Owning an RV is a big investment. You want to make sure this vacation home, weekend home or maybe even full-time home is in the best possible shape for years to come. In order to ensure that stays the case, regular maintenance is KEY. However, in our time running one of the best RV repair shops in Florida, we’ve found one of the most common RV maintenance mistakes that land people in the shop is not taking preventative care of their RVs.
How to avoid costly RV maintenance mistakes
The good news is: this is an easily solvable problem. While KA RV Repair & Sales has your back whenever things do go wrong, there are many things you can do to avoid maintenance emergencies. We’ve listed out just a few of them to help you keep your RV in great condition year after year!
Neglecting your pre-trip checklist
Every RVer should have a checklist they follow before embarking on any trip. This checklist should include things like checking fluids, seals and batteries ahead of hitting the road. If you need some extra ideas, we actually wrote a whole summer RV checklist for RVers breaking their rigs out of storage for summer travels! The point of this checklist is to have a routine to follow whenever it’s time to get going on the next adventure so you don’t accidentally miss anything.
You may think you have a great “mental checklist” that you follow when you take the RV out for trips, but it’s always better to have it written down. Not only is it more reliable, but you can always recruit help marking off the checklist from your fellow travelers.
Not routinely checking for water damage
Along the same lines, one of the most common things people forget to check for is water damage. This is unfortunately one of the frequent RV maintenance mistakes for RVers who don’t have a checklist to remind them to do so! (Pro tip: our 45-point inspection takes care of this so you don’t have to!)
The worst kind of water damage is from water that has gone undetected for long enough to breed mold and mildew. You never want these festering inside your RV. Catch leaks before this happens by routinely checking all of the seals in your RV and the places where water may pool. If you discover any issues, be sure to immediately take care of it by having your seals repaired.
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Not using RV toilet paper
New RVers may be surprised to find out they can’t just use regular toilet paper in their RV toilets! This is one of the common RV maintenance mistakes with newbie RVers. Thick toilet paper that’s often used in households just won’t work in a RV bathroom. You can run into some serious plumbing issues if you do. Stock up on biodegradable toilet paper that will disintegrate to keep you sewage and holding tanks from getting clogged.
Not winterizing or de-winterizing your rig
As their names suggest, winterizing you rig happens before you put it away for the winter. De-winterizing prepares it for summer travels again after months of cold-weather dormancy. This process mostly has to do with preparing the pipes and plumbing for freezing weather, but can also include care for batteries. Luckily, we offer both services at KA RV Repair & Sales!
Only ever doing DIY maintenance
While we know there are a lot of talented RVers out there who know their rigs very well and take great care of them, it is one of the typical RV maintenance mistakes to rely solely on yourself to spot any potential issues. While you may be an expert in your rig or issues that have popped up along your RVing journey, our technicians in our RV repair shop have seen just about everything under the sun. Bringing an expert into the equation to give your RV an assessment every now and then can help diagnose issues you may not have caught on your own.
Let us help you avoid these RV maintenance mistakes!
Following this guideline will help you avoid a breakdown while you’re out on your travels, putting a damper on vacation. Our service department is here to help, not only when the big emergencies happen, but before things can go wrong. Our preventative RV maintenance can help you avoid bigger breakdowns down the road!