After 6 years of heavy RV travel, it was time to replace our RV refrigerator. Our current unit was getting a little beat up inside from all the bumpy roads, plus the compressor was making a strange noise when starting up. We took the latter as a sign the refrigerator...

If you follow any of the RV groups on Facebook or participate in any of the RV forums, usually you’ll see questions about RV power. We also receive questions from our ilovervlife.com website or comments on our YouTube channel about RV power, the various RV power...

This was a fun project. A day’s effort with big returns. We decided to help a teacher. Julie, our daughter teaches third grade and with the Covid-19 challenges she will be teaching students in a classroom as well as those online. This created a number of challenges...

We have another great product to review from Haloview. In the video below, we install the new Haloview RD10 RV Rearview and Dash Cam. This is a very interesting video system partly based on Haloview’s enhanced range system that allows the rear camera to connect to the...

With the thousands of miles Joan and I cover each year with our RV, we’ve always been concerned with the performance and monitoring of our F-350 engine and transmission when we tow our 5th wheel. Our largest concern centers around the amount of heat generate during a...

There are several forms of maintenance that should be considered for your RV. There are tasks that should be considered yearly as well as RV seasonal maintenance. I place tasks in RV seasonal maintenance that should occur in 2 to 3 year increments. This time period...

Replacing LCI Motorized RV Awning After 6 years, our RV awning had seen better days. From beating it up at the beach along with a constant battle with at the tree limbs at rural campgrounds, the RV awning stitching busted pulling a 10 foot section away from the side...

Several months ago we installed the Haloview 7” Wireless Range Dominator System on our 5th wheel. (See the blog here - Haloview RD7 Backup Camera). We were so impressed with the quality of the system and the simplicity of installation that we planned to expand the...

Let’s face it. RV travel along our highways can be a challenge, especially when it comes to rough roads, pot holes and construction. Our last trip was especially challenging and after 5 years of travel we broke a leaf spring hanger. To our good fortune, it occurred...

Not everyone wants to create and contribute to a YouTube vlog. But, everyone should think about documenting their RV travels regardless if your chose to develop a YouTube channel, at least save the memories of all the great places visited. There are a wide range...

Over the past several years, we have been looking for a backup camera to use with our 40 foot 5th wheel. Due to length of the 5th wheel, coupled with a long wheel base Super Duty F-350, we haven’t been able to find a backup camera solution that would work reliably....

Joan and I have owned our 5th wheel for five years. If you are in a similar situation, you have discovered that things break overtime. Just as owning a home, vehicle and anything mechanical, maintenance and repairs are needed from use. That’s the case with today’s...

For those who have an RV that is several years’ old, repairs often pop up due to general wear and tear. We recently experienced a water leak around the skylight in our bathroom. We inspect our roof at least twice a year and even with this effort, very fine cracks...

We get questions all of the time: “Where do you buy those camping lights”? They weren’t purchased, we made them! So easy, just minutes to make, a short piece of recycled 4x4 post, a couple of hand tools, an inexpensive outdoor solar powered outdoor light and a couple...

Managing a black tank is often the most feared task when one starts RV life. Not to worry. It really isn’t a big deal. There are several steps you should always remember – only human waste and RV/marine toilet paper goes into the tank. Give a good flush after use....

As with anything, maintenance issues arise. This applies to a traditional home, your vehicle and your RV as well. Today, we’re dealing with our RV off-air antenna. Ours is the traditional “bat-wing” crank up antenna that’s found on the largest percentage of RVs on the...

We all reach this point in our RV travels where the USB cords and power management are nearing insanity. It doesn't matter what we are driving from the largest Class A, to the smallest van, to the car pulling a popup, or in our case, the ton truck and a 5th wheel, the...

We get so many questions about our RV jack pads. I made these after we experience several extended days of very strong winds while camping in Texas. I used some of the plastic types, but they cracked. I moved to a couple 2x6 boards to stack under the pads to keep the...

Part of the challenge of RV life is finding quality Internet service. It's nonexistent in many campgrounds and where it is found, it's overtaxed by those camping. Reasons are many, but the good news is there are affordable RV Internet solutions now offered by many of...

When Joan and I started our RV travels several years ago, we knew we would be traveling for months at a time. Like those who travel for extended periods as well as RV full timers, we wanted to carry our DVD library with us. We've all had those times in the camper when...

f you have a 5th wheel or travel trailer of any length, there will be some movement, front to back when walking around the camper. Some of the RV manufacturers have created 6-point leveling systems with mid-point stabilizers that do a good job eliminating this front...

Leveling your RV shouldn't be a task. It's important for a number of reasons. First, just for comfort. Not having that feeling that you're leaning to one side or another while living in the RV. Second, if you have a propane powered RV refrigerator, it's important to...

One of the simplest yet most important items you can perform before you travel in your RV is trailer tire maintenance. Ensuring your trailer tires are in good condition prior to making a trip can be the difference in having a great time during your travels to and from...

If you've had an RV for any length of time and have pleated blinds, you have probably had the strings break. When this happens, the blind will not stay raised and becomes useless if you want to open to allow light inside the RV. I've talked with other RV owners and...

We have put this purchase off for too long. Joan and I have talked about purchasing an RV awning shade for some time. This year in Florida, the morning to mid-day sun made our patio time impossible. We would just cook due to the angle of the sun and the height of our...

How do you get rid of stink bugs in your RV? Great question. We are in north Georgia and we are in the middle of a stink bug apocalypse. These aggravating stink bugs are everywhere and for some reason, seeking residence in everyone's RV. They are tricky little devils,...

We've had a couple of issues with the camper door window. We didn't like the textured glass that prevented us for looking out. We also had to place bubble wrap over the glass when the RV door faced the sun. We used magnetic tape to hold the bubble glass in place, but...

Many of us in the RV community have a digital voltmeter. I hear often from others they have a digital voltmeter, but no clue how to use or fear using due to the unfamiliarity of working with AC or DC power. We created this video as a mini course to show how a digital...

Joan and I really do love RV life. But, we all must face the facts, sometimes things break. Most of the time, it's something minor. As much as the frustration of something breaking in the RV, not having a tool to make a repair can take the aggravation to a whole...

If you own an RV then you know camper repair is needed on a frequent basis. Some may be related to the lack of quality of construction or materials used, but mostly, it's because we drive these things down rough roads and the movement places added stress on the RV....

If you have owned a camper for more than a year, you should sanitize your RV water tank. We always use a trusted water source for potable water, but the process of moisture plus elements found in our environment can still have a negative impact on your fresh water...

There are a number of maintenance tasks that should be performed yearly on your camper. Maintaining your RV water heater is one task you should not skip. There can be instances where you may camp in an area that has water with a high mineral content. This is often...

Cleaning your RV awning is an important maintenance task that should be performed at least once every year. It's not one of my favorite tasks due to the physical nature of the effort, but the results are worth the time and effort. For this go round, we had deep mildew...

It looks like the kitchen island remodel was just a start. After two months in the camper, we realize there were a few more upgrades we wanted to make to spruce up the RV. We have another camper kitchen mod. In this video, we updated the backsplash located behind the...

I'm always looking for ways to make work more efficient while on our RV adventures. This newest mod for the rv office of adding dual computer monitors was the next logical step. For Joan and I, time is a very valuable resource. For our business, we are always looking...

We needed a new RV bedroom fan. We've used a floor model for the past 3 years, and it worked well, but due to the size of the camper bedroom, it was always in the way. We found a great solution with this Hurricane Wall Mount Fan 18" model. It was super easy to install...

For this camper remodel - we are done! Joan and I are thrilled with the results. Actually, the camper kitchen update turned out much better than expected. The new island counter top has been added, we completed our plumbing task, installed the kitchen faucet and drain...

Around 15 hours later from the start of the project and we've completed the demo, rebuilt the kitchen drawers and reinstalled, and now we're completing the rebuild of the kitchen island. Here in the camper remodel - completing kitchen island, we finish the structure,...

We're nearing the end to the project and the results are better than expected. Here the camper remodel - rebuilding kitchen island begins. Once we saw how the island had been built at the factory, we determined that additional structure was needed to make the island...

We're continuing to make good progress and share in the video below camper kitchen remodel - replace cabinets. We've completed rebuilding the drawer cabinet and have installed it into the area located next to the oven. We still need to do a small amount of finish work...

Progress continues on the camper kitchen remodel. In Part 4 we continue the camper kitchen remodel - rebuilding the drawer cabinets removed from the demo'ed "L" portion of the island. We found the original cabinet construction to be questionable. We show how we...

The camper kitchen remodel - demo completes. The solid surface has been removed along with the complete side containing the cabinets and drawer slides. Special care had to be taken throughout the demo to make sure we didn't damage any of the finished wood. Our goal is...

The camper remodel continues. We've started the kitchen demolition. This isn't a complete gut job, but a rework of the kitchen island and side cabinets. In Part 2 we remove all of the cabinet doors, drawers and plumbing. In the next episode, we'll remove the counter...

We are looking forward to our camper remodel. This isn't going to be a complete overhaul, but improving the kitchen workflow and working area. Our goal is to carefully remove all the doors, cabinets and surrounding woodwork and replace to insure it matches the...

Stabilizing your 5th wheel need not be a chore. We've found a camper stabilizer that makes it super easy to stop the bouncing that can occur in the front of the 5th wheel as well as that forward movement from around the camper's tires and axles. We've been using a...

The ZTE Mobley Mobile Hotspot has been a life and work changer for our iLoveRVlife travels. The ability to have a cost effective data plan on top of the convenience of using the Internet in our vehicle has been a huge convenience. As with many, we needed additional...

NOTE: Plan availability, rates and costs discussed in this blog and the video below are under the control of AT&T and subject to change without notice. UPDATE: HI everyone. Found a new trick for the Mobley when traveling to the Smokey Mountains last week. When we...

ilovervlifeI took a little comedic licence with this video. The opening shows the frustration in setting up a satellite dish when you arrive at your camping destination. Any RV'er who has a standard dish can appreciate those times when you just can't hit your desired...

This is simple RV antenna upgrade that can add some gain to your the TV channel reception when you're located in one of those remote spots. I found this mentioned in an Escapees forum several months ago and thought I'd give it a shot. We travel with a Dish receiver...

We recently completed a RV tire upgrade to the tires and wheels on our 5th wheel. Last year, we had two blow outs that were 500 miles apart (RV Life is a Bed of Roses). We took all the steps recommended to maintain our tires, but with less than 3,500 miles on the set,...

You’ve driven the miles, RV is parked and level, all the hook ups have been made and then the dreaded question is asked by your spouse: “When will you have the satellite working so we can watch TV?” For those with an unlimited budget, there are a number of options...

Any fan of Star Trek remembers the commands by Captain Kirk demanding "More Power!" and the eventual reply from Chief Engineer Scott "I'm givin' her all she's got Captain". Well that was the state of our two 12 volt golf batteries we use for inverter power. We knew...