October 03, 2019

EasyStart Just Got Smarter and Hairier!

Teachers/YouTubers:
Todd and Stephanie Henson, Join The Fold

In A Song of Ice and Fire, novelist/screenwriter George RR Martin, relays the story that formed the basis for the wildly popular, 10-season long Game of Thrones TV series. Looking more like he just walked off the set following a GOT battle in one of the Seven Kingdoms, than a teacher of all things RV, heavily-bearded and hulking Todd Henson is a surprise to find on screen.

But he really IS a teacher -- despite all appearances. He is an instructor at the NATIONAL RV TRAINING ACADEMY. There he trains dealer techs, mobile techs and full-time RVers on topics ranging from from the basics of RVs all the way up and through to certification by RVIA/RVDA. They supply business training to their students as well.


He and his wife Stephanie created a fledgling YouTube channel, TWO BEARDS AND A BABE, with a focus on RV. Now passing its 18th month of existence and boasting nearly 30 episodes, the recent topic of discussion was one of our own favorites: “CAN YOUR RV AIR CONDITIONER RUN ON LESS POWER”? In it, Henson described the problem that the EasyStart 364 solves, independently reviewed our product and showed some of his finely honed skills, both in a) scripting, editing and producing the video, and b) installing and testing the product.

Although we get the babe (Stephanie), and we get the beard (Todd), what’s with the second beard reference? That’s simply about Xena, the beloved family dog; a bearded Schnauzer that also appears in videos.

You can find their YouTube video and channel here Two Beards and a Babe. We recommend you consider subscribing --and clicking on the bell to receive its notifications. Their channel description professes:  “We are doing all things RV” and goes on to describe a 1978 Airstream renovation and travel in their Grand Design Momentum 5th wheel.  Like 20,000+ other EasyStart owners, he found that the EasyStart was “worth it”.

So good were their skills (we even liked their bloopers!), that we’ve recruited the Hensons as Micro-Air dealers from their location in Athens, TX. Stephanie is Director for the National RV Inspectors Association who inspect RV’s before purchase. Her Dad is Terry Cooper, the “Texas RV Professor”, a former college professor at TEXAS STATE TECHNICAL COLLEGE in Waco, TX, and a nationwide RV traveler training US RV dealer technicians. He and Evada, Stephanie's Mom, are co-owners of the BIG RED SCHOOL HOUSE, a 15,000 square foot teaching facility where they provide classroom theory and hands-on training. To accommodate the rapid growth of students attending their RV training courses, they purchased an adjacent RV park to enable space for campers, techs and inspectors to camp in while attending classes in Athens.

They’ve trained over 1200 certified inspectors in the past six years and over 100 RVIA/RVDA registered technicians in the past four months in their Big Red School House. Their goal is “to provide enough trained and certified techs to meet the demand of the ever-growing RV lifestyle.”

Using a homey Texas style, the Beards/Babe EasyStart video discussed peak (starting) and running watts, portable generators (the Honda eu2200i, the Predator 2200i generator, Briggs & Stratton P2200W and a Champion 4000W) and explained the difference between peak (starting) and running watts, addressed power management, costs, benefits, and value. He demonstrated the amount of power in rush on the first five learning starts of his EasyStart too. In addition, he considered A/C sizes, the running of two A/Cs on EasyStarts, inverter A/C operation and variable compressor speeds, etc.

And if the whole RV thing doesn’t work out for Henson, we are pretty sure that--with a beard like that--he can have a career playing a character in Winterfell Castle (or another place in the Seven Kingdoms of the Game of Thrones). If not, there’s always learning to play the bass and joining ZZ Top!

Video: Can your RV Air Conditioner Run on Less Power

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