↓ Episode 169 –Ensure Your RV Appliances Are Road-Ready: Essential Maintenance Tips

This is a great time to make sure your gas appliances are working properly in your rv. So we're going to dig into that and staying on the road and then enjoying the RV life.

We're going to visit the Laundromat and see how to manage it efficiently when you're out on the road traveling. Then the next stop, we're going to go to Telluride, Colorado and see what's happening there.

Then, in shadows of the past, the towns that once were, we're going to visit Silverton, Colorado, quite the hotspot. And then in RV Envy, we're going to talk about refreshing your RV interior with a product called Revive.

This is Eric Stark with the Smart RVer podcast, your trusted source for tips and insights to embrace the RV lifestyle without worries. Let's talk everything RV today is episode 169. So welcome to the show today, Alexis. We're glad to have you back.

Thank you. I'm on coffee right now, so I'm happy.

All fired up on coffee. Right on. That makes me think about this mug I got sitting here. That's from Stromberg Carlson. Manhandled that from the guy right at the bar.

Poured out his way. I drank his beer. Now I poured out his. No. What did I do? I don't remember now.

Punched him.

Just kidding. But cool mug. Stromberg Carlson makes jacks and all that kind of cool stuff for your RV levelers.

Anyway, that's a nice little plug for them, but that just made me think about it. The coffee.

Exactly.

So how come mine's empty? Yours? Well, yours is empty, too. What kind of show we run in here? All right, so don't really have any rants today. Just going to get right into it.

But I do want to mention wholesale warranties. So if you're looking for an extended warranty for your rv, check out wholesale warranties.

If you're buying a new rv, a used rv, private party, from a dealership, either way, they can give you a warranty. And it's always going to be less than what you pay for at a dealership. They got great prices and. And it's transparent.

You know exactly what you're getting or not getting before you ever sign a contract. And that's important because the guy in the FI department, the dealership. Oh, it covers that. It covers that. But that ain't the case.

They never cover what they say they're going to cover. So check out wholesale warranties. There's a link to it in our description of this podcast.

That'll take you to a page where you can get all the information you need. Now let's jump into the washing machine at the laundromat. And since Lexus, you're the female here today, you're going to talk about this one.

Oh boy, what a way to start this. I don't know. I don't want to do it anymore.

So get in there, woman, and do it.

Okay, I'm walking off the set. No, we all have this issue.

If we do any sort of RV traveling laundry, we want to be clean, you know, especially if you have a family, except if you have all these children running around. I just let the little minions be dirty and, and call it good. Let's talk about planning your laundry needs.

So if you're taking a short trip, okay, let's pack enough clothes so we don't have to do any laundry. That would be ideal.

If you are taking longer trips though, this is where the planning comes in and it's key so making sure before time that either the RV park has laundry facilities on the actual park or if there's laundromats in the area, that's what you need to look up. So we want you to be prepared. We want you to have what you need when you travel. So this is why we're talking about it, because it is important.

And not all RVs have laundry on board. Very few do. So we want to talk about this. We're not talking about the fancy people with the laundry on their rv, you know.

So another thing you can do is reduce laundry needs by packing things you can wear more than once. We do a lot of shopping in our day to day, especially when we're traveling. So finding things we can wear more than once is a good thing to do.

We can also plan for emergencies by having stain remover, extra essentials, extra underwear, you know, and laundry bags are a good thing too, so we don't have to air our dirty laundry, as they say. So my takeaways are plan this out, do your research before time, and try to really condense your laundry.

All right, Just for the record, I can't let this one go. It's washer and dryer washing machines in your rv, not laundry. Come on. Is that what you say in Australia or something?

Yeah.

All right. Somewhere else.

Your laundry in Kalispell in Jersey.

All right, so yeah, keeping your clothes clean, not being all stinky, smelly and nasty, you don't have to do that. You can be clean on the road. Almost most RV parks have washer and dryers. And if Not. Alexa said there's laundromats nearby, so take advantage of it.

If your RV doesn't have a washer and dryer in it anyhow. Washer and dryers you can sometimes add depending on your rv, but it can be kind of a complex thing depending on how your RV is laid out.

Yeah.

And it might not be exactly where you want it or. Yeah. Or it might be too pricey. And they're not the best anyways. They don't. They work okay, but they're not ideal. So a laundromat's better.

And besides that, when you open up the, like the lid at the dryer or the washer, you might find some change in the bottom.

Hey.

Or who knows, who knows what else? I'm not going to say.

Okay.

Might find anything there. All right, so now let's get into money saving tips. You have your rv. It sits around for much of the year.

You're not using it during the wintertime or during the summertime. Maybe you just use it for a couple weeks. Everybody uses their RV a little bit different.

So to actually make some money from that, you can rent it out. And there are several platforms like RV Share and Outdoorsy, where you can actually go and sign up and rent your RV out.

And those platforms pretty much cover you as the renter. Then the person renting be the rentee. They work pretty well.

We have customers that come into our store that use that platform and they seem to make money on it. And occasionally they have a problem, but it always gets ironed out.

So they don't seem to get stuck holding the bag look like repairs and things like that because you know, the rentee has to put a decent down payment before they ever rent it. So it's going to be in your favor, I guess you could say. So that's an option. It might not be ideal. Look at your rv. You might not want to rent it out.

You might not want someone else sleeping in your bed and using your bathroom, all that good stuff. And that's how I am. You know, I'm not renting my rv. Just you can have it if it's that bad. That's a money saving tip.

Actually, it's a money saving tip. And it's going to put some extra money in your pocket.

Just do your research before you do it and think about if it's something you really want to do and if, you know, somebody has experience, maybe check with them and see how they can help you or what kind of guidance they can give you so that's our money saving tip. Now we're going to get into staying on the road. We're just going to move right along here.

It's been quite the morning today, so this is an interesting thing. One of my friends recently called me. He's in a panic. They had a disaster in their house, so they had to move into their rv.

So he's all, you know, freaking out. We got to move in here. Nothing in my RV is working, you know, nothing. He makes it sound like the entire RV just has failed.

Like you open up the door and it's just this black hole, you know, all freaked out. And that's just kind of his personality to be a little wound up. He's not all calm and relaxed like me all the time. So. So I get it. You know, he's.

Something happens. It was a plumbing deal, flooding, blah, blah, blah, you know, no big deal, right? So.

So he thinks that I can just like, I don't know, fix his phone or fix his RV over the phone without knowing any information. His RV doesn't work. So we calm him down. Let's go through this. Let's work through this. So his rv really, it wasn't that the RV wasn't working.

There were some problems in the rv.

So it's walking them through it, calming them down, and really ended up being some appliances that were the major culprits that were kind of important. And that's why we're bringing up this, making sure your gas appliances work. This is a great time to check it out.

What's interesting too is he hasn't used his RV for a couple years. And in that case, you know, it's sitting, nothing's getting used.

And that's really bad because things seem to fail even worse when you don't use it for a while. And then when you do start doing it, it's one surprise after another.

So for him, I got him to plug it in to the, to the house to shore power so he could at least get some power in there. And he turns on the lights and so forth. His batteries are probably junk, but by plugging it in, it now it's working off the converter.

So you have 12 volts in there. And that's probably another reason why he said nothing's working in my rv because his batteries were dead.

So his batteries probably need replaced and he can afford to do that. But more importantly, it's just getting the thing working for him. So he plugs it in.

Okay, calms down a little bit, his heart rate drops and now he has to start checking things. So I just told him to hook up to the water and turn it on slowly, have someone inside turn it about halfway and see if you have any leaks.

Walk around with a flashlight, check your cabinets, all that good stuff. So he does that. There's no leaks. Alright, turn the water on, open up all your faucets, get all the air out, then you're good to go that way.

And then maybe in a day or two, check for leaks again just to make sure. Because water can be kind of a funny little thing, especially in an RV that's been sitting. The seals can dry out and they get wet now.

Yeah, it could cause a leak. So anyway, he does that, everything's groovy, and now he's going to start working on the other stuff. So now we have the refrigerator, get going.

The water heater and the furnace. Those are his three gas appliances. So the refrigerator he turns on. And I told him just turn it on and let it sit for 24 hours. Don't open up the door.

So he calls me back after about three hours, my refrigerator is not working. He's all freaked out and panicked and. Okay, what do you mean it's not working? Did the light come on? Yeah, the lights inside is on? Yeah.

Lights outside on the display are on? Yeah, everything's on. How many times have you opened it in the last three hours? Oh, about 50. I keep checking it. I want to make sure it's working.

So that's his downfall there. He keeps opening up the door, lets out the cold air, warm air goes in and it's just neutralizing the refrigerator at this point.

Just leave it running for 24 hours. Do not open the door. Okay. So the next day, 24 hours go by, everything's good. He didn't wait 24 hours. He couldn't.

But it was working, so everything's fine. So that one was easy for him.

Now, I did tell him that he needs to blow out the burner tube on it and maybe clean the electrode because it's been sitting so long.

It'll be more efficient, actually stop a future problem if there's a cobweb or something in the burner that can stop the flame from working properly and not heat up. So he'll do that once he gets everything a little more settled in. So that's the point. There is.

You have to clean out your refrigerator, make sure the burner and the electrode are clean. Easy to do with compressed air and a little wire brush. You might need a screwdriver.

Or nut driver to take off a cover and such, but it's still pretty easy to do. So that's going to get you past the refrigerator. And what's important too is his refrigerator sat for two years approximately.

He had no idea if it was going to work. So he has to have a refrigerator. So making sure your refrigerator works from time to time is worthwhile.

Even if you're not going to use your rv, you know that everything's working. If maybe you decide to sell it all of a sudden and all of a sudden you got all these repairs you got to do, it might seem overwhelming.

So staying on top of that, or an emergency comes up like this, or something worse, where you're gonna be in your RV for weeks or months because of a natural disaster, fires, hurricanes, and you know, we talked about that in a previous episode. Being prepared. Now the next thing we brought him to was the furnace.

And I'm thinking, okay, the furnace, hopefully it'll start up, no issues, because he'll never be able to do anything with the furnace.

Great.

So fortunately, the furnace wasn't too difficult. He turned the thermostat on, nothing happens.

So for him, the easiest thing that I could tell him to do is just take the thermostat wires off the thermostat, tie them together because it was a heat only thermostat. So that made it simple, and see if the furnace comes on. And that's exactly what happened.

Tied the wires together, the furnace came on, and away he goes. He's got or, yeah, he's got heat. So he had to go buy a heat only thermostat from his local RV store, which he did.

He's able to hook up that problem solved. But again, it's checking the furnace and blowing it out, making sure everything's good. And sometimes furnaces can be a pain.

Depending on what model you have, if you can access it from the outside of the RV, or if you have to take it out of the RV to access the circuit board and the blower wheel and all that, that makes it a little harder to clean them out and test them and do whatever. So keep that in mind. You might have to pull your furnace out, but taking a furnace out really isn't that big of a deal.

You know, you can get out pretty quick, put it back in, no problem. It shouldn't be a major ordeal. You're talking a couple screws of propane line, some wires, not much there.

Just mark your wires, take a picture of them, and you got it. The ducting. So he gets that going. All right, so now we got two appliances out of the way, the refrigerator, the furnace.

So now he's really breathing easy. Life is good. So now he's got to go to the water heater. So he's got water in the rv.

And which I want to emphasize this too, that if it's wintertime and your RV's winterized, you're not going to want to mess with the water heater other than just testing it for a moment on gas, not electric. So never turn a water heater on electric when it doesn't have water in it. You can do gas for a second, but do not do electric.

It'll burn up that element pretty quick. So now we're down to the water heater. I told him before you even started up, just clean out the burner tube. It's really easy.

It's right there in front of you. Doesn't matter if it's an Atwood or a Suburban. So he did that. He said the electrode was clean.

So he blew it out with air, which he happened to have, which is amazing, absolutely amazing. So he starts up the water heater and it worked. So it actually cycled, made hot water. Everything was good.

So he really got off pretty easy on this, you know, pretty basic stuff. The point is he, you know, this is like a two day process because he waited, he panicked and all these things now it seems overwhelming.

Then he's trying to get out of his house. So it makes it even harder to do. Thinking about that and keeping that in mind, you don't want to be a knucklehead like him. You want to be ready.

So during the wintertime is a great time to check some of these things.

Now also the refrigerator, if you're like in 10 degree weather, 0 degree weather, your refrigerator might not work because the ammonia in there will gel up. I don't even mess with my refrigerator and those types of temperatures because I do check things from time to time just to make sure.

But like right now, Montana, it's way too cold. We've been having these, you know, below 10 degrees nights, 10 degree days. We get phone call after phone call. Refrigerator's not working.

And it's because the ammonia gels up. It's kind of a normal thing. It's a hassle. So you have to keep the back of the cooling unit warm, which, that's a whole other discussion.

But you know, you get clever that way.

So there's some things you do need to know before you start messing with your appliances or wait Till it's a little bit warmer, you know, another month or so we're in. What month are we in? January. Into January. So February is tomorrow, right? Mm. All right.

It is cool.

So I'm finally. I know a date. All right, so, yeah, February 1st tomorrow. So what does that mean? Anything?

No, nothing.

All right. The world's still going on tomorrow, February 1st. Nice. Nice touch. The takeaways are keeping your RV functioning even when you're not using it.

You don't have to be out there every month unless you want to be, but at least every 3, 4 months, 6 months at the latest. Check your RV and don't let it sit and just rot away. You know, you have that investment and you.

Maybe you've had it for years, but if it's going to sit and you're never going to use it, just get everything working and get rid of it. Don't keep it and don't buy another one if you're not going to use it. And if you're going to use it, make sure you keep things working all the time.

So you can just get in that RV and be ready to go, no matter what the reason is, whether it's for a vacation or an emergency. So being prepared is very important. So that's our staying on the road today.

And this, these audio podcasts we're now putting on YouTube, which we have for a while, but now we're doing them with a video full on video. So check that out as well if you want to watch it or just listen to it on YouTube, you can do it either way. So it's there.

It's for the taking, free for the taking. How's that? Now we're going to visit Telluride, Colorado. In our next stop.

Alexis is all ready to talk about Telluride and what did she call the people in. Oh, that last episode? The laundry thing. The fancy people.

The fancy people, yes.

So tell your eyes kind of where the fancy people go sometimes.

Right? All of these people have.

So tell us about the fancy people, Alexis.

Yes. The washer and dryer in the RV people. No. Okay, in this week's Next Stop, I'm so excited we're visiting Telluride.

So this place is nestled in the stunning box canyon in Colorado, San Juan Mountains, a historic mining town turned world class destination. Anybody who's anyone is coming there. It shares a deep historical and cultural ties with nearby Silverton, which we're going to talk about later.

It's connected by scenic routes like the Alpine loop and the adventurous Via Ferrata Trails. The town is renowned for its well preserved Victorian architecture and vibrant festivals such as the Telluride Film and bluegrass festivals.

So Telluride's film and bluegrass festivals offer an unbeatable combination of art, music and stunning mountain scenery. It's beautiful there. The the film festival brings top notch indie cinema as well as the industry icons.

So if you do go to that, you'll probably see a Hollywood star.

The bluegrass festival delivers legendary performances in breathtaking outdoor settings with a vibrant, laid back community vibe and lots of outdoor activities, some including skiing. If you want that, you go to the Telluride ski resort and golf course. It's a perfect place for skiing and snowboarding.

There's hiking trails all around, which I recommend. Getting all trails. It's an app. It shows you everywhere you can go. If you're visiting a different state, it's a wonderful source for all your travels.

There's mountain biking and you can use that same app. It'll tell you where you can mountain bike.

A lot of visitors come there for the food because there are a lot of good places to eat such as the butcher and the baker, which I love that name. I think it's so cute. They make incredible coffee and breakfast foods.

Or you can head over and have a fine dining experience at Allreds where they make potent cocktails and incredible bison steaks. Also some nearby attractions is the Imogene Pass.

This is the highest pass in the San Juan mountain range, so if you're a novice driver, do not attempt this. Box Canyon Falls are also there. They're 500 foot tall falls and they are a must see. There's also the Mesa Verde National Park. That's real close.

It's known for its Cliff palace, which, if you Google it, super cool. And the Chapin Mesa Archaeological museums that hold Native American exhibits. So history lovers will truly cherish this place.

So my takeaway from this is with its rich heritage and captivating beauty, Telluride promises an unforgettable mountain getaway.

Wow. I'm sold.

All right, I'm ready to go. I'm glad. Me too.

Now, I've been there and I'm not a fancy person.

Oh, they let me in.

So let anybody in there.

So you don't have a washer and dryer in your camper?

No, I don't. But I got a wife though, who does my laundry.

Oh, my goodness. Poor Karen.

So you had me at breakfast food. I was thinking Leslie. Nope. And Ron Swanson.

Yep. Breakfast foods. All there is bacon.

All right. So amazingly enough, you mentioned Silverton, Colorado, and that's our subject for shadows of the past, the towns that once were.

And even more interesting, I have a little script here, I guess.

Here we go.

I'm gonna read about Silverton, Colorado. Had to think where I was at. Okay, so when everybody's ready, put your stuff down. Everybody pay attention. Turn off everything around you.

Washer, dryer, if you're a fancy person. All right, so here we go. Tucked into the rugged San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado lies a town frozen in time, Silverton.

A picturesque former mining hub, Silverton beckons travelers with its history, scenic beauty and endless opportunities for adventure. Let me take you on a journey through this remarkable place.

Today, its charm is preserved in the vibrant Victorian era buildings that line the green street. Step into downtown Silverton, a National Historic landmark, where time seems to stand still.

The Grand Imperial Hotel rises majestically, its colorful facade a reminder of the town's heyday. Wander into the San Juan County Historical Society Museum, where mining artifacts and exhibits tell the story of the town's industrious past.

This is where history comes alive. You can almost hear the laughter of miners celebrating their day's hall or the chatter of townspeople gathered in the general store.

Perhaps the most iconic attraction is the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Board the historic train and let it whisk you through the San Juan Mountains.

Where rivers carve deep gorges, forests stretch endlessly, and the views are nothing short of breathtaking. As you step on the train, take a deep breath of that crisp mountain air. It's a journey you'll never forget.

For those seeking adventure, Silverton is an outdoor enthusiast's paradise. Hike the trails of Ice Lake Basin, where turquoise alpine lakes shimmer beneath a canopy of wildflowers.

Or venture along the Alpine Loop Scenic Byway, a thrilling off road route through some of Colorado's most remote landscapes. In the winter months, Silverton transformed into a wonderland of backcountry skiing, snowmobiling and snowshoeing.

This snow covered peaks provides the perfect backdrop for any winter adventure. A short drive from Silverton takes you to Animas Forks, one of the many great towns that dot the region.

These relics of the past offer a hauntingly beautiful glimpse into the lives of miners who once called this place home. Silverton is also a town of celebration.

From the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, where cyclists race the historic train, to the Hard Rock 100 Ultra Marathon through grueling mountain terrain, there's always something happening here. Just beyond Silverton lies the famous Million Dollar Highway, a breathtaking drive that takes you through the charming town of Ouray.

Or head to Mesa Verde National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, to explore ancient Pueblo cliff dwellings. And don't forget nearby Telluride, a town known for its festivals and outdoor activities.

As the sun sets beyond the San Juan Mountain, Silverton reveals its most magical sight. The stars come alive in the clear night sky and the echoes of history seem to whisper through the crisp mountain air.

Whether you're here for the history, the adventure, or simply the beauty of the Rockies, Silverton is a place that will leave a lasting impression. Pack your bags and set out on a journey to this hidden gem. Silverton, Colorado, is waiting to welcome you. So there we have it. That was a mouthful.

It was indeed.

Lots of words, so we certainly got to edit that one quite a bit. For those that aren't here and listening to that mess.

No, it was good.

All right, so that was good. So Silverton's pretty cool. And, you know, Ansel Adams, a known photographer, has taken quite a bit of photos there.

I've actually been to one place and copied his picture. Same exact picture, except in modern times.

I think you showed me that.

So Silverton has a ton to offer next to Telluride. Telluride could be your hub if you wanted to do your day trips and make Silver one of them. Alright, so very interesting.

So we've covered some ground here. We've gone to Telluride, Silverton, We've talked about washing your clothes today.

All right, so now we're getting into refreshing the interior of your rv.

Exciting.

Now, the Revive product line is made by a company called Genesis. And what Genesis does is they make all the wallboard and ceiling panels for RVs, cabinets, the doors.

So basically, your RV interior, if it's newer, was probably made by Genesis. The panels, the ceiling, the cupboards, as I said. So what they've done is they've taken those products that they line on to the.

To the paneling, the veneer, if you will. And they've made that available to the public now. And the trick is the adhesive that they use, that's what makes it stick and it's going to last.

And so what they've done is they, they've taken a product a do it yourselfer can do, so you can actually refinish the interior of your rv. And there's going to be a video in this description or a link to a video. So you can see this firsthand before and after picture.

This stuff is amazing. It's. I don't know. Well, actually, they've won product of the year awards with several distributors because this product is so good.

Or actually, last year they did. They haven't been around that long, or Genesis has, but the revive line hasn't.

They're pretty intricate. And you don't want to redo them yourselves too, because you'd wrap it with this material, this laminate. They'll actually make new cabinet doors.

Then they send you the matching laminate to do the face and the sides of the cabinets so it'll look brand new.

Love it.

You could actually take that stuff and use it on a dresser or something in your house.

Oh, sure.

You could use that feeling. If you wanted something to match your rv, you could do that. The Revive line is very cool. It's. I'm not going to say it's expensive.

I forget what rolls sell for. But when you think about a roll, it's either 50ft or 100ft, how much it covers. It's not all that bad.

But it's certainly a lot cheaper than buying new panels, if you can even find them. And the problem with, you know, These panels, they're 4ft by 8ft. And let's say you find some. You like.

Like we have a supplier in Washington where we can get them, but, you know, just to create them up, let's say you want 10 of them. It doesn't matter if it's two or 10. The crating is going to be two or $300. Just put them in a box to ship them so they don't get destroyed.

And then when they ship, more than likely you're going to have a panel or two or three. They're going to be a little damaged. Maybe you can use it, maybe you can't.

Yeah, and you're also going to pay, you know, four or five hundred dollars for shipping, depending on where you're at. So it can be the freight alone. Shipping these can actually pay for the material, depending on how much you're doing.

Exactly.

So it's really worth it. I mean, this is one of the Products I'm actually excited about. I mean, everything else to me is just, you know, weight distributing hitch.

You know, some people might argue with me on that, but, you know, a chrome ball is a chrome ball. Things don't change much. But this product is totally cool.

Yeah.

In fact, we're going to have them on one of the episodes coming up as an interview. We're going to start doing more interviews. It's always been kind of a solo show or a co host show, but we're going to add some interviews now.

Get more of the industry experts in here. I know what you're thinking, Eric. You're the industry expert. Who else is there? Well, there's some other people that you know out loud. Our circle.

Okay. Okay.

Just, you know, for the fun of it. So the factory guys know. I mean, they know the installation trick, so they can really help out.

And most of these companies we talk about, too, you can actually call them and talk to them, which is very important. All right, so that's the revive product line.

Find a link for it in our description and that'll take you to more information and a video so you can become the revive expert. And then on their website, they have dealers in your area that sell it, so you can go there to get it. And I would probably buy it locally.

I don't know if I'd have this stuff shipped so you don't have to worry about it getting damaged. You know, one more thing, because things happen. It just becomes a hassle. All right, so that brings us to the end of the show.

So go to the smart river podcast. Everything we talked about today will be there in episode number 169. Almost at 170. 169. And you'll be the smart RVer. Well, the smarter.

The smarter, smart RV. Yeah, you'll be smarter. You're already the smarter RV, so you just be the smarter RV. All right, so we had a great show today.

Thank you, Alexis, for jumping in there with your Telluride and the horse and the fancy people who go there and then the laundromat people as well. Very nice.

All right, so this is Eric Stark with the smart rver podcast, your go to guide for smarter RVing and unforgettable adventures on the open road. Thank you for listening today.