Shore Power, Your Best Friend, or Craftiest Enemy?

We live in a world of electric appliances and gadgets which are in almost constant use today. As a result our RVs all come with a power cord to supply 30A or even 50A to them at most stops. We seem to become more dependent upon electricity each year. We also seem to hear more and more stories of electrical power problems that do serious damage to those devices we seem to depend upon. The result of this has been the introduction of devices which are sold to us to protect our toys from this hidden demon. With so many devices available and at such a wide range of prices, how can we know what if any of these we should spend money on?

The very least that you should carry is a simple outlet checker that will verify that you have proper polarity, ground and neutral on all of your RV outlets. Some of these also have a button that will test a ground fault outlet if you wish. A good next step is to purchase a reasonably good volt/ohm meter and learn how to use it to verify that the outlet you are about to use is connected properly and has the right voltage. These meters can be purchased for $30 - $50 and are not difficult to learn to use. Most come with instructions in use. These tools will not protect your RV from power problems which take place after you connect, but at least you will know that the power is safe to connect at the time of arrival.

Something you should understand about the more expensive power devices is that the use of them is very much like wearing a seat belt. You really can’t say with certainty that the worst will happen if you don’t have one, but if it should, you will be protected. The various devices out there have a wide variety of protections and purposes. The most common term applied to these devices is “surge protector” but in reality some of them are much more than this. For this discussion, we will start with this most common term as it is also the least costly of the group of products.Surge protectors usually connect between the RV power cord and the power pedestal. They protect the RV equipment by opening if the power ever experiences a very rapid rise in voltage such as would happen if lightning were to strike the power lines. Most of them also have a ground fault built into them. They typically cost between $75 & $100 and while they do offer some protection, it is very limited and they do not prevent many of the more common problems.

The next line of defense comes from devices that are power line monitors, although they are frequently referred to as surge protectors. They actually do much more and afford a much greater level of protection. These devices monitor the power for a period of time before connecting the RV, insuring that the power pedestal is properly connected and does not have a missing neutral or ground, and that voltage is within the proper range, +/- 10%. Once the device connects the RV power it continues to monitor these issues and will remove power if the voltage should go beyond safe limits, or if some other problem occurs in the power supply. They do provide surge protection as well and if power is interrupted, they continue to monitor and will reapply power if the problem goes away.

Where these devices really shine is when power does what techs call sagging. This is the most common power problem encountered by most RVs. A typical example of this is on a hot afternoon when you arrive in the park early and upon checking the voltage at the pedestal you find it to be satisfactory and you connect the RV. As the afternoon progresses, more RV’s arrive, plug in and turn on the air conditioner. More & more RVs arrive, starting air conditioners and it causes the park’s electrical system to be overburdened and the voltage begins to sag.When it reaches a point that it is below 108V, the low voltage design limit, such devices will interrupt power.

This kind of damage is very difficult to access. It does not usually cause immediate failures but it does cause electric motors to overheat and begin to experience damage. In the service world the term used is bruising. The longer the voltage condition exists the more damage is done, but it is not measurable and usually takes multiple incidents before failure takes place. I liken this kind of damage to that of a person smoking heavily. One time rarely ever does serious harm but each time they smoke the life expectancy of the person is shortened. This is exactly what most under or over voltage does to electrical equipment. The more often you experience voltage issues and the greater the voltage variation, the more that life expectancy for your equipment is affected. These kinds of problems are very difficult to pin down, but my 32 years as a field service tech have demonstrated to me that this problem is very real.

There are several manufactures of these devices and the most common come from TRC, called the Surge Guard and from Progressive Industries and called the EMS. Both come in 30A and 50A versions and enjoy solid reputations. The cost for these devices is usually between $300 and $400. These devices offer as much protection from power problems as one can usually expect to ever need.

There is another device which can be purchased for use with an RV which adds yet another feature and which also increases the price as well. This device is voltage boosting and a voltage regulator, although they have several other names. These devices offer some of the protections of a line monitor in that they do provide surge protection but rather than interrupting power when it sags, they actually boost the voltage back up to safe use levels.Some of them do indicate a missing neutral or ground but they do not usually have the ability to interrupt power if that should happen. The device has a boost transformer inside that increases power if needed but does nothing when voltages are good. These devices are the highest in cost, ranging from $450 to near $700, depending upon features and 30 or 50A models.

There are three manufacturers of voltage boosters I am aware of, one from TRC, another from Hughes and a third one from Frank’s Electronics. They differ in price and in specifications so check all three before you choose one for your RV. They are especially popular with those who winter in Mexico where poor quality and under voltage power are very common problems. In newer RV parks the need for this type of device is less common.

All of these devices for power protection are available in both portable and hard wired versions. Some of them actually cost less when hard wired, but they all require both space and some degree of ventilation. The voltage regulators are the largest and produce the most heat so that should be considered when you research which choice best suits your needs. The portable models also have locking devices available that will improve security of their use. I have used one of the portable devices on our RV for years and have never had any problems with theft, but a little added security is never a bad thing. For the ultimate in protection you should probably series one of these between the line monitor and the power pedestal but that is expensive and rarely done because each provides a high degree of protection.

It is not possible for one to say if any of these devices will save you money or if you will experience major problems if you choose not to buy any of them. I have heard numerous stories of RVs experiencing major losses from surges and lightning strikes which cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Service engineers tell us that studies have shown that most appliances which fail in far less than a normal life expectancy have experienced the effect called bruising. It is highly probable that most RV appliances which fail in five or fewer years are the result of such exposure. Nobody can say with absolute accuracy whether or not you will experience power problems, so each one of us must choose the degree of risk that we are willing to accept. The purchase of them is like buying insurance.

Residence, or Domicile?

The following article, authored by Kirk, has been published in the Jan./Feb., 2013 issue of Escapee's Magazine.

For most Americans, there is never a question of residence or domicile because of the lifestyle they lead. If they move their homes they buy or rent a physical house and bring with them all of their daily activities. They shop in local stores, subscribe to the local newspaper, visit local doctors, keep their assets in local financial institutions, and become involved in local activities, leaving little doubt that they have only one physical home, residence, or domicile. It simply is never an issue. But for those who choose to become full-time RV’ers this can be less clear.

One of the advantages of the full-time lifestyle is our ability to choose any place to call home. Many full-timers choose a location more tax friendly than the place where they have lived for their working lives, while others may choose to keep the domicile which they have had for many years. Discussing the issue, we must first understand the difference between residency and domicile, as they are not synonyms.

Residency is actually as simple as the place where you live. Many people have more than one residence as they may spend time in several different locations in the course of a year. Each place that we stop for more than a few days is a residence. For a full-timer, there are usually many of these and they may be of very short duration. Care must be taken when staying for extended periods to avoid violation of local requirements related to establishment of domicile.

Domicile is an important legal term. Each person may have only one domicile at any time. “Legal residence" is often used in place of domicile. Domicile is the place where we pay taxes and conduct business. This is our true, fixed, and permanent abode and the place where, when absent from it, we intend to return. The establishment of a domicile requires meeting legal requirements of the new state and voiding of the domicile in the previous state. Within a single state the legalities of shifting locations are seldom a significant issue. There are a host of legal definitions for the term domicile, but in no case is there a law which clearly spells out exactly what constitutes domicile. It is the result of a combination of actions. It is nearly always the place where one is registered to vote, but that is only one factor. Some actions which may determine your domicile are registering motor vehicles, buying insurance of any type, maintaining a driving license, making financial transactions, service of legal documents, medical appointments, and maintaining an address.

While it is generally considered that vehicles should be registered in your place of domicile, that is not always true as the laws state that a vehicle should be registered and insured in the place where it is "garaged," or where kept when not actually in use on the roadways. That could be your physical home, but there may be those who own a vehicle at each of two different residences for use there, and which is left behind when residences change. In such case, the legal thing is to have each registered in the state where it remains. Vehicle insurance must be in the location where the vehicle is registered, for each vehicle owned. Boats have similar registration requirements.

Driving licenses are usually maintained in the state where one domiciles. You must meet the legal requirements of the state where you apply for a license and these are not always the same. For most people, driving licenses, vehicle registration and mail service are all in the same state because you need an address in order to receive renewals when due and to insure them. License and registration laws make no mention of domicile, but require a permanent address and can be a consideration determining it. Though no laws are violated in doing so, you may be questioned if license and registrations do not match addresses. While you are not required to receive mail at your domicile, it usually simplifies things if you do so.

Financial transactions are a consideration, but the law doesn’t state where they must be done. It is not uncommon for people to do business in more than one state and there is no legal issue in doing so, as long as you pay all taxes in the appropriate states. Direct deposits across state lines could create tax issues. If you hold paid positions while you travel, care must be taken to pay taxes to the proper state without creating a change of domicile. Good records are very important.

Most of us base the choice of domicile primarily upon things like state income taxes, registration fees and things which cost us money, but one should be very careful and make sure that other legal issues will not become a problem. A couple who choose to share RV travel, but are not married should understand common-law marriage. Also important are issues of common property or dower rights. Jury service should be considered, as should estate laws, medical directives, powers of attorney, living wills, revocable trusts, and any other legal issue that may apply to you. It is not possible to list every conceivable issue that should be considered but sound legal advice is important. Very seldom is there a legal challenge to the domicile chosen, but in the event there is, each and every transaction of business or legal activity could become evidence in a hearing. Generally, the more of your business which you transact in the location of the chosen domicile, the more secure yours will be. Typically, courts will rule that your domicile is inthe location where the most important or majority of business is transacted.The mobility which allows us this freedom to choose can invite a dispute.

The impact of domicile upon existing insurance policies should be examined. That is particularly true for health coverage or retiree benefits. In some cases state insurance pool availability could be important. Because each case is different you need to be very careful. Medicare is valid in all states but supplemental coverage and part D policies availability and cost vary by state. HMO policies may limit travel. Finding doctors and medical facilities that accept your insurance or which are “in network” should be considered.

The three most popular states for full-timers are Texas, Florida, and South Dakota. They share a lack of state income tax, no required period of presence in the state, relatively low cost to register and insure vehicles, and a willingness to accept mail service as your address. In addition, Texas is the home of Escapees and Florida is the home of the mail service from Good Sam. All three have a number of popular mail commercial services. No state is best or worst for everyone so choose carefully.

The actions of moving your vehicle & voter registrations, mail service and driving license are all relatively simple but the impact of domicile choice and its validity could be of critical importance.-

For most of us, there is never a question of residence or domicile because of the lifestyle that we lead. If we move our homes we then buy or rent a physical house and we bring with us all of our daily activities. We shop in local stores, subscribe to the local newspaper, visit local doctors, keep our assets in local banks, and we become involved in local activities, leaving little doubt that we have only one physical home, residence, or domicile. It simply is never an issue.

One of the advantages of the full-time lifestyle is our ability to choose the place to call home. Many full-timers choose a location more tax friendly than the place where they have lived for their working years, while some may choose to keep the domicile which they have had for many years. To discuss the issue, one must first understand the difference between residency and domicile, as they are not synonyms. Care must be taken when staying for extended periods to avoid violation of local requirements related to domicile.

Residency is actually as simple as the place where you live. Many people have more than one residence as they may spend time in several different locations in the course of a year. Each place that you stop for more than a few days is a residence. For a full-timer, there are usually many of these and they may be of very short duration.

Domicile is an important term to understand and each person may have only one at any time. It is the place where we pay our taxes and conduct business. “Legal residence" is often used in place of “domicile. This is your true, fixed, and permanent abode and the place where, when you are absent from it, you intend to return. The establishment of a domicile requires both meeting legal requirements of the new state and also voiding of the domicile in the previous state. Within a single state the legalities of shifting locations are seldom a major issue. There are a host of legal definitions for the term domicile, but in no case is there a law which clearly spells out exactly what constitutes domicile but it is rather the result of a series of actions. It is nearly always the only place where one can legally register to vote, but that is only part of it. Some actions which may determine your domicile are registering motor vehicles, buying insurance of any type, maintaining a driving license, making financial transactions, service of legal documents, medical appointments, and maintaining an address.

While it is generally considered that vehicles are to be registered in your place of domicile, that is not always true as the laws state that a vehicle should be registered and insured in the place where it is "garaged," or where kept when not actually in use on the roadways. That could be your physical home, but there may be those who own a vehicle at each of two different residences for use there, and which is left behind when residences change. In such case, the legal thing is to have each registered in the state where it remains. Vehicle insurance must be in the location where the vehicle is registered, for each vehicle owned. Boats have similar registration requirements.

Driving licenses are usually maintained in the state where one domiciles. As long as you meet the legal requirements of the state where you apply for a license, you can use it. For most people, driving licenses and registration are maintained in the same state where their mail service is because you need an address in order to receive the renewals when due and to buy insurance on your vehicles. License and registrations laws make no mention of the issue of domicile, but do require a permanent address and can be a part of determining it. While you are not required to receive mail at your domicile, it simplifies things if you do. Though no laws are violated in doing so, you may be questioned if license and registrations do not match addresses.

Your financial business is a consideration, but no law states where it must be done. It is not uncommon for people to do business in more than one state and there is no legal issue in doing so, as long as you pay all taxes in the appropriate state. Direct deposits across state lines can create tax issues. This becomes important if the domicile that you claim as your own should be challenged in a court. The court looks at the total of all business and legal actions that you perform and from that rules on where your domicile is. Typically, courts will rule that your domicile is in the location where the most important or majority of business is transacted.

Most of us base choice of domicile primarily upon things like state income taxes, registration fees and things which cost us money, but one should be very careful to be sure that other legal issues will not become a problem. A couple who choose to share an RV but are not married may want to use care about common law marriage. Other things which could become important are issues of common property or dower rights. Jury service should be considered, as should estate laws, medical directives, powers of attorney, living wills, revocable trusts, and any other legal issue that may apply to you. It is not possible to list every conceivable issue that should be considered but sound legal advice is important. It is very seldom that there is a legal challenge to the domicile chosen by one of us, but in the event that it is, each and every transaction of business or legal activity could become evidence in a hearing. Generally, the more of your business which you actually perform in the location of your chosen domicile, the more secure it will be. The mobility which allows us this freedom to choose can invite such disputes.

Another issue to be considered is the impact of domicile choice upon your existing insurance policies. That is particularly true for health coverage or retiree benefits and in some cases a state insurance pool could be a factor. Because each case is different you need to be very careful. For those on Medicare, it is valid in all states but the supplemental coverage’s and part D policies availability vary by state. Insurance costs very greatly among locations.

The three most popular states for full-timers are Texas, Florida, and South Dakota. They share the lack of state income tax, no required period of presence in the state, and relatively low costs to register and insure vehicles, and  willingness to accept a mail service as your legal address for these and related purposes. In addition, Texas is the home of Escapees and Florida is the home of the mail service from Good Sam and other mail services. South Dakota has a number of popular mail services. No state is best or worst for everyone so choose well.

The actions of moving your vehicle and voter registrations, mail service and driving license are all relatively simple but the impact of domicile choice can be of critical importance.

What Is a Fair Exchange?

One of the questions that seems to come up over and over on the various RV forums and in campfire discussions is the question of how many hours of work are fair in return for an RV site. In my opinion, this is a two sided issue. The answer to this question depends upon many things but it is also very different for paid employee or barter positions as compared to those considered to be volunteer.

If you are working for a commercial  venture that is making a profit, the approach should be the same whether working for an RV park or some other type of business. Simply divide the number of hours required by the cost for a similar RV site in that particular area. If you are to stay at the position for an entire season, the rate used to value the RV site should be the monthly rate charged to paying customers. In other words, if your RV site is valued at $400/month, there are 4 1/3 weeks per month and if you work 20 hours a week for the site, then you are receiving the equivalent of $4.65/hour worked. Of course, if you receive additional benefits such as discounts and other services, to be fair you should add the value to you of them into this mix. But do not add in for amenities that paying guests receive for the monthly rate. Of course, if you receive utilities in addition, that too should be considered. 

There is no way that anyone can say exactly what another person should be willing to do in return for the RV site. Things like location and the popularity of the area or RV park must play into this mix. Determine just what you consider to be the value of your time as compared to what you receive in return. In very popular areas you will have to work more than would be expected in a location where employees are difficult to find. And you also need to consider just how badly you wish to go to the area or park involved. It seems currently to be pretty typical for those who are working for site only to be asked for 20 to 25 hours of work. Paid employees seem to give anywhere from 15 to 25 hours and some parks pay for all hours and consider the RV site to be a benefit.  Since we do not accept the typical paid position, I do not have strong feelings on this, but I would need to be pretty well paid to clean public toilets and showers for my site.

When it comes to volunteer positions, the question of a proper number of work hours in return for the RV site becomes much more complicated. In my opinion, if you feel that you must have fair compensation for your work in the value of the site and amenities that you receive, you probably should not consider any volunteer position for an RV site. There are very few such positions that ask for as few as 20 to 25 hours of work in return for an RV site. The vast majority of positions ask that many hours from each person, and many ask for five to ten more hours from a single than what they ask from each of a couple. There are many reasons for this, but quite simply, the definition of a volunteer is one who works without compensation. 

Most of the value received by volunteers comes from the personal satisfaction that we take from the work that we do, and from the knowledge that we are performing a service which would not be done if there were no volunteers to do it. In addition, most of us look for positions that are with organizations that we believe in and for whom we would happily work without the advantage of the RV site, if circumstances allowed. The supplied RV site and amenities very often are what enables people to volunteer, when we might need to work for pay in order to maintain our lifestyles if we had to pay rent at some RV park. 

Another factor that should be considered in choosing a volunteer location which is much different from paid positions is the type of work that we are asked to do. We have had many experiences while volunteering that included unique experiences which most people never have the opportunity to have, as a part of the work that we did. Banding of birds is often part of the experience when volunteering for our national wildlife refuges. Some of the jobs that we do are great fun and tremendous learning experiences. When your work if really fun, value can be as great to the worker as it is to the agency that you work for. One of my hobbies is doing wood work and I have frequently done wood projects that I thoroughly enjoy while recording time worked for which I received a campsite, utilities and often other things as well. The best part of this type of work is the fact that I don't even have to buy the materials for my hobby and when I finish, someone truly appreciates the results of my efforts.

There is no doubt that some locations do ask for an excessive number of hours worked in return for the site that is supplied. But the number of hours it is worth is totally in the eyes of the beholder. Some positions that ask too much for some volunteers are highly sought by others. Each person must make that choice for each position that they consider. We generally do not accept any position that is asking any more than 24 hours per week from each or us, or a total of 48. Yet we have on two occasions made an exception to that practice. One of those was due to the manner that hours are recorded. Very often, there is not strict documentation of actual hours but one is considered to have put in 8 hours minimum if you work any part of a day in some of the places that ask for a high number. One reason for this is that volunteer coordinators know that when they require only a few hours they will get applications from people who wish to do only the very least effort possible, and they really don't want that. True volunteers usually will work more than the minimum hours required, when that number is low. We nearly always work at least 40 hours total between the two of us as an average over the term of a position. In general, one who comes to a place requiring only 20 to 25 hours per week for a site and who does no more than that, will usually not be invited to return. They know that many of us prefer the short minimum because it leaves the remainder of the week for us to use as we wish and if not busy we will be out there helping.

The other case where we have accepted very long hours was when we got to have an experience that we could not have in any other place. We worked 32 hours each, every week for one of the poorer host sites we have stayed in at Everglades NP because the experience was one that we wanted badly. While we will not consider a return to that park, we do not regret having done what we needed in order to have the experience of working as interpretive park rangers in the Everglades. 

There is one final major difference for us when it comes to the amount of time and effort that we gladly give in return for an RV site and sometimes little more. That is the size and quality of the RV site where we live. As much as we love our life in an RV, we tire very quickly of living in the packed in RV parks that most commercial parks are. Few could afford to stay at any commercial venture that spaced their RV sites in the way that all volunteer locations do. Frequently we are alone in a vast area and never have we been in a volunteer village of more than nine RV sites and the spacing between sites is always generous. The vast majority of volunteer positions supply a great RV site with extras like laundry equipment for our use and often admission to other attractions in the area. It is quite common for uniforms to be supplied and often things like work gloves and any needed safety equipment. I even have a pair of steel toe hiking boots that were purchased for me by one of our volunteer positions and my own hard-hat from yet another. It is also quite common for staff to take volunteers to dinner or to have an awards dinner before we leave and parting gifts to remember the location by are not unusual. Pam & I have quite a collection of tee shirts and various other items that carry the logo of places that we have volunteered. In short, we volunteer because there is nothing that we can think of which would supply such great places to live and the unique experiences that we have had. There was never a job that came even close to what we do.

To put it simply, the number of hours is never too great if you find yourself dreading the time to leave and travel on to your next destination.