As I was prepping our RV for its next outing I noticed the screen that covers the vent on the potable water tank was missing. A little research indicated the screen was not available as an individual part and I would have to change the whole assembly which also included the city water hookup.
Since the opening was about the size of a hose washer, I thought no problem, I will just cement a filter hose washer over the opening. It would be a quick fix as I knew I had one somewhere in the RV.
I checked the storage compartment where I store my water hose, sewer adapters, park adapter, and other items for hooking up to utilities. Nope, not there. I pulled out the storage bin where I keep spare items like hose washers, the cable TV cord, water pressure regulator, etc. as I was sure that’s where I remembered the filter hose gasket being located. Nope, not there either.
Thought it was in here somewhere, but nope…
Going to the forward storage compartment, I pulled out the bin containing camping items such as citronella candles, a collapsible fishing rod, an oyster shucking knife, random spare parts, etc. Still nothing. The next stop was the catch-all shelf under the kitchen sink which has accumulated a bunch of small items over the years. Still no luck!
While I didn’t find the filter hose washer I was searching for, I did find a lot of other items I had forgotten about, which brings me to the point of this article: Take inventory of what you have and write it down as if you are getting older like me (pushing 60), your memory isn’t as sharp as it used to be. (At least I think it used to be sharper—I can’t remember.)
Taking inventory is useful for many reasons:
- It will give you knowledge of what extra items are in your RV and where their location is when needed.
- You’ll also realize that some items are better left at home or trashed than allowed to continue occupying precious space in the RV.
- It gives you a chance to better organize the items you have.
- You may even discover that you don’t have some items you thought you did and you better restock.
If you are still stuck at home due to COVID-19 restrictions, this would be a great project to keep you occupied as you await your first RV outing of the season.
Oh, and for the filter hose washer, I bought one for a buck and cemented it over the vent opening, as this thrifty Norwegian wasn’t about to spend $40 for the entire assembly. And truth be told, I was too lazy to change the whole thing out and risk introducing a plumbing leak in the process. As they say, “let sleeping dogs lie.”
Searching your RV for a part you thought you had (but didn’t), and ending up organizing your storage bins, removing unneeded items, and taking inventory is just another adventure in RVing!
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Dave Helgeson’s many roles in the RV industry started before he even had a driver’s license. His grandparents and father owned an RV dealership before the term “RV” had been coined, and Dave played a pivotal role in nearly every position of an RV dealership. He and his wife Cheri launched their own RV dealership in the Pacific Northwest. The duo also spent 29 years overseeing regional RV shows. Dave has also served as President of a local chapter of the Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA), worked on the board of advisors for the RV Technician Program of a local technical college, and served as a board member of the Manufactured Home and RV Association. Dave’s reputation earned him the title of “The foremost expert on boondocking,” bestowed by RV industry icon, the late Gary Bunzer (The RV Doctor). When he’s not out boondocking, you’ll find Dave in the spotlight at RV shows across the country, giving seminars about all things RVing. He and Cheri currently roam in their fifth travel trailer, with Dave doing all the service, repair and modifications to his own unit.
Just purchased a new to me coach, unloaded what I thought we needed from our old one and loaded in our truck and trailer since we were not trading in our old one. Left MO and headed to Mesa, AZ to pick up our new trailer. Boy did we have a lot of stuff in our old unit, some of which we did not bring with us to the new coach thinking we didn’t need it. So I ended up as usual purchasing more stuff to replace what we did not bring. Probably would have been fine except our 3-1/2 week trip turned into an 8 week trip so some of the left behind equipment and supplies ended up being needed and had to be replaced. The bright side is we have extra equipment but the dark side is I probably already have 2 of each. I did find a few items I may not put back on the new coach but found I need to reorganize so I know what I have and it is available when I do need it. I think I may create a tool and equipment/hardware inventory for my RV so all I have to do is look at my phone and see if I have it and where it should be. I will let you know if that plan works out. LOL
Just remember two is one, and one is none.
Last fall I was trying to add water to my potable tank and it keep squirting out into my face. When I looked under the dinette seat, I found a thin clear hose connected from the water tank to the outside world. Ah! An air vent. But it was clogged with mud or something. Turns out that a mud wasp had decided to make his home in there. Now that I’ve cleared it out, water fills nicely. I’ve wondered why there was no screen on that hole. Now I know how to fix it for $1. Thank you.
Poor memory at 60?!?! I represent that remark!
Make a list of where you store things.
This is a good idea! I go through our camper at least once per year and check that stuff we have stored is actually still usable (citronella candles will melt if left sideways for example). I never thought to do it as an inventory that I could check later on. On my phone would be ideal, but I already have so many “notes” on the notes app, I wonder if someone has made an inventory app for the RV that would be useful for this? Because I would want to note at least which storage area or box it’s in as well. I went looking my last camping trip for that pesky water hose rubber gasket that keeps falling out of the hose when we put it away. I had bought an extra one and tied it into the rope we use to tie the hose when it’s coiled up, so I could always find it. That worked great, until my spouse put away the water hose one trip instead of me, and he didn’t tie the gasket, so it disappeared again. I have a bottom junk drawer in the camper where all the “spare parts” live, like spare fuses, etc, but it’s such a mess. I ended up using plastic baggies to organize them together, and that is a little better.
It will also give you a list for insurance purposes should you have a fire or theft. That also saves a lot of stress and memory work at a time you will likely already be under a lot of stress.