How Much Fuel Left?
Before breaking out the gas grill or getting the motor home ready for
camping, check to see how much fuel is in your propane tanks.
How? Well, you could do a lot of math—weigh the tank and subtract the
container weight, then divide that by 4.24 (the pound weight of propane
per gallon). Or you can do it an easier way and not have to disconnect the
tank.
Pour a glass of water over the tank. The moisture will bead up
differently below the line of liquid propane. This tip is something you
may want to remember when it is time to store your grill or camper before
next winter.
Remember, use ORM before using your grill or motor home. You can reduce
the chance of serious injury by adhering to the manufacturer’s
precautions.
Under Pressure
New cars have "idiot" lights for everything: oil,
temperature, transmission fluid, air filters, unbuckled seat belts, open
doors—you name it. But tire pressure is often forgotten. And that’s
really idiotic. Properly inflating your tires can save you hundreds of
dollars a year in fuel costs alone. Plus, it helps tires wear longer, and
you are more likely to avoid crashes.
Tires lose an average of two pounds of air each month during cool
weather. But that loss speeds up in warmer weather and at higher driving
speeds. Waiting until the tire looks low is a sure way to burn money.
You can avoid this extra cost by buying something as simple as a $3
pressure gauge. Use it to make sure your tires are inflated properly. You’ll
find your car’s correct tire pressure on the sticker attached to the
driver’s door edge, door post, or in the owner’s manual.
You Snooze, You Lose
You’ve probably tried everything to stay awake on those late-night
drives: playing the radio, singing Elvis songs, running the air
conditioner full blast—even driving with your head out the window.
But the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has found
that the best short-term solutions to drowsy driving are drinking two cups
of coffee, not driving between midnight and 6 a.m., or taking a short nap
(15 to 20 minutes). They didn’t mention a "Jailhouse Rock"
solo.
Planning a Trip?
If you are, your first stop should be the National Traffic and Road
Closure Information web site. Their address is www.fhwa.dot.gov/trafficinfo.
The first stop at that site allows you to pick the state or states you
are traveling to. Just click on the map or on the state’s name. For
instance, I clicked on Virginia. The next screen gave the URL for the
Virginia Department of Transportation.
The site then gave me a choice of places in Virginia. I could choose
between road construction information, traffic cameras, or incident and
conditions maps. I chose Northern Virginia Road Construction Information.
What popped up was information about the construction at the 95-495
Springfield interchange. It had a map and aerial photo and explained what
work is being done. There was a spot (project schedule) that I clicked on
and found out where work crews are and when they are working. This was
definitely good information to have before my next TAD trip to the D.C.
area.
If I lived in that area, I could have clicked on "commuter
solutions" and used the wealth of information there to find out how
to get out of stalled traffic.
That page gave information on the Metro, Park and Ride lots, the
Virginia Railway Express, OmniRide, vanpools, carpools, buspools, Telework,
Guaranteed Ride Home, Metrochek, and even biking.
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