It’s easy to get swept away in the fun and excitement of RVing. You get to travel the road, anywhere your heart desires while bringing the comfort of “home” along with you. That’s hard to beat! And when you focus on the fond memories being built and the stunning picturesque landscapes you can take in, it can be easy to forget about the responsibility side of RVing. Just like a car, truck, or any vehicle, keeping your RV serviced is an important step to continued enjoyment on the road.
If you forget to stay on top of your RV service, you may find yourself in an unfortunate situation. And we don’t want that for you. At Sky River RV, we want you to have the best experience possible with your RV! So, we’re providing you with a complete guide for servicing your RV.
Annual RV Service
Preventative maintenance and service on your RV is important. There are some things that you should service on an annual basis to make sure things stay in working order. These include things like:
- Brakes – This is an area that you want to always pay attention to for obvious reasons, but if you don’t run into any problems with them over the course of a year, you should have them serviced on an annual basis.
- Heating and cooling – Standard advice in a home is to have the a/c and furnace serviced once a year. The same is true for an RV. This can help you catch any problems before they arise.
- Propane – It’s also important to keep an eye on your propane all throughout the year, but it’s a good idea to have a propane service representative check the tank for leaks and issues annually.
- Exterior seals – Just like the other items above, you want to be watching for any issues throughout the year when using your RV. But it can also be a good idea to reseal the exterior annually to prevent it from reaching the point of cracks and leaks.
Seasonal RV Maintenance
Some maintenance in an RV is best done with the changing of the seasons. Some of the items below should be completed before storing your RV for the winter and some should be done when bringing it out of storage. If you use your RV year-round, you’ll want to make sure to get these items scheduled.
- Water system – Not only do you want to inspect it for any possible damage, but you want to also clean it out. You don’t want to risk any problems with your clean water. This is something that you can handle on your own if you want with a simple mix of bleach and water run through the system until the bleach is gone. You only need 1/4 cup of bleach per 15 gallons of water.
- Deep cleaning – It’s a good idea to give your RV a good deep cleaning a few times a year. When you’re in and out the door during your trip adventures it’s easy to track dirt and grime in all over the place. And just your general RV use of living in the RV (even if just on vacations) can cause a lot of stuff to build up. Most people like to do a thorough spring cleaning and fall cleaning in their house and it’s a good idea to do the same thing in your RV.
- Wax – To help protect the paint and exterior of your RV, it’s a good idea to wax it a couple of times a year.
- Lubricate moving metal pieces – Parts like foldup stairs, hitches, and jacks just be lubricated from time to time to make sure they stay in good working order.
Monthly RV maintenance or Before each trip
It’s a good idea to check some of the following before any trips that you take, but if you’re not traveling often, then check you might want to check them monthly.
- Tires – Look the tires over to check for any wear and tear. If there is starting to be a problem then you want to catch it before you’re on the road. You always want to make sure that the tire pressure is remaining where it should be.
- Lights – You want to make sure that your brake lights and your headlights work before going on a trip.
- Generator – To make sure your generator is running well when you want it to, it’s a good idea to run it monthly if you’re not taking a trip.
- Slides – If your RV has slideouts, you should lubricate them monthly. This will keep everything moving smoothly. This may feel unnecessary to do it monthly, but it’s maintenance that is worth doing to help avoid potential problems with your slides.
- Seals – You want to avoid any chance of leaks and water damage in your RV. Check the seals and seams before any trips or on a monthly basis.
- Check fluids – Make sure you’re keeping a schedule of when you’re doing things like oil changes and that you’re keeping everything else filled to the appropriate levels. You also want to make sure filters are replaced as needed. Remember that your RV needs this type of regular maintenance just like any vehicle.
While it’s great to stick to a schedule to make sure your RV continues running, operating, and looking its best, it’s also wise to take it into a service department for an annual inspection.
Should you do your own RV maintenance?
The answer to this question is… it depends. There are some things like deep cleaning your RV and checking the tires and lights that you can do on a regular basis yourself. Then there are other services and maintenance that your RV needs that might be outside of your comfort zone. And, even if you can do it, if your RV is under warranty you need to check the stipulations first. There could be stipulations in the warranty that stop you from doing it. It may require you to have the work completed at a service center to be covered. You don’t want to risk voiding your warranty.
If you’re looking for an RV service center, Sky River RV can help. We have two RV repair and service locations to help keep your RV running its best.
