INTRO

 Why are 110-volt RV adapters, also known as pigtails, so confusing? Well, that's what we're going to talk about today and staying on the road. Then after staying on the road, we're going to jump into enjoying the RV life segment. And it's going to be all about tips for purchasing your first RV. I can't wait to get into that one.

And once again, we're going to be going on a road trip. And Alexis this week is going to take us to the most famous RV parks in the U. S. It's the most famous RV parks in the U S this ought to be good. A little sarcasm there. I think none of the ‘Next Stop’ we're going to wrap or excuse me, that's going to be the Next Stop.

And then with the RV envy, we're going to wrap up the show and talk about Dicor products for the ceiling. This is Eric Stark with TheSmartRVer Podcast, delivering the smarts you need to enjoy the freedom of the RV Lifestyle without the fear of breaking down. Today is episode 141. So, let's just jump right into this and see what we have got.

LIVING THE RV LIFESTYLE

ERIC- So, Alexis, welcome to the show.

ALEXIS- Thanks, Eric. How are you?

ERIC- I'm doing wonderful. So, you're ready to take us to some exciting places today?

ALEXIS- Sure. Why not?

ERIC- Okay. I got my notes mixed up. Had to just kind of look at some things here. I see how you are. All right. So, we're going to talk about, not yet, but oh yeah, we're getting into it right now.

So, I don't have to go on a rant or talk about anything because we're going to kind of cover it and join the RV life. After all, we're going to be asking about tips for purchasing your first RV. And I know my favorite subjects that have come up here. Yes, sir. My new favorite subject. First off, Alexis, why would we want a list of how to purchase our first RV?

ALEXIS- How hard could it be? Well, very, there's a lot of factors that go into this. And I kind of viewed it as buying a home, you know, even if you have one, it's like buying a second home then because you're going to be living in it even if you don't do it full time. So, it is a big investment. You want to spend your money wisely.

ERIC- So, we're going to tell you about a few tips on how to do it the best way. That's for sure. And, you know, I'm sure most of you have bought a home. You've bought an RV and even if you thoroughly check it out, there's always something you miss. Gosh, how did I see that? You know, what was I thinking? But you know, buying an RV, one thing that.

I hear a lot is people coming into the store. We got a great deal on this RV, man. It's just perfect. And it's not, you know, sometimes they'll bring it in. Hey, can you come out here and look at this and tell me what, um, I need to fix this and, you know, the sidewalls falling off, you know, you think a little glue on it or something, you know, some dive core roof sealant, you know, and it's going to fix it.

ALEXIS- It's not it. And so, you really must be cautious and don't let like a nice-looking interior or floor plan. Seduce you into buying the RV when maybe the roof is caving in on itself. So that's what we're going to discuss today is these things. And we're, we're not going to get into it. There's a lot of stuff.

ERIC- Yeah, there are. So, Alexis, what are the first five things you would recommend?

ALEXIS- Okay, well, here we go with the list. First, define your needs. That's huge. Because everybody's different and then second, set a budget. Got to do that. Then, number three is new or used. Oh, sure. Do not buy new. Is that all?

ERIC- No. Okay. So let me clarify that if you're going to buy new, make sure. You check it out more thoroughly than you would a new or a used one because a new one has a warranty, and you think that warranty will bail you out every time and it doesn't. And, if you buy a new RV, let's say in the state of Arizona, but you live in Colorado, will that warranty follow the RV?

You would say, oh, I’m going to buy a big brand and I know I can take it to a dealership near my town because they sell the same brand. Think again, they might not work on it because they did not sell it to you. We hear this all the time. And even here locally, we have a dealership where someone brought their RV to them to get the refrigerator worked on under warranty.

ALEXIS- And they said, no, we won't warranty it because you didn't buy it here. Now, one thing they didn't tell, which is nerve-wracking, is that the refrigerator warranty could be done through any dramatic warranty center. They made it sound like they had to go to the, you know, someone who sold the brand, like when they bought the RV.

ERIC- So, they will even kind of cheat you out of getting things fixed under RV or under warranty that wouldn't even affect them. So be very cautious and ask. All the questions, you know, if warranty work and if you buy it in Colorado or Arizona, I will call the dealership in Colorado and say, hey, I just bought an RV in Arizona, even though you haven't done it yet and ask me and tell them it needs warranty work.

See what they say. You must go in this into this with your eyes wide open. The dealerships will tell you anything to get that RV off the lot. They will tell you anything. And that probably irritates some people out there who have bought a new RV who are facing this or someone who sells RVs and maybe you disagree with it.

But you know what? Experience has said, they will cheat you every time. And when buying a new or used RV, you still must be very cautious. Some people inspect RVs for a living. And if you're not sure how to do it, Call them up. It might cost 500 bucks, might cost a thousand, but it might save you thousands in the long run.

All right. Sorry, Alexis. Got a little sidetracked. Love it. Keep going. No. Very good points. Honestly, it's, you got to think about it. It's so important. So, moving right along. Number four, you want to research RV types, that's huge, especially for what area you live in. Um, inspect thoroughly, like you just said, no matter if it's new or used, it does not matter.

ALEXIS- Have it inspected if you don't know what to look for? And then, of course, you got to test drive it. Especially if it's a motorhome, um, number seven, amenities, and features, evaluate what you need, eight, number eight is towing capacity, um, do you have the right truck for that trailer that you're looking at?

You know, you got to think about that. Number nine is maintenance and repairs. That's a huge deal. We talked about it all the time because you must keep up with it. Otherwise, you will be spending way more money than you should. Number 10 is joining RV communities. We've talked about this before too, and that can be such an essential asset because people who have been doing this for way longer than you have could have some really good tips for you.

Number 11 is considering resale value. That's a big thing. I didn't even think about that when I did this research, you know, some brands hold that their value is better than others. So, if you want to upgrade in a few years, that's something to think about. And then number 12, of course, is insurance and warranties.

ERIC- Um, so check it all out, read the fine print, like you said, and make an informed decision. There's one thing you said there was, um, well, it kind of fits into like the research, research RV types. Um, the amenities and such, you know, when you set your budget, it sets the size of the RV too, because there's always this inclination to buy bigger.

Because you have more room, you have more space, one more slide-out, you know, and I would look at it more like buy what you need. If it's one less slide-out, go for it because one less slide-out is one less problem you're going to have. That's true. And slide-outs are problems. You know, if you have a slide-out, you will have a headache one day.

ALEXIS- It's going to bite you and it's going to bite you when you least expect it. Yep. That's the way these things are built. But. Understand that bigger with these things is not always better, right? There's a size where it’s also just too big. Like here in Montana where we live, smaller trailers. Motorhomes are almost nonexistent up here, right?

Everybody pulls trailers because they fit into so many different places where motorhomes won't fit. So, consider that you know, and if you're buying used, consider where you want to go because you might want to go where there are RV parks, but they won't let the RV in because it's too old. Oh, really?

Yeah. So, man, there you go. You know, that might not be the end of the world, but it's just something to consider, you know, and buying used is always good because the RV has gone through the paces. And generally, what you see is what you get. Now there can be hidden things and that's why you must inspect it.

ERIC- And when someone's selling an RV, you know, they might tell you that this is okay, but check it out anyway. Don't just take their word for it. You know, when they say the refrigerator works well, you want to see it working, not just take their word for it because once you buy it, it's yours. There's nothing you're going to do about it.

ALEXIS- And it's the same with the dealership. Even if they say, oh, you got a hundred-day warranty. You can bring it back and buy a new one or you can bring it back. They're not going to let you off the lot without buying something else. No matter what, you're going to give them some money. So don't fall for that either.

ERIC- Be very cautious when you're doing this stuff. I can't reiterate that enough. If it's only because I hate seeing people getting taken advantage of, it happens all the time, too often. All right. So, thank you, Alexis. So those are some good tips. And again, they're going to be on our website, TheSmartRVer.com under enjoying the RV life. As a reminder, if you go to SunProManufacturing.com, you can check out our new Freightliner windshield cover kits. These are solid black, so they don't allow any light in any light out. You can't see in, can't see out there. Super cool. So, if you have a Freightliner M2 or S2 RV.

STAYING ON THE ROAD

This might be the windshield cover for you. So, check it out at SunProMFG.com. Now that brings us to staying on the road. The title of this is “Why are 110-volt power adapters also known as pigtails so confusing?” Well, they can be confusing and it's because we sometimes just don't fully understand what an RV is, or what power system it has, but more than likely every RV has at least a 110-volt adapter or pigtail.

They're kind of the same thing. Pigtails are just longer than the adapter, so we might float back and forth here with the terminology, but just. And over the years, the adapters have expanded on how they're configured because RVs have changed years ago. They used to be much more straightforward. There are fewer adapters because most RV cords or power cords are hardwired into the RV.

And they weren't removable with a twist like, uh, twist lock like that they are now or at present. And this matters because when you need to purchase, um, an adapter unless you know exactly what you need, you're going to be presented with options or questions that can easily confuse what you thought you knew.

So now you don't know they can be confusing. And again, this front comes from experience in our store. So, when it walks in, I need a 110-volt adapter. Well, what are you trying to do? Well, I need to plug it into my house. What does your RV have? Well, I don't know. It's got a cord on it. Like they all do. Is it hardwired as a plug inside?

These are all things. So, before we get into the adapter, let's set a, let's set this up so everybody can follow along and understand. Why this can be confusing, and so that's what we want to do is strip the confusion out of here and make it simple. So first off, two types of power services are available for RVs.

So, some RVs come with a 50-amp service, which the cord that plugs into the shore power would have four prongs on it. And that's standard. That's what they all have. So, it's four prongs. It's going to plug into a shore power or a box. It has, uh, four receptacles on it. Just plugs right in. And the other is a 30-amp service and it's going to have three prongs.

One is rounded and straight and the other two are flat and they're at an angle. So now here's a fun fact for you. We're going to turn this into a big old fun thing, right? So a 50 amp service. It's 220 volts. So, it's usually found on RVs with two air conditioners. If an RV has two air conditioners, it's going to have 50-amp service.

Sometimes it's on RVs with only one air conditioner, but the RV probably has the option of adding a second one because you must have 50 amps to run both ACs, at least to do it easily. And so that. 220 volts is not just like 220 volts going to the RV and everything. The RV is 220 volts. That's not the case.

It goes to the power center, which has two 110-volt legs on or bus bars. And they just distribute the power out. One, let's say to the front of the RV, one to the rear of the RV. So, the RV has 110-volt circuits in it. It's just two 20 coming in and one air conditioner will be out one half of the power center and the other air conditioner will be on the other half of the power center.

So, I hope that makes sense. It's kind of hard to explain, but hopefully, that clears that up. What a 50 or a 50-amp service is. And 30 amps is just 110 volts. It's not 220 or anything like that. It has three prongs, but it's 110 volts. Now, even electricians have mixed this up because they don't understand the RV.

They see three prongs and they think it's like a welder with 220, but it's not. So now the next thing we need to know is if you have 50- or 30-amp service that you have in your RV is hardwired. Or if it uses a twist lock connector. Now, let me explain what the difference is. So again, we're going to clear this up.

So, the twist lock is what's primarily used today on most RVs, but the hardwire system is still being used and it was very popular in the years gone by. So hardwired is when you have a cord that comes out of the RV, you know, where wherever you store the cord, you pull it out and the cord just stays inside of this compartment.

It doesn't come out detached from the RV, so it's hardwired in it. It goes into a box and the cord is wired into a box. So that's hardwired. Now a twist lock is different. It has an outlet on the side of the RV with a lid. You flip the lid up and you take the end of the power cord, and it goes into this outlet, and you twist it, and it has a ring on it that you tighten down and that locks it in place.

Twist lock. So that's removable. I bring this up because quite often people will ask us about a cord or an adapter, and they just assume that we know what they have. And as it always goes, if we think it's hardwired, it's a twist lock. If we think it's a twist lock, it's hardwired. So, we must ask. And sometimes they give us a funny look because it's a twist lock or it's hardwired, and they just assume every RV is that way.

And rightly so. That's how their RV came, so it's a natural thing to assume. But you need to know what you have. So now that you know whether you have a 50-amp or 30-amp system and how it's wired, whether it's hardwired or twist locks, now we can go on. So now. You understand that your 50-amp, 30-amp twist lock is hardwired.

So, you have that under control. So, let's untangle the rest of the 110-volt Adapter confusion. So, let's start with the twist lock system. You can adapt the twist lock system by using the power cord, which would be attached or plugged into the side of the RV. And it's going to leave that power cord or excuse me.

Um, yeah, I'd leave the adapters out of the equation. So, if you have the power cord, it's plugged into the side of the RV, into the twist lock, then the adapters would go on the end of the power cord. Those adapters are the same ones you would use if you had a hardwired system because they're going on the end of the power cord. After all, if you have a 50-amp twist lock system.

The end of the power cord is going to have a 50 amp end on it, which is going to be four prongs, just like a hardwired one. And the same with a 30-amp system. If you have a 30-amp twist lock system, and you plug the power cord into the side of the RV. The other end of the cord that goes into shore power will be a 30 amp, a three-prong system.

So that doesn't change out at the end of the cord that goes into shore power. It only changes at the side of the RV. So, you can go two different ways. If you have the twist lock system, you can use your power cord and then put adapters on the end of your power cord to adapt it down from 50 amps to 30 amps or to 15 amps to plug it into a regular household outlet.

Or you can get an adapter that plugs into the side of your RV that will adapt down to 50 amps or 15 amps if you have a 50-amp system. Then you could plug a 30-amp cord into it, or an extension cord for 15 amps, then plug it into the power source. So, I hope that makes sense. So, you can either use an adapter with the twist lock system directly on the side of the RV and then hook a cord up to it, or you can use your power cord and adapt it down from there.

So, it entirely depends on what you're doing. Now, if your RV is parked at your house and you have the twist lock system and you just want to keep it plugged in to keep your batteries charged up, you could just get an adapter that goes from let's say 50 amps to 15, plug an extension cord into it and plug it into an outlet at your house and that'll keep your batteries charged.

That'll work just fine. So, you get the picture here, hopefully so, and then if you have a hardwired system. The adapters just go right on the end of the cord because the hardwired end is hardwired. It's in the RV. You can't do anything about it. It's there. It's permanent. So now your adapters become simpler because you only have one choice or one type to choose from.

So, if you have a 50-amp cord with four prongs on it and you want to go to 30 amp, then you get an adapter that does such, or if you want to go to 15 amps, you can get an adapter, the same with the 30 amp. Power cord as well. So hardwired versus twist lock. That's the big difference. And I think that's where some of the confusion comes in and then not understanding always the 220 volts and 110 volts. Either 50 amp is 220 volts, or 30 amp is 110. Like I said, that can get confusing because people don't understand how to wire it and they.

I guess they're overthinking it because they don't need to do it. After all, the outlets are already there in most cases. So, if you have questions about this, you know, you can listen to the podcast again. We'll have this information in the show notes as well. So, you can check it out on the website. But it's important to understand that when you walk into the store, you're getting one adapter, you're getting the right adapter the first time, and you don't have to have those lessons taught to you.

And it's also knowing your RV; everything we talk about on this podcast is so you get to know your RV. So, you are the do-it-yourself for, and you can manage your RV, you know, from top to bottom, you understand it, you know what to ask for, what system you have, what adapters you need. So, hopefully, this makes sense to you.

And then it be, it comes in handy and helping others to, you know, you're with your buddy. He's not sure what he has when you get to the RV store. Well, you can help him out. You can become an expert which makes life easier. As always, the more, you know. The light, the easier it becomes, like I said, this is on our website.

And you can look at the description in the podcast notes and this information is there as well. So, you certainly have a resource to go back to and check it out. Okay. So that's going to bring us now to the next stop, exploring the most famous RV parks in the United States. So, Alexis, tell us about these RV parks, the most famous ones.

NEXT STOP

ERIC- I just want to like it. Preface this by saying, not necessarily, you know, the final list, but it's one list. I don't want to, you know, leave anybody out in case they think their park is more famous, because, I get it, this is just one of the many lists, but it is a popular one, so. Starting with number one, the Trailer Village RV Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona.

ALEXIS- I mean, it doesn't get more RV than Arizona, right? That's kind of the central for it, so that's a beautiful one. Do you, do you know that one, or is it like No, but I imagine it's all about the Grand Canyon, just the views and stuff, you know, so that's cool though. That's cool, right? And then number two is Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park in West Yellowstone, Montana.

ERIC- So that's neat. Not far from home going alive. Come out dead. That's right. Watch out for them. Uh, number three is Myrtle Beach Travel Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. That's if you're over in the south, that's a pretty place to go to. Um, and then number four is Zion River Resort Virgin. Was that right?

ALEXIS- Utah. All right, so we got Utah on the map: number five, Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground, Orlando, Florida. Don't go there. Yeah. Just because it's popular doesn't mean it's that good. But, number six, San Francisco RV Resort, Pacifica, California. Very neat. That looks like fun: number 7, Moab Valley RV Resort and Campground.

ALEXIS- We got Moab, Utah again. The number 8 is The Springs at Borrego RV Resort and Golf Course. Borrego Springs, California. All right, California. Settle down. All right. And I don't even know how to say number 9. I don't want to pretend I know how to say that. You go look at it. You know what? I just scratched number nine off the list.

ERIC- Well, it's something Island National Seashore. Assateague. There you go. Yeah, it's in Maryland and Virginia. So, it goes over the vast area. And number 10 is Garden of the Gods. I have heard of this RV resort, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. So that might be a neat one. Do your research. Yeah. So, look at the list.

You know, um. I would say these are someone's where these are someone's personal favorite, you know what I mean? See what I mean? Yep. Yeah. So, you know, your favorite might not even be close to any of these things. Right. And there might be more famous ones out there. Right. You know, but you know, it gives you an idea, you know.

ALEXIS- Yeah. Covers some states, and that's cool. Um, yeah. So, if you just go. Search RV parks, you know, popular RV parks or convenient ones, whatever it might be. Right. It'll give you a, you know, an idea. And again, it's just like we always say, it's just opening your mind and gets you looking on the, on the, on maps and.

Exactly. The internet is trying to find popular places to go or good places to go. Not necessarily popular. So, the best places are where no one goes, whatever tickles your fancy you know, you do it, you know, maybe just some local campgrounds around you or RV parks. That's it. You know, exactly. That might be your list, you know?

ERIC- And so, you know, these are just some people that make these lists up. They put them on the internet, and they got some affiliate link to buy some garbage on Amazon or something, you know, from Disney, from Disney, you know, goofy hat or something. But you know, I mean, I'm not knocking them for doing it, but it's just, that's their list.

It's all about selling. It's not about helping you make a good purchase. That's why we're here. All right. So, I guess that I should have covered that at the beginning of the show. That's right. You generally go on with these little things. So again, it just opens your mind and exploring the United States.

There are a lot of things in the United States worth seeing. And, as a reminder, check out our favorite magazine, RV Destinations magazine, go to RV destinations, magazine. com and it is an awesome publication and it'll whet your appetite for places to go. Now let's jump into RV envy and hey, look at this.

RV ENVY

We're going to talk about sewer hoses. And I just talked about that because I'm knocking people for raining them. That's right. Forgot what episode I was in. Okay. So, we're going to make a video on this as well, or the videos. The video's done but got what we already have in the queue. So, sewer hoses come down to this good, better, and best.

Those are the three that you should be considering. Now, if you're looking at a blue hose, don't even consider it. They come with RVs. It's just the cheapest hose you can get. Good would be like from Volterra. They're red, um, easy, um, easy sewer hose. And then they're better. It'd be the dominator and the Viper would be their best.

They do have a. Silverback, which is somewhere between the Dominator and the Viper, it's kind of the better of the better. And that's just Volterra, you know, Camco has theirs. They have the best and the best. They don't have, well, they have some low-quality ones too, which I would just stay away from. And then Thetford has a.

I guess a better one is, um, theirs is black with green fittings and it's a good host. You know, I mean, the good, better, and the best of the brands are all good hoses, but if you can stick with the better or the best, they cost more money, but you get you, you get more out of it. That's for sure. Yeah. We sell more of the dominator.

And the rhino hose than anything else we have, because they're in the better category and set prices somewhere in the middle of the good and the best, but they're good hoses. They're not, you know, our customers haven’t replaced them every other day, every six months, every year they last three years.

Especially if you add a little, um, care to it, don't drag it on the ground, don't walk on it, even though some of them you can walk on, you can step on, doesn't mean you want to go out of your way to do that type of thing. So that's just a little helpful hint there on RV Envy today, having a good sewer hose, not one that's leaking and constantly breaking, all the problems, the ends popping off, and oh buy sewer hose, sewer hoses that come with the ends already on there.

Don't add your ends. It's a hassle anymore. You barely save any money. It's not worth it. Just buy them with the ends already on there. Make it super simple. So that's going to bring us to the end of our show today, episode number 141. Our next episode 142 is about when it comes to RV parts, do brand name products matter?

OUTRO

We're going to discuss that in the next episode. So, this is Eric Stark, and I want to thank you for listening today to TheSmartRVer Podcast. It's been great hanging out with you. If I don't see it on the road, let's connect at TheSmartRVer.com.