Your RV Generator and How it Works - Tips on Maintenance

Many of the larger RV campers today have built-in generators.

These generators will typically operate on the motorhome's fuel system while owners of towed campers will have a portable generator they can use.

Portable Generator - pic by Marion Doss via Flickr

Below is a link to my article on my HubPage site that provides a short history on the evolution of RVs and their use of generators.

It then goes into how Gas and Diesel Generators function differently and provides some tips on the proper maintenance of your RV Generator.

Also, I have included links to a couple of very good YouTube videos that are full of tips on RV Generator maintenance.

BOOK - The ULTIMATE RV Owner;'s REFERENCE

Check out this great reference book designed for RV Owners.

This book provides so much useful data on RV’s that I will just list a few of the subjects covered here.

RV FINANCIALS:  Searching for the right RV, Negotiating for an RV, RV Values, Purchasing an RV, RV Depreciation, Selling or Trading an RV.

CAMPING: It includes numerous tips on; Camping in an RV, selecting the best campground, improving your campsite, and what to look out for in your campground while you are staying there.

RV MAINTENANCE: RV Electrical and mechanical Systems, Troubleshooting Tips, Generator repairs, Fridge repairs, Door malfunctions, Outdated accessory updates.

RV USE and SAFETY: Proper RV operation and critical Safety tips, Driving Tips, Pre-travel checklists, On the Road tips.

And much MORE!

And it has a comprehensive Index included for quick reference on specific RV subjects.

Click on the link below to go directly to the product on Amazon!

The Right Gear for your RV CAMPSITE

by DON BOBBITT

SO, you are planning your first trip in your RV.

And, you're planning on being at this great campground for two whole weeks.

Sounds great, Huh?

Well, right now you need to ask yourself, do you have all of those little things that will make your camping experience a great one?

Click on the link below to read my article on HubPages where I describe the options you should consider to make your camping experience a wonderful one.

Whether you have a Motorhome, a 5th wheel camper, a tag-a-long, or a Pop-Up, this Hub can help you make the right choices in grills, chairs, outside lighting, rugs, tables and more.


Set up your RV Campsite for Fun and Comfort.

How to Balance your RV Power Load on 30Amp Service

An RV AC Power Control Panle typical of most RV's.

Even though many of the Rv's on the market now are designed with 50-Amp power connections and management systems, you can still find many campgrounds that have only 30-Amp power service available.

When this happens to many of us, we are at a loos as to what we can do to operate our RV with all if it's modern appliances on this restricted power source.

Click on the link below to read my article which describes numerous things you can do to balance your power load throughout the day when your camper is in a campground with only a 30-Amp Service.

The article includes numerous tricks and tips which can keep your power usage to a minimum while still enjoying your camping experience.

Balance your RV Power Load on 30Amp Service

Check out this 50-Amp to 30-Amp adapter for your 50-Amp RV.

Replacing your RV TV ANTENNA

Batwing RV TV Antenna with a bent lobe.

All of the RV's I have owned in the past have had a "Batwing" antenna on them.

The older RV's will have the original version that was designed for use during the days of Analog TV transmissions.

The newer Rv's will have an antenna that looks the same and the old design, but the new design will contain an amplifier that will pick up and amplify DIGITAL TV signals.

It is more efficient and should always be the preferred purchase for anyone who needs to replace their older version.

Well, the link below opens an article of mine that recounts my experience with an employee at an RV parts and service center when I needed to replace my TV antenna after it was broken in a campground.


Replacing your RV TV ANTENNA

Hopefully, you will enjoy this little story about my encounter with an authentic, self-proclaimed "expert".

RV TRAVELING - Making my Long Range plans for next Summer in my RV.

Our campsite in 3-Flags, a TT RV Resort in Wildwood Florida.

If you're going on a relatively long trip and camping in several different places, a smart RV owner absolutely must make his plans early.

Even if it's just a skeleton of a travel outline, good planning is an absolute must for us all.

My wife and I are planning on spending most of the Summer, in 2017 traveling up the SouthEast states and then spending a couple of months in the eastern parts of Virginia.

How to select the right Grill for your RV and your outdoor lifestyle

A typical model of tabletop Grill used by campers.

One of the things a camper does often is cook out on their Grill.

It's just what you want to do when you are camping; you stay outside more often and you eat foods that you can easily and quickly prepare while you're outside.

This kind of lifestyle and foods literally demands that you have a decent Grill for preparing these meals, appetizers and even snacks.

How to keep Warm in your RV

Every RVer will eventually end up in their camper when a surprise cold snap hits on a cold night ,wondering how to keep warmer without having that propane furnace running throughout the night.

For the more experienced camper, careful pre-planning has them sitting cozy in their RV while the Winter cold has a minimal effect on them.

When you travel up North (anywhere north of Florida) you can wake up with this stuff on your car. Pic by Don Bobbitt

But it often ends up that some of us, are just happily camping and when an unanticipated cold snap hits the area, and we are left spending several nights and days, cold and uncomfortable.

How to Get Started in Camping?

The link below will take you to an article I wrote on my HubPages domain for people who want to get into camping but really do not know how or where to start.

How to Get Started in Camping?

This article provides information on such subjects as;

1. the World of Campers or Recreational Vehicles, 
2. the different Types of Campers on the Market, 
3. the proper Accessories and other equipment needed, and 
4. the Capabilities of each type of camper.

Check it out!
DON
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Are you planning on Storing or Using your Camper in the Off-Season?

Dons Camper on its new site, Pic by Don

OK, Fall is in the Air, people. The question is, are you planning on traveling in your camper in cold weather?

Well, I am. My wife and I are doing something a little different this winter.

We placed our fifth-wheel in a campground in Virginia, near where our kids, grandkids and friends live. This way, we will not be towing it anywhere, but we can drive there and use it whenever we want.

We have been storing our RV for the off-season the last two years. And we realized that we were going up to visit and we would stay in hotels, usually for 5-7 days at a time.

But, the problem was that hotel stays has gotten so expensive, in addition to the costs of eating out so much that we decided to place our RV on a site near our family for the off-season, with hookups of course.

Now, we will visit more often, and we will stay quite a bit longer. And, most importantly, we will be in our own cozy camper that, as all campers know, is our second home and is so much better than stay in than some cramped hotel room.

As all of you dedicated campers know, in a camper, you are sleeping on YOUR bedding, sitting on YOUR Sofa, and walking in YOUR carpet. ANd you have no worries about who might have been in the room before you or how healthy or clean a person they were.

In out camper, we have everything we want, for our lifestyle, and we are so much more comfortable.

Also, we already have our own clothes in the camper, so we haul less "stuff" back and forth when we do visit.

SO, I suggest that you, my fellow camper owners who are just storing your camper for the off season, consider placing it at a site, somewhere, that you can use it as your second seasonal home.

We love having this new option for our lifestyle and we are getting some off-season use from our camper.

DON

PS. Here is a link to my article on How to keep Warm in your RV. Click on it for some great tips on keping comfortable in your camper during Cold weather.

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Towing Connector Wiring Reference

RV Towing Cart

With the many methods of towing in the RV world, you must have an electrical connection between the RV and the towed vehicle for lights turn signals brakes etc.. 

Pre-made cables are available at most Camper part stores, as well as kits for wiring into the wiring harness of vehicles.

RV Coaches have the 6-pin or 7-pin connector mounted near the Hitch. Some of the wiring systems are simpler than others, but there are standards for the connectors and wiring. 

Here is a short overview of the connectors:

4-Pin Tow Connector

The standard 4-pin connector is a flat plastic connector, with 3 pins either male or female, and the 4th pin the opposite sex. The connector shown is for the wiring of the towing vehicle. The pins and their usage are;

PIN-1=Ground (male pin) White wire,
PIN-2=Tail Lights (and license plate light and side lights)= Brown Wire,
PIN-3=Left Turn & Stop Lights (Yellow Wire),
PIN-4=Right Turn & Stop Lights (Green wire).

6-pin Connector

The standard 6-pin connector is a “Keyed” round metal connector with the following connections. Those shown are from the wiring side of the towing vehicles connector. The Pins and their usage, are;

PIN-A (center pin = 12V (and is either red or Black),
PIN-TM -(at the guide) = Tail Lights (usually Brown wire),
PIN-GD =Ground (usually White),
PIN-LT=Left Turn Signal (usually Yellow),
PIN-RT=Right Turn (usually Green), and
PIN-S= Electric Brakes (usually Blue). This pin is used to provide a variable voltage to the electrical brakes of larger tow trailers and campers to assist in stopping them.

7-Pin Connector

The standard 7-pin connector is a “Keyed” round metal connector with the following connections. Those shown are from the wiring side of the towing vehicles connector. The pins and their usage, are;

-->

PIN-1=Ground (usually White),
PIN-2=Electric Brakes (usually Blue),
PIN-3=Taillights (usually Green),
PIN-4=12V (usually Black),
PIN-5=Left Turn (usually Red),
PIN-6=Right Turn (usually Brown), and the
Center PIN= Auxiliary Power or Backup Lights (can be wired for either)



by DON BOBBITT

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How to SHop for the Right RV for Your needs

The link below is to an article of mine that should be an important read for anyone who is shopping for a new or used Camper.

This article provides you with the right questions to ask yourself and then to use in your selection of the right camper for your needs and desires.

It will give you numerous tips to help you get the right unit for the right price.

How to SHOP for tthe right Camper.

You have to click on the Link and check the story out.

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A Review of the GARMIN nuvi465T GPS Navigator for your RV

GARMIN nuvi465T Navigator - pic by GARMIN

Using your GARMIN GPS Navigator - the Nuvi465 for CAR, TRUCK and RV drivers

This article is my review of the GARMIN nuvi465T GPS Navigator unit.

I have been using mine for almost a year now and I consider it the absolute best NAVIGATOR for the price and functionality for any RV owner.

It can be used in the CAR mode or the TRUCK mode if you are traveling in your RV, and be assured that you are using a quality unit that is providing you with real-time data for your safety and traveling confidence.

Click on the link above to read my more detailed review of this great unit.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you are interested in the nuvi465T, click on this link to find the latest and lowest pricing on AMAZON.

GARMIN nuvi465T available on AMAZON

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Thanks for viewing this Blog Post by Don Bobbitt.

If you liked the content of this Blog, I would appreciate it if you give me a +1 by clicking on the symbol below:

An RV Buying SCAM - Look Out

An RV Buying SCAM - Look Out

I have my RV listed for sale, and I was contacted by a potential buyer, or so I thought.

Luckily, I went to my bank and learned how to handle a sale properly, and it turned out that I was actually dealing with a Scam artist. read this to protect yourself.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Check out this link to my SHOPIFY STORE where I design and sell Quality name brand T-Shirts with custom designs such as this one for the RV OWNER:

NULIVIN4U Shopify Store

Thanks for viewing this Blog Post by Don Bobbitt.

If you liked the content of this Blog, I would appreciate it if you give me a +1 by clicking on the symbol below:

In NEW ORLEANS, Kind of!

OK, we were driving along , and we pulled over at a Rest Stop so I could stretch my legs and get rid of some of the Soda I had been drinking all day.

I realized that I was good for 2 maybe 3 hours of driving and we would need to stop for the night.

Looking at the map on my computer, I realized that the end of my day was going to be roughly right across Lake Pontchetrain  (???) from New Orleans.

So, it didn't take us long to decide to sort of "re-arrange" our cross country schedule.

And, we did!  We mad a couple of phone calls, and we had a 3-night reservation at a, RPI campground in a little town called Abita Springs.

Nice Campground, but crappy roads to get to the entrance.

We crashed here, and the first night we just drove a couple of miles up to a little Brew Pub and had Dinner, and made our plans for a day in the French Quarter the next day.



Well. as they say; It was on my "Bucket List" to do, and I did it!

Let me tell you something that I learned while bouncing around on Bourbon Street, Royal Street, and many others with names that I can't remember right now.

Back to what I learned.

I learned that the smell of decades of Vomit is not as glamorous as I remembered in my Youth traveling the world.


It kinda takes the edge off of the enjoyment of the food in the restaurants. You know what I mean?

Add the pungent odor of the Horse Poop dropped in the streets throughout the day.

And top all of this with the marvelous soaring temperatures, high Humidity, and absolutely no Breeze.

Now you have an idea of why everyone is drinking so much.

The damned place stinks and is miserably hot, but I do have to admit that, once my senses were dulled, the great Cajun Food, and cold drinks, and great Music won the day for me.


We had a good time overall, and I got the obligatory T-shirts.

Today?  We are laying back and Chillin', preparing for a really long run tomorrow.

But, it should be worth it! Then we sit back and roam around teh south San Antonio area.

Eat som of that Tex-Mex food.

Drink some of that Lone Star beer.

Take a lot of silly pictures!

I can't wait.

In Texas and Lickin' my Wounds!

Yeah, That's what I said;  LICKING MY WOUNDS!

We pulled out of Abita Springs, just north of New Orleans right at daybreak.

We topped off our fuel tank (Gulp!-------$242).

And we pulled out onto I-12 (which blends into I-10 in Baton Rouge) and put the Rig in Auto-Pilot.

We stopped to Pee twice, and eat Lunch when we crossed into Texas, otherwise, we cranked.

We ran at 70-73 mph, (cruise control) the whole trip except when one of the many Brain-Dead drivers, that populate the Roads of America, tried to kill us.  This only happened every hour or so, so I guess most of these "Zombie Roadies" were busy preparing for Halloween ..... or whatever.

Anyway, we rolled up to San Antonio, and took a left in to the "Hill Country" of South Texas.

It really is beautiful, and we are going to drive back through there and catch some good Pics to share in a couple of days.

And, there I was, over 9-1/2 hours of jockeying a Big RIG on the Interstates, Back aching, eyes burning, arms weighing over a ton each, and what happens?

There we are less than to miles from our CG, and my Garmin decides to Piss in my Oatmeal.

That;s Right, Piss in my Oatmeal!

The map system tells me to turn right onto a little street called, what else "D" street.

Hell, I didn't know!

I've never been here before.

Well, it turns out that my CG is very near a booming Lake area, Medina Lake.

It is booming so much that many of the aggressive developers have gone out and run bulldozers through teh Mesquite trees and Cactus, and Rocks and Sand, and marked off hundreds of streets.

They even put up signs with proper names on them.

So, some A-Hole at Garmin, went and added these unreal streets to their maps.

So, what is the Big Deal?

OK, These streets are wide enough for one car to go down.

I own a 42-foot, Rig with a 18-foot Jeep tied to it's tail.

Try to make a turn at an intersetion that is this narrow.

I only drove 6-blocks and made two turns before I got to a real Road.

I figure that I only took out 6-10 Mesquite trees and a couple of Cactus with the RV.

Needless to say, I now need; not only a good wash job, but also a good Buff and Polish of the paint job.

Anyway, we checked in to the CG, and went over and selected a campsite.

I unhooked the Jeep, and?

The Battery was Dead.  I had put the ignition key in the wrong position, and the RV sucked down the RV battery.

I had to bum a Jump off of a fellow camper, and we backed into our site.

What else could go wrong?

You will not believe this, but You remember that our trip started two months late while we waited for some major parts for the Fridge?

Well, We opened the door, to assure that it had switched voer automatically to AC fro Propane, and

OH Yeah!

The Freakin' Freezer Temp was 35, and the Fridge temp was 48!

The damned newly rebuilt Fridge was not operating properly.

We walked around and cursed for a while and then after we calmed down, we opened some nice Chardonnay, and went Zombie for the night.

We got up this morning and those temps had dropped to 31 and 35, so we had hope that we could use the Fridge after all.

But, again, Murphy stepped in, and while we took a midday trip to Bandera, the temps had drifted back up to 33 and 37.

I called the brilliant people at Camping World, and they gave me a list of things to test and check tomorrow and call them back.

Banderas was cool,and I will write about it tomorrow, but right now, I think we have another couple of bottles of that Chardonnay somewhere, and ........ you know ....... What the Hell!

We are on Holiday! What else could go wrong?

G'Day!

From San Antonio TX, to Mesa AZ, in 2 days

Yeah, we broke it down.

On Monday, we drove 9-hours to El Paso TX, and crashed in one of those secure roadside RV parks.

You really need to use these sometimes, even though they cost a little more at times.

We were only 2-3 miles from the Mexican Border in Ciudad Juarez,, which is just outside of El Paso, so we went for the extra security.

Early the next morning (Tuesday), we pulled out for another long drive of almost 8-hours, and we were in WACO TX.

I went straight to the Camping world there, and started the process of getting my Fridge checked out and beginning the approval process for the Insurance company.



The idiocy of the process required by the insurance companies is at a level that would try anyone's patience, but we are hanging on.

This time, I git a little smarter, and while the CW technicians jumped through the appropriate hoops to prove that the Fridge was indeed bad, we went over and checked into our campground.

This proved valuable later as we could go over to the CG, and do laundry, take a shower, and just overall kill time.

Now, here it is, Friday, and the inspector has sent his report to the insurance TODAY, and now we must wait for Monday for the insurance company rto approve the purchase of the replacement Fridge body.

Then we have approximately two weeks before it is delivered for installation.

Installation will take 6-hours, and then another overnight functional test before we can leave AZ.

I have to re-schedule my reservations in California, yet again, but we have accepted the situation, and are now going through a lot of Maps and Visitor guides to put together a plan for taking our Jeep out into the Deserts (just a little ways) and north to the Mesa/mountail areas.

I hope to get some really good photo's over the next week.  Can't wait!

Right now?

Well, we had a great lunch at a Restaurant/Saloon called the Dirty Water Saloon, and are back at the RV catching up on our web sites and mails, ans a little bill paying.

Later, when it cools down (97F at the moment), we will take another walk around the CG

See Ya!

On to El Paso

We are presently at Medina Lake just south of San Antonio TX, in case you couldn't tell by my other blog.

Well, I still have a bad Fridge, and have just decided (2-hours ago) to head to Mesa, AZ.
We have taken all of the meat in the freezer that we have been babying for almost a week,
and has cooked every damned bit of it.

We then stored all of this in Zip-lock bags and packed it into a coupel of styro-foam coolers that I just picked up cheap.



For Dinner tonight, we will have MEAT, with a couple of sides of MEAT, followed by a tasty DESSERT of MEAT!

MMMMM!- MMMMM!

We will drive for around 8-hours tomorrow (across the West Texas desert!)
and stay over in a CG just east of El Paso, TX.

It has a Pull-Through site I have reserved for the night.

Using it, we can just pull in, and hook up to; Elec. Water and Sewage, and lay in for a good nights dinner and nights sleep.

We will pull out early and hit the road for around 7.5 hours and get to Mesa,AZ around 3:00PM, in time for my appointment at the local Camping World.

They are supposed to try to fix whatever has gone bad with the Fridge for us.

But, we will have to spend the night
hooked up while they run a required Diagnostic test
that requires that the Fridge be run wide open for a number of hours.

The next morning they can decide what to replace.

The bad thing is we spend the night in a CW parking lot.
The good thing is that we will pull over to Apache Junction (18-miles away)
and lay up there for 9-10 days before we go over to California.

Who was it that said that camping is an Adventure, didn't know the half of it.

Well, I gotta open a bottle of Cabernet, and start packing up some stuff.

We spent a week in LaGrange, last night!

Yep, That's right!

We were tired.  I had driven over seven hours in the RV with a Jeep in Tow, and it was time to quit.

Oh, I was OK, but I needed to stare at something other than a white line on the right and a dashed line on the left.

I had wanted to make it to Montgomery, AL, but I decided to find a campground.

I got on the web, and found several in Auburn, AL. and we called a few.


Guess what?

It was Saturday, and what would think goes on at this time of year in Auburn, AL?

Right on College Football game.

It turned out that there wasn't an empty caming site within 30-miles of Auburn.

So, we backed off and found a little, and not highly rated CG in LaGrange.

It is called Hoofers.

Not a clue how it got it's name, but I had a weird feeling, but we went ahead and called them anyway.


The phone rang and a person answered and gave me directions.

Which I wrote down, by the way.

It went like this:  You take exit-18, take a right off of the ramp.  Go down three stoplights and take a right on the "14-Spur" at the foot of the water tower.
Go 3-4 miles and take a right on Hwy-27, go about a mile on the right and we are there.

OK, Simple right?

Idid as told, and turned right on US-27 ...... and I drove for 7 miles. No Campground.

I have been here before, so I pulled over and called the CG again.

The same guy answered, and I explained my problem.

His response was. "Lordy!" I'm not sure where you are."

TO which I responded; Well, If yoy live here and can't tell me how to get there, I am in big trouble  because, I damned sure don't have a clue."

He seemed upet with my anguage, but ai calmed down and went through what I had done, and he said;

Oh, You took US-27, you needed to take state hwy 27!

So, after a minute or so, I peeled myself off of the roof and as calmly as possible mentioned the fact that someone, not from the area, would probably need to know this distinction in the future.

He was silent for a few seconds and agreed that he would keep this in mind.

Needless to say, we had a communication problem, but, by this time I was so tired that I was going to find this damned CG and stay there.

Little did I know!


I kind of knew that I was in trouble when he gave me his Cell phone number, and said if I had any more problems, that I should call him on it, because he was leaving the office, but wanted to be sure that I got into the CG.

OK, three more calls and I was finally on a road that he agreed was the right one.

He told me that; You can't miss the CG. It is right next to the John Deere dealership!

Cold Chills went down my spine.

And, let's ignore the fact that the 3-miles he said was ahead, was really 5.3 miles.

I finally found the John Deere Dealership, and sure as hell, there was a campground right next door.

Oh, Did I mention that he said it was owned by the same person as owned the Hoofers restaurant on the property.

So, we pulled in, and ..... the Office was closed.

It was only 4:00PM, and the office was closed!

I had to take an envelope and put my "cash" money in it and slide it into a slot like at a bank.

Then we went down to the camping sites.

They were all about 30-35 feet long!

So, I improvised.

I pulled into two sites lengthwise and to hell with it!

If no one was running the place, I figured I could do whatever I wanted.

BTW!  There were around 70-80 sites, and there were 3  campers in the whole place.

I looked arund as I was hooking up and then I saw the signs;

PRAISE GOD!   JESUS SAVES!  VICTORY TO GOD!

I had Arrived!

My Beer drinking, swearing, and stinky feet Ass was ensconced in a dyed-in-the-wool religious zealots CG.

I told Helen, and we figured!  We would shut up, talk to no-one, and get out in the early hours, so wat could go wrong? Right?

So, we finished hooking up and walked up to the Restaurant.  CLOSED! Out of Business!

No problem, we walked out to the street for a look.  IF you can't eat John Deere paint, well, we weren't going to eat out that night.

SO, we walked back to the Community building! CLOSED!

We saw a sign that said; WASEERIA!
We walked over and: two restrooms, a table TV, four chairs and rwo washing machines.
But, the AC was on and working.

We waked back outside the whole comples was connected to a big Church, Also closed!

I was ready to pray for a Beer by this time.

We talked things over, and we finally decided.

We went back to the RV.

We turned on the AC.

We turned on the TV.

We opened a couple of bottles of Chardonnay!

We RELAXED!

We went to Bed.
We slept well, and we;

Got the Hell out of "La Grange" before daylight the next morning.

Yep!

We spent a week in a LaGrange ...... last Night!

Goodnight!

Preparing the RV and Ourselves for a 6-month trip

OK,
 We're Back!
Yep, We have been sitting around at home for several months, but now we are getting down to the wire.
We have set a tentative "pull-out" date for the first of September, and we plan to stay on the West Coast for the Winter.
Today, I am taking the RV down to the local Camping World to have the Fridge checked out, because it acted a little funny on our recent trip to VA.  So, better safe than sure.
After the Fridge, I will need an Oil change, along with some filters, etc.
More on this later.
Also, we are starting to pull our personal stuff together.
What we do, is take the 3rd bedroom of our house, and use it as a kind of staging area, for what we are going to eventually load into the RV.
This seems to work best for us, as we can walk in there at any time, and check if we have placed a certain item of clothing, or computer accessory, or whatever, in the staging area.
More later