European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 8, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Winterize your motor Home United press International ome motor Home and campers will be placed in hibernation for the Winter while others Wilt Continuo on through me season. Either Way now is Iho time to pay some extra attention to your unit ii you arc retiring your camper or Mol Rhome for the season Here Are some valuable Hills far storage from the recreational vehicle Industry association a Trade group based in Reston. A give the unil a thorough cleaning particularly the refrigerator. Prop the refrigerator door open and leave a Box of baking soda inside. Remove the dry cell Battery in your camper has an electric spark i Nilor. Cover external vents of the stove and Range Hood refrigerator air conditioning and Furnace because spiders and mice can gel in. Spiders especially Are attracted to the odor of liquid propane up Gas. Dram All water such As the storage tank loiter and Waler Heater. Pour Antifreeze Dawn the sink trap. Disconnect and remove the electric water pump. Have Hie drapes cleaned. While they Are off cover the windows with some paper cloth or cardboard to prevent Sun damage Loli Interior. When the drapes Are in pm Rev make sure they Are closed tightly Jack up the camper or recreational vehicle and place it on blocks to prolong lire Hie and prevent Flat spots. Covering the tires will prevent Ultra Violet damage and pc vol cracking. 11 in is a self propelled unit running the engine Al least an hour a Merlin May prevent map motor work having to be done in the Spring. If it is not jacked up take it out on the Road to keep other parts Well oiled. Keeping the Gas tank full end a fresh change of Oil and filler is also advised. For those who want to use their rvs through the cold season the most important item concerns adequate and Safe heating of the unil the via says. There is no simple formula to figuring How much heat an re needs because of variables in insulation As Well As outside temperatures and wind chill. Th4 Furnace should be capable of maintaining an inside temperature of Between 66 and 70 degrees f. For Winter use the National up Gas association Erma Bombeck Winter storage of rvs drapes clean and close lightly engine Hun one hour a Moth prevents major motor work in Spring. Battery keep Waldo level and charge up for Prator water Lank cover external vent. Oain. Sink clean prop door open. Pour Ank Leeze i Jack up vehicle prevents Leal spots and prolongs we Ida. Air conditioner Chan hers. Covet. Vanity and Shim of poorer Imam own wrap. Furnace \ Waler Heater tape Vert dosed \ Drain Al we of. Range Cove earn i vents. Hints Tor Stooge Tram the recreation vehicle Industry a�n., a Trade group based in ration a recommends a rating of Between 700 and 900 bus per fool or camper no More and no less. This Means a 20-foot travel trailer requires a Furnace with no less than 14,000 bus and no More Ihan 18,000 bus. Mol Rhome owners should figure on a rating of about 1,000 bus per loot because of the greater window area and resulting higher heat loss via says an adequate Furnace May As Well a left behind in it has an inadequate Gas Supply. The National up Gas association figures a 20-Pound Gas Cylinder lasts Only 19 hours when powering a 20,000 Btu Furnace. Investing in an oversized Lank is Wise but first calculate How much heat will be needed the association also recommends the use of propane not butane during Winter camping because butane no longer boils or vaporizes below 32 degrees f. Also be aware that the Furnace Blower can Drain a 12-Volt, 70-amp Battery in eight hours. However most furnaces like residential units have a thermostat to minimize Drain. A Small portable electric Heater that operates on 15 amps or less is a Good investment. Never use he Range or oven or supplementary heat even if it is vented properly of the window is open the via warns. The Furnace gets its combustion air from the outside and discharges those products of combustion to the outside. Open flames in the re will deplete the oxygen in the vehicle and discharge Carbon monoxide. Using the oven or Range for a Short time to Cook does not present a Hazard the via says. Instead of filling the water tenk the via recommends thai during Winter trips a portable water Supply be carried in containers instead Thi it in Case the heat is lost for any reason and to prevent pipe freezing on Many units thai do not have special insulation. Use the Waler from the containers for cooking and hushing the Collet put either e recommended Antifreeze or Salt in the holding Lank. On unto where the water system May be used keep the Furnace operating on the Way Home until All lha fresh water la flushed through with Antifreeze and the holding tank la drained. This keeps the pipes warm and prevents the water lines exposed to the cold from freezing. If it does freeze pour some warm water Over it to thaw it out. As in summer camping but More important Call ahead to make sure there is a campsite available and what sort of accommodations there Ere. Try to pick a sunny campsite. Never Park sideways to a wind either head into it or Bach into it depending on the camper s design. On my resume and in my Bio i have listed my Hobby As  for More than 30 years i have collected it displayed it end rearranged in to the amusement of my irl ends and the distaste of my Mother. Now it seems i was years ahead of my time. Everyone is collecting it now. I read the other Day where 43 million ions of dust settles every year on the United states most of it inside Homes. The discriminating collector has As much As 40 pounds of dust in an average six room Home. More and More women Are realizing dust does not cause bad Akin or break up your marriage. Early in my marriage i realized i did not have the same distaste for dust As my Mother she chased ii with everything she had. Rug beaten my father s old underwear mops brooms and even yardsticks Page 16 the stars and stripes behind the refrigerator. Seeing her own face redacted in the dining room table was a religious experience for her that was supposed to be passed Down to me. On the contrary i rather liked the shadowy outline of my reflection where you could t quite make out what 11 was. Ii had a dalt Quality to it. Mot once did my Mother question where the dust went i figured it was like fighting windmills the dust i stirred from a sound sleep on the piano Fil tired through the air to lha drapes. When they were shaken the dust lazily fell to the floor and then Slid under the bed. There the dust huddled together in dust balls saying to one another is the gone yet the dust never left lha House. Occasionally just to Pleasa my Mother when i knew the was coming i d sail Down the Coffee table by the seat of my Panto so it would Shine when the walked in. She never knew lha dual went from pants in the monday december a 1989 Washer la a lint tap where it joined forces with other lint and eventually blew out of the wastebasket and Back to the Coffee table again. Oust is eternal folks to you might just a wag be creative with h. I took upon it As an old Friend. With dust i can leave a phone message in every room of the House including lha bathroom Mirror and the Back of the commode. The other Day my Molher said look at a that dust on your  that s became 6ve on the desert i said. Aren t you going to sweep it the asked write me a note on the car Dut to remind me she does t understand la e Man Nav Watha elements. I Don t know about the  the Duel is winning