Better Security....Finally!
~Tuesday, March 21, 2023~
Day 1,011
Well, it looks like we’re having a shift in the weather, with temps back in the mid-80’s with around 80% humidity. It wasn’t by chance that all of our campgrounds in Florida have electric hookups, with the exception of the Everglades. It was crucial that we’d be able to run the A/C with these temperatures, especially on days where Sadie is not able to join us on our outings. Without it, there would have been no exploring. Trust me, we are all happier for it! But with the heat, there’s definitely pluses and minuses to having air conditioners in an RV. The plus is for obvious reasons, especially where there’s high humidity. But the downside is the noise, way louder than having central air in a home. The motor (in our case x 2), is right above our heads in the living area and in our bedroom. So we find ourselves turning up the volume of whatever music we’re listening to, or talking louder so we can be heard above it. And if it’s not the A/C going, it’s the fans. In some ways, I miss the quieter alternative of the heater and fireplace.
Not much to report today other than wrapping up the installation of our new lock system. As we mentioned before, this was a project that we should have tackled at the very beginning of our road trip. Of course many locks are not full proof, but mostly serve as a deterrent. But if there’s any way we can make it harder for someone to break in, it’s worth the extra time and effort to help prevent it. As you’ll see in the video (below),
our mission was to remove our CH751 locks (the same lock/key that nearly every rig made in America has), and replace it with a tubular cam lock system. Each lock runs about $15 and is customized to your specification, so measuring accurately is important. Every rig is different, so the ease of installation will vary. Jeff found that changing out each lock took about 20 minutes. But in the midst of the project, as always, he figured out a way to make the installation even better. It’s the Latreille way of course. The majority of the compartment doors have a cushy material on the inside, where over time, as you tighten the locks, the nut indents the material too much. Jeff’s solution was to put a washer behind the nut to give it added strength and to prevent it from further indenting the material inside the door. Thirteen washers would do the trick but meant another trip to the hardware store. For Jeff, that’s not a problem.
Anyway, we thought our video might help other RV’ers think about the security of their OWN rig (including the main door lock). If you have any questions or comments or want to share your own experience with this topic, feel free to drop us a line through our website at www.footprintsonwheels.com or on our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAWrTBmgk5BYoFckONJc5wA. And we thank you in advance for hitting our “subscribe” button!