tbutler

We have dual cable feeds on our KVH dish. Check your dish to see if it has dual feeds. The manufacturer for our coach only installed one cable from the dish into the coach. I had to install the second cable and route it to the rear (bedroom) TV but that allows us to view two different shows at the same time. This is really handy when you have young grandchildren on board. They can watch their TV programs and we can watch ours! I think that I could route both cables to the DVR and it would work as it does at home.

If our inverter is off it is because something is broken! We use 120V AC current all the time and keep it handy. It runs our residential refrigerator while we are on the road. We frequently have our electronics (computers, cell phones, tablets, two way radios, etc.) plugged in, charging, while traveling. When we stop driving for lunch or a rest stop, we can flip on the TV and check the weather or news. It is just like living at home, the AC electric is always there. We have automatic generator start function on the inverter and it turns on the generator when the battery charge drops too low. With this function, I never have to worry about damaging the batteries by letting them discharge below the recommended limit. In fact, Louise frequently uses the auto gen start in the morning when we are boondocking. She turns on the coffee pot. The draw on the batteries will trigger the auto gen start and we up and running for the day. The generator will run until the batteries have reached full charge and then the auto gen start function automatically shuts down the generator and we're back drawing on the batteries through the inverter. When the coach is in winter shut-down, parked next to our house, it is plugged in to 50A. The inverter is on then because it keeps the batteries charged. The auto gen start function is still active and I didn't realize there is an additional benefit until recently. If the generator is inactive for a month, it will automatically run the generator for it's monthly exercise. That isn't the best situation as the generator is running in a low load condition but it does take care of the generator if I've missed the monthly exercise schedule. So I view the inverter as the heart of the electrical system in our motor home. I also realize that not all inverters are created equal. Without many of these functions and how they are integrated into the electrical system the value of keeping the inverter on may be much less.

I'm puzzled by this statement. It sounds as if you are thinking of FMCA as a company. FMCA is an organization of motor home owners for motor home owners. It is a non-profit organization and doesn't try to compete with others that offer commercial services. There are many commercial organizations that are members of FMCA as well as a great many motor home owners. FMCA sponsors rallies to bring together motor home owners with motor home manufacturers and suppliers of equipment for motor homes. The rallies are great places to meet and visit with other motor home owners. As Herman has pointed out, there are many chapters or clubs that are special interest groups within FMCA. Herman and I are members of the Lone Star Chapter located in the Lone Star State, Texas. I also belong to Monaco International, an organization partially sponsored and supported by our manufacturer, Monaco. You will find over 100 other organizations, some local others nationwide, among the FMCA Chapters. When you become a member you get the FMCA goose egg to display on your coach. It might help you meet other FMCA members in campgrounds or on the road as you travel. Here on the forum you can get questions answered and participate in discussions about traveling in your motor home. There are also other services offered by some individuals. Some members offer their home as a stopping spot, a place where you might spend a night or two in an emergency. You can find them in the membership list here on line. There are also individuals who have volunteered to drive your motor home for you if the only driver or both drivers are unable to drive. Again, this is an emergency situation, not something to do routinely. Again, these members are noted in the membership list. We have been FMCA members since 2001 and have attended a number of international and chapter rallies. They are great experiences. Try to get to one this summer to really get the flavor of the organization. And, welcome to FMCA.

We spent the summer of 2006 in Alaska. We left Seattle and the US on Memorial Day and returned on Labor Day. It's an absolutely fantastic adventure. We went on our own. We don't stress over the planning, we take it a day at a time. We took our time going north through British Columbia, Yukon and Northern Territories. There is much to see along the route. We had one time when we couldn't find a campground, in Anchorage. They didn't have an opening (too many caravans) for a week so we spent the week on the Kenai Peninsula then returned to spend two weeks in Anchorage. We drove from Dawson Creek to Inuvik, Northern Territory, inside the Arctic Circle (toad only, not the motor home). We took a small charter plane from Fairbanks to Barrow, AK. I rented a Cessna in Anchorage and flew up to Denali one day and out the Matanuska Valley and over the Kenai Peninsula another day. We spent a night parked at the foot of the Matanuska Glacier and walked out onto the glacier the next morning. In Seward our campsite was right on the waterfront on Resurrection Bay. I watched a sea otter feeding on clams right from my recliner! We walked from our campground in Seward to the aquarium and spent a day exploring that. Another afternoon was spent at the Earthquake Museum in Valdez. In Hyder, AK we saw bears, up close! We rode bicycle trails and saw moose along the trail. We celebrated July 4 in Fairbanks at the city park with several thousand other Alaskans. Friends from our Texas campground took us by boat to their cabin in the wilderness and we spent several nights there. Moose traveled by the cabin each night and we almost ran over a moose calf on the boat trip back out of the wilderness. We hiked numerous trails, visited a Russian village, toured Denali National Park and stayed overnight at Kennecott Copper Mine and Mill in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. We have friends that have done the caravan trip and enjoyed it very much. We are just more comfortable traveling on our own at our own rate. However you go, enjoy your trip!

Everything is an adventure if you haven't done it before. Congratulations if you got through the whole long story. Louise has a favorite line from the musical Auntie Mame! "Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death." Rosalind Russel Looking that one up for accuracy, I also found this from Aristotle, "It is best to rise from life as from a banquet, neither thirsty nor drunken." So we're out there living life to the limits. This summer we're going to take our grandchildren out for some trips. We've done this before and it is always a joy. They are older now and I'm sure they will give me plenty to write about!

Medico has the key. The sensor unit must be firmly mounted. If bumpy roads shift the sensor unit then the calibration you have done is lost and the coach won't level properly. Our sensor unit is mounted in the storage compartment which is under the refrigerator. I think this was done to ensure that the refrigerator was level. To adjust my sensor I have to lay on my back and use a mirror to see the lights! After several rounds of doing this I put new screws in the mounting hardware and I haven't had to adjust it in years. I'm not worried about the butter! If I can get a wine glass to stay upright on the table, I'll live!

Our travel schedule for this summer is taking shape. We have a short trip coming up in two weeks so it is time to get the motor home road-ready. I took it out for a short drive several weeks ago and had it safety inspected for the Texas license renewal. Lights, wipers and horn all work. A brief look a the tires and a check of the current registration and insurance papers, verify the VIN and I'm good to go. On that drive I was reminded of a recurrent problem we've had. Our alternator has been slow to kick in, sometimes taking 5 or 10 minutes to start producing current. Once it gets going, it is good and has never failed us completely. I've taken it to a shop and they've checked it and found it working properly. Of course the problem is that it is thoroughly warmed up when I arrive at the shop. The problem shows up when we've been parked for several days or longer. I talked to a friend who has the same model and year coach as ours. He had his alternator rebuilt at a local repair shop, Ernie's Service. He is a NASCAR fan and has done some racing so he knows engines and engine service. I'm not a mechanic, I don't even play one on TV. I've done shade tree mechanic things like oil changes and simple replacement of parts of varying kinds. Using his information I tackled the removal of the alternator. Our motor home is a diesel pusher. The engine is mounted backward with the "front" of the engine facing the opening at the rear of the coach. With a side radiator arrangement, the engine compartment looks like there is plenty of room to work until you get yourself into that space. I've got a hose clamp strap end poking me in the chest and the oil dip stick digging into my shoulder. My feet are planted on the engine mounting frame and I'm leaning over trying to reach the wires which are located on the back side of the alternator as I'm looking at it. Not only are they on the other side of alternator, they are at the bottom of the alternator. So I'm hunched over the engine, my back is against the top of the compartment, I've got a trouble light to illuminate the area but nowhere to place it that will allow it to stay as I struggle with wrenches and stretch to get a better view. With my head now down behind the alternator, my glasses start slipping up onto my forehead. Whenever I tackle a job like this I always develop an appreciation for those who go to work every day to face challenges like this. There are five wires, the two main lines and three small sensor lines attached to our Leece-Neville alternator. I had been cautioned that one of the lines was hot even when everything in the coach was shut off. I did unplug, shut off the auto generator start, shut down that inverter/charger and then shut off the battery disconnect switches for both the house batteries and the chassis batteries. I checked voltage on each line and found only one of the sensor lines with an active current. I disconnected all the other wires and then the live sensor line. I had no problem, no spark so that seemed to be the solution. I covered the end of each wire with electrical tape to avoid inadvertent contact and sparking. Each wire had to be labeled to be certain that they were re-attached to the correct terminal. I used colored electrical tape to identify the wires and photographed the terminals on alternator to help me remember exactly where each should go. There were two terminals that had no wires attached. The next challenge was removing the serpentine belt. I understood the nature of the tensioner but didn't know exactly how to release the tension. Checking with my friend, I got the low-down on the relatively simple procedure. I hadn't even noticed the square indention in the arm of the tensioner. That indentation serves as an attachment point for a 1/2 inch socket driver. Use the breaker bar as a lever and pull the tensioner just enough to release the tension on the belt and slip if off the alternator. Louise provided the third hand that I needed as an awkward position and ability to release the tensioner required two hands on the breaker bar. Louise was able to easily slip the belt off the pulley on the alternator. The final challenge was to remove the mounting bolts. The top one was easy, the nut came off without a fight. The second bolt, on the bottom and more exposed to the spray from the rear wheels was stuck tight. Of course the only place I could get any torque on that bolt was on my back under the motor home. I sprayed a little Liquid Wrench on the bolt and gave it a few minutes and it finally came loose. Once broken loose, I could remove it working from above. I slipped the top bolt out of its collar and the alternator was free. Now I had to lift it free of the mounting and out of the coach. I had to stop several times to re-grip, the pulley doesn't make a very good hand grip! An alternator is filled with copper wiring and is quite heavy. Working in an awkward position with limited space to move makes lifting something much more difficult than just picking it up. Getting the alternator around the mounting points and clear of the wires and other obstructions was something like solving one of those puzzles with two pieces of wire linked together. Once out I placed the alternator in a plastic pan lined with cardboard for it's trip to the repair shop. I didn't want it rolling around in the car. I couldn't find Ernie's Service on my first try. It is located at the intersection of two interstate highways, I-69 and I-2 in Pharr, Texas. It is difficult to explore the access road in the area so I started to make a second try. As I circled back toward the area where I though the shop was located I spotted an auto repair shop. I stopped and asked directions. The mechanic in the shop knew right away where the shop was and how to get there. I was two minutes away and had been looking in the wrong place. Pulling into Ernie's Service, I assessed it to be a pretty simple operation and I was correct. They work on generators, starters and alternators. Walking into the shop I find myself among a sea of scrapped electrical equipment. Ernie is definitely waiting for the price of Copper to rise. I told him I needed an alternator repaired. He asked what kind of vehicle it came from. I replied "a motor home", expecting a groan of some kind from Ernie. But that isn't what I got. He turned to his assistant and said, "probably a 2825." I went to the car to retrieve the alternator and sure enough, there on the label was "Sales No. 2825LC." I thought, "OK, this guy knows this alternator, this is good." Re-entering the shop a woman who had been standing next to Ernie met me in front of the counter and took the alternator off my hands. She took it to Ernie, he looked it over commenting on the condition as he turned it over. He was pleased it wasn't corroded, my work with the wire brush had paid off. He said they would put it on the test stand, "no charge." They hooked it up, their electric motor spun the alternator, faster and faster and still the needle on the gauge didn't budge. They hooked up a battery and still no current could be detected. Ernie agreed with my assessment of the problem, brushes might be the problem. He would fix it if he could. He muttered something about possible other problems, electronics, etc. He said they would replace the brushes and bushings. The charge would be for parts and labor, labor being $40.00 per hour. Then he said, "11." I'm thinking "11, 11 what, 11 hundred, as in dollars?" He meant 11:00 a.m. tomorrow. I was stunned, it was 4:00 p.m. and he was going to have it done tomorrow morning. Our trip is coming up in two weeks and I was just hoping I'd be able to get it back several days before then. His assistant assured me they had the parts in stock. He called about 10:30 the next morning to let me know that the alternator was ready. When I picked up the alternator, Ernie showed me the brushes. They were little stubs about the size of a pencil eraser. New ones are over an inch long. There was hardly anything left of them. Ernie said they were stuck in the channel that holds them, he had to force them out of the holder. That would explain why they weren't making contact until things warmed up. We were lucky they hadn't failed in some remote location like the roads we traveled last fall in Labrador! The bill for the repair was less than $80.00. I was amazed. If I had gone to a shop and had the alternator removed and a rebuilt one installed in it's place, the bill likely would have been more like $800, I know because I've had it done several times. Of course that would have involved someone else doing the removal and re-installation. So I was well paid for my mechanical adventure. Re-installing the alternator was easier and faster than the removal process. I didn't even drop any of the tiny nuts or washers. An inventory of tools used and putting everything away finished the process this morning. If you are in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and need starter or alternator service, Ernie's Service is the place to go! The shop looks humble but the service is fantastic and prices are really reasonable. Even if you have someone remove the part for you, take it to Ernie, you won't be disappointed. Next on my list of things to get road-ready is the water system. Louise wants to do some cleaning and has informed me that she needs to have the water on. Each day will bring another task, loading clothes, food, tools and other supplies. Tires are on the last thing on the list. I'll adjust the pressure when we're ready to leave. The Pressure Pro sensors indicate the tires have held their pressure during the winter. I've got a set of tires waiting at a shop on the way to our destination for this first trip. With the new set of tires we should be ready for a good summer of travel.

I wish I had kept count last summer, it seemed like every campground we visited had an elevated sewer connection. I'm creative about elevating my hose but when you have to raise the coach, it is just plain stupid. I think many of those are built with trailers in mind. Their outlet is frequently several feet off the ground. I prefer to dump with the 3" hose but I've got a self-installed macerator and love it when needed.

The bill for our residential refrigerator came it at $2100 plus the $900 for the refrigerator. That bill also included a new set of chassis batteries and a water pump as well as some work on our water heater so it was likely near $2500 for the complete job. I didn't lift a hand. Two days, in and out and done. It has more room than the NoCold and automatic defrost, ice and water through the door, and I can park on any slope, no worries about keeping it level. I'd never go back!

I thought that was a Cinnabun. Whatever works! Hate to leave the expensive hardware plastered on some overpass!

Here is our routine for generator use and battery charging during a typical day on the road, not saying the night at a campground. After a day on the road we'll settle in for the night. If we're at Walmart, rest area or other parking area, not a campground, we'll start the generator, take care of dinner, showers, watch some TV, catch up with internet and computer details and by then the house batteries are at full charge. We shut down the generator for the night. If it's real cold, the furnace may drain the batteries to the point where the auto-start on the generator will turn it back on during the night but most nights that doesn't happen. In the morning we turn on the generator, make coffee, cook breakfast and check weather and news on TV and we're on our way with the generator running. When the batteries are fully charged, the auto-start function will shut the generator down and we won't use the generator until the next night. If you don't have auto-start with your generator, you just have to monitor the battery charge on your own. It is good to charge the batteries to full before shutting down the generator and also good to make sure you don't discharge the batteries below a certain level. The generator auto-start function takes care of watching that for us, just handy. It can also be done manually. As Brett mentioned, it doesn't make any difference to the charging device whether the input is 120V AC from the shore power or from the generator, the output to the batteries is exactly the same. There is a difference in cost. After we had run our 7.5 KW generator for 1000+ hours I did a cost analysis including estimated fuel used, maintenance and repair costs and running the generator costs us about $2.50 per hour. Running the generator for eight hours costs about $20. It makes a $30 charge for a night in a campground look much more practical. Eight hours is longer than we normally run the generator in a 24 hour period.

All good points. Our travel pattern has been to set out on a trip, stop where we want and go when we want. If a place looks interesting we'll spend a week, maybe more. If we see one thing that looks like fun we'll stop, maybe see it on the run, maybe stay overnight and move on. We've spent as much as a month in a few locations. Traveling like that makes a motor home very practical. Our winters we have been parked for five to six months in one place. It's like Jekyl and Hyde, but we still like the motor home much better. In the summer we hardly spend any time in camp, during the winter the campground is our reason for being there. We've traveled in areas where staying in motels or cabins and exploring would have been totally impractical. Several years ago we traveled by car for a long trip, motels, etc. It was such a pain, the only reason I would do it again was if we just had to cover a long distance really fast. I hate dragging suit cases around. We did New Zealand and Australia in a really small Class C camper and it was a much scaled down version of the motor home. We didn't have all the conveniences but our style of travel translated to the camper almost as if we were still in our motor home. Louise really developed an appreciation for our motor home and its comforts, I really felt at home with the travel style. We spent many days well away from any motel type accommodation. When we first started full timing we looked at trailers and one of the big tipping points for us was the "basement" storage. That and the convenience of a car (or SUV in our case) with it's decent mileage and comfort and handling on the road when out exploring on smaller roads made the difference. We priced a new trailer and a heavy duty pickup truck and it was the same as a used motor home, we bit for the motor home and haven't looked back. We might down-size our motor home some day but I don't think I'd ever change to a trailer.

Here is a link to etrailer.com, They carry a wide variety of cargo hauling items. If I were faced with this I would go to an enclosed trailer that could accommodate my toad and the grill... or I would sell my current toad and purchase a pick-up truck that could be towed. The grill goes in the pickup truck! I suppose a cargo van could also work as a toad if any can be towed four wheels down. Let me know where you are and I'll come help you unload!!!

We prefer the heat provided by the propane furnace as opposed to the heat pumps. We sometimes use them when the temperatures are in the mid to upper 50's and up. When it gets really cold, nothing replaces the warm air of the furnace. We do occasionally use small electric heaters when we need a little heat in one room or another.

Central Florida to Cody, Wyoming or Gardiner, Montana? Culture shock and weather shock all in one package! Let us know what your plans are after you try that!!! You could probably rent the home of someone who is spending the winter in central Florida!

I've been thinking of doing this, great idea and great instructions. Now I've got my project for the summer! Thanks for posting.

Well, I just plugged your intended side trip into my mapping program. It shows elevations from 6000 feet at the Grand Canyon to Sea Level at Santa Barbara and San Francisco with elevations ranging between 300 and then up to 4000 feet in between. Then going to Las Vegas, you will go up to 4000 feet, down to 500 feet and then back to 4000 feet. Las Vegas is at about 2000 feet elevation. The real fun starts as you leave Las Vegas. The elevation goes up to 6000 feet then back down to 4000 before going to about 11,000 as you go over the Rockies west of Denver which is at 5200 feet. That is all approximate and based on the automatic routing that I have set. There are ways to get to Denver for instance without going to 11,000 feet. That elevation is on I-70 which is the direct and shortest route from Las Vegas to Denver. You can go through Salt Lake City and then pick up I-80 and cross the Rockies at about 8000 feet in Wyoming with no real mountain grades once you get into Wyoming. It is a good climb out of Salt Lake City to Wyoming but there aren't any scary views over the side of the road. Some really great scenery! We've driven all these roads with our 40' motor home towing an SUV but I've gone nearly everywhere and seen some real mountain roads. If you aren't experienced in driving mountains, this would be a real good introduction, maybe too much on I-70 into Denver. Your wife probably has a different opinion about that trip if she is worried about mountain driving. If mountains are a real fear for her, you could do some checking on routes and find some alternate routes that may take some of the mountains out of the trip but when you get out west, you are going to see some mountain roads. The interstates are usually the most gentle grades and the best surface. You don't indicate the kind of engine you have. With our diesel, mountains are less of a concern than with a gas coach.

I'd be surprised if they travel as well as trailers designed for being on the road all the time. They may be designed to be moved infrequently with long stays on site in each location. It might work for work campers. It might also be a good choice for people who are currently living out of their cars! We've parked at Walmart's that have people who are sleeping in their cars, washing up in the restrooms and getting food at the fast food restaurant on site. It is a sad sight to see. Seriously, we have many people who are living in marginal conditions that could possibly have a mini home. It would be better than sleeping on a park bench or sleeping in your car. I have no idea how expensive they are. I'm sure that fancy designers are willing to provide all kinds of interesting design features for $$ but a simple one could be constructed for little money I would think.

I consider the toppers a plus. The do seem to keep the slide cooler. When the sun shines on the side of our coach with slides (we have only two on the drivers side), the coach is cooler. I seldom have to worry about debris under ours. I've replaced the canvas for both once and had the spring replaced in one several years ago. I have noticed that the high end coaches do eliminate almost all awnings, windows, slides, etc. The awnings do increase air resistance, noise and reduce fuel mileage. A coach without awnings has a much cleaner look than one with awnings. Still, I use my awnings constantly and consider them valuable for making the interior of the coach cooler. They help reduce the load on the air conditioners. If you park in the shade all the time, you wouldn't need awnings to help keep cool. I don't like to park under trees because of the mess and the possible interference with TV reception. Given a choice, I'll choose an open campsite as opposed to being under trees.

We full timed for almost 10 years and had a the typical Splendide washer/dryer. Ours was vented. We used a similar model in both motor homes we had during that time and we still use it. When we are traveling, we'll hold laundry to be done when we have full hookups and then Louise will hit the laundry hard, running loads one after another. If something isn't quite dry it gets hung out in the motor home, the shower is a common area we use. I have a rod that fits across the top of the shower that will accommodate plastic hangers. There are times when she will just leave a load in for an additional run in the dryer, it just depends on her schedule and how many other loads she has to run. She does bedding in several washes, you can't put all the sheets and pillow cases in a load and have it come out clean and dry. There is a convenience factor that Louise appreciates. She isn't sitting around watching the washer/dryer, it beeps when done and then she can attend it. We've had to use the equipment in parks from time to time, large loads, special needs, etc. We much prefer the ability to wash at "home." The W/D in our new motor home died about three years after we started using it. Camping World came out and did a repair on site at that time. About a year and a half later it died again. I talked to the tech at Splendide and he indicated it was a control board failure (same as first time). They sent out a new control board at our expense but he also included a new pigtail. He stated that the pigtail should have been replaced before. The connection with the board if it isn't good will corrode and cause overheating of the board. So Camping World should have replaced that pigtail when they did the job. This time I did the replacement myself. I carefully treated the connectors with anti corrosive electrical grease. The W/D is still working today. At the time of that second repair I considered converting to a stacking set but Louise wanted the additional closet space. The replacement control board was cheaper than the W/D pair for a stacking unit so I decided to give the Splendide one more trial. If it ever fails completely, I'll likely convert as the dual units would be cheaper than the combo Splendide unit. In any event, we would definitely have a washer/dryer in our motor home. As you can see from above comments, it is a personal decision. Consider your own habits of motor home travel. Are you rarely connected to full hookups? Are you moving frequently or do you stay in one place for an extended time? Are you comfortable with carrying or transporting the laundry to the campground laundry facilities? Those facilities vary considerably from non-existent to just a washer or two. Sometimes they aren't kept too clean and you just live with it. Sometimes large facilities in a nearby community work but you are at the laundromat until the load is finished. You will be feeding the washers and dryers money constantly and they have become more expensive over time. We've used all the above options at one time or another for various reasons. Our default has always been to use the unit in the motor home.

Sorry to see so much animus toward Canada. We've traveled all over Canada, every province with the exception of Nunavut, in the motor home. There are still places I want to see and we'll get there sometime. We had a marvelous experience in Newfoundland and Labrador last summer. When we went to Alaska we spent a month getting through British Columbia Yukon and Northwest Territories. I love exploring different places and seeing new and different scenery. We have many Canadian friends that winter with us in the southern tip of Texas and they always welcome us for a short stay when we are in their neighborhood. Canada is on sale right now, the exchange rate with US dollars is incredibly in our favor. If you want to visit Canada, this is the year. If you don't want to visit Canada, that is your loss.

Ray, I'm sure that is a tough decision. We'll all get there one day, one way or another. I hope that you will feel welcome to continue your posts to the forum. I always appreciated your thoughts on problems. Best wishes to you and Hana. Tom & Louise

There are plenty of them here but you will have to come take a look, book a short stay at a park near Bentsen State Park on the western end of the valley, a week or two and use the time to travel around touring some of the parks. Then you might spend a week or two at a park in the Harlingen area and do the same with parks in that area. This link has information on a number of RGV facilities. It lists 89 RV parks. For an independent review, check RV Park Reviews. The parks in the RGV vary widely in condition, activity schedule, clientele, number of campsites, etc. Many have a full set of interesting activities on the grounds. If you enjoy bird watching and walking or bicycling in a state park, Bentsen State Park and the parks near there offer some great facilities right near the park. Some are really nice ($$) and others are simpler ($). Throughout the valley there are parks which have dance facilities. If you love to dance you'll find a number to choose from each weekend. Many have live bands. You don't have to live in the park to attend dances there. Most parks are a mixture of RV and mobile home sites. If you are interested in fishing and beach activities there are parks in the Port Isabel area that have docks at your site, bring your boat! There are good golf facilities throughout the RGV and the rates are quite reasonable. There are so many variables that I can't make a recommendation. I'm certain you can find one that fits you just like a glove. Rather than pick one from the brochure, use your trip this year to visit a number of them, explore the valley and then make your reservation for next year. This is a great time of year to come try things out. Our overnight temperatures are in the 50's and 60's and daytime temperatures are in the low to mid 80's. There will still be a few cool days but they become the rare exception as February goes on. By March you can count on 60's at night and 80's or 90's during the day.

Our ten gallon Suburban water heater is still going strong after 12 years and 150,000 miles. The electric side quit several years ago and I had the heating element and switch replaced with no success but the gas side continues to function just fine. Several years ago I decided to try a water softener and purchased a Travel Soft Water Softener. There are other companies that make similar units. Using a water softener will help your tank last longer as it takes the minerals out of the water before they are concentrated in the water heater tank. This applies to any kind of water heater and especially the type mentioned below. When the Suburban dies I have my sights set on an instant hot water heater from Girard. I just checked on the Precision Temp model that jleamont mentioned, it has a higher BTU rating which means it can heat incoming water to a higher temperature. I'll have to consider both. There may be others out there as well. It's an emerging market. This type unit has several advantages including endless hot water and no storage tank. Water is heated as it flows through the water heater. It is propane only, they don't have a propane/electric model. It uses a lot of propane while the hot water is running but it uses no propane when the hot water isn't running so the net result is that it saves propane. With no storage tank you are eliminating the weight of the tank and water it holds. The Girard tankless water heater weighs just 23 pounds (the Precison Temp model weighs 32 pounds) when the lines are filled with water. Both these water heaters are sized to drop in to the space left by the standard water heater with a cover that matches the size of the cover on the standard water heater cover. I've used tankless water heaters in hotels and homes before and found their performance to be comparable to a standard water heater. The endless hot water aspect means no waiting for the tank to heat up after the water heater has been shut off or after someone else has used all the hot water.

All that is happening before we are ready to leave the Rio Grande Valley. Likely pack up in late April or early May. Unfortunately, I don't have any family east of the Mississippi and that is ruling our travels more and more each year. We'll be watching for the next FMCA National in the central or western states, mid to late summer are best for us.