RV Tips MOST People Have To LEARN Firsthand (You Can Jump The Line!)

the next few steps will take less than one minute to accomplish but can save you thousands of dollars and months of time should they need to be repaired every time you head out from your RV you should be retracting your awnings and turning off the water supply both at the campground spet and your 12volt pump and finally turning off the propane or electric power supply to your water heater awnings are absolutely fantastic and they provide great shade or even mild shelter in a gentle rain but a single gust of wind can turn them into a humongous sail and literally rip them off of VV if it happens while you're sitting under it you're unlucky if it happens while you're down at the beach or out exploring the area you've acted foolishly bring in your awnings turning off the water both at the campground Supply and the 12volt pump vastly reduces the possibility that if a leak Springs in the RV that you will come home to a flooded RV the campground Supply will just keep flowing and the 12volt pump will empty your entire fresh tank and then probably burn itself out leaving you with a non-functioning pump in addition to a flood additionally say we do spring a leak but we've turned off all water supplies and the minimal amount of water in our lines drain in the RV living space not a huge deal right but if the power to your water heater either electric or propane was engaged it's quite possible that the heater may turn on and without sufficient water around the heating Emin you could possibly damage the unit so each time you leave your rig take these three actions retract your awnings turn off all power sources to your water heater and shut off all water sources both Campground and on board to the RV three simple steps to take you less than a minute that really are easy safeguards in protecting your investment hey there and welcome to RV gear far I'm Joshua and today we're shortening the RV learning curve Ross from RV tips and travels and I have a two-part collaboration and we want to get you spun up on all the little things that may not be flashy or worthy of their own dedicated video but we'll really set you off on the right foot for your next starby adventure once you finish this video make sure to jump into the video description for the link to head over to Ross's channel to watch the other half of the tips on our list knowing the specifics of your rig as you travel down the road can be crucial to safely arriving at your destination hook up anything that will be coupled together while traveling grab a tape measure and a friend and record the length of VV the tallest height the widest width and stop by a truck scale to gather the overall loaded weights write these down on cheat sheet to keep handy near the driver seat we also like to write the overall length width and most importantly height of your rig and place it on the windshield or rearview mirror as quick reference as much as you may know your rig is 13 4 in tall it's not uncommon for folks to question themselves as they're quickly approaching a 13t 6 in underpass you can download a fillable copy of the cheat sheet or grab an info sticker in the description below there's a difference between leveling jacks and stabilizer Jacks stabilizer Jacks Are Not Meant to level an RV even if your stabilizer Jacks have a combined weight rating capacity that exceeds your trailer the problem is how stabilizer Jacks mount to the RV they're often just screwed or bolted on so they're just not structurally sound a little bit of wind the trailer starts moving a little bit and these things will fold like a piece of paper so when using stabilizer Jacks you do want to put pressure between the trail trailer and the ground but don't ever attempt to level with stabilizer Jacks put it on your travel day checklist to make sure that all windows are latched closed and if you have this lever style emergency exits on your RV rubber bands work well to keep the lever from unlatching and opening the window on really bumpy roads additionally one half of a Clos pin works great to keep the lever open on really windy days that can sometimes pop the lever off the window sill and cause the window to come slamming shut just make sure you remove the rower bands once you arrive at your destination so we're already at a disadvantage right we have this 8ft wide box behind us people aren't paying attention while they're on the road weather can turn in an instant make yourself as visible as possible get in the habit of turning on your lights before you leave your driveway or your Campground if you have flooded or wet cell batteries remember to occasionally check your water levels I think this is one of those maintenance checks we tend to forget when the batteries are charged and running well but the electrolyte solution in your battery will lower over time through the process of gasing you always want use distilled water tap water has minerals and particulates in it that can decrease the performance and the life of the battery I'll put a link down below to a really good article that tells you everything you need to know about watering your batteries water hoses are one of the very few essential pieces of rving equipment but new rvers often don't know what length of hoses they should purchase after two years full-time travel and many Campground conversations it's my experience that one 25t hose and 150ft hose will be perfect for almost every campsite or situation you'll encounter as in our often you'll use one or the other and on some occasions you'll combine them both into 1 75t length hose the 2550 ft combo gives you the most flexibility without overpacking one of the biggest hazards of rving is the actual travel driving down the interstate on a few rubber tubes filled with air checking your tire pressure before traveling is a great start but having realtime tire pressure monitoring system installed can mean the difference between an inconvenience and a major incident there's several Brands out there with different features and many new rigs are even coming with TPMS systems installed from the factory if you're interested to know what gear I've used to change both truck and RV tires on the side of the road please check out the video in the description below the right gear in this situation really turns a disaster into an inconvenience at a bare minimum we need to be checking our tire pressure before traveling and throughout the day but we highly recommend installing an active TPMS system on your RV several $100 for Peace of Mind really can't be beat there are a few numbers that you need to pay attention to when rving the one that many people focus on is towing capacity this is the maximum amount your vehicle is ready to pull and stop when moving down the road another less talked about number is payload capacity these are the total amount of weight that the vehicle is rated to carry itself often times the payload can be reached before the towing capacity the point of this tip you have to check all of your numbers and capacities on all of your equipment not just make sure that you're within towing capacity it's a flashy number but not typically the limiting factor when we're talking about RVs so if you're new to rving you might just say to yourself why not leave the waste tank valves open when you're connected to a sewer added an RV campground that way everything goes right out and into the sewer immediately the problem is all your waste water goes into a tank before it exits the RV and goes into the sewer by leaving your waste tank valves open you're draining all water from your tanks that tank is flat on the bottom and anything going into that tank is going to stick to the bottom and start piling up instead leave your tank drain valves closed that will allow you to have some water in your tank which will prevent anything from sticking and piling up so when is the right time to dump you should wait until your tank is about 75% full all that extra water pressure from the water inside the tank will help pull everything out the less water in the tank means less pressure so keep your tank valves closed keep water in the tank and dump when you're about 75% full if you're finishing up your camping trip and your tank is not 75% full Just put enough water in there until you are 75% full now you can dump leave an extra set of RV keys in your vehicle and keep an extra set of vehicle keys near your bedside obviously this reduces the potential of bling yourself out of one or the other and while Ross and I both really like keyless door locks a cheaper option to not carrying RV keys with you while rving is to use a lock box and either attach it to your entry handle or tuck it away near your propane tanks leaving your extra vehicle keys near the bed is an extra layer of security if you hear something go bump in the night you can easily activate your car alarm and startle off any two or four-legged rats that might be shuffling around the campsite that shouldn't be online forums are fantastic for learning new things crowdsourcing answers to problems and and making online connections that lead to offline friendships but please don't take everything someone says in a forum as accurate or recommended do your own research and use critical thinking skills to evaluate things before trying them out yourself or adding them to your situation that goes for all social media too take everything that Ross and I are presenting here as starting points everyone's situation is different everyone's equipment is different and something that works for us may be a waste of time for you if you enjoy online RV communities I'll invite you to join the RV gear and far group come share your DIY projects gear recommend and best practices so we can all make the rving part easier and get out and Adventure more now this next tip could really set the weekend off right and save you thousands of dollars in couples therapy you can thank us later when someone is assisting you backing up the RV the words you use for the directions make a huge impact on how effective the communication is using passenger side and driver side are much clearer than left and right and will help avoid the stereotypical sorry for the things I said while backing up the RV type apologies if you have this type of propane tank cover and the lid opens from the front go ahead lift it off flip it around so the lid opens from the back the latches on these covers are garbage as you can see one has even fallen off of mine if one of these latches loosens up while you're driving the air velocity is going to lift this open and it could potentially rip this lid right off the cover but by opening from the back the only thing the wind is going to do is help keep this lid closed checking to make sure your hitch is connected properly is essential with the ball coupler like you'll find on goose necks and bumper pole trailers lift the tongue jack or landing gear high enough after latching to Ure that is coupled around the ball versus just sitting on top of the ball for fifth wheels after connecting the Kingpin retract the landing gear just slightly engage the trailer brakes and attempt to move the truck forward a few inches it falls good then fully retract the landing gear if it's not latched correctly the landing gear will hopefully prevent the entire fifth wheel from crashing down onto the bed of your truck so there are two problems with RV water connection points number one they almost always connect horizontally into the side of the RV this pulls unnecessary pressure down on the RV fitting plus the hose can Kink and number two these fittings are almost always plastic so the constant connecting and disconnecting can wear out that fitting over time so to solve all of these problems just install a 90° or a 45° metal fitting on your RV's water connection point this will take all that additional weight off the fitting you'll prevent the hose from kinking and you'll be connecting to a metal fitting instead of a plastic fitting and if your wet bait is inside your RV you can connect a short hose with a quick connect fitting on the end to make setting up quicker and easier this video is not sponsored so if you found value in it please take a moment to leave a comment and let me know which tip is new to you and if you're interested in adding any gear to your kit you can find affiliate links to all the products in the video description down below securing refrigerator doors and items on the shelves while traveling is another one of those lessons many rvers will have a story about skip the learning curve and secure the items in your fridge or be ready to catch them as you open the door for the first time after traveling there are lots of different refrigerators out there lots of different methods and you're going to have to pick one that works with your specific refrigerator or refriger TOS the way we secure our outdoor fridge is different than the way we secure our indoor fridge there are a few spots on your RV that are vented for example the intake and exhaust on your furnace and the water heater cover and because these areas are open it gives insects like mud dobers and wasps a place to Nest a popular aftermarket product are these mesh furnace and water heater covers that you install to keep bugs out the screen bevels out which increases the surface area so your furnace or your water heater still has enough air flow to properly operate we'll put links down below to the ones that I use but if you don't get those make sure the ones that you do get bevel out so they don't prohibit air flow the best advice I got when learning to back up a trail is to put my hand on the bottom of the steering wheel then whichever direction I want the rear of the trailer to go that's the direction I move the bottom of the wheel so if I need to move left I move my hand and the bottom of the steering wheel left if you're spotting for a driver just remember that while backing up something that is 20 30 maybe 45 ft long the trailer doesn't pivot on a dime it may take a rotation or two of the tires for any change in Direction to happen if you have this style of grab handle go ahead and close this over the door before you travel if for whatever reason this door unlatches while you're driving this will act as a secondary fail safe these grab handles can also be used in conjunction with your screen door it's a nice day out you have the door open the screen door closed but you have big dogs or small children the latches on these screen doors are not difficult to open so if you don't want anyone from the inside to get out just put your grab handle over the door like so and it will also act as a secondary fail safe in case this screen door comes open and don't worry you can adjust this grab handle from outside or inside the RV as well enter into rving with a huge sense of adventure and a large dose of humor and you'll be ready to learn from your mistakes and share them with others to help them avoid similar ones too accidents are going to happen know that learn from them move on and don't dwell on them here's one of my learning incidents our rig has two gray tanks that combin into one Outlet so if I open the gate between the galley tank and the kitchen tank essentially it doubles the tank capacity as they're connected and equalize between the pipes however doing so means that our outdoor kitchen is now the lowest drain in the system versus the bathtub when it's just on the main tank so if the gate is closed the worst that happens is the bathtub fills up with gray water if we don't catch it however I learned that when combining the two we get double the capacity yet water flowing out the outdoor kitchen tells me that we now have two gray tanks full of water it sucked at the time but is now something we know and we ended up being a great excuse to clean the outdoor kitchen having a sense of humor about those things really allows you to grow quickly and enjoy the RV experience in ways you never thought possible so you got your new water filter before you connect this to your RV hook it up to a water connection and run water through it depending on the type of filter you have you may see some black stuff coming out for a minute or two this is just carbon that comes loose during the packing and shipping process everything is fine just run water through it until it's clear and then you could connect it to your RV when driving at highway speeds even the heaviest of braks can feel the SU uction effects as large Vehicles such as tractor trailers or other rvers pass you to minimize that pole slightly accelerate as they begin to pass just enough that your vehicle's forward movement is greater than the sideways pole made from the passing vehicle often there are water spets available near dump stations these are for flushing your tanks and cleaning sewer hoses never ever put fresh water into your RV from any spet that's within the reach of a dump station if it's labeled potable fresh water but it's within a hose distance of the dump you can bet your lunch that someone has used it for tank cleaning purpose purp just avoid it additionally please use sewer hoses when dumping I feel like this is common sense but unfortunately I've come upon at least two instances where folks just open the valves on their RV tanks and let the Wastewater dump near the sewer Inlet not cool now you can't control what folks do at a full hookup site so using a little disinfecting on the public spets and flushing water onto the ground for a few seconds before hooking up might be a good idea the bad news this video is over the good news it's only half to list make sure you click on the link to head over to RV tips and travels where Ross and I will talk about the other of our list I'll see you over there [Music]

Channel: RV Gear & Far

Views: 42,030

Keywords: rv tips, rv tips for beginners, rv tips and travels, rv tips and hacks, rv tips and tricks for beginners, rv living, rv life, full time rv living, new rver, rv newb, rv newbie, rv travel, rv 101, rv basics, rv start, start rving, rv living for beginners, rv living tips, rv life for beginners, rv newbie mistakes, rv newbie essential gear, rv setup for newbies, rv essentials for newbies, rv camping for newbies, rv trailer basics, rv education

Id: eLCOlvv9VgY

Length: 14min 36sec (876 seconds)

Published: Sun May 12 2024