July 4 Pets Peeved

My Weekly Bark Report this time is for the Scare Me To Death Day, or better known as July 4 Pets Peeved (Do I need to mention that I really do not look forward to this day every year? Makes me really Peeved. How about y’all?)  Mom and Dad call it a July 4 Cell-e-bray-shun and I do my best to shun it.  All that noise!  How can human ears stand it?  For this dog’s ears it could be half as loud and still be too loud.  Bang, bang, boom.  BAROOO!   Oh the joys of having big ears.

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So, my furry followers, I hope the rest of you have found a really good hidey hole for that day.  Among my personal favorites is under the bed as far as I can.  It’s hard to get under a bed in our RV. I’d go under the covers if Mom would let me up on the bed.  She has this dumb fear I’ll jump off and hurt myself. Grow up Mom!

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I know when something is up when Mom puts on my Thunder Shirt.  It’s either those stupid exploding stars or a rumbling sky.  Does she think, I’m stoopid to not know somethin’s up?  I wasn’t whelped yesterday ya know.  Gees La-Wheez!  She says it hugs me.  Okay, I’ll buy that.  Kinda feels more like a nice body wrap to trim my girlish figure.  (Does this shirt make my butt look big?)

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So yo, check out the parade.  All the little peeplez  followed behind Mz Hope’s car.  Kinda looked like a mini sled dog pack.  And note WHO is leading the pack?  Yep, 4 legged and furry.  You go my furry friends!  Dogs rule, mini people drool.  (I stole that line. My bad.)  Mz Hope did let me drive her nifty little car with my friends after the parade.  Or at least I pretended I was driving.  I can’t reach the pedals to really drive. You know that, right?

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Then I got to meet a new friend.  Her mom calls her a conversation peez. (??)  I don’t know what that means. Talking and peeing?   I hope it’s not an insult cuz she’s kinda cute.  Maybe cuz she’s not a true blood?  I don’t care.  She told me you just tolerate the little peeplez cuz they usually are good for a quick snack.  Food can be found all over their face and hands.  Sounds good to me! She should know, she lives here in this park.

july 4 petsSometimes when I pretend being askared I get these neat little bone treats that Mom says will make me sleepy and be less skared.  Sleepy, my skinny bubble butt.  I hear everything, and I mean EVERYTHING!  Even in a woofing, leg moving, nose twitching sleep.  I don’t know what these little bone treats are s’pose to be but they are mighty tasty. If she’s happy, then my job today is finished.

Well, that’s about all I have to Bark about in this week’s report. Remember to always stay close to your pet parents especially when the big Boom Booms happen. Lots of parents forget us when they are looking up at all those noisy falling stars. Fortunately, my parents just watch it on TV. I love my mom and dad! I think I’ll give them a big puppy kiss for taking care of me so good

Until next time, Lindsey out.

PS – I managed to get under the covers anyway . . . . . . ha ha Baroooo!! . . . . . zzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!

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RV Black Water Tank Problems – What Can You Do?

As a full time RVer, we deal with a lot of crap year-round!  And I am not talking about life situations here.  I am referring to fecal matter.  If you use your RV often, RV black water tank problems will arise!  There are easy methods to “clear things up,” but simple RV black water tank maintenance using water and an RV black tank cleaning wand will avoid any unexpected issues!

Avoiding RV Black Water Tank Problems

There are a few easy things you can do on a regular basis to keep things flowing and also to keep your tank sensors showing the correct tank levels. These might seem very basic, but I talk to many RVers who do not do these things and their problems because of it.  So here are just a few ideas.  We will cover the basics first.

Use lots of water when flushing!  I know this is hard to do when boondocking, but I fill the bowl with water for each flush of a number two event.  LOL!  For just liquids only, not as much.  You want to be sure you have enough liquids in the tank to dissolve the solids and allow them to flush out when emptying the RV black water tank completely.

Never leave the RV black water tank gate valve open!!  Empty the tank when needed and keep the gate valve closed till it is full again!!  If you are traveling a lot, when the tank is half full, add water to fill the tank and then dump it.  After all, water is weight, and carrying hundreds of extra pounds of liquids should be avoided on certain RVs! This is my opinion, but it is based on years of RV travel.

Use septic-safe toilet paper!  You want to use TP that will dissolve easily in water.  You can perform a simple test independently to see if your choice of TP dissolves completely.  Take a piece of the TP, put it in a glass of water, and let it sit.  It should dissolve. If not, don’t use that brand.  Pam and I buy single-ply septic-safe TP, and that seems to work fine.  If you need super plush, soft, and scented TP, I suggest you not throw it in the RV black water tank but into a sealed waste basket.rv black water tank

Only empty the RV black water tank when it is full!  As mentioned earlier, when emptying the tank when it is not full, it can lead to problems.  You will not get a good flush out unless you have a lot of liquid in the tank.  

While using your RV black water tank, depending on how often you need to dump it, solids will settle to the bottom of the tank.  If it sits there in liquid for a week, the only way to be sure to get the stuff to flow out is to have a lot of water pushing it out the RV black water tank pipe at the bottom of the tank.rv black water tank

Be careful what chemicals you throw in the RV black water tank!!  I just recently was told a story by an RV full-timing friend of mine.  I will share it here to make a point about this one.  She was told that the little dishwasher packets they sell these days work great in the RV black water tank.  

So, she put a few in before hitting the road, thinking that as she drove, they would help clean and sanitize the tank.  She left the RV for a week while on a trip and returned to it and added one of the normal RV tank treatment packets to the tank, thinking that she had forgotten to do it before the last move.  

She went to bed and woke up the next morning in a brain fog and a little disoriented.  The two original packets mixed with the new one created a chemical reaction that could have killed her had she not left a few windows open.  I mostly use just water because we use our septic system every day.  If I feel the need, I add a few ounces of Rid-X.  This is specifically designed to break down waste in septic tanks.rv black water tank

RV Black Water Tank Problems

Happy Camper Rocks!

Use a tank rinser to keep your black tank from developing excessive residual solids.  As I mentioned, even in the best conditions, not everything inside the RV’s black water tank is flushed out. One thing you can do is fill the tank with fresh water and dump the tank again.  That can help to remove the leftover solids.  

Some RV manufacturers install tank flushers inside the black water tank.  Using that system after every dump can help to keep the tank clean.  Just don’t use your fresh water hose to attach to it!  I witnessed an RVer do this the other day – yuk!!  What happens if you get some backflow?

Use a flexible swivel stick to clean your RV’s black water tank completely. I had not used one until we got our newer RV.  Given it is a motorized RV and it sits lower to the ground, we don’t get the same evacuation flow that we got with the 5th wheel.  We also keep getting tank level readings 1/3 even after dumping the tank.  

So, I purchased a Camco flexible swivel stick to help push the remaining crap out of the tank.  This works great!  It sprays a high-pressure stream of water around the entire tank and removes the leftover solids.  

I know it works because when I shine a flashlight down the toilet into the black tank, I can see the difference between before and after I use it.  Before use, brown stuff; after use, I can see the bottom of the black tank!  And the tank gauges also report empty after use.

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Given that most RV black water tanks are not a straight shot from the toilet bowl into the tank, the Camco flexible swivel stick is the best choice to be sure to get the job done right!

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Regardless of the method you use based on the list above, considering all the ideas above will keep things flowing smoothly out of your RV black water tank. These steps will also help to prevent a situation that would not allow you to use one of the most needed items inside your RV!

Please feel free to share your crappy stories.  This is truly one of the joys of RVing, and we must have a laugh or two about the things that do happen!

Happy Crappy Free Travels!!

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RV Camping Dogs

BAROOOO!  Hello again from Lindsey on the Road.  I wuf being a part of the RVCDA, or better known as the RV Camping Dogs of America.  (I just made that up but you can use it.) So for this Weekly Bark Report I want to say I’m soooooo excited to see my fur-friends again here in Middlebury. Don’tcha just love that name? Middle-Bury.  I’m finding all kinds of things to bury here, as Mom frownz……

Since last I wrote we left Nor Car-o-line-a and stopped one night at a rest area.  I guess that’s why we rested over night.  Good name! Next stop on the hit parade of camping was at a Ground in Indy-ana, which mom called Fair, to meet some friends. All I can say is all ground is good to me so I don’t know why she called it fair. Humans.

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It was really boring there.  Nothing much for a FRAPping Corgi such as myself to do. I saw alot of camping dogs there that I tried to meet.  They were kinda stuck up. Must have been some sort of camp for RVs cuz they all looked the same, a big box with wheels like we used to have. I guess we didn’t blend.

We got to meet a new fur-kid named Charlie. He was called a Shhhhh-now-Zer. He told me he gets to go to work with his pet parents at someplace called Workamper News when he’s not a camping dog. Talk about a lucky dog..  Hey Von Charlie! You are cute but not my type.  I prefer the foxy looking dudes like Koi (pictured above).  He duz a sploot that sends my nub a-waggin’.  I sure wish I had a tail like he does. Then I could help around the RV dusting floorz.

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Speaking of Koi, he, Kiah and Kimball are my palz that live at the campground we are now at. Mom lets me follow them on human Facebook. Their page is called Camping Corgi FRAPping. And check out one of the cool playground signs!

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Mz Hope and Mr Nick do a neat-o thing they call Corgi-Palooza in July.  My palz are the campground mascots so I’m really excited to be invited. Mom and dad finally got with the program and brung me here. It’s gonna be sooo much fun to show off to all the RV camping dog SOBz”(Some Other Breedz”. I heard that from Charliez dad.) Stay tuned for an upcoming Bark Report on this event as this camping corgi will be front and center. You go K, K and K! I’m there with y’all for Palooza!  

Side bar my furry followers.  Let your pet parents know that this Friday is take your dog to work day!  I like subtle hints like climbing onto dad’s computer case, sitting on his shoes, chest press in bed and blocking the door are among my personal favorites. The door blocking has produced the best results since I’m a lean, mean corgi machine and can be picked up easily by dad. I’m really not mean just feisty. But it sounded good, yes?

IMG_20150623_120136You know I do have one minor complaint to make.  Don’t tell Dad.  He keeps telling me to move out of his way when I’m under the table holding the rug down. Helloooo!  Does he not know the rules here?  Just because we have a moving house doesn’t mean my personal space doesn’t count.  Corgi Rules baby.  After all, who’s the top dog here? Besides that you just never know when someone is going to come along and steal that rug.

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Here’s me trying to get on the computer but Dad hid it from me.  Ha, I found it when he was gone, so take that Dad!  You can’t hide things away in this RV cuz I’ll find them!  I am super snooper Corgi!!

As many of you may not know I have been an only fur-baby since my sister went away last year. She wuz a really cool camping corgi. My hero.  I miss her cuz she waz always really brave and helped me guard the RV when mom and dad waz gone.  She’d watch and tell me when to be on guard and when to just chill.  We talked corgi-eze when we didn’t want mom and dad to know what we were talking about.  I don’t know where Maya went so suddenly.  Mom sez she’s camping over the Rainbow Bridge now.  I like rainbows but I’m kinda a-feared of bridges. I wonder what kind of RV she’z camping in? 

Well, it’s that time again to say buh-bye.  I feel a nap coming on.

Lindsey out.  zzzzz

Hey, Lindsey’s mom here. Now that she is sleeping I just want to say that if any of her furry followers out there want to join the RVCDA, please comment below.  I may encourage her to set up a group, as long as it doesn’t go to her head.  

Happy Tails y’all.

On The Road Again, from a Corgi’s Perspective

Bark Bark, Woof Bark.  Translation: On the Road Again from Lindsey and my Weekly Bark Report.  Mom and Dad says Willie Nelson is our theme song, whatever that means. It’s been tough this past week. They’ve been doing too much playing and not paying enough attention to me. This road thing is supposed to include me.  Otherwise how can I bark about it to all my followers.

full time rv livingWe left that Palm-etto place last week to get some beach time.  Not enough as far as this Corgi is concerned.  Fur-kids are allowed on this beach. Cool! Waves scare me, but then most everything does.  I didn’t get to go too much cuz Mom said it was too hot for my little fur feet.  And it was.  I don’t know what a heat dex is but mom said it was 107. Hard to even go leave a pee-mail. Cedar chips work great when you got to go. Cooler than rocks. Plus you can use them as a chewy toy.

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We were at a place called Carrabelle Beach.  I did get to sit outside in my favorite place, Mom’s chair.  (She wishes.) I let her share a small portion of it just because.

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You know, Corgi rules are what’s mine is mine and what yours is mine, at leat 9/10 of the time. Nobody at this place had those golf car thingies. I love riding in them.  Other places we’ve been to all the people have them and give out handouts for cuteness. (Note, a cute look and some begging always works for humans to fork over treats.) 

Okay so now we pack up and get “On the Road Again, Just can’t wait to get on the Road Again”.  Off to a place in coaster Georgia.  Dad says was our first stop on our way to where his classes will be.  It was a really cool place although I never saw any coasters.  Lots of nice grass to leave pee mail.

rv living with dogsMeanwhile Mom gets this brilliant idea that she needs to get the sand out of my feet and fur from the beach. Sure and I end up getting a bath.  Gees! I wish she would stay off all those Corgi Groups on Dogfacebook.  She’s always getting all these dumb ideas.  This time it was Dr. Bonner’s Peppermint and Hemp Soap.  

She seems to think that it’ll keep bugs off me. Let’s talk bugs shall we. Baths, that’s what really bugs me.  She thinks this stuff smells good but to the discriminating Corgi nose, it just stinks. I prefer my own Corgi-esk smell.   I think it does just fine repelling bugs.  

So here we are now in a new place called Nor Caroline-a.  I think there’s a song out there about this place isn’t there? Where are the palm trees? More different trees here.  We were s’pose to have one of Dad’s classes here but it got cancelled so we’re just going to visit some of their friends. They have a farm.  What’s a farm?  Dad says I smell like a farm animal sometimes. I guess it must be a good place.

full time rv livingI can’t wait to see where we go next.  I’m getting a state by state Shed Monster brush wherever we go. Leaving my trail of fur in every state. Just think, my fur will be famous everywhere!! Birds will flock to where we are just so they can make a nest with my fur. Dogs will come to smell my pee-mail.  

Maybe I should do inner-net posting on Dogfacebook like Dad did with his group on humanfacebook. He called it Used RV Purchase Experiences. I could call mine Used Corgi Fur Experiences. Hmmm.  I wonder if any others have thought of that?  Is it just me or am I on to something really big? Maybe start a group on Birdbeakbook.  

This is making me really tired thinking about it.  I think I’m missing out on my daily zzzz’s.  Been up for a couple hours already.  YAWN!!    

Stayed tuned for my next Weekly Bark Report with my new venture On the Road Again.

Lindsey out.

 

Lindsey’s Mom here!  Please feel free to allow your fur-kids to correspond with Lindsey if you like.  You can leave comments below and we will let Lindsey get back to them.

  

 

 

A Beach Day

Pam and I took an afternoon and decided to go visit the beach while we were passing through Brunswick, GA,  We had just left the beach in Carrabelle, FL as we are starting our journey out of Florida for the summer and fall.  We stayed at Carabelle Beach RV Resort.  It was right across the street from a white sand beach, the kind that you find in the Pan Handle of Florida.  We spent a week there and enjoyed visiting St. George Island.

The site we stayed on was unusual in that you pull in and back out.

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While passing through Brunswick, GA we decided to stay at Coastal GA RV park.  It is relatively new, perhaps a few years old and we chose it because we wanted a place that was roomy and designed for larger rigs.  Even though we are now in the 29 foot Winnebago Aspect, when we add the cargo trailer we are 45 feet in length.  It is nice not to have to unhook the trailer in order to fit on a site!

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We are posting reviews on rvparkreviews.com for places that we are visiting, so if you want to read what we posted about the parks we mention, you can visit that website.  I use rvparkreviews.com all the time to make a good choice while traveling the country.

While staying at Coastal GA RV Resort for two nights, we decided to visit St. Simon Island. It is part of the Golden Isles that also includes Jekyll Island and Sea Island.  It was a 20-mile scooter ride from the RV park.  It was very scenic and included a drive over a very unique suspension bridge – the Sidney Lanier Bridge.

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Once on St. Simon Island we worked our way to the eastern most part to find a really cool east coast Florida type beach: very long and flat sand like you would find at Daytona beach.  We parked the scooter fairly close to the beach entrance and took a nice long walk.

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There were lots of people enjoying the sun and surf as the summer season appears to be in full swing.  There were lots of good photo opportunities.

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We would recommend a visit to this unique island for a nice getaway.  There are other campgrounds in the area.  We stayed at the campground on Jekyll Island years ago but found it to be much more rustic than we like.  There are plenty of reviews about that park online.

We left Brunswick, GA we headed north along I-95 and have made our way to North Carolina for a week or so.  We are visiting dear friends that live around the Raleigh area. We met them at our first RV inspector training class back in February of 2014.  They have a nice piece of property and a 30 amp plug, so we are spending the weekend with them catching up!

Great friendships are made while enjoying the full time RV living lifestyle!

Check back again as we are posting weekly!!

 

Blessings,

Howard and Pam

 

RV Sewer Hose – One of the Joys of RV Life!

Dealing with the RV sewer hose is one of the joys we get to deal with as RVers!  Whether you are a full-timer, a weekend warrior or the occasional user of an RV, sooner or later you will have a fecal incident!!

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Since we switched over from the behemoth 5th wheel RV rig to our more mobile Class C RV home office, we have to deal with the black and gray water RV storage tanks a little more frequently.

Yesterday I decided to really give the black tank a good flushing because even when I emptied the gauges were still reading there was some stuff left in there.  Now, we don’t have internal sensors like some tanks do.  Those can give false readings because “stuff” gets stuck on them and it makes them read that the tank is fuller than it actually is.  We have the external kind so I knew we had stuff that needed to be flushed out!

I emptied the tank and checked inside – looking down through the toilet into to black tank.  Yes, it was still reading 1/3 and I saw why – yuk!!  Okay, so I filled it up all the way full with fresh water and dumped again.  I also did this on the 5th wheel every time I dumped the black tank.  It had a tank rinser though.  Now, I have to use the bathroom sink or a hose to fill the tank.  In this new RV it is plumbed so that bathroom sink runs into the black tank.

I dumped that tank of fresh water and watched the output through my clear Camco sewer attachment.  I noted that sediment was still coming through the hose system.  When I checked the gauges inside the tank was now recording empty.

The other problem we are having is that the park we are in does not have a good draw of waste through its system so I don’t get the flush out that I really need to get everything out of the tank.  When I looked straight down into the tank after the clear water flush I noted that I could still see some sediment collecting around the pipe that comes out of the tank.

I  think I have found a solution to that issue which I will order on Amazon and test out.  I will tell you about that in a later post.

The RV Sewer Hose

But, in order to get rid of your black and gray water from your RV tanks, you need a good reliable RV sewer hose system.  I have been using the old style slinky hose for years. I had not found the need to change because we hooked up our rig and usually left it that way for weeks on end.

However, now that we are moving about quite regularly, I decided to investigate something more sanitary than the old slinky hose stuffed into a garbage bag when moving the RV home.

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I have noticed others using Camco’s Rhino Flex RV sewer hose system and thought this may be the way to go.  It has lots of assorted attachments to make the process more orderly and I really liked the end caps that come with the hose system.  Ten feet of RV sewer hose compresses down to a few feet and it stays that way.  Put the end caps on and you can store it safely without worry: no leakage or odor.

Okay, this is where the fecal incident occurred.  When I first hooked up my new Camco RV sewer hose system and pulled the black gate valve, I got an unexpected surprise – stuff leaking out!  Now I have done this process hundreds of times and have only had two fecal incidents.  The first was the old style rubber donut that popped off the sewer outlet, and the second was this one.

I followed the directions about tightening up the hose end couplings before use.  I am using three ten foot sections because where we are now the sewer outlet is all the way at the back of the site – old Florida RV parks, big sigh!!

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After investigating further I discover that the coupling that I used to attach to my RV’s hose connection was missing a gasket.  It came that way from the manufacturer and I did not notice it when I hooked up.  Fortunately, I started out slowly as I always do when first hooking up to a new system, and I was able to minimize the fecal matter from going everywhere, including on me!!  And yes, I was wearing rubber gloves.

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Well, from here this discussion could go downhill: expletives, potty humor, etc.  But, we won’t go there!!  I did however write an email to Camco about my experience with the Rhino Flex RV sewer hose system.

They did respond quickly and let me know their product has a one year warranty and also sent me out some extra gaskets to fix my immediate problem.  Fortunately, I did have a part that I could borrow a gasket from to complete the black and gray tank dump that I started.  Camco also referred me to some YouTube videos for some extra assistance to be sure I had securely locked the hose end attachments.

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We are now all hooked up and things seem to be working fine.  We were in another RV park last week and had much better results.  I think that is due to a more updated RV park sewer system.

Always be sure to utilize a clear adapter so you can see what is coming out of your tanks and to also allow you to verify that your tank flushing activities are achieving the results you desire.

My RV Sewer Hose Review

My overall opinion of this new RV sewer hose system is mostly favorable so far.  I guess you could say I had a crappy start to the initial use of Camco’s Rhino Flex RV sewer hose system, but it is different than what I have used in the past and it does have more parts and pieces.  The more connection points you have the greater the chance of problems if you are not checking your connections before “letting it flow!”

You can purchase parts of the system separately or you can buy a kit.  I bought the 20 foot hose kit that had the couplings and caps included and added their clear adapter which also swivels (needed for my RV) and then purchased an additional 10 foot hose and the sewer hose flush attachment. The best part is that it all reduces down to a manageable size that I place in a small bin for storage in the RV.

So, check back soon as I will be doing a review of Camco’s tank rinser system.

Please feel free to leave a comment or ask a question before you go!

Happy Travels from Pam, Howard and of course, Lindsey!  Check out her weekly bark report.  She has been quite humorous lately!!

 

Lindsey Living the RV Lifestyle

Hi to all my fellow tree sniffers and leg lifters.  Lindsey here with my Weekly Bark Report.  I know, mom says I been bad cuz I haven’t kept everyone up to date.  My bad.  I got really lazy with all this hot weather.  Makes my paws stink.  Does anyone else have “Frito Paws”?  Mom is weird.  She smells my feet and says they smell like Fritos.  What’s a frito? 

I have to say this Corgi is loving living aboard my moving house.  

We just got back from visiting my Uncle Adam and Aunt Rebecca and that little pain in my face Rylee.  I love Aunt Rebecca cuz she gives me big chunks of apples and other treats. (Mom needs to be more like her. Hee!) Rylee tries to steal them.  I was hiding in my crate with a big old pillow in front to protect me and SHE pushes it away to try to get into my face, the little brat.  I was pretending to be nice in front of the camera!

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We also got to visit dad’s bitch and stud.  I can’t call them Grammy and Grampy.  I’m not sure why so please don’t tell them.  It’s boring there, you know.  All I get to do is sleep in the laundry room while they eat, drink and laugh. This is always my chance to really catch up on a good puppy nap, recharge my battery.

Next week is probably my favorite reason for loving the lifestyle.  We get to move!  We get to leave this place called Palmetto,  It’s really kinda nasty here with lots of bugs.  I love sitting outside with mom and dad but we can’t do that here.  Mom calls them no-see-ums. I don’t know why, I can see-um.  Humans are weird. All these old people here that look worse than my grammy and grampy.  Can’t even take a decent walk here cuz they let their furbabies in my face. GRRRR!  

Now we get to go to all different places and all the cool pee-mails to read and respond to.  This summer we get to move the house alot!  Mom said our first stop is the beach. It’s called Care-A-Bell. I sure hope I can get sand in my toes there.  It’ll be really fun to sit outside again and watch all the people go by.  I know dad will still have his nose in his phone cuz it’s always chirping and clucking and pinging and ponging. 

Mom said after our little Lay Down time we are going to a bunch of new places for dad to teach his RV ‘Spector classes.  One is called Rawlee for in the second paw-week in June.  I get to see Miss Carmen again.  She’s really cool.  

Then we get to go see a couple other Corgi friends at Middlebury. That sounds like a cool place. Makes me want to bury my bone.  I think mom said it’s in IN, or is it OUT?  I can’t ‘member.   Dad has 2 classes there. One last paw week of June and middle paw of July.  I can’t wait to see Koi, Kiah and Kimball again.  Miss Hope and Mr Nick are neato.  They have Corgi-paloosa there so lots of Corgis come. I follow Kiah and Kimball on Facebook when mom isn’t looking. .

Mom says after that we may even get to go to Canada for dad to teach a class in the 4th Paw week of July.  I don’t know what Canada is but mom says it’s really big, eh? I’m a little worried because I may get examined? I hope it’s not like going to the Vet.

Next we go to Mercer, PAW first paw week of August.  Work work work.  All dad does is talk about RV ‘Spections everywhere we go.  I’m not looking forward to going to Nagra Falls area after PAW.  I don’t think I like the name, Bath, New York. I know what mom will be doing 4th paw week in August while dad is teaching if the name means anything.  E-ooooh.

Finally then after the dog days of summer, 1st paw week of October mom said dad will have a class near Chocolate, PAW.  Someplace called Manheim.  Any idea what a Man-Heim is?  Sounds like one of those foamy things mom and dad drink they call beers.

Okay I’m getting tired just thinking about all the traveling we’ll be doing. I think I need a nap, again cuz I know after Chocolate mom said something about heading to Heebie Jeebies Springs in Ar-Can-Sis.  I’ll tell you about that another time.  Time to catch some ZZZZZZs. 

Lindsey out for now. 

  

 

 

 

Norcold Refrigerator Solutions – Ways to Avoid Problems!

We have owned five different refrigerators in RVs: two were Norcold refrigerators and three were residential refrigerators. I personally would take the residential fridge over the gas/electric Norcold refrigerator any day. However, in certain size RVs, it just makes more sense for the RV manufacturers to put in the absorption-type units.

Norcold Refrigerator Safety

Certainly, if you have either a Norcold or Dometic refrigerator, you should be sure your unit is not on recall.  You can go to Norcold or Dometic’s website to verify that you are not on the recall list.  

Armed with your model, fridge serial number, and cooling unit serial number you can verify that your unit is okay.  You may also have to look for the upgrade kit that may have already been installed in your RV fridge if you have an older unit.  This is Norcold’s process:

Norcold refrigerator solutions

This is what you need to do for a Dometic Unit:

norcold refrigerator solutions

Avoiding Trouble

One of the best ways to avoid trouble with your Dometic or Norcold refrigerator is to be sure when you are using the fridge on either gas or electric; the unit is level!  I have heard RVers say I use my fridge all the time, and the unit is not always level, and I have never had a problem.

That may be true, but the damage that can happen occurs over time.  Each occurrence when the boiler overheats due to a non-level condition reduces the fridges efficiency not allowing it to cool the way it was supposed to.  Our previous Norcold refrigerator could barely keep fifty-five degrees when it was in the nineties outside.

That was in our previous 5th wheel RV before we put hydraulic levelers on it.  You see, even being off three degrees from level can create issues for your absorption fridges boiler assembly / cooling unit.  The best way to avoid this situation is to not run the fridge when you are in unlevel conditions: driving up and down unlevel highways and back roads and parking in unlevel areas.  That way you will avoid damaging your fridges cooling unit. 

If you feel your RV is not level, this is a good time to be sure your Dometic or Norcold refrigerator is not turned on.  Your fridge can stay cold for hours without power.  We can travel eight hours and the fridge will only drop a few degrees if we don’t open the doors.

And by the way, you should never travel with your propane system energized.  It clearly states this on the safety placards in your RV, especially motorized RV’s!  Early on in our RVing lives we were not told this fact. “Sure, you can run the fridge while traveling!  Don’t turn that propane off, just leave it on and you’ll be fine!”  

That’s what the RV rental companies told us, so we did. A few years later, we almost lost our RV to a propane fire. If not for dumb luck, we decided to stop and look in our fifth-wheel RV, and we found a fire brewing. But this is what can happen!

norcold refrigerator solutions

Avoiding a Fire!

When trouble occurs in the RV refrigerator cycle, the heat that normally drives the refrigeration cycle can become destructive.   If conditions have been allowed to occur, like operating in an unlevel condition over extended periods of time, trouble could be lurking.  When this heat is not controlled, fire will occur!  

Even Dometic and Norcolds recalls have not stopped their refrigerators from burning an RV to the ground.  The temperatures they are trying to control run around 355 to 400 degrees.  Those are the temperatures involved in these absorption fridges!

Norcold Refrigerator Solutions

The best way to avoid a fire is to control what happens in the refrigerator’s Cooling unit.

Mac the Fire Guy is a proponent of installing a fire suppression system in the cooling unit area of the fridge.  It is a unit that releases a foam in the exterior fridge area that puts out a fire when the temperature in that area reaches a preset level.  I believe the best way to prevent an RV fridge fire is to automatically shut down the unit when the temperature reaches unsafe levels.

The addition of a twelve-volt fan in the outside fridge compartment can allow air to move more freely over the cooling unit and drastically improve its efficiency. Camco makes a fridge roof vent kit that uses a fan and solar power and replaces the existing roof vent.

I will share another method I believe will also work well in a future blog. So, stay tuned, and as always, feel free to comment if you wish!

make money from the home

Control Dog Shedding – RV style!

Okay, it’s me, Lindsey again. Here with the “RV Weekly Bark Report” you’ve all been waiting for.  This week’s topic really curls my tail . . . Oh, I don’t have one!  Well, it really curls my big ears: can’t we control dog shedding?

control dog sheddingDad calls me a hair bag all the time!  He says there is too much Corgi hair in MY RV.  Might I just add that I’ve licked plenty of human hair off the floor, and floaters out of my water bowl.  Do you hear me complaining?  What’s the big deal?  The big AC unit blows and the hair goes airborne.  It’s a great game to try to catch it before it hits the floor.  I don’t understand!  This is really fun!  They should try it.  Control dog shedding . . . not while this Corgi lives here!!

Weekly Bark Report

I know all my fellow doggie RVers have been waiting patiently to see what new insight I might have for them on how to deal with their human Show-fers. (I don’t have dew claws so it’s really hard for me to check a dictionary)

They get to drive me all over the country while I write messages on the windows with my nose.  I pay them back for their services by letting Mom and Dad live in MY RV and sleep in my queen size bed.  I get the middle and they have to sleep on either side.

Y’ all do know what RV really stands for right?  Rover’s Vehicle!  Like my accent?  After 7 years in Florida, I’m trying to fit in.  Bark y’ all, bark y’ all.

Control Dog Shedding

Anyway, mom gets this great idea to get a new brush to control dog shedding.  They babysat a 7-month-old Corgi that had come with all kinds of stuff, and a different kind of dog hair brush. How dare the little brat invade my RV!  They didn’t ask me if I wanted a visitor!

control dog shedding

Anyway, Mom fell in love with this brush that Rylee had.  Mom thought it worked really well to control dog shedding!  So I’m thinking, gee, thanks Rylee.

control dog shedding  

The thing is called the Shed Monster.  It’s really not a monster.  Not scary at all compared to that other brush Mom had.  I tried to bury it in an army-dillo hole but mom caught me.  You know those funny looking things with the hard shell and long pointy nose?

control dog shedding

I actually think this shed monster brush feels pretty good.  It gets all my nasty undercoat out.  The other brush really tugged and pulled and scratched me.  I’m all for a good back scratch, but that one was like spikes. Owooooooo!

control dog shedding

Worst part about this whole deal is she takes me outside on a picnic table to embarrass me!  Imagine, my stub hanging out for all to see.  Gee willies.  I can hear all my fellow RVer dogs howling with laughter at me watching this torture.  Keep it up doggies, your humans may do this to you someday too. Then watch this Corgi have a really good laugh.

control dog shedding

Later, it’s fun watching the birds from my RV window picking up all my hair she brushed on the ground. The birds take it to make a bed for their babies. Dad says it’ll make a stinky bed.  Hhhmmm.  The birds don’t seem to mind. They even fight over it sometimes.

Sometimes before enduring this brushing to control dog shedding, I have to get a bath!  So, before the little shed monster strikes I see towels pulled out and then I know that the ritual baptism is coming.

I think I smell really good.  Dad says I smell like an a$$ because I lick my butt!  He’s just jealous!

control dog shedding

Mom has this stuff she rubs all over me during this baptism. She calls it Tropiclean Shampoo.  More like Tropi-smelly to my nose.  Mom loves to snuggle with me afterwards cuz she says I smell so good.  Have you ever smelled a wet dog?   I guess Mom has no sense of smell.  Whatever!  The things a cute Corgi has to endure!!  I get even though.  Neither of us comes out of that ordeal dry.

Okay, gotta go.  Here comes Mom shaking her finger at me. Uh Oh . . . caught in the act using the computer again.  I’ll bark at y’ all again!

control dog shedding

Mom here!  Okay, Lindsey had her fun and we are going to let this one fly as I know Lindsey really wants to share her views on the internet.  We hope some of her tail-wagging friends will comment back because Lindsey really wants some canine companionship while on the road in OUR RV!

So dogs, bark away!  Get your Mom and Dad to share your thoughts with Lindsey!

 

Finding Good Florida RV Campgrounds

Finding Good Florida RV Campgrounds

Florida RV Campgrounds

Stephen King calls Florida the land of the newlywed and nearly dead.  I have heard others call Florida God’s waiting room.  Certainly I have observed one thing for sure: Florida RV campgrounds are old!  We have had a tough time finding parks that are newer, that offer even basic services and that have been updated recently.

Florida RV Campgrounds

Disclaimer: This is Just My Opinion!  I am Going to Have Some Written Amusement!

And, they are loaded with park models and territorial owners.  More and more of these Florida RV campgrounds are going for that crowd because it brings in income on a year-round basis.  We full time RVers are getting pushed out in favor of this particular demographic:  from up north, they come for the winter months, and they turn their noses up at RVers when in actuality the names for most of these parks have RV in it, not park model!

I am all for RVers joining the club and traveling in their RV.  It is good for the industry.  It is a great lifestyle, but we are getting squeezed out by non-RVing crowd taking over these Florida RV campgrounds.

The park we are in right now was so busy earlier in the year I could hardly get in and out of my site with all the vehicles here and due to the narrow roads of this old park.  It is called an RV Resort.  Hardly!!

Florida RV Campgrounds

Florida RV Campgrounds

There is no resort about it!  It’s old, asphalt looks like twenty miles of bad road, NARROW streets, poor sewer service that has no draw to it, you get one 50amp plug and that’s it.  We tried to sit out when the weather was nice but got eaten alive by no-see-ums and mosquito’s.  Oh, and trains all hours of the day and night!  In the busy season, there could be ten a day!

Florida RV Camprgrounds

We are sandwiched in between two park models.  On our street, there are seventy-five percent of the sites that are park models.  The rest of the park is even a higher percentage.  If you want just RV sites you park on grass and then don’t have full hookups.  They call them overflow sites.  The surprising thing is that in February people would take anything because they could not find RV sites because they waited till the last minute to book a reservation.

Florida RV Campgrounds

This place may be for some people, but it is sure not for me.  These people are all my parents age.  Hey, we are all going to get old, I just don’t have to be reminded of it every day.  Actually, it’s not the age of a person, it’s the attitude.  I call them lemon trees!  I have met some folks in their 80’s who don’t act this way.  It’s just most of these people at these Florida RV campgrounds just act old.  And nosey too!!  Tell one and the whole place knows about you.  And what they don’t find out, they make up!  I guess they have nothing better to do!

We Are Having Some Fun Now!!

Hey, I am not knocking old people, well not too much.  My parents are in their late eighties and at that age things just look a little different I guess. Have old people made Florida what it is?  What is going to happen to these RV parks when this generation is gone?  I guess there will be a lot of empty old park models!

Florida RV Campgrounds

I have been traveling around Florida for the past seven years and I have found few parks that I really liked.  The ones I did like charge $50 or more dollars per night, and in the season.  If you don’t mind parking on grass (or weeds), ants and palmetto bugs in and around your rig, being able to watch your neighbor perform acts that should be private due to closeness of RV sites, people thinking that cutting through your site is their God-given right, unlevel sites, and difficulties navigating through these parks, then some of these Florida RV Campgrounds are for you!

You can find them on most of the discount camping clubs!  You can be sure if they are offering a discount, there may a reason why!  They are great for an overnight stay, but that’s about it!  You have to check out there website and the RV Park Review website to be sure.

Again, this is my website and my opinion, and I am entitled to express it!  I want you to be aware, do your research and choose wisely, or you may have a very unhappy stay.

 

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