Handy Hints, Gadgets, Products & Gizmos

[GizmosMom]

Another member suggested a new forum section with new products but it doesn't look like it will be feasible. So I thought I would post this here under General RVing Issues. If enough people post (even if you have mentioned it before in another post) we can keep it near the top?

Do you have a handy hint, a new product or an old product that makes your RVing or Camping much better?

(Sorry, no commercial advertising allowed)

I'll start:

Someone in the Camping Van posted a reference to using a Super-Chamois to wipe down their shower. I have been using an icky old thick sponge and I like the chamois idea so much more.

Now I want to hear what works for you

[rodroc]

generaljean wrote:
Gizmo Mom
I don't know if you're wiping it down just to get it dry, or to keep it clean. At home I use Arm & Hammer Shower Clean. Spray it inside AFTER showering and you won't have any soap or scum or hard water build up. We have hard well water and this keeps my shower clean. Other brands are a little cheaper, but don't work as well. I get it at Wal-Mart for $2.37, but yesterday it was on a mark down for $1.97. Lasts for weeks and probably ends up costing 20 cents per shower.

I have never tried this before, but it does sound like it works. Thanks for sharing this with us.

Regards
Rod
http://allaboutthepipes.com/Charlotte Water Heater

[rodroc]

generaljean wrote:
Gizmo Mom
I don't know if you're wiping it down just to get it dry, or to keep it clean. At home I use Arm & Hammer Shower Clean. Spray it inside AFTER showering and you won't have any soap or scum or hard water build up. We have hard well water and this keeps my shower clean. Other brands are a little cheaper, but don't work as well. I get it at Wal-Mart for $2.37, but yesterday it was on a mark down for $1.97. Lasts for weeks and probably ends up costing 20 cents per shower.

This sounds like a very useful product. I have never tried it before, but it looks like it works. Thanks for sharing this with us.

Regards
Rod
http://allaboutthepipes.com/Charlotte Water Heater

[tomman58]

Had an incident last year coming home when one of our sewer hoes came out of the bumper tube and was dragging along I75.
The "new" trailers don't use the old style end caps to keep hoses inside and the new ones can pop off, gone forever and the hose can vibrate out. Whew!
I solved this by getting some 6" wood spikes from HD. Drilled bumper thru the end caps and the bottom. Dropped in a spike and there is no way I'll ruin or lose another hose.

[gingerK]

Has anyone ever used the Hot Spot Notebook Charcoal Grill? I'm thinking of getting one for my TC. Apparently, they fold up quite small. Some of the reviews are good, some say it's flimsy. I'd like to hear from someone who has actually used one before I buy.

[The_Dung_Beetle]

alenk wrote:
My wife is a quilter. I mean constantly. We bought a Tracer Executive travel trailer with two double-bed size bunks in the back. I removed the bunks, and built her a sewing room. It made Momma happy.
The underbed storage space we lost, though, and I left the storage compartment door in place. And we travel with cats. So I installed a small cat door in the storage door, and built a small cage that stands outside to hold the litter box. When traveling, I carry the cage on the rear rack.
I also had a rack built that sets over the LP tanks on the tongue, that carries our small generator.

I am also a quilter!! I would love to see that MOD you did for your lucky Wifey!!! I have a little Featherweight sewing machine that is perfect for sewing in small areas. My goal is to take a quilting project or two with us when we take off for a long period.

Ooohhhhh please please share photos! Thank you!!

[alenk]

joanne0012 wrote:

davepcpowernet wrote:
Well, Calgon is sodium hexametaphosphate used as a water softener and as an ingredient in some detergents. By itself not a detergent, though. It is even used in Lipton's "Brisk Tea". :-0

Perhaps the formula has changed, since Calgon advertises itself as containing no phosphates. The MSDS gives the active ingredents as Sodium carbonate, Trisodium citrate dihydrate, and Sodium sulfate.

http://hpd.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/brands?tbl=brands&id=18001030

I think some folks are confused about the "Calgon". I think you should try "Cascade".
When I dump the black water, just before driving home, I put in a half gallon of Cascade Concentrated Dishwasher Detergent, and add about five gallons of water (four full toilet flushings), and all my sensors work all the time. While driving, the detergent cleans the walls and sensors of my blackwater tank. When I arrive at home, I dump, and have a clean tank then.
You could also do this while driving to your campground... same thing.

[alenk]

My wife is a quilter. I mean constantly. We bought a Tracer Executive travel trailer with two double-bed size bunks in the back. I removed the bunks, and built her a sewing room. It made Momma happy.
The underbed storage space we lost, though, and I left the storage compartment door in place. And we travel with cats. So I installed a small cat door in the storage door, and built a small cage that stands outside to hold the litter box. When traveling, I carry the cage on the rear rack.
I also had a rack built that sets over the LP tanks on the tongue, that carries our small generator.

[Just_Jeff]

Sealed batteries don't offgas like that. A piece of plywood isn't likely to provide a good enough seal to keep the hydrogen out anyway, so they may have designed it for sealed batteries. If that's the case, it won't matter whether you have a finger hole in the plywood.

But if they're batteries that you have to add water to, then you don't want any other way for the gas to get into the cabin.

[gingerK]

Thank you TreeSeeker those are some good options.

[TreeSeeker]

GingerK,

Here are some flush cabinet pulls that might work for you. Some are quite expensive but there are also a number of reasonably priced ones. You may be able to find some at your local hardware store.

Make sure you caulk any fitting that requires a hole in the panel to prevent any gas leaking.

[gingerK]

TreeSeeker wrote:

GingerK wrote:
Had my DH unscrew it and found it would come out giving access to the battery compartment and water tank. Now it's a lot easier to get things in and out! I'll have him drill a finger hole to make it even easier to open.

Batteries give off hydrogen gas when charging so you need to prevent that gas from coming into your living compartment. Drilling a finger hole could be an issue. Perhaps you could glue a bottle cap or something similar over the backside of the hole to prevent the gas from escaping. Or, maybe you could find some other flush handle to use to open it that doesn't have an opening.

See, that's why I'm on here. Learned something that could be really important! Thank you!

[TreeSeeker]

GingerK wrote:
Had my DH unscrew it and found it would come out giving access to the battery compartment and water tank. Now it's a lot easier to get things in and out! I'll have him drill a finger hole to make it even easier to open.

Batteries give off hydrogen gas when charging so you need to prevent that gas from coming into your living compartment. Drilling a finger hole could be an issue. Perhaps you could glue a bottle cap or something similar over the backside of the hole to prevent the gas from escaping. Or, maybe you could find some other flush handle to use to open it that doesn't have an opening.

[Just_Jeff]

Nothing to add, but this forum doesn't have a "thanks" button so I just wanted to let you know that I enjoyed your post, gingerK!

[gingerK]

Thanks! Some things were just switched over from the previous camper. Some are specific to the newer one. I'm always trolling forums looking for new ideas!

[Duck]

gingerK, you sure have been busy. Nice write up.
Don