WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR ROOF: The warranty on your rubber roof is voided if you do not perform proper maintenance on your roof. The condition of the rubber is affected by sun, wet leaves, snow & ice, etc. The condition of the sealant around your vents and seams are affected by the same conditions. Be sure to inspect the condition of your roof several times a year. Even the smallest puncture wound can destroy a roof in a short amount of time. The sealant around your vents and seams should be tight, without porous cracks or loose sealant. Each year you should wash your roof and treat it with a rubber roof preservative, which seals up the pours and gives longer life to the membrane. If your RV is in a wooded area, make sure soggy wet leaves are not permitted to remain on the roof for long periods of time. Our service contracts include annual roof inspections.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR WATER HEATER: Your water heater should be serviced and cleaned each year for best performance. If your water heater is sooting up the side of your RV, cleaning and adjustments are needed. If your water heater has an anode rod inside, remove it when you winterize. An anode rod will corrode within 5 minutes of being exposed to RV antifreeze. Our service contracts include annual maintenance of your water heater.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR LP GAS SYSTEM: As your RV ages, there could be changes in gas pressure and leaks can develop. Your gas lines could also gel up, especially if your RV sets for long periods of time without being used, or if used doing extremely cold weather. Your LP gas system should have an annual LP Safety Test done to find these problems. Our service contracts include an LP Safety Test.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR FURNACE: Your furnace should be cleaned and serviced each year for best performance. Rodents are known to make nests inside your furnace. You must not block off the air vents to prevent this from happening. Also, inside your RV, make sure that there are no rugs or furniture blocking an air vent. This will cause your furnace to limit, which will burn out your limit switch and shorten the life of your motor and other components. Our service contracts include an annual service of your furnace.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR REFRIGERATOR: Your refrigerator should be cleaned and serviced each year. The air vents in the door on the outside of your RV are a critical part of the operation of your refrigerator. Do not cover the vents with plastic, and don’t put anything in front of the door that will restrict air flow. Rodents are known to build nests in the chimney (as are bees) and this will cause the refrigerator to not cool properly. Shine a flashlight up into the chimney and see if you can see all the way to the top. If not, you could have a blockage that will need to be cleaned out. Our service contracts include the annual servicing of the refrigerator.

If your refrigerator quits cooling, yet all components are operational, and all the vents and chimneys are clean, it is probably time for a new refrigerator. If you see a yellow liquid leaking in the back compartment, or if you smell ammonia, it is definetly time for a new refrigerator. If you hear gurgling sounds coming from the refrigerator, it’s days are numbered & the time has come to replace it.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR AIR CONDITIONER: An RV air conditioner will only cool 20 degrees below ambient temperature. If the outside temp is 100 degrees, you will get 80 degrees inside. An air conditioner operates best when the filters are clean. The fins on the condenser (external roof unit) must also be clean of dust and debris, and if they are smashed or bent, it will reduce the efficiency of the air conditioners ability to cool. On extremely hot & humid days, run the AC on high fan & high cool and remove filters. This will keep AC from freezing up.  Other than keeping the fins and filters clean, there is not any maintenance to do on the AC unit. Components such as capacitors and motors are repairable, but the compressor is not.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR SEPTIC SYSTEM: The level indicator on the inside of your RV is notorious to give false readings. Debris will get hung up on the sensors and tell you the tank is full even when it is empty. You can fill your tanks with water and add a cleaning solution to clean off the sensors. It might take more than one treatment. You should never let oils and grease go down your drain into your gray water tank. Always allow your black tank to get full before dumping it. Never leave your black tank valve in the open position. If you do this, the liquids will drain out while the solids pile up. It does not take long to have a major septic block. Our techs feel that they don’t get paid enough to resolve this problem when it happens, and they like to schedule the job as last of the day so they can hit the shower as soon as they get home. :)

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ANY WATER LEAKS: No matter where the leak is coming from, the damages it causes can be extensive. A poorly maintained roof or a punctured roof from a branch will rot wall panels and ceiling panels in addition to the roof itself. Water takes the path of least resistance, so the point of visible entry is not always the source of the leak. A plumbing leak will rot the floor and wall panels, cabinets, etc. The wood most commonly used in RV’s is particle board, which is synonymous with “Sponge” and the wick effect will ravage your RV in no time. A leak in your plumbing lines can take place under the floor where you have no opportunity to see the leak or realize the damages that are taking place. A soft spongy floor or discoloration of the floor covering is usually the first tell tale sign of this. Feel around your ceiling and floor edges to see if you feel any moisture or dampness. Sometimes your nose will be the first to detect a moisture problem. A musty or moldy smell is a warning to heed.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR SLIDE OUTS: The seal around your slide-outs are leak resistant but not leak proof. Wind driven rain can penetrate through the seal. Some slide-outs have what we call “phantom” leaks that we can not find when we leak test, but the evidence of leakage is there. This drives our techs nuts. To best protect your slide-outs, here are some basic rules to follow:

1. Make sure your slide-out is leveled in such a way that the water runs away from the RV body and not in toward the RV body.
2. When you leave your campsite for a week or more, close the slide-out.
3. Feel around all the surface areas of your slide-out on a regular basis to see if you can feel moisture or wetness. Carpet included.
4. Inspect the condition of the roof of your slide-out several times a year. If you see any cracks or lifting of the sealant, it is time to maintain the roof.
5. Clean off the leaves and debris that accumulate on your roof to prevent premature rot of the rubber membrane and seepage of water into RV.
6. A slide-out awning helps minimize leaks, but does not prevent leaks.