How to whiten an RV sink

Corian is a great material, but it isn't impervious to staining and discoloring. Here, from the RV Geeks, is a quick, easy tip for whitening a Corian or similar solid-surface kitchen or bathroom sink. Whether in your RV or in your house, this simple technique will rejuvenate even the dingiest and most discolored sink.

When the Geek's RV's sink first began getting dingy and stained, they tried whitening it with bleach, which they had heard was very effective. Bleach is just so smelly and toxic that they decided to stop using it.

Then a friend of theirs (and fellow RVer) began waxing poetic about the wonders of Oxiclean. The RV Geeks had originally been turned off by the in-your-face advertising for the product by pitchman Billy Mays, so had never tried it before. Their friend insisted they take a small Ziploc bag of it back to their RV. Did it work? Watch the video.

Regular room slide maintenance can prevent operational problems on the road

Slides, slide outs, slide rooms, are one in the same. They are those nifty RV features that turn small spaces into larger ones.

Often, however, they act up, usually due to preventive maintenance. Slides require maintenance and occasional adjustment. RV owners should have a little knowledge about their workings just in case of a malfunction.



Slide maintenance is important.

Some RVers fail to realize that slides can be closed manually. Somewhere in your rig is a crake used to manually open and close slides. Look on a wall in the basement or other storage areas of your RV.
Early versions of slides were hydraulically operated so operating mechanisms required a lot of space. This type of slide cannot be pushed back in manually without releasing the hydraulic pressure. The motor and pump are located under the slide. Also, between the coach battery and the control solenoid on the pump motor is a heavy duty battery cable. A fusible link is located near the pump with this cable. It is a smaller gauge wire that will self destruct in case the pump motor overloads.

A good rubber seal
lubercant helps prevent
problems.

Electrical problems top the list of reasons slides fail. See if the fusible link burned out or look for corrosion at the battery or the solenoid terminals. Clean the cables and connections annually to eliminate problems while on the road.  It is also a good idea to lubricate the extended hydraulic ram with a heavy duty silicone lubricant.

Use a portable battery booster to provide temporary power to close a stuck slide. Have someone crawl under the slide and locate the pump motor. Attach the red booster box cable to the cable connection on the solenoid connected to the cable leading to the battery. Then connect the black clamp to a clean frame mount. Be sure that the cables do not bind as the slide is pulled in, and that the red clamp does not hit any metal.

Newer slides have electrically operated gear track or screw mechanism. Most gear driven units have a single electric motor operating a mechanism that have a mechanical disconnect allowing the drive to be disengaged so that the slide can be pushed back in.

With the slide extended, crawl under the slide and locate the operating motor and the disconnect lever. If these units fail the problem is usually a fuse or a circuit/overload protector. The fuse should be marked in the coach fuse panel that is under the hood on gas units or in the bin area near your batteries on diesel coaches. It is not located in the circuit breaker panel inside the RV.

All slides require regular maintenance of the rubber sealing gaskets and wipers. Protect-All Slide-Out Rubber Seal Treatment is a popular foam lube that is spread on all rubber components.  That should be done every 60 days to keep the rubber from drying out.

The tracks and gear slide mechanism should be lubricated with something like Protect-All Dry Lube. It is an orange liquid for visibility, but dries leaving a lubricant that will not attract dust and dirt. It also is a rust inhibitor that will maintain the integrity of the track surfaces.

Please view the view below for more on room slide maintennace

Locating parts, accessories for vintage RVs made easy thanks to Internet

RVs have been around in one form or another since the early 1900s. Most of those on the road today boast TV, computer work stations, refrigerators and all the other conveniences of home.

There are some diehards who love older RVs. You can still see 20, 30 and even 40-year-old recreational vehicles on the road. They are driven by proud owners who dedicate time and money to keep classic RVs on the road. Vintage recreation vehicles draw crowds and questions, no matter where they go.



An ancient Dodge RV.

But parts and accessories for old buggies can be difficult to find. Often they must be  manufactured by handy repairmen or purchased from supply houses that specialize in older recreation vehicles.

Covered wagons were the very first RVs. Starting in about 1745 they played a significant part in settling North America. The earliest motor homes were built in 1910 on car or truck bodies. By the 1920s the RV was well established and a  number of companies began manufacturing them. During the 1950s, in addition to travel trailers or trailer coaches, manufacturers began building self-contained motor homes.



Vintage GMC bus conversion.

Owners of vintage RVs often experience roadblocks finding parts and accessories because models may have ceased production or a manufacturer has gone out of business. Old RV parts were built from metal, not plastic. Even if you own a modern RV you may want to find sturdier parts that are no longer offered on the newer motor homes, but they were once used on older models. This is when a good motor home junkyard comes in handy.

There are numerous RV boneyards in the United States. At them you can locate parts and accessories dating back 30 and more years old ago. The junkyards are well known to vintage RV owners and repair shops.

This 1940s  military bus is now an RV.

Hard to find components can still be found at www.bizrate.com, eBay.com or at brick and mortar places such as PPL RV Parts and Accessories Superstore of Houston, TX. One web site,
www.goodoldrvs.com, even sells older "project" RVs ready for restoration. Here you can choose from such brands as Travco, Grastron, Sierra Trailer and Itasca.

There are hundreds of vintage RV web sites. Many are set up as clearing houses for parts, accessories and even manuals. Just type your preferences into a search browser such as Google.com or Yahoo.com, and  the names and locations of classic RV associations, parts houses and other pertinent data fills your screen.

Timeless Travel Trailers near Denver, CO will even restore your ancient RV. Operating out of a 13,000 square-foot manufacturing facility, about 25 craftspeople and technicians bring back to life vintage Airstreams, Silver Streaks, Streamlines, Spartans, Avions and other trailers. Visit www.timelesstraveltrailers.com