Just buy the RV and go camping, that was the plan right? Well there is a LOT of RV Maintenance that you need to be doing every year that you were never told about.
Failure to keep up with these annual RV Maintenance tasks is going to lead to massive repair bills. Go ahead and ask me how I know…
Today I’m passing on everything I’ve learned the hard way this summer, so you don’t have to.
RV Roof Maintenance
There is a reason this is the first thing on the list. Your RV Roof is your first line of defense against mother natures wrath, and the most under maintained.
Think about it. Ice, sleet, snow, rain, tree branches, hail, and not to mention the brutal summer sun.
At a minimum, you should be checking it every season for possible leaks. I recommend at least monthly during the summer season, and for the fewest headaches, after EVERY trip.
A very small hole or tear in your roofing material, lap sealant, or joint tapes can lead to EXTREMELY costly repair bills.
This small tear in the seam tape on our slide ended up leading to an entire renovation on our RV that we weren’t planning on.
Luckily, I was able to figure out a way to remove our slide room ourselves in our driveway, which saved us almost $5,000 in repair bills.
My Advice is check the following list of things on your RV Roof as frequently as possible, to avoid catastrophic damage.
1- Entire roof for holes or tears, including the slide rooms.
2- ALL seam tape seals for peeling, pulling or tearing. Replace with a High Quality Tape.
3- All caulking (lap sealant) around all fixtures that are screwed to the roof, or pass through it like tank vents.
4- WASH your roof with a quality Rubber Roof Wash! I know it doesn’t sound like a NEED to do thing, but it is. If you let the funk build up, that black funk is actually a fungus that is growing on your roof material and will eat away at it.
RV Slide Problems
The second most neglected that we have noticed from 3 years on the road, is your RV Slide Rooms.
We’ve all had that one day where it moved weird, or made that weird noise that made our butt pucker.
Then what did we do? Ran it back in a second or two, tried again, and it wiggled its way out, so we said phew, and cracked a beer.
Did any of us every go back and figure out why it did that?
A properly square, level, and smooth rolling slide room can again save you a lot of money, with a few minutes effort.
If you have a slide cable that has a lot of slack, or one corner that moves way before or way after the rest of it, you need to adjust your RV Slide Cables.
This is something all of us can do, and we have a youtube video to show you how.
While you are at it, check all of your slide room seals for tears. Also, lubricate your slide rollers under your slide room. And don’t forget to replace any slide cables that are starting to fray, BEFORE they break
RV Maintenance: Seam Caulking
Just because you can see it, doesn’t mean it’s still good.
If you CAN’T see it, just assume it isn’t even there in the first place!
These things are cranked out as fast as possible, and caulking isn’t quick. Many times a small amount of putty is all that is between mother nature and a whole lot of water inside your RV.
You NEED to check every exposed seam to be sure there is no way for water to get in. Run your fingernail over the seam. If it catches, it needs to be caulked.
Use a high quality, 100% silicone caulk.
Go over every single seam, and be generous with it. You can always wipe off any excess, but you can definitely use too little when trying to seal out water.
RV Maintenance: Trailer Brakes
If your RV has trailer brakes, odds are you haven’t given them a second thought.
Just like the brakes on your car or truck, they wear out and need to be replaced.
While checking your RV Trailer brakes, you should also be checking your wheel bearings.
Not checking these two things can turn a fun family weekend getaway, into the worst trip you’ve ever taken. For a detailed look at how to check your breaks, bearings, and properly grease them, check out this youtube video.
All of these things should be done at least yearly. Failing to do so, at a minimum, is going to lead to expensive repair bills.
