I have been getting requests to update our site more often. There are a couple of reasons I haven’t this past week. And next week probably won’t be any better because we have decided to stay for another week of RV school so I can get more certificates.

First of all, I have been so busy with classes at the NRVTA. We started most days at 6:30 instead of 7:00. There was so much to learn, and we had a good class that was eager to learn more. Then we got out of class between 3:00 and 5:00 and they would send us home with homework every day. There was the normal stuff, like reading and studying Ohm’s Law, Watt’s Law, etc. Plus we had to do things like check for propane leaks, check seals in ductwork, check amperage, voltage, and resistance on appliances, etc.

Second, we have not done anything new or exciting. I’m sure I have already bored some people enough they aren’t coming to check out our blog. We have gone out to eat at a couple of good restaurants, but that is Sherry’s department.

Sherry has been busy too. She has taken this retirement thing seriously. Sleeping in, walking and playing with the dogs, long naps, and sitting on our back porch in the sun and reading books (three of them so far). I’m sure she will get caught up on her restaurant reviews soon. She has had to get up and go to our classes for an hour at 7:00. So 3 of the days her sleeping in were interrupted.

Week one

This week I earned two certificates. I am a certified level one RV inspector and a certified level one RV technician. There are several more levels of training, both as a technician and inspector. Right now, I can repair many things, or do an inspection on an RV. But there are still a lot of things I’m not qualified to repair or inspect.

While I will do some repairs if asked, I have decided to go the route of becoming an inspector. It is a lot easier work, and I won’t have to carry as many tools and parts as we travel.

When people are spending a lot of money on an RV, they want to know what they are getting. So that is what I will be doing, giving them a report on the RV similar to a home inspection when you buy a house. Then they can make a good decision on whether to buy, negotiate a lower price, have the owner/dealer repair problems or walk away. Also, financial institutions, insurance companies, warranty companies, and dealerships are just a few other times inspections are needed.

Another opportunity is the new owner walkthrough. When people purchase there first RV, there are many systems in an RV that new owners do not know about; (12 volt DC, 120 volt AC,) fresh water, grey water, black water, (50, 30, or 15 amp shore power,) (12 volts, 120 volts, or propane refrigerator), etc. I can do a walk through with them to teach them how all these systems work.

Week two

We have decided to stay for another week of RV school so I will become a level two inspector. This will qualify me to do a much more detailed inspection, bringing more opportunities and higher income. The reports will be about 65-100 pages and have 50+ photos, depending on the level of inspection requested, the condition of the RV, and the type of RV.

So for those reasons, we have decided we will stay for another week of school.

I’ll bring this to an end now, as I’m sure I have bored some of you to sleep by now. Of course, if I did you won’t be reading this. There probably won’t be much to post about next week either, so be patient with us. After next week, we plan on heading south, exploring Texas and then heading to the Gulf Coast.

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