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- Engine and Drive train
- Always check the
engine oil and coolant levels, and tire
pressures before you head out for a trip.
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- Moisture -
Moisture can be a real problem in an RV,
particularly during the cold weather when
temperatures drop below freezing and
moisture inside the RV begins to condense
on any un-insulated surface. This can
cause staining, particularly around the
window and window frames. The biggest
producer of moisture in an RV is the
shower in the bathroom and cooking in the
kitchen. Our experience has provided the
following advice:
- Isolate
the bathroom by closing pocket doors and
opening the roof vent and turning on the
vent fan when showering. This consumes a
certain amount of heat out of the RV in
the process, but seems well worth the
added fuel expense to lessen the amount
of moisture generated by the shower.
- Do as
little water boiling ( i.e. soup, rice,
noodles, vegetables, etc.) in the kitchen
as possible. This is the time that the
usefulness of the microwave really
shines. In the cold weather we use the
microwave almost exclusively, lessening
the use of the stove top for heating or
cooking with fluids. If you need to boil
fluids on the stovetop open up the roof
vent and a window across the room and
suck through some fresh (and cold) dry
air through the RV. Again this costs some
in heat but worth getting the moisture
out, especially if that moisture starts
to freeze and build up on the interior
side of your windows!
- Be sure
to prepare
your RV for travel. Take a
few minutes to secure all items inside
that may fall or break and shut all
drawers and cabinet doors completely.
Take a final walk around outside to
insure jacks and steps are up, all
exterior doors are closed and locked,
antennas and vents are down, and all
cords and hoses secured. Make one final
check of your hitch, safety chains,
exterior lights, tires etc.
- Solar Tinting -
Inexpensive solar tinting for the inside
of your RV can help keep it cooler in the
summer. Easily attached, it can reduce
the cool loss through the windows
substantially.
- Winter Storage -
- 1.) Use
protective caps of cut up tennis balls,
Styrofoam balls or similar material to
prevent tarp damage from abrasion on
sharp edges.
- 2.) Some
appliances draw electricity even when
turned "off". When storing your
RV, unplug ALL appliances and disconnect
the battery.
- Check
your trailer brakes once
a year. Check preloaded bearings and
grease them once a year.
- Sanitize your water system:
The best
way is to take household bleach, 1/4 cup
to each 15 gallons of tank capacity. Mix
some in water (so you're not using
straight bleach), and fill the tank. Run
all the faucets (except the toilet) to
get the solution in all the lines. Drive
around the block to slosh it; then empty
it. Next use a half cup of regular baking
soda dissolved in a bucket of water. Fill
the tank again and then drain it. Then
fill and drain it one more time. At this
point your tank should be pristine. Make
sure you drain the system if your RV is
to be left in cold weather. Burst pipes
can cause a great deal of damage.
- Water leaks
are the
bane of RVers. If a connection gets
loose, water gets in. A good seal is
essential to avoid dry rot. Check your
roofs for gaps. Do not use a silicone
sealer anywhere except around windows as
it can become brittle.
- Clean your roof
with a medium
bristle brush and lots of water. Do not
use petroleum distillates as they may
make the roof bubble.
- Dumping: Don't
ever open both gray water and black water
valves at the same time. It's okay to
keep the gray water open when you're
connected; but don't flush the black
water until it's about 2/3 full -- and
then only after the gray system is shut
down. Only use holding tank deodorizer --
other types will dry out the valves.
Single ply toilet paper only. If you line
the bowl with toilet paper before use, it
will help keep it cleaner.
- Inverters:
Most
buyers want to use microwave ovens. They
figure a 1,000 watt inverter will run a
800 watt microwave. Wrong. Usually the
"800" watt microwave will draw
as much as 1,500 watts. Check inside the
microwave door to get the
"real" power consumption.
- Use a surge
protector
(computer type)where the microwave plugs
into the the wall. Surges will cause the
microwave fuse to trip, and the entire
unit needs to be taken out of the wall to
repair it.
- Air conditioners:
Maintain
the filter on the inside. Wash it with
soap and water and let it dry. Also,
watch for puddling of water around roof
air conditioners. If the seal should
fail, it could be a serious problem in a
short time. The unit should be mounted on
a portion of the roof where the water
will run away from it.
- The pressure
relief valve
on the water tank is designed TO leak.
Don't worry if you get a few drops from
it from time to time. It's just doing its
job.
- The
drain plug
(anode rod) in the Suburban hot
water tank is MADE to be
"sacrificed". Bad water is
intended to eat them up so they don't eat
the tank up. They can need replacement in
as little as a few months.
- Do not ignore small problems.
A minor
problem left unrepaired can lead to a
major expense or safety hazard. If you
are qualified and perform your own
maintenance, develop a set schedule you
follow every year. A great time for a
checkup is after periods of storage when
your unit is being prepared for the
season's use.
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Emergency
Flasher
Let's say
you're cruising down the freeway, on your
way home from a well-earned and relaxing
week-end, with your R.V. in tow.
Suddenly, a problem arises, where you
have to leave your rig on the side of the
road, in the dark of night. Once you
disconnect your palace-on-wheels from the
tow vehicle, it is invisible to
approaching traffic due to a lack of
emergency lighting.
A simple
device, that can be constructed at very
low cost by just about anyone, assures
that your rig will be brightly lit in
this event. It will flash your trailers
clearance lights and will be seen for
miles.
You can
build this yourself or have your local
R.V. supply store make one for you.
Parts req:
- One
seven pole socket (same as on
your tow vehicle)
- One
flasher unit
- Two
pieces insulated automotive wire
(14 gauge, 10" long)
- Two
crimp on wire connectors (to fit
terminals of flasher unit)
Assembly instructions:
- Remove
the two Phillips head screws on
the side of the 7 pole socket,
allowing you to remove the
terminal block from under the
spring loaded cover.
- Insert
two of the wires through the back
of the socket so that they
protrude through the cover and
strip off 1/4" of the
insulation.
- Attach
one wire to the terminal marked
"Black" and the other
to the terminal marked
"Green".
- Reinsert
the terminal block in the socket
housing and reinstall the screws.
Also tighten the clamp at the
rear of the socket at this time
to hold the wires in place. You
might have to wrap the wires with
tape so that the clamp will
tighten up on them.
- Next,
bare 1/4" of the other end
of the wires and crimp on the
blade type connectors.
- Now
simply plug these connectors onto
the two prongs of the flasher
unit and tape everything up
securely.
- Presto,
you're done. Try it out on your
trailer to make sure you've done
everything correctly. Your rig
must have a coach battery
installed for this to work.
When you
plug your trailer cord into the socket,
the power from your battery (the
"Black" terminal) is sent
through the flasher and on through the
"Green" terminal to the running
lights on your rig, making them flash on
and off. Now you can safely leave your
rig at night to make an emergency run
with the tow vehicle.
Storage Compartments
Are Your
Storage Compartments Secure? (Is your
stuff safe?)
Outside
accessible storage space is a boon to the
modern RVer. Why clutter up your interior
storage cabinets? Now you have outside
accessible storage capacity that will
eliminate the hassles and bothers of
stowing all your necessary gear inside.
This compartment is just the right size
for that, and that compartment is just
made for this. You can put your new golf
clubs and bags in here... So says the
sales brochure...but... Out side
accessible storage space is also a boon
to the many various "low-lifes"
and rip-off artists of our society. While
thefts from your RV may not be an issue
while parked in a crowded RV park, what
about the times you are parked in a
crowded Wal-Mart parking lot? Who would
question someone rooting around in a
motorhome or trailer storage compartment
in some supermarket parking lot? Would
you? Think about what you have stored in
those compartments; that $300 fly rod
that is too long to fit in the inside
closet; that video camera with all the
accessories, bags and batteries; your
35mm camera, tripod, and flash; the new
tool set you just bought; the new
portable barbecue with the auto-igniter,
spare tanks, and on and on... Did you
know that I have the keys to your storage
compartments in my pocket? Take out your
key ring, right now, and examine your
compartment key. does it have a number
stamped on it? And would that number be,
say,CH751 or ES201? You know, with those
keys, you could probably open your
neighbors compartments, the compartments
in the trailer next in line, and so on,
to the end of the row. And, speaking
about keys, does your entry door have a
locking mechanism with two places to lock
the door (one to lock the handle and one
to throw the dead bolt)? The one that
locks the handle will be marked with a C
or an E and is a universal type of lock.
In other words, my C or E passkey will
unlock your trailer if you use only this
lock. Every RV salesman, technician or
manufacturer has a passkey for this one
lock. Any crook could obtain this key
with very little or no difficulty. Not
that I'm not saying that RV salespeople,
technicians, or manufacturers are crooks,
but the keys are out there and therefore
are susceptible. Use your deadbolt lock,
or better yet, install a quality after
market deadbolt lock. I also have a key
that will fit 90% of all the compartments
on most RVs built since 1965. Most of the
time, these older compartment locks could
be opened with an ordinary screwdriver or
a dime or any object small enough to
insert into the key way. Now, if I was a
thief, any possession that you have
stored in those compartments could be
mine in a matter of seconds. Also,
consider that once I have access to the
inside of that compartment, it is an easy
matter to lift out the dinette cover, or
tip up the sofa, or kick in a panel to
gain access to the inside of the unit.
Take a good look at your trailer or
motorhome and view it as if you had
locked your keys inside somehow. How many
ways can you see of gaining access to the
interior? Now think of how many ways you
could break into that RV if you were not
concerned with destruction of any kind.
How about that roof vent? It consists of
a plastic lid that can easily be ripped
off, a nylon screen that you could poke
your finger through, and a 14" x
14" opening to shinny through. And,
you know, there is a convenient ladder
right on the back of that trailer for a
thief to use! The compartment door is
usually made of an aluminum frame with a
skin of sheet aluminum on the exterior
and possibly some kind of insulation
sandwiched between and inner skin of
aluminum. A good swift kick to any part
of the door would be sufficient to cave
in these defenses. The locking mechanism
consists of a tab that slides into a
corresponding groove on the frame when
the key is turned. It doesn't take a
rocket scientist to figure out that a
flat bar inserted between the frame and
the door can pop this lock in seconds.
Not exactly Fort Knox, is it? You simply
have to take an active part in your own
security. Make sure your valuables are
inside and out of sight, preferably in
some sort of safe. They make those to put
in the floors, you know. And you might
start thinking about installing alarms at
any points of entry, i.e.; outside
compartment doors, windows, etc. If you
do, make sure they are L-O-U-D! Think
about outside lighting, too. Motion
sensors are good. Those crooks don't like
light and they sure don't like noise.
Make it tough on them and they'll go
elsewhere.
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