It’s that time of year again and most of us are more than ready for getting our RVS ready for camping.  This winter has been a longer than usual season and most camping people want it to be over.  Patience fellow campers, it’s not as though we can just hook up and go when the season does allow us. Conscientious campers know that you need to do what is called “de-winterize” the RVs.   Yes, if you were meticulous last fall, you must be equally diligent this spring and properly de-winterize your RVs.

This will involve a few tasks that are best addressed in a systematic manner so nothing falls through the cracks.  So let’s begin the process of first removing the RVs from storage.

It is desirable to start this next season knowing that all the major systems are checked and working properly.  Make sure that nothing is over looked and that if additional maintenance is required, it is addressed before major nuisances become inconveniences on the road.

Keep in mind, you’re not only de-winterizing your RVs, but also performing a mini pre-delivery inspection on the unit just like the pro technicians do before delivering them to the buyers at an RV dealer.  Always have a pad and pencil on hand and jot down any items that need attention.  Don’t rely solely on your memory.  I can almost guarantee you will forget something and may even get upset later that you did.  If you discover something that needs repaired and you don’t know how to do it yourself, don’t fret, just give places like Colerain RV of Cincinnati Ohio a call, they have experts that can fix them for you at a very affordable price and will guarantee their work.  If you are not in the Ohio area, just give your local dealer a call, I’m sure they know what to do as well.

When beginning the de-winterization on RVs, you first start buy checking out the exterior for any damage that may have been done during the storage.  You then start to look at the roof to make sure all the seals have not started to get gaps from the change of weather, if you see gaps then add more caulk to the areas that need them.  This will stop the water from getting in on rainy days and damaging the RV.

Now check your electrical system first by putting in your freshly charged battery that was removed last fall.  As always, make sure to have proper gloves and safety glasses on to avoid injury.  If your RVs have a slide out, run it out a couple of times just to make sure it works ok.  Now continue to check all the amenities that work from the battery for proper working such as the lights, radio, and fans.  If you have a place to be able to plug in your RVs, you can do that now.  Then start the ac unit up and make sure it is working well.

The plumbing on RVs should be simple to do.  Fill your fresh water tank up and run the new water through the system looking for any leaks and fixing them.  If you used RV anti-freeze, make sure to capture it and reuse it for next year.

The LP gas and appliances that run off of them usually don’t require much winterization, some RVs just require turning on the LP gas valve to the on position and you are ready, however, this is one of those areas that a pro should check it out for you.  Contact an RV dealer near you to schedule Your RV in to have the LP system looked over and have them fill the tanks.

This covers the three major systems that take de-winterization and gets you ready for the season to come.  Some of the smaller items will include making sure the tires are good and inflated along with some cosmetic inside repair and stocking up the food pantry.  When you have all this done you are now ready to go camping and enjoy the season.

As a marketer and a business owner, I always said I would never express my opinion on politics publicly. So now I will eat my words of saying “I will Never” do something. I have learned that the old saying is very true. Never Say Never. I want to share with you a news letter that I get in my e-mails. It is of the most controversial subject…Our Government. Please don’t take this as my opinion, but rather just a note of letting people see what IS happening in our country…

The Intelligent Forecaster

One of the hardest things to do as a grown, “educated” adult is to learn from others. The inability to learn from others is what guarantees you will have a very childish perspective of the world. If the only books you’ve read were forced on you by the public education system, then your perspective is skewed. It was only when I expanded my realm of knowledge that I saw the world in a whole new way. I realized that there are recurring themes in history that humans consistently ignore because fundamentally, human nature never changes. No matter how much you warn people about the disaster that’s coming, they won’t listen. Call it what you may- naivete,  ignorance, or outright arrogance- but this is just my experience. By definition you must be humble to learn.

There is a psychological phenomenon that explains the human tendency towards disbelief and inaction: the normalcy bias. If people haven’t directly experienced an extreme event before, they are prone to believe that it can’t happen. The normalcy bias explains why people refused to evacuate their homes when Katrina was clearly going to leave a swath of destruction. The normalcy bias explains why most people get destroyed by hyperinflationary events. And the normalcy bias explains why people refuse to get out of their dollars and buy gold. Most people alive never experienced a gold standard or a bond default; hence most people will be caught totally off-guard by the events of the future. However, people really shouldn’t be caught off-guard because governments historically never pay off their debts! They always default in some form.

Americans just can’t think from a global perspective. Sure the Bush tax cuts were extended, but corporate tax rates are still amongst the highest in the world. Do you wonder why industry is moving offshore? In addition, American income is taxed globally, no matter where income is earned. This mode of taxation is not the norm in history; in fact it shows our system badly needs restructuring. By any objective historical standard, current tax rates are “oppressive.”

Some people will argue that we are enjoying a rising standard of living. Ok, then why do both adults in the average household need to work now when only one person had to work before? A lot of our problems have been papered over. When the private sector couldn’t create jobs, the government stepped in as “the employer of last resort.” This is why you’ve seen a concurrent rise in the public sector and the national debt. This shell game can go on for quite some time, especially when demographic trends are on your side. But when demographic trends reverse and the debts are still lingering on your balance sheet, watch out: it is time to pay the piper.

Until events start unfolding more or less as I expect, most people will peruse this blog and think I am extreme. That’s fine, since my profits have been extreme as well. I know what my natural irrational human tendencies are, and I try my best to keep them at bay. The facts are always going to jump out at you if you allow them to. There will be even more political upheaval and social unrest moving forward. Times are changing, but historically, good things come out of times of change. We must go through our birth pains. Until then, you know what to do: buy gold, buy silver, and stay away from anything government.