Tails from the Highway by Roady the RV Dog

“The Butch Dilemma”

Well folks, I just heard from Butch, a sleek yellow Chihuahua who’s on a trip from New Mexico to Washington State in his motor coach. Butch left a message on my emergency hotline. He said:

Dear Roady,

I keep hearing this noise… Tick. Tick. Tick. Silence. Tick. Tick. Tick. Silence. I hear it when I’m awake and I hear it in my sleep. I’ve been hearing it for over 1300 hundred miles, and it’s driving me crazy.

I’m beginning to twitch in time to it. Twitch, twitch, twitch, stop, twitch, twitch, twitch, stop. I used to be an easy-going guy, but it’s making me testy. I’m barking at strangers and yipping at friends.

I can’t figure out exactly where the noise is coming from, but when I’m sitting in my daybed near the kitchen I think I hear it coming from the wall. Help me before I lose my mind!

Butch

Dear Butch,

I discussed your problem with the Professor. He asked about cold water showers and said something water heater needing servicing.

He recommended our new Atwood Water Heater Book from the Take Home Technician Series if your human was a do it yourselfer and could help you work on it or taking your coach to a service center.

That done, let me tell you what the problem really is…

The trouble that you’re having is pretty common, especially for Chihuahuas. You probably have a mild case of “Chihuahua Vibration Malady” and don’t even realize it. Your vibrations cause the two tokens that hang from your necklace to click together. This difficulty can be especially troublesome if you just got a new necklace or fresh tokens. (Sometimes it takes a while to break in a new accoutrement.)

You have to understand that you don’t really have any choice about wearing the tokens. If your human gets lost, there has to be some way to be able to tell who he belongs to. And believe me, humans can get lost in the blink of an eye. One minute they’re putting change in a vending machine, and the next thing you know they’ve gotten distracted and wandered off. And do they ever get upset when they realize what they’ve done!

The professor doesn’t wander off so much as he fails to keep up. Just last week we were in South Texas on business. I was inspecting a coach, and wouldn’t you know it, just as I started following a scent trail I noticed that the Professor was still standing there at the coach fiddling with a door on the side. When he stuck his head up inside the compartment he was totally oblivious to anything else going on around him. I felt like he was probably o.k. where he was, so I went ahead with my investigations. Little did I know!

When I got back he was panicking. He was whistling and hollering my name then slapping his hand against his leg. He was really scared and I felt so bad for him. Looking back, I also think he was a little embarrassed by how afraid he’d been. I tried to nuzzle and reassure him, but he was kind of grumpy and insisted that we go get in our RV right away. The enclosed space seemed to reassure him and he calmed down almost immediately. (I’m thinking about getting him a retractable leash so he can have some freedom without me having to worry about him getting too far behind.)

What I’m saying here is that there is no way I would go anywhere without my tokens! I’ve had The Professor for a while now, and even if he can be a bit of a nuisance sometimes, I’d like to keep him.

Now, back to the issue at hand. A good coating of grime on your tokens mutes the clicking somewhat. Mud or something dead works well if it’s still a little sticky. My personal favorite is dead fish that’s about 3 or 4 days old. I use the full body rub technique. As the fish dissipates from your body, there’s usually enough left on the tokens to help other grunge adhere.

I understand that this may not be a choice for you because most Chihuahuas have a human that insists on frequent bathing. (I guess that’s the price you pay for getting to sleep on the bed.) If that’s the case and you eat canned food, try to get some on the tokens every time you eat. You’d be surprised how quickly it builds up. At the very least, slurp in your water bowl. Let your tokens drag through the water. While they’re still wet, go roll in the dirt.

Until you can get a good patina on the tokens, you might try what I do. Eat with real vigor. If you’re a dry food kind of guy, really dig in! It’s not hard if you haven’t eaten in an hour or so. And don’t forget to save a dry treat like a rawhide (or a bone that you’ve found) for a between-meal snack. Keep it in the couch or bed where it’s handy. By really gnawing and crunching, you’ll find that you’re able to drown out most noises.

Keep your head up and remember that the most important thing is to have a good attitude about your malady. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.

If you start feeling like you’re alone, just guzzle some of the Roady’s Toilet Water that I’m sending you. It’s not blue and should remind you that you have a friend on the road.

This is Roady the RV Dog signing out for now. Keep your wheels rolling and those letters and photos coming!

The Air Conditioner on top of a Recreational Vehicle is one of the most overworked and under serviced appliances on the coach. A few simple procedures will help keep your unit operating at its peak performance. Testing the Operation or DELTA T – A simple test with a thermometer will help tell you how your unit is operating. Turn on the air conditioner and allow it to operate for at least 15 to 20 minutes so it can start cool the coach.

1. Take a pocket thermometer and insert into the return air grill of the unit – typically where the air filter is. Let it read for about 5 to 6 minutes. Note this temperature reading
2. Take the thermometer and insert in the air register that is closest to the air conditioner. Let it read for 5 to 6 minutes.
3. Compare the Return Air Temperature with the Discharge Air Temperature – this temperature difference is the efficiency of the unit or the Delta T
4. If the unit is operating properly you should see an approximate difference of temperatures of 14 to 22 degrees F.

Note: If you are in desert area the temperature will be higher as the unit only has to cool the air not strip moisture from the air. If you are in an area that has high humidity you will see a lower Delta T or temperature difference due to the unit stripping the moisture from the air. You will have a larger amount of condensation dripping off the coach.  Cleaning the Air Filter(s) – the air filter of the unit is usually a very basic foam or screen type of filter.Cleaning is based upon the conditions where you are. More dust – More often.Full Timers should inspect at least every 2 weeks 

Cleaning

    1.       Remove the filter assembly

2. Take outside of coach and dust off with hand
3. Take a pail of soapy water and dip and clean
4. Rinse with fresh water
5. Allow to dry
6. Before reinstalling the filter(s) inspect the coils that are now exposed. – these coils are the heat exchangers that take the warmer air and strip out the heat and cool it down so it can blown into the coach.
7. If there is dirt and debris – take a damp rag and gently wipe down the coils- CAUTION they will have sharp edges. Be careful not bend the fins.
8. Reinstall the air filter assembly.

Coil Straightening- The outside coils sometimes get bent due to tree limbs or during hail storms. They can be straighten to increase the efficiency of the air conditioning unit.

1. Access the roof of your coach – CAUTION: Always be aware of where you are on the roof of your RV. Find the rafters and step on them and be aware of the sometimes slippery conditions of the roof. – HOW close to the edge are you?
2. Take a fin comb and gently begin to work with a down ward manner straightening the fins. This task is one of patience and requires that you be gentle. This is no place to be a gorilla!!!
3. If you find fins that are excessive attempt to straighten them with a screw driver and needle nose pliers….here again patience and being gentle pays off.
4. As you straighten the coils realize you are opening the air flow path for the heat exchange of the Freon gas that is flowing inside of the tubes. Every inch you can straighten will increase the efficiency of air conditioning unit.

 The Professors Law of Air Conditioning that he teaches his students is….. In order to have cool air inside you must let the hot air out!!!!   

Spring Make Ready for your RVWell you have sat idle long enough!!! You have the itch to get back on the road again!!! Before you take off take time to do a little prep work and make your trip trouble free and more enjoyable.

Below is a checklist or a reminder sheet of things you might want to look at before you pull out on your next adventure.

As in all things that are done well, we need a system or a procedure to follow so we do not forget anything. With each coach being a little different sometimes a standard checklist for one make and model may not apply for your specific unit. Revise your list for your coach.

Personally I like to start at the top and work my way down. I prefer to go from the outside to the inside of RV.

Roof Area – Think Safety !!!!!!

• Use Dicor or one of the other approved roof sealants. Limit your usage of silicone caulk. * Just remember you must remove all the loose and old damaged sealant before you attempt to apply new.
• Roof patch material (like EternaBond Roofing Patch)can go a long way to seal damaged areas to buy you time so you can determine if you need a roof replacement.
• Pay close attention to the curb side of the roof. This is where most of the low hanging tree branch damage is done.
• Take photos of any damage for your records and for your insurance company if you have to file a claim.

____ Wash the roof and exterior of your coach with non-petroleum based cleaners.

____ Inspect the condition of the roof material. You are looking for surface cracks or the alligator look of the membrane material.

____ Inspect the seals and seams. Pay particular attention to the edges and seams on the front and rear of your coach for separations.

____ Inspect around the vents and skylights. A small crack or pin hole here can cause big $$ in repairs.

____ Inspect around the TV and radio antennas. If you have satellite look for areas of water pooling.

____ Inspect the refrigerator vents and sewer vent caps. Look for damaged or missing components. (Look closely for mud dobbers and wasp that have taken up residence.) Read the rest of this entry »

I recently received an odd e-mail from Tiffany, a sexy blue heeler mix with a ‘come hither’ look in her one blue eye.

She wrote: “I heard that you and the professor were going to be in our part of the country next week, and I was wondering if you would mind stopping by.

On the way home from a trip in our 5th wheel trailer about a month ago, I suddenly started hearing this horrible screeching noise every time we slowed down or stopped. I know it’s not my imagination because Judy and Jack commented on it too. We made it safely home that night, but the trailer has been sitting in the driveway every since. Is this the end of our adventures on the road?”

It was an interesting problem, and after seeing her picture I knew we had to visit.

Americas RV Expert – Terry Cooper the Texas RV Professor and I pointed the coach in their direction and got there late one afternoon.

Tiffany met us at the gate to her small farm. She was so excited to see us that she was dancing in circles, and let me tell you, she cuts a nice figure of a dog. And that fringe on her hind legs, va-va-va-voom!

After checking out the trailer with sniffing, marking, and even a taste test of an interesting spot on the lower left quarter panel (just a June bug), I explained to Tiff (that’s my pet name for her) that I suspected that the screeching noise was caused by chicken bandits hidden in her trailer.

She agreed and introduced me to Skeeter, a broad-chested fellow of Rhode Island Red descent. He’s the head rooster on the farm and she thought he might be of some help.
Skeeter said that he hadn’t noticed anything unusual, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. Most chicken bandits only come out after dark.

We decided to watch the trailer overnight. As night fell, Skeeter and I settled down near the hitch and Tiff started her nightly rounds of the property.

Skeeter wasn’t very talkative, but he gave me a heck of a good back scratching that night as he roosted on my shoulders. Tiff stayed busy, and although I couldn’t see her, I would occasionally catch a hint of barn-yard perfume wafting through the air as she passed by.

Overall, the night was pretty uneventful except for when we scared the spots off Buster, a big black and white tomcat from down the road who came to investigate the strange vehicle sitting in the driveway. I didn’t appreciate him spraying the tires on MY coach, and after chasing him all the way to the gate, I almost dehydrated myself covering up his scent!

I guess my barking at Buster scared the chicken bandits away too, because the next morning the Professor and Jack came and took the wheels off the trailer. After fiddling around for a while, they declared the trailer “fixed” and went back inside for lunch.

The Professor is always trying to take the credit for my work. Mislead as he is, he really is a very nice guy and we have met some really neat folks.

I overheard Jack and him talking, something was said about one of the brake springs being broken and the brake shoes needing to be adjusted. Whatever…

The Professor and I loaded up shortly afterwards. I turned in my seat to give Tiffany one last look as we pulled away. She was standing in the bright Texas sun and the fringe around her ears was glowing. She smiled up at me and winked with that one blue eye.

I smiled back, and she disappeared from view as the Professor turned onto the highway. For a fleeting moment I wondered if there had been any chicken bandits at all. I stared stoically out onto the open road as I blinked away the dust that had somehow gotten in my eyes.

This is Roady the RV Dog saying goodbye for now. “Just Remember it is our job to help keep your wheels rolling…so we will see You on down the highway”

Keeps those letters and photos coming!

Roady the RV Dog

And

Americas RV Expert

Terry Cooper – The Texas RV Professor

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