Hints, Tricks and Gadgets/Tools --- small ones.

[Boat Bum]

I keep a jug of bleach in the plumbing bay for . . . unfortunate incidents.

I carry lime and a shovel in the trunk for the same reasons.

 

[CityGuy]

I carry lime and a shovel in the trunk for the same reasons.

That's too much work for me. I hire those out.

 

[CityGuy]

The Tester I use on my batteries

When wet cell batteries (I'm ignorant about AGM and other advanced types) are charged the chemical reaction takes place from the anode and cathode connections and over time permeates the whole battery, so that immediately after charging a voltmeter will read falsely high. Apparently the charged state chemistry diminishes from the bottom up, which is why without a load the top of the cells will register a good charge while the cells at depth are weaker. A heavy load will quickly reverse the chemistry at the top of the battery and drop it to the lower average, generating the lower true readings.

I think.

 

[John From Detroit]

When wet cell batteries (I'm ignorant about AGM and other advanced types) are charged the chemical reaction takes place from the anode and cathode connections and over time permeates the whole battery, so that immediately after charging a voltmeter will read falsely high. Apparently the charged state chemistry diminishes from the bottom up, which is why without a load the top of the cells will register a good charge while the cells at depth are weaker. A heavy load will quickly reverse the chemistry at the top of the battery and drop it to the lower average, generating the lower true readings.

I think.

Thank you.. I know load testing is one of the better ways (Actually a multi-test is best but those testers are expensive) Sometimes that simple carbon pile job will clear a bad battery or catch one the many dollar tester at say Auto Zone missed....
I do believe in testing under load.
Another example of a "load Test".. I have a couple of automotive test lights.
It's basially an ice pick with a 12 volt bulb and a wire coming out the handle... I clip the wire either to a known good ground or to a long "Extension" wire clipped to a known good ground.

Touch the tip to a known 12 volt source and if the light is not bright. Fix it (The tester).
Then I an test blade fuses in place touch one end then the other (The windows offer access
BRIGHT BRIGHT good. Dark Dark no test Bright Dark or Dark bright = Blown
I had a wire that went High Resistance.. Voltmeter shoed good.. Light dark... Found the bad spot and did a bit of surgery.. Worked well after that (Still does in fact)

 

[CityGuy]

Here's one of mine. I have to park under two Oak trees at the residence. The gutters on my TT are always clogged with leaves and what does drain just finds the easiest route out of the gutter. Usually down the side of the TT. I try to keep them cleaned out but ladders and I have a history of disagreements so I came up with a way to clean them with my feet on the ground.
I went through my stash of PVC and came up with a power wand that I can use from the ground. I made it out of 3/4" PVC and long enough for me to reach the gutters easily. Just hook it to the hose. I put the extra slip to hose fittings in so that I can adjust the direction it sprays and it also does the house gutters. No more ladders but the ER guys might miss me.
this is my first try with pictures so please bear with me.

Creative thinking. Long J-shaped nozzles are widely available but I don't know if they've got a valve.

 

[John From Detroit]

Valve can be added if not so equipped.. hose fittings wall in hardware store has 'em

 

[NY_Dutch]

I know one fellow with a pine needle problem in his RV gutters when stored that solved it by buying a long enough rope that fit snugly in the gutters. He puts it in place from the ground using his awning rod, and just pulls it out and coils it up when it's time to go camping.

 

[Rene T]

To stop black streaking on the side of my rv I merely put a clothespin on the end of the gutter. Now the water runs to the end Of the clothespins then drips down. Went to FL from NH and back a couple of times and they are still there

 

[LTWinnebago]

Our method of testing the smoke alarm is to pop a couple of pieces of bread in the toaster…

We successfully test ours several times on a trip using the aforementioned “toaster” method. Almost a daily occurrence, we know we’re safe for another 24 hours.

On a serious note, a 3/4-14NPT tap, used by hand only, cleans up the threads of your water heater, so your anode rod has a perfect fit. Been using one for years, never had a problem.

 

[DCMac]

On a serious note, a 3/4-14NPT tap, used by hand only, cleans up the threads of your water heater, so your anode rod has a perfect fit. Been using one for years, never had a problem.

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  I use a brass-bristle "toothbrush", works well (think I got it in 07) and probly cost a lot less than a tap.

 

[Rene T]

The one you show is a 1/2” pipe tap. I think it would be a loose fit.

 

[Firstime RVer]

I’ve used large wire nuts. The red ones.

I love it !! Great Idea !!!

 

[Firstime RVer]

Another tip I just remembered:

Attention all you coffee drinkers!

Do you have a coffee pot (electric) that does not have a timer on it? So, in the morning you prepare your coffee, then plug in the coffee pot and flip the "on" button. It perks, or drips, and then you sit and wait for 15-20 minutes before you can get your first cup of coffee! Oh how depressing!

Solution:

Pick up a 24 hour on-off timer from Wall Mart (about $10.00) and set it so it will turn on about 30 minutes before you plan on getting up in the morning. The night before, fix your coffee pot, get it all ready, and now simply plug the coffee pot into the on-off timer.

When you wake up in the morning, your coffee will be waiting for you. By the way, dusk-to-dawn type timers (often used for outdoor Christmas lights) don't work so well for this purpose. You need a timer that can actually be set to run a specific length of time.

Something like this:

Amazon, Click here.

Couldn't agree more. Been using one for years. The nice part is that its quicker and simpler to set to the correct time on one of them than the digital timers and the tabs that turn the pot on and off never change, or have to be reset unless you want them to..

safe travels and all the best.

 

[dcmac2141]

Tissue Boxes -- works good for the two of us --

DW & I have our own cube tissue boxes we put our daily Rx & OTC supplement doses in, each dose in one of those small Rx zip-lok bags.

And we, being of fiscally economical minds (read "cheap"), re-use the bags. When empty they go in another tissue box, keeps things neat & orderly.

We also put all our credit card receipts in that box, helps keep clutter out of the wallet/purse and gives less of a chance of losing them (we check each & every CC line on the bank statements).

 

[fixit7]

I can not find a button to make a new post?, so I will post this tip.

When you are running out of space, go up.

 

[bigbAZ]

New here and I have read this entire thread and picked up a few tips. I also have a few to offer which I will post soon. Meanwhile I am working on an idea to make solo toad hookup easier. On another forum a guy made a dot on the toad windshield and a dot on the rear of the MH, then he pulls forward till both dots are lined up with each other and with the top center of the steering wheel. I'll be working on this soon and will report back, meanwhile has anyone tried it?

 

[dave541]

I try to keep up my exercise routine on my travels, but bringing a set of adjustable weights with me is not practical, besides being vetoed by the boss.
So I started using my WDH bars. They weigh about 20 pounds apiece. I had to alter the individual lifts a bit and are not as much as I normally lift, but it allows me to do something.

 

[bigbAZ]

I bought a set of these and put them together under the mattress, they don't take up any room and they don't weigh anything. I wanted then in case I ever need to crawl under the rig or on the roof, especially where I live when you can't touch anything exposed to the sun in the summer without getting burned.

 

[bigbAZ]

This thread doesn't seem too active any more. Today I made a small mister for emergency use, here is why. Last Summer we stopped overnight in Desert Center, CA on our way to Malibu. It was 118F there, and so hot that our rooftop AC would shut itself down on compressor overload. The only way I could keep it running was to rig up a hose with a sprayer on the end adjusted to as small a mist as I could but it was still way too much water and made water spots all over the RV which I had to compound out when we got home. It also didn't mist the entire condenser on all 3 sides.

So I made up this small mister with 3 heads and clips that attach to the AC louvers. Best of all I can attach it all the way around from the top of my telescoping ladder, so I don't have to get on the roof.

Like I said it is only for emergency, I hope we never have to go through that again but if we do I am prepared this time. I'm not too worried about calcium buildup just for a few hours of emergency use.

 

[John From Detroit]

Did the same with my Rig... Worked well.