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Family RVing Magazine

Tech & Travel Tips: February 2010

February 1, 2010
Tech & Travel Tips: February 2010

Keeping Critters Away

We spent this past summer in the mountains of Utah, which is just loaded with chipmunks and ground squirrels that would love nothing more than to make a nest inside or under our motorhome. To solve this problem, my husband, George, took the old moth-ball-in-the-storage-compartments trick one step further. Personally, I can’t stand the smell of those mothballs. So he filled an old mesh onion bag with the mothballs and hung it from the underside of the motorhome. This kept the smell outside but still in the area where the little critters investigate. Lo and behold, we had none of the invasion problems many of our neighbors experienced. I hope this little tip from my ingenious husband helps someone.

Mickey Watterworth, F326564, Sioux Falls, South Dakota


Cleaner Air

A timer installed in series with the bathroom vent fan can be convenient for motorhome owners.A sketch showing the wiring diagram for adding a timer in series with the motorhome bathroom vent fan.After turning on the ceiling fan in our bathroom, we sometimes found it bothersome to go back later and shut off the fan. I took care of this inconvenience by installing a simple timer in series with the fan switch. The timer is installed in the wall next to the fan switch utilizing an “old-work” electrical box. To connect the timer, remove one wire from the fan switch and hook it to one of the two terminals on the timer. Add a short wire from the empty terminal on the fan switch to the empty terminal on the timer. With the fan switch left in the “on” position, the ceiling fan can then be controlled by the timer. When entering the bathroom, we now give the timer knob a twist, and the fan goes off a few minutes after we exit. The accompanying sketch shows the simple wiring diagram. The gauge of the short “jumper” wire should be the same as the original fan switch wires.

Editor’s Note: This applies only to 12-volt-DC fans.

Frank Woythal, F291956, Andover, New York


Power Strip

A power strip makes it possible to cut power to a group of motorhome electronics with one switch.When installing a digital converter box for the TV in my motorhome, I also installed an inexpensive power strip to plug in all of the electronics “” TV, satellite receiver, converter box, and VHS/DVD player. All of the equipment consumes some electrical power and generates heat even when turned off. Now I can completely cut the power to all of the equipment with one switch on the power strip when it’s not being used. As this compartment is lined with carpet, the strip is held in place by the hook portion of a strip of hook-and-loop fastening material. The converter box and video switch also are held in place by hook-and-loop fastening material. Because of the lack of space in the compartment, I had to mount these components on their sides in order to install everything in the compartment and retain access to the TV antenna power supply.

Glenn B. Young, F215792, Kaufman, Texas


Clean Electrical Connections

Dielectric grease from your local auto supply store can help to keep the electrical connections in your motorhome from corroding. We found this out when our dashboard air conditioner failed on a hot summer day in Georgia. We pulled off the interstate into a local shopping center, popped the hood, and started looking for something amiss. A local man who installs solar heating systems (he wanted to put one in our motorhome) offered to help and almost immediately diagnosed the problem. We unplugged the corroded wires and cleaned the terminals on the air-conditioner components. Then we cut the corroded terminals off the wires and crimped on new ones. A bit of dielectric grease went on the connections before plugging them in, and we were on our way with an air conditioner that worked better than we ever remembered.

Frank S. Winter, F114882, Manalapan, New Jersey


Blind Cleaner

The window blind beside our dinette had become soiled, and we were not sure how to clean it. I remembered we had a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser with us, so we decided to give it a try. We moistened the pad and rubbed it on the stains. They came off before our eyes with very little effort. And it didn’t harm the blind. What an easy fix! If anyone else has the same problem, I strongly suggest they try this before replacing the blind. It can save a lot of time and money.

Betty Kash, F213336, Mooresville, North Carolina

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