Waterless Toilet. Good Valve Cap. Fulltiming With Cat. Inspect RV Roof. Winter Care Of Diesel. Dumping Correctly. Dump Valve’s LED. Gypsy Wagon. Tasman discovers New Zealand. Al Gore.

 

For “tRaVersing Thursday” or RV Day:

RVer is impressed with portable waterless toilet

Dry Flush does away with holding tanks, smells, frozen plumbing

“Imagine an RV trip without having to dump black water. No fooling with holding tank treatments. No getting bowled over by "toilet stink" on hot days. All these benefits are yours, says a Connecticut company, if you install one of their new Dry Flush toilet systems in your RV.” http://dry-flush.com/ and http://dry-flush.com/about-2/

“We recently wrote about a new waterless toilet called the Dry Flush. Most readers who commented on the article were not impressed. But one reader, John Farr, was impressed and sent us this email after using the device. Read it.

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Why do tire valves leak?

Many times people who experience a tire blowout insist they have checked their tire pressure and that they have an accurate gauge. So they blame the failure on a defective tire. However, the failure could have been caused by a bad cap on the tire's valve. Read more.

Now you see why using a good valve cap is important. You must keep the dirt out of the valve area. If you discover a leak as shown in the picture above, cranking down on the core will only damage the core seal (the black band in the pictures above) and will do nothing to stop the leak. It is best to simply replace the core with a new one.

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Fulltime with Fluffy?  

Full-timing with a cat? Why not?
“Many thinking about the full-time lifestyle wonder about the changes they'll need to make. For some, they're concerned whether they'll be able to bring a treasured family member with them, their cat. Cats are indeed peculiar creatures and its certainly an important consideration. Will Kitty (Max, Tigger, Chloe, etc) adapt to RVing? Here are some thoughts.

As one fulltimer noted, her "Fluffy" wasn't happy at first about making the transition, but would rather be with her humans traveling, than sticking it out someplace without them.”

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Bill's Hints    Carbon monoxide detectors
“A CO detector is a must. Install one and test it regularly.”
-- From Motorhomes Made Easy

Slideouts
“Before retracting the slideout, check for dew, snow, tree leaves, or other debris on the slideout roof.  Remember that the roof will be inside your vehicle when it is retracted.”  From Trailers Made Easy.

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Inspect RV Roof

“ Winter is coming soon, and that means rain. If you will be using your RV in the winter or storing it outside, be sure to have its roof inspected for leaks. Leaking water can severely damage your RV's structure, and you will not enjoy paying the bill to fix it!”

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Potential Roofing Concern  For RVs Built Since 2010
”Some newer TPO roofing is not compatible with common lap sealants. Using lap sealant on these TPO materials can create cosmetic damage RVers will find undesirable. Dicor Products’ new Ultra Sealant System has been developed to overcome this concern. Find out if your RV could be a concern and get more helpful information on the situation. Learn more.”

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Not using your diesel RV for winter? Take care with the fuel

“An RVer planning to "lay up" his diesel motorhome for a few months was concerned about the fuel. How should he handle the fuel in the tank? How long will it last before going bad? Good questions, and certainly ones that can fire up controversy. Read more.

One thing seems to be universally agreed upon: Shelf life issues of bio-diesel fuel are a bigger issue. If you plan on laying up your "oil burner," it's best to burn off any biodiesel in the rig and fill up with standard non-bio fuel.
How about running the engine every so often? The thought has been put forth that the nature of modern diesel engines works against an occasional run. Not all diesel fuel pumped up to the engine is burned, the non-used fuel is pumped back to the fuel tank via return lines. This only tends to "stir the pot," as the warmed up fuel is returned to the tank, possibly creating more oxidation problems.”

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RV Holding Tank Dump 1-2-3

“Here, from the RV Geeks, is a quick but excellent look at how to properly dump and clean your waste holding tanks. Do you think that just dumping your black tank and then flushing a little fresh water through it is enough? Well, think again. Read the Geek's article and the video.

Many RVers seem to think their black tank is clean when they just empty it and flush out the sewer hose with water from the grey tank. Even those RVers who use a black tank flush system often don't utilize the most important piece of equipment necessary for monitoring the cleanliness of the tank: a clear sewer elbow.
But using a clear sewer elbow on your camper isn't enough…..”

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Dump valves LED lights do not turn off

Dear Gary,
”I have a 2011 Carriage Carri-Lite. Both the grey water and black water electric dump valve switch lights are illuminated indicating the valves are in the open positions. They have been working fine but seem to be "stuck" in the open position. This happened once before and I cannot remember what the fix was. I checked the fuses and breakers and they seem to be fine. The actual valves are not immediately accessible and I'm not sure where they are. I believe it's an electrical issue. HELP!” --J. W., (Three Rivers, TX)

Read Gary's response.

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Gypsy wagon behind your tow rig?

“While folks in Europe are more familiar with the Romani people, their influence is felt around the world. Mention "gypsy wagon," and you'll likely conjure up a mental picture in most anyone. How about a gypsy wagon you could pull behind your tow vehicle? Here's one, technically a "Tiny House" structure, we don't know what the weight is, but it sure is a beauty. Imagine pulling into the RV park with one of these behind you.”

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Water "accessory" fittings you need

 

If you'll be camping in a park with "city water," that is, water from a faucet, there's some good accessories to keep in your RV storage compartment. These can make your visit easier -- even safer for your rig. Inexpensive, you'll bless yourself for having them when you need them. Read more.

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On This Day:

Tasman discovers New Zealand, Dec 13, 1642:

“Dutch navigator Abel Tasman becomes the first European explorer to sight the South Pacific island group now known as New Zealand. In his sole attempt to land, several of Tasman's crew were killed by warriors from a South Island tribe, who interpreted the Europeans' exchange of trumpet signals as a prelude to battle. A few weeks earlier, Tasman had discovered Tasmania, off the southeast coast of Australia. Tasman had named the island Van Diemen's Land, but, like the Tasman Sea between New Zealand and Australia, it was later renamed Tasmania in the explorer's honor.

New Zealand, named after the Dutch province of Zeeland, did not attract much additional European attention until the late 18th century, when English explorer Captain James Cook traveled through the area and wrote detailed accounts of the islands. Whalers, missionaries, and traders followed, and in 1840 Britain formally annexed the islands and established New Zealand's first permanent European settlement at Wellington.”

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Al Gore concedes presidential election, Dec 13, 2000:

“Vice President Al Gore reluctantly concedes defeat to Texas Governor George W. Bush in his bid for the presidency, following weeks of legal battles over the recounting of votes in Florida, and the ‘hanging chads’ on this day in 2000.

A little more than an hour later, Bush addressed the nation for the first time as president-elect, declaring that the "nation must rise above a house divided." Speaking from the podium of the Texas House of Representatives, Bush devoted his speech to themes of reconciliation following one of the closest and most disputed presidential elections in U.S. history. ''I was not elected to serve one party, but to serve one nation,'' Bush said.”

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Yesterday:

First thing in the morning as it was chilly again, so the foster cats couldn’t go play out on the screen porch until the sun came around there.  One day we are wearing shorts and tank tops, then thick jeans and sweaters the next.  That’s a southeast TX winter for you!

As the RVport has to come down before the appraisal on this house can be done, I tried to work out where I am going to put some yard sale treasures stuff that is still on display on some shelves out there, mostly glass ware and ceramic knick-knacks.  They can be packed in boxes and put in the guest house attic for now until I can take them to a flea market and start selling, when I have time.  There are also some small pieces of furniture, and a washing machine which is not for sale.  I can see that we are going to have to build an extension to my store room which is on the guest house lot.

It was the day to pay bills online, and as I was using a different card, that entailed phone calls and going to each site, very time-consuming.

I have found a local man who is going to help Ray and me take the RVport down.  We just need to get on with it.  But not today, as it is shopping day.