One of the major frustrations to any motorhome owner is the continual maintenance and upkeep of their RV. Some of the more common annoyances include: roof leaks, leveler malfunctions, humidity damage, appliances breaking down and furniture that starts falling apart. A vast majority of problems associated with RV repairs have a lot to do with weather like rain, wind, debris and snow.
With all that in mind, we’ve put together a list of things you can do that will help keep your RV in “camping” condition. If you ask your local RV dealer, they’ll be able to help with any of these as well.
1. Get Regular Roof Inspections
Having a roof inspection at least once a year and sometime every six months is always a great idea. It’s also recommended to get an inspection if you haven’t used your RV for a while or if it’s been in storage. By getting “ahead of the problem” you prevent major headaches in the future. Water damage due to a roof leak is one of the worst nightmares for any motorhome owner. There are many RV dealers who will actually give free roof inspections. They do this because they want to help their customer before bigger problems arise and they can often find other things on your RV that need improvement.
2. Pre-Trip Inspections
A pre-trip inspection is similar to getting a roof inspection, but is much more detailed. This will set you back a bit of money, but if you haven’t taken your motorhome out for a trip or ride recently, then it’s always a good idea. When you get a pre-trip inspection, the mechanics will be able to find any important or “out of place” problems that need addressing. This might be a water leak, broken water heater, low oil and many more points of inspection.
3. RV Storage & Protection
When you are not using your motorhome, it’s a good idea to have it in proper RV storage. Ideally, you want to store it in a weather controlled environment but if you don’t have access to that, then a simple roof covering will do just fine. Either way, if you aren’t going to use it for a long period of time, keeping it from the elements will not only keep your RV in great shape, it will help with the resell value in the future.
4. Humidity Catcher
These little guys are your friends. Having a humidity catcher bag or bucket can help you keep your RV in great condition, especially while it’s in storage. One of the more popular brands in DampRid and you can get it at places like Wal-Mart or Amazon. These bags and bucket will “capture” humidity from the air and turn it back into water, collecting it.
5. Slide Toppers
If you don’t already have slide toppers installed on your motorhome, then it’s an investment worth considering. Slide toppers keep debris off your slides when your out camping. It also does a great job at keeping rain off as well. Your slides are one of the areas that are susceptible to leaks, so protecting them is important.
I hope that you found these suggestion useful. Buying a motorhome is a huge investment, sometimes costing in the millions of dollars. By properly taking care of your investment, you’ll not only preserve it for resell later, but keep it in tip top shape for your next RV adventure.
Brandon Esparza is the Business Development Specialist at Florida Outdoors RV with locations in Stuart, FL and Okeechobee, FL. He loves seeing people get started on their RV journey. Florida Outdoors RV is a full RV dealer operation with sales, parts and service.