By Jessica Rider
When we buy that perfect RV we often forget that all those amazing features of the RV often come with routine maintenance that we need to take care of. We talk a lot about maintenance in this column and maintenance can be the key factor when trying to avoid a large RV repair.
In this article I want to share some of the most costly RV repairs that you could encounter when these things are not properly maintained. It is important to remember that all the features of our homes are now in RV’s so just as we check fuses when we pop a breaker in our home we need to maintain all the “home” features of our RV’s as well.
Electrical Assembly
If you were to pull off the underbelly of your RV you would quickly find a lot of wires that run everything in your RV. When we are in the interior of our RV all we see is the awesome bluetooth screen that allows us to control every aspect of our RV from our smart phone but all the connections that need to happen for those things to work require an intricate electrical assembly. From the front of your RV all the way to the back you have electrical wires running that control every aspect of your RV. Maintaining these electrical assemblies can be tricky as you are not able to access most of them but there are main connection points that you can access. The first place is your battery and all its connection points. Then checking your converters and inverters are next. Checking all the wire connections in your fuse box is also something that should be done at least once a year (be sure to always turn the main power off first). Keeping up with these basic things at the main connection points can save you a repair that could cost anywhere from $1,000 – $6,000.
Slides
Slide outs are amazing as they give us more space in our RV to move around and enjoy our adventures. Slides come in many different types including cable systems; track systems, often the Schwintek type; and through frame systems. Each of these can have their own advantages and challenges. For instance on a cable system you can have cables that fray or motors that malfunction. These are easily accessible so you are able to check them on a regular basis which you should do several times per year. On a track system the motor is typically in the wall of the camper near the slide area. Similarly on a through frame system the motor is underneath the slide. There are some basic things that can hinder a slide from extending or retracting from something simple like a toy or pillow that is in the way of the slide to something more restrictive such as a rusted track. When you are extending and retracting your slides, always watch them to make sure they are coming in easily and also listen to ensure the motors do not sound like they are struggling. If you do notice a weird sound or that the slides are moving slowly, check your power source first, which is your battery and then start to inspect your cables, tracks or rails for anything that would be impeding proper movement. A repair on a slide could cost you anywhere from $800 for a simple fix to $3,000 for a much larger repair.
Fresh and waste water assembly
We cannot preach enough on the importance of maintaining your tank systems, especially your black tank. You should be using the proper chemicals every trip to keep this clean as well as flushing out your black tank at least every other trip to ensure these tanks stay clean. Your tanks are one of the first things that are installed in your RV and they sit down in your frame. To repair a tank it requires the removal of the underbelly of your RV and any wires and pipes that run around the tank and/or connect to it. While the part to replace may be a few hundred dollars depending on your tank type, the labor to change one of these out can run you a few thousand dollars. This is a very labor intensive repair that may take a full day if not longer. Keeping up on the maintenance of your fresh and waste water tanks helps to prevent a major system malfunction.
Leveling System
It is so awesome when we back or pull into a campsite and all we have to do is press a button and our RV starts leveling itself. When we can say “the RV is doing its thing…” you know it is going to be a good trip. However that leveling system can malfunction and before you know it you can have four different error codes on your panel and an RV that will not move. We have been here unfortunately and it can be a costly repair. First and foremost, always check your battery to understand the amount of voltage coming from it. If you do not have enough “juice” so to speak your RV may struggle to properly extend or retract your leveling system. It is also important to inspect your leveling system for rust or wear. If you have legs that are bent or are not properly aligned you may have to replace your leveling system. The parts for something like this can be anywhere from $400-$800 and then the labor can be twice as much as that to replace these.
Appliances such as A/C and refrigerator
Do you remember the days of stuffing everything in a cooler for a weekend trip and bringing the biggest fan you could find to stay cool? Those days are behind us since having residential refrigerators and multiple A/C units in our RVs. The modern day conveniences that we have while camping make our trips much more enjoyable but these conveniences also come with some routine maintenance that must be done. We encourage customers to check their A/C units at least twice a year which means getting on your roof, removing the covering on your A/C unit and cleaning out any debris or grime that has built up in your unit. For your refrigerator you should always ensure it is cooling properly and also make sure there is good air circulation on the backside of the unit. Sometimes a repair can be a simple fuse that could cost $60 – $80 up to replacing an entire unit which could cost several thousand not including labor.
Big repairs on an RV, just like your house, are never fun and they certainly are not cheap. If you regularly read this column then you know beyond these things mentioned here anything to do with your axles, tires or leaf springs can also be very costly. Routine maintenance can help prevent many of these things and if you ever have questions about a repair always find a certified technician to help.
Happy Camping!