Exercise your RV generator. It's important

When I worked at a RV dealership, every spring our service department was booked with appointments for generators that either wouldn't start, or if they did start they had that all too familiar surging sound. This was a result of letting the generator sit for periods of time without starting and exercising it. Lack of use is one of the biggest problems with generators.

If you have a generator, remember to exercise it on a monthly basis. In gasoline generators the fuel breaks down and gums up causing hard starting and surging problems. This can happen in as short a period of time as one month.

Always keep in mind when you use a generator there is carbon monoxide. You should always inspect the exhaust system on the generator set before using it. Do not operate a generator with a damaged exhaust system.

I once thought that I could avoid exercising the generator by adding a fuel preservative to the fuel tank and then running the generator long enough to get the preservative through the generator set. You definitely should use a fuel preservative whenever the unit will be in storage, but there are many other reasons to start and exercise the generator on a regular basis. Moisture build up can cause damage to your generator. When you exercise your generator it heats up the generator windings and eliminates this moisture build up. This monthly exercise regime also lubricates all of the engine seals and components and helps to prevent carbon build up.

SO WHAT DOES EXERCISING YOUR GENERATOR MEAN? For a gasoline generator it means that you start and run the generator with at least a 50 percent load for at least two hours each month. It is extremely important that you run it with this minimum rated load. Generators are designed to run with a load placed on them. Our motorhome has a 4,000 watt generator so I can either turn the roof air conditioner on in the summer time, which is about 2,000 watts or I can use a couple of small portable electric heaters if it's cold out. It's always better to let your generator run for longer periods than it is for short periods. Check your generator owner's manual for load ratings specific to your unit.

The bottom line is don't hesitate to use your generator and when you do use it put a load on it. A little exercise and preventive maintenance will keep you generator in top operating condition and provide many years of faithful service.

Be careful when determining tow capacity of a vehicle

When you are determining the tow capacity of a vehicle make sure you know what the rear axle ratio is. It's possible to have the same type and size of vehicle with the same engine, yet the tow ratings may vary by several thousand pounds.

The axle ratio is a comparison of how many times the drive shaft rotates versus the rear wheels. A 4.10:1 axle ratio means the drive shaft or pinion gear rotates 4.1 times for each rotation of the rear axle or ring gear. The higher the numeric value the better the vehicle will tow. Some people have a misperception that a vehicle with four-wheel drive will have a higher tow rating than an identical vehicle that is two-wheel drive. In reality the two-wheel drive vehicle will have the higher tow rating. The reason for this is the transfer case in the four-wheel drive vehicle adds additional weight to the vehicle, usually close to 500 pounds, which lowers the tow rating by that same amount.

Keep in mind that any weight you add to the tow vehicle takes that same amount of weight away from the vehicles tow rating and Gross Combined Weight Rating.

How to clean your RV's fresh water tank

The water system in your RV provides water to drink, wash dishes and take a shower. Do not assume it will stay safe and fresh like the water system in your home. Contaminated water is extremely dangerous. We not only have to deal with a water system that hasn’t been used for some time, but when we travel in the RV we hook our water system up to a different water source every time we stop for the night. We hook up to city water, well water, and eventually contaminated water. You’ve probably heard people caution to not drink the water in Mexico. Well that can be true anywhere. We stopped at a campground one night to get a few hours of sleep and I didn’t bother to use the water filter. The water coming out of the faucet was cloudy and had small particles suspended in it.

Possibly the most important step you can take is to keep the fresh water system sanitized. At a minimum you should sanitize the system every spring when you take the RV out of storage and any time you notice stale water or an odor. It’s really quite simple to do.

Start by draining the water heater. Go to the outside compartment where the water heater is located. The drain plug is located in the bottom left hand corner. Remove the plug and open the pressure relief valve on top of the water heater to assist in draining. CAUTION: NEVER drain the water heater when it’s hot or under pressure.

Next you need to locate the low point water line drains. There will be one for the hot and one for the cold water lines. This is the lowest point in the water system. Open these and let the water drain out.

Now, find the drain for the fresh water holding tank and drain all of the water from it. At this point you can turn the water pump on for a moment to force out any remaining water. Do not let the pump continue to run once the water stops draining. Close all of the drains. At this point, we have removed most water from the system.

Now take a quarter cup of household bleach for every 15 gallons of water that your fresh water tank holds. Mix the bleach with water into a one-gallon container and pour it into the fresh water holding tank.

FILL THE FRESH WATER TANK almost completely full. Turn the water pump on, open all hot and cold faucets and run the water until you smell the bleach at each faucet. Close the faucets. If possible, drive the RV or pull the trailer so the water can move around to assist in cleaning the entire tank. Let it sit for at least 12 hours. Drain the entire system again and re-fill the fresh water tank with potable water.

Open all of the faucets and run the water until you no longer smell any bleach. It may be necessary to repeat this process again to eliminate all signs of bleach from the water system. Once this is done it is safe to use your water system.

If you follow these simple steps you can rest assured that the fresh water system in your RV truly is fresh.