If there is one thing that will definitely ruin your RV experience it is having ants, roaches, spiders, mosquitoes and mice living with you inside your RV.  My wife refuses to go RV’ing with me until I have done a thorough investigative search of the RV and made sure that these “varmints” are nowhere around. The only thing worse than having these pesky little creatures running about, is having a wife that is terrified of them in the same RV (this is NOT a good combination).

I have done an exhaustive search on the internet to find ways to ensure that our motor home is “varmint” free.
When you are a full-time rv’er, you hear all sorts of “home” remedies for ridding oneself of these critters.  Some are very funny and others are down-right dangerous!  When someone mentions smoking them out, I have to wonder!  So, let’s get started on some practical remedies.

Check out the chart on the right ——-> Click on image to enlarge.

Mice

My kids always thought these were cute little creatures; however my wife has always held a whole different opinion of them.   I have seen her torture one of this furry little animals while trying to get it out of the house.  She hit it with a broom repeatedly, threw shoes at it, threw a pot of boiling water on it and finally drowned it in the kitchen sink. I was laughing so hard I almost wet myself!! I regress……

I never use poisons because if there is another thing that will ruin your rv experience, it is trying to find a rotting corpse!  So, how do you get rid of them…..let’s see.  I have tried, and had the most success, with mouse traps baited with peanut butter  .

Nothing really does the job quite as good as a good “mouser”!  My cat loves to catch anything that wiggles. Of course she gets the biggest thrill out of playing with it before she tries to devour it (I have to pick her up and shake her to get her to drop it.  This works on just about anything that wiggles, crawls or runs (see other remedies in list below).

Spiders

I’m not sure where they come from, but I usually just get rid of them when I find them.  I have found that an ultrasonic repeller seems to keep them away.

Ants

There are many species of ants, and they’re all annoying to have in an RV. Fire ants are the worst due to their sting.  Carpenter ants are next and have an insatiable appetite for wood.  They can ruin your RV if not treated.

Roaches

Before we head out, I always check to ensure I have a good amount of bug/roach spray.  I have a pump sprayer and when I get to my campsite and get set up I spray around my tires, stabilizer jacks and winch on my trailer. I also spread a bit of borax powder inside and along cabinet to deter any that might get in.

Now if a stray roach happens in, it provides hours of fun for me taking bets on who will catch it first, the cat or the wife!

Mosquitoes

Now here is something I never knew, but an old-timer told me this and it seems to work.  He told me if I wanted to get rid of mosquitoes spray the area you are going to be in with Listerine and it will keep them away.  I tried it and sure enough, it works.  I keep a small spray bottle with me when I am outside and spray the areas I am sitting in.  And an occasional squirt in my mouth keeps me kissable (so the wife says)!

While we are on the topic of bugs, I have also heard many ways of removing bugs from the front of your RV.  Here are but a few:

• Apply a light coating of dish soap before traveling
• Brushed on a coat of Johnson & Johnsons Baby Oil before traveling
• Wiping the front of a vehicle with a wet dryer sheet

Feel free to add your own, the weirder the better!

Happy RV’ing!!

Since I travel a lot, I often find myself in places where the water quality is barely adequate to say the least! Now when it comes to water, the wife and I are sorta squimish about what we put into our bodies. If it “looks bad, smells bad or tastes funny, we don’t do it….period!” So, in order to obtain good quality drinking water, we mostly depend on store bought water. But we still need water in the RV to do the necessities of life; bathing, washing, cleaning and for toilet flushing.

Sediment Filter – Just because the water is not murky (or maybe it is), or you cannot visibly see anything floating around in it, this does not mean that there are no contaminates in the water. Even if murkiness is not your complaint, a sediment filter will protect your downstream equipment from premature failure by removing the gunk that could otherwise cause a problem. Not sure if you have priced a water heater lately, but they are not cheap! Sediment filters work by straining out the sediment and holding it. Therefore replacement of the cartridges is required once they become plugged.

Carbon Filter – Have you ever been to a place where the water either tasted funny or smelled bad? The contaminants that affect the taste and odor of water will go right through a sediment filter, so you’ll need to add something else to remove them. Carbon has an uncanny ability to grab onto the bad stuff in water, leaving the water very clean-tasting and odor-free. Just like sediment filters, carbon filters require replacement once they become clogged, however they will not plug up as quickly as sediment filters.

Combination Units – Rather than purchasing two sets of filters (sediment and carbon), combination filter elements are manufactured that remove sediment and make the water smell and taste good. They are compact and relatively inexpensive, and made of carbon-powder-impregnated paper. The downside of these units is that they have a limited carbon component, so the taste-and-odor improvement is much less than you would get from a dedicated carbon filter.

Biological Agents – Biological agents include protozoa, bacteria, viruses, and cysts and spores. The most prevalent are very small (2-4 microns in size). They can be removed with a ultrafine filter that has a rating of 0.9 microns. This removes all pathogenic microbes, however there are still viruses to consider, which are even smaller than can be filtered.

Total Purification – There are two methods that can produce virtually pure water and are

suitable for use in RVs. One is distillation; however it is quite expensive to operate and produces a low volume of clean water. The other, and most recommended for RV owners, is Reverse Osmosis. I will cover reverse osmosis systems in a later blog.

OK, have I totally made you panic? My wife often starts itching and scratching about this time in our discussions….lol. So how do I filter out water so as not to contaminate my hot water heater and plug my system??

Well, for now, I use a double cartridge filter unit. The first cartridge is a sediment cartridge and the second is a carbon cartridge. Make sure you get the units that do not use the clear canisters, as they have a tendency to accumulate algae over time.

Like I said, I usually buy my drinking water, however I am about to install a reverse osmosis unit and when I do, rest assured I will share the installation, as well as the result, with you on my website.

Until then, happy RV’ing!

Some people think that just because your unit slows down when you apply your RV trailer brakes that they are all working properly, however this could be far from true.  A friend showed me a sure way to check to ensure each brake is doing its fair share of the work, by using a simple magnetic compass.

Have your helper hold the compass about three inches below the wheel hub, close enough to the rim without touching it.  Now, activate the trailer brake from inside the cab.  If the compass needle starts moving erratically, then that wheel brake is working.  Do the same with each wheel, ensuring the compass needle has settled down from the previous test before testing the next wheel.

If any of your RV trailer brakes magnets fail to move the needle, then that brake magnet is not doing its job.  In that case, either try to find the problem, or take it to your nearest RV technician to have them troubleshoot the problem.  If they all fail, check your brake control.  Remember to check the wiring and fuses, sometimes it can be just that simple and could save you a costly repair bill.

Oh, and don’t forget to put your compass back in your repair kit, since this is an excellent way to check other electromagnetic solenoid switches!  And, you never know when you might get lost in the boonies!

Tekonsha Voyager Brake Control 9030

This post explains a few things about RV How To – RV Tire Care, and if you’re interested in saving your tires and saving your wallet, then this is worth reading.

In addition to my motorhome, I also have a 30′ Dutchman trailer with practically no miles on it, but recently ha to replace the tires due to dry rot. The tires had great tread and yet were basically useless!  These tires are not cheap either.  They cost me $580 to replace all 4.  I have learned my lesson the hard way.  Ozone in the atmosphere and ultraviolet beams from the sun will reduce the lifespan of your tires.

Ozone in the atmosphere induces tires to dry rot and deteriorate, and ultraviolet beams from the sun cause it to happen faster. This is especially true of the tires sidewall. Visually, inspect your tires for cracks in the sidewalls. If you observe any damage have the tires inspected by a tire expert.

There are essentially 2 methods to protect your tires from these elements.

Covers – Keeping tires protected with covers that will obstruct the sun when not in use is a good idea.  These covers are available at most RV outlets.  They may also be available in Walmart, Target or other discount stores and are usually less expensive there.  They will run you about $20 per pair.

Storage – For long-term storage take off the tires and stow them in a cool dry space away from the sunshine.

10-Minute Tech, Vol. 1: More than 600 Practical and Money-Saving Ideas from Fellow RVers

RV How To Tip

Ok, the problem with commercial covers is that in time the same elements that ruin your tires will eventually ruin your commercial covers.  Expect to replace them every three to five years.

If you do not want to shell out $40 – $50 bucks for these commercial covers, Here is a relatively simple and cheap trick.  Large, heavy ply, lawn bags will cover the tires adequately and will only set you back a few dollars. They are cheap and you can cut them off whenever you move the RV and replace them when you get to your destination.  Buy these at Home Depot or Loews.  A large box will provide quite a few changes.

Simply place the bags over the tire before you set the trailer in place.  Back, or pull, the trailer up so that the tire rolls onto the plastic bags.  This will hold them in place during high winds.

I also recommend that you position a piece of wood between the earth and the tires. Make certain that the blocks of wood are bigger then the footprint of the tires.  This will keep your tires out of standing water.

Don’t make the same costly mistake I did.  Learn from this simple RV How To tip and many others that can save you time and money!

10-Minute Tech, Volume 2: Over 600 Time and Money Saving Ideas from Fellow RVers

10-Minute Tech, Volume 3: Over 600 All New Time and Money Saving Ideas from Fellow RVers

This RV How To blog is dedicated to all you RV Enthusiasts that have found little tricks and tips to help you enjoy your class A RV’s more with less cost.

As I incorporate some of these tips on my own RV, I will be sharing them with you and if you can think of any that might benefit our readers, please let me and the rest of your fellow Class A RV’rs in on your RV How To tech tips!