DIY Network

Campground Can-Do: Saving Battery Power Learn how easy it is to conserve RV battery power. From "RV Roadtrips" episode DRVR-103

Host Gary Bunzer shows the Fortier family how to conserve their RV's battery power, and then the family explains how to build a great campfire and how to keep things warm or cool by using solar blankets.

The Fortiers also reveal their invention for keeping a cooler cool with solar-reflective material.

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Materials:

label maker
small binder clips
solar blankets
solar reflective material
dryer lint

Tools:

Adhesive

Figure A

Conserving Battery Power

1. Find the converter where the fuses are located (figure A).

2. Label circuits so you know which belongs to which fuse.

3. Pull selected fuses to prevent accidentally running down the battery.

Figure B

Owner's Advice: Using Solar Blankets to Conserve Energy

1. Using a solar blanket, drape the top (figure B) of the pop out tent roof and secure with clips.

Note: In the summer this will help to reflect heat and keep the tent cool. In the winter it will help insulate the tent, keeping the heat in and the condensation out.

Figure C

Keeping Coolers Cool

Using reflective material, make a cover over the top and sides of your cooler (figure C). That way when you are away from your campsite during the day and the sun direction changes you can still arrive home to cool drinks.

Campfire Hint

• Deidre has found a quick and easy way to get her fires started without trash cleanup or flying paper embers. She saves her dryer lint in a Ziploc bag and uses these remnants as kindling for an easy fire starter.

Grand Canyon Campsite Information

• There are 327 sites at the Mather Campground at the Grand Canyon.

• There are no hook-ups for water sewer or electric, except on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, where there are full hook-up sites available at Trailer Village with large pull-throughs.

• There is a shuttle bus system available to campers at Mather Campground. It's free of charge and the buses arrive every 15 minutes to take visitors to the Grand Canyon.

GUESTS :

Dorothy Utech
Ranger
Grand Canyon National Park
Website: General Information or Reservations