Dave & Janice Evans

This is an blog which was written by Janice and Dave Evans who are Workampers and have had RV Maintenance issues to deal with…just like everybody else. However, here is the way that they have chosen to deal with their issues. Here is their blog : Ready to Go Fulltime RVing

We met the Evans when we were doing RV Maintenance seminars in Houston, TX at PPL Motorhomes.  We found out that they were workampers and are subscribers of Workamper News. I have been working for Workamper News since November of last year doing their press releases and social media.   So because of that, we promote the workamping lifestyle and Workamper News where ever we should go.  Janice and Dave shared with us their past in workamping and what dreams they are currently striving toward.  What a great couple they are so I suggest that you follow their travels and be a part in sharing in their dreams…..  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ready-to-Go-Full-Time-RVing/140059842696916

Made it to the top of the ship for sailingWow...great ship!

Standing in line to board the ship.

*check out the Professor’s new RV Air Conditioner Maintenance DVD in his bookstore*

The Air Conditioner on top of a Recreational Vehicle is one of the most overworked and under serviced appliances on the coach. A few simple procedures will help keep your unit operating at its peak performance.

Efficiency of Your Air Conditioner

Testing the Operation or DELTA T – A simple test with a thermometer will help tell you how your unit is operating.

1. Turn on the air conditioner and allow it to operate for at least 15 to 20 minutes so it can start cool the coach.
2. Take a pocket thermometer and insert into the return air grill of the unit – typically where the air filter is. Let it read for about 5 to 6 minutes. Note this temperature reading
3. Take the thermometer and insert in the air register that is closest to the air conditioner. Let it read for 5 to 6 minutes.
4. Compare the Return Air Temperature with the Discharge Air Temperature – this temperature difference is the efficiency of the unit or the Delta T
5. If the unit is operating properly you should see an approximate difference of temperatures of 14 to 22 degrees F.

Note: If you are in desert area the temperature will be higher as the unit only has to cool the air not strip moisture from the air.

      If you are in an area that has high humidity you will see a lower Delta T or temperature        difference due to the unit stripping the moisture from the air. You will also have a larger    amount of condensation dripping off the coach.

Cleaning the Air Filter(s) – the air filter of the unit is usually a very basic foam or screen type of filter.

*Cleaning is based upon the conditions where you are. More dust – More often

*Full Timers should inspect filter at least every 2 weeks.

Cleaning

1. Remove the filter assembly
2. Take outside of coach and dust off with hand
3. Take a pail of soapy water and dip and clean
4. Rinse with fresh water
5. Allow to dry
6. Before reinstalling the filter(s) inspect the coils that are now exposed. – these coils are the heat exchangers that take the warmer air and strip out the heat and cool it down so it can blown into the coach.
7. If there is dirt and debris – take a damp rag and gently wipe down the coils- CAUTION they will have sharp edges. Be careful not bend the fins.
8. Reinstall the air filter assembly.

 On the Roof

Coil Straightening The outside coils sometimes get bent due to tree limbs or during hail storms. They can be straighten to increase the efficiency of the air conditioning unit.

1. Access the roof of your coach – CAUTION: Always be aware of where you are on the roof of your RV. Find the rafters and step on them and be aware of the sometimes slippery conditions of the roof. – HOW close to the edge are you?
2. Take a fin comb and gently begin to work with a down ward manner straightening the fins. This task is one of patience and requires that you be gentle. This is no place to be a gorilla!!!
3. If you find fins that are excessive attempt to straighten them with a screw driver and needle nose pliers….here again patience and being gentle pays off.
4. As you straighten the coils realize you are opening the air flow path for the heat exchange of the Freon gas that is flowing inside of the tubes. Every inch you can straighten will increase the efficiency of air conditioning unit.

The Professors Law of Air Conditioning that he teaches his students is…..

In order to have cool air inside you must let the hot air out!!!!

It’s our job to help keep your wheels rolling….we’ll see you on down the highway!

Check out the Professor’s New RV Air Conditioner Maintenance DVD by going to his store at

www.MobileRVAcademy.com

“Roady, sometimes my human flushes the toilet while I’m watching my favorite program on television.  When she does, the TV goes off.  I’m desperate, it always happens right at the best part of the show or it makes me miss the end of my story.  What’s going on?”

Well Darla, there appear to be several things going on.

The biggest problem is that your human should never use the bathroom while you’re watching your favorite TV show.  She should be setting attentively at your side. Remember that it won’t hurt her to wait a few minutes until there’s a commercial. Beyond the fact that her wandering off demonstrates a lack of attentiveness, there is a serious problem associated with humans and bathrooms.   They are a strange bunch and will drink almost anything.

I have to watch The Professor like a hawk.   I’ve actually seen him try to drink blue water! It was from a bottle that he keeps beside the sink next to our toothbrush and thankfully he spit it out almost immediately.  He seemed none the worse afterwards, but I have been watching closely for any unmentionable side-effects (here in Texas we call it Carpet Scooting Syndrome).

Controlling your human can be bothersome at times, but it’s critical that humans are never in the bathroom alone!  I can’t stress this enough.  Instead of following her around and watching her every second of the day and night, here are a couple of tips that you might try.

I sometimes lay across The Professor’s lap until his legs fall asleep.  This is pretty effective when you’re in the mood for a long quiet evening, but I can see from your photo that with your svelte build, this might not be possible for you.  Some dogs use the old ‘scratch my belly routine’ but you don’t strike me as that type of girl.  Personally I recommend that you try crying every time your human acts like she wants to get up. When they finally learn (after a week or two of repetition), it might be enough to just wrinkle your brow and pitifully squint your eyes.

Let me know if you’re successful in keeping your human out of the bathroom when she isn’t supposed to be in there. There are other, less pleasant methods of controlling humans, but they should only be used as a last resort.

Also, I conferred with the Texas RV Professor about your TV issue. He says that

 It’s either a low battery issue or power relay problem.

I just look at him with that “Yep, You got that one right” look on my face when he comes up with these off the wall solutions.

He said that the TV was using all the power from a low battery and when the water pump comes on it pulls down the battery power.  The TV sees the low power as a brown out condition and shuts down….but like I said earlier…that Blue water does strange things to these humans.

Thank you for writing me and I really enjoyed the photo (nice bow!).  I’m sending you a bottle of Roady’s Toilet Water as a token of my appreciation.  It’s not blue and is best served with something fragrant found beside the road.

Roady RV Dog

 ”NO…I’m not Woofing!” Says Roady, the RV Dog.

“Did you really SAVE a lot of money when now……your gonna have to replace  some major appliances?  Well, I tell you ….Don’t replace them, fix them yourself and I’m not just woofing.”

“You can get my Professor, TERRY COOPER, who is a Master Certified Technician, to stand beside you to trouble shoot  with you… by taking you step-by-step through the getting it right process. It’s like having a Master Certified Technician looking over your shoulder…getting ‘er done.”

“Yep…it’s true.  My Professor has been working hard to put together some super DVDs on 4 major appliances. These DVDs cover all the trouble shooting techniques, repairs and he has a few tricks up his sleeve so you can give new life to your unit’s appliances. Here’s the names of each DVD:  1) Water Heaters  2) Furnaces  3)Air/Conditioners   4) Refrigerators.”

“I’ll take some of the credit because I worked hard too…laying at my Professor’s feet as he guided Ken Greening on trouble shooting his newly acquired auction FEMA trailer.  You will find that these DVD’s are just what YOU need to get your tail waggin … once again.”

“So, this is all you have to do. Click on the link below and it will take you right to the Professor’s store where he has lots of DVD’s to choose from.  Look for the ones that has FEMA on them. You might need just one…or all 4 but whatever you do…don’t wait. The Professor will get your tail wagging again, that’s for sure.”

“Oh, by the way…the Professor has a video right here on this page for you to listen to…which gives you more information about these DVDs. Go ahead! Take a look.”

Here’s your link: http://www.shop.everythingrvtv.com/RV-Maintenance-Educational-DVDS-DIY-Repair_c4.htm

“Remember: This is….Roady the RV Dog.  We’ll see you on down the highway!”

February 23, 2010 Waco, TX - It was a historical day as Terry and I met with Mark Long, Publisher of TSTC Publishing where I signed the contract for the making of the Centennial RV Cookbook – Celebrating 100 Years of RVing History.

Mark and his staff at the Publishing Department have been terrific to work with. Sheila Boggess, Marketing Manager; Wes Lowe, Sales Manager; Melanie Department Secretary; Grace Arsiaga, Editor.

Another thing that added to excitement of that day was…we received 6 inches of snow in Waco that very day. Wow, I don’t ever recall receiving that much snow in Central Texas, even when I was growing up there in Rockdale (70 miles south of Waco) all those years. It was just wonderful and could not have been any better…oh wait…but it did get better!

Terry took me to lunch at Cracker Barrel. (My favorite place to eat) Sitting by the window, enjoying each other’s company and watching the snow fall. Now that was a perfect day.

By Evada Cooper ( Lady E )

Update: April 21, 2010 

The RV Centennial Cookbook – Celebrating 100 Years of RV History  was officially endorsed by the National Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA)

Tails From the Highway!

Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve written. I just haven’t been myself lately.  Once I heard from my good friend, Chuck, I wanted to share the exchange.

He wrote:

Roady,

Something weird is happening.  Sometimes when Harold and I are pulling our travel trailer, there’s this horrible screeching and screaming noise that comes from behind the truck.  It seems to be cyclical and it seems to be worse when we slow down.  Harold doesn’t really seem to notice, but I promise you it’s there!  What’s going on?

                                                                                       Chuck

“Chuck,” I replied. “There are two possible explanations for your problem.

The first is your trailer brakes are sticking. This is the least likely explanation, but I’m obligated to mention it because the Texas RV Professor thinks that’s the problem and talks about it in his Webinars and his Did You Know Tech Tips at the MobileRVAcademy.com.

The second, and most likely, explanation is you have a chicken infestation in your trailer.  I know what you’re thinking. You’re asking yourself how I could know this so quickly. 

Let me tell you about what happened to me recently …

One evening not too long ago, the Professor and I went to visit the professor’s brother, Pete, on his farm.  After I sat around in the living room with the humans for a while, I got bored and hungry.  So I went to the pantry and had a snack of cookies and chips. I really wanted some cheese doodles and I looked everywhere, but there weren’t any, not even on the top shelf (that’s where the Professor usually puts them).  After four or five minutes of searching, I gave up and made a nice bed out of some rolls of paper towels.  I grabbed a can of soda from the pile on the floor and was quietly licking the leaks from the bite marks when Pete yanked the door open.  He immediately started having a fit! He was pointing and yelling for the Professor, shouting something incoherent about his wife and when she got home.

I have to say right here I had no idea she wouldn’t want me sleeping in the pantry (it must be some sort of rural custom).  I always try to be a good houseguest, so if I’d known she was so particular about her personal space, I certainly wouldn’t have encroached.

Needless to say, the Professor and I were both very embarrassed.  I went to the back door and offered to go outside, thinking it might defuse the situation somewhat if I got as far away from her pantry as possible. The Professor opened the door (oh, for opposable thumbs!), and I crept off into the night in disgrace.

It seemed prudent to go to a small building just outside the yard. The door was kind of small, about Pekinese-sized, but I managed to squeeze through. It was quiet and dark, which was a relief after all the commotion in the house. I stood inside the door for a moment, just catching my breath and letting my eyes adjust to the dark.

I hadn’t been inside more than five seconds when I heard a strange noise. A squawky kind of “brrrr-auck” sound.  Then it happened again.  It was closer! That crazy noise sounded again, but now to my side! There were two of them, maybe more! I still couldn’t see very well, but I could discern a shadowy movement coming at me. It wasn’t very large, but it was coming fast and the noise it gave was horrifying… a long screech of indignation and fury!

Suddenly, the sides of the shadow exploded outwards and the beast tripled in size! It was almost upon me and I could only tuck, duck, and roll as it launched itself at my face!  Immediately, another attacked from the side. Then another!

What had seemed like a safe haven only seconds before had suddenly become a den of terror.  All I could do was hunker down while being flayed by talons and beaks.

All the while the ear-splitting screeching and squalling continued, compounding my disorientation. I wasn’t able to defend myself, and truthfully, I don’t know what defense would have been possible. The attacks were relentless. I would detect movement and a split second later one of the creatures would attack. I was flogged, first from one direction and then the other. As soon as a beast seemed to tire in its abuses, another would rally from the other side, or the rear, or even from above (yes, they appeared to be able to fly or leap!).  Sometimes it seemed as if eight or ten of them were upon me simultaneously. It was terrifying.

It’s hard to know exactly how long it lasted, but I do know eventually they seemed to tire.  I tried to stand, thoughts of escape whirling in my brain as I staggered toward the door.  But my way was blocked, and the attack began again immediately, with more ferocity.  I knew then I was lost.

To make a long story short, I spent the entire night with those fiends looming over me.  At one point, one of the larger ones jumped up onto my back.  I twitched under the grip of its claws biting into my shoulder blades and gasped as I felt it settle down into sleep, confident in its status as conqueror.

It was a long night. I tremble just thinking about those endless hours in the darkness, hearing the Professor calling my name over and over, wanting desperately to run to him and the safety he offered, but knowing I was held captive by those foul specters of the night.

At long last, daylight broke. The creatures became restless and began moving about.  I was afraid the attacks were about to begin again as the monster on my back rose to his feet, stretched, and issued an ear-splitting crow of triumph. Amazingly, upon his signal, they rose as one and trooped from the building, exiting with contented clucks and murmurs.

As soon as the last of them was gone, I poked my head out the door. They were meandering off through the tall grass, no doubt to hunt for fresh meat. 

I wouldn’t have known what the beasts were if the Professor hadn’t said I smelled of ‘chickens’ when he was giving me a bath later that morning. I’ve been trying not to think about the incident, but I believe it’s vital the truth come out about chickens…  So thank you for writing, Chuck.  It’s been healing for me to talk about this.

As you can see, it’s important you do something about this chicken problem. NOW.  Find a trained professional to handle the problem. Do not delay!

I’m sending you a six-pack bottle of Roady’s Toilet Water in case your mouth is dry after hearing my story. It’s not blue and is best served in the safe confines of your coach after the exterminator has been by.

This is Roady saying goodbye for now. Keep your wheels rolling, and those letters and photos coming!

Cruising off the Coast of the Florida Keys

Before Spring Break, Terry surprised me with a Cruise to the Bahamas in celebration of my 50th birthday. Oh, what a wonderful treat it was. To get away and enjoy being work-free for a few days to enjoy the beautiful scenery and relaxing time on the ship.

We left on Sunday, March 7th from the Galvestion Bay and returned 7 days later. We took lots of pictures and I’m going to share some of those with you here. Before we left, I took the time to trade in my dinosaur phone of two years, to the wonderful Blackberry Tour through Verizon. With it I was able to take some amazing pictures, I know you will agree.

This was our first ‘trip away’ that Terry and I have taken since we were married December 16, 2008. We have traveled quiet a bit, however, business is usually the cause. So, there were things that I did find out about Terry Cooper that I was pleasantly surprised at. Like…. he can sleep past 5 a.m. and he can stay up past 10 p.m. We have always enjoyed dancing together… so nearly every night we were in the Piano/Blues, 60′s Bands or Disco areas. I tried my best to get him up on the Karaoke stage but NO GO… on that one. I found out, about myself, that eating a Mexican buffet at midnight does not set well on my stomach.

We had 3 stops along the duration of the cruise. The first being Key West, my favorite of all three. It was warm, the water was incredibly blue. The Island was filled with beautiful coastal homes…so much history that I was amazed to learn about. We went through a couple of Museums. Took the Conch Train Tour of the Island. (Very interesting) We saw the “Little White House”. A place where some of our past Presidents came to do their planning before Camp David was built. I was blown away by the tropical plants and flowers. Coconut and Banana Trees… all along the streets that were lined with beautifully restored homes with colored shutters and big front porches. I will never forget the beauty…

More later…. in Part II.

March 29, 2010 Heber Springs, AR – Workamper News, declares April as being Workamper Education Awareness Month. Starting off on Thursday, April 1st – Workamper University’s Instructors; Jaimie Hall Bruzenak of RV Lifestyle Experts and Terry Cooper of Mobile RV Academy are holding an informative Webinar on the benefits of RV education and specials being offered through the University.

Steve Anderson, Editor of Workamper News explains. “After 23 years of helping thousands of great people find great jobs at great places, I know one thing never changes: Education is priceless! Whether someone is dreaming to jump out into the Workamper lifestyle in the near future or has been Workamping for some time now, the lack of education can cause the road to be full of obstacles that will interfere and delay that great workamper experience that everyone is looking for. With that in mind, we are promoting RV education Awareness in the entire month of April with several planned events and discounts that I encourage everyone to take advantage of.”

“All individual Prerecorded Educational Webinars, taught by the University Instructors, are being discounted 15% off the regular prices. Plus, we are encouraging everyone to attend the three planned Live Webinar Events scheduled for April 1st, 13th and 29th to receive even deeper discounts up to 25% off. With these incentives, there is no excuse for not making the commitment of becoming educated about the RV lifestyle and RV maintenance. Education always heightens the opportunities for success. It’s our job to help anyone become a successful Workamper.” says Anderson.

Andersons encourages all to attend the first planned Live Event, April 1st, 2010 at 7p.m. Central Time. Sign up for the 75 minute webinar at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/392727818

To purchase any of the pre-recorded RV educational courses, please visit: http://www.workamper.com/WKN2008_university/index.cfm

For additional information, please visit www.Workamper.com or call the business office at (800) 446-5627 during the hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. M-F. For over 23 years: Workamper News has been helping Great People …find Great Jobs …at Great Places.