Elepent

There’s a hidden danger to your RV lurking at every campground.  It doesn’t matter if it’s a seedy, unkempt trailer park or the best-tended motorhome resort; the chance of doing thousands of dollars of damage to the electronic equipment in your rig is there, and there’s a chance you don’t even know about the game of roulette you’re playing.

The danger is in the vital link to shore power.  Computers, televisions, microwaves and other electronic appliances are susceptible to power surges and drops–and so is your recreational vehicle.   Every time you plug your RV into an external power source, its electronics are at risk.  An unexpected power surge or voltage drop can fry all of the electronic devices in your RV, from entertainment equipment to kitchen appliances.
You might assume that lightning strikes are the primary cause of fried circuitboards in RVs.  This is not true.  Even considering the affinity that thunderstorms and tornadoes seem to have for RV parks, the real threat is much more common than lightning; it’s the power pedestal that provides electricity to each RV site.
The pedestal can zap your RV in a number of ways.  Power surges can provide too much power–or not enough.   On hot days, when everyone in the RV park turns on the air conditioning at the same time, the voltage drops, creating a “brown-out.”   Any voltage that’s above or below the UL standard of 102 to 132 volts can damage your electronics.
Poorly-maintained power outlets can also cause damage.  A post’s polarity may be reversed, allowing unchecked voltage to flow through your coach before reaching the circuit breakers.    This can result in overheated circuits, cooked appliances and fire.   Reversed polarity poses a danger to you and your family as well; if the post’s circuit breaker trips, there will still be power flowing through the umbilical, waiting to shock an unsuspecting RVer.  If a power pedestal has been miswired and the ground or neutral circuit has been left open, the RV’s chassis can build up a dangerous electrical charge that will zap the first person unfortunate enough to step out the door and create a circuit with the earth.  Without testing equipment, there’s no way to be sure if a power pole is properly wired or not.   “Open neutral” situations are the number-one cause of power pedestal related electrical fires, and the results can be catastrophic.
The way to avoid these hidden dangers?  Surge protection.  In most cases, it’s up to the new owner to protect his or her investment.   Built-in whole-coach surge protectors are available, but they’re only installed on two to three percent of new RVs, according to engineer Steve Antman at the Technology Research Corporation (TRC).  The Incorrigible  definitely lacks a built-in surge protector, so we checked into the options.  TRC offers a full range of aftermarket electrical protection for RVs under its Surge Guard brand.

To save the cost of having a surge protector hardwired, we chose a TRC Surge Guard 34730 30-amp portable unit, which attaches to the 30-amp power cord between the RV and the power pole.  This $289, weather-resistant unit offers 1050 joules of power surge protection, as well as an automatic shutoff in the event of severe voltage drops or spikes.  When plugged into the power pedestal, the Surge Guard can automatically detect a reversed-polarity situation, causing it to cut power and illuminate a warning light.  Open-ground dangers are also indicated by a warning light.  During operation, if power drops below 102 volts or jumps higher than 132 volts for more than eight seconds, power is cut.   A 50-amp unit is also available.

Our unit has been easy to use, and has performed seamlessly at several hookup sites.  Our unit has popped and cut power three times this season–one during a thunderstorm–so we know it’s doing its job.  After cutting power, the Surge Guard automatically turns back on when it’s safe.  If you’re still worried about lightning, we saw a local RV shop that had a used 30-amp Surge Guard on display.  The unit had been struck by lightning, taking a catastrophic blast that melted the case and caused it to explode.  The coach that it was attached to suffered no significant electrical damage.

If you’re concerned about your Surge Guard unit going missing while you’re camping, TRC offers a lock hasp to which a padlock can be affixed.  That said, of the RV owners we’ve talked to, nobody has ever reported having an external surge protector stolen.
TRC’s portable and hard-wired surge protectors are available from many RV supply outlets, including Camping World.

After thirteen years outdoors, our RV’s fiberglass outer skin was looking a little bit faded when we purchased it. This comes as no surprise.  Unfortunately, a good RV paint job will easily run five figures, and we’re not about to deface the rig by doing a rattle-can and housepaint job on it (not that backyard paint jobs aren’t cool, but many RV parks won’t allow you in if you look too much like a hippie bus).

Fortunately, there are products that promise to renew the luster of old fiberglass.  PoliGlow and NewGlass2 are the first names that come up when doing a search online.  Both products started as primarily nautical products, used to refinish the hulls of boats, but RV and boat fiberglass aren’t all that different so the market is starting to cross over.

Though representatives of both companies insist that their formulas are completely different, PoliGlow and NewGlass2 work similarly. Both products are applied like a household varnish, returning a “wet-look” shine to the exterior fiberglass.  As it ages, fiberglass oxidizes and loses its gloss.  After a thorough cleaning, PoliGlow and NewGlass2 promise to restore this gloss, with a shine that is easily renewed and will last for up to twelve months in most circumstances.  Think of it as varnish for your RV, and you won’t be too far off the mark.

To test the restorative properties of each product, we did one side of the Incorrigible with PoliGlow and the other with NewGlass2.  Both products were applied on the same weekend, with partly cloudy skies and seventy-degree temperatures.

The process is nearly identical for both products, and took much less time than I expected.  The basic ingredient is elbow grease; first, the exterior of the RV must be cleaned with an aggressive cleanser (PoliPrep for PoliGlow, and Pre Treat for NewGlass2) and allowed to dry.  Then, the “varnish” is applied with a sponge pad (also provided) in several successive coats.  The first coat of the restorative smoothes over the oxidization in the fiberglass, and the subsequent coats restore the shine to the finish.  Each coat dries quickly, so four or five coats can be applied in an hour.  Working in sections, I found that NewGlass2 got the faded surface of the Incorrigible shining nicely after five or six coats.  The slightly more viscous PoliGlow worked faster, bringing back the shine after three or four.  PoliGlow also resulted in a smoother finish, though from five feet away the shine on both sides is identical.

Both products performed as advertised, giving the Incorrigible an almost showroom-new look and erasing the chalky, faded appearance of the fiberglass.  They also helped to even out the color ofthe faded spots on the sides and rear where we peeled off the fading (and gaudy) dolphin decals.  Previous to the application the silhouettes of the dolphins were clearly visible; now you’ve got to look closely to see where they were.

While we were making the Incorrigible shiny, we also updated the vinyl decals.  The Dolphin featured blue stripes with a burgundy accent when it was new, but the burgundy had faded to a depressing pink.  A quick trip to Murray’s Auto Parts yielded several rolls of black pinstriping, which Lexie applied, and in about an hour, the Incorrigible’s stripes were nicely renewed.

Both PoliGlow and NewGlass2 say that waxing isn’t required once their products have been applied, though annual touch-ups are recommended.   I’ll report back as the year goes on and let you know how the shine holds up.

I’m sure you remember my wtf?! rant about Verizon’s aircard overage fees and subsequent customer service dilemma. Thanks to the Thanksgiving holiday, I had to put off getting our issue resolved for a few days, but first thing Monday morning I braved the phone lines in search of a resolution.

How did things pan out?
- The initial CSR last week told me that they could double my coverage to 10G for $199/mo. Since Em and I currently share the unit we’d prefer to just have 2 plans and 2 aircards for the cost of $60 each plus taxes, etc, which would still work out to less than the double coverage plan. The CSR would have to transfer me to sales to set up the second plan and they could give me no guarantee that they would prorate my bill for the current month if I did that. No thanks.
- I went into a store only to be told by a CSR there that I needed to call Customer Service and ask to speak to a manager. As well as having it inferred that I would clearly be an idiot if I canceled my service altogether. I felt the CSR in the store should have offered to call Customer Service themselves to help resolve my issue and potentially sell me a second unit on the spot, but perhaps they simply hate their job too much to actually bother doing it well.
- Monday, after calling the automated system 3 times, waiting for a CSR , and the system somehow disconnecting me twice while on hold, a total of approximately 20 minutes from the start of my calls, I finally got to speak to another representative.
-  I immediately asked to be put through to a manager, but the CSR first made an effort to resolve the issue themselves and while I understand that this is their job, I commend them for the attempt and their decorum. This CSR was much more pleasant than the previous 2, but offered me essentially the same information as the first CSR.
- I decided to hold and wait for a “supervisor”. I was on hold for an additional 10-15 minutes. Perhaps longer, I should have kept better track. I was checked back with repeatedly which was heartening
- When I finally spoke to the “supervisor”, they agreed that the second aircard was obviously the way to to go, given our situation and that they’d be happy to credit us the overage fees if we purchased a second plan. Since our mailing situation is weird, I said I’d like go into one of the stores to pickup the aircard, and the “supervisor” attatched a note to our account for a follow-up call to get the fees reversed, and save me the trouble of calling back.
- About 30 minutes later, I received a call from another Verizon CSR explaining that it’s not required for me to get a second plan in order to have my charges reversed and since we are still in the first full month of our bill, they’re happy to reverse the overage charges. They did just that. No hassle. Thanks for your business.
- I proceeded immediately to the nearest Sprint store and purchased our second aircard from them.

Now, why did I do that? If the first CSR had been as accommodating as the last one I talked to, I might have considered getting a second Verizon card. We’ve been really happy with the coverage, the software is easy to use and comprehend. I was only unhappy with the overage fees. It’s likely given the extreme difference between the Verizon fees, and their competitors, I might have gone elsewhere anyway, but I would have at least considered a second account. After this experience, it’s unlikely I will ever purchase another Verizon product, or renew our contract with them. As it stands, it took 5 different CSRs and entirely too much wasted time to convey one simple company policy to me, the customer.

So why Sprint and not AT&T? We currently have AT&T cell phone plans, and while I’ve been a Cingular/AT&T customer since 2001, the only reason for that is the excellent customer service we get at a store local to our home in Michigan. Being out on the road and away from that resource, there’s no incentive for us to go with AT&T as our aircard service provider as well as our phone provider, which is the reason we strayed to Verizon in the first place.