RE: Propane gauge
Or the easiest solution, buy a second tank and an auto switchover so when the propane switches, you can go turn it to the second tank and know you have to make a run to exchange/refill soon.
RE: Poor TV
Check and make sure your signal is maxed out.
One way to do this, if your TV has it, is a meter in the menu or info screens. My old Jensen, if I hit the INFO button, while on a channel, had a little signal strength bar across the bottom and I could rotate the antenna a little to see if the signal improved when I turned it.
Some TV's don't have this in the info and you have to dig a little into the menu or sometimes in the setup section to find the signal strength meter.
Also, some people by an add on meter such as THIS or THIS ONE.
If your able to see it and it is truly the right antenna, you should be maxing out the signal. You don't say what type antenna you have but either the Winegard or the Jack antenna, which are the two most used brands, are more than strong enough to pull in signals 20-30 miles away, when properly aimed.
May be the antenna your looking at is for a different channel. Many times the antenna's for different stations in a city are in different directions until you get well away from the city.
RE: The Best Cup of Coffee We Never Had
Now I feel even worse.
lol. Likely one of those lessons learned that will cause you to over compensate from now on and have two methods to grind coffee. Ah, there are worst things than carrying two coffee grinders.
RE: propane bottle
Took me a minute to figure out what the problem was. You like to use the other one for the smoker, that I'm assuming you leave at home?
The suggestions above will solve that. Just so you know, the reason most campers come with two is to prevent you from running out and having a backup. Something critically important since you have 30LBers which are not easily exchanged at the corner convenient store. I'd invest in one of those tank gauges that stick on the side of the tank and you pour water over to make sure I knew exactly how much propane I had prior to each trip. That or take the tank loose and weigh it on a bathroom scale. Getting refilled at a propane dealer might be a lot longer trip than you'll be happy with from some campsites.
RE: Install insinkerator in TT
Agree with the others. Pulverizing the left over veggies to a mush and then sending down the sink to a flat tank where they can lay on the bottom and build up and be a problem is a BAD IDEA. Scratch it from your (and your wife's) consideration list and use it as an excuse to carry the cutting board outside to a table and throw the chopped leftovers in a garbage can. This will get you outside more, give you some walking to do the dumpter after dinner (to prevent the leftovers from drawing critters) and most importantly, prevent you from having to work on a nasty, clogged gray tank that has decomposing food that smells almost as bad as the black tank.
RE: Micro/convection oven vent install
And one suggestion after reading through the second link, instead of silicone, I would be using eternabond for my outside sealing.
RE: Rock My RV
There were a couple more shows on today I watched. One was about RV destinations and one was about places to RV with beaches. Both were good sources for places to review for your travel plans. DVR'ed them both for future reference.
RE: Campfires...good in moderation
Three things to say to this topic.
First, think about how you may hurt someone when your in charge of starting the fire. Yea, you may have done it a hundred times with gasoline or charcoal lighter fluid without issue and yea, it might be much faster than building the small fire with paper or dry leaves or grass or some other form of tinder. It only takes one accident to change someone's life. Might be yours, might be someone sitting there with you. It might even be someone just watching you who decided to do it your way sometime and isn't as "skilled" as you are and does have a problem.
Secondly, Part of camping in the outdoors is about learning about nature and "roughing it", even though many here, myself included, graduated from tents to a RV many would not consider roughing it anymore. Teach those watching how to build a fire with tinder, slowly getting an ember to grow, slowing adding more fuel with twigs and leaves, slowly increasing the size of the fuel until you have a good enough bed of coals to actually put a log on. All of this is a lost art to many but is a survival skill anyone that visits the woods should have. We are all one accident from spending the night in a place we may have to make shelter and start a fire to stay warm.
Third, I understand we sometimes are in a hurry. I've been there. When I am, there IS a safe way to start a fire fast. It's called MATCHLIGHT charcoal. Carry a small bag, put half dozen briquettes in the fire pit and light it and top it with twigs and your ready to add a log in a few minutes without anyone losing any eyebrows, hair or skin.
Your kids or grandkids are always watching you. What you do is the "right way" in their minds. I for one don't want to be responsible for them having to deal with what that poor kid is dealing with. Not when they are camping with me or some time down the road when they are just "doing what dad/grandpa did".
RE: The Best Cup of Coffee We Never Had
Great Story although if I were a "coffee snob" (I'm not, just Maxwell house in the percolator guy here) and most importantly, had ramped up the expectations to the level you had with your dear friend, I would have found a way.
Beans in a bag smashed with a hammer, McGyvered something to hold more beans at once with the cheese grater idea you started, put them in a bag and run over them repeatedly with the truck.
I would have found a way. Maybe would have taken until 9am, but I'm ashamed of your lack of commitment to your love of coffee. ;)
RE: Picture From Last Saturday Night....
Not my cup of tea but with the popularity of outdoor entertainment centers it's just going to get more common, as long as one is inside the CG's rules and reasonably considerate of the neighbors, go for it. If it really bothers me, which it might, I'm in an rv and can roll up the awning and leave. Would probably be better off going over introducing yourself and joining in though. Now if the Cornhuskers game was on leaving would not be an option.
Exactly.
I go camping to watch the stars, sit around the campfire, enjoy nature, have a few brown pops with friends (sometimes I bring my own friends, sometimes I venture out and make some). As long as it's relatively quiet once quiet hours commence, I've got no heartburn with it. It's not my thing but I'm not King of any campgrounds and as long as people are not breaking the rules, I don't have any place to tell them how to enjoy their camping trip.
Depending on what they were showing, there may be times, if I were invited, I might even join them. Big events like the Superbowl, World Series, March Madness, favorite team's game, Nascar race, I could see where at times, it could draw a crowd.
As a Sgt. in a movie once said, "Lighten up, Francis" :D
RE: Champion 4000 watt generator
Make sure that the AC is working right. Does the AC work OK on shore power?
If not, then it's a AC issue. The Champion should run the AC just fine.
As others have noted, a little power management may be needed.
Wonder if the OP has a hard start capacitor kit on his AC. Would that make a difference? X2 on power management thought.........
That Genny should be more than enough to run the 13.5 AC he has. He has other issues of some sort that is preventing it. Low battery that is causing the charger to pull a bunch of juice, hot water heater running on electric at the same time he's trying to start the ac or some other drain on the electric the genny is putting out. If the gennys working right, it's more than enough to run that AC and a few other appliances without issue.
RE: Hand Guns
Some good advise here and I'm not going to point out which I agree with but just let you decide what is right for you. What I will add to the conversation is that you need to evaluate what your personal skills are. If having a weapon that you will only pull if you truly feel your life is in danger is something you can handle. Are you a good decision maker under pressure? Do you have a clear head in emergencies?
Being overly Fearful or emotional, unable to remain calm and make solid decisions based on the situation should be a thought in your decision process on buying a gun. If you can't keep your cool and control your fear and emotion to a level you can make good decisions, don't do it.
I'm going to illustrate my point for you.
One night I'm laying in bed asleep and wake to hear someone in my house. I'm the only one home, my wife who was an RN had called earlier and said she was working a double shift and wouldn't be home until 8am. I reach over in the nightstand (Just the two of us at that time, no children) and pull out my 38 revolver and lay there in bed with it under the covers, pointed at the bedroom door. I hear another sound in the living room and then my bedroom door opens and I see a shape of person, clearly not my wife. The person stands there for about 4 seconds and then says "Gus?".
I reach over and turn on the light on my nightstand to find my father in law, who lived next door on the next 5 acres, standing at the end of my bed. I asked him "What in the &^%$ are you doing?" and he said he was worried about his daughter/my wife because he noticed she wasn't home yet. I told him she had called and was working a double shift and then told him never to come in my house again during the night without singing out the minute he stepped inside or calling us first on the phone. He looked shocked I would say such a thing until I pulled back the covers and showed him I had the pistol.
My point is, If your someone that lets fear, anger, emotions get in the way of making good decisions, do not buy a gun. Get a can of wasp spray and a ball bat to lay by the bed. Carry pepper spray or a taser when in public. None lethal defense is better for some people because they may make a mistake they can never recover from.
My father in law thanked me about 2 weeks after our night time event for being a level headed guy. I've never been more thankful for anything more that having that trait, that night and it not failing me in that circumstance. Could have changed dozens of lifes and none of them for the good.
RE: Holy Cow, What a week
Agree with the elimination of the storage idea, if at all possible. If you have some pictures and things you can't bear to sell or give away, see if you can't find a family member or good friend willing to store it for you. Storage is just added costs and most people find that almost everything they put in storage after being there for a few years is not something they want back or is damaged (mice/water/mold), musty smelling from being closed up for so long.
Unless it's irreplaceable because of coming from someone special to you, consider having a garage sale or having someone keep it and/or use it until you want it back. Will be much cheaper and you have the ability to save that money and go shopping for new items if the situation changes down the road.
RE: fridge fan benefit?
Putting a fan inside the frig helps equalize the temps in the fridge.
Putting one in the vent stack to pull hot air out of the fridge vent area and out the top will help the fridge maintain better temps when it is really hot.
Most fridges in RV's have the ability to keep temps in the area of 20-35 degrees cooler than the outside air temps when then get over 90. The movement of air caused by the fans helps draw in cooler air in the vent slats on the side of the RV and around the back of your fridge in that compartment.
Not going to be dramatic in sub 90 weather but makes a big difference in 90+ and 100 degree weather.
RE: Campers who bully and badger
I would have very kindly have asked her "Are you completely ignorant of the rules here or do you just think they don't apply to you?" When she then would have went into her "I've been camping here for 40 years......" rant, I would have smiled and nodded until she gave me a place to break in and then said "You know, my Dad told me never to argue with stupid people because they will wear you down and beat you with experience. You clearly are more experienced than I so I'm going to end this discussion."
Then I would have walked over to my campfire and sat down and drank a cold drink laughing about the look on her face.
RE: smelly galley tank
Rotten food, grease and bacteria have a pungent odor. You can try putting some fabric softener down your traps and see if that doesn't help.
WoodGlue
Minimize the food particles and grease going down the drain and your smell will go away. We wash dishes outside in a collapsible tub a little bigger than the sink after wiping out everything we can with paper towels. It's easier and eliminates this issue.
If that doesn't work for you, Do the same thing I do for the black tanks. After you dump the tanks, throw about a half a cup of Clorox down the drain and a cap full of the cheapest liquid water softener you can find and then put a couple gallons of water in there. Leave it in for the ride home to slosh around and it coats the tanks and your water level gauge and keeps it from stinking. Also recoats on the trip back to your next campsite and then gets dumped when you dump the tanks. Then Repeat.
RE: Workamper Wanted in Western Washington
Not saying the gentleman is but a fellow could post a few ads like this, make the job sound great, collect a few dozen application fee's and never hire anyone. That's the problem I would have for paying an application fee.
Really should be interviewing and reviewing Resumes First and then only doing the background check as a last step. Then the employer can afford to pay a $35 fee and make part of the job package that it is paid back in $5 increments out of your check each week (since he makes reference to Pay).
RE: BBQ table/stand
I've got a folding 6' x 3' table that is very similar, without the rack part. The Weber Q100 grill goes on half, the two burner coleman stove goes on the other half and I have room between them to put tongs, spoons and spatula's.
Sit's right under the side of the awning nearest the front of the camper which makes it nice to hook a supply line to the two 20lb propane tanks on the nose along with preventing anyone from walking that way and hitting their head on the awning support arm. Covered if it's raining or just hot and needing shade.
