RV Control Panel

Last updated on February 23rd, 2019 at 03:16 pm

April 16, 2013 by Marlan at Rv52 9 Comments

(excerpted from the book – Your 5th Wheel RV – The Interior)

Almost every RV has an RV Control Panel. You might hear it called rv command center, rv control center or any one of 20 other names, but it is in ADDITION to the fusebox or RV electrical panel.

The RV Control Panel is a central location where all the RV-centric switches and buttons go that are unique to RVing and the RV.

Your RV control panel might be as simple as an on/off switch for the hot water heater OR it might be incredibly complex and sophisticated like the control panel on a Newell, Prevost, or high end Monaco.

If you have small children in/around your RV, I might HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you put a lock or other safety mechanism on the door. Otherwise, things could get pretty exciting.

Typical items you’ll find in the RV Control Panel are:

Hot Water Heater Controls (on/off for electric – on/off for gas)
Different lighting controls (porch, hall, other- such as accent lights)
Fresh Water Pump – provides pressure for water system when operating with self contained fresh water only
RV Slide out controls
Tank Fluid Level monitoring system – black tank, gray tank, and fresh water tank
Battery Monitoring and control system – can be simple monitoring or much more
Awning Controls
Super Fan or Fantastic Fan Controls
Air Conditioning Control – for example on/off for the circuits for the 2nd air conditioner so you don’t blow 30 amp circuits

There are so much more that can go in these control panels, I only listed what was in our 5th wheel’s control panel, but I think this gives you an idea of what to expect.

Inspecting this control panel actually gives you an idea of what kinds of systems you would have in your RV. One thing right off the top of my mind you might find extra is a generator controls in this panel. But I think you get the point.

RV Command Center showing controls for slideouts, lights, hot water heater, water pressure pump, super fans, and monitoring system.

CURRENT items related to rv control panels

CLICK HERE IF YOU DO NOT SEE A NICE SET OF AMAZON SEARCH TERMS RELATED TO rv control panel BELOW

RV Door and Door latch

Last updated on June 16th, 2016 at 12:26 pm

April 11, 2013 by Marlan at Rv52 Leave a Comment

RV Door, Door latch and handle

Of all the things in an RV, you’ll use the RV Door and the RV Door latch and handle every day, probably multiple times in a day.

Almost every RV Door handle I’ve ever seen looks completely different than the sticks and bricks door knobs and handles. I don’t know why but I ASSUME or PRESUME that it has to do with the fact that RV’s are regulated by the US national Highway safety administration or whatever that agency is called.

That being said, from the inside you can only control the deadbolt. There is also a key latch control that you can control from the outside – in addition to the deadbolt which can be controlled from the outside too.

Our door does not have the integral screen door built into it. We wished it did. We do have the full length window which we can open for some ventilation. It’s not as nice as the screen door for ventilation, but its what we have now.

I put some potential replacement door handles here is you need one. These are from Amazon (disclosure).

RV Door showing Inside handle and deadbolt

Amazon listings related to rv door latches

CLICK HERE IF YOU DO NOT SEE A NICE SET OF AMAZON SEARCH TERMS RELATED TO rv door latch BELOW

RV Slide Out – A view from the inside

April 1, 2013 by Marlan at Rv52 Leave a Comment

RV Slide Out – Inside View

The RV slide out makes the RV’s really special. The convert the RV from a constricting 8 foot wide (sorry Airstream) to around 14 feet wide give or take. If you walk into an RV blindfolded and then take off your blindfold, you really think you are in a cozy little apartment with decent sized – albeit still small – rooms.

RV Slide outs can take an RV which has around a maximum of 320 square feet and get it up to 400 square feet. That 80 square feet is quite a bit as a percentage increase and RV owners notice it. I’ve wrote about the slide basics here and also collected how to videos here.

When you are looking for an RV, you might wonder what the inside of the RV looks like around the slide. Check out the pictures below. You’ll see a ridge or lip of wood which goes up against the sides of the walls and makes a flush air-tight (usually not as good as you want it to be) seal.

On the floor you’ll usually see a carpet which is attached to the slide. This carpet slides with the slide and covers up the seam between the slide and the fixed floor of the RV.

The slides are controlled by switches in the interior command center.

I’ll give a word to the wise when putting the slide out. Have a second person on the outside guiding the slide out and making sure there are no obstructions. Even when you KNOW there aren’t – just do it anyway.

When bringing the slide in, double, triple, and quadruple check that there are no obstructions. Because if you think there are not, there are. On our single slide travel trailer (Puma) we made sure to tear up a kitchen cabinet door – more than once. You think we would have known better. But the door wouldn’t latch either and it would inconspicuously flip open. Then when we extended the slide the slide would simply tear off the door. I might add, it did it with little effort. The slides are stronger than you think.

One thing. You’d think bringing the slides in our out is super cool – and it is. But also, in a strange way, it is super anti-climactic. You are almost let down when you do it. Maybe that is just me.

But we love having the extra space. Now you know something about how the slides look on the inside before you go shopping.

RV Flooring and RV Slideout with Seam Showing

RV Stereo Speakers – What to Look for?

Last updated on February 26th, 2019 at 07:32 pm

March 25, 2013 by Marlan at Rv52 1 Comment

RV Stereo Speakers

RV stereo speakers are one of the nicest built-in amenities in most RVs from the smallest camping trailer to the very largest Class A RV. (Learn about the differences here). I emphasize the built-in part.

The RV stereo speakers can allow you to enjoy music while lying in bed or even listen to audio while taking little to no extra space.

Many Toy Hauler RVs have stereo speakers installed outside of the RV. The idea behind the outside speakers is to allow you to have music or amplified TV audio outside – for example – maybe while you are having a party or a picnic – making your RV complete!

Modern RVs are pre-wired for audio

Since most modern RV’s have built in entertainment systems, the RV is usually prewired.

Pre-wiring saves an incredible amount of work and keeps ugly wires out of sight. The great thing is that due to the pre-wiring and the space consciousness of RVs, you’ll find most RV Stereo Speakers usually mounted in the ceiling and sometimes in spare bunkhouse or the rv basement.

When I say pre-wired, I actually mean pre-INSTALLED. Most modern RVs will have RV stereo speakers installed in the ceiling or in the walls. These speakers should be “flush mounted” or surface mounted such that the speakers take up no extra space in the RV whatsoever.

Flush mount RV speakers

Flush mounted speakers would be speakers where the speaker is almost completely inside the wall and the surface of the speaker is flush or even with the wall.

The speakers shown in the Airstream RV below would be flush mount.

Airstream International Ceiling Speakers

When you are shopping for an RV, you should look to see that what is prewired is the little flush mount speakers in the ceiling.

Surface mount RV speakers

In the picture below, the white-ish speakers on the ceiling are not flushmount speakers, yet they are builtin and prewired into the ceiling.

I would call these speakers “surface mount”. These speakers are mounted on the surface of the wall, but they protrude somewhat. This is very convenient when you don’t have room inside the wall or ceiling to accommodate the speaker.

Be sure to look for all the speakers in the RV and then see if there are “controls” in the audio system to manage those speakers. That will give you a good idea of the capability of the system.

Usage Tips for RV Stereo Speakers

Read the following notes to sure you get the most ideas for what you want from your RV speakers:

Having speakers for your entertainment/TV area is really, really nice.
- The TV speakers usually do not put out enough sound.
- Especially since in many travel trailers the air conditioner can be very noisy.
- If your RV is small (like the Tiny Texas Tumbleweed)
  - I personally like the idea of speakers over your bed so you can hear the TV
  - You’ll definitely want a remote controlled entertainment center so you can change the volume without getting out of bed!
- If your RV is large, then you likely might have a separate bedroom from the home theater
  - Speakers for you couch/recliner area would be nice
  - remote control would be a plus for the audio system
We had speakers in our RV basement area which is very nice.
- As a result, this allowed us to use our Wii, to watch TV, and listen to music when outside.
- Be thoughtful on how you might control these speakers and hook into them.
- You might want them to hook into a different sound source than the main system in the house.
We never had speakers in our 5th wheel bedroom but I can see how this would be nice.
- Again, controlling this conveniently might be a trick.
- Any truly useful/viable controller would have a radio – not line of sight remote control. Especially in a large RV.
- I’m thinking a separate system could be a plus for your bedroom.
Many toy haulers have stereo speakers on the outside of the rig so you can party into the night. I’m thinking this is an age-dependent type of thing! ;-)
The more speakers you have, the more wiring you have, and the more complexity you will have in controlling the system. For us, we started to merge our computers and our entertainment system.
Here is a page that talks more about the systems used to control the RV speakers.