Full-timers since 2003, we’re a couple of “Do-It-Ourself” RVers sharing tips on RV operation, maintenance, repair, and travel. We’ve handled most of our own RV maintenance over the course of two decades spent exploring North America (and international RVing, too)!
While we’re not RV technicians, we’re very mechanically inclined and have learned a lot about RV systems over the years. We handle most of our own minor service, repair and upgrade work on our 2005 43′ Newmar Mountain Aire diesel pusher. We also maintained our 2002 39′ Fleetwood Bounder Diesel during our first 2 years on the road.
We hope our experiences can help other RVers go DIY, all while saving time & money… and experiencing the satisfaction of a job well done.
We don’t pretend to be experts on any particular RV topic, and mostly know about maintaining our own rig. But lots of things are the same on RVs in general, and diesel pushers in particular. Consult with a professional technician if you’re unsure about working on your RV.
Safe Travels!
– Peter & John
Since 2011, Peter Knize & John Sullivan have co-hosted The RVgeeks, one of YouTube’s most popular channels about RVing. In 2019, they made the big leap to broadcast television as co-hosts and Co-Executive Producers of the new TV series The RVers. Look for John & Peter on The Discovery Channel, PBS, iTunes/AppleTV, Amazon Video, Fun Roads TV, Google Play, the Microsoft Store, and YouTubeTV. The RVers is also available internationally on the Wild Pursuit Network in Canada, and iTunes in English-speaking countries such as Canada, the U.K. and Australia.
Louis Nelsen
Saturday 16th of September 2023
I have a question and it doesn't have anything to do with the previous article and I apologize for that. We hooked our camper to the septic directly and bypassed the black tank. This past week the flexible hose that runs from the camper and connects up to the pipe we have going underground to the septic plugged up solid. All because of my high protein high fiber diet consisting of mainly beans followed by bread followed by peanut butter. Is it going to be best to flush that line I guess on to the grass before reconnecting it and I tried doing that mainly by flushing the new toilet and it plugged up again so I'm prepared with a water hose and hope for the best and fertilize the lawn. Thank you for taking time to read this. I hope you appreciate the email address lol
ECRider
Thursday 14th of September 2023
I like your website - just found it looking for help with replacing the baffle on an Onan Micro Quiet 4000 KY generator. I have looked everywhere and tried to contact Cummins/Onan, but no help. Can you help me/us?
TheRVgeeks
Thursday 14th of September 2023
Hi ECRider. Sorry to hear about your issue. Not sure if this is the baffle you’re looking for, but here’s a link to one we found: https://rvpartsexpress.com/product/cummins-onan-foam-baffle-405-4896-micro-quiet-ky/
Patrick J. Costa
Tuesday 5th of September 2023
The How to inflate Rv tires was a complete eye opener. We have followed you for years now. One question about weighing he corners. Since one needs to travel to get the weights, is it ok to get the weights then travel back home to put the correct air in the tires? I don’t want to wait 3 hours for the wheels to cool down. Thanks for this information. I’ve been doing it wrong for an over decade of rving .
TheRVgeeks
Tuesday 5th of September 2023
Hi Patrick! Yes indeed - you should wait until the tires are cool before adjusting the air pressures, even if it means driving on them one more time before setting them. If you've been driving on them at their current pressure settings for a long time, one more trip shouldn't be a problem. We like to check and adjust tire pressure first thing in the morning, at the coolest part of the day, before the sun hits the tires and starts heating them up.
James Smith
Thursday 24th of August 2023
Micro-Air would not accept "RVGEEKS" promo code for discount. I went ahead and purchased the Micro-Air Soft Starter because I want to get it installed. You may want to follow-up with Micro-Air to check if they still offer the discount.
Thanks, James
TheRVgeeks
Thursday 24th of August 2023
Hi James. Thanks for the heads up. But we did just visit the Micro-Air website, added an EasyStart 364 Soft Starter into our cart, and then typed rvgeeks into discount code box, and clicked the "apply" button. It immediately dropped the price from $299 to $274. Sorry if there was some glitch, or your browser wasn't able to make it work for some reason. Since you just placed the order, maybe a phone call or email to Micro-Air might be able to get them to apply the discount to your order.
Todd K. Malan M.D.
Monday 21st of August 2023
Hello, I’m hoping you can help me with this question as the support team at micro-air does not seem to understand the question no matter how many times or ways I ask. I have a 20 year old Newmar Mountain Aire with the 5 button Dometic Thermostat. I am replacing both AC units with two brand new Penguin II ACs (unless you have better suggestion). Based on your advice, I am going to purchase 2 easy start units and the micro-air thermostat. (Using your discount code). My question is, as I am replacing both AC’s, it seems I don’t need to worry about making them compatible with 5 button Dometic and could avoid purchasing the control board to make AC’s compatible with old 5 button Dometic. If that is the case, which micro-Air thermostat version, should I purchase? If I purchase the micro air thermostat that is compatible with the old five button Dometic, would I then need to purchase the control boards for the AC units to make them also compatible with a five button Dometic thermostat? Can’t I just get rid of the whole five button Dometic from the equation And purchase a micro air thermostat that would not require the use of a five button Dometic control board for the AC units? I sure hope that you understand this question as the micro air people do not follow? Thank you for your excellent contact and advice.
Todd Malan
TheRVgeeks
Monday 21st of August 2023
Hi Todd,
First... yes, we would recommend replacing your existing A/C units with the Dometic Penguin II. We have the heat-pump version of those on our RV (replaced a couple years ago) and love them. They are quieter than the Penguins they replaced and do an excellent job of cooling the RV (again, better than the old ones they replaced, though it's probably unfair to compare 10+ year old air conditioners with brand new ones... but we're doing it, anyway... LOL!).
Second... if you plan to simultaneously replace the two air conditioners AND the thermostat, then you are correct: you do NOT need the conversion boards to make the NEW air conditioners compatible with the OLD 5-button thermostat. Instead (since you're only mentioning a singular "thermostat" and not "thermostats", we're assuming you have a single thermostat now that controls both zones), you'd go ahead and use the Micro-Air EasyTouch that's designed to replace the latest 10-button thermostat... which we're pretty sure is this one: https://www.microair.net/collections/easytouch-rv-thermostat-dometic-replacements/products/dometic-10-12-button-control-replacement. That Dometic thermostat is the one that's compatible with the new air conditioning units.
The trick will be ensuring that you get the right Penguin II model to work with Newmar's ducting... as we're almost 100% sure that Dometic has a kit that's designed to ensure compatibility (it has to do with how the output/cold air and return air are separated by the plenum in the roof). So you'll want to be sure you confirm the right part number from them (or from Newmar) before you place your order, so you don't end up having trouble with the installation. Newmar's ducting is a little bit different, so it needs to match up.
Once you have that A/C part number, you can confirm with Dometic that their Comfort Control Center (https://www.dometic.com/en-us/outdoor/rv-and-van/rv-air-conditioners/air-conditioner-accessories/dometic-comfort-control-center-52919) thermostat is the one that will work with those units.... and then the above-referenced Micro-Air would be the correct model to replace it with.
We HOPE that all makes sense! Let us know if anything's unclear.