Articles

De-winterize & Sanitize your RV Water System

At the end of your camping season you drained the water system, winterized the RV and put it in storage. One problem with this is that on most RV’s when you drain the fresh water holding tank there is still some water left in the tank. Let’s say you do manage to drain all of the water out of the tank. There is still moisture in the water system. Just imagine what can grow in that moist tank while it sits for three or four months.

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Fuel Economy 101

Today we’re going to be discussing something near and dear to all of us, especially RV owners. How can you improve your fuel economy? The 99 cents a gallon days are long gone. We’ll probably be lucky to see the $1.50 a gallon days again and depending on what part of the country you live in you may be lucky to see the $2.00 a gallon days again. It took a while but as with everything else you eventually accept the fact that higher fuel prices are here to stay.
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Dinghy Towing 101

A motor home offers us the freedom to explore the open road. We can go where we want when we want. But what happens when we arrive at a destination where we plan to stay put for a day, a week or a month? How do explore the area, or take a quick trip to the grocery store? Well, we have our bikes with us right! Bikes are nice and we even get some much needed exercise, but re they really practical for touring the surrounding area or taking a day trip? Probably not, so what do we do?
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Getting there safely

Forty thousand people in the United States die each year on the road!With the peak RV travel season quickly approaching I thought this would be a good time to discuss getting to your RV travel destination safely. Getting there can be half the fun, as the saying goes, if you take a few precautions to make your trip safe.
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Inspecting for Water Damage 101

If there is a way to get in your RV, water will find it. Water leaks on an RV can cause extensive damage and can be extremely costly to repair. When I worked at an RV dealership I saw the damaging effects that water can cause to an RV time and time again. I learned the lesson the hard way.
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RV Generators 101

Our motor home has been sitting idle for most of the winter. I went out last week to take a look at it and make sure there were no obvious problems. I started the generator to exercise it for a while. I sat there mesmerized by the quiet purring sound of the generator when suddenly the steady purr was interrupted by a surging sound. I quickly turned the appliances off that I had on and listened closely to the generator RPM's increasing and decreasing. Within a few seconds it smoothed back out to a nice, steady purr again.
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RV Holding Tank Tips 101

Today we're going to talk about RV holding tanks. To start with I wanted to mention something about RV holding tanks that I don't think a lot of RVers are aware of. Many of the free dump stations available to RVers are closing because of chemicals that are harmful to septic systems and because RVers are abusing these dump stations. If we want to have access to these dump stations it is absolutely essential that we use septic safe chemicals (no formaldehyde), and that we clean up after ourselves and do not abuse dump stations.
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RV Preventive Maintenance 101

It doesn’t matter whether you own a pop-up or a diesel pusher, when you made the decision to purchase an RV it was a major investment. Like any other major investment there are certain things we must do to protect our investment so we can enjoy it.
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RV Roof Care & Maintenance 101

One of the most neglected areas on your RV is the roof, out of site out of mind. The problem is if you don't keep the roof clean and inspect the roof seams on a regular basis you could end up with water damage. Most RVs built today use a rubber roofing material. If you want to get a long life out of your RV roof here are some things you can do.
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RV Tire Failure 101

When I was young, my friends and I would go tent camping at our favorite spot in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania. It is where I learned the art of fly-fishing for trout, trapping muskrats and hunting whitetail deer. To this day just the thought of those camping trips bring back wonderful childhood memories. Not only are the memories good, the lessons I learned have lasted a lifetime.
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Spring Preparation 101

Our motor home has been sitting idle since returning from a hunting trip to Pennsylvania after Thanksgiving. I winterized it, cleaned it and took the necessary precautions to store it for a few months, so it would be ready to go when we were ready to go. Well I have cabin fever, and I find myself searching a road atlas with my morning coffee for new destinations to visit. I am even convinced that the motor home is talking to me. "Come on, let’s go, the weathers getting nice let’s get outta here". I finally succumbed to it calling me and decided to take it out of its deep winter sleep and prepare it for spring.
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Trailer Sway 101 (As seen on RVTV)

Yaw, more commonly known as sway in the RV industry, is a bad word for trailer owners. The definition of yaw or sway is a side-to-side movement. Nothing will ruin the way you feel about camping faster than the first time you experience trailer sway.
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Top Five RV Insurance Claims & How to Avoid Them

After doing some research on RV insurance claims I discovered what one insurance company listed as the top five RV claims filed. Today we’re going to discuss what these claims are and how you can avoid them.
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LP Gas 101

LP gas is a camper's best friend. It provides us with warmth on a chilly day, hot water to shower with, cold food in the fridge and the capability to cook on the road the same way you do when you're at home.When we need it it's there, instantly providing us with all of the amenities and creature comforts we are accustomed to. We don't really even think about it, it's taken for granted that when you push that button, almost like magic it responds to your demands.
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Explorers new blog

 Welcome to RV Insurance Information
All you need to know about RV Insurance from the RV Insurance specialist at Explorer RV.
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Matching a Tow Vehicle & Trailer 101

What is all this confusing talk about weights? The weight issue is probably the most critical and least understood issue you will confront when purchasing a towable RV. It is critical because a mismatched tow vehicle and trailer can put you and your loved ones safety in jeopardy.
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RV Insurance Glossary

STANDARD AUTO COVERAGES vs. SPECIALTY RV COVERAGES
 
 
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Top 7 Motorhome trip-planning reminders

 The other day I was doing some preliminary planning for our first RV trip of the year. In addition to prepping the motorhome for another camping season, I decided to review some paperwork that I keep in the RV.

I’m glad I did, because I noticed that our emergency roadside service plan had expired. Recently, I went through the trouble of locating a 22.5-inch spare tire and rim for our motorhome. It would have been crazy to have the spare but no ERS plan to assist in getting the tire change. It just goes to show how easy it is to overlook things sometimes.

Top 7 Tips for Extending the Life of your RV Awnings

Awnings are a great feature to have on your motorhome. There are several different types of RV awnings and they serve different purposes.

Window and door awnings provide shade and keep rain away from your RV windows or entry door. Slide-out awnings help to protect the top of the slideout from debris and water. And patio awnings can extend the living area of our outdoor world.

Resolutions reognize RV Centennial

Monday, 19 April 2010 07:17 
Motorhomers can contact their legislators to support a national declaration of RV Centennial Celebration Month.
State legislatures in Indiana, Iowa and Louisiana adopted resolutions declaring June 2010 as “RV Centennial Celebration Month." The Florida state senate has also introduced an RV Centennial resolution (FL S 2680), but it has yet to be voted on.
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RV Liability Insurance

Today we are going to go over the Liability portion of a RV policy. The definition of this is as follows:

Liability - Applies to claims made against you for bodily injury or property damage to others resulting from negligent operation of a motor vehicle.

Your insurance contract can have liability in one of two ways: split limits or combined single limits.

Full-Time RVer Protection

In its November 8, 2007 issue, Time Magazine reported that there are over 400,000 full-time RVers in the United States.  Although many of these full-timers inhabit their RVs all 12 months of the year, most insurance companies view five or six months as full-time usage.

Three things every RVer should have on board

 Spring is here and RV travel is in full swing.  There are many things you can do to make sure your RV is ready to hit the road, such as changing your oil and transmission fluid and a regular check of your battery.  I do it every three months – the more you use your RV, the harder the batteries work and the more corroded they tend to get.

Going Full Time? Make sure you have the right coverage!

 If you’ve decided to permanently hit the road to experience all of America in your RV, you may have gaps in your insurance coverage, particularly when you are no longer a homeowner.

Armadillo Eggs Appetizer

 Recipe

Specialty RV Coverages: Total Loss Replacement, Purchase Price Guarantee, and Agreed Value

Many of those RVs are insured with non-specialized coverage.  At Explorer Insurance Agency, we realize how significant an investment a RV can be.  This article discusses the three coverage options that are the foundation of the specialized RV policy. Each option provides a form of depreciation protection, but provides it in a different manner.

Understanding the Specialty RV policy vs. a Typical Auto Policy

The RV lifestyle is experiencing tremendous growth, especially as the Baby Boomers increasingly flock to the freedom of the RV lifestyle.  In previous articles, we covered the foundation of specialized RV coverage with the depreciation protection coverage options.
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Medium-duty truck coverage

As fifth wheels, travel trailers, and horse trailers are getting longer, larger, and heavier, a typical pickup truck becomes less safe and less capable of pulling the weight. As a result, medium-duty trucks are becoming more popular in the RV and equine cultures.

Medical Payments and Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage’s

At Explorer Insurance Agency, our objective for posting these articles is to help you understand the coverages listed on your RV policy.   Today we will be discussing two options which are considered standard auto coverages, but are often overlooked.   Found on just about every vehicle policy, whether for an auto, motorcycle, boat, or motorhome are Medical Payments and Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist.
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Collision & Comprehensive Coverage

Collision and Comprehensive (Other than Collision) coverage are without a doubt two of the more important types of RV insurance coverage, and are also the most misunderstood. 
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Personal Effects & Emergency Vacation Expenses

Two specialty coverages that may not be available for an RV on a standard auto insurance policy are Personal Effects coverage and Emergency Vacation Expense coverage. Personal Effects and Emergency Vacation expense coverage are both very valuable in the event of a claim.

Love to travel and love to eat? Me, too! That’s why I created the RV Cooking Show.

Explorer RV is thrilled to host guest columnist Evanne Schmarder from the RV Cooking Show. Evanne shares what got her hooked on RVing and her latest adventures, including auditioning for the Oprah show!

Grilled Blue Cheese Tomatoes

Grilled Blue Cheese Tomatoes
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Consignment Coverage

In today’s economy more and more RVers are looking at consignment contracts with RV dealerships as an option to sell their RV.  The typical RV insurance policy may not provide coverage for your RV while it is in the possession of an RV dealership; in fact, many policies specifically exclude coverage for RVs being sold on consignment.
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Horse Trailer Insurance

For Horse Trailers with living space.
Our specialty Horse Trailer programs include:
Total Loss Replacement – If your Horse Trailer is a total loss in the first five model years, we will replace it with a brand new comparable model.
Diminishing Deductible – Reduces your deductible by one-fourth for each consecutive claim-free year.

RV Insurance-Custom Equipment Coverage

Since you purchased your RV, you may have added custom equipment that did not come from the RV manufacturer.  Examples include flooring, furniture, cabinetry and more. In the event of a total loss, this upgraded equipment would be expensive to replace.

RV Insurance- Tales from the Road

It used to be you’d sell your house, buy a motor home and go see America. You just don’t hear many of those stories anymore. Houses are difficult to sell, the economy’s rough and financing is not easy to come by.

RVing Recipes

Omelet in a Bag

This is easy to make, and our grandkids love it!