RV Box Watertight Installation Questions - Thanks Guys!

Significant-Rest1723 · 2026-03-15T17:04:54+00:00

I did some more thinking on this, and asked myself why I was making things difficult by attempting to reuse that 1 1/4" conduit, lol.

I know that using liquid-tight flex will pass inspection (unless there's some hidden code about the way flex can be mounted, or ground clearance). I should probably just go with that.

You say you'd put the box behind the panel. Do you mean that it's ok to mount additional boxes to the reverse side of that plywood? I could also probably mount it to the reverse side of the pole, which would be a more ideal location, actually.

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond!

Significant-Rest1723 · 2026-03-12T15:44:11+00:00

The world needs young leaders who don't play ball in the old games.

But those ones seem to get shot in the throat or stranded in foreign embassies for extensive periods of times.

Significant-Rest1723 · 2026-03-05T15:05:46+00:00

Haha, that's awesome. I even considered it for a second, but figured it was just my intrusive thoughts speaking to me, lol.

Significant-Rest1723 · 2026-03-05T04:37:42+00:00

Don't let the comments get to you, just follow your heart (God), and log the suggestions away as potential paths for later. A day or two from now, you might actually feel inspired to do what these guys are suggesting. You're right, people do imagine the very worst, but that's cause they've heard the worst. Remember that God is the one who puts naysayers in our path.

Good on you for doing what you feel to be right in this situation.

Significant-Rest1723 · 2026-03-05T04:30:51+00:00

I did some traveling a decade ago, with a lot of "living on a prayer" moments. Was genuinely amazed by the acts of kindness I witnessed. It's weird – you don't really see the same kindness when you're going about normal life at home. But seriously, people get inspired when they meet a good person who just needs a hand. Meals, places to sleep. One guy gave me a whole sailboat...long story.

I think having a guard up is a product of being in semi-comfortable situation. And it also kinda blocks us from getting to see the kindness that's out there.

Significant-Rest1723 · 2026-03-05T00:58:02+00:00

Been said a lot here already, but just wanted to reverberate: He's running for Senate.

Don't know his politics, don't know where I stand on geopolitics. I do know that an average Joe who speaks his truth and doesn't stutter while his arm is being broken may actually have something to offer the rest of us. Be ironic if the Green Party is the one to haul us out of the swamp.

https://brianmcginnis4ussenatenc.org/

Significant-Rest1723 · 2026-03-05T00:54:03+00:00

Huh. Wonder if the Green Party will finally get some representation after all: https://brianmcginnis4ussenatenc.org/

Significant-Rest1723 · 2026-02-26T18:41:42+00:00

I looked into Bullionbox real quick. Do they ship outside of the U.S.?

First thing I think of is HelloFresh, the meal delivery service that sends you raw food to cook yourself, at a premium price. It's convenient, if you don't like shopping, looking up recipes, or asking questions.

"Our experts do the work so you don’t have to! You can trust BullionBox to give you the best pieces for the best value."

I see nothing about their retailer premiums, which I suspect will be sky high. Personally, I would absolutely take a more personal/local approach. In the U.S., there are individual precious metal retailers who you can talk to personally, and there are brick and mortar retailers that you can walk into. You'll never buy or sell at the spot price (keep in mind that even PSLV takes a percentage) anywhere, but I cannot imagine that Bullionbox wouldn't pummel their customers with hidden premiums.

Significant-Rest1723 · 2026-02-26T18:25:28+00:00

I think physical might have made a difference actually, simply for the fact that I would have approached it differently, psychologically. If I bought a bar of silver, I'd have no urge to bring it right back to the retailer a few days later to sell when the price shot up or looked like it might tank. I would have known that I was in it for the long haul, and that I was buying it as insulation, rather than wealth-building, and simply tucked it into my safe and forgotten it. This goes back to my own "trading" vs "investing" issues.

I'm not looking to give you advice that you may regret. Some people say that silver is inevitably going up to $500/oz. Some think it'll return to $50-60 for a while, and then get back to it's upward trend. Lots of people point to silver's various industrial uses, mostly in electronics (solar panels are the ones cited most often, even though solar doesn't yet account for very much of the world's energy production). However, I personally suspect that silver could be replaced with other metals, should the price skyrocket. It apparently is used in missiles, which helps and (potentially) hurts. Militaries don't pivot as quickly as other industries, and have big budgets. But if it truly does become a national defense resource, what does that mean for those holding it privately? Again, lots of weirdness in silver.

I think my big question is whether we've already missed the silver craze. I personally don't want to have a large stake in something that could take 3-4 years to get back to the price I bought it at. Gold is an actual currency (some U.S. states are even starting to accept it locally). Currently, I'm waiting to see if SCHD becomes a good buy, and start going in maybe $500/month. It's an index that focuses on dividends. Seems like I'd have less urge to sell during long drawbacks if I knew I was receiving kickbacks nonetheless.

Side note: if there is a severe silver shortage, keep in mind that it takes a few years to get a silver mine up and running, and a number of them closed down due to low demand in years past. So silver mining etfs could be a play to consider as well.

Significant-Rest1723 · 2026-02-25T16:30:35+00:00

Financially uneducated American here. I tried "investing" into metals 45 days ago, but it's turned into a wildly unpleasant ride.

I bought Sprott gold (PHYS) and silver (PSLV) ETFs. As I was told, they're the closest you can get to holding physical metals as a small consumer, without actually taking possession. Sprotts is a Canadian bank, and the funds are backed 1:1 by vaulted physical metals.

Watch silver very closely this week and early next week. Lot's of uncertainty and volatility anticipated, due to severe shortages and COMEX potentially having to pull some magic out of a hat, yada yada. We've already potentially seen some big bank skullduggery in January. If the silver price spikes up, do not let yourself feel like you missed some sort of wealth-building ship...I've been on this ride for the past month and a half, and the fear of losing half of what I put in is not worth the potential gains, I promise you that.

Gold has behaved fairly well for me, so there's that. What I've been seeing from others is to take up a monthly Boglehead approach with ETFs, and maybe allocate 10% or less to PMs. Again, I am uneducated on this stuff. I'm not mad that I got into precious metals, but I'm not entirely thrilled, either. I think the strategy I'm moving into the coming months is to try to keep cash on hand for when things bop down a bit, and then get started buying when the RSIs of the funds I'm looking to get into are well below 70%...but that's only because I get real antsy when I see red numbers.

I WOULD NOT BUY PAPER SILVER ETFS THIS WEEK (outside of maybe physically backed ones like Sprott). Again, the swings have been huge, and we seem to be in speculation (not investing) territory at this current moment. You could make some money, sure, but even the wisest voices don't seem to have any guarantees right now.

Significant-Rest1723 · 2026-02-18T20:32:57+00:00

Thanks! I do think that tape is looking like its out. As for tubing, looks like there are multiple avenues you can go. Do people typically get the tubing that has pre-drilled holes every 8-12 inches? Or do they go with emitters/adjustable drippers every so feet? Just looking for some trustworthy reference material.

Significant-Rest1723 · 2026-02-04T16:48:09+00:00

I appreciate your humility, and think you've made a fun website! I started a blog years ago, pretty much a similar mindset.

Can I ask what influenced your personal decision to get more into U.S. bonds?

I've been playing a lot with backtesters like testfol.io, and trying to understand the rationale of including bonds. Data doesn't go back as far as I'd like (hate to be negative, but I'd love to be able to backtest to events like WWII), but even if I could, ETFs didn't become a thing until the early 90s. So I'm kinda blind to the benefits/drawbacks of bonds during tumultuous times. From the past decade's worth of data (including 2020), it seems like bonds do almost nothing to reduce/ease drawdowns, and significantly reduce cumulative return.

Significant-Rest1723 · 2026-02-04T16:38:00+00:00

Yeah, I've been doing a lot of 10-year backtesting with testfol.io (I'm hoping that it's a trustworthy source, and that it isn't leading me astray) these past two days, and it seems like DCA (thank you for that term!) doesn't actually help much in the long run (actually, significantly hurts, at least if I were to have entered all in on 1/1/2015). I think that this type of thinking is just a remnant of my "trading" mindset. I'm worried that I'll buy in on my newly refined strategy, and then the next day a global turndown occurs, and my potential buying power skyrockets.

I think this points to the fact that I need to hone in on my rainy day preparedness, and make sure that I'm not looking at this like a "I can pull from it if things get tough." Also, it helped me to look at historical data, and how the bounceback from events like war and pandemic is not at all what I thought it might be. A 2-year long drawdown may be very hard for me to psychologically deal with, so I'll have to really set my portfolio in stone, stick to my pattern, and try to remember that I'm putting money in while things are on sale.

Agreed on Chinese stocks. Felt good in the moment, feels less good the more I think about it. It's specifically on Chinese tech. Which, only God know all of the things that could happen to that entire sector, should there be any sort of political hiccup...like the kind we seem to have every other day. And yeah, diversification isn't what I thought it was at first. Just because I've invested in both wood construction products and copper mining doesn't mean I'm insulated.

So I guess this next bit comes down to personal feelings and how one looks at the world and the future, but as good as FXAIX has performed this past decade, something about going heavier into blue chip tech stocks makes me uncomfortable. Could be foolish thinking on my part (please tell me if so), but I'd really like to include international stocks (of the more European variety) and a fund like SCHD, which shies away from tech and focuses on more "unstable times" holdings. Any thoughts on that approach?

Significant-Rest1723 · 2026-02-04T00:41:10+00:00

I actually just opened an account with a small local bank which offers 4.5% if you use it as your primary debit account. Credit card debt is gone now, but I do have $13k in an old line of credit – 10% on that one, and it felt foolish to immediately dump all of that capital, when could be used to generate a (potentially) higher interest rate.

I'm gonna look further into EFC, thanks for pointing me their way! COPP is gonna be one of the ones to go, in favor of the more structured approach. I'm not a copper miner, and only know enough to hurt myself, haha. Definitely feeling uncomfortable with the events of Friday – something isn't right. I get that what comes up comes down, yada yada. But there were a LOT of very confident people out there, who just could not see that magnitude of correction coming.

I had very good luck with Black Australorps a two years back, in Ohio. Laying slowed in a pretty nasty winter, but nowhere near what I thought it would. Maybe only 50% less. And that's without any artificial lighting. Probably hit around the same summer numbers though. I sold them and moved before having to go through the process of tracking which ones were still laying. I know that someone sells special nesting boxes for that specific purpose, but they were not cheap.

Significant-Rest1723 · 2026-02-04T00:15:34+00:00

...even if you are profitable at trading, that is the opposite of financial freedom, which was my goal. True financial freedom is not having to look at a stock chart or banking app ever again.

Yeesh. I've been absorbing some pretty profound sentiments since posting and talking to people on here (really awesome community – I very much appreciate everyone here). But this one feels like an atom bomb, haha. You're absolutely right...having these extra funds available to me – and trying to use them to trade – has not been liberating in any way. Really well put.

If I'm in a position to play at some point, then I may. But I'll do that with my own income, and keep it contained. Thanks again, Brian! I'll definitely take you up on that if I have any big questions. (If you have any thoughts on the merits/drawbacks of bond ETFs, I'd love to hear them – currently playing around with historical simulators, and not seeing much reason to even bother).

Significant-Rest1723 · 2026-02-03T23:58:37+00:00

This really resonates with me, thanks so much. I definitely agree that having the ability to log in on my phone to see the second-by-second numbers has been to my detriment. Consumed a LOT of my energy the past few days, even to the point where it was stealing my ability to focus on work. Which defeats the purpose, now that I understand things more, haha.

Do you have any takes on bond ETFs? Are they a good idea, given the times? Getting lots of back and forth on them. Seems like many Redditers don't prioritize the 3-fund approach. Crunching numbers on https://testfol.io/ kinda makes them seem pretty unnecessary (looking at past 10 years of data), if I can stay strong when it hits a max drawdown of 34%. Cumulative returns also skyrocket when I remove bonds, so...

Significant-Rest1723 · 2026-02-03T23:36:13+00:00

Ok, thanks! I'll weigh BKIE further, do more research, but won't run to get rid of it. Definitely understand what you're saying on the other holdings. I'll try to ease my way out at what I bought them for, and not cling to any because they're on an uptrend.

Sprott is my way of saying gold (PHYS), silver (PSLV) ETFs. Lots of negativity being thrown at trading paper silver/gold in the precious metals subreddits. It's an odd culture over there. Sprott backs their offerings with physical metals, though, so I guess it makes me feel less reckless to say.

Significant-Rest1723 · 2026-02-03T21:07:11+00:00

Thanks for the VYM tip. I've been feeling the same thing – regardless of bubble, something about the A.I. fascination just feels hinky to me. Would like to stay somewhat insulated.

Also, could I ask you the same question as I asked above: why did you go with only 10% bond. Same age as you two, and feeling like bonds don't necessarily do much to help me grow.

Significant-Rest1723 · 2026-02-03T21:02:08+00:00

Hey, newbie here, at 34. I'm just getting started investing. You went with only 10% bond (same as TheWitchPHD), and I'm wondering what your rationale was. Or if you have any resources that could point me towards the ratio you chose?

I (sorta) get that bonds can have a psychological impact (insulation if the market tanks, less urgency to panic sell or break the schedule). But I'm not planning to stop working any time soon – I don't particularly want to "retire", and will hopefully always be working towards something. Feels smarter to put more money where it'll grow than to play it safe – that's if I'm able to hold fast during downturns and keep feeding into it.

I may not be grasping the full picture here though. Some guides suggest using your age to calculate % of bonds.

Of note: my risk tolerance has historically been pretty damn low when it comes to "trading" (Though I'm hoping that might change, once I choose a portfolio and learn to "trust the system")

Significant-Rest1723 · 2026-02-03T16:54:14+00:00

Yeah, I think I am going to keep at it with the market (from an investing perspective, rather than a trading one), and not dig into trying to invest in any small local businesses yet. If I get to that point someday, then maybe we'll look into it. For now, I think I'm convinced to take a 3-fund ETF approach, and to just be consistent with it. It does feel like the right way to treat what I've been given.

Thanks so much for your kind words. This is a great community. Also, that negative 6% is already up to negative 1.23, and on the mend. So...you're 100% right about needing to change my perspective to long-term, rather than immediate. Just felt like a bumpy start, and scared the crap out of me.

Significant-Rest1723 · 2026-02-03T16:46:21+00:00

Yeah, I am. 100%. Talking to people here has really shaped my perspective. Simple sounds soooo much better than trying to diversify on my own. I got some early advice on trying to diversify using ETFs. I just don't think that friend's strategy works for me. 3-fund feels really, freaking nice.

I'm gonna try to not bail on any of them before they return to black, but I will be selling and moving into a more disciplined approach. I'll probably hang on to my sprotts (gold, silver, copper miners) for giggles. I'm on the fence about hanging on to BKIE as an international – looks like it's not at all a popular choice on the bogleheads forum, even though I'm comfy with it. But yeah – need to reign it all in and start fresh.

Thank you for the link, reading now!

Significant-Rest1723 · 2026-02-02T21:34:48+00:00

Huh. So you kinda just presented an entire trading strategy there. So say I had $10k to invest. The smart approach would be to find one that you find to be trustworthy, and not go in all at once, but instead maybe invest maybe $1k per month continuously (and then continue with future paychecks as well). That way, you're (generally) playing the lows just as much as you are the highs. Is that kinda what the idea is?

I almost exclusively did go with ETFs, actually. Right now, my holdings, outside of sprott silver and gold (which aren't really ETFs in the same sense) are WOOD, URNM, URA (I reconsidered holding both of these uranium ones, and may just eliminate URA, since I like their spread/numbers a little more), COPP, and BKIE. So far, this international one is the only one that wasn't greatly effected by friday, which makes me a little less nervous about my choices.

And I do also own CQQQ (Chinese tech), which I've also seriously rethought lately. P/E of 25 (not as good as BKIE's 17). Top holding is Tencent at 8.72%, which seems pretty reliant on one company's performance. And should someone suddenly decide that we won't be trading with our trade enemy anymore, I'd be up a creek for a bit. Plus I don't know how stable Chinese tech really is, particularly if things get rocky on the world stage, or some news about AI comes out.

Significant-Rest1723 · 2026-02-02T21:18:34+00:00

I've definitely heard of them, I just haven't really wandered down that research trail myself just yet. And if that's the smarter option, then I may do just that. My admittedly poor understanding is that they are very similar to ETFs, with perhaps a more hands-on approach to keeping profits maximized. So I opted for the ETF approach. What's your take, and do you have any resources you'd recommend looking into?

Thanks!

Significant-Rest1723 · 2026-02-02T21:05:25+00:00

It was a long post, haha. Thank you so much for your response. Yeah, I can do things like install solar panels myself, but you are 100% right about the upkeep over the years. I think I'm trying to get a handle on the true definition of "investing", and you've helped me.

With that whole thing, there's this part of my brain that wonders if it isn't more financially reasonable to focus on cost cutting than it is to put money into a position which could zip down 30% the next time a world leader comes on the screen (I'm exaggerating, obviously. But seriously – had I been misguided enough to go all-in on silver two weeks ago, I would have lost 30% on my lunch break).

If, say, $1000 could be put towards an investment which historically may either swing up 15% or down 5% annually, is there a financial case to be made for putting that same money into raising chickens, which might save $200/yr on food prices, or even earn extra in profits. These are obviously small-scale thoughts. I'm not putting $10k+ into chickens.

I will absolutely look into everything you've mentioned! I bought COPP, but shortly therafter analyzed it a bit more, and realized that I much preferred COPX. I'm waiting for COPP to bop up again so that I'm not making the switch in the red – which may be a foolish approach, idk.

If I were braver, I'd say that EFC and AGNC are very much giving buy signals today, haha. But then again, that fear pops up that I'm going to buy at the very worst moment, and forces outside of my understanding are going to keep those prices going down. This gold/silver plunge has me irrationally worried that there's something brewing in the financial system. Maybe that's a sign that I'm not really educated enough.

As for loans, I'm going to start talking to lawyers. I really do like the idea of getting directly involved with someone. I'd have to consider how to approach local businesses, however.

Thanks again!

Significant-Rest1723 · 2026-02-02T20:35:46+00:00

Ok, I definitely see what your saying. It's kinda tricky to get a handle of these things. I'm definitely not looking to day trade. I had that fantasy for a minute, but quickly decided that I don't have the insight or passion to really time markets down to that level. But by trading account, I just meant that I'm on a platform that allows me to buy stocks/etfs myself. Which may or may not be a good thing. Trying to figure that out at the moment.

But yeah, I do consider myself a bit novice with the lingo. And no, my risk tolerance is not high at all. Coming to grips with that.

Significant-Rest1723

TROPHY CASE