RV MODS! 5 SIMPLE UPGRADES TO MAKE OUR LIFE EASIER!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiA9g4xpMoM

In this episode, we do 5 simple RV mods to make RV living easier on us. The major mod being adding a viewing window to our front storage compartment. We were always wanting to peek behind the wall to see our water pump, hot water tank, and water connections and it was such a pain to have to unscrew it every time. We added a clear window and a hinge to make accessing that area a lot easier! We also added a motion light under our stairs, moved a shelf for Carmen’s food, and a few other things!

1. Viewing Window

We love to to be aware of the state of our RV and Grand Design RV has made it pretty easy for us to take off access panels and take a peek at what is going on behind the scenes. We wanted to shed some additional light on the water pump, water heater, and our Nautilus water panel though because a leak could be damaging.

We used to check every month or so when we remembered but had to remove everything in our front storage to take off the panel. Now, with this mod, we peek every week to make sure there are no issues.

We completed this mod in a few simple steps.

1. Remove panel
2. Measure window size
3. Cut felt in X from corner to corner of the window
4. Peel felt off the wood
5. Cut out window
6. Fold felt back and glue to secure
7. Screw-in plexiglass window

2. Hinge Access Door

We kind of took this mod from Sprad’s RV. When they installed our Lithium Battle Born Batteries they cut the panel and put hinges on a small section so they had additional floor space.

We loved the hinge idea because when the panel was removed completely it was always in the way. The two hinged doors are secured with a gate lock to make them securely closed but also easy to open. We love that we are now able to quickly open the doors if we need to access something.

3. A/C Airflow Mod

Efficiency and RVs go hand in hand. Whether space or heating and cooling you always should be trying to make things more efficient. We have ducted cooling which worked great but I always thought that some air must continue to race around the duct and never exit.

We previously modified the ducts by adding an additional layer of HVAC tape to the edge to make sure the duct didn’t allow cool air to escape into the roof space. While that ensured all the air was either in the duct or the living areas it didn’t help with getting the air out of the ducts. Someone else had the idea in a Grand Design RV Facebook group to add a small doorstop bumper to the duct to disrupt the airflow a little.

We went with the round ones to ensure that air still traveled through the ducts to the rest of the RV but the little bump causes some air to now to be forced out of the duct. It was a great cheap mod for better overall cooling.

4. Motion Activated Outside Step Light

We forget to turn on our porch light before we leave and when we get back are often greeted with a dark outside. This is made tenfold worse when we are boondocking and it is pitch black.

This little motion-activated step light is battery powered and motion-activated. It is also just smart enough to only turn on from motion when it is dark outside. We added a small strip of VHB and mounted it on the frame of our RV behind our steps. It has a motion radius of about 15 feet which is perfect for our purposes.

5. Safety Cable Attachment

We heard that it isn’t good to attach your safety cable to your hitch. If there is a catastrophic failure with the hitch it is possible that the safety cable will not deploy. We purchased a D-ring clip to attach the safety cable to the truck.