RVs, also known as recreational vehicles, deserve the best treatment you give to your car and a lot more. Just the way you give your trucks, and other machines the right level of maintenance, your RV should not be left out.
RVs deserve much better treatments than your car because they are not just vehicles. An RV can serve as a vehicle, a kitchen, and even an office. With all that RVs were designed to do, if not given the right level of attention, they will not offer you good value for money.
This article contains tips to help you maintain your RV.
Check out tips to maintain your RV mobile camper
Take a Look at Your RV’s Batteries
If you must have a smooth journey with your RV, your batteries must be in top condition. No one will be comfortable having to change a dead battery in the middle of a trip. If you must get the best from the use of your RV batteries, they have to be fully charged before you set out on a journey. Furthermore, the average RV battery usually lasts for 3-5 years. When deep cycle batteries get to their third year, their capacity begins to dwindle. The same happens to start-type batteries when they get to their 5th year.
Always Check Tire Pressure and Ensure Your RV’s Wheel Lug Nuts are Tight
There are certain parts of your RV that should be checked before any journey. Two of them are your RV tires and your RV’s wheel lug nuts. These are important to ensure that you do not get involved in an accident while on the road.
While your RV is in the road, there is a tendency for its wheel lug nuts to get loose. You, therefore, will have to check this constantly to make sure you are not starting a journey from a wheel lug nut that got lose from the previous trip.
If you fail to check for loose wheel lug nuts, you could end up losing a tire while a journey is on. Apart from checking to see that your wheel lug nut is tight, it is important that you check for your pressure. If your tires are overinflated, it could lead to an explosion while on a journey. This occurrence will do your RV a lot of damage. It could also make you get involved in an accident.
In addition to overinflated tires being dangerous, if your tires are underinflated, they could put you in harm’s way. When your tires are underinflated, they are more difficult to control and this could have a bad influence on your mileage.
The temperature of an environment has a major effect on tire pressure. When the temperature increases, there is usually an increase in tire pressure and a decrease in tire pressure as temperature drops.
Always Inspect Your RV’s Roof Seals and Seems
Make it a point of duty to always look out for leaks on your RV’s roof. This should be done at least once in three months. There are various ways in which leaks in your RV’s roof can occur. They can take place through openings in skylights, air conditioning units, or vents.
RV roofs do not begin leaking overnight. Leakage in RV roofs begins when your RV roof’s outer framework gets soaked with water. When this occurs, to avoid leakage, there are quite a number of sealants you can make use of. While these amount of sealants will make it look like you can make a choice from various alternatives, the truth remains you must consider the material your RV roof is made of before going ahead to choose a sealant. Some of the materials that are used in making RV roofs are Metal, Rubber, Fiberglass, ALFA, and TPO.
Take Good Care of your RV’s Brakes
The braking system of your RV is perhaps not the most popular system. It, however, is a system that needs a great deal of maintenance as your life could depend on its efficiency.
Maintaining your RV’s brakes will go a long way in keeping you safe while on the road. In addition to keeping you safe, you will also ensure the safety of other road users.
As an RV owner, to ensure that you do not forget to maintain your brakes, always make a list of the various parts of your RV that need to be maintained and your brakes should be first on this list. Maintaining your brakes involves giving attention to wheel bearings and keeping them constantly lubricated.
Pay Attention to Your RV’s Waste Water System
The various parts of your RV’s wastewater system are compatible with different chemicals. When maintaining your RV’s wastewater system, it is important that you make use of the chemicals that these different parts are compatible with. Furthermore, make it a point of duty to flush the system frequently. Once you are done flushing the system, you should get the system started with the right amount of fluid.
If you fail to give your RV’s wastewater system the amount of maintenance it deserves, you will have to deal with excessive buildup. This may cause the system to clog and might lead to valve seizing.
Replace Your RV’s Oil
Maintaining a car is quite straightforward as you know you should change certain parts after covering some distance. This is not the same as your RV. RVs are usually not as frequently used as cars. So, to ensure that you change its oil at the right time, you should make it a point of duty to change your RV’s oil every year. This should be done during spring.
If your RV is in constant use, then your RV oil should be changed after covering 3,000 to 4,000 miles. If you fail to change your RV oil as at when due, you should be ready to deal with unwanted wear and tear on its engine. When this occurs, it is either you will have to purchase a new engine or go through a very expensive maintenance procedure.
