Strap-Toggles
Driving a motorhome cross country-sometimes over poorly maintained roads, gravel roads and through deep potholes often results in new squeaks and rattles. Leaks may develop and trim pieces may loosen. Though my motorhome is only a couple of years old, it amazes me the number of repairs that have been needed thus far. Each time I visit a dealer, service costs hit me like a brick.
Do it yourself work obviously will reduce labor fees. There are many forums online that are dedicated to sharing information on numerous problems that can be repaired by owners. Instruction manuals and schematics can often be downloaded free of charge.
Sometimes, repairs that are extremely simple in a stick built home are more difficult in an RV due to space constraints. One example occurred in my motorhome this week…a loose toilet seat. Normally tightening the bolts on the back of the seat will fix the problem. Due to the style and location of mine, the only way to access these bolts is to remove the toilet which entails more labor than I would want to invest in such a simple problem.
A visit to Home Depot resulted in a great find that not only fixed this problem, but has multiple applications both in an RV as well as in a conventional home. Strap-Toggles provided a quick and easy fix to the loose seat. Designed primarily as sheet wall or hollow back applications, these ingenious fasteners combine an anchor, zip ties and threaded bolt to secure items where there isn’t an access to the rear of the wall or other project like my cramped toilet.
The anchor is a piece of metal approximately two inches long that is folded back against the zip tie-like strip and is inserted into the existing hole or one that has been drilled. By pulling on the top loop, a fitting slides down the zip lines from the front side while the anchor tightens from the rear. Once tight, clip off the excess material and insert the threaded bolt. I added a washer to broaden the surface around the head of the bolt. Once tightened, the seat was once again secure.
These new toggle bolt sets can be found in the hardware section of Home Depot. The package I purchased includes four sets and cost approximately $7.50 plus tax. It’s great to find a product that works well.
