Kirk W
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Posts posted by Kirk W
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I guess I'll take a different tack. At age 57 I hade enough years with 3M Co. to qualify for their early retirement plan. They even paid the price for us to attend a series of preretirement planning seminars and so we begin to flesh out a plan to go fulltime RVing for some years. Their plan included a "bridge to social security" and also health care coverage for both of us for less the $100/month each. As the day neared I waffled some over having enough money but with prodding from Pam I filed my papers and retired. I often tell people that the two best career decisions that I ever made were first to work for 3M with early retirement and second was that I took that early retirement on the very first day that I qualified. We put our house on the market 3 months before my retirement date and it sold in 2 months so we were fulltimers for my last month of working. We didn't actually quit working but did stop choosing where to work based on getting paid for it. We became RV volunteers and spent time in 6 national parks, 9 national wildlife refuges, 8 state parks, 3 county parks, 2 state wildlife refuges, 3 county parks, a grass airfield, a state tree farm, a state game check station, a state natural area, a fish hatchery, a COE park and 3 historic sites, with a second stay at 3 of them. We volunteered in 39 different states for 1 month or longer. We loved the lifestyle and would still be doing it if Pam's health problems had not become such a priority. We did do 2 more RV volunteer positions since we returned to fulltime. RVs do require maintenance on a regular basis but not nearly as time consuming as owning a house. And Pam liked the fact that we could do a complete house cleaning in one day or less. We were so enamored of the simple lifestyle that when we left the road we bought an barndominium and since have moved into a 1 bedroom senior apartment. We no longer allow our possessions to own us and control our lives.
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With your class B it really shouldn't be any problem taking any of those routes. If you are unsure of yourself in mountain driving, they I'd probably choose to take US20 all of the distance to Albany.
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On 5/7/2023 at 1:58 PM, klindww said:
This was my first post on this forum, thanks for making it a postive one.
It is important to also be aware of the legal issues traveling around inside of the US as well. If you don't have a copy, I recommend that you get a current copy of The Traveler's Guide to the Firearm Laws of the Fifty States and spend some time with it. While you really don't need to be fearful of traveling with guns, it is wise to keep informed about the laws where you happen to be. And on the same subject, Mexico also forbids the carrying of firearms.
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Something thing that is important to keep in mind when shopping insurance, the cheapest policy is only better than the best policy if you never need to file a claim. Things like a "full replacement" clause or increased personal property coverages will mean a larger premium and thus not be the cheapest policy. The same is true for a "fulltimer's clause" which in most cases costs significantly more. Be very careful when comparing policy prices that you also make a careful comparison of coverages.
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While I didn't find them in the Commercial Members directory, I know that they used to be and I have seen them recommended by numerous full-time RV folks since the 1990's. Miller Insurance has one of the best and longest reputations in the RV commuity.
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On 5/8/2023 at 9:36 AM, lawdg said:
Any ideas on what the fix is?
Most models have an internal fuse. It is possible that there is a connection problem of some sort but to know that you need to monitor the voltage across the appliance while it is turned on. I'm guessing that is what Pet means by too little electricity. Do you have a meter to troubleshoot with?
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3 hours ago, homelesshartshorns said:
So, if I am too dumb to read a voltmeter
Anyone can learn to use a basic volt/ohm meter as most all come with instructions. But you do need to get it and spend some time with the instructions and making measurements based on those instructions. When you need to test is not the best time to start to learn. You didn't wake up one morning knowing how to drive, yet today you are traveling around the country in a motorhome! Most people could learn to use a meter, if they would. You can also learn the basics of your 12V system if you will take some time and start with The 12V Side of Life, by Mark Nemeth. It will take some time and effort, but it will also save you money and enable you to resolve problems as you travel.
3 hours ago, homelesshartshorns said:I can disconnect all the batteries and replace this part?
You can and it might fix the problem, but it may not also. If you replace enough parts you will probably get it to work but it may take quite a few parts to do so. The problem could be that solenoid, but it could also be something as simple as a bad connection that replacing the iterm will not solve. With a volt/ohm meter and some very basic knowledge you could give us additional information and together know for sure what is wrong. Troubleshooting by replacing parts might cost even more than hiring a qualified technician.
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4 hours ago, Sky King76 said:
Have you found it best to have an independent NRVIA inspector do it or a big box shop?
Camping World sells RVs so there is no incentive to help you buy from someone else, but they might be able to sell you something if the one you are paying them to inspect should fail! A mobile RV tech could check out the RV part but not the chassis. A trained RV inspector should evaluate both and has no reason to be less than honest.
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Possibly but to be sure you need to use a meter. The one you are looking for would have power from the batteries on one side and 0V on the other until the engine starts and then it would have the voltage being put out from the alternator.
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There is a solenoid that closes contacts to supply power to the coach and it's batteries when the alternator voltage comes up, when it is working properly. Probably the most common brand is Intelitec but there are others. They are not terribly difficult to replace but you should understand meter use in order to be sure exactly what the problem is before starting to replace parts.
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2 hours ago, fpmtngal said:
I keep cheering on the researchers and hoping.
Absolutely. The entire thing has very strong parallels to the shift from horses to cars that it is amazing. A few minor edits in the remarks both pro and con and they would fit into the 1900 - 1920 time period. And just as the 1908 Model T change the car market but then faded into history, the same will be true of the EV's available today.
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3 hours ago, bruce t said:
RV I joined SKPs back in 1996. Let my membership laps in 2000. Then rejoined. Hence the higher number.
You must not have told them that you were a returning member as you could have retained the original number, had they known. Our son dropped out and then returned but didn't have his precious number, then later got it changed back to the lower number. There is also a current member who shares your last name. 🙂 If you are comparing dates of joining, you may want to compare active membership years.
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1 hour ago, Pat & Pete said:
she's even kinda cute
Big improvement over previous inflatable girlfriends? 😄
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1 hour ago, klindww said:
Has anyone taken handguns into Canada lately?
Handguns are totally forbidden in Canada. Long guns are only allowed if you do proper permiting before you go.
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9 hours ago, Powerstroke2000 said:
it's the OEM from when the coach was new.
Without knowing the make of the camera and the monitor we can only guess what might be the problem. Since you get the red or green lights, it seems pretty sure that it is getting power but you should check that with a voltmeter to be sure that it is near 12V as sometimes it can take less to light the indicators than to operate the system. You should also look a the wiring and let us know what you have. Some systems use separate power supplies to the monitor and the camera while others just have a coaxial cable between the camera & monitor with the power for the camera supplied by the same cable as returns the video signal. Pictures of the monitor and anything else might also help.
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3 hours ago, GlennWest said:
Called Southwire and left message.
We will be very interested to hear what they say.
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8 hours ago, Stayto said:
I let it sit uncovered for about a year in Colorado at an appreciable altitude of 5400 ft.
It might have been somewhat better if it had been under cover but what you have is pretty normal for an EDPM roof after 20 years. As long as it has not been leaking what you have should not be a problem if you take care of it. As long as you didn't pay too much for it you probably haven't done that badly.
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42 minutes ago, GlennWest said:
Found problem.
Great catch! Anything that has a transformer has the potential of doing that but it isn't something that I had thought of.
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16 minutes ago, 2gypsies said:
Denver is 65 miles from Rocky Mtn Nat'l Park.
Oops! 🥴 Somehow I read it as Yellowstone.
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Just follow the directions that come with whichever product you decide to use. All of the good ones come with detailed instructions.
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1 hour ago, 2gypsies said:
being so close to Denver and other cities.
Denver is 630+ miles, & Salt Lake City is 320+ miles.
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Welcome to the forums! There are several options but it would help to know for sure what the roofing is. I suspect that it is EDPM based on the age. If I'm right then it is likely a Dicor product and you can get Dicor Corp RP-SELRC-1 EPDM Rubber Roof Coating from Amazon as a good option but there are other brands that cost less and may work well. Another good option would be to consider having it done by someone like RV Armor or Flex Armor or one of the other spray on, permanent roof companies. A great deal depends on what you are willing to spend and how long you expect to keep this RV and how old it is.
Retirement myth
in HDT
Posted · Edited by Kirk W
You guys make me tired! We have been doing volunteer work ever since we retired but the very least we have taken off is 3 days per week and most of the jobs we do as volunteers are things that we enjoy doing. Things like the 30 hours per week spent observing black bears in Maine. Helping to band songbirds in Montana. Leading nature walks in alligator habitat in the Everglades. Greeting and assisting pilots of antique aircraft in Indiana. The list goes on but it is a hint of the sort of work that we have done. Since moving into independent living Pam has worked in the little store a couple of days a week and I drive one of the senior citizen busses for out community. I even accepted a part-time job for our community driving people to medical appointments, hairdressers, and such in the company car so am actually paid again! Retired at 57 and now work part-time at 80! But only 10-15 hours per week with a 20 hour maximum. It is frequently evenings or weekends but those are things that I would attend anyway if I was paying rather than paid.