Magazine Appreciation
FMCA’s Family RVing has to be the best RVing magazine ever published. Truthfully, it’s what drew me to joining FMCA in the first place. I had a friend who would pass his older copy on to me each month, until they moved, and I just needed to continue reading all the great articles on everything of interest to any RVer.
I continue to cherish each month’s magazine and can only say, “Keep up the great work for us.”
Also, the new article on the Verde Valley of Arizona (March 2020, page 42) is excellent. We were there last year, and it was a wonderful base from which to visit all the wonderful areas of interest in the surrounding area.
— Gerald V. Olivas, F193702
Santa Paula, California
Winterizing A Residential Refrigerator
I’ve appreciated Gary Bunzer’s advice and articles on how to winterize my motorhome, especially the “air versus antifreeze” discussion. The December Tech Talk e-newsletter sent to members contains some additional information on winterizing residential refrigerators, but like Tom Carstyn from Dayton, Ohio, I am concerned about the new suggested workaround.
My residential refrigerator has an ice maker and also a cold-water dispenser. This means there is a one-gallon water tank inside the refrigerator, and it is not easily removed. It’s not a simple tank with one drain point, either. Mine, at least, has multiple S-curves in it. I am pretty sure this tank would not siphon out the bottom hose even if it were cut and left to drain. That would also leave water in the cold-water dispenser and ice maker, since both feed from the tank. So, freezing might still be an issue even if the refrigerator is gravity-drained.
When confronted with this problem this year, my choice — because it was certain and also already cold outside — was to use RV antifreeze pumped through the refrigerator tank and out the water dispenser. Hopefully, the ice maker was in the loop. There was a wrinkle, however. Because I didn’t have a filter bypass plug readily available, I had to leave the refrigerator water filter installed. This had the unhappy result of pumping a couple of extra gallons of antifreeze through the water dispenser before I noticed that the filter was taking all the “pink” out of the antifreeze. Go figure. But at least I won’t have pink ice!
— Louis D. Fessler, F501202
Yakima, Washington
Gary’s reply: Most all residential refrigerators, especially those equipped with a water tank, rely on the manufacturer’s specific steps for winterizing each particular model. Some RV antifreeze types may render the filtering media useless by the time you dewinterize, so be sure to buy and install a new filter before you use that dispenser.
All certified and master-certified RV service technicians are trained to work on RV absorption-type refrigerators. But household or residential refrigerators were purposely left out of the training curriculum. Other than a complete replacement, RV owners must take the vehicle to a qualified service rep for that particular brand of residential refrigerator for repairs.
Seeking Nice Sites For Short-Term Stays
We have been RVing since 2004. As I write this, we are in Gulf Shores, Alabama, at Bella Terra, a beautiful RV resort. It is getting harder to find nice RV spots. Someone needs to build more (and nice) RV parks for travelers, instead of for RVers who stay there long-term.
We are not full-timers. In winter, we head south only for a month or two. In August, we head for the western mountains. We find that we have to book a year out to get a spot.
Many of the nice RV resorts sell their lots, so that makes it even harder to find a place to park our Type A motorhome. And parks need to tell you what their rating is and if they have long-term renters.
Also, so many of the RV parks keep raising their rates every year, forgetting that those of us who are retired and like to travel are on fixed incomes.
— Georgia Greene, F394309
St. Charles, Missouri
Collision Damage Repaired Well
We had been camping in St. Augustine, Florida, when I hit a tree limb with the roof of the RV. The damage was substantial. When I backed up to free the RV from the limb, I hit another tree with the back of the coach.
We contacted our insurance carrier and told them we would be taking the coach to North Trail RV Collision Center (5500 Enterprise Parkway, Fort Myers, FL 33905; 877-753-6678; www.northtrailrv.com).
Frank Kulikowski at North Trail was ready for us when we arrived there a few days later. He had the necessary paperwork and had arranged with our insurance carrier to have the damage appraised.
We needed a new roof, so Frank showed us how they would replace it with one that had a lifetime warranty. While the coach was under repair, Frank sent us texts and photos, updating us on how the work was going. When we picked up the coach, it was better than new. The roof was great, the body damage repaired, and the paint matched perfectly.
Frank and the entire crew at North Trail Collision Center were more than professional, and the work was outstanding.
— Arthur & Nancy Tourkantonis, F452559
Bradenton, Florida
Collision Repair Leads To Improvements
Last summer, we were in southern Minnesota and heading north. A southbound car had a tire blowout, and a large piece of the tire shot under our RV’s rear fiberglass bumper. The damage was extensive.
A local dealer and a local repair facility both suggested we try Northland Heavy Duty Collision Center (701 15th Ave. S.E., St. Cloud, MN 56304; 800-892-8542; www.freightlinerofstcloud.com). Specifically, they told us to ask for Ben Rouw and Cory Zierden.
Ben came out to the campground where we were staying to do the estimate so we wouldn’t have to drive our Born Free motorhome into town.
The work was completed in one week by Melissa, their head tech. She did an amazing job, making the bumper look better than new. So good, in fact, that I decided to ask them to paint the entire coach. They did an equally great job in the agreed time and at the agreed price. Ben and Cory were very professional. They just don’t cut corners.
Later, the beautiful paint job was finished off with a first-class striping job at Bandera Signs in Bandera, Texas, by Carlyn Deerberg.
What started out as a disaster turned into a very positive experience because of the professionalism of Ben, Cory, Melissa, and Carlyn.
— Jim & Pam Bentler, F145887
Kerrville, Texas
Corrections To RV Marketplace Listing
The January 2020 issue has incorrect information for these commercial members:
Cypress Lake RV Resort, C13845, is in the Campgrounds section under Louisiana (page 188). Overnight fees are $35 for 30 amps/$40 for 50 amps — not an average daily rate of $60. The resort does not sell propane. It is pet-friendly and offers fishing, planned activities, and free Wi-Fi; www.cypresslakeresort.com.
Quinn Filters, C10263, is in the Services, RV Components, & Accessories section under Plumbing Products (page 225), as well as Waste Water Treatment and Water Purification Systems (both page 234). Contact information: 2371 Parrish Cemetery Road, Jacksonville, FL 32221; (904) 838-2031; email: ken212@comcast.net; www.quinnfilters.com.
Family RVing regrets these errors.