Pam, Lindsey and I left Florida to travel north to escape the active hurricane season and to attend to some business matters.  Here are some of the things we witnessed and experienced.

What it’s like to be at the Hershey RV Show

The Hershey, PA RV Show is held in September each year.  Most recently it has been located at the Giant Center Sports Arena which is located right next to the Hershey World and Amusement Park.

It is a great location that is easy to get to and park at. The only issue that may be encountered is on days when twenty thousand people attend and you don’t arrive at the show early enough!  The automobile traffic can make for a bit of a wait while trying to get parked and gaining access to the show.

Here are some pictures we took to give you a sense of the size of the show and what you can see there.

Hershey RV Show Observations!

Pam and I had one main purpose for being at the show, and that was to help educate folks on the full time RV lifestyle and ways to make money while doing that!  We shared ideas with hundreds of people on ways to earn income while on the road, even the idea of working with the NRVIA helping other folks to avoid buying a money pit when at an RV Show!

While there, we did have time to spend looking at what the manufacturers are introducing for the 2017 model year. There is no doubt that high-tech gadgets continue to creep into the RV industry adding more bells and whistles that seem to attract the attention of eager buyers.

While walking through one full time 5th wheel model, I even noticed that they placed a smartphone charger in the kitchen island countertop. It is little things like this that can almost sway a potential buyer to purchase this model over another.

There are many more considerations other than these things that are way more important, but the RV manufacturers know what gets people’s attention!

When counseling potential RV buyers we tell them not to fall in love with floorplans and glitter, but pay attention to construction and quality of the RV build over the superficial stuff!  Sure, those things are cool but pay attention to what really matters, and that is the overall quality of the RV and how it’s built!

RVs rolling down the road experience the equivalent shock, that of an earthquake.  So, how it is built will greatly affect how long it will last when used for full time RV living.

Certainly, an RV show such as the Hershey RV Show, or any others that occur across the country, are a great way to get exposed to many different RV manufacturers and products that benefit the RV experience.  Pam and I have attended many RV shows and that helped us to find out what RV we really wanted.

We are firm believers in buying a used RV, getting it inspected, and saving a lot of money over buying a new RV.  We figure, let someone else pay the depreciation on it.  If the RV is thoroughly inspected and it checks out with no major issues, it can be a much smarter purchase than buying new.

But, if you have to buy just exactly what you want, then buying new may be your only choice, and buying at an RV Show could save you money due to the RV Show deals the manufacturers offer.  That is as long as they have what you want.

What We Did After the Hershey RV Show!

Pam and I just spent two weeks at Artillery Ridge Campground in Gettysburg, PA.  The RV park is just a mile away from the Gettysburg battlefields and visitor center.  We were able to walk from the campground right to the heart of the battlefields with little effort!

The day we went the weather was beautiful, not too warm, and it was not too busy.  Given it was late September, we did see buses with kids visiting as part of school tours.  Other than that we were able to see most visitor exhibits with unobstructed viewing.

It is hard to fathom what took place back in early July of 1863 till you see the scope of the area in which the conflict came to its final head!  The three days from July 1 – 3 really were a turning point in the Civil War.

I am not a history buff, but the Civil War really came to life for me as I was actually there and able to see all the names of men who died for a cause they believed in.  North or South, it did not matter!  They fought bravely, and as ordered!

Here are some photos of some of the things we saw.

We hope to see you out on the road living the full time RV lifestyle soon!!

Evacuating From a Hurricane

One thing we have to deal with when visiting Florida and staying along the Gulf Coast is Hurricanes!

In our almost nine years of full time RV living, we have had to evacuate from the RV park we were staying in twice! A few days before the Labor Day weekend made it number three!!

We had been watching this tropical depression for almost three weeks as it was looking like it was going to be headed into the Gulf of Mexico.  Towards the end of August, it passed the Florida straights and started its turn towards the Florida panhandle.

Having been hanging around Florida for almost thirty years, we have learned to pay close attention to these storms and heed the advice of the reporting agencies.  These storms are highly unpredictable, and if asked to evacuate it is best to do so!

The great thing about an RV home is that it is easy to do just that!

Once Hermine was a day out, and it was going to make landfall just a bit east of us, we decided to move the RV northwest about eighty miles and hang out at a rest area along I-10.  Since we were on the northwest side of the storm the effects were not as severe as those on the southeast side!

It was easy for us to make preparations to evacuate! I hooked up our trailer, disconnected our services, pulled the slides in, raised our leveling jacks, and away we went!!

There are benefits to full time RV living!!

Purple Monkeys and RV Travels

So what is a purple monkey? A good friend of ours coined the phrase and uses it in his RV tech courses to describe seemingly troublesome RV problems that appear to have no simple solution, but can be easily rectified if you understand the big picture.

A purple monkey sits on your shoulder representing a big hairy problem that appears to have no easy fix.  That monkey laughs at you and tells you that there is no solution to your problem!

Now, of course, there is no monkey on your shoulder!  It is just you talking yourself out of being able to diagnose and fix the problem due to a possible lack of knowledge and frustration.  You see, most of the issues that arise in the use of an RV are easy to access and easy to fix, well eighty percent of them anyway!

Let’s Focus on Electrical Problems!

Your RV has three electrical systems that all work in harmony to provide for the needs you have in your RV.  If one of them fails, it is likely that another will be affected.

The image above represents the harmony between the 12-volt electrical RV house battery system and the 120-volt electrical system.

For example, if your RV has 120-volt power but the 12-volt system is not functioning as it should, the AC units, the RV refrigerator, the water heater, and the furnace will not work.  Why is this you ask?  Because they are controlled by a 12-volt circuit board that tells these units how to operate.

These are some of the more common questions I receive on a daily basis.  Understanding RV electrical systems is very important when diagnosing RV electrical problems, but most RV owners don’t have this knowledge.  Do you see how a big purple monkey could be laughing at you if these issues arise when you are traveling in an RV?

Our Recent Purple Monkey

Pam, Lindsey, and I were headed up to the Hershey RV Show in Hershey, PA.  It is billed as the largest RV show in the country.  We were there last year too.  I would have to say the claim is true because of the amount of RV’s that are displayed at the show.

The Tampa RV Supershow that occurs in Florida, in January, is a much larger venue but they don’t have the number of RV’s displayed as at the Hershey Show.

We have been plugged into 120-volt shore power for most of the summer except for occasional one-day trips.  Our 12-volt batteries are the originals in our 2013 model year RV.  I religiously check and fill the battery cells with distilled water at the first of every month.

In my experience, if these deep cycle batteries are used on a regular basis, and maintained, they are probably good for five years.  So, ours should be in good shape for a while longer.

Now, when we boondock (staying in the RV overnight without the availability of shore power, water, and sewer services) we put more of a strain on the house batteries because they are not being charged unless we drive the RV or run the generator.

In our motorized RV, when driving the RV the engine alternator charges the house batteries.  When parked, and the generator is running providing 120-volt electrical power to the RV, the RV’s converter charges the batteries

Thursday night, after a day of driving from Atlanta, GA to Statesville, NC, we overnighted in a Walmart.  One of our friends calls that Wally-docking!  LOL  Walmart is one of our favorite places to boondock because we can shop and have a convenient place to stay for a night.

As usual, we ran the generator for the evening while we prepared dinner, watched TV, ran the AC unit, and kept the batteries charged.  Once we went to bed we turned off the generator (for safety reasons when it comes to the possibility of CO gasses entering the RV through open windows and vents).

That night it was still a little warm inside the RV so I ran the 12-volt vent fan in the bedroom to draw in the cooler air. It ran most of the night. Usually, no big deal! With the upper sixties temperatures outside the RV, it was very comfortable and we had a good nights sleep.

As I do every morning, when I checked the house batteries, the voltage on the control center was reading 11.8 volts. Hmmmmm!  That is lower than I usually see for other times when we have done the same thing.

No big deal!  Time to turn on the generator again so we can make the morning coffee and do the other things we needed to do that require 120-volt power.  I pushed the button to auto-start the generator and nothing happened!

Uh oh!  I knew there was not enough voltage in the house batteries to start the generator.  Okay, what next?  The chassis batteries were showing a strong charge so I used the battery boost button on the dashboard to bring the house battery voltage up to 12.3 volts.

That should have been enough to start the generator!  I tried it again and nothing, the generator would not start!  The purple monkey was starting to really laugh at me!

Okay, what next?  I decided to drive for a while and see if the alternator could charge up the house batteries even more so they would be strong enough to fire up the generator. After all, one must have his morning coffee!!

Usually while driving the RV, I get a house battery voltage of about 13.8 volts as the engine alternator is charging the batteries while the engine is running.  But on this Friday, that was not the case! The purple monkey is now roaring with laughter!

12.3 volts should be enough to start the generator.  But at the interior control panel, the button used to start the generator at the electronic control center was not working.  The auto-start process would start and error out. I know that the generator only needs 12 volts to turn over so something else must be going on.

So, at this point there appeared to be several purple monkeys having a good laugh at me!  But, since I have skills in these areas as an RV inspector and teacher, I know there are other things I could try.

A generator has two places where it can be started.  In the case of my generator, I can also start it right at the generator by removing the cover and using the internal start switch.  But, before doing that, there are also other reasons why the generator might not start. In this case not likely because it was running the night before.

However, a double check is always a good idea.  An RV generator will not run unless it has at least a quarter tank of gas.  We filled up the night before so that was not the issue.  The other reason it may not start is that there is an issue with the level of the generator engine oil.  I checked that and it was fine!  I just changed it!

So, after having driven for an hour or so, we pulled into a rest area and I removed the cover for the generator, checked the oil and pushed the start button.  It fired right up!  Hmmmm!  Why did it not start from the inside?

From what I can tell, the electronics froze up.  Once the generator was running, all appeared to be well.  With the generator running the converter was now charging the house batteries and we were able to run the RV fridge on electric as it had not been run since the night before (we don’t use propane systems while driving).

During travel on Saturday, all seemed fine!  I do suspect the house batteries were weakened compared to what they were a year ago.  Once we got to Hershey, PA and were boondocking some more, the batteries could no longer handle the usual load.  So, we replaced them!

I bought two new ones, pulled out the old ones, cleaned the cable connections, and hooked up the new batteries.  It is a very easy thing to do as long as you pay attention to how they are connected before you remove the old batteries!

Knowing how your RV works, understanding its systems, and remaining calm when issues arise is the key to keeping that purple monkey caged!  Most times it just takes considering the evidence and using your knowledge about your RV to come up with a solution to the problem.

If you are new to all this, how can you bring up your level of confidence so you can handle the purple monkeys when they show up?

Remember that eighty percent of the problems that arise in an RV are easy to access and easy to fix!  This is what I learned from the Texas RV Professor, Mr. Terry Cooper!  He offers a five-day hands-on RV tech course that teaches both RV owners and RV technicians the basics so you can handle the kinds of issues I described above!

He teaches it around the country and also offers a live stream for folks that just can’t make the live class.

I attended this class back in February of 2014 prior to launching my RV inspection business.  As a full time RVer, I knew some things but I did not know how much I did not know till I attended Mr. Cooper’s class!

If you would like to know more about how you can up your game, you can visit rvtechcourse.com.  If you decide to take the class, please tell Mr. Cooper and Evada Cooper that Howard and Pam sent you!  They will take extra special care of you!!

In part one of this article, I introduced some of the Florida concealed carry laws.  I addressed the places you can legally carry a concealed firearm, the crimes which may be justified to use deadly force when defending yourself, how your conduct will be measured once you do use deadly force, and when can deadly force be used.

For those of us who live the full time RVing lifestyle, having the ability to legally carried a concealed weapon gives us that added level of comfort. However, with that comes great responsibility!  If called upon to actually pull the trigger and use deadly force, one has to be aware of the concealed carry laws in Florida as well as its reciprocity states.

In this post, I will talk more about when you can legally use deadly force and when should you stand your ground.  These are very important topics when you carry a concealed weapon!  So, please take Florida concealed carry laws seriously.  When the time comes to pull out your weapon you must be aware of the ramifications and the laws you will have to deal with!

Law of Self Defense

Deadly force may legally be used in Florida:

• When a person has a reasonable belief that deadly force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to themselves.
• When a person unlawfully and forcefully enters or entered a dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle.
• When a person unlawfully and forcefully removes or attempts to remove you from a dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle.
• When a person has a reasonable belief that a deadly force is necessary to protect themselves from the imminent commission of a forcible felony.

What would be an example of some of these crimes: murder and manslaughter, kidnapping and sexual battery, robbery and aggravated assault, carjacking and aggravated battery, and home invasion robbery and aggravated stalking.

Law of Defense of Others

Deadly force may legally be used in Florida:

• When a person has a reasonable belief that deadly force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to another.
• When a person unlawfully and forcefully enters or entered a dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle.
• When a person unlawfully and forcefully removes or attempts to remove another from a dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle.
• When a person has a reasonable belief that deadly force is necessary to protect another from the imminent commission of a forcible felony.

What would be an example of some of these crimes: murder and manslaughter, kidnapping and sexual battery, robbery and aggravated assault, carjacking and aggravated battery, and home invasion robbery and aggravated stalking.

What about a trespasser on private property?

If you are going to protect your property because a trespasser has entered, don’t shoot!  Deadly force is not legally justified!  Florida statutes allow for a legal use of force, but not deadly force to terminate a trespass or interference with property.

Now if the trespasser commits or attempts to commit arson, burglary, aircraft piracy or any other forcible felony, then Florida law provides that you are legally justified in using deadly force to defend your property or to terminate a criminal trespass.

The Castle Doctrine

The “Castle Doctrine” is the popular name for a legal philosophy that every person, as the “King” or “Queen” of their home, never has to flee the castle before using deadly force against an intruder.  Florida’s version of the Castle Doctrine can be found in Florida Statute #776.013.

Use of Deadly Force Under the Castle Doctrine in Florida

If you know or have reason to believe that an unlawful and forcible entry or act is occurring or had occurred, and you use deadly force when someone unlawfully and forcefully enters or is entering your residence, occupied vehicle or dwelling, or someone unlawfully and forcefully removes or attempts to remove you from those, the Florida concealed carry laws give you legal presumption that fear of imminent death or great bodily harm was reasonable, and deadly force was legally justified without a duty to retreat.

If you have no reasonable escape route Florida concealed carry laws allow you to stand your ground with no duty to retreat and meet force with force!

What are the parameters of this situation?

You have no duty to retreat and have the right to stand your ground if:

• You are not engaged in unlawful activity
• You are in a place where you have a legal right to be
• You have a reasonable belief that deadly force is necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony.

What should you do after the gun goes bang?  Invoke your legal rights!

Many countless man and women have sacrificed their lives and fortunes so that we Americans may have legal rights.  Don’t waive those rights!  If you are involved in a shooting, you may need every legal right available.

What Should You Do After Bang?

• Make sure the threat has been controlled
• Call 911!  Just give your name, location and the nature of the emergency.  Do not discuss what happened as the call is recorded and it can be used against you in a court of law.
• Return the firearm to safe keeping!
• Call Your Lawyer!  Don’t miss this step!  Be prepared!!
• When the police arrive, comply with all commands in a non-threatening manner, keeping your hands clearly visible.  The police do not know who the good guys and the bad guys are when they first arrive.
• Inform the police that you have been a victim of a crime.  State to the police: “I wish to invoke my right to remain silent, and I want to consult my attorney before making any statements.”  Your freedom, liberty and fortune are at risk, so invoke your right to remain silent and your right to a lawyer.
• Make no statement to anyone about the incident; wait to talk to your attorney!
• If asked to accompany law enforcement, comply, but make no statements.
• Do not make jokes or cute remarks and say nothing, even if you believe you have done nothing wrong.

Summary

If you know the Florida concealed carry laws and you abide by them, you will be ready to decide whether or not to use deadly force!

Thanks to the folks over at US Law Shield for their assistance in compiling the information that I have shared with you!

Recently I posted an article on my website about the process for getting a Florida Concealed Carry Permit.  I would like to expand upon that discussion and talk about understanding Florida concealed carry laws.

When you are full time RV living it is especially important to know what the laws are regarding carrying a concealed weapon and what can happen if you feel you are in a situation where you need to act!

Given that Pam and I travel to many different locations around the country it is even more important to know the laws and how they can differ from our domicile state of Florida!

Laws Regarding Select Places in Florida

Is it trespassing if you see these signs?  Florida law is at best silent with regards to whether these types of signs give a CWFL holder legal notice that their entry would be trespassing.  At this time there does not exist a reported court case on this issue.  But, if you have an actual notice that the property owner has advised you not to enter or to leave their private property because you are carrying a gun, and you fail to leave, you are committing an act of criminal trespass.

Parking Lots: business owners can’t prohibit you from lawfully keeping a firearm locked in your vehicle in a business’ parking lot.  Schools, prisons, nuclear plants, companies engaged in national security, companies licensed to make, use, or store explosives, or places where firearms are prohibited by federal law are not included in this parking lot provision.

Bars and Restaurants: it is a crime to carry a weapon into any portion of an establishment licensed to serve alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises.  You may not legally carry your concealed firearm into bars, taverns, and the bar area of a restaurant.

Airports: you may not carry your firearm in any portion of an airport terminal under Florida law.  This includes both the secured and unsecured areas of the terminal.

State and National Parks: CWFL holders may legally carry in both state and national parks in Florida.  But, you can’t legally carry a firearm in any federal government buildings such as the museum or ranger stations located in national parks.

What Kind of Trouble Can You Get Into?

Florida concealed carry laws state there are misdemeanor crimes and felonies.  How can the improper use of a concealed weapon get you in trouble?

Misdemeanors:

• Open carry of a firearm and displaying it in an angry or threatening manner. This would be a 2nd-degree misdemeanor crime.
• Exhibiting a firearm in a rude, angry, careless, or threatening manner, but not in self-defense.  This would be a 1st-degree misdemeanor crime.
• Knowingly discharging a  firearm in any public place, paved road, or occupied premises; recklessly or negligently discharging a firearm outdoors on property used primarily as the site of a dwelling or zoned for residential use.  This would be a 1st-degree misdemeanor.
• Aggravated assault: an intentional threat to commit an act of imminent violence with the use of a deadly weapon without an intent to kill.  This is a 3rd-degree felony.
• Any occupant of a vehicle who knowingly and willfully discharges a firearm from a vehicle within one thousand feet of any person.  This is a 2nd-degree felony.

Felonies:

• First-degree murder in a premeditated killing of another person is a Capitol Felony.
• Second-degree murder is the unlawful killing of another person resulting from a dangerous act committed by a person with a depraved, reckless disregard for human life.  This is a first-degree felony.
• Manslaughter is the killing of another through negligent acts.  This is a second-degree felony.
• Then there is aggravated battery which is intentionally causing great bodily harm against another, or using a deadly weapon during the commission of the battery.  This is also a second-degree felony.
• Maliciously shooting into a dwelling, building, or a mode of transportation.  This too is a second-degree felony.

What is the punishment for these Crimes?

• A Capital Felony is death or life imprisonment.
• A First-Degree Felony is imprisonment not to exceed thirty years, or when authorized by the statute, up to life in prison.
• A Second-Degree Felony is imprisonment not to exceed fifteen years.
• A Third-Degree Felony is imprisonment not exceeding five years and a three-year minimum prison sentence if a firearm is involved.
• A First-Degree Misdemeanor is imprisonment not to exceed one year.
• A Second-Degree Misdemeanor is imprisonment not to exceed sixty days.

Florida law provides an additional aspect to the sentencing of individuals who possessed or used a firearm during the commission of a felony crime. Florida Statute #775.087 outlines felony elevation as well as minimum sentence durations.

When it comes to your use of a weapon, your conduct will be measured by the Reasonable Person Standard.

If you use deadly force with the reasonable belief that deadly force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm, then you may have legal justification for your actions!

What is Reasonable?

The law will judge your use of deadly force using the reasonable person standard.  That is to stay, would a reasonable person under the same or similar  circumstances agree that to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm, deadly force was necessary?  This reasonable person standard is the law’s attempt to make the concept of what is reasonable an objective test.

The law does not focus on whether you believed deadly force was reasonable, but whether a reasonable person would consider it reasonable. If the legal system of a jury trial determines that a reasonable person would agree that to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm, deadly force was necessary, then you were legally justified in using deadly force.  

However, juries, judges, and prosecutors are human beings, and people can have vastly different ideas of how a reasonable person should act under any given circumstances.  This is particularly true if asked to decide whether or not deadly force was necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm.

When is it Not a Crime?

If it comes time for you to use deadly force, you must have justification for the act.  Legal justification is a set of circumstances that the law says is a valid excuse for a person doing something that would otherwise be a crime. As a general rule, it is illegal to shoot someone, however, if the shooting is done under a particular set of circumstances like self-defense or in defense of others, the law states a person is excused from or is legally justified.

What is Deadly Force?

Florida law defines “deadly force” as a force that is likely to cause death or great bodily harm.  Discharging a firearm is considered a use of deadly force.

Florida’s laws regarding when the use of deadly force is legally justified is based on a perpetrator’s commission of what is called a “Forcible Felony.”  A Florida Statute lists these crimes as: murder, manslaughter, sexual battery, aggravated assault, carjacking, home invasion robbery, robbery, burglary arson, kidnapping, aggravated battery, aggravated stalking, aircraft piracy, treason, unlawful throwing, placing, or discharging of a destructive device or bomb, or any other felony which involves the use or threat of physical force or violence against an individual.

Wow, that’s a lot to digest!!

I will continue this discussion in part two of this post.  I will look at when it is legal for you to use deadly force and more on what will happen when you do!  

Please check back to catch “the rest of the story!”

Thanks to the folks over at US Law Shield for their assistance in compiling the information that I have shared with you!

Having just been through the process I can tell you that getting a Florida concealed carry permit is not a quick process.  It is easy but it takes time!  I will share with you here what it took for me to obtain mine!

What is a Florida Concealed Carry Permit, or what some call a CWFL?  A concealed weapon or firearm license is a Florida issued license, a lot like a driver’s license.  It allows the owner of this card to legally carry a concealed handgun or weapon in locations otherwise restricted by law.

Florida Concealed Carry Permit

What weapons can be carried in a concealed fashion with this license?  The CWFL allows the licensee to carry a handgun, knives, electronic weapons or devices, billies, and tear gas guns.  That does not mean you can carry others that are not specifically listed in Florida Statute #790.06.  For example, metallic knuckles, throwing stars, and nunchucks are not legal to carry in a concealed fashion.

Regarding municipal regulations, before you can start carrying any variations of these legal concealed weapons, beware.  Florida law allows municipal ordinances to restrict what types of knives, electronic weapons, billies, and tear gas guns you may carry in your area.  However, Florida state law does not allow municipal ordinances to regulate the carry of handguns.

What Constitutes Being Concealed?

If you are carrying a concealed firearm, it must be carried on or about a person in such a manner as to conceal the weapon from the ordinary sight of another person.  However, Florida law also provides that if you are lawfully carrying a concealed firearm, it is not a violation if you briefly and openly display the firearm to the ordinary sight of another person, so long as the firearm was not intentionally displayed in an angry or threatening manner.

If you are in the possession of a concealed weapon then Florida law requires that you have your Florida Concealed Carry Permit and valid identification.  Also, if you have a concealed weapon and a Law Enforcement Officer demands your CWFL, you should provide both your CWFL and valid identification.  Florida law does not require it but it’s just a good practice as you will probably be asked if the situation arises.

Where Can I Legally Carry a Firearm in Florida?

If you have a Florida Concealed Carry Permit here are some places where it is legal to conceal carry:

• In a person’s own home or place of business
• In a motor vehicle if the firearm is concealed but not in a secure case or is readily accessible
• In a motor vehicle if the firearm is in a secured case and carried for self-defense or other lawful purposes.
• Public places not otherwise prohibited by law
• Hospitals that do not provide mental health services
• State and local government property any time a meeting is not occurring
• While engaged in camping, hunting, or fishing
• While engaged in firearms training, testing, or at a shooting range
• Grocery, convenience, or liquor stores which are not posted as prohibiting firearms

I will cover more about the concealed carry laws in Florida in a future post! For now, I’ll cover what you need to get the process started and how long it will take till you get your CWFL.

Florida CWFL License Reciprocity

Getting Your CWFL

There is a simple four step process for applying and receiving your Florida Concealed Carry Permit!

Step One: The simplest and easiest thing to do is find a reputable source for a concealed carry class and sign up for that.  If this takes place at a gun shop that also has a shooting range it makes it easy to fulfill the CWFL requirements because both the classroom portion and the shooting range requirement can be accomplished all in one session.

I took a class at Shoot Straight while we were visiting Fort Myers, FL.  The Instructor is a police officer and current firearms training instructor.  He did a great job with the three-hour class!  His name is Tony Lauer.  He can be reached at Patriot Professional Firearm Training.

I highly recommend going this route!  A concealed carry firearms class will give you all the materials you need to fulfill the requirements to be ready to mail off your completed application to the Division of Licensing in Tallahassee, FL.  Even if you feel you are an experienced gun owner, the class will help you to understand the laws regarding carrying a concealed weapon.

Step Two: Gather all the items I am going to list here:

1. A completed application.  I got mine from the CWFL class.  If you are a more experienced firearms person you can go directly to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and download and application there.  Instructions are there to follow, if you prefer.
2. A certificate of completion from a training class.  This can be any firearms training conducted by a state-certified individual.  It can also be an NRA safety or training course, or any equivalent.
3. You will need documentation of citizenship and residency like a Driver’s License, Passport, State ID, or Voter Registration.
4. A passport photograph.  In my CWFL class, they took the photo for me and gave me two copies to send with my application.
5. A legible set of your fingerprints large enough to ensure the application and fingerprint card lie flat and are not folded or creased.
6. A check or money order for $112 if you are submitting a hard copy of your fingerprints and $70 if that process is done electronically.  I chose the hard copy because it cost $5 to have a local police station to fingerprint me and the electronic feature was a bit more of a hassle and basically equaled the $112 fee.
7. And, if needed, court documents reflecting the final disposition of any arrests.

Step Three: mail the whole packet of documents listed above in a large envelope to the Division of Licensing, PO Box 6687 Tallahassee FL 32314

Step Four: If approved you will receive your Florida Concealed Carry Permit in four to six weeks.  They do say they have up to ninety days to approve or disapprove an application for many reasons.  You want to be sure that when you send it in you have everything included and that it is all correct.  You don’t want to have to go through the process twice!

It took me the full three months to receive my CWFL license!  The Division of Licensing pushed it right to the ninety-day timeline.  And I think I know why!  So many in Florida are applying for these permits that it is taking them that long to process all the applications.  The concealed carry class I took was filled, and all of them on the calendar were the same way.

So, that is what it will take to get the job done!  I hope you found this information useful!  As a full time RVer, being able to legally carry a concealed weapon is of great importance to me and my family!  The crooks are armed, and so should I.  It is important to know the laws and be ready should the time come to not let someone else take your life!

As my CWFL class instructor said with great emphasis, “don’t ever LET someone else take your life!”

Good luck as you begin the process and continue to investigate all the considerations required when you decide you want to carry a concealed weapon in public places!

Howard, Pam and Winston (the fur-kid)

Should an RVer be concerned about RV gas mileage? Should you care about how far your RV can go on a tank of gas and how many miles per gallon you get?  Is there a better way for you to improve your results at the pump?

I am more concerned about taking it easy on my RV than I am with fuel economy!

Like a car, the harder you push your RV the worse the RV gas mileage will be.  It does not matter if it is a diesel engine or a gasoline engine.  Driving an RV at 70 mph will consume more fuel than driving it at 60 mph.  Most RV’s are big boxes that are not aerodynamic at highway speeds. The faster you go, the higher your fuel consumption, and with exponential results!

I have read statistics that state that for each five miles per hour that you drive over fifty miles per hour, you can expect to spend and additional seven to fourteen percent more dollars at the pump!  I am not advocating driving at fifty miles per hour on interstate highways!  But, fifty-five to sixty miles per hour is safer and more enjoyable!

What other factors can decrease your RV gas mileage!

• Not using cruise control.
• Excessive acceleration from a stopped position.
• Improper tire pressure.
• Not keeping the maintenance of the RV up to date.
• Excessive idling.
• Carrying too much weight

Why would using the cruise control be a good idea when on long stretches of flat roads? Well, first off it makes it easier on the driver as focusing on maintaining a constant speed is eliminated.  Secondly, using the cruise smooths out the accelerator input during longer periods of travel and helps cut down on fuel consumption.

Racing to the next stop with your RV while driving in city traffic can cost you a lot! Accelerating at a quarter to half throttle can save you some fuel. Studies have shown that moderate braking and acceleration can save you as much as thirty-one percent in fuel consumption compared to a more aggressive driving style.

What about your RV tires?  Can tires that are under-inflated be a problem for your fuel economy?  Of course!  But not only that but for your safety too!  Tires that are under-inflated, or over inflated, can be a condition that will lead to a blowout!  But, back to the reason you don’t want your tires to be soft when talking about wasting fuel is that it will lead to modest levels of increased fuel usage when they are under-inflated.

Regular engine service and tune-ups can increase your mileage by as much as twenty percent.  Don’t ignore that air filter! And, ignoring that check engine light can waste almost forty percent of your fuel dollars.

Running a gasoline engine while stopped for longer periods can waste gas! Tests performed on a ten-mile course and ten stops each at a mile, for two minutes, revealed a nineteen percent increase in fuel usage compared to turning the engine off for each of those two minutes stops. So it’s up to you when you feel you are going to be stopped for more than a few minutes if you want to run the engine or turn it off.  In the summer time, I would rather leave the engine run!  I would rather spend the fuel dollars and be comfortable.  But, this is food for thought!

Okay!  I am going to reference a little high school physics on the issue of carrying too much unneeded weight in your RV.  Newton’s second law having to do with force, mass, and gravity can be considered here when it comes to using more fuel due to excess weight.

Have you ever noticed that a heavier vehicle going down a hill picks up more speed than a lighter one?  Have you ever noticed the runaway truck ramps in the mountainous regions of the United States?  What about that same vehicle trying to climb a hill?  Would it not take more fuel to reach the top than if it was much lighter? Sure! That’s Newton’s law in action.

Therefore, the more weight you carry, the more fuel it is going to take to get to your destination!  For example, do you need to travel with a full tank of water if you are going from one RV park to another?  A tank of fresh water can weigh three to eight hundred pounds depending on its size.  The same is true for your black and gray water tanks.

When traveling in your RV, only have on board those things you need if you want to save on your RV gas mileage!  Pam and I are amazed when we see what people have in the bins of their RV’s.

Most of these issues apply to gas powered RV’s as they react differently to load than does a diesel powered RV.  But some of these issues apply to them as well!

Lindsey, our four-legged fur kid, wanted us to throw this image into this post.  She’s a real comedian!!

In Conclusion

Pam and I drive our gas powered RV with care!  We are cognizant of how it is loaded, tire pressure while traveling, what fluids we have on board when on the move, and while on the road we drive it like an RV, not a sports car!

Given that our Ford chassis is always near its maximum recommended loaded weight, we have a big concern about the powertrain lasting if we are not careful about the way we drive it.  The transmission is the biggest concern.  So we accelerate slowly to take it easy on the engine and transmission and thereby save a little on our RV gas mileage as well!

We wish you safe and enjoyable travels as you venture out in your RV! Hopefully, you are enjoying the full time RV lifestyle too!!

When it comes to RV fire safety, you must take the necessary steps to be prepared! We learned this one the hard way and almost lost our RV and all we owned!  It was because we were relatively new full time RVers and trusted the advice of others without checking the facts.

It was an RV trip back in May of 2010. Pam and I were coming out of Wisconsin after visiting with her Dad and brother’s family. We were just about to cross into Illinois and decided to stop to fuel up.

Our 5th wheel RV had a Norcold refrigerator that when we traveled, we left the propane on to keep it cooling.  That is what we did when we rented RV’s!  That was the advice we were given by the rental agencies.  In fact, one rental company told us to not touch the propane tank.  So we didn’t!  We just left the tank valve turned on all the time.

We pulled into a Flying J truck stop to get some diesel fuel.  We had to use the truck lanes due to the dual tanks on the Freightliner truck.  Driving through some of those truck stops can be a challenge due to the heavy ruts from the weight of the trucks and the compressed asphalt due to hot weather.

We pulled into a fuel lane, filled up, and decided to stop for a bit to take a lunch break. So I made my way through the maze of the rutted parking lot with the 5th wheel doing a bit of side to side swaying, and we found a place to park.  We were nestled in between a few trucks, but we had enough room to get out.

As I usually do after traveling with the truck in hot weather, I let it idle for a few minutes to give the turbo time to cool down.  I was sitting in the truck, and Pam went back to open up the RV.  I was logging mileage and doing some mid-trip checks.

Pam opened the door to the 5th wheel while I was still in the truck and I heard the words no RVer ever wants to hear or see, “Fire!”  She screamed loud enough to attract my attention and that of those around us!

I immediately ran to the street side of the RV and shot off the propane tanks.  I don’t know what made me do that, but I did!  I have never been a big fan of propane usage in an RV due to its volatility!  I shut off the tank and ran to see what was going on in the RV.  The fire extinguisher was at the door, and I was ready to do battle!

The RV was filled with smoke!  The fire was at the propane stove.  When Pam opened the door, she saw the stove was on and heard the clicking of the piezo ignitor.  Since I had just turned off the propane, the flames had stopped, but the stovetop cover was still smoldering as it took the brunt of the flames.  The fire had started to work up the side wall of the kitchen slide.

We got the burnt stovetop cover out of the RV and the horrible smell that came along with it!  The trucker next to us heard all the commotion, and he told us he was ready to get the heck out of there!  We had just caught this in time!  Had we not stopped for a break, the RV, and the truck would have been a goner.

Once a propane fire starts, it takes only a few minutes for it to engulf the entire RV, especially at highway speeds!

So what happened?

Remember me mentioning the rutted parking areas at the truck stop?  Well, apparently during the side to side swaying while moving the 5th wheel after fueling up, the plates in the cabinet above the cooktop fell out and hit the controls knobs.  It turned one knob to full propane usage and the other to the engage the piezo – a one in a million chance! We had never had any issues with the cabinet doors before!  After that we did decide to bungee them closed during travel!

So, one cooktop burner was going full blast and burning the Corian cooktop cover creating a toxic gas and a lot of heat build up.  We had a wood bowl on top of that cover held in place by a rubber mat.  That burned as well as part of the wood bowl.  That is how hot the cooktop cover got!

This all happened in a matter of two minutes.  Again, imagine if we had not stopped! Now, what if I was traveling with the propane tanks turned off?  Would that have been a better idea?

Now that Pam and I have been out full time RV living for eight years, and teach people how to be RV inspectors, we are a lot wiser and have more of a mindset towards safety!  We have attended lots of RV shows and rallies!  At one of these shows, we met a gentleman named Mac McCoy.

He has been a firefighter for more than three decades.  He was the fire service training coordinator for the State of Oregon; he has a bachelor’s degree in Fire Science and Masters in Fire Administration.  Since 1999 he has lived full time in his RV and traveled the country talking about RV fire safety.  He is one source I would highly recommend you listen to when it comes to this subject!

If you get a chance to catch him at a local rally or RV show.  It would be worth your time to attend his seminar!  He always has lots of RV fire safety items and information that can help you be prepared for a possible RV fire!

Here are several things you can do to keep safe while traveling in your RV, both on the road and while parked!  You can find more of these from Mac at macthefireguy.com. Tell him Howard and Pam sent you!  Here are some of Mac’s recommendations:

• Driving with the propane system on can add danger to you and your RV if you are involved in an accident or have a fire.  We learned this one the hard way!  It was almost catastrophic!   Most people leave the propane system on to keep the RV refrigerator cold.  The fridge will stay cold for eight hours during travel if you leave it closed.  As Mac says, “shut the propane off at the tank when traveling in your RV!”
• You should have at least three fire extinguishers in your RV!  One should be in the kitchen area, one in the bedroom, and one outside the RV in a readily accessible storage area.  Everyone in the RVing family should know how to use it and where they are!  You also want to be sure you have the right extinguisher for the fire you are fighting.
• Have a plan of action before a fire occurs!  Think about what you would do if you have an engine fire, a refrigerator fire, a cooktop fire, or an electrical fire.  Do your research so you can avoid any of these types of fires from happening!
• Know your escape routes out of the RV!  Be sure your emergency windows work and know how to use them.  Imagine having to get out of the RV during a stressful situation.  Be prepared to get out of the RV quickly and how to best do that.
• Test your safety systems monthly, or a least before each RV trip!  Check the smoke detector, the carbon monoxide detector, and the LP gas detector to be sure they go into alarm.  If they are older than five years, and they don’t have an expiration date on them, but a manufacturer date, replace them with recommended RV application units.  Those from the home improvement` stores are not the best for RV’s!
• The first rule of fighting a major RV fire is to save the lives of the RV occupants first and property second!  Get everyone to safety first before attempting to extinguish a fire.  Only after everyone is safe should you attempt to put out a fire with the devices you have accessible in the RV!
• Something people don’t consider when the RV is parked at a campsite is to have an extra hose hooked up or a quick disconnect on your water hose.  If your RV, or a neighbors RV, becomes involved in a fire it may make the difference in being able to save or protect your RV from further damage.

Again, have a plan of action for many possible situations!  Don’t think it won’t happen to you!  If you are prepared and have taken the necessary steps to avoid an RV fire, chances are you will be enjoying your RV for many years to come!

Baroo!  Hello again to all my furry and human followers.  Lindsey the full time RV living Corgi here with my latest and greatest Bark Report.  Mom has been seeing lots of stuff on human Face Book about RV Slide Out Problems.  Since I hear Mom and Dad talking about these issues I thought I would share my four-legged perspective on some of these issues.

Did you know that there are a few different kinds of slide out rooms on RVs?  Well if not, I can tell you there most certainly are.  (Dad’s a big help here since he examines these rooms during the RV inspections that he does.)  The slide rooms can be cable, hydraulic, electric drive, or something called Schwintek.  Each can have their own set of problems.

Common to all these rooms is overloading them.  When you get too much stuff (or fat corgi’s) on them, they have to work harder to move in and out.  Or maybe they won’t work at all.  We did that once in one of our first RV trips.  Dad had to go outside and push on the slide out to help it come back in.

If slide outs are overloaded they may not come in evenly.  Thus, you might see that the top is flush with the RV and the bottom is out a couple inches or so. We’ve have seen RVs going down the road like that.  Not good!

You know those really big buses that have the heat running through the floor?  True story.  One guy had so many people in his RV for his seminar business that it bent the slide rails for the full side slide out room.  Basically, he had too many people sitting on the couch and in the dinette area.  Not only that but due to excess weight in the RV, the heating system running underneath the tile floor was damaged.  He had to have the slide out rails and flooring repaired!

All these slide rooms have this big rubber seal around them.  Dad says they are called bulbs (not tulip!) and sweeps.  They are supposed to be right against the RV sidewall to keep water and bugs out.  Proper maintenance on them is needed so they can do their job.  303 Aerospace Protectant is really good for this application!

Sometimes a slide room can get out of alignment.  If you drive your RV, it will happen. All those rough roads and the twisting of the frame, or sometimes even extending them without the jacks down.  Each RV manufacturer will recommend how it should be done on their RVs.  One cool Tech man showed Dad how to adjust ours when we had that big fifth wheel.  And he had to do it several times.  Easy-Peasy.

Next are the slide room roof and seams.  Mate, you need to keep those maintained as well!  Check the sealant around all the seams and edges to be sure to keep that water out.  This corgi is not a fan of water, especially inside.  Water comes in and then you can get that nasty black stuff growing.

Be sure to check the underside of your slide rooms too:  be sure there is no rust on the screw drive that could be impairing its operation, none of the electrical cables are hanging up on anything, the seals are in good condition, and that no rollers are missing.

If the slides are hydraulic, it is a good idea to keep an eye on the hydraulic fluid supply in the fluid reservoir tank!  Also, keep an eye out for leaks!

On the cable type slides (you will know these by the two cable wires top and bottom on each side of the slide room), after a period of time, the cables can tear the rubber seal. Be sure to keep an eye on that too.

There is also a slide system called Schwintek, the one that has the bars on each side of the room at the top and bottom. We have these on our full time living RV!

Okay, another true story.  You know those RVs with the slide room in the rear of the RV?  On this one RV, when this slide room extended, it just kept going and going and going! Literally.  Like the Energizer Bunny.  

It was a Schwintek slide system that is supposed to stop when it feels resistance from the RV sidewall.  Well, the rear cap joints were not sealed, water got in and rotted the wood.  The slide out wound up falling out the back of the RV!  Talk about a room with a view.  The lesson here, always be checking your sealant and seals around your slide rooms.

So you get to your campsite, push the button for your slide room and nothing happens. Hmmm you say.  Now what?  Lots of the motorized RVs require the emergency brake to be on to extend or retract the slide outs.  Some may even require that the seats be moved forward.  

If your slide out rooms are not functioning it may also be a good idea to check your batteries. If the house battery got shut off or there is not enough voltage, they won’t work.  And still other RV’s may require that the jacks be down before the slide outs will operate.  Get to know your RV.  It will save you from some frustrating moments!

When retracting your slide rooms, be sure to check that nothing is in the way of the room as it comes in.  You could rip off a seat, get something stuck underneath which could damage the rollers, break something, or rip off a cabinet door. Always use your slide room locks when traveling if they have manual ones. Slide outs can work their way out as you drive if they are not secure.  

Same goes for extending them, if you have slide room locks. Make sure they are released.  If not and you try to slide out the room, you could seriously damage your side wall.  Oh and check outside for enough clearance as well. Nothing worse than extending right into a tree, a post, a bin door, or your significant other.

Okay, it is time for me to sign off and sign out and catch some zzz’s. Until next time….

Lindsey out 

Hello Everyone and Happy Springtime greetings!

Depending on where you are in the country it either still feels like winter or perhaps like summer!  The weather in the United States has been a bit goofy so far this year!

Since our last full time RV living Winter update, Pam and I finished up our series of teaching RV inspector training classes at Lazydays campground in Seffner, FL.  Since then we have been visiting different RV parks around Florida and sharing our thoughts about them on rvparkreviews.com.

We have also been doing RV inspections and trying to fill in the gaps for inspections as calls come into our toll-free number.  Some inspection locations we have been able to travel to and help out and others were just not feasible given the clients location relative to ours.

Last summer we traveled the northeast of the United States teaching in different locations.  We had a great time doing that, but this summer we are going to stay in Florida as we need to be near aging parents who are going to have needs, very soon, I am afraid to say.  We all have to deal with these situations sooner or later!

Having spent many years in Florida we have discovered that the best place to be in the summer months is the Florida panhandle.  The beaches are beautiful and if you are in close proximity to the beach, it tends to be cooler as the gulf breezes off the water help out.

So, we are situated in a very nice RV park that is just a mile from the beach as the crow flies.  The area we are in tends to be busy this time of year as everyone from Alabama and Georgia come south to spend some time at the beach.  It is affectionately known here as the Red-Neck Riviera!

However, the beaches are some of the best in the world with the white sand and turquoise water!

Living in Florida during the summer months, one can’t help but wonder when the next hurricane will strike the state!  We are now outside of the ten year record setting season of 2004 and 2005!  Wilma was the strongest storm to hit Florida as a strong category three hurricane.

For the 2016 hurricane season, the prediction is for there to be fourteen named storms of which eight will be hurricanes and three of those will be major storms.  The prediction is for this to be the most active season since 2012.  Here in Florida that year we had one close call but not a major hurricane landfall.

The Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico look suspect this year according to weather.com and the weather underground!

The average is for a major hurricane to strike Florida every seven years.  Given that statistic we are overdue!  That is why we like the panhandle of Florida as opposed to being down in the peninsula.  At least we can head in a one hundred and eighty-degree direction in order to avoid a serious storm.

Pam and I have spent a night in our full time RV living 5th wheel during a tropical storm.  I can tell you that is something we never want to repeat, and that was only sixty-five to seventy-five mile per hour winds!  These storms are not to be messed with!  When we are told to get out, we do!  So far we have evacuated for two storms.  That one storm I mentioned earlier formed so fast we could not get out.  We just had to hunker down and ride it out.

So, if this is going to be an active hurricane season we will be prepared!

As we travel to different parts of the country we always keep aware of possible weather issues.  In the midwest tornados can pop up at any time.  The first thing we ask when checking into a campground is what to do if that tornado siren goes off?

These are just things you have to do when you are living the full time RV lifestyle!

I have to laugh!  Pam and I are sitting here watching Go RVing on the Travel Channel.  There are two thirty-somethings who have been on the road for eleven months in a class C RV that is bigger than ours.  They are looking for a new RV with more space and a formal dining room.  What a laugh!  I think that is called a house!

She is in a new forty-five foot long 5th wheel toy hauler RV saying, “oh I really like the ceiling fan!”  What?  Is that really that important?  What about the truck you will need to pull it?  What about driving that sixty-foot behemoth that you have never driven before?  What about all the other important mechanical items that really matter when it comes to full time RV living?  Should you really care about the curtains and the ceiling fan?

I wish RV salesman would have some integrity and bring up the issues that would really help their clients!  I hate to see people being mislead just so some salesman can make his commission!  Purchasing the right RV for full time RV living is a major decision and that choice can either lead to a long and enjoyable full time RVing experience or send people back to the sticks and bricks!

That just my opinion anyway!  It’s my website so I can express it now and then!

What do you think?  What changes would you like to see made in the RV sales and buying experience?  Perhaps if we get enough feedback I can get the word out to the dealerships so things can get better!

Please feel free to express your thoughts below!  We look forward to hearing from you!

Blessings,
Howard, Pam, and Lindsey

One thing is for sure when purchasing an RV; you need to do your homework!  If you are unsure of what you are getting yourself into, please seek the assistance of a professional!

What I would like to share in this post is a few stories about RV buyers that have been saved from purchasing a money pit because they took the time to slow down the sales process and seek some help in evaluating the RV they were interested in purchasing.

Most people who purchase an RV start out an RV show or at a dealership. This is mainly because there is a large selection of RV’s available to look at. This is a good place to start an RV search for either a new or used RV.  But you have to know what you want in an RV, or you may get a good salesperson who will get you excited about something that may not be what you want.

I am an advocate of purchasing a used RV over a new one for two reasons. First, let someone else take the hit for the first two years of depreciation!

The second is, if you buy an RV that is two years old or older, you will save yourself the headaches that come from the issues that commonly need to be repaired because of factory mistakes.  Our friends who have purchased new RV’s have had issues up to two years after their purchase.

You can even find a good used RV that can be ten years old or older!

The thing to keep in mind when purchasing these used units is to realize that there is a great need to have a professional review the overall condition of the RV.  Then all the RV’s essential systems can be evaluated for proper function.  I have discussed a list of recommended items to be checked in another post on this website.

RV Horror Stories

As an RV inspector, I have seen some very unusual situations that have come up during the inspection process!  Because my clients had the foresight to seek out the counsel of someone more knowledgeable about RV’s, they were able to avoid buying a money pit!

The internet has become a very popular way for people to find an RV!  They can be found nearby or in another state.  We have clients who contact us and ask us to inspect the RV prior to them making a trip to see it themselves.  This can save them lots of time and money because the RV they see online is not always in the same condition when viewed in person.

Whether the RV is at a dealership or it is a private sale, the photos shown online never tell the whole story.  We saw this recently for a private seller.

The potential new owner found the RV online and contacted to have an inspection done on the RV.  Most of the RV systems were in working order, but what was not obvious to the untrained eye was an area of water intrusion that was hiding behind some cabinets.  It all stemmed from a roof penetration that could have been easily missed if not for the inspection process!

These are the kinds of issues that will lead to damage to the RV and repairs will cost in the thousands of dollars to repair!  Would it not be better to know this before the sale as opposed to after?

Another client was interested in a class A diesel motorhome that was the make and manufacturer that he preferred.  He did his research, found it out if state and through an online source.  It had the chassis and engine type he wanted, according to the manufacturer specs.  He made the wise move to order a third-party unbiased inspection of the RV.  He also ordered fluid analysis to be performed on the motorized components of the RV.

The inspection was done as ordered and in addition to the RV being completely modified from the roof to the interior, the Cummins engine that he wanted turned out to be a Caterpillar!  Had he known that ahead of time he would have never even considered the RV!  But, he was delighted with the outcome of the inspection because from all that was uncovered it saved him tens of thousands of dollars in not buying a mistake!

Another client found a two-year-old unit that was parked in Florida in an RV garage home. Again, it was only two years old and apparently garaged its entire life, other than when traveled in.  The potential buyer ordered premier level inspection on the unit including fluid analysis on the engine, transmission, and the generator.

The seller was not pleased that an inspection was being performed on his pristine unit, even though he wanted to get it sold.  He questioned about why is the buyer inspecting this beautiful unit!  There was nothing wrong with it, according to the seller!

On the day of the inspection, a leak was noted underneath in the bin area under the kitchen.  It was dark in the garage, so the unit was moved out into the driveway where more light was available to check the chassis and undercarriage visually.

Now, the onboard water pump was left on during this moving process.  Once the RV was started up and pulled out into the driveway, water started gushing out of the storage bay under the kitchen.  It was quickly observed and the water pump was shut off!

Now, what if the inspection was never ordered and the RV was purchased and somewhere down the road, during a trip, that happened?

The client was still interested in purchasing this particular RV but only after the leak between the interior flooring and the storage bays was fixed!  The estimated cost of the repairs was in the thousands of dollars due to the tile flooring in the RV.

These are just a few of the kinds of things we see when RV buyers order a pre-purchase inspection.

Are you looking to purchase a used RV?  Do you want me to help you so that you don’t wind up buying a money pit, or even worse, an RV that you did not want?

You can contact us, and we will coach you through the process!

If you would like to tackle a full-blown RV inspection on your own, check out my discussion at this link.  If you are a do-it-yourself kind of person, you may have the skills to save time and money by following my advice!  I have trained over 1,300 people to be RV inspectors since 2010.

Best wishes as you look for your home on wheels!