INTRO

The hot new trend is on-demand for RV water heaters. That's what we'll discuss today in Staying on the Road. But before we get into that, we're going to hit the enjoying the RV Life segment. Today, we're going to talk about Jase Medical Cases. A Jase Case is a must-have. Then, we will go to the Next Stop and visit Biloxi, Mississippi.

Eric Stark

We were going to talk about the Lippert Latch extended door lock. This is Eric Stark with the Smart RVer Podcast, delivering the smarts you need to enjoy the freedom of the RV lifestyle without the fear of breaking down. Let's talk about everything, RV. Today is episode 154, so let's dig right into this. Now, I'd welcome Alexis at this point, but she's not here today.

Eric Stark

She's taking a little holiday, but that's how it goes. So it's just me. So I get to cover all this. I hope to do the same justice. It's easier with two people, but we'll see how it goes. Now, for those of you who are watching some of this on YouTube, because the Staying on the Road section gets put out on YouTube, we're behind on that.

Eric Stark

We have so much else going on. But it does get out there. And if you look at the video, my eyes aren't always looking at the camera because we have a unique setup here. We got smarter at showing our cameras. We have more than one camera. We have screens with text on them, reminders, and websites. So my eyes are sometimes all over the place because I'm looking at things.

Eric Stark

That's why I am always looking for a way out. I go to a store, and I find the emergency exit right away. Oh, he's got to have an escape plan, right? Well, maybe not, but let's get into the show today. Let's talk about everything, RV. So, let’s start with enjoying the RV life as travelers. You know, we need to be prepared now.

Eric Stark

We can't be prepared for every single emergency that comes up. That's impossible. There are so many different things, but we can be ready to the best of our ability. And sometimes, simple little things get overlooked. You know, Jase Jase Medical makes his probably called a Jase Case. And I wonder if we've talked about this in the past, and something's been on my radar for a while.

Eric Stark

So on our website at TheSmartRVer.com, if you go there, there's a link to JaseMedical.com, and I believe there's a discount code they're seeing save a couple of bucks when you buy one of their Jase Cases, and it's an affiliate link so hey I might make a buck or two as well we appreciate you using the affiliate links off of our website.

Eric Stark

You know, it helps pay for the show. It all adds up because the show does not make money. We are doing this solely because we like doing it now. And anyway, back to Jase Case. So, if you go check it out, a Jase Case comes with certain products, such as prescription-type and medical products.

Eric Stark

So if you're out traveling, you have this case with you, and if something goes wrong, you have a certain thing that happens. The medication will probably be in the Jase Case to help you get through the situation. One of the things they have is amoxicillin. Some of these words I can't even pronounce because they're medication.

Eric Stark

You know how that goes. But you know, there's amoxicillin. It treats different things, like pneumonia if you have a dental infection. Sinusitis sounds like something you made up on the Seinfeld show. These things come up, and these things happen. You get pneumonia or sinusitis on the road.

Eric Stark

Yeah, there's these other medications. Like I said, most of my can't even pronounce anything a bother, but they treat different things. Tonight is if you get bit by an animal or insect, have a dental infection, strep throat, an ear infection, or have Lyme disease. Lyme disease can go bad quickly if you do get it. Traveler's diarrhea. That's different than regular diarrhea, middle ear infection, or exposure to anthrax.

Eric Stark

You know, that would be ugly. One of those would be exposed to gerardia bacteria problems. So, Jase Case is easier if you just go to their website and check it out. I think the Jase Case is a little spendy, but it's a must-have product because you have these things on hand. You can share it with your spouse.

Eric Stark

One thing about prescription-type drugs is that they have expiration dates on them, but right on their website, they explain how expiration dates work. Most medical medicines that expire, they'll say within a year, actually have a shelf life of two or three years. And that's how governments get away with stockpiling some medicines. They keep them past that expiration date because they know they're still good.

They don't tell us this stuff, but we learn it when listening to TheSmartRVer Podcast. I recommend going to Jase Medical and stopping by TheSmartRVer.com. Click on the link there. If you decide to buy something, use our affiliate link. But it's a great product to have because you're traveling. You are still determining what will happen on the road or what infection or problem you might have.

Eric Stark

Isn't it nice that you don't have to worry about going to the doctor, or maybe there's no doctor nearby? There are always circumstances where it's easier if you pop some pills. Yeah. Sounds horrible, doesn't it? But, you know, just taking some meds and you cure the problem without having to go to a doctor traveling hundreds of miles, going to the doctor and yard is sometimes like, do I need to go to a doctor?

Eric Stark

I want to save time and money so that Jase Medical can help. A Jase Case is a must-have for travelers. So now, let's get into Staying on The Road. Oh, wait a minute. Yeah, I already said that. Go check out their website.

Eric Stark

Click the link to just Jase Medical and see what they have to offer. And they have some great stuff in there to check it out. All right. Now, let's get to Staying on the Road. See, when I do this show myself, I lose track of where I'm at and everything else to add. Just kidding. I know what's going on all the time than TheSmartRVer.

Eric Stark

So today, the hot trend is on-demand tankless RV water heaters. You know we've been selling a lot of these lately. Everybody's asking about them, and they're not new, but they're catching on now. A lot of RVs are coming with them. They're becoming more popular, as talked about. Many people have been buying residential ones to put in their campers, which I don't recommend because they don't work as well.

Eric Stark

They're going for cheap. They buy them in that ghetto of an online shopping center, where they get them dirt cheap, with no warranty, catch on fire, and burn down your RV. Hey, that's what you want, though. Collect little insurance money. I'm not suggesting that; I'm just reporting on what could happen. So stick to leading brands; these on-demand water heaters are fantastic.

Eric Stark

Yeah. If you don't want to mess with the conventional water heater anymore, maybe it's not meeting your needs. If you want to upgrade, do something different. Well, there are on-demand water heaters built for RVs out there, and there are four brands we're going to talk about today: Fugatti. Fugatti sounds like a car, right? Well, it's not a car. It's a tankless, on-demand RV water heater. And when you talk about Suburban, which has been a staple in RV water heaters for decades, and then Gerard on demand, now Gerard had Gerard awning.

Eric Stark

Gerard was the cat who invented the and the awning, the manual awning. So Gerard's been around a long time now. Lippert has bought Gerard. Gerard is still a good product. We'll have to give it some time and see if Lippert decides to improve it. Yeah, It’s a big company. Sometimes, they've got to make something better, and, well, they ruin it.

Eric Stark

It happens, so we'll see what happens there. But right now, Gerard's a good one. Furrion is another one, and interestingly enough, it is owned by Lippert, and Furrion still makes great products. I love their backup camera and rear observation systems; they're fantastic. Furrion is my camera of choice, so it's a lovely, good brand, even though Lippert owns it, and Lippert does make good stuff.

Eric Stark

They sometimes do stupid things like everybody else. All these big companies know so much more than we'll ever know, even though we're RVers and they're not. Is it amazing how that works with on-demand water heaters? You just turn on your water heater, and that puppy kicks in and starts supplying your hot water instantly.

Eric Stark

And how does it do that? Well, they're propane-operated, so you'll have to have propane. You'll have to have 12 volts, which most of you have anyway because you already have a modern water heater with both items. Now, these puppies use more propane, which is better used to heat the water.

Eric Stark

As you know, they're still supposed to be more efficient because they only occasionally heat water. Each brand has its unique spin on these water heaters. Some of them are very similar, but they have functionality that suburban, let's say, might not have where a Gerard would have it.

Eric Stark

Even though Lippert owns Gerard and Thetford, they're two distinctly different water heaters. The same is true for Suburban, which has two distinct lines. Those two on-demand water heaters—the Advantage and the T series—are different and much better than the other. Furrion has the same water heater on its website.

Eric Stark

They have different configurations. When you buy these things on the manufacturer's website or online, they don't sell the doors and stuff separately. They just combine it all and sell it as a package price. If you go to a store like ours, you have, let's say, an Atwood water heater in there. Now you want to replace it and go to one of these on demand.

Eric Stark

We sell the water heater and the door kit that fits the Atwood or Suburban. In this case, you get the door kit for the Atwood online because you have an Atwood ID. They bundle it all together. It's the same thing, though. You get the same thing whether you buy it in a store or online.

Eric Stark

There's nothing special about the water heaters. Shop local. Go to your local Irish store. Hopefully, they have some on display where you can touch and fill them. We do. We've got them all spread out on a bench. You can see every model from our four brands: the Suburban, the Gerard, and the Furrion.

Eric Stark

Okay, So we have them all. Now, it doesn't mean every store is going to, and that's okay. They all hook up very similarly. They work the same, as far as installation goes, pretty much the same, no matter what. It's a complex installation. The water lines of your suburban or Atwood water heater are not going to just screw right into the back of these water heaters.

Eric Stark

The fittings are off to one side or the other. So now, depending on your plumbing and how it was put in, you can move the lines over or add extensions. If you can find flexible extensions with a half-inch female pipe thread on one end and a half-inch male pipe thread on the other, you'll probably be able to install them.

Eric Stark

It's no big deal. They have to be able to deal with hot water, so you have to keep that in mind. You don't want cold-water ones. You want hot-water extensions. You can get packets of that type of fitting from your local RV store and build some extensions. You may want to cut out some of the plumbing and redo it, clean it up, and improve it.

Eric Stark

It depends on what you're doing, what water heater you have, and what one you're upgrading to. So, I jumped ahead a bit there rather than the specifications of the water heaters. But that's all right. The installation is necessary now because of time constraints. We can't cover all of the functionality of the water heaters, all of them anyway.

Eric Stark

But I will tell you this: Fogarty, Suburban, Gerard, and Furrion are good water heaters. As far as quality goes, you can go right with all of them. You need to know that some are built for different temperatures and climates. For example, if you're in the desert, your water will always come out of the ground hot.

Eric Stark

If you're in Arizona, New Mexico, desert areas, or southern California, the water will be warm, generally above 70 degrees. Then, let's say you forgot lower level one and line one. If you're always in an area like that, it worked great. But now, if you're in an area where you're the water that comes out of the ground or maybe out of an A well and it's 30 degrees, you know, 40 degrees, you're probably going to want one of the better water heaters, like a suburban their advantage series or the Gerrard or Gerrard slash slipper one.

Eric Stark

They work with colder water, which they heat quicker and more efficiently. If you take that cold water, unless they run it through the base model of Fogarty, you will just have warm water. You're not going to have hot water. It will be warm water. You could take a shower in it, but it's not going to be hot.

Eric Stark

So those are things to consider when you're buying one of these. And most people don't realize that because they think it's one size fits all. It does it; you know, suburban their city series as well. I talked to Suburban. They said you want to make sure they're good quality. That's what a lot of new RVs come with.

Eric Stark

It's the lower-level one. The Advantage series is much better than the T series. The T series is an on-demand water heater, but in many applications, you might only get warm water and not hot water because it's different and not as strong. The B to use is different, which is an advantage from Suburban.

Eric Stark

The Gerard water heater is right up there with the suburban advantage. You're going to get hot water. Is that on demand? Hot water? You're going to have to mix it down to make it a little bit colder, just like the suburban advantage. So those two were great. The theory is going to give you that warmer water.

Eric Stark

It's going to be pretty cool, depending on the water temperature. The BTUs are higher, though. He even forgot he's more of an entry-level brand. It's a good brand, but they do have higher BTUs. They don't get as high as suburban in Gerard, but they do have higher BTUs.

Eric Stark

They go up to 50 or 55,000. Gerard and Suburban are 60,000 and possibly more. As you said, there's a lot to all these, and I want to avoid clicking back and forth between all our websites while I'm talking to you guys and trying to figure it out. But to refresh my memory, although here I'm doing it now, the gallons per minute are all 2.2, 2.5, or four gallons per minute, which is fine.

Eric Stark

That's going to do what you need to have done. You're going to have hot water. I mean, plenty of it will not be a problem there. One thing I have heard of, which has come in from the field, is that sometimes the water will be boiling. Then you start running out of water heaters, and the pressure gets low.

Eric Stark

That can be due to the water pump. You do have to have a good water pump in your RV. Depending on the age of your water pump, you might want to upgrade it. When you do the water heater, keep that pump you took out as a spare, possibly just in case you know it works. Or, if you have another project or hack, just throw it away.

Eric Stark

Whatever. I'm just making suggestions here. But these things are nice. And now, when you buy them for Gordie Gerard and Furrion, they come with a wall-mounted thermostat controller, where you can control everything. It has to be mounted near the water heater. You'll probably not run these wires, so try to hide and run the cables farther away.

Eric Stark

But if you put it right in that area where the water heater is, it makes for an easy installation, usually easy access, and you have something to control it. The suburban advantage is that the controller is sold separately, just like his doors are now all the water heaters. As I said, on these manufacturers' websites, they sell directly, but they sell them in bundles.

Eric Stark

When you visit a store, they will sell you the door and water heater separately. Price-wise, it all works out the same. You get the same components. But suburban their advantage series. Do you buy the door separately? There's a vent that goes on the door. You buy that separately depending on the thickness of the CR-V's yellow wall suburban one.

Eric Stark

It has a little more to it, and I like it the best. That's where I would put TheSmartRVer's seal of approval. The clipper one is right behind it. Like you said, though, you know they come with controllers other than a suburban one. You must buy some extra parts, but it's not a big deal.

Eric Stark

And, you know, I mentioned these door kits. If you have a ten-gallon water heater in your RV right now and you will replace it, these on-demand water heaters are the size of a six-gallon. So they're approximately 15 by 15, where you're probably ten gallons probably going to be—I think it's 18 by 18, which is bigger.

Eric Stark

And that's where the door kids come into play because they have fillers or spacer panels that make it look like your factory-installed water heater. So you don't have to cut out the side of your RV, find a way to fill it in, reskin it, or anything like that. These door kits solve that aesthetic problem.

Eric Stark

So, if you have a ten-gallon water heater, you'll get the size of a six, but they provide the door kit that makes it look like you still have a ten-gallon water heater. And it's essential, you know, that you might be thinking, well, I don't want to do some major bodywork for this.

Eric Stark

Well, you don't have to. And if you have an Atwood water heater, it's all 12 by 18 inches. I got too many numbers in my head today, but it's the rectangular six-gallon Atwood water heater.

Eric Stark

With the new door, that kit fills in those panels, which makes it work. I'm probably explaining this more than I need to, but it's essential to understand that I don't want you to panic and think, Oh my word, what will I do to the side of my RV? These things are simple. They're effortless to install.

Eric Stark

They're simple. You already have propane and 12 volts there. Said with the plumbing, you have to move some things around. Generally, I recommend you consider where you're going, Arvin when returning to the inside of these water heaters. What are the water temperatures at the campground or wherever you camp? You could fill up your tank and go off your stored water.

Eric Stark

You're not, you know, someplace where you have hookups. Just consider all that. And by the water heater, that's going to work for you. Now, I'm saying something other than you'd go out and buy the suburban one to cover all scenarios that might be overkill for what you do. Same with the Gerard one. It might be overkill. Yeah. The series from Suburban is an entry-level one, but if it works for you, that would be great.

Eric Stark

Who cares? It's a nice little water heater staying with them for ease. Their entire line is nice, and they're cheaper than the other brands, and we've been selling many of them. We've had no complaints that we've been selling all of these with no complaints. Everybody loves them, and they're easy to install. And I know when we sell something, someone goes out the door with it.

Eric Stark

If they need help installing it before they go anywhere else, they return to us, which becomes our problem. These things have been fine, and we like that when we sell something for someone to install, they don't come back with a problem. We love it. That means that the product is easy to install.

Eric Stark

They can figure it out. It's simple. You can get the installation instructions for these products from the manufacturer's website. You can see how to winterize them, which is essential depending on where you live. Winterizing might be a big thing, and some water heaters even have freeze protection. So if it's in the wintertime, you're living in your RV, or you're out using your RV, and it's in freezing conditions, and it senses that it's going to freeze, it'll either turn off or drain the water out, which is very important.

Eric Stark

It protects itself, which is good to know because many people I know here in Montana, many people living in RVs, are year-round because of housing problems—too expensive or insufficient housing. And they're living in RVs and might have one of these water heaters. They may have come with it or want to upgrade to it.

Eric Stark

Those are important things for them to know. But if the winter doesn't matter, if you don't need to winterize, if you live in that climate, or if you do need winter eyes, you won't use them during the winter. They all have instructions on storing them in cold or mild conditions.

Eric Stark

Check it out. Go to the website, and you will see Suburban, Girard, which is Lippert, and Furrion, which is also Lippert. If you go to our website, you're going to see it all again. I brought this out in the last episode. You could be both if you have any questions or topics you want me to discuss in the podcast or answer.

Eric Stark

Let me know. Go to TheSmartRVer.com. You can call us, you can text us, you can email us every hour. If you want to get a hold of me and share it with me, we'll answer your question long before it ever gets on one of the episodes. So you're not sitting and waiting. So do that. We've got a few things in, and they're getting compiled here, so we're hitting those in the following episodes as they come up, as we have time for them, because many of our episodes are already planned out weeks or months in advance.

Eric Stark

So now, let's go to the next stop and talk about Biloxi, Mississippi. We're going to the South. Many people know about Biloxi because of its military background, history, training, etc. But it's also a great place. It's just filled with history. It's enriched with history. And for an RV here, these are great places to go because you can explore, you can learn, man, the coast there.

Eric Stark

There is the coastal beauty. Besides the beautiful, pristine beaches, there's much to see and do there. There are places to eat. You have the history and the things that took place there. I'm finding something here in my notes about, oh, one of the past presidents. Oh, yeah. Jefferson Davis, right here. So that's where he lived.

Eric Stark

His home is still there. You can explore it. You know, forget the politics. Just go check it out, right? Politics is a big thing today. We know that. But this is nonpolitical. It's just going to look at a historical figure's home, where he lived, how he grew up, and what life was like then. You can see it firsthand.

Eric Stark

And it's exciting stuff. It's old and historical, so it's worth checking out. And of course, there's nightlife there. Like many places we recommend, there are things to do 24 hours a day. Well, not 24 hours a day, but you know what I mean. Biloxi is a great place for our readers. It's going to contain.

Eric Stark

It can cater to all personalities and things you like to do, including different ages and backgrounds. We know not every place is perfect for everybody, but Biloxi is great. It's going to cater to a large crowd. And for an RV or man, what a place to go. Anytime you can get in your RV and get out somewhere, isn't it great?

Eric Stark

You know, we hear a lot of complaints about RVs. I even complain about our TVs, but our rooms are fantastic. They have a place in our lives. And if you like to travel and explore, you asked me. There's so much to see here, and RVs are the way to go. So that's my plug for RVs.

Eric Stark

I do like them. I know I'm in the industry, and I'm not just saying that because you guys heard the show. I talked about the bad side of the problems that manufacturers have, and that just try to give you a sales pitch. Here is the reality of it. And to help make the RV lifestyle, we have better we have the RV envy portion of the show, which is where we're at right now.

Eric Stark

It's there and talked about this entrance door handle called Latch Extend. It's made by Clipper Components, the same guys that make the water heater for Gerard and Furrion Island. It's a unique candle. The lock is produced by Global, which makes excellent entrance door locks for travel trailers. If you have an icy lock and the keys stick and get jammed, you need it to work better.

Eric Stark

Get a glow while the keys go right. It works every time—a significant little upgrade. But now the latch extender improves upon that. It's the same lock, but it has a 14-inch handle coming down the bottom of it. We have a YouTube video out, which I'll link to on this episode so you can see that video, which is 14 inches long and shows the handle.

Eric Stark

So, if you sometimes get on the steps and grab that door, you're close to it, which makes it awkward, especially if you're holding something. Well, now you can just reach up, and you don't have to reach as high. You can just reach the lower portion of the door, pull on the handle, unlock the door, and step in.

Eric Stark

It's excellent for kids carrying stuff. Its safety features are what make it so unique.