RVing

[mike]

Wow, Mike: That's possibly the best caulking job I've ever seen on an RV! I'm glad you have a fiberglass roof. Some Class As have a rubber roof. You have a quality unit there it looks like. How long is your rig?

PS: I'm sorry about the long post but I tried to categorize it and make it usable for you with some of the most helpful info. Feel free to pick my brain though at my age, the pickings are getting slimmer by the year.

Almost forgot:
Definitely install a deadlock on your entry doors for safety reasons.
One thing I also learned from experience is to keep a spare set of my keys to the motorhome on a lanyard around my neck that I make sure I always have on. We got locked out of the motorhome one time. Hopefully never again.

Good tips. Thanks.

[MaxPC]

Wow, Mike: That's possibly the best caulking job I've ever seen on an RV! I'm glad you have a fiberglass roof. Some Class As have a rubber roof. You have a quality unit there it looks like. How long is your rig?

PS: I'm sorry about the long post but I tried to categorize it and make it usable for you with some of the most helpful info. Feel free to pick my brain though at my age, the pickings are getting slimmer by the year.

It's a 36 footer. I'm glad for the long post and I am sure I will probably revisit it when needed.

My next job is getting water stains and mold/mildew out of the ceiling where the water leaked around the skylight.

Please allow me to make one very important suggestion for your safety when dealing with mold:
Wear safety goggles and a mask. Some of that mold may be black mold which is a huge hazard for your respiratory system (as in requiring hospitalization in cases). Full strength bleach would be best.

I will say that when we had the same problem with our rig when we first bought it, I had someone else do the mold removal. They wore a hazmat suit with a respirator and when finished, they opened it up and let it air out for 5 days.

[mike]

Please allow me to make one very important suggestion for your safety when dealing with mold:
Wear safety goggles and a mask. Some of that mold may be black mold which is a huge hazard for your respiratory system (as in requiring hospitalization in cases). Full strength bleach would be best.

I will say that when we had the same problem with our rig when we first bought it, I had someone else do the mold removal. They wore a hazmat suit with a respirator and when finished, they opened it up and let it air out for 5 days.

And thanks again!

[RZehr]

Definitely install a deadlock on your entry doors for safety reasons.

For sure. And not just for external threats. A few years ago we rented an RV in Alaska, and we were barreling down the highway at 50 miles per hour and my 2 year old just casually opened the side door. Standing down at the bottom step, inches from falling out.

We then made sure the deadbolt was used. However, later the 2 year old casually slid back the bolt and opened the door showing that he knew how that worked too.

[MaxPC]

Definitely install a deadlock on your entry doors for safety reasons.

For sure. And not just for external threats. A few years ago we rented an RV in Alaska, and we were barreling down the highway at 50 miles per hour and my 2 year old just casually opened the side door. Standing down at the bottom step, inches from falling out.

We then made sure the deadbolt was used. However, later the 2 year old casually slid back the bolt and opened the door showing that he knew how that worked too.

God was surely looking after him!

[mike]

Definitely install a deadlock on your entry doors for safety reasons.

For sure. And not just for external threats. A few years ago we rented an RV in Alaska, and we were barreling down the highway at 50 miles per hour and my 2 year old just casually opened the side door. Standing down at the bottom step, inches from falling out.

We then made sure the deadbolt was used. However, later the 2 year old casually slid back the bolt and opened the door showing that he knew how that worked too.

So you let the kids roam the RV while driving? This does bring up another thing I need to work on, and that is installing seat belts on every seat and everything that looks like a seat so we are legal with the amount of passengers. From what I can find online, seat belt rules are the same as any other vehicle. Varies a bit state by state for adults in rear seats, but pretty much all states require kids to be buckled in wherever they are in the vehicle.

[MaxPC]

Definitely install a deadlock on your entry doors for safety reasons.

For sure. And not just for external threats. A few years ago we rented an RV in Alaska, and we were barreling down the highway at 50 miles per hour and my 2 year old just casually opened the side door. Standing down at the bottom step, inches from falling out.

We then made sure the deadbolt was used. However, later the 2 year old casually slid back the bolt and opened the door showing that he knew how that worked too.

So you let the kids roam the RV while driving? This does bring up another thing I need to work on, and that is installing seat belts on every seat and everything that looks like a seat so we are legal with the amount of passengers. From what I can find online, seat belt rules are the same as any other vehicle. Varies a bit state by state for adults in rear seats, but pretty much all states require kids to be buckled in wherever they are in the vehicle.

Very true, Mike. I will say that in an RV it's not hard for a clever little one to unbuckle himself and try to roam because it seems like another room to them, something we learned with our 3 year old grandson. He's a bit of a monkey. We finally got a car seat and battened him down like a ship in a hurricane.

[RZehr]

We did let them roam. I think the only seat belts were the front two seats. I didn’t check the Alaskan laws though.

[mike]

We did let them roam. I think the only seat belts were the front two seats. I didn’t check the Alaskan laws though.

My guess is that isn't so unusual for RVs. I am pretty sure you could just not worry about having belts for everybody and probably get away with it. But I don't want to be stuck 500 miles from home wishing I had fixed it up right. And I don't think I feel comfortable with 11 loose people rolling around the vehicle.

[MaxPC]

We did let them roam. I think the only seat belts were the front two seats. I didn’t check the Alaskan laws though.

My guess is that isn't so unusual for RVs. I am pretty sure you could just not worry about having belts for everybody and probably get away with it. But I don't want to be stuck 500 miles from home wishing I had fixed it up right. And I don't think I feel comfortable with 11 loose people rolling around the vehicle.

PASSENGERS
I would definitely check the websites for road laws in each state you're going to travel through. Most states do require buckling up. The sofa in our motorhome also has seat belts (they're shoved down into the cushions) and the dinette has them on the forward facing bench (again shoved down into the cushions). We have to pull them out and buckle up when we start rolling.

Board games, card games, books and even small dvd players are the go-tos that RVers use to keep passengers occupied while they drive. "License Plate Spotting", "I-Spy" and "Punch Bug" are favorite games but in our family the winner doesn't get to punch someone. They get a candy bar or other treat. One of our family members calls this tactic for children, "distract and conquer".

Other temptations are wanting to open the fridge to get snacks. Trying to run the water or go to the toilet, etc. When we had grandchildren with us, we made it a point to make a pit stop every 3-4 hours to top off the gas tank and to take bathroom break, walk and look around. The exercise helped the little ones to nap too. It took longer to get to the destination but not by much. It was far better than having "accidents" and "aggravations" while in motion. We carried three old milk jugs of water to use for flushing the toilet while in motion but made it a point to tell our young passengers that it wasn't to be used too frequently. That everyone was expected to use the lavvy at the pit stop. Generally we taught them up front what the rules are for riding in an RV.

OTHER TIPS
That brings up another thought about RVing trips. You get worse gas mileage if your fresh water and/or black water tanks are full during travel.

Make checklists for breaking down for travel and for setting up in the campsite. The checklists help plenty when you have people talking at you and other distractions.
Here's the items on my checklists.

Prep for Travel checklist:
Put up the shore lines for electric, water and sewer.
Check the campsite for chairs and other equipment that belongs to us and stow in the RV.
Secure all dishes and put away all objects sitting loose on the counters and other surfaces - they become flying objects when you brake or have to brake suddenly.
Close the awning.
Pull up the door steps and secure them.
Lock the doors and close the windows/skylights and lock them because if you stop, thieves have been known to break into rvs at restaurants, trucks tops, gas stations. Open windows also increase drag and lower gas mileage.
Switch the fridge from electric to LP.
Turn off the hot water heater.
Remove and put up the wheel chocks.
Check the tires, the radiator and the batteries.
Empty all the tanks into the dump station.
Pull out the seat belts and buckle up.
Check out at the office.

Setting up:
Check in at the office.
Park and chock the wheels.
Connect up to electric, water and sewer (if applicable).
Pull out everything we need.

It might be good if you could assign some of the older children to help with the checklists. One could be responsible for checking windows and doors. Another checking the campsite for items to put away, etc.