Recreational Vehicle Info

Maintaining Your Rv: Tips To Keep Your Motor Home Running Smoothly

Recreational vehicles provide much joy and entertainment to their owners. But to keep the fun going and their RV running smoothly, owners need to take the proper steps to maintain it.

RVs require a good amount of attention and a little extra maintenance. After all, caring for an RV is like maintaining both a motor vehicle as well as a home. But following a simple up keep routine after the end of each adventure will keep your motor home looking nice, feeling comfortable, and running fluently for your future excursions.

The last thing you want is to be stranded in the middle of nowhere because your battery died or because your engine overheated. To prevent this from happening make sure you take care of the engine and drive train of your motor home just as you would your favorite car.

Change the oil regularly, refill all fluids, keep the battery from corroding, and check the tire pressure. Remember that recreational vehicles are generally used for long road trip and rack up a lot more miles than the average car used daily, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself changing the oil or doing other routine procedures much more often.

As far as the home part of the motor home is concerned, one of the most common problems that occur is moisture buildup. Moisture buildup resulting from shower and kitchen stove use causes staining and mildew issues. This can be avoided by always opening the roof vent and using the bathroom fan when showering.

It may be helpful to close all other doors, windows, and vents while showering to ensure that the moisture flows out of the roof vent. Also, avoid cooking or boiling water on the stove, especially in cold weather. Opt to use your microwave instead. If you must boil water on the stove, make sure the roof vent is open and possibly some other windows as well.

Like your permanent home, drains will get clogged and need to be clean out. The trap of the bathroom sink will need to be detached and cleaned out manually every other month while the shower drain can be blasted clean using the high pressure mode of your basic garden hose. Before storing your motor home away for the winter all water lines must be drained. If lines are not drained before storage and temperatures drop low enough, the remaining water may freeze, expand, and possibly burst the pipes or water lines.

If this happens repairs or replacements may be pricey, so it is more cost efficient to take preventative measures. Draining the water lines before winter includes disconnecting the ice maker and water feed lines, draining and flushing the hot water heater, and flushing the entire system with RV specific antifreeze.

Also, before storage remember to unplug all appliances and disconnect all batteries. This is important because some devices continue to use energy even when switched to the off mode. You will want all battery to be well charged so that you can take off on your next adventure without delays. Many people also cover their RVs in storage with tarps to protect it from ice and water damage. This will keep your motor home looking clean and new.

Probably one of the easiest and most important steps you can take to maintain your recreational vehicle is to give it a good cleaning after each trip. Make sure you leave no food that will spoil or attract rodents or bugs. Also remove all cans of liquid that might expand and explode with freezing temperatures. Cleaning the RV inside and out after every trip will help you get on your way in comfort the next time you want to travel.

By: Andrew Stratton

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Buying A Used Recreational Vehicle

Buying a used recreational vehicle can be a daunting task, especially if you do not know what you are looking for. The key component to remember when looking for a used recreational vehicle is that it should match up perfectly with the intended usage. If you intend to use the recreational vehicle for a long period of time, you need to make sure that the vehicle is working within perfect mechanical standards and has enough power and ability to get to the places you wish to go. It should be durable and safe, as well as excellently operational so as to encourage a relaxed trip.

Buying a used recreational vehicle can also be a little bit of a gamble. You don’t always know what you are going to end up with in terms of how ‘used’ the product actually is. It is for this reason that it is best to ask some questions and make sure you get the right answers. If you are unsatisfied with your answers at any point, stop and take your time to explore the options further. There is nothing worse than spending your money on something you do not really want, much less on something that will not serve its purpose within a few months and will become obsolete and useless.

Questions To Ask

One of the first things you will want to know about your used recreational vehicle is just how used it actually is. The best way to decipher this is by looking at the vehicle itself. Try to discover any telltale signs of damage or possible problems with the exterior of the vehicle. Take a look under the hood as well, look the engine over for possible problems and talk to the dealer about it. Ask specific questions about anything you do not understand and do not be afraid to bring up any subject about your potential purchase. It is your money and your purchase, so your values are important.

Ask about mileage, too. You want to know how long the vehicle has been driven and how far it has gone on average trips. If it is used to making cross country voyages, it should be durable enough for your purposes. If it has only experienced small trips, you may want something more experienced with larger trip sizes. This, of course, all depends on your own purposes for the vehicle and your intended use of the used recreational vehicle. It is all subjective.

By: Ann Marier

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RV rentals in San Francisco are a great way to connect with West coast America. RV rentals are ideal for family trips, historical tours, visiting family, traveling to the beach, and shopping trips.

Source: R. Ann Sipper
Published: Mar 29, 2006

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