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RV Living in the
21st Century
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Today's RVs are rolling dream homes. Many come equipped with amenities galore along with all the comforts found in a stationary house. If your chosen unit is missing a few, dealer parts stores overflow with numerous extras and nice to have items of every shape, size and price. The industry leaders and creative RVers continually come up with new ideas to make life on the road interesting as well as pleasurable. See the websites for On Line part stores or Nice to Have Extra's on our WebLink page
One of my most favourite ‘toys’ is my Splendid 2000, WASHER-DRYER COMBO. The newer models are even larger and more efficient. I can’t believe I ever got along without this outstanding accessory. It took me 6 months to part with some valuable cupboard space to install our vented model washer/dryer. RVing friends expressed this style unit was more effective than non-vented models - and I strongly agree. It is such a pleasure to do a wash in my RV, and after 14 years, my days at the Laundromat are now a bad dream. Although each load is smaller, I am able to wash fairly large throw rugs - one at a time, or a set of queen sheets and pillowcases. We find our clothes are cleaner and this washer is more kind to delicate fabrics than commercial machines are. It is such a comfort to know I am the only one who uses the washer before me.
The dryer that vents
outside does a great job but users must shake the clothes before
adding them to the drum and they dry faster if you keep
the loads small. It also takes a bit longer time than a household model.
However since I prefer to air dry my T's and undies, this does not present
a problem for us. The
majority of campgrounds prohibit clotheslines; as a result many RVers with
W/D’s adapt some form of accessory at the back of their units to allow
clothes to soak up the sunshine.
Another after market toy was our TV DISH SATELLITE. It's so great to watch sports, movies, or world events of our choice. We first bought the Dish network recommended by many RVing friends. We were happy with it but we wanted Cdn content. Frequently Dish and Direct TV (USA) offer the complete system at no cost - after rebates it is ‘almost free’. Depending on where your home address is users may have problems obtaining local networks - in some areas satellite is in competition with the cable companies. Express Vu or Star Choice, the networks system of choice for Canadian RVers, allows access to cross- Canada programming as well as to USA networks. Although all systems work well on both sides of the USA/Canada border, officially if you use them in a country other than that of their origin it can?? present a legal situation due to broadcast license regulations. This point only becomes a problem if you want support from the parent company when you are in another country.
The USA systems use Zip codes to lock onto the satellites (if travelling in Canada, find the Zip code of a USA campground south of where you are located). Express Vu uses co-ordinates to connect to the Nimiq 91 satellite (co-ordinates are listed on the web Links page of www.rvliving.net/nalinkscont.htm under Satellites and Cyberspace). When Express Vu launched their new (2nd) satellite in February, those of us in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas did not receive a signal for most of the month. As long as the two satellites are up it should not be a problem. Star Choice is another Cdn system that seems to have further coverage in the south.
When we first installed our system we chose a Winegard dish - windup system on the roof of our motorhome, it is separate from our TV antenna. We also added a special axis finder - a must for ease of programming the signal. (for free-mount dishes, satellite finders help to locate the satellite as you move around). Only once have we been unable to get service due to trees, but we don’t usually spend much time in wooded areas such as State, Provincial and National parks.
NOTE: Last winter while we were In Texas we took our dish across to Mexico and professional painters creatively add scenes to these dishes for very little money. It was interesting because they used spray cans to paint with. Our mural scene is now on our dish front and back for a mere $40.00.
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Whatever
company you subscribe to, the receiver and 'smart card' belongs to the
same system. When we switched from Dish to Express Vu (to access Cdn
programming) all we had to exchange was our ‘smart card’ and
‘receiver’. We chose not to add the dual LNB. Our RV came equipped
with a special programming device called a Video Control Centre, (or
nicknamed a 'jewelry box'). It allows us to switch from antenna
programming to auxiliary (cable or dish) to VCR. Although we can only
watch one channel from the dish at a time, it is easy to switch from the
front to the back TV simply by simply pushing a button.
One TV can be on antenna (or as my sister calls them—‘welfare
channels’) and the other brings in satellite programming. Finally we now
have the option to watch what we want, not what is available.
One more ‘must-have’ extra is a SURGE PROTECTOR. Any unprotected and expensive appliances can be damaged by a power surge as a result of storms or campground electrical inefficiencies. If your chosen protector is the type added to your electric cord at the receptacle, you should also purchase a locking device so it can't be ‘borrowed’. To combat the possibility of it being stolen and to be sure it is always at the ready, one friend installed his unit inside a storage pod 'in-line' of his electric cord. This way even on bad weather days it was always connected when he needed it most such as an electric storm.
On our previous motorhome and again on this one we had an in-line POWERLINE MONITOR installed. When park power or generator source drops below 102 volts as it sometimes does (brown-out conditions) or surges above 130 volts; electricity to our unit shuts down in microseconds to avoid appliance damage. Four minutes later it starts up again as long as the problem is rectified. ‘Brown out’ conditions will slowly 'starve' your appliances of power and ‘surges’ will immediately kill them. The addition of this accessory could save you thousands in appliance replacements.
Note: Recently we were hit with a power surge when a transformer blew outside the park. It destroyed the contractor in our PLM - but thank heavens we had it on board because it would have damaged many appliances. Getting it fixed has been a challenge but we hate the thought of living without the protection it provides.
Those
who prefer to dry camp (without electric hook-ups) should have some source
of alternate power such as a GENERATOR.
A 4.5 HP unit and higher will power most of your appliances along
with one air-conditioner (6.5 and higher will power anything), but the
majority of generators are noisy. SOLAR PANELS along with extra batteries
are a quieter option to harness the suns energy to keep your batteries
charged. They are a blessing for those who wish to have use of
12-volt appliances when camped without electrical hook-ups. INVERTERS on
the other hand provide immediate reliable and quiet AC power; so
electrical appliances (except the air conditioners) function when your
unit is not connected to electricity. I am even able to watch my
‘soaps’ (Y&R) going down the road on our AC powered TV. Our unit
came equipped with a Heart Interface 2500 inverter, complete with battery
charger. The larger the inverter the more appliances it will power for a
longer time. On warm driving days rather than drive with the air
conditioning running, we turn the Inverter on, plug in our two small table
fans and continue our journey in comfort.
Our
FANTASTIC VENTS with rain sensors are additional extras we just can't live
without when we are camped. 'Kastle #2' had three of these wonderful
exhaust fans installed; this one only has room for two. Unless it is humid
we prefer not to use air conditioning. These vents have a manual or temperature
controlled three-speed fan that brings fresh air in OR forces warm air
out. The rain sensor closes
the cover when it begins to rain, so they can be left operating when you
leave your unit. With these
vents we never worry about park power failures or about leaving our dogs
in an overheated RV. We
simply set the temperature and the fans cycle on and off as needed. These vents are a big plus for those who like to dry camp
because they only use 3 amps/hr of battery power when operating on high.
The best part of these vents is if they give you any problems,
simply phone the company 800 number; Fantastic Vents will send you
replacement parts at NO COST, they will even pay a ¼ hour labour fee if required;
however fixing the problem is so easy even I was able to make the repairs.
This
list of special extras could go on and on but the above are a few we
simply can't live without. The only restriction to the toys you add is the
amount of money in your bank account.
As you travel North America, peruse local dealer accessory stores,
check out their catalogues but shop around for the best price. If your RV
is similar to a cottage yu may not need to have all the bells and
whistles. Some
International RV Rallies also include immense marketplace areas featuring
special priced toys of every description.
Keep your eyes open to find the extras you simply
"must-have". Enjoy your journey; “RV Living - the Freedom
Lifestyle”