RV 101™ Education with Mark Polk

I would recommend using a marine fogging oil if it...

2012-02-15T07:20:16.570-05:00

I would recommend using a marine fogging oil if it is not a diesel engine. Fogging oil is designed to protect internal engine components for long storing periods. Make sure you follow the directions listed on the fogging oil.

What do you suggest for an RV stored inside for up...

2012-02-15T06:48:28.790-05:00

What do you suggest for an RV stored inside for up to 6 months, where the engine/ gennie cannot be run?

Hi Todd, Thanks for the comments. This is good in...

2012-01-19T12:29:53.395-05:00

Hi Todd,

Thanks for the comments. This is good information and in future publications I will be sure and add it to the articles.

Mark, You have given some good tips regarding cold...

2012-01-19T11:23:35.069-05:00

Mark, You have given some good tips regarding cold weather camping however one thing that you mentioned about antifreeze in your tanks based on the size of your tank has a major flaw. All holding tanks in RV's with the exception of masserator toilets are gravity drained, because of this when you put antifreeze into the tank it will immediately go to the lowest point and that will be the pipes going to the drain, so all of the antifreeze dumped into the tank will most likely be sitting against the gate valve where you dump your tanks and there wont be any in your tank. These pipes will hold and a minimum 1 quart of fluid and in some cases 4 to 5 gallons depending on how long they are. By code your black tank must be under 3' from the tank to the gate valve and there is no limit on the gray tank as long as it meets the slope requirements. I would recommend installing pipe heaters on all pipes and electric tank heaters on all holding tanks not located inside the RV, UltraHeat holding tank heaters work very well and can be used with either AC or DC voltage.

RV manufacturers are very creative about how they tell you the holding tanks are heated, ask questions when you are looking for a true "all season RV". If they do not have holding tank heaters and try to use a small amount of forced air from the furnace to heat the holding tank area it will not work especially in temperatures below 20 degrees. You mentioned using space heaters to supplement the heat inside your RV, I know this is a standard practice and a very good one but when you do this your RV furnace doesn't run as much, subsequently no heat to the storage areas, also forced air heat requires air movement to maintain sufficient heat, this is why every forced air furnace installed has a return air path. Have you ever seen a return air from the holding tank area?

I appreciate all of your articles and look forward to reading more. I just wanted to mention a few things I have figured out through my years in the industry.

Sincerely
Todd Stahly

My wife Melissa and I are also new to the RV World...

2011-12-26T16:21:09.906-05:00

My wife Melissa and I are also new to the RV World. About a year ago we got the RV Bug from some friends who had started RV-ing full time. At that point I started reading every thing I could get my hands on and started finding that almost every person has two opinions about everything! I found Mark Polk and his DVD's - that was a GREAT DAY!!! I have purchased several of his DVD's and I now can get straight uncomplicated instruction and information from one source. A very knowledgeable source - Mark Polk. The DVD's have cleared up a lot of "wrong" information and the best part is I can go back into a DVD and get something cleared up if I have a a question. My opinion -every RV-er should have some of these DVD's as the learning process never seems to stop and to have information and answers at your finger tips is PRICELESS!!!
We are having a 31 foot NEXUS Class C built out in Elkhart Indiana and will start our RV Journey on April 4, 2012 and thanks to Mark Polk we are ready and able to hit the road with confidence and knowledge - of course we'll bring our DVD collection along in case we need to brush up or have a question.

Great advice. Thank you for your comments!

2011-10-23T00:52:10.013-04:00

Great advice. Thank you for your comments!

You offer GREAT advice. Thank you for your comment...

2011-10-23T00:49:35.840-04:00

You offer GREAT advice. Thank you for your comments.

Dear Mark: As I am sure you know but some of your...

2011-08-15T12:59:12.887-04:00

Dear Mark:

As I am sure you know but some of your readers may not, if there are air brakes on the RV, it either already has, or can easily add, an air tap which accepts quick disconnect fittings, allowing you to use your on board air brake air compressor to provide air. We use ours to put air in our tires whenever or wherever we want. I bought a simple air boosting device from Les Schwab that doubles the air pressure from approximately 90 PSI to approximately 180 PSI. It handles our tires readily and doesn't burn a ton of diesel in the process.

I am told you can buy a replacement governor on your air brakes that will take the pressure release from 90 + to 150+ psi. I have heard that is not a good idea due to the extra stress placed upon the air brake system. What do you think?

RV education by DVD is really fantastic option whi...

2011-05-30T07:46:45.554-04:00

RV education by DVD is really fantastic option which could useful many of us, thanks for providing such a great choices.

Las Vegas Traffic School

Howdy Chief, I bought a brand new 1/2 ton pickup ...

2011-05-23T15:36:51.815-04:00

Howdy Chief, I bought a brand new 1/2 ton pickup truck in 1989. My intended use was as a tow vehicle for my 28' travel trailer. I put an "RV" grind cam and roller rockers in before I had 100 miles on it. I also installed the largest transmission oil cooler that would fit in front of the rsdiator. I used only Mobil One synthetic oil since new. At this time, the engine and transmission 27R4 have over 358,000 miles on them without a teardown and it still passes the Albuquerque Air Care pollution standards required anually. Good oil, filter changes, transmission oil and filter changes may seem expensive but they are far less expensive than a rebuild. Great advice. Thanks

We are so pleased to partner with these long-time ...

2011-04-13T15:46:55.816-04:00

We are so pleased to partner with these long-time RV experts! In the end, our viewers win big with twice as many ways to learn about safe travel and enjoying the flavor of each destination. It's a wow!

Don't go anywhere before securing your awning ...

2011-03-28T19:40:23.672-04:00

Don't go anywhere before securing your awning in the closed position, with zipties, or awening straps.There is a decent awning somwhere on the south side of I80 in Wyoming. I didnt hear it depart, just heard the rear awning arm banging against the side of my RV.

Walk around the unit before you hit the road or yo...

2011-03-21T13:08:23.380-04:00

Walk around the unit before you hit the road or you might be driving down the road with the steps still out...says the voice of experience. Same rule for cupboard doors so now there's a check list page in my latest book because we've forgotten all those things at one time or another. Barb

My wife, Kim & I are new to the RV Ownership W...

2011-03-19T01:16:30.341-04:00

My wife, Kim & I are new to the RV Ownership World and have done extensive "homework" on purchasing a RV. Through our homework, we found RVEducation101.com, which led us to RVUniversity.com and RVConsumer.com. Knowing we wanted to purchase a 5th wheel RV but knowing little about them other than how much smaller they are than an actual home or apartment, we knew we had a lot to learn. Mark & Dawn have been AWESOME! Their products, professionalism, knowledge and expertise cannot be put into words how helpful they have been in our progress to buy our RV. We started our "homework" back in Oct, 2010 and today, 18 March 2011, we just made our down payment. Because of Mark & Dawn, we're no longer hesitant, anxious, confused or frustrated with our decision on which model to buy, needs we needed to have met and we're more comfortable with the systems within our future RV. I cannot stress enough how invaluable their information is and what they are doing to/for new RV'ers. Thanks Mark & Dawn and Kim & I are looking forward to the time we may meet down the road and personally thank you for everything you've done to help us get started in this new lifestyle!!

These Towing Hitch tips are very beneficial and informative. There are many different types of hitch available for different vehicles. Before loading the vehicle make sure that you have selected the right hitch. Just my thoughts!

I suggest an infrared inspection. It will show no ...

2010-09-09T21:42:22.812-04:00

I suggest an infrared inspection. It will show no only if there are leaks, They can be traced to the source.infrared concepts,thermal imaging,infrared imaging,home inspection,energy savings,wilmington,nc,north carolina,predictive mantainence,commercial,industrial,

For more information on the TPMS visit The Tire Mi...

2010-07-25T07:39:49.658-04:00

For more information on the TPMS visit The Tire Minder website:
http://www.minderresearch.com/id71.html

Lots of RV manufacturers use styrofoam for the a/c...

2010-06-29T22:28:32.162-04:00

Lots of RV manufacturers use styrofoam for the a/c duct work routed through the ceiling. It's possible that some styrofoam is in the duct work from the initial installation or possibly the duct work is damaged and some of it comes out when the A/C is running.

Mark

I want to find out why white styrofoam would blow ...

2010-06-26T16:05:12.788-04:00

I want to find out why white styrofoam would blow out of our roof top airconditioner. It is a 2007 Georgetown motorhome. This airconditioner has been used maybe 30 times in the three years we have owned this. It isn't driven all winter and the last time we used it was August 2009.

2010-05-26T10:50:50.049-04:00

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

Help....Mark, on pg 115 of your RV Book, I'm t...

2010-04-23T13:50:49.006-04:00

Help....Mark, on pg 115 of your RV Book, I'm trying to "sanitize the fresh water". However, tho I can drain the water, I cannot figure "how to put the bleach water in the fresh water tank"? There are all the placed to turn on to drain, but no place to put some "in" that I can find. I have an '01 Landau (by Georgie Boy) 30' Class A (looks like the one in your video) with Ford Tritan V-10. Can you tell me the easiest way to do this? Thanks much - anne69@q.com

Marlan: Yes, there are several very effective TPMS...

2010-04-08T08:30:52.991-04:00

Marlan: Yes, there are several very effective TPMS on the market. I was looking at the Doran TPMS for RV's just a while back. We are taking a long RV trip this summer and I am seriously considering this aftermarket add on.

This is a really smart article Mark. Have you seen...

2010-04-07T12:45:39.433-04:00

This is a really smart article Mark. Have you seen effective tire pressure monitoring systems lately?

My wife is a dog love and if she sees the 92% trav...

2010-03-06T20:34:36.838-05:00

My wife is a dog love and if she sees the 92% travel with dogs I'm a goner. We have noticed that the weenie dog seems to be the dog of choice for RV folks.

I currently have a trailer and would like to move ...

2010-02-10T15:43:44.133-05:00

I currently have a trailer and would like to move up to a used Class C soon. For me, it would make sense to have a spare tire - I would gladly pay the extra to mount it, but even if the correct size tire is available, who knows how much that tire is going to cost when you're in the middle of nowhere?