Daily Archives: June 14, 2016
A New Hose and a Fixed Microwave . . .
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About 3pm Jan and I headed down to the Katy area to have dinner with Brandi, Lowell, and Landon, pick up our packages, and make a quick stop at the Camping World just past Brandi’s turn-off at FM-1463. Earlier in the afternoon I had called CW to double-check that they had the Zero G RV Hoses in stock.
The Zero G hose is a hybrid version of a regular RV water hose and one of those Pocket collapsible hoses.
I’d been waiting for someone to come out with drinking-water safe version of a soft, non-kinking hose. And this appears to be it.
The hose is normally $35, but if you’re a Good Sam member, it’s $30. And even better, if you’re a member, it’s Buy One, Get One at Half Price. So I got two of the 25ft 5/8 inch hoses for $45. Nice!
I presently have a 35ft heavy-duty ‘non-kinking RV hose that has kinked and crimped in three places. And this is my 2nd one.
I bought the first one at an RV Rally 4 or 5 years ago, and within a year or so, I had several kinked/weakened spots on it that were starting to bulge out like a bad tire. So much so that it would no longer really coil up, but would just kink and fold over at the crimp spot. So when I encountered the vendor at another rally a year or so later, I showed it to her and she swapped it out with a new one.
And it started crimping within six months. So much for a ‘Lifetime Warranty’.
We got to Brandi’s just as Lowell was leaving to pick up Landon, and when they got back, we waited until it was time to meet Brandi at La Finca Mexican Restaurant, our favorite Katy Mexican place. Yeah, that’s right. We had Mexican two nights in a row. And that’s not our record.
Back in the 80’s when the kids were young, we actually ate at the same Mexican restaurant (the late, lamented Burrito King in Webster) seven nights in a row.
If Mexican is good one night, it’s good two nights . . . or seven nights.
Landon just had chips and queso, and pretty entertained himself.
But he kept cracking us all up with the faces he was making.
Finally, after a great meal and a great time, we headed back to Conroe about 6:30, taking the Grand Parkway once again to avoid the Houston going-home traffic.
As soon as we got home I went outside to install my new hose.
I was happy to see how heavy-duty it was,
with strong metal couplings and a thick nylon washer.
Unlike the Pocket hoses, this one does not expand or contract, but just firms up like a fire hose.
And when you turn the water off, it flattens down and can be smushed into a small ball. The canvas-feeling fabric seems to be durable and stretchy.
I’ll let you know how it holds up, but I like it so far.
Back in the rig, I thought I’d see how my replacement microwave door latch was going to work.
Here’s how I started the repair. Easier Than I Thought . . .
The new part, the black one at the bottom, is heavier, and the piece that broke off the old is now beefed up. So hopefully it will be good for more than the 17 years that the first one lasted.
It only took about 5 minutes to snap the new door opener in place, push down the locking tab, put the control panel back on, and plug the power in.
Pushing the button in, the door opened, and when I heated up a cup of water, it worked great. It’s nice to be able to make a $6.80 repair, rather than $400-$500 for a new microwave.
Now Jan will be able bake her Sopapilla Cheesecake that she’s had waiting in the fridge since the oven broke.
Thought for the Day:
I am free of all prejudices. I hate everyone equally. – W.C. Fields
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