mptjelgin

A different, simple way to introduce air into your water heater is to take an empty water hose, hook it up to your city water inlet, and then turning on the water hydrant. Once you've done that, open a hot water faucet in the RV (very important, do not open a cold water faucet!). The air in the hose will bubble and gurgle it way into the water heater. You should get some sputtering out of the hot water faucet to let you know that you've got an adequate bubble. If you don't, empty the hose and repeat. While it is possible that you've got a faulty T&P valve, it is more likely that you need to establish this bubble. If opening the T&P valve hasn't worked, give this method a try. I find it works well.

I just ordered a couple of batteries for my camera and chose "free shipping" since I'm not in a hurry for them. I groaned when I saw that they were shipped "UPS Sure Post" which is the system where UPS carries them most of the way, and then turns them over to USPS. I have only had a few experiences with Sure Post but each has been bad. You are dealing with two tracking systems, one (UPS) of which works well, and the other (USPS) which hardly works at all. If the package is lost or delayed it is very difficult to pin down who has it, when they got it, where it is, and when it is supposed to be delivered. Had I realized that the free shipping was Sure Post I'd have ponied up the extra money to get different shipping.

There are kingpin locks that surround the pin and prevent anyone from hitching up to it (unless they cut the lock off). We bought one when we started out, used it for a year or so and then stopped. Once a fifth-wheel is set up I can't imagine anyone pulling in the slides, unhooking utilities, raising jacks, hitching, etc. in order to steal it. But if I had one stored in an unattended yard somewhere I'd probably use one.

We have just experienced the reality of finding state park sites in Texas first hand. We are off of the road full-time, but decided to line up some shorter (2-4 night), mid-week trips in April and May. And, it was virtually impossible to do so in the parks we desired to visit. Most parks were showing a few sites with a single night available, or rarely two nights. Looking ahead 2 - 4 weeks, and looking at other parks, we were finally able to line up two trips, but the parks are essentially full and the glory days of visiting a state park mid-week and finding it 2/3 empty seem to be behind us. We did line up a couple of nights in the Kerrville-Schreiner Park, which was formerly a state park but is now run by the city. The entire state park system is definitely getting a lot of love, but hopefully not loved to death!! We are going to have to get much more flexible and look at other agencies more, and even private parks moving forward.

I have, after 13 years on this forum, finally put someone on my "Ignored User" list. Tired of his trolling and nonsense.

We have had a pickup truck of one sort or another since the late 1970's, and have hauled all manner of things, including manure. When we had a huge vegetable garden, we would take our pickup to nearby farms, or even the large animal vet in town and load it full of manure. We then took it home and either composted it or tilled it directly into the garden. So now you know of at least one person who has hauled manure in their pickup!

I have a Pullrite Hitch that drops directly into the pucks on my 2019 F-350. It fits great, and I prefer the single 270 degree jaw to the dual jaws on most other hitches. Available in 18K and 25K weight ratings. Pullrite OE Puck Series

Absolutely not. But if you do own a vehicle, you must show proof of registration (which requires inspection) and proof of insurance for each vehicle. If you do not own a vehicle, you sign a statement stating that.

Well have I got some good news for you!! Both of my Fords (2019 and 2017) have re-aiming adjusters that are immediately accessible once you open the hood. If you already have the screwdriver, it doesn't even take 1 minute. Did you even bother to check on what that those silly old "domestic" trucks have, or did you just assume?

You might also want to ask this question on a more specialized forum like Ford Truck Enthusiasts. They have specific forums for different vehicles, including one for 1968-2013 Full Sized Vans.

Technically you don't ever have to return to Texas to get your RV inspected. During each annual license renewal you can check that the vehicle is out of state, and there is no limit as to the number of consecutive times that can be checked. As stated above, if you do decide to return to the state the requirement is to be inspected within 72 hours.

We have found getting campsites much more challenging in the past few years compared to our first eight. With most state parks going to online reservation systems, it has become much more difficult to just "drop in" than in the past. Friday and Saturday nights are almost always booked weeks in advance, and even weekdays have become a challenge for popular parks. Private campgrounds in popular areas are also more difficult to find. We traveled from Texas to Maine in Spring 2011, returning in the fall, never made a reservation, and never needed one. We have repeated that trip (over somewhat different routes) in both 2018 and 2019 and absolutely found the need to make reservations. Quick one-night stops could often be made the day before or even day of, but if we wanted to stay in an area for a few nights, or especially over the weekend, reservations were needed. Unless you want to spend a month or more in a popular area, or specifically want to be in a certain park on a certain date, you shouldn't need to make reservations a year in advance. We too would rather travel without reservations, but doing so requires you to be flexible with locations and timing. Even then, we have started looking a few days ahead as we travel and making reservations if it looks like there is a shortage of sites in the area that we are travelling toward. This also depends on where you want to go. We generally find it easier to locate site west of the Mississippi then east, and as you get into New England things can get very tough indeed. That being said, the Pacific NW can be very tough to find sites in during the summer. But, in spite of all of this, I wouldn't let it deter me from hitting the road. I think that the current campsite availability issue is the "new normal" and is unlikely to change anytime soon. Just be flexible and learn how you like to travel. It will only be stressful if you allow it to be!

I DID read the entire article, and whether it is done deliberately or not, they are only discussing one aspect of the battery (maximum output) without discussing the other (how long it will last). I have a large UPS on my computer, not because I need the max output, but rather because I want a lower output for a longer period of time. Presenting only max output without discussing length of time it can be utilized is only part of the story.

I am confused about the units being used in this discussion. The Megawatt rating on a powerplant is a continuous output, but a battery is being drawn down and runs out of power at a certain point. For instance, the Tesla Powerwall is rated at 5 kW max output, but has a capacity of 13.5 kWh. So at 5 kW it is dead in 2 hours and 42 minutes. So this "100 Megawatt battery" can output 100 megawatts for 10 minutes, for 1 hour, for 1 day???

So what you are saying is that when you DO get a refund, you let the gov't borrow it interest-free for a year.

This page was largely a one-man show. When he doesn't post, things get quiet.

It is amazing, isn't it? There are relatively few people impacted by these variable rates, yet folks seem to think it is everyone in Texas. The folks affected have specifically opted into this "market-based" rate structure, and have no doubt saved money up till now. I have a close friend that got bit by this, and I joked with him that he'd probably been saving $10 per month up until this point! I suspect that some relief will come to these folks and the system will get adjusted to prevent this in the future. Most folks that I know will see electric bills similar to those seen in the hot part of the summer, assuming that they using electric to heat. A great number of folks in Texas heat with natural gas or propane and so this isn't an issue for them. But that isn't as much fun to report or talk about, is it??

True - Based on the numbers I rounded up a month or two ago the majority of folks who join the forum never post, and the next largest group post only once. I suspect a fair number of folks sign up, post one question, and then never remember to come back to check responses. As they say: Easy come, easy go...

Vladimir has posted this strong rebuke of light deterring packrats before, and like most things the real answer is probably "it depends". I've seen night camera shots of dozens of rats in a small area, and yes, it is unlikely that lights will 100% deter rodents in areas where they exist at a very high density. But several NWR's that we've volunteered at with packrats (Wood Rats, actually) have recommended lighting beneath RV's and vehicles. Over decades of time, with countless intern and volunteer vehicles, not to mention refuge vehicles, they have determined that lights deter rats. Is it 100% effective? Undoubtedly not, but overall is seems to work pretty well. And we have personally seen an instance where an intern chose not to bother with lights under their vehicle and had damage due to rats. Other vehicles in the same parking lot with lights were undamaged. Good enough for me...

We've done it at Bastrop SP (Texas) and Farragut SP (Idaho). It is an awesome experience and while kids really love them, we often have parents who do it (hiking at night w/o lights) for the first time in their lives and are equally impressed.

Another vote for dark skies!! I am very annoyed by the current trend of adding decorative LED accent lighting to RV's and then having the owners leave it on all night because they think it looks good. The big "scare" lights that shine directly on the adjacent trailers are even a bigger issue for us. The night sky is a wonderful thing, and being outside in an undeveloped area at night is a treat. As Interpretive Hosts we have led many night walks, full-moon walks, etc. where folks are encouraged to leave their flashlights off and rely on their night vision and other senses. They are a big hit and have hopefully encouraged some folks to adopt the "dark skies" model of outdoor recreation.

I would offer that the marketplace does decide, in a sense, even in regards to the government programs that you've mentioned. Texas has always been a low-tax, low-government service type of state. The citizens have consistently voted for representatives that support that philosophy and it shows in many areas. However, Texans like highways, and have typically supported more state funding for their highways than many other states. But they haven't supported an increase in gas tax, which led us to toll roads. As toll roads became more controversial, more funding was dedicated from the General and Rainy Day funs for highway construction, still without a state increase in gas tax. Having driven in all 50 states, I have seen many states that are considered high-tax, high-service states with truly dreadful highway systems. But that reflects the differing priorities in those states. Having worked with the FHWA for 30+ years, I have serious reservations about federal oversight being the answer to most things, but perhaps I am drifting into political waters. Not that the constant drumbeat of regulation vs. deregulation hasn't already taken us there...

TxDOT owns a lot of equipment for spreading sand/salt/deicing mixtures, but relatively little equipment for actually blowing or plowing snow. It comes down to having a bunch of money and maintenance tied up in equipment that might only get used once in ten years, not to mention the operator training necessary. I have however seen road graders, power brooms, etc. pressed into service for snow removal. If you can move dirt with them, you can also move snow! Just not as efficiently as dedicated snowplows.

Most Texas bridges have no posted weight limits, as they are designed for the maximum "legal" load. The only load-posted bridges are those not capable of safely carrying the legal maximum load. And the load posting signs often include a diagram with various combinations of legal loading based on number of axles. It is very common to design different classes of roadways for different return periods. For instance, a local low-volume Farm-to-Market road bridge may be designed to pass only a 2-year or 5-year flood. Anything bigger than that overtops the bridge or approach roadway and closes it for a period of time. Why? Because traffic volume on the road is relatively low, and the cost/benefit ratio of building a bigger/taller bridge and associated roadway don't make sense. Higher volume roadways may have bridges designed for 25 year or 50 year return periods, while the highest volume/most important roads have bridges designed for 100 or even 500 year return periods. There is nothing magic about a so-called "100 yr storm/flood/wind". It is just a nice, round number that means that there is a 1% chance in any given year of that magnitude event occurring. With a finite pot of money available for construction, you may have to choose between one new "100-year" bridge or two new "25-year bridges". As I stated earlier, design engineering is all about balancing probabilities with cost and coming up with the most workable solution for the owner.

I've been a bridge design engineer for 40 years, and agree completely with Dutch. It is so easy (and typical) to second guess decisions after the fact, but design engineering is all about balancing probabilities with cost and coming up with the most workable solution for the owner. News flash: We don't design bridges for the heaviest possible truck, the highest possible wind, nor the thickest possible coating of ice. And neither does any other state in the country or any other country in the world...