Tuesday Q&A

I’m back with more questions from blog readers about RVing, what’s happening in our lives since we hung up the keys, and all kinds of other things. While I try to answer all questions individually, I also share some here occasionally.

Q. I have three 12-volt batteries in my motorhome to power the things inside like lights and the refrigerator, etc. They seem to be going down quickly compared to just a couple of months ago. I put a meter on them and they all show 11.8-volts when connected together, but a neighbor said to disconnect them and then check them individually. I did, and two show 12-volts, but one shows 11.4-volts. The batteries are almost five years old and I was going to replace all three, but the neighbor said all I need to do is replace the bad one because it is pulling the others down. Is he right? What should I do?
A. He is both right and wrong, in my opinion. Yes, a bad battery will pull down the other batteries in the bank and replacing it may solve your problem for a while. But if they are approaching five years old, I would replace all three. It’s only a matter of time until another goes bad and starts pulling the others down and you have to repeat the process. Replace them all and be done with it.

Q. Is Miss Terry ever going to get back to her looms? It’s been a long time since we’ve seen any of her work and I really miss it. She is such an artist, please tell me that she hasn’t moved on to some other interest.
A. Terry tells me that she has plenty of other weaving projects planned, but I don’t know when she will start working on them.

Q. Do you know if it’s possible to set up our legal domicile in Texas or South Dakota even though we plan to keep our home in Indiana once we start fulltiming next summer? It’s the family home and has been paid off for two generations. Our daughter will be living there while we travel.
A. No law says you can’t own a home somewhere and still be a fulltime RVer and use a mail service like the Escapees as your legal domicile. Many people own homes or property in several states, but they’re only a resident of one. What you cannot do without getting into trouble is claim someplace like Texas or South Dakota as your domicile for lower sales taxes and registration but continue to live fulltime in a home in another state.

Q. Nick, I am sorry for your losses to COVID-19 that you mentioned in the blog. I am curious, were they all from the same family? Did they all live in the same area? Was there anything in common among all four people?
A. There was no family connection between the victims. One was in northern Wisconsin, one was in Arizona, and one was in Iowa. I am not sure where the fourth was. He was a fulltime RVer and I think he was somewhere out west and headed east when he got sick.

Q. We are staying put in Florida until it is safe to travel, whenever that is, even though it’s starting to get warm. We are finding that even though the temperature has only been in the low 90s a few days, our fifth wheel is not very well insulated. Can you give me some tips on how to make it more comfortable while we are stuck here?
A. Here is a blog I did a while back on hot weather RVing that might give you some ideas. https://gypsyjournalrv.com/2019/06/hot-weather-rving-tips-2/

Q. I am eagerly awaiting your new book, Nick. I like the John Lee Quarrels series, though I admit that your Big Lake series is my favorite. You said before that you don’t like to announce a publication date for a book because things always get in the way, but can you give me any idea when the next installment in the Big Lake series will be out?
A. Once I get The Road To Wrinkle Ranch live on Amazon, hopefully sometime later this week, I will start working on the next Big Lake book. But I really can’t say when it will be out because, as you said above, every time I do that, things tend to get in the way and throw me off schedule.

Q. I know that you guys have been taking a couple of trips every year, staying at hotels, now that you’re out of the RV lifestyle. With so many places closed and everything up in the air right now due to the virus, do you have any travel plans, and if so, where?
A. At this point, we don’t have anything planned. Until we are comfortable with the status of the virus, we won’t be going anywhere except to the grocery store or to necessary medical appointments.

Q. We are having problems with our Splendide washer/dryer combo not spinning out and clothes staying wet. Somebody told me to contact you because you had a do-it-yourself way to fix that problem. Could you please share it here?
A. Here is a blog post explaining what worked for us in the past. I’m not sure if it would apply to every Splendide model on the market or not. https://gypsyjournalrv.com/2018/09/splendide-washer-dryer-fix/

Q. Nick, this question is really more for Miss Terry. My sister’s doctor has recommended a Medtronics implant for her due to pelvic floor prolapse and associated problems. She has seen a lot of things online about the implants, some giving her hope for improvement and others saying it’s a painful waste of time and money. I believe it’s been two or three months since Terry had her implant. Has she seen any improvement, and with hindsight, would she do it over again?
A. Yes! Terry has seen a marked improvement in her symptoms since the implant, and I would venture to say at least 70%, with more improvement expected as she learns how to adjust and adapt to the device’s available programs She would definitely do it again.

Q. I thought I would be getting a stimulus check, but it hasn’t shown up in my bank account yet, and when I try to log onto the IRS website and put in my data, all I get is Information Not Available. Somebody said that fulltime RV years are not eligible. Do you know if that’s true?
A. We haven’t received anything yet, but I don’t see how being a fulltime RVer would keep you from receiving a stimulus check. I doubt that’s true.

Thought For The Day – Always remember that a pat on the back is just a foot above a kick in the ass.