The DisFort's Chit Chat Cafe

[jbrostek]

I could see that working for you being further north then we are. I found it nice for the 4 hour I need to get somewhat south run after a days work. We know we can do pigeon forge in one shot but we chose to take a shorter run just because summer and we could.

We started this log book this year to keep track of where we have been and thoughts on the campgrounds and trip.



I feel like it will be great as we are trying to use more campgrounds and we can find out what our favorites for stops are as well as destinations.

 

[PaHunter]

I could see that working for you being further north then we are. I found it nice for the 4 hour I need to get somewhat south run after a days work. We know we can do pigeon forge in one shot but we chose to take a shorter run just because summer and we could.

We started this log book this year to keep track of where we have been and thoughts on the campgrounds and trip.

View attachment 517828

I feel like it will be great as we are trying to use more campgrounds and we can find out what our favorites for stops are as well as destinations.

We have tried to keep a log book over the years, DW is better about annotating it than I am.

 

[smokeyblue]

Can anyone help me with a product suggestion? I have an older aluminum sided trailer that I need to caulk/seal. I was using a 3M marine product that I got from Amazon, but I cut the tip wrong and was getting too large of a bead and things just went south from there. I cant get that product locally. Looking for something I could source locally at Menards or Lowes as I have a trip coming up in a week. Any ideas?

 

[Bishoparc]

We have tried to keep a log book over the years, DW is better about annotating it than I am.

My DW is in charge of the log but someone has to keep reminding her (I'd do it but my handwriting is awful.)

 

[team bradfield]

Can anyone help me with a product suggestion? I have an older aluminum sided trailer that I need to caulk/seal. I was using a 3M marine product that I got from Amazon, but I cut the tip wrong and was getting too large of a bead and things just went south from there. I cant get that product locally. Looking for something I could source locally at Menards or Lowes as I have a trip coming up in a week. Any ideas?

I use plain clear silicone, it works well and the clear won't mold like white or brown, plus you can buy it in small hand held tubes, look in the paint section for it.

 

[team bradfield]

I could see that working for you being further north then we are. I found it nice for the 4 hour I need to get somewhat south run after a days work. We know we can do pigeon forge in one shot but we chose to take a shorter run just because summer and we could.

We started this log book this year to keep track of where we have been and thoughts on the campgrounds and trip.

I feel like it will be great as we are trying to use more campgrounds and we can find out what our favorites for stops are as well as destinations.

been doing this since we started, 2001, i have a stack of them now, its fun to revisit them. I include our meals, hiking trails, Disney rides etc. I started it when the DW would be getting the kids ready for bed. now I do it when sitting at the picnic table enjoying an adult beverage

 

[2goofycampers]

Frank is gonna have a total knee arthroplasty on Sept 4th. Has anyone had this? Any to do or to not do tips?

 

[Teamubr]

Frank is gonna have a total knee arthroplasty on Sept 4th. Has anyone had this? Any to do or to not do tips?

Denise,

I haven't had it done (my dad has though), but I work at a very large academic hospital in Perioperative Services (ORs). We do dozens of these a week.


The key will be doing the rehab and keep moving post op. The biggest issues occur when the person doesn't get moving and do the rehab the way they need. Pain management will be key the first few days. Ideally, the surgeon/hospital sends him home with non-medication pain management (ice cooler, pain blocks) in addition to medication.

Tell Frank Good Luck, but these are pretty routine in many hospitals now. There are well documented best practice standards most places follow.

j

 

[jbrostek]

We have tried to keep a log book over the years, DW is better about annotating it than I am.

been doing this since we started, 2001, i have a stack of them now, its fun to revisit them. I include our meals, hiking trails, Disney rides etc. I started it when the DW would be getting the kids ready for bed. now I do it when sitting at the picnic table enjoying an adult beverage

I have never kept one and then remember when we go back to a place what it was like and thinking, oh yeah lets not do that one again. So with the new RV and our travels together, its been kind of nice to just write up our likes and dislikes, things we care to try next time and not.

 

[garneska]

@2goofycampers both my parents have had both knees replaced. As @Teamubr said doing your therapy is the best thing. My parents are older so the first knee was in general easier because they were younger. My dad had his hip replaced twice, one around age 50 and then again around 70. The first one was SIGNIFICANTLY easier for him to recover from. Good luck.

 

[PaHunter]

DW and nephews headed to over to the bounce pad, I walk in the back door of the trailer and find this.....

 

[PaHunter]

Camping antics.

 

[friendofeeyore]

Sending prayers for Frank's quick, painless healing and you, his nurse.

 

[friendofeeyore]

I wished I had kept a journal on the travels we have done especially, to The Fort.

 

[Bishoparc]

Frank is gonna have a total knee arthroplasty on Sept 4th. Has anyone had this? Any to do or to not do tips?

DW's gma had it and surprisingly recovered very quickly. She was 85 at the time she had it. She gets around better than I do most days. Thoughts and prayers for Frank!

 

[StormyCA]

My mother kept meticulous travel journals for her and Dad's many 'wanderings' (not RV, just 'regular' travel). She documented everything from the times they got up and went to bed, how they traveled (flights they took, roads they drove, the 'group coach trips'), the weather, what they ate (and where) and every activity/sight they saw. She now has advanced dementia and those journals, written in her own hand, are so precious to me. Not the least because they include 'whole family' trips, too.

When we got our trailer I started doing the same, but petered out after a couple of years. Now they read more like a pilot's log book; travel times, mileage, MPG, fuel stops, RV parks/CGs stayed at with my 'reviews'. Maybe a few notes of things & events that stand out. I feel so guilty when I think about the time Mom devoted to her journal at the end of the day.

I really need to do better.

 

[Teamubr]

Out with the old. In with the working.

I won't bore you with the aggravation the original Dometic RV refrigerator has caused. Let's just say it hasn't worked since I bought the trailer in 2016 and had our first "hot" camping trip to the DISmeet at GSP that year. It was a 9 c.f. gas/electric that wouldn't cool below 40 degrees and for no reason would warm up to the 50s even on the coldest setting. It was looked at twice under warranty and everything was "fine". Last month at the DISmeet in Pigeon Forge I had to throw out most of the meat in the bottom because it decided 55 was a good temperature.

I had been looking at the new Furrion 12 volt compressor refrigerator on the Furrion web site since they came out earlier this year, but due to Covid pay cuts and other big expenses, didn't jump.

Well, Pigeon Forge was the last straw, so I jumped. The web site and users manual say it will cool from 75 to 35 in 3 hours. The old one took 2 days. (That was the first sign it was garbage since the 13 year old one in my old 5er would cool down overnight).

It really does cool down that fast. I even left the A/C off in the trailer to try it. I set the temperature on the next to coldest setting and it went from 85 to 28 in the refrigerator (oops) in 3 hours with the inside of the trailer in the 90s.

It looks pretty too.

Old and broken. I even put computer fans inside to circulate the air and 2 in the chimney to help cool the coils.



New one. This one is actually 10 c.f. Slightly bigger than the old one, but it fits in the same size cabinet. It is even 3 inches shorter. Most of the extra square feet is in the depth. The old one was 15 inches deep. The new one is 21.





j

 

[rocketmom]

Out with the old. In with the working.

I won't bore you with the aggravation the original Dometic RV refrigerator has caused. Let's just say it hasn't worked since I bought the trailer in 2016 and had our first "hot" camping trip to the DISmeet at GSP that year. It was a 9 c.f. gas/electric that wouldn't cool below 40 degrees and for no reason would warm up to the 50s even on the coldest setting. It was looked at twice under warranty and everything was "fine". Last month at the DISmeet in Pigeon Forge I had to throw out most of the meat in the bottom because it decided 55 was a good temperature.

I had been looking at the new Furrion 12 volt compressor refrigerator on the Furrion web site since they came out earlier this year, but due to Covid pay cuts and other big expenses, didn't jump.

Well, Pigeon Forge was the last straw, so I jumped. The web site and users manual say it will cool from 75 to 35 in 3 hours. The old one took 2 days. (That was the first sign it was garbage since the 13 year old one in my old 5er would cool down overnight).

It really does cool down that fast. I even left the A/C off in the trailer to try it. I set the temperature on the 2nd to highest and it went from 85 to 28 in the refrigerator (oops) in 3 hours with the inside of the trailer in the 90s.

It looks pretty too.

Old and broken. I even put computer fans inside to circulate the air and 2 in the chimney to help cool the coils.

View attachment 519393

New one. This one is actually 10 c.f. Slightly bigger than the old one, but it fits in the same size cabinet. It is even 3 inches shorter. Most of the extra square feet is in the depth. The old one was 15 inches deep. The new one is 21.

View attachment 519394

View attachment 519395

j

Enjoyed reading this post. Had the same experience with the Dometic RV refrigerator in my 2016 camper. It never kept the temperature cold enough to keep food from spoiling, especially if it was a hot day. I had to throw out food because it wasn't at a safe temperature. DH also installed the computer fans but that didn't help. When we bought our new camper in January of this year, my only requirement was that it have a residential refrigerator. Residential refrigerators are hard to find in the smaller campers, but we were able to find one. I absolutely loooove it! On our first camping trip a few weeks ago, it worked perfectly. It cooled down quickly and kept the refrigerator around 34 degrees and the freezer at 0. I will never own another camper that doesn't have a residential refrigerator. You are going to love the new refrigerator. Worrying about food poisoning is no fun.

 

[Teamubr]

When we bought our new camper in January of this year, my only requirement was that it have a residential refrigerator. I absolutely loooove it!
You are going to love the new refrigerator. Worrying about food poisoning is no fun.

I considered getting a residential refrigerator, but I went with this 12 volt version so I didn't have to buy and install an inverter. My camper had a residential option, but I would have lost the pantry. I wanted the storage space and the refrigerators in my prior trailers worked fine. I also liked having the propane option if I had to leave the trailer for a while without being plugged in. The new refrigerator is 12 volt only (no propane), so I'll see how long it will run on the battery only. It has an "economy" setting and I have a large Group 29 battery. I can add a 2nd battery if I need it, but I rarely stay anywhere without hookups and the battery should stay charged up on the road from the 12 volt feed on the truck plug.

j

 

[jbrostek]

I would be interested in how that works out with battery and power. I been lucky that my 2014 which had a dometic worked really well. But I am glad t be back to a norcold unit as there was a quirk that the domentic would pop a 5amp slow burn fuse randomly and stop cooling on electric over it.