RE: City Water Flowing Into Fresh Water Tank
The diverter valve on our Newmar had a plastic handle. The inside of plastic handle stripped out so that movement of the handle did not switch the valve. I removed the single screw in the handle and took the handle off. The valve stem was a brass square which I could then move with a wrench or pliers. Had to replace the valve since the handle was not available as a separate part.
RE: Newmar slide out not working
My 2011 Ventana 3433, passenger side slide, has two chains (one on each side) as part of the slide mechanism. I had a chain break last year. Repair shop did not know that roller chain is interchangable between different manufacturers. If you have a broken chain, and the repair shop does not have parts, any industrial power transmission supply house should be able to provide parts.
Campground rating details
For the past 10+ years we had primarily relied on Trailer Life Directory to locate campgrounds that might best meet our needs. There were some limitations, but I gradually figured out how to read between the lines a bit, and we learned to live with the results of using that publication.
Flash forward to this this summer’s travels: We have started supplementing our T/L selections with feedback from rvparkreviews.com. What a pleasant addition, to know about tight campsites, noisy permanent residents, old and/or poorly maintained facilities, and sour personnel! I am much more pleased with our campground selections this year than we have been in the past.
I think T/L has historically taken a “clinical” approach, limiting itself to measurable data, while rvparkreviews brings in real experiences from other RVers. I would like to see a printed directory (T/L or other) that is willing to include more subjective details.
I can’t help but wonder if T/L isn’t missing the boat a here. Perhaps they should realize that we, having used both sources this past year, find ourselves relying less and less on T/L. If our fellow RV travelers follow the same trend, it would not bode well for T/L directory sales. However, I suspect management would not be willing to take on subjective considerations, especially under the Good Sam ownership banner and a profit motive. That would leave GS a bit of dilemma: how to be more relevant and yet keep within corporate objectives.
A campground trend, or have I been oblivious?
Over the past couple years of summer travel, it would appear to me that there has been a shift in clientele at the commercial RV parks we have stayed at. I would sense that there are far more permanent residents, seasonals, and people who are working in that locale (both tradesmen and professionals). These are not low cost campgrounds, but typically those that achieve high ratings, and ones which have a good curb appeal. We stay from one to several days, but seem to see fewer travelers like ourselves. Our perception is not for any one area, as we have covered much of the country from the east coast to the west coast over the past two years; however, I must admit that I’ve become even more aware this year while we’ve covered a lot of the Pacific Northwest.
Is this a trend, or have I been oblivious to my fellow campers in previous years? If there is a shift here, I wonder what it means for the future for the transient RVer. Your opinions?
