Everything RVs and More

Your RV carbon monoxide alarm starts beeping in the middle of the night.

Do you silence it?

Replace it?

Open the windows?

Or leave the RV immediately?

The answer depends on what the alarm is actually telling you—but you should never assume it is “just another false alarm.”

An RV carbon monoxide alarm can sound because of:

⚠️ Carbon monoxide entering the RV
🔋 Low or unstable 12-volt power
⏳ An expired detector
🔥 Generator or heater exhaust
🔌 Electrical problems
🧴 Certain chemicals or vapours
🛠️ A damaged or failing alarm

The beeping pattern matters. So does the age of the detector, where it is installed and what equipment is operating when the alarm sounds.

Our latest Everything RVs and More guide explains how to recognize the warning, what to do first and when troubleshooting needs to stop because everyone should leave the RV.

The complete guide is linked in the comments.

Have you ever had an RV alarm start beeping in the middle of the night? What caused yours?

My latest article:

Why Is My RV So Cold in Winter? Air Leaks, Thermal Bridges and Heat Loss Explained - Everything RVs and More If you have been asking, “Why is my RV so cold?”, the answer is not always a weak furnace. An RV can produce plenty of heat and still lose it faster than the

You turn on the RV water heater, wait patiently…and the water is still cold.

Before assuming the entire heater has failed—or ordering parts you may not need—it helps to identify which side of the system is causing the problem.

Is it failing on propane, electric, or both? Is the burner trying to ignite? Is the bypass valve still in the wrong position? Could the tank actually be full of hot water while the faucets remain cold?

I put together a practical RV water heater troubleshooting guide that walks through the symptoms in a safe, logical order. It also explains where DIY troubleshooting should stop and professional service should begin.

The complete guide is linked in the first comment.

What RV water-heater problem has caused you the most frustration?

Big things are happening behind the scenes!

Planning an RV trip shouldn’t require six apps, twelve browser tabs—and a final guess.

The weather says one thing.
The road report says another.
The campground information is somewhere else.
And the right decision still depends on your RV, your route, your family and your timing.

My Outdoor Compass brings those pieces together around one real question.

Ask about towing, campgrounds, trip preparation, weather, road conditions, RV problems or what you should check before leaving—and receive one organized place to start.

No generic checklist built for somebody else. Compass can use your RV setup, travel party and priorities to make the answer more relevant to you.

Try My Outdoor Compass free. No credit card required.

➡️ https://myoutdoorcompass.com/

One question. One place to start.

Ask Before You Go.

My Outdoor Compass can make mistakes. Always verify safety-critical information with the cited official source.

My Outdoor Compass – Ask Before You Go Compass Answer ☀Light ♪Sound ? Compass needs a little more context Answer these before Compass recommends a path. These details materially affect the answer. Compass will keep them with this conversation and then complete the decision. ＋ Add the photo or video Compass requested Up to 2 files ....

Never been camping before? Start by asking the question you actually have.

You don't need to know the campground names. You don't need to know what gear everyone says you're supposed to own. And you definitely don't need to spend an evening bouncing between search results trying to figure out where to begin.

My Outdoor Compass was built around a much simpler idea:

Ask before you go.

Ask it the same way you'd ask another camper. Compass can help you work through camping, RVing, trip planning, outdoor gear and the questions that come up along the way.

This was a real question tested through Compass:

“How do I try camping for the first time?”

That's all it took.

Try My Outdoor Compass and ask your first question.

My Outdoor Compass – Ask Before You Go Compass Answer ☀Light ♪Sound ? Compass needs a little more context Answer these before Compass recommends a path. These details materially affect the answer. Compass will keep them with this conversation and then complete the decision. ＋ Add the photo or video Compass requested Up to 2 files ....

Well… it's live. 🧭

This is the first official launch video for My Outdoor Compass, and instead of making a polished demo where I already knew what the answer would be, I decided to put it through a real test.

I started with ONE complicated RV question.

Should we tow to Waskesiu tomorrow, or would waiting another day actually be safer?

Then I asked the same question through Google.

Siri.

Facebook.

Reddit.

ChatGPT.

And finally… My Outdoor Compass.

Here's the thing: the other platforms weren't necessarily giving me bad information.

Google gave me useful pieces. Facebook and Reddit offered real-world experience. ChatGPT came the closest to pulling everything together.

But I was still the one bouncing between places trying to turn route information, weather, wind, road conditions, wildfire and smoke, fuel stops, rest stops and daylight into one actual decision.

That's why I built My Outdoor Compass.

Not because we need another place to search.

Because sometimes we need one place to start.

🎥 Watch the first My Outdoor Compass launch video here:
https://youtu.be/AhgQ5xnRA7E

Then I want you to do something for me.

My goal for the rest of August is just 10 new people trying Compass.

Give it a REAL outdoor question. RVing. Camping. Road trips. Fishing. Hiking. Gear. Weather. Trip planning. Whatever you're actually trying to figure out.

Better yet — challenge it.

🧭 Try it here:
https://myoutdoorcompass.com/

Then come back and tell me what you asked and how it did.

Good or bad, I want to hear it.

This is where the real-world testing begins.

Ask Before You Go.

My Outdoor Compass is officially opening up for early access.

I’ve been building this as a smarter way for RVers, campers, travellers, and outdoor people to get useful answers based on the situation they’re actually in — not just generic search results.

It’s currently in BETA, which means early users get a chance to try it before the full paid version rolls out and help shape what gets improved next.

You can ask things like:

Where should I camp?
Will my RV fit?
What’s the weather or road situation?
What should I pack?
What’s nearby?
What’s the safest or smartest option for this trip?
What should I do if something goes wrong?

The goal is simple: one place to ask before you go.

If you want to try it early, jump in here:

https://myoutdoorcompass.com/

If you use it, I’d genuinely like to hear what worked, what didn’t, and what you wish it could do.

This early-access phase is exactly when that feedback matters most.

IF this campsite exsisted, would you be there? And how would the wind be?

We’ve experienced RV heat in two very different environments:

🔥 Shuswap summers reaching into the 40s
🌴 Costa Rican jungle heat in the 30s—with humidity that makes everything feel heavier

At Silver Beach, we had generator power and an air conditioner that wasn’t working properly. We kept the doors closed, stayed outside during the day, and opened the windows once temperatures finally dropped at night.

During our first six-month stay in Costa Rica, inconsistent power meant the AC was unreliable there too. Our second stay came with full grid power—and being able to run the AC, fans and Starlink made an enormous difference.

Those experiences taught us that keeping an RV cool isn’t only about owning an air conditioner.

It’s about shade, airflow, window protection, electrical capacity, power management and knowing when the safest decision is to change the plan.

Read our practical extreme-heat guide from the link in comments 👇👇

What’s the hottest weather you’ve ever camped through?