Thetford Sani-Con developer Lanny Stegal spent some time with RV Buddies Host and Producer Mark Summers and shared his in-depth knowledge of the development of macerator technology and the easy-to-use Sani-Con system.

Every RVer has seen the infamous scene where Robin Williams attempts to empty his holding tanks in the movie "RV". While no RVer has had an audience or accident to that level, accidents can happen – from mild to very unpleasant. Stegal is the expert and Summers poses questions you just might be too embarrassed to ask.

"Understanding the workings of these devices makes maintenance a lot easier" says Mark Summers. “And if there’s one piece of RV maintenance RVers want to handle quickly and easily, it’s emptying your black water holding tank.”

Stegal developed macerator technology for Thetford along with the Sani-Con product. During the interview, Stegal covers the macerator in detail and provides an in-depth look at the benefits of the Sani-Con system. Available in fixed and portable models, the Sani-Con system gives RVers with drop-through toilet models the benefits of macerator technology, plus the ability to pump black water contents great distances. Dumping tanks at home is made much simpler with the Sani-Con system – especially when the homeowner has a "P" trap for draining their pool.

RV Buddies got a chance to interview Mary Burrows, Manager of Chemical Development for Thetford Chemicals, about the full line of Thetford RV chemical and cleaner products including their EcoSmart™ line. The video is available on RV Buddies Online for viewing now.

“With the importance of going green, we thought it was a good idea to learn as much as we could about the latest products that are available to the RVer,” said RV Buddies Host Mark Summers.  Tops on our list of people to talk to was Mary Burrows, Manager of Chemical Development for Thetford Chemicals.

The extensive interview covered a wide variety of topics, including how to use Thetford products correctly, a range of health and safety tips, instructions on how to protect the environment (ECO and green are not just buzz words – they really mean something), and a few things we had not even considered!

“It’s a wide-ranging interview that contains a lot of important information that every RVers should know,” Summers said.  “For example, we learned that most household cleaners contain bleach and are too harsh for RV surfaces and toilet seals.  ECO-friendly and green products are not only good for your health and the environment but they’re good for your RV as well.  And they’re better for use in your home for the very same reasons."

As a rule, the RV industry and RVers in general are more environmentally conscious than most people. RVers have long understood that conservation is a requirement and that we must protect our environment leaving it cleaner than when we discovered it – so generations to come can enjoy nature's beauty.  “Thetford helps RVers accomplish those goals,” said Summers.

The wide-ranging interview is about 17 minutes long and is the first of two parts. In part two, RV toilets and macerators will be covered in-depth.

Halftimeovens.com is participating in the remodel of the classic RV Buddies 1977 GMC motorhome. According to their press - "The only oven in the world that cooks delicious food like a gas or electric oven...in half the time!"

While not a straight remodel, but rather an updated interpretation of the vintage classic, RV Buddies wants all the products installed in the coach to reflect the era, the future, and integrate into the project.

Given the space limitations, the Half Time Oven and range combo are a perfect solution. The stainless casing, three burner gas range and combo microwave-convection oven bring the best of all worlds to this coach.

Final plans are being bid by several companies - chassis, interior, and body and paint. The first video segment has finally appeared on the website, and some footage of the untouched coach is in post production showing before the before!

RV Buddies has reported on the Half Time products in their reviews before. They are standard in a number of new coaches, including some Winnebago models including the Outlook and Aspect lines.

Half Time joins Thetford and Norcold in supporting the GMC project.

Take a look at this video as posted on the Half Time website. If you remember the animated series "The Jetsons", you're going to love it... Click the image to watch.

Click on the following image for differences between a conventional and microwave-convection oven:

Michigan-based Thetford Corporation will promote Michigan and the importance of an eco-friendly lifestyle at the annual meeting of the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA) in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Nearly 500 outdoor writers and editors representing magazines, newspapers and broadcast outlets throughout the United States and Canada are expected to attend the four-day program (June 13-16) at the Amway Plaza Hotel.

“Hunters and fisherman are becoming more and more environmentally conscious,” notes Mary Burrows, an environmental spokesperson for Thetford. “We’ve seen a significant demand for ‘green’ products that can be used by campers and recreational-vehicle owners.”

Thetford will host two panel discussions at the conference. The first panel will include representatives from the Michigan Association of RV and Campgrounds and focus on RVing in Michigan. A second panel will feature nationally-recognized “Green RVer” Brian Brawdy and Burrows, who also serves as manager of chemical development at Thetford.

An outdoor adventure expert and environmental pioneer, Brawdy has appeared on CNN, Fox News, ABC, CBS, NBC, WGN Television and Fox. Kevin Phillips, Thetford’s vice president of sales and marketing, will moderate both panel discussions.

The world’s leading supplier of sanitation and refrigeration products for the recreational vehicle and marine industries, Thetford recently introduced a line of “green” RV care products, including a variety of special cleansers and stain removers.

Safe for humans and the environment, Thetford’s new eco-friendly products meet rigorous Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Design for the Environment (DfE) criteria without sacrificing product performance.

“Because our cleansers are used outdoors, they’ve been designed to meet the more stringent criteria developed by the EPA for this type of product,” Burrows explains. “Developed and tested in our research laboratories in Ann Arbor, Thetford cleaners offer a tenfold improvement in degree of safety compared to DfE criteria for household cleaners, yet they still have powerful cleaning action.”

The company also has introduced a full line of powerful deodorant products for use in boats and RVs under its EcoSmart® brand name that carry third-party EcoLogo certification.

“Thetford is committed to developing high-quality ‘green’ products for use by boaters, RVers and individuals with active outdoor lifestyles,” Burrows adds. “We will continue to work closely with the EPA and EcoLogo to produce environmentally-responsible products in the future.”

Thetford’s new lines of cleaners, stain removers and deodorants will be on display at the OWAA conference in Grand Rapids.

A privately-held company with eight manufacturing facilities in four nations, Thetford is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Thetford subsidiaries include Norcold, America’s leading producer of gas-absorption refrigerators and freezers for the RV, marine and truck industries; Tecma, a producer of fine-china toilets and powerful waste-transfer systems based in Italy, and Spinflo, a unit based in England that manufactures high-quality cooking-and-heating appliances and accessories.

Upcoming separate segments featuring Mary Burrows and Brian Brawdy will be seen exclusively on RV Buddies. Further information on Thetford is available at Thetford.com.

I've been waiting for today for weeks. With the nice long weekend, I have been wanting, longing, to spend a day with the RV seeing what lied beneath the surface. So today was the day. Earlier this week, I had a professional cleaning company come in and clean the upholstery and carpet. After who knows how many years - it needed professional help.

I walked into the RV today and WOW! The carpet didn't look half bad - except for the fading in the cab area. And the upholstery was AOK... Oddly, the passenger seat is the one that is shredded - not the drivers' seat. Try and figure that one out.

So the day was starting out nicely. First things first - this puppy needed a serious washing. Well, it was SO bad, I grabbed all the products THETFORD had sent me: RV BLACK STREAK REMOVER, BUG BUST, MILDEW STAIN REMOVER and RV WASH & WAX. I used these products "liberally" in a bucket, and sprayed directly on really bad areas - like most of the coach!

Joe got up on the roof with a scrubbing broom and after a few tries, amazing - like night and day! All the crud was gone and other than the fact that the paint was a not-so-good aftermarket paint job, it looked great! I did the sides of the coach. The streaking, stains, filth and general garbage melted away. If you are serious about easy cleaning for your RV, get these THETFORD products. I've never seen this kinds of performance - and on what started as a total disaster.

In the process, we discovered a few incredible leaks! The door seal and dinette window were pretty bad. Fortunately, Joe had a throw rug inside the door which took the filth that flew inside! With a beautiful exterior (finally), I stood back and just felt really good about things. Onward to the interior.

An RV-ing friend of mine is a fanatic with his car - and took to the cab area. The dash and associated area had decades of dust, spills and smoke covering them. In spite of that - things cleaned up very nicely. Other than a few minor cracks and one curl on the dashboard, things ended up very livable. Back in the coach area, I hit the wood with about a quart of wood cleaner/conditioner. Check out the before and after pictures. What a difference! I have to honestly tell you, I've been into "detailing" cars for decades - including an insane bout with a number of black cars which can be very picky - and your wax/cleaner, wash, bug, streak products just blew my mind.

A few final things left to do before a final systems test and trial run... It's the last details that seem to take the longest. But I knew she had good bones, and after a day of cleaning, it just felt good to stand back, gaze on her and smile. Thanks for keeping up with the progress. Please cross-post and tell your friends.

Visiting the RV this week brought a few great surprises. It was the day to go over the initial five page work order line by line to see how we were doing. Well, we're down to about two-thirds of a page, and as usual, I managed to add a half dozen new items. Oddly in 1977 they didn't have CO, LP, or smoke detectors. That and a fire extinguisher seem like pretty good ideas before hitting the road!

My first surprise was the new faucet on the kitchen sink. Nothing as pretty as glittering chrome. My friend told me to crane my neck back, and the roof vent was complete. Ahhh, light flooding into the interior of this dark-wooded coach! Moving back, wow, a brand new THETFORD Aqua Magic Style Plus all china toilet. You'll all have to forgive me in advance, but this is a quality product and to me there's nothing worse than an old, plastic toilet. For the price of one of these things - every RV should have one. Joe did a great job installing it and wrapping up the bath sink. I looked over and he must have gotten enthusiastic that day because the tub was all clean. Mind you, it's 80's avocado (yuck) - but cleaned up, it looked just fine.

In the midst of my zealous demolition, I tore out the old shower curtain and pathetic old folding bathroom door. Now we'll have to update that. We're also removing all the old scratched and damaged window tinting. Odd, I never remember that blu-ish color as being in fashion! That should brighten up the interior, but we'll need a levelour in the bathroom, or have to shower in a swim suit!

Back outside, our coach now has its' face. Our grille arrived and it sure looks great. I've either got to refinish the headlight trim fascia or replace them. I couldn't resist a trip up the ladder beside the coach. The new skylight looks great. There's some questionable sealant to check around the outer base plate. The new pipe vents are installed too. Looking at the dingy surface makes me ache to get up there with some soap and water. Soon. I have to be patient.

After getting a closer look at the paint, or lack of it, we're striking the polish and wax and just cleaning up the old girl until we make our next decisions. THETFORD to the rescue with tons of great supplies. They send boxes of products to try out. First will be the Mildew stain remover, Bug Bust, and Black streak remover. Then we'll give the RV wash and wax a workout. Finally, Protect and Shine should give a bit of glitz. I'm thinking all this will help folks overlook the age of the paint with its' imperfections.

I'd been looking for a sewer hose location, but forgot that THETFORD was sending us a SANI-CON system. This macerator stores in its' own nice little tackle-box. Ours is the Portable Tank Buddy system with the 21' hose. I'm not sure, but right near where I will park this beast, there's a sewer outlet on the side wall of the house. I hope it's on the right side of the kitchen sink "P" trap!

Well, needless to say, this is all getting pretty exciting. So I had to buy a few GMC emblems to put on the coach after it gets washed. And I'm starting to collect a few interior items. I've got the hula dancer for the dashboard (You'll see her in every coach review) and some really classy hand-painted ceramic tiki style salt and pepper shakers. Looks like our trial run is within site. More next week...

As we wait for a big truck to deliver the new NORCOLD refigerator, SPINFLO range and THETFORD toilet, we continue to knock away at little jobs. Joe is amazing. I dropped by today, and he had the temporary kitchen counter top installed. It looked great. Finally, something I could touch inside the coach without feeling like I had to go wash my hands. (Honestly, I think I'll let Joe house sit for me next time I go out of town - By the time I get back, he'll remodel everything!) Joe tells me that this was no 'little job'. He scribed the stock counter top and customized the back splash for the coach. The sink is in place with a new faucet on order to tie us over until the complete interior remodel.

In the meantime, the suspension test shook out a bad part. That's on order now which avoids a glitch in our shake-down cruise - luckily!

Below are some shots of the new counter top, the slick Custom GMC license plate frame installed up front, and a profile showing the new wheels. Joe is passionate for detail. I can't talk to him for too long as he always has some new ideas - some of which we added to the list today! So much for my budget. Oh well, you only live once, and this IS a GMC!

We were expecting a few fun things this week and weren't disappointed. I borrowed Dennis' truck to pick up a temporary kitchen counter. It's a stock 8 footer we can cut down to use until we do the major cabinet work. Then Dennis sprung a few surprises on me. Look at the great GMC CLASSIC license plate frames. He had these made and they are carved out of solid material. They are the perfect compliment to the front and rear of the coach! Thank you Dennis! If that wasn't enough, I looked under the hood, and it's like someone read my mind - there was the triple battery tray. Pinch me - is it Christmas yet?

A little more detailing on the rear fender wells around the air bags prepared us for delivery of new tires and wheels. Was it premature for this? Well, the coach had all out-of-date tire and no two were alike. We could have bought a set for the old rims, but it seemed a waste given we wanted the alloys which were a different size. So, the good news is how beautiful these are on the coach. On the other hand, it shows how dingy the exterior is!

Next week, the THETFORD toilet, SPINFLO range and NORCOLD refrigerator are due. A new grille and mirrors are on order, and new windshield is ready to install... The air system seems to be working well. 99% of the demolition is done. With these final major pieces taken care of, we can give the old girl a bath, do some driving and decide where to go from there! I can't wait to take her out. Palm Springs isn't too far from Los Angeles - it will be a nice shake down cruise, and Alex and Toby can decide if they approve of their new RV!

Here are some larger pictures. I forgot to shoot the entire coach for the full effect with the new wheels... I'll get that next week...

I had a blast the other day working on the RV. Demolition is so rewarding. It was a bit hot in Covina, so I worked up quite a sweat. It was just great tearing out old contact paper, carpet, that grungy old toilet etc… We found out what was wrong with the generator – See the picture of the rat below… Looks like he had been hitch-hiking for a long time! Laid him to rest and the generator fired right up. Of course, I had to test the roof air and it chilled me to the bone – just the way I like it!

All sorts of new parts are beginning to arrive. The new air bags are installed. The old appliances are out of the way for the new THETFORD NORCOLD refrigerator and THETFORD toilet. A new SPINFLO range is on the way as well. INTERVAC has a great built-in vacuum to replace the unit that came standard decades ago. We'll use the shop vac for a little while longer and not subject it to this abuse!

Joe has been really doing a great job. So in his honor, it is unanimous that the rat be named "Little Joe". Oddly, Joe has a son that is 6'2" and that's his nick-name as well. I hope he doesn't take offense!

The new windshield pieces are in huge boxes behind the building. The wheels and tires are due any day. A bath for the entire coach, and they will make it stand out for sure. Oh, maybe a new grille, huh? I think we remembered to order some new mirrors too. I'll have to make sure. Anyway – more news next week. The engine purrs like a kitten, and the tranny is smooth as silk. The exhaust – well that's got to go – but she's quite throaty to say the least!