't likely to kill you it can give you some really bad burns. The worst injuries that I have witnessed came from the sudden physical reaction to a shock causing the victim to jerk away and strike something sharp requiring stitches.

By telescoping ladder, I assume that you mean one like the first picture and not like the second one? I have never really trusted the telescoping ones like the first picture, but have known many that do. The ladder that I have had in our RV for many years is different from either of these but is a folding one and not telescoping. What I have carried for nearly 20 years is the 7' compact ladder like this one. It fold up into a square of about 6" each side and 7' in length.

In most RVs the circuit breakers are for the 120V circuits and there are fuses that supply the 12V circuits. The fact that your pump will work if you are connected to shore power means that the fuses and circuit breakers are all fine, since the power gets to the equipment in exactly the same way no matter what is supplying it. What does change is that when you plug into shore power there is a converter that changes 120V-ac power into 12V-dc power and supplies 12V even if the battery is not charged. What is puzzling to me is that you say that everything supplied by 12V works whether connected to shore power or not, except for the water pump? Have you attempted to run your furnace when not connected to shore power? Also, does the water pump work if the chassis engine is running? Do you have a volt/ohm meter to take some readings with? Is the coach battery still the one that came with the RV or has it been replaced? If it has not been replaced that is probably part of the problem because it would be uncommon for one to last for more than 5 years. If the battery has not been replaced, I strongly suggest that you take it to a battery shop and ask them to load test it for you as it very likely is at least part of your problem.

That is exactly the reason that most of us who have technician backgrounds will recommend that you always lift the negative battery cable first when doing any work with a battery or battery bank. That won't prevent a tool shorting between battery terminals, but it will eliminate any sparks if your wrench should hit some part of the metal frame around the batteries. I might add that most of us were told the same thing but got more careful about actually doing so by having an experience such as yours. 🙄

I'm not sure what it is that you want to discuss, but do agree with you that life changes do frequently plan a part in the transition from tent to RV for those who go that route. I began tenting as a boy, moved into travel on foot with a backpack, later to a family tent, and then a popup trailer. During that trip we also spent a vacation or two in remote country by horseback. We later moved to self-contained trailers and eventually to a motorhome and then to fulltime traveling, which isn't commonly done with tent. Many of the people on these forums who spend extended periods off of the grid, do so in pretty much the same comfort as they would when on grid with full hookups, but by using solar and such to maintain most or the conveniences. I do very much agree that most of us reach a point when we don't get off grid as we age and at 77 I am one of those, but I do still find off grid RVing and even backpacking & tenting to be interesting even though I'll never participate in the activity again.

Electricity of any type must find a path to return to the source. DC circuitry is somewhat less complicated than AC and with low voltages there is no safety issue do chassis grounds are standard. In an AC power the need for a return is the reason that cords have two wires.

So go out and have cataract surgery as soon as possible. It is a pretty simple procedure and you will be pleased with the result.

The news reports were that there were no serious injuries. That was one of the HP officers. The local news showed similar footage from slightly different angle and there were 2 other people who ran from the area of the white vehicle but cleared the camera view.

The fool in the truck was clearly driving too fast for conditions. Notice that the officers there were wearing raincoats, so the road was wet as well as very poor visibility. That was reported on our local news and they said that visibility was less than 100 yards at the time of the accident.

You must not have read the article linked to? It clearly states that one in your position should not buy such coverage. You should insure against a loss that you could not afford to cover but if you have the money to replace any loss, then no. And that is also true for any other type of insurance. I have an SUV that only has the required liability insurance because it has a replacement value that is less than my currently maintained bank balance. My truck is insured because it would be much more expensive to replace.

I think that there are significant numbers of members of these forums who do volunteer in some capacity. I have seen many posts related to various RV volunteer positions. There is a forum Volunteering Adventures that is made up of such threads. Pam & I have completed more than 30 such tours of volunteering. If you check the list of Escapee Birds of a Feather groups you will find the DOVES, a Red Cross disaster group, the SOWERS and NOMADS who are both Christian service groups. There are numerous other volunteer organizations of RVing volunteers who do not have a BOF but are active.

We shifted from F to G a couple of years ago because the decrease in premiums was more than the cost of the Medicare deductible with the plan that we have.

Not sure why you don't see it but the picture is of a snake that was taken from Shark Valley area of Everglades NP while we were there. As I remember it was 17'+ long and weighed 250+#. And I must agree with the picture in your post!

Give us a hint of how you are trying to get your mail? Do you live & travel in an RV?

Before you buy one of the so called "extended warranties" I suggest that you take the time to read this article about them which has been published by Escapees Magazine twice.

If you like history, there are several presidential homes in the state, starting with the most restored one of all, that of President Washington at Mt. Vernon. We have also visited several others that were very interesting. This information and more is listed in Field Trip Guide to Presidential Homes. George Washington’s Mount VernonMount Vernon, VirginiaMountVernon.org George Washington’s Boyhood Home at Ferry Farm and Historic KenmoreFredericksburg, VirginiaKenmore.org Monticello, Home of Thomas JeffersonCharlottesville, VirginiaMonticello.org Filled with new ideas about architecture after years abroad, Jefferson designed this beautiful example of Roman neoclassicism. Filled with Jefferson’s innovations, it is the only house in the U.S. on the United Nation’s World Heritage List of international treasures. James Madison’s MontpelierMontpelier Station, VirginiaMontpelier.org Madison’s lifelong home, the house was built by Madison’s father and significantly enlarged by later owners. Madison is buried on the grounds of the estate. Berkeley Plantation, Birthplace of William Henry Harrison Charles City, Virginia BerkeleyPlantation.com The birthplace of our ninth president, William Henry Harrison, and his father, Benjamin, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, this house is also the site of the country’s first Thanksgiving.

Please do. I just did a Google search on "donate tools" in several variations and found no US based organizations.

I don't think that there is a truck with that engine, is there?

You still need to have a return path to the battery. In 12V-DC that return is the chassis. To do away with the chassis ground you would need a major rewire of the RV.

You are not the "average" RV owner. By far the majority of the market is made up with part-time users. But do keep buying them and encouraging others to do so as that is what will bring the cost down to where it is justified for people like Packrat & myself.