Proper RV Preventative Maintenance is Key 

There are key elements of RV preventative maintenance that if you keep up to date on your RV services you will have peace of mind as you travel on your next RV adventure.  Your RV is your home away from home and you need to know that your RV service is up to date so that you can enjoy your RV adventure without surprise issues to ruin your trip. The most important things you can do to ensure your RV stays usable year after year is keeping up with routine maintenance. Unfortunately, many RV owners have no idea what kinds of things they should be doing in terms of RV maintenance. Others may be aware of what they need to do, but feel overwhelmed by it all.  If you keep up on these motorhome and RV key maintenance tips, rest assured you’ll be enjoying years of camping fun in your rig.

Basic RV Inspection Before Each Trip

Examine Tires
Avoiding blowouts is crucial for ensuring your safety while traveling with an RV. Therefore you will want to check the pressure of each tire and add air to any tires that may need it. Additionally, check for wear and tear, making sure that no places are worn excessively, bubbling, or showing other signs of damage.

Check Headlights and Brake Lights
Brake lights and headlights are also important parts of traveling safely. Make sure yours work before each road trip.

Drive Your Motorhome
Axels and engines don’t do well when sitting still for long periods of time. Therefore, it’s a good idea to get out and drive your motorhome at least once a month, even if you don’t have a trip planned.

Run Your Generator
Gas goes bad when sitting still for too long, and generators don’t like sitting unused for too long anyway. Avoid any problems by running your generator at about 50% load at least once a month.

Top Off Batteries
Did you know RV batteries need to be refilled occasionally? Be sure to check the water level in your batteries monthly and refill with distilled water wherever necessary.

Clean the Air Conditioner
Air conditioning units have a tendency to become clogged over time. Keep yours in tip-top shape by cleaning the vents and intake, and cleaning or replacing the filter about once a month when the A/C is in use.

Check Under the Hood
Motorhome owners should take a look under the hood of their RV once a month or so to make sure there are no signs of leaking and that all clamps and hoses are securely attached.

Test Safety Equipment
Test and clean your smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector regularly, and replace batteries that need to be replaced. Additionally, you will want to check that your fire extinguisher is still in good working order.

Look for Cracks
Avoid an RV infestation by checking all around your rig for pest access points. Little critters only need a hole about a quarter-inch wide to enter your home-on-wheels, so look closely for cracks and holes and fill them if necessary.

Lubricate the Slides
Slides are wonderful things to have on your RV. That said, they do come with a bit of added maintenance. You see, RV slide outs should be lubricated once in a while to ensure they continue to pull in and out smoothly.

Check Your Seals
Water leaks are an RV owner’s worst enemy. Avoid water damage by regularly checking your RV’s exterior seals for places where water might enter and sealing up any problem areas using RV sealant.

Yearly RV Maintenance Tips 

Run through this RV maintenance checklist at least once a year to keep your motorhome or trailer in good shape.

Service Brakes
Obviously, you will always want to be keeping an eye on your RV brakes. However, provided no red flags are jumping out at you before the one-year mark, we recommend having your brakes serviced by a professional every 12 months or so.

Inspect Your Propane
Propane systems are another thing you’ll want to be watching year-round. However, making a point of having the whole system inspected once a year can really help you avoid having problems.

Reseal Exterior of RV
We mentioned checking seals regularly above. However, even if you don’t find any obvious issues during those monthly inspections, resealing the exterior of your RV yearly is a good way to prevent future leaks.

Clean Your Water System
Nobody wants funky water in their fresh tank. To avoid funky fresh water, clean the system once a year. Simply dump a cup of bleach into the fresh tank, fill it with potable water, let it sit for a day, and drain. After this, fill the tank with portable water again and run the faucets until the bleach smell is gone.

This is a list of some of the most important RV Maintenance items we feel are vital to make sure your RV is running at its best.  RV preventative maintenance is important to avoid that huge service bill and by performing regular RV Maintenance, you can enjoy your next trip and many pore trips without the drama of RV breakdown’s.