RV Upkeep Suggestions
RV Upkeep is a kind of issues all of us attempt to delay till we completely have to do it. There are some issues that even once we lastly get round to doing, most of us are doing incorrect. There’s one merchandise on this article that I didn’t even know we needed to do! The ice forming on the within of one in every of our partitions may have been averted, and I’m going to let you know how.
It’s no secret by now that it doesn’t matter what you spent in your RV, the craftsmanship might be higher. That being stated, they do twist and bounce loads happening the highway, which might result in issues loosening or shifting.
That precise situation is what led to ice actually forming on the within of our camper one January morning, after which having to take away the wall paneling and insulation. All of it may have been averted with an 8 Greenback tube of silicone, if I had identified it wanted to be executed.
Seal Your Home windows And Doorways
Examine for leaks, usually. One factor you are able to do to keep away from a leak within the first place is to reseal your window frames and door. RV Home windows are a sandwich fashion body the place the inside and outside squeeze the window opening and are held along with screws.
Over time the screws will loosen inflicting the body to not squeeze the partitions as tightly as they did earlier than. Placing a small bead of clear silicone across the prime and aspect of every exterior window body and round your door can stop water from getting inside your partitions.
In our case when the window body screws had loosened a bit, water acquired into the highest of the window body. It then ran down the within of the wall, soaking the insulation and the within and out of doors wall. When the chilly January air got here in, all of that water turned to ice. The frozen inside wall attracted moisture from the air to construct extra ice all through the evening.
The next morning is once we noticed our new snow flake wall paper subsequent to the sofa. This led to a number of days of eradicating the inside wall panels. Then eradicating the entire insulation. Utilizing followers for days to dry the outside wall panel from the within, and treating the mildew that had apparently began rising contained in the wall a while in the past.
Checking Your RV Tire Stress
Most likely probably the most generally neglected common upkeep process that all of us ought to be doing. I’m responsible of it myself actually. We now have all been in a rush to get the place we’re going for the day and simply hit the highway whereas saying “eh, they’re spherical. Let’s go“.
Since going full time one factor I’ve realized the onerous method is that it’s significantly better to waste a minute now than a day later. How lengthy does it actually take to verify the tire strain? Not very lengthy in any respect. We now have 6 tires on our RV and it takes me lower than 5 minutes to manually verify all of them.
If we put it in park, we verify them earlier than we put it again in drive. That’s our present process, and it hasn’t ever as soon as bitten us within the ass. I choose to verify my tires with a tire strain gauge manually. For one cause I get to stretch my legs somewhat bit longer on the relaxation cease.
The opposite cause, is that I get a visible of each single tire each single time. I do know guys that swear by their Tire Stress Monitoring System (TPMS) and received’t journey with out one. I’m not knocking them both.
Do You Want A TPMS
You must get an add on TPMS just like the one pictured right here and at all times have the peace of thoughts understanding your tires are the proper strain even whereas happening the highway. They arrive in actually helpful in case you run one thing over after your final guide verify and have a tire beginning to go down in strain. You possibly can catch it earlier than it goes flat and blows out taking RV Physique Panels with it.
What a TPMS can’t let you know is how a lot tread is left in your tire, if the tread is sporting evenly, or if there’s a chunk lacking out of the sidewall from that curb you scuffed going across the nook. Don’t neglect to verify the Inside sidewall too! Maybe the easiest way to do is is with a TPMS and a guide inspection each time you cease.
Professional Tip: Examine the strain in your Spare Tire Too!
Do you know that RV Tires have an expiration date?
RV Tires have a date stamped on them when they’re manufactured. Even in case you solely drive your RV to the campground on the opposite aspect of city twice a 12 months, they’re going to must be changed sooner or later. There are numerous opinions on how lengthy they final, my opinion is about 5 years. The quantity of solar publicity your RV tires get yearly will have an effect on this quantity.
Grease Your RV Wheel Bearings
A lot of todays new Fifth Wheels and Journey Trailers include a simple to grease wheel bearing system. Beneath the middle cap of your wheel is a zerc becoming that you may pop a grease gun on and fill your bearings with contemporary grease.
Most of us, IF we ever do grease our bearings, do it incorrect. In case you simply pop the middle cap off and pump some grease in there, positive it’s higher than nothing, nevertheless it isn’t the proper option to do it.
(Learn: How To Enhance Your RV Bathe)
The proper option to clean up your wheel bearing grease it to jack up the axle till the tire can rotate. Then pop your grease gun onto the becoming. Subsequent, whereas pumping the grease gun, regularly rotate your tire, pumping till NEW grease begins to return out.
Don’t simply cease when SOME grease comes out. Rotating the tire whereas greasing will keep away from and dry spots or air pockets within the the bearings, in addition to be sure that new grease pushes the entire outdated grease out. It’s possible you’ll want as much as a whole tube of grease for every wheel, relying on how nicely its been executed earlier than you bought your RV.
I like the Lucas Purple N Cheesy. We simply did 9,500 miles on our final loop via the nice ole USA, and with every clean up of the grease, may really feel a direct distinction within the rolling resistance of our trailer. You ought to be changing your grease each 3,000 or so miles to maintain every thing rolling clean.