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bruce t

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Everything posted by bruce t

  1. How would a propane toaster inside be certified?
  2. Every answer will give you a different opinion. We are all different and have different needs and interests. Don't glue yourself to a set plan. Hit the road with no preconceived ideas. Relax and let your journey evolve. There is no right or wrong way. Goodluck.
  3. We had a safe in our rear closet in the motorhome. It was a PITA. I doubt even the crooks would go to the bother of trying to open it. One of those smart dumb ideas.
  4. I recall a well known wealthy businessman stating that paying too much tax for politicians to waste was a bigger sin than avoiding, legally, paying tax.
  5. Something to consider! As we head towards less reliable renewable energy and the increasing likelihood of power outages reliance on cards becomes more risky. Plus with the ever growing number of scams the risks increase using any sort of technical funds transfers. The need for electricity will be our downfall!! Yes im dramatising. But just look at what happens when you cant charge your phone. We have all seen the chaos at the checkout when there's an outage. Storm damage and power outages tell me that cash will be king for a long time to come.
  6. I think a lot of it is a generational thing. Our daughter wouldn't know what cash looks like. She puts everything on a card. We've seen here buy a bottle of water and flash the card to pay for it. Where as we only use a card to pay our bills. We also worked in business where cash was king. So cash is what we know. If you're my age you will remember the days before ATMs. Days before cards. Days before the 24 hour 7 days a week trading. Where the weekend was for relaxation and family. Oh but I long for the good ol days.
  7. Er I win. 😊 we once carried a six figure sum, in cash, from Australia to the USA and paid for our Country Coach with it! Long story for another time! But let me say our trip through customs at LAX was "interesting". But re carrying cash. We always carry cash. But now the ATM'S are charging fees for non customers that are higher than credit card fees. So taking cash out as you go can be more expensive than card fees. We had our Australian credit card "used" by someone else while in the USA. Our Australian bank had a replacement card in our hands in under 48hours.
  8. Shouldn't a standard pressurer regulator be used on all hoses? I would be ok using it to fill a water tank but I would never leave one lying on the ground in the sun full of water. Yuck. No hose should ever be packed away with water in it. That's asking for nasties to multiply in a warm dark environment.
  9. I guess the point I'm trying to make "Is it worth the effort?" Im aware of the amount of driving you need to do to charge a standard battery let alone an EV battery. Is it a problem that needs a solution? If it was me I would be plugged in and fully charged before leaving.
  10. Is this a case of over thinking the issue? Problem - charging a toad. EV, Hybrid or whatever! Solution - run a dedicated cable from tow vehicle to toad. From alternator, (smart alternator?), via dc2dc unit to toad battery. But in reality how much charge would be put into a toad system while being towed? Is it worth the effort?
  11. Just an observation - Over the many years of travel in the USA and watching way too many home shows on the TV we noted the many many lakes in the USA that were built out with cabins, holiday homes and fulltime homes right on the shoreline. Many had boat houses and driveways, all a source for poo lution. Now here in Australia you wont find a building within sight of any water storage facility. New dams could be paid for with subdivisions as happens in the USA. But no we Australians say it would potentially pollute the water. So my question is - Why the worry about drinking out of a stream in the forest when city water often comes from a lake surrounded by human activity? Yes I know about treatment plants but!!! And why the worry when cities like London and Paris actually drink what was once human waste. Now I've opened a can of worms!
  12. Full or empty to travel? Unless you know how well your water tank is baffled then I wouldn't recommend travelling with a half full, or half empty, tank. Fifty gallons of water sloshing around can't be good.
  13. Lappir I agree. I'm a farm boy and we irrigated the heck out of the dirt. Times have changed for sure. My point is that paying for bottled water isn't good for your bank account or gut. Not dismissing common sense but I think folks do need to toughen up a bit. Too many folks trying to live in a non existing sanitised bubble. Sorry I got away from the OP. In all our years on the the road and storing our motor homes for many months at a time we never drained our tanks. Just turned everything off. Caveat - we forgot to drain the lines one winter. Now ask me how much it cost to replace all the water lines in a Country Coach Intrigue!
  14. I grew up on a farm with rain water tanks without lids. You didn't want to know what was in those tanks but we survived!! It's the bugs in the system that gives us our immunities. As time has passed we are becoming more and more sanitised. As a results we haven't the "bugs" in our systems to toughen us up.
  15. Interesting. Another Google maps story. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-30/grazier-makes-sign-trust-me-not-google-after-maps-confusion/103142386
  16. Re insurance. Here in Australia your vehicle registration and insurance are all the same thing. (One payment with a component going to what is know as "compulsory" third party insurance). Then there is the optional insurance. The "compulsory" covers public liability etc. The "optional" covers your own vehicle. In the USA registration is just for registration with no insurance component. The insurance is required to get the registration. The flaw, as I see it, in the US system is with monthly insurance payments. Ie you get your insurance with a monthly payment then use that insurance to get your registration. Then make no further monthly insurance payments. Driving a registered vehicle with no insurance! Whereas in Australia your registration payment means you do have insurance. Yes the above is brief and misses a few details!!
  17. Don't blame others or the system. We have all become addicted to technology. Many folks simply haven't learnt to think for themselves. It's not a new trend. IQ has been around since Adam and Eve. Schools are adverse to teaching critical thinking or simple logic. Anyone wanting proof of the decline of IQ only has to look at our politicians!
  18. Yes but that's the problem. Before you can start you need to calculate what you want to take out. It's easy to charge a 100amp house battery. But will 100amp do the job for you? If you want to just run some led lights then great. But what if you want to run more than just the lights? You cant keep your house batteries 'charged all the time' without knowing what you are taking out and what is required to replace what you are taking out.
  19. Expectations. As long as you can manage your expectations from solar charging all will be fine. Too many folks install solar then expect their RV to act just like the electricity from their outlet in their sticks and bricks. 99% of the time it won't.
  20. Kirk I believe it's signatories to the Visa Waiver Treaty. I haven't travelled for sometime so I'm more than likely out of date. Under the VWT you can enter the USA without a visa for up to 90 days as a tourist. Any longer then you need a visa of some kind. Driver licenses etc are recognized. However insurance isn't covered due to the differences in liability laws etc. Folks need to keep in mind that many of these laws/rules aren't black and white. The persons wearing the white gloves at the airport can ruin your day anytime the so choose. 😫
  21. True for most countries. But there are treaties between some countries that allow you to buy and also use your driving license. Australia is one of the lucky countries. I believe the UK also qualities. Just a note that may be of help. Years ago we got tired of going into Mexico or Canada. We decided to chance our luck at an immigration office. (I don't recall what its technically called). Lots of looonnnggg lines. But long story short. We were able to prove we were tourists. Had to show bank accounts with sufficient funds for our travel. Show evidence of property or such back home. In other words you had to prove you weren't working in the USA and that you had sufficient reason to return home. We were treated very politely. They stamped our passports and wished us well. Don't try to lie or quote the law to them. They have the power to say NO.
  22. A couple of comments. As far as I'm aware going in and out of Canada or Mexico is a loophole that has now been closed. Double check to see if you can still do that. ( as Australians we did it a number of times. But please check that you can still do it. Often refered to as going around the flag pole). Simply join SKPs and get an address. Simple as that. Registration, insurance etc all then falls into place. Good luck.
  23. Here in Australia diesel heaters are the latest 'trend'. The 'name' brands are in the $3 -4000.00 range. This link may be of interest to some. There are many good reports on these units here in Australia. https://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_nkw=diesel air heater rv&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-188180-27959-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=102&keyword=diesel air heater rv&crlp=_&MT_ID=&geo_id=&rlsatarget=kwd-80951692638998:loc-9&adpos=&device=c&mktype=&loc=122640&poi=&abcId=&cmpgn=373883620&sitelnk=&adgroupid=1295224925350368&network=s&matchtype=p&msclkid=7200c021d81d173cc555a53945acc174
  24. I for one admire your passion RV. Just keep in mind that everyone of us are entitled to have an option. Some are even entitled to be wrong. History will show who's opinion is closest to reality.
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