Tressa

Moderators: Linda S. or Derikupnorth, Can you make a new category titled "Roof Repair, water damage and leaky windows" ?? Your blog has become so popular that yet another category in forum is needed to capture all the intellegent advice. Thank you. Tressa

I have a 1986 Toyota New Horizon that wouldn't hold water. The water pump would run when turned on but no water would come out. I would fill the tank but the water would leak under the cab and run out from underside of the rig. I hired a mechanic/handyman to fix the problem. He had to remove the table from the wall and unscrew the chair. He tore out the carpet and unscrewed the screws that was holding the board down. Then he inspected the tank. The water tank holds 24 gallons of water. He disconnected the wires and took it outside to check for leaks, It didn't have any leaks. The water pump itself was working okay cycling on and off as it should. The trouble was with the water regulator. All the gaskets were rotted out and was sucking air. Once he removed the water pressure regulator and hooked the wires back up to the tank all is working again! I have running water! Thanks, Mike. Having running water is a luxury.

I was driving down the road and my rig starts making this horrible creaky sound. I would stop and it would creak. I would drive and it would creak. I got in it and jumped up and down and it creaked. What could it be? I was thinking my shocks or struts. I asked a fellow r.v. er. Get some Wd40 spray down the rusty suspension leaves near the back tires. It should do the trick. I got under the rig took my trusty can of Wd40 and sprayed it down twice. After letting it soak sure enough, the creak went away!! An easy fix. Whew!

Murpheys law: I broke my vent cover pulling out from underneath a tree. It is not the standard one you get at a camper store. Does anyone have any ideas of where I can buy a 3 foot by 2 foot skylight/escape hatch. Any suggestion would help. Thanks

Ever had this happen? Bummer Bumper! I pulled into Starbucks parking lot and my bumper fell off! Scrapeeee. It was welded back on within the hour. Fixed.

A bread box is a great idea! One major problem though, living in a small toyota Rv there is no room let alone counter space for such luxuries! I will just have to keep it back from the edge of the counter.

If I bought a bigger heater then I would worry about the extra weight! And then the question becomes where do I put it to leave it run all day. Not much space in my little guy to store it. No, I think I will stay with the little space heater and use my artic sleeping bag for now. I don't run it all night because it drys out my nose. Putting foam under the mattress cut the cold by at least 90%!!! The difference is amazing. I will be putting foam up on the walls soon! I think it will make a difference there too.

I love my toyota! It may be small but it is comfortable for one. You are right most full timers drive big mansions or fifth wheels but I like taking it slow and putt putting around the town. Workamping is fun. There is a lot of comradere among the rv'ers. Strangers become friends. I have never heard of them specifying workampers having an rv 32 foot or more...in some forests or parks they have to be 32 foot or less because of camping space

Hmmm putting foam insulation on the wall isn't such a bad idea. I am going to have to try it next weekend. I am tired of being cold. I am willing to try anything. and winter here hasn't really started. Dan, are you talking about having the car running and the heater on in front of cab because my car heater works great when I am driving. it is when we are parked that she gets cold. When I replaced the wood over the cab area there is no, I repeat, no insulation in there. It is made out of Fiber glass only. Fred, I have a 21 foot toyota New horizon. the cabover fits a twin matress. it is comfortable for one. the couch is extremely uncomfortable. it needs new foam!I dont even sit on it because the butt becomes sore because it is so hard. I bought a twin foam matress from Ikea. It is sort of hard with a secondary foam mattress to make it softer. if that makes sense. it is very light weight and very comfortable. Also I am full timing and I like to have seprate rooms. I have a kitchen, a living room, and a bedroom. I have an acordian door between the kitchen and living room, when I shut that door turn on the electric heater, I stay warm. Same with bedroom area. I don't fall asleep with my electic heater on. I just turn it on to warm up the area, crawl under my artic sleeping. bag and i am toasty! Yes the furnace works but uses alot of propane if I am boondocking I use it.but when in civilization/ie rv park I have electric heater. here is what my sliding bedroom wall and accordian door look like

Old fashioned pour through cone. You take your coffee filter put it in the cone, put your coffee in filter put cone over cup and pour hot water in. Coffee comes out. mmm good!

You can go to my travel blog and see what I posted about my first few days working for them: ajoyfultraveler.wordpress.com When do you start?

I'm a workamper for Amazon. Not in Kentucky though. It is very easy work. You will stand on your feet 10 hours a day and walk and walk and walk. You will be in very good shape by the time you leave. There are several positions in their warehouse. You have recievers, stowers, pickers, packers, inventory control and of course staff management. Amazon takes care of their Camperforce. As long as you show up and do the work your in. It is awesome the comradary that you find among the full time rv ers who work for Amazon. I too am in my little guy. a Toyota New Horizon.

My Convertor went out this summer on my 1986 New Horizon. What do you do when you are in the boondocks and your house lights go out? Always be prepared! Things happen. It is called Murphy's law. 1. Buy at least a 400 watt inverter: It plugs onto your coach battery with cables. It works for lights and for your lap top too. I have a white extension cord I stick through the window to plug into the inverter. A little tacky but it works. 2. Buy a small lamp with minimum wattage or buy florescent lights to plug into your inverter! If your coach lights go out you still have light. 3. Have a package of small tea light candles on board. It is amazing how 3 small candles light up the darkness and add romantic ambiance. We are so far removed from candle light. Did you know you can use olive oil to make a oil lamp? Take a piece of string, a paperclip, a small jar, and little olive oil and light it. It burns clean. 4. Have a few flashlights handy with fresh batteries. Put them in a place where you can find them in the dark. In any case it is always good to be prepared!

Is this what you call Murphey’s law? I was parked under a tree at my sister’s house and enjoying the shade during the heat of the day. I put the vent up over the bed to get some fresh air circulating. Well, when I went to leave, I forgot to put the vent cover in the down position and pulled out. I heard a crunching sound and thought that I ran over something. I didn’t give it any thought until tonight when I went to bed. I could see daylight through vent cover. In the morning I got up on the roof to discover that the front half of the vent cover 2 feet by 2 inches was missing. I took duct tape and put two pieces together to make a side and then taped that to the top of the vent. Well, it started to rain shortly after I finished. It worked okay, sort of until I woke up at 3 am with a section of my bed wet. There was a steady drip, but not a downpour like it could have been. Oh the joy of forgetfulness. I will have to special order a vent cover when I get paid next week. Won’t be doing that again. (I posted this on my travel blog: Http://ajoyfultraveler.wordpress.com)

Sometimes during a very long road trip my dogs look like this: Cheers, Tressa quote: Be like a dog, if you can't eat it, pee on it and walk away. If only life were that easy!

I have two furry friends that I love to pieces, but sometimes yell, “I hate dogs!” I came back to the dog’s R.V. Twice this week to find that they had eaten my bread. The first was a bag of tortillas. I opened the door to the R.V to find a half-eaten bag on the floor. The dogs had even eaten the plastic bag in their pleasure, for there was no remains of plastic bags anywhere to be found. After I yelled: “I hate dogs!” I proceeded to salvaged the rest of the bag of tortillas by cutting them in half. Have you ever tried to eat a half of a burrito? O, brother. The second time this week, I left the dogs in their R.V. And came back to a half eaten loaf of bread. I share with my dogs and give them the crusts whenever I eat a sandwhich. So what do I find? The dogs only tore off the crusts and left the middle for me. Again there was no remains of the plastic bags. Now why do yell I hate dogs? Because they’re common bread thieves! –For the love of dogs, Tressa http://ajoyfultraveler.wordpress.com

Living and sleeping in a small rv can be challenging in cold weather. If you have ever woke up in the middle of the night with your hips frozen, your body shivering and your teeth chattering, You know you are living in an uninsulated, very unpleasant environment. I didn't know what to do. So first I bought a sleeping pad for sleeping on the ground. I put that under the mattress but still woke up shivering, with my hips frozen and my teeth chattering. I then went out and bought a very warm arctic sleeping bag. To heck with blankets! Okay I do have one of those thick lap throws that I use when the sleeping bag is too hot. Well the sleeping bag and the camping pad worked some but when it is 35 degrees out side it seems that the cab underneath your mattress is like a refrigerator and you end up in the freezer. There had to be a better way! I took a 4 x 8 styrofoam piece of insulation and put that under my mattress and it is the difference between sleeping in heaven and sleeping in the other place. The other thing I did was make a 2 piece sliding wall for the bedroom area. Once I enclosed the cabover I put a little space heater in there on a small shelf, turn that puppy on for a few minutes let it heat up and I am sleeping in luxury! Dream on! Tressa

I have been on the road in my little 1986 Toyota New Horizon for the past 6 months. Money has been running a little low so I thought I would try workamping this 2013 season. Amazon hires workampers and so I applied and got the job. (they hire husband and wife as well as singles). They pay $11 plus the campsite--they are still hiring if anyone is looking for a job. I am at an R.V. park and I am the smallest rig out here. It is really kind of fun. Which R.V. are you in someone will ask--I am in the little guy. Oh that one! Your the only small one here. I found a campsite on the edge/end of row right near the front. So I do not have that walled in feeling with 40 footers parked on either side of me. It is strange being the smallest rig around! Oh the joy of driving an older R.V. Murphey's law does take it's toll. So far this year, my propane tank needs to be replaced, the converter went out, the water tank won't hold water, I parked the rig at my sisters house under a tree and when I left to go to work for Amazon I pulled out and a branch caught the edge of the large vent. I arrived at my destination to find daylight over the bed area. I know what I will be doing with the money that is earned this season. But I have learned to improvise until the money comes in... I have also started a travel blog if anyone wants to follow me in my little r.v.: http://ajoyfultraveler.wordpress.com Workamping is a great way to earn money while you are on the road. How many of you out there are Full timing in your little guys?

What a Moron!!! Definition; a person of subnormal intelligence; half wit. This fits him to the tee. If the shoe fits...

It will be slow and steady as "She" goes up hill. Don't force it. If miles drop to around 30 mph put it in second gear and enjoy the scenery as it passes. Put your flashing lights on anytime you are slower than 40. It will allow people to know you are a slow moving vehicle. And carry one gallon of extra water just in case you over heat. Happy Camping!

That's funny. Took me a minute to get it.

This is a pic of my rig with Mt. Shasta in background. Ah...freedom...at a snails pace. Lots of scenery to see!

From San francisco to Oregon Miles per hour freeway driving: 55 mph Climbing speed up hill: 35 miles per hour Slowest speed in 2 gear 30 miles per hour 7 miles of 6% downgrade...45 miles an hour at coasting speed with no foot on gas or brake. Never using overdrive. Mt. Shasta Ca - I-5 freeway Elevation 3000 feet Siskyou Mountian Pass: Elevation 4500 feet To Drive 100 miles was 6 gallons of gas or $25 in my 1986 New Horizon. Both holding tanks on empty. No drinking water on board.

New bumper sticker should read: "I Sit Low and Drive Slow...smile and wave as you pass!" Any other suggestions out there for a smile?

Nice rig! Suggestions: A nice seat cover for the sofa would be a vast improvement. Plus adding some sort of privacy door between the kitchen and the bedroom area. (I recommend a vinyal one) Go Traveling! have fun!