Kirk W

While we aren't part of the class, we will be at Escapade so will be happy to meet you then! I lead the security team so should be really easy for you to get in touch with.

This conversation makes me think that it could be that we should consider the ability to access things which could need repair when we shop for an RV. As one who made a career in service and repair work, it has always been one of the things that I look for, but I'm not so sure that I have ever mentioned it as a consideration for a person new to buying an RV.

Unmanned Aircraft in the National Parks

I guess there is some advantage to our current, seasonal RV as the dump valves on it are very easily accessible. They are about 18" in from the edge of the RV and in the open. When I changed one of them on our previous motorhome, those were inside of a wetbay but once some cosmetic panel was removed they too were not that difficult. Removing the panel was the most difficult part. But I also once assisted a friend in the same job on his fiver that used cable pulls for the dump valves that was a really nasty, all day job with two of us working.

I agree with you. It is very difficult to accurately rate the safety of RVs because there seems to be no reputable organization that keeps solid data on such things. There are two articles that address the safety issue of them with very little bias, that I am aware of. Consumer Reports, Beginner's Guide to Motorhomes and to some extent the RV Consumer Group's RV Types.

That is true for the Progressive unit, which I had not noticed. This link is to the new Progressive for slightly more money. $229.68 I would pay the extra for new since it is such a small difference and I am not sure exactly what "renewed" means? In addition, Camco is now selling a competing unit called Power Defender that you may be aware of. $252.99 I have seen them advertised and the specs look to be pretty similar to the first two but I have known many satisfied users of both Progressive EMS and Surge Guard, I have not known anyone who uses the Camco and I have not seen it reviewed.

The term surge protector is commonly used for not only surge protectors (which I consider of questionable value) to full ability power line monitors, that I strongly believe in. Voltage sag is much more of a problem in the RV community than power surges, although those do happen. There are 2 very popular power monitors that have solid reputations and I believe that either one is worth your money. I would in fact choose based on price. While I have used a Surge Gard from Southwire for years with good service, I actually rate the Progressive EMS somewhat higher because of their willingness to supply parts to the end user for self repairs. If your RV is a 30a model, check these out. Progressive Industries Portable RV Surge Protector Portable EMS-PT30X RV Surge Protector $218.20 OR Southwire Black 34930 Surge Guard 30A-Full Protection Portable with LCD Display $221.51 If your RV happens to be a 50a model, the consider the 50a version of either one.

If you now pay state income tax, this could be a beneficial change of plans.

That is exactly what we do also. And like you, we have never had any of the auto pay authorized places abuse that privilege but most of my auto pay accounts go to a credit card that isn't auto pay. I do that because the card I have them billed to refunds 2% of the total billed. I also have things like utilities and phone on auto pay as well as health insurance. The electric supplier to our home-base actually gives a small discount in return for your bill being on auto pay & electronic billing.

I suspect that this is just one more example of an RV owner with a website trying to drive visitors to his site by claiming some expertise that he really doesn't have. There are at least 2 RVs on that list which show up with high recommendations on these and other forums that I participate in. His choice of source is probably a good indication of the quality and reliability of his entire site. He seems to consider the amount of content more important then the accuracy of his content.

It looks to be your browser problem, as I can access it via either Chrome or Firefox.

It sounds like they needed to do something! I was not aware of the problem with the current Atwood furnaces and have always preferred them over Suburban but this could change that. Thanks for making us aware of the problems, Vern.

The answer is yes, as long at the medications are not refrigerated, as they don't have facilities to keep them cold. Many of us have done that for years.

I agree with the post above. If they are leaking you probably need to replace them and this isn't difficult or expensive, if you have reasonably good access to them. There are two of them and they are not the same size. The valve for the black tank is 3" in diameter while the gray tank valve is 1.5" in diameter. They look pretty much the same except for the size.

The vast majority of RV owners that I know do keep a road service plan. I have had ERS from Good Sam, then Coach-Net, and currently have Escapees road service through Safe Ride. What that does is to take care of things like tire changes, winch out if stuck, or towing in the event of a breakdown. Any of those can be very expensive if you do not carry coverage. By "7 yr or 5 yr complete protection" I would assume that you are talking about an extended warranty? If so, the answer to that depends on you and how you use the RV. You won't has money with one except in rare cases but you may sleep better knowing that you have coverage. I suggest that you read this article from Escapees Magazine on the subject before you make up your mind as it is a pretty subjective issue.

I don't consider us to be living in fear even though we have been getting annual medical checks for many years. It all began with Pam having the usual female checks and pap smear and mammogram. When I was in my 40's she insisted that I get a physical as I'd not seen a doctor in quite a few years. My company health insurance paid for an annual medical check so it became a routine. It was on one of those annual check in 2007 that my doctor sent me to have a suspicious looking mole biopsied. The result was a diagnosis of melanoma on my left ear. Like most cancers, the fact that it was caught early played a major role in the successful surgery and I am now cancer free but I'm also a big believer in preventive care.

I used these lights for sale on Amazon in my shop when I set it up last spring. So far have been very pleased with the result.

I have been vaguely aware of that technology but have not been to CW recently to actually see them. I guess I need to stop by and browse. That post got me to looking on Amazon and they have them also.

Probably true for now, but the change would have come just as surely as did the demise of the typewriter market. Cost of electricity for the bulbs, the longer life and falling prices for LEDs would have caused the change to come without governmental intervention, but as I said before more slowly.

Welcome to the Escapee forums, Mike! What is recommended is that you sanitize your water system before using it. Zuly gave you the formula and this link will give you instructions on how it is done.

Based upon the responses here, it would seem that you were correct. While I do watch the TV news, like Linda I had not heard anything about this prior to your post. 😊

Welcome to the Escapee forums! Are you absolutely certain that the problem is the circuit boards? There are several possible causes for the symptom you mention that range from things as simple as too low voltage in the direct current supply to as expensive as a failed circuit board. If you do get another circuit board, I strongly suggest that you take the advice of Dutch and use one from Dinosaur Electronics. The circuit boards that they supply have a better warranty and they cost less than the OEM boards of most RV appliances. On the issue of an Atwood furnace, I don't have experience with one built in 2018, but have had much experience with them and have found them to be generally of good quality and long reliability.

There are very few things that change for only 1 single reason. Yet time marches on and technology continues to change the way we live. Government actions may slow or speed up those changes, but change is inevitable.

I changed to LED lighting in our RV first because it gives so much more light with less drain on our batteries. We have now gone to LED lights in our house because they use so much less electricity and so lower my electric bill. Stores stop stocking products and companies stop making them when sales of that product become very slow. Have you tried to buy a new typewriter lately?