How To Stay Warm Inside The RV When It Is Cold Outside

There is a group of us RVers that like to camp all year long and we live where that is possible.  Some of us Cold Weather RVers have little choice and must be in our RV all year long.  So how can you stay warm inside the RV when the world around you is just too cold?






Let's be clear on one point. If you have a rig that can take the cold it can only take it if the main furnace is set to keep the inside of the rig above freezing.  Most all weather rigs must have the furnace running to keep water pipes that run inside the rig from freezing.  That includes the black tank and grey water tanks as well. So you will need to keep the rig furnace going but you do not need it running at 72 degrees.

Let's talk about keeping you warm and comfortable.  I suppose we could all dress like Eskimos, but that seems a bit much for just reading a book inside our rig or maybe eating dinner.
You could wrap yourself in an electric throw blanket and be comfortable, like this one.

Electric Throw Blanket

If you added these to your feet you would be warm as toast.

Warming Footies

OR

Snoozies Many Styles

These Footies or Snoozies and the electric throw you should be able to sit around and enjoy TV or read a good book.

But what about sleeping in bed?  That is a good question, so let's take a look at that.

You could put one of these Mattress Heating Pads on your bed and plug into electric and sleep warm as toast all night.  These heated pads come in all the popular sizes King, Queen, and Twin.  I have shown the queen size below;

Mattress Heating Pads

Because heat rises this mattress type heating pad is much better than a heating blanket and will use less power to keep you toasty warm during the cold night.  That might be good for the sleeping time but what about being up and moving around the rig?

Ah, but you need to heat the Rig so you need more power, I mean heat.  Then you want a Ceramic Space Heater  This type of heater generates a lot of heat for very little electricity used.  The one pictured below is what I use.  I use two of the Ceramic Heaters. One blowing toward the bedroom and one in the living room blowing toward the kitchen.  These heaters will cook you out of the Rig, they can generate so much heat.  I winter camp in North Texas and it can get below freezing, as we all found out in the winter of 2013/2014.  But even though my water hose froze outside, inside we were as warm as toast.  Shown below is the  Space Heater I have;

Electric Space Heater

I have listed some of the features of this unit below:

• Small Heater Measures: 6.2" X 4.74" x 8.3" . 
• Three Modes Heater With Fan: 1.High Heat (1500-watt), 2. Low Heat(750-watt ), 3. Fan Only.
• FOR SAFETY: 1.Automatic overheat system will shut the unit off when the parts of the heater overheat. 2. TIP-OVER SWITCH will shut off unite when tipped forward or backward.

If you have a four-legged friend (Furkid) traveling with you, please take note: this unit comes with Auto Shut-Off.  If the Heater is tipped over the heater shuts off automatically.  This is a very important feature if you are traveling with four-footed friends.  There are some clumsy two-legged friends out there as well.

There are other options to keep warm in the RV you could also use one or more of these oil filled heaters.

Oil Filled Space Heater

The simple controls allow users to customize their heat with an adjustable thermostat and three temperature settings, and the ComforTemp setting maintains an optimal room temperature while conserving energy. The heater never requires refilling, and the anti-freeze technology automatically turns the unit on when the temperature drops below 42 degrees.
Oil heaters are quiet and run about 10.5 cents an hour to operate which can be a money saver compared to other types of heaters. 

 I know from experience that these hints and tips will work. They keep the family warm during our cold weather camping, which we enjoy most of the time. 

Until next time.

And finally, please remember that this blog is an Amazon affiliate. When you order something through any of the Amazon links, it doesn’t add anything to your cost, but I do earn a small commission on everything you buy. 
Just click on an Amazon link, then shop as usual.

Pressure And More Pressure On Your RV's Water Lines

Are you putting to much water pressure on your RV's PEX water lines and their PEX fittings?  Do you know how much pressure you can put on your RV's water lines and their  PEX fittings?
Let's take a look and see what's what.








RV manufacturers typically use PEX  PlasticTubing for all RV plumbing runs. The two sizes are commonly used, 3/8-inch and 1/2-inch. These are the standard size because the outside diameter of the tubing is about 1/8-inch greater than the called-for size. Red PEX is usually the Hot water line and Blue or Clear the cold water line.  But, not always.  There are special fittings used with this type of water line called PEX fittings.  Below are some examples of some fittings you might see under one of your sinks.

The fittings can be of any color or even colorless but they will all have the ribs you see on the fittings above.  You will also note that each PEX fitting has a crimped ring around it.  The ring looks like below.

To put the ring on the PEX tubing and secure the ring you would need a crimping tool.  Shown below.

OK, now that you understand what you currently have let's discuss the problems this type of system brings the RVer.  The whole system can leak at any time and usually does. Every connection, if it is not put on correctly, will leak at the worse possible time. Ah, you say no problem I will just squeeze the ring with my trusty pliers.  Well, your trusty pliers will not be able to squeeze the connector hard enough to seal the leak in most cases.  What to do?  Change the fitting to a more updated connector.  We will cover that in just a minute.

Why do these cheap PEX products not work well all the time?  PRESSURE, water pressure from campgrounds varies greatly and can not.  The PEX water system in an RV cannot safely go above 65 pounds of water pressure.  I will not allow mine to go over 55 pounds of pressure.  

How do I control the RV Parks water pressure with a brass water pressure regulator? 

Brass RV Water Regulator

 You can adjust this type of regulator to any safe water pressure you like for your RV.  This type of regulator does not affect the flow of the water just the pressure. There are lesser expensive water pressure regulators like the one shown below.

Fixed Water Pressure Regulator

While this type will regulate the water pressure it also affects the flow of the water which some people find objectable.  Either one will protect your RV water system from to much PRESSURE.

OK, you just found a PEX fitting under the kitchen island that is leaking now what can you do to fix the problem and how much time is it going to cost you?

You should carry a few Shark Bite connectors like the ones shown below.

Shark Bite Coupler

Shark Bite T

Shark Bite to Threaded 

There are even more fittings to choose from but you get the idea.  The advantages of these types of connector are, 

• INSTALLS IN SECONDS: 1/2 inch straight coupling requires no special tools, no soldering, no crimping or glue. Just push to create a watertight seal

• COPPER, PEX, CPVC: SharkBite straight coupling plumbing fittings fits copper tubing, and CTS CPVC and PEX and connects all three types in any combination

• CERTIFIED: SharkBite fittings are certified to 200 PSI and 200°F and can be reused up to four times

Now doesn't that beat the PEX connector and all the fuss it would take to fix a leaky connection?

The real story here is to control your water pressure coming into your RV.  If you do not you will find leaks and under the shower or under sink water damage.  

One other thing you may want to add a water shutoff to your toilet so in case you need to work on it you do not have to shut off all the water to the RV.

Shark Bite Shut Off

Until Next Time

And finally, please remember that this blog is an Amazon affiliate. When you order something through any of the Amazon links, it doesn’t add anything to your cost, but I do earn a small commission on everything you buy. 

Just click on an Amazon link, then shop as usual.

Is It Level??? Is It Stable???

Is It Level??

How many times have I heard that phrase at a campground?  I can't even count them or remember them for that matter.  How do you know when your rig is level and what can you do if your rig is not?
Let's look at some of the possibilities.






The first thing you need to do is eyeball the site that you will back into or pull forward into.
Does the site appear flat?  There could be a drainage crown to the site, meaning that the center is higher than either side so that the rainwater will drain off quickly if it does rain.
Maybe there is a slope in the site toward the right or left.
All of this needs to be taken into consideration when looking at the site.
Ok, you are pulling or backing into the site and you have the support of a ground crew so getting into the site is not the problem.  The door side of the rig appears lower that the street side or is it?   How do you know? Well at some point in the life of your rig someone should have put bubble levels on it.
(For you guys with money we will discuss auto leveling equipment at the end.)

They should look like theses RV Bubble Levels

RV Bubble Levels 

If you have nothing, or what you have is so small as not to be readable then an up-grade is in order.  You should mount one of these in the front of the rig where the level can be easily seen, after taking the rig to a Walmart type parking lot and using a construction level, checking that the rig is sitting truly level before you mount the above levels to the rig.  The second level is mounted on the street side of the rig at the same height that you mounted the front of the rig level.  Be sure you have confirmed that construction level and the RV level agree that the rig is level.
Why you ask?  Because if you are more that 5 degrees out of level your RV refrigerator may not work or will not work efficiently.
But you may not have a TT maybe you have a 5th wheel and need something a bit bigger.  Enter the 5th wheel bubble level.  This is mounted on the pin box so you can see the level from the driver's seat.

5th Wheel Bubble Level

Even if you have auto-leveling on your fiver you want to start out as close to level as you can so as to not put to much stress on the self-leveling system.

Ok, you have found that the door side of the rig is low and needs to be raised up to bring that side into level.
Now the fun begins.  You will need to put something under the wheels to raise that side of the rig.  You will need what is called an RV Tire Leveling Block,

RV Tire Leveling Block

RV Tire Leveling Block

These blocks interlock so they will stay put if more than one is used and they are designed not to sink into soft soil or blacktop.  Just how many you will need to level up the low side is often just simple trial and error.
I always start with one above ground level under each tire on the low side and go from there.  Let's say that you needed two under each tire on the low side to get level.

Did you remember to pull up on them and not try to back up on them?
Better for the tires if you pull up on the leveling block rather than backing up on them.

Also, did you make sure all tires were centered on the blocks, not on an edge?
The axle of the tire or the hub in the middle of the tire should be centered on the leveling block.
Why? Because it puts less stress on the tires, that really do not like being off the ground in space.

Here is yet another way to level your Rig.  This one is a bit different that the square block used above, this one is a Ramp Style Leveling System and will help you level your rig from any increment between 1/2 inch and 4 inches.  This ramp style will hold up to 30,000 pounds.  If you have two axles then you will require two ramps per side.

Ramp Style Leveling System

The smaller ramp is used to chock the RV from moving once the RV is level.  The ramp with the holes in it, is the adjusting ramp. 

You have checked the levels on both the front and side of the rig right?  So now what?  You need to check that the fridge is level. On way to do that is to use a Torpedo Level

 Torpedo Level

This small 8" level can be used inside the fridge or on the nearest counter next to the fridge to check to be sure that the fridge is level. (Level - not more that five degrees out of level, is very important to the good, safe, and efficient operation of an RV fridge)

You are now level so what is next? Unhooking and stabilizing the rig.
Once you are unhooked you need to put down the corner stabilizer jacks.  Most travel trailers use Scissor Jacks

Scissor Jacks

This type of jack is NOT for leveling your rig.  It is to keep the rig from moving back and forth as you move around inside.  If one of the jacks does not meet the ground you can use one or more of the tire leveling blocks to help stabilize that corner of the rig.  As shown in the above photo a hand crank is the normal method of deploying this type of jack and can be a real pain.  There are two fixes for the hand crank used on these jacks.  One is the Stabilize Scissor Jack Socket for an electric or battery operated drill.

stabilizing Scissor Jack Socket

The second but more expensive way is to motorize RV scissor stabilizing jacks

motorized RV scissor stabilizing jack

This jack is remote controlled and is powered off the rig so it makes the stabilizing fast and easy.

Many of the newer 5th wheels will have will have powered corner jacks and landing jacks.  Some will have auto leveling that will level and stabilize the fiver.  But what happens when you are still getting sea sick from someone walking inside the fifth wheel or travel trailer?
For the 5th wheel, there are several things that can be used and have had success.
First is the Stabilizer Jack

5th Wheel Stabilizer Jack

I use these back at the bumper, where the bumper joins the frame of the fifth wheel.  The use of these has really made a difference in the movement of the trailer.

Next is the expandable wheel chock or X-chock.

X-Chock

This chock does double duty if you use a paddle lock to lock the chock from being removed it will stop someone from being able to steal your RV with-out a lot of work.

Your rig is now level and corner supported but, when someone walks around the inside of the rig it still does the shimmy, shimmy, shake.  Now what?  There are many suggested solutions out there to solve this problem but here is the simplest one that works.  The RV Stabilizer         

RV Stabilizer   

One of these can be added to the rear of the rig to stop side to side motion and or one can be added to the side of the rig to stop the front to back motion.  This looks simple and it is but, it does work.

The X-Chock from above will also work on Travel Trailers to help stop motion and help to prevent theft as well.

OK, now for the guys with money.  If you would like to add remote control automatic power leveling jacks to your TT or 5er, the following is a company that has received good reviews for their lift systems; Big Foot Leveling System

Big Foot Flip Down Leveling Jack for TT

The type of DIY that is required to install this system is not in the scope of this blog.  But this type of wireless remote control system is out there and for those who would like to add automatic power leveling to their rig here is a place to start.






Until Next Time

And finally, please remember that this blog is an Amazon affiliate. When you order something through any of the Amazon links, it doesn’t add anything to your cost, but I do earn a small commission on everything you buy. Just click on an Amazon link, then shop as usual.

Martha!!! The String On The Blind Broke Again!!!

It happens to most of us,  we grab the shade bar at the bottom of the window blind and pull down to get ready for bed and the darn string running through the blind breaks and while it will go down all the way, there is no possible way that it will go up and stay where you want it in the morning. RATS now what?

RV Window Shade

Above is your typical RV window shade and if you look close you can see the string running through the blind material.  I suppose you could buy a RV Blind String Repair Kit, shown below

RV Pleated Shade First Aid Kit

While the hours spent restringing the blind with your spouse maybe enjoyable, you might want to consider the frustration of not getting it right even after the 5th attempt. 
My suggestion is to replace that blind with something that is a whole lot prettier and will class up the inside of your rig as simple as ABC.

There are two basic RV Blinds.  First the roller blind.  As the name implies it is on a roller and you pull it down to the level you want and the blind will stay there.  The roller blind comes with two blinds on the roller. One is the daytime shade and the other is the night time or black out shade.  The roller can be installed on the outside of the window frame or on the inside of the window frame and is offered in colors for the daytime and night time shade.

Roller Bind Shade

Measuring Instructions:
Determine if the shade will mount outside the window frame onto the wall (Outside mount) or if the shade will be mounted inside the window frame (Inside mount) 

NOTE: Most RV applications are Outside mount.

Outside mount: Measure the width (across) of the area to be covered.Example - Edge of the window to edge of window plus 2" added for additional coverage.

Example: Top of the frame to the bottom of the frame with an additional 2" added for mounting above and below the window.(outside mount)

Inside Mount: Measure the exact opening size and subtract a half inch. Measure the length (Drop) of the area to be covered.

If draperies or valances are already installed be sure your measurement for width allows the shade to fit under the current window treatment.
You can see that you end up with two shades one for daytime and one for night time.  You may find that this is not really what you are looking for and would rather have a true Vinyl 1 Inch Mini Blind.

Vinyl 1 inch mini Blind

Measuring Instructions:
Determine if the blind will mount outside the window frame onto the wall (outside mount) or if the blind will be mounted inside the window frame (inside mount)  

NOTE: Most RV applications are outside mount.

Outside mount: Measure the width (across) of the area to be covered.  
Example - Edge of the window to edge of window plus 2" added for additional coverage.

Example: Top of the frame to  the bottom of the frame with an additional 2" added for mounting above and below the window. (outside mount)

Inside Mount: Measure the exact opening size and subtract a half inch. 
Measure the length (drop) of the area to be covered.

If draperies or valances are already installed be sure your measurement for width allows the blind to fit under the current window treatment.

You can get wooden blinds or different color Vinyl blinds to match or enhance the inside appearance of your rig.  Metal blinds are not recommended because of moisture in the rig.  The edge of the blind tends to rust and the blinds are a bit sharp around kids and fur-babies.
Caution: if you remove blinds from your windows keep all screws that were used to be sure that you do not use a screw that is too long for your RV side walls.

Until next time.

The Weekend RVers is a Facebook Group on RVing with Hints & Tips. A group for the Full-timer as well as the Newbie or Wanna B. In case U can't find us "Facebook.com/groups/Weekend.RVers" we are here hoping you will join us!


And finally, please remember that this blog is an Amazon affiliate. When you order something through any of the Amazon links, it doesn’t add anything to your cost, but I do earn a small commission on everything you buy. Just click on an Amazon link, then shop as usual.