RV Upgrades - Blog

This TechTip is the fifth in a series of six, that covers the twelve-volt (12V) battery and power systems used in modern RVs.  All RVs depend upon a reliable twelve-volt (12V) power source,... [read more]

Imagine that you and your significant other spent months trying to determine which RV would be your next new coach. Both of you agree on the 2021 make and model however your dealership does not... [read more]

You are thrilled that your new RV is equipped with a factory installed patio awning with an integrated LED light strip mounted on the roller. You arrive at your first campsite, set up the coach... [read more]

This TechTip is the fourth in a series of six, that cover the twelve-volt (12V) battery and power systems used in modern RVs.  All RVs depend upon a reliable twelve-volt (12V) power source,... [read more]

Wouldn’t is be great if you could charge your EV (tow car) at your campsite, when travelling with your RV? You Can! …. And most often EV charging is no additional cost!!  We have a... [read more]

This TechTip is the second of a series of six, that cover the twelve-volt (12V) power systems used in modern RVs. As time rolls on, it is not beyond the realm of possibility that the low voltage... [read more]

Ever since power management systems became widely available, I have recommended their use, including using a system on each of my RVs. For those that are unfamiliar with these electronic safety... [read more]

TechTips #120 to #125 form a series on RV power sources and systems. During the first week of each month, the next TechTip in the series will be published starting during the first week of... [read more]

In addition to changing the incandescent bulb in the high mounted, large drivers side utility light to LED, I added some changes to the way water is connected to the Bounder.   ... [read more]

It has been a pleasure to get used to our 2021 Bounder 33C as we began to use it during the Fall of 2020. For various health and safety reasons we have decided to winterize and store it, rather... [read more]

A Significant Change During this investigative process, we learned that the Ford F53 chassis would be undergoing significant upgrades for the 2021 model year, after being relatively... [read more]

Our Lifestyle Intervened: Our lifestyle had developed into selecting a destination or area to visit, loosely planning a travel route, choosing a place to stay for a while, then exploring... [read more]

For those of us that have been RVing in a self-contained Motorhome for many years, eventually this question comes up; selecting an answer determines what we will do in the remaining years of... [read more]

What Do You Need? Can I Help You? With the Covid-19 Pandemic (2020) restricting the travel of many, I received numerous calls from RV owners, who are using the downtime to update or... [read more]

Patio Awning light failures: During the winter I was asked by another RVer to look at his L.E.D. strip in his awning.... [read more]

In this Technical Tip, I will address some of the questions that are posed when people call us looking for a lighting solution for their RV. In the next one I will address where to find common... [read more]

With new Technology making its way into our coaches, there is one component that has not caught up – the Roof Top Air Conditioner. Many coaches are equipped with digital glass dash displays... [read more]

In the previous Technical Tip, I demonstrated the difference between the two headlight configurations available in the USA. Modern cars and trucks use a standard that provides lighting similar... [read more]

I often hear this question when I present seminars about L.E.D. bulb replacements on RVs. Frequently RVers mentioned that their new coaches have headlights worse than their older ones. As it... [read more]

With my purchase of the Zero SR electric motorcycle in the Spring of 2018 (see previous blog posting for more on this), the big decision was how was I going to transport it to Florida, so that I... [read more]

Some 2019 American Coach and Monaco Coach models have the option of a Lithium Battery Package to replace the conventional AGM maintenance free Coach Batteries. After extensive bench and in... [read more]

This is the third of what was planned to be two Technical Tips which provide a viable option to converting an RV refrigerator from an absorption to a ‘residential’ refrigerator. In the... [read more]

This is the second of two Technical Tips which provides a viable option to converting an RV refrigerator from an absorption to a ‘residential’ refrigerator. In the first article, I presented... [read more]

This is the first of two Technical Tips which will provide a viable option to converting an RV refrigerator from an absorption to a ‘residential’ refrigerator.   The... [read more]

When you see the name of this new product you wonder: "What is it?” The answer is as simple as deciphering the name: It is a " quick ” way to " band ” (or wrap-up), something " it ”. This... [read more]

With more and more vehicle makers requiring some method of maintaining the battery in a towed vehicle while it is being towed, it seemed like it was a good time to bring this topic forward in a... [read more]

While attending a RV Rally about a year ago, my wife turned on our front (over the dash) TV and heard a loud ‘pop’ sound. The TV did not come on and when I returned to the coach, I tried to... [read more]

In Technical Tips #82 to #84, I detailed the process for installing Lithium Batteries in our coach. I wrote a blog update in March, 2015. I thought that it would be good to provide a... [read more]

With the interest in L.E.D. Strip lighting for RV’s, I am frequently asked how the strip should be powered on coaches equipped with Multiplex light controls. A multiplex control system is... [read more]

In Technical Tip #92, I detailed how we determined that our RV’s Automatic Transfer Switch had failed and that it was contained within an integrated Transfer Switch and Electrical System Protection... [read more]

Our RV came equipped from the factory with an integrated Transfer Switch and Electrical System Protection (ESP) unit supplied by TRC... [read more]

Most new cars and light-duty trucks come with a Tire Pressure Monitoring System as standard equipment. Many higher end motorized RV have such a system as standard equipment or as an option.... [read more]

Upg rading RV Exterior Lights to L.E.D.’s In TechTip #85, I discussed upgrading the rear incandescent light fixtures on our RV to L.E.D. ones. With that improvement completed... [read more]

The Background Over the last couple of years, we have received requests for LED strip lighting that can be retrofitted to coaches that do not come factory equipped with LED strips on the... [read more]

In the last TechTip, we covered Tire Maintenance and weight carrying capacity. We learned that tires can provide many years of useful life when properly maintained and when inflated to the tire... [read more]

With more and more orphaned RV’s and the many used RV’s that just need a standardized part at a fraction of the cost of a new one, the Used RV Parts business is flourishing. The challenge for... [read more]

Replacing a Side View Camera   There are a number of situations where the side view cameras on our RV’s fail and need to be replaced. While these cameras can be physically damaged... [read more]

Over the last few months, I have consistently noticed that the left rear turn signal on our 2009 RV has been operating intermittently. Each time it was turned on, it might or might not,... [read more]

Blue Ox recently introduced a new towbar, the Avail®. This tow bar is finished in a beautiful bronze finish with gold lettering and covered with a Bronze colored cover (additional cost).... [read more]

Many RV owners of Tow Vehicle Braking Systems prefer to have a Notification Light on the dash of their RV to warn them that the Brake in the Towed Vehicle is ‘ON”. This light is more likely... [read more]

In July 2014, we installed a 300AH Lithium-Ion "SMART™ Battery” in our RV, replacing all 4 Coach 6 Volt AGM batteries. We also had to upgrade the Inverter to the current "software” which... [read more]

Horst Miracle Probes that make conventional RV tank monitoring systems read accurately, are available once again. When the original inventor shuttered his company, it looked like these... [read more]

Happy New Year and safe travels in 2015. We’ve got great news for those who are looking at converting their RV to L.E.D. lighting this year. Our second book: The ABC’s of L.E.D.s has... [read more]

  Introduction:   In the TechTips #82 & 83, I covered the process we went through in making the decision to replace our Coach Batteries with a Lithium-Ion one and the... [read more]

Introduction:   In the TechTip #82, I covered the process I went through in making the decision to replace our Coach Batteries with a Lithium-Ion one. We left off with a picture of... [read more]

Introduction:   With the advances in Battery Technology and the proliferation of battery powered gadgets in addition to partial or fully electric vehicles, one may wonder:... [read more]

Fluorescent Tube Fixtures Occasionally installing LED replacement tubes in a ThinLite® brand of fluorescent light fixture causes the LED tubes to be dim and the supply wiring included... [read more]

Technical Tips #75    How to Install RV LED Replacement Bulbs Once the decision is made to upgrade the lighting in an RV to LED's, the task of methodically replacing the... [read more]

Technical Tips #73    The ABC's of LED's (Part 3) The RV industry is moving toward the installation of LED (Light Emitting Diode) light fixtures. In some cases this involves... [read more]

Technical Tips #72    The ABC's of LED's (Part 2) The RV industry is moving toward the installation of LED (Light Emitting Diode) light fixtures. In some cases this involves... [read more]

Technical Tips #71    The ABC's of LED's (Part 1) The RV industry is moving toward the installation of LED (Light Emitting Diode) light fixtures. In some cases this involves... [read more]

Technical Tips #62    Paint or Restripe? One of the decisions older Bounder owners face as their Bounder ages is "Should I replace the vinyl accent stripes or should I... [read more]

Technical Tips #59    Holding Tank Monitoring After installing the Horst Miracle Probes on my coach, I discovered that the wiring to my Holding Tank Monitor System was... [read more]

Technical Tips #58    Accurate Holding Tank Levels - Horst Miracle Probe Installation Last month I highlighted a new product that simply provided accurate holding tank levels... [read more]

Technical Tips #57    Finally! Simple, Accurate Holding Tank Levels Every month, I receive a collection of trade journals that layout the industry trends, RV related business... [read more]

Technical Tips #56    Do-it Yourself Trend, RVing FuseSwitch TM &Toad Braking Systems Thanks to those readers that sent me an email after my last column on a Baby... [read more]

Technical Tips #40      Notes And Updates: We no longer sell the lights mentioned in this article. We recommend... [read more]

Technical Tips #33    BILSTEIN Shock Absorbers For those of you who have already experienced the pleasure of driving a Bounder with Bilstein shock absorbers installed, please... [read more]

Technical Tips #30      Notes And Updates: Newer high quality inverters of up to 500 watts may be used for... [read more]