Kirk W

Most truck stops that I have been to show 2 prices for diesel, one for cash & 1 for credit. As to keeping credit card receipts, we keep them long enough to enter each purchase into our computerized financial records, which we then reconcile to the monthly bill, just as we do with our checking account.

This thread was about forward-facing cameras. I started a thread on the subject of backup cameras, but thus far only Jack Mayer has replied and he has nothing good to say of them.

I don't leave the card out of my site so we do it a second time.

Turkey Creek RV Village, Hollister, MO

How long is it until you plan to go on the road? I strongly suggest that you join the Escapees and get your address set up well in advance of the start date so that you have ample time to get everything set up and functioning.

I believe that they do. I have done my own taxes by computer for years so can't say with certainty but I do know that many services have sales tax but not all. Texas sales tax code is very complicated so with any luck someone who has recently used a Texas tax service will respond.

Before you go to DC, check out Pohick Bay Regional Park as it worked out very well for us when we visited the area about 10 years ago. It may be much different but take a look. We drove the car to a station for metro trains and rode it into Washington. Parking there was free and access to most attractions was quite good.

You express my thoughts very well. Like Joel, we no longer do any dry camping.

In our case, we too had employer-provided health care insurance, but I did list the cost of it with the note that it was my previous employer's plan. I guess that I didn't read far enough in your associated notes.

Our Medicare supplement premiums for 2 people total more than $4,000 per year but we have an HRA from my former employer that pays most of that. The $3000 of vangophotos can't be any health insurance that I know of unless he has coverage provided from some other source. But "GR Scott" doesn't list any health expenses at all.

When you look at the poll numbers, remember that the poll was taken 4+ years ago.

Take your time! Whatever you do, don't allow some salesperson to pressure you into a purchase before you are ready. And don't feel that you have to spend all of your money as you may need a nest egg somewhere down the road.

I suspect that the use of "creek water" in your tank probably plays a part in this.

If I understand the filter you were changing was on the downstream side of the pump so the pump acted as a valve to prevent the tank from emptying but the water came from the water heater & sink side back through the lines into the place where the filter had been. If that is correct then the water heater being full would have had an air bubble in the top of it that maintained pressure and so caused water to backflow through the place where the filter was. If I am correct on what happened, the next time you need to turn off the water heater and then with the pump off, open a faucet or two to relieve the pressure from the water system before you begin. I would also leave that faucet open until finished, then close it and turn on the pump. Once the pump stops running you turn the water heater on again.

I vote for that too. It would be a nice feature if it actually worked.

It could easily be a thermistor or some other temperature sensing device connected between one of the plug's pins and whatever that blue lead connects to. Now I'm not an engineer with a law degree, but I did make a living.

I just found a copy of the current Surge Gaurd 34830 operating manual and it does state that it has that feature. I wonder when that feature was added? The one that we have was purchased used and didn't come with a manual. It says that plug overheat shutdown happens at 200° which should be well below the melting point of the plug. I would have to say that it failed to operate properly. There is supposed to be a lifetime warranty, for what that may be worth.

That must be something newer than any of those I have owned or taken apart. That sounds like a great feature if it worked. Did you ask them if you could buy a replacement cord? And did you happen to tell the TRC guy what happened to yours? I had the same issue that you have of cord length when attempting to replace the male plug on our last one and so used a pigtail. I didn't even look at the leads to the female end but now wish that I had. Since I no longer own it, I can't go and check it.

Which model do you have? I was thinking of the 34830 or 34850 which is the complete line protector but if you are dealing with one of the surge protection only devices, that would explain why yours is different from the ones that I have worked on. Could the one you have also have built-in GFI? As to opening one of them, I found that you do need one of the "tamper proof" Torx tools to open it but if done carefully the seal gasket can be reused. I have worked on several of them over the years and know of no problems for moisture afterward. If you ship it back to TRC they do repair them.

It did not but if you open the Surge Guard you can easily see where that extra wire goes. Since you have already cut the plug off I would think you need to open it anyway just to make sure where it goes. Or you might be able to measure with your ohm meter between it on what is left of the old plug to each of it's pins to determine what it was connected to. I have worked on several models of Surge Guard and have never seen the wire you mention. I'd be very interested to know what it is for.

I have done exactly what you are planning but mine did have the blue wire and the same was true for the plug that I replaced it with. What I did was to open the Surge Guard and remove the old plug and replaced it with a new pigtail of the same type. You can find what I used on Amazon for $10.54 if you don't find it locally.

You do not need a generator to be able to use the RV without utility hookups. Most of your appliances operate from 12V power that comes from the batteries which are then recharged from the engine when you are driving. There is also an air conditioner driven by the engine, just like a car but it will not operate when the engine isn't operating and it probably won't be able to cool much more than the cab area, which is the reason for the roof air conditioner that is powered by 120V. The lights and water pump will work on 12V from the batteries, the furnace, water heater, and refrigerator us propane but have controls that are powered by 12V. RVs have 2 very different electrical systems. Most things use 12V direct current electricity, the same as your car has and like the car it is supplied by a small generator mounted on the engine and it is stored in 1 or more batteries. For things that require more power than 12V easily supplies it also has 120V alternating current power that comes from the RV power cord or from a generator and which is the same as you have in your house. It supplies the air conditioner and microwave in any RV and usually the RV and if you have one the DVR. It also supplies any power outlets you have which look like those at home where you would connect your blow dryer, a toaster, electric toothbrush, computer, or most anything else that you bring from home. Keep in mind also that while you do not have to be in an RV park with connections to power, water, and sewer, your batteries have a limited ability to supply power without charging, the water tank will be fairly small in your RV as will be the 2 waste tanks. I strongly suggest that you plan to stay in campgrounds where there are utility connections for your first trips to learn how to use things before you attempt to spend a night without them.

Perhaps they need to limit who can make a post there or at least limit who is able to respond to the first post in a thread?

It was long enough ago that I really don't remember. That was close to 10 years ago now. I rarely visit that forum now.

Are you saying that the RV had a generator installed when new, but someone took it out? Might it have never had a generator at all, as they are almost always an optional item? As to what will not operate without either shore power or a generator, the air conditioner, microwave, and most likely the TV all need to have 120V-ac power from somewhere. You should have a power cord to plug into a 30a outlet when you stay in an RV park or campground that has electricity and that would supply all of those. It is possible that your RV might have an inverter to supply 120V to some items, most likely the TV if it does. It is highly unlikely that it would have inverter enough to operate the microwave and no way the a/c. It takes a lot of battery to run either of those items. As to the need to buy a portable generator, that just depends on where you plan to stay in your RV and for how long. A portable generator can be very handy and you can use one to operate the TV and recharge the batteries with a 1000 watt or more generator. It will take at least a 2000 watt generator to operate the microwave and to use the a/c you may need 3000 watts, depending on the size of the a/c that you have. Portable generators come in a very wide range of prices and sizes. Higher wattage generators will weigh more and those with the best reputations for reliability and best-known brands will cost more. I have a Honda, which is one of the best rated and also one of the most expensive. If you don't use it much and if it isn't critical to you, then you may want to buy something less costly, if you buy one at all. Keep in mind that if you do buy a generator you will need to have a place to store it and also to store the fuel for it.