I’ve seen a lot of yucky things in our time on the road as fulltime RVers. I’ve seen sewer hoses come loose and spray a big stinky mess all over the place; I’ve seen people leave dump stations so filthy that any self-respecting hound dog that wandered by would not raise his leg on them; and a lot more that is too disgusting to talk about while you’re having your morning Cheerios.
So when my friend Norah Glover sent me this picture that she took at a campground in California, all I could say was yuck! Yes, this person really is filling their Class C motorhome’s fresh water tank with the same hose that others who used the dump station previously used to flush out their sewer hoses after dumping! Can you say yuck, too?
And the worst of it is that Terry and I have seen the same thing happen more than once ourselves! I actually had one guy tell me it was okay, since “any foreign matter would settle to the bottom of the tank.” Uh huh, the bottom of the tank. Right where your water pump sucks water out to your RV’s faucets! I’ve also seen people dump their tanks at their RV site, then stick the sewer hose under the water tap to flush it out! I bet that makes you feel good about hooking up your fresh water hose at your next campsite! That’s why I always spray the water bib at a campsite with a strong peroxide solution, then let the water run for a while before I hook my hose to it.
I wrote a couple of days ago that I was going to visit the Tucson V.A. hospital and see about changing to there for my primary care. On Wednesday afternoon, I went to the Eligibility/Enrollment Office, signed in, and by the time I sat the clipboard down, a young lady was there to take me into her cubicle and get my basic information. Less than ten minutes later, I walked out with an appointment set for this afternoon to be assigned to a new primary care provider. Now that’s great service! The hospital even has RV parking available!
Most of you are familiar with the tire failure we experienced in Yuma. All of us need to be aware of our RV tires, and now my buddy Roger Marble has launched a brand new blog called RV Tire Safety. Roger has presented tire safety seminars at our Eastern Gypsy Gathering rallies, and has 40 years of experience in the tire industry, working for a major manufacturer developing tires for applications in North, Central and South America.
The first couple of blog posts are heavy on technical details on how and why tires are designed the way they are, but Roger is also going to be addressing a lot of topics we all should be aware of, including tire maintenance, weight safety, and other issues that can save us time, trouble, damage to our RVs, and even possible injury. Check out Roger’s new blog, and leave a comment to let him know what you think.
Bad Nick has been busy in the blogosphere too, posting a new Bad Nick Blog titled Will We Ever Learn? Check it out and leave a comment.
Thought For The Day – Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. ~ Albert Einstein
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
Yesterday we left FL. Less than 15 minutes into our trip we noticed a severe vibration in our coach. We pulled into a rest stop. Lenny checked the tires and one, which had been fixed (?) a few weeks ago, had 30 lbs more pressure than the rest. He let some air out and we found a tire repair place a few exits down. It was an inside dual tire right under the stove and fridge. The tech told us it was starting to seperate. That is why Mac says…drive with the propane off. If that had blown and we had propane on who knows what would have happened. I am thankful that RVers such as yourself and Mac share with others about safety issues. Thanks for the link on tire safety. I’ll be sure to check it out.
Thanks for the link to Roger’s blog. I have posted the link to the Long View RV Facebook page to help spread the word. Sounds like there will be useful info for consumers AND industry pros.
Janis you might also check into some type of Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). Would really be helpful with advance warning for the type of problem you described.
One just can’t fix stupid. One time I saw a man drape his sewer hose over the picnic table after useing it. Guess he was “drying” it out. YUCK!!!!
Glen, your comment reminds me of the time we saw our neighbors giving their dog a haircut and bath on the picnic table. . .ughhhh!
Hey, Nick. . . I don’t mean to “rag” on you regarding the use of peroxide as the primary cleaner for your fresh H2O hoses, but let me explain what I do and why. First, I clean the water bib itself and the male end of my hose with a solution of H2O and bleach. I then run fresh water through my hose. Lastly, I clean my connectionsat the female end of the hose and the motorhome. Note that I use a solution of bleach rather than peroxide. While peroxide is an excellent cleaner, bleach will sterilize. Just my never to be humble opinion. . . as always, oRV
We always joke that it isn’t an official RVers’ dinner until a discussion of the “black tank” happens. Guess we had an official RVers’ breakfast, this morning. Hopefully, when we see someone doing something “yucky”, we step forward to “mentor” the newbie/uninformed and let them know WHY they shouldn’t be doing what they are doing. Offer your wisdom in a helpful manor, and do not be confrontational.
We saw a guy, after dumping his tanks, take the sewer hose to the water faucet, turn on the water, push the end of the sewer hose onto the faucet!!! “Just cleaning it out”, he said! “Ain’t nutin in there gonna contaminate nutin.” Ok, here’s your sign!!!!
So glad we carry a spray bottle of bleach.