Prevent Water Damage With These RV Maintenance Tips

Preventative RV maintenance should be a regular part of your RV adventures.

Costly repairs can ruin your trip and keep you from truly enjoying your RV.

Doing a few checks and inspections may seem tedious, but over time, you will save money and time catching problems before they happen.

Each RV will have different requirements.

It is best to check the manufacturer’s warranty and recommendations to make sure you take the proper steps and use the recommended products such as lubricants.

Of course, East Coast Campers and More is always here to help.  Our maintenance department is ready to step in and help out so you don’t have to stress about what to do.

RV Roof Leaks

A roof inspection should be on your RV maintenance checklist.

Roof leaks can cause considerable damage to your RV that you may not notice right away.

The damage can be quite severe and expensive to repair.

Experts like East Coast Campers and More recommend that you perform a roof inspection once or twice per year.

Climb up onto the roof of your RV and inspect all the spots where holes have been drilled through the roof.

Taking a proactive approach to inspecting for cracks can stop future leaks in their tracks.

Look for items such as:

• TV and radio antenna
• Roof vents
• Solar panel mounting brackets
• Skylights

Inspect the adhesive surrounding the item for small cracks.

You will need a paper towel, mineral spirits, and Dicor (or the waterproof adhesive that is recommended by the manufacturer – check with East Coast Campers and More to make sure you are using the correct waterproof adhesive).

Once you’ve identified cracks that need repair, dampen your paper towel with mineral spirits and rub the crack in the adhesive until there is no dirt remaining.

Apply the Dicor or chosen waterproof adhesive to the area.

Here is a video tutorial by RV Geeks on how to do minor preventative repairs.

Slideout Maintenance

Maintaining the slideout seals will prevent leaks from causing water damage so this task should be added to your RV maintenance checklist.

Make it a regular practice to periodically do some maintenance on the seals to prevent them from cracking and sticking.

While keeping the slideouts in, add a bit of baby powder to a sock and run it along the seal as far as you can safely reach.  The powder will prevent the slideouts from sticking and causing cracks and rips.

Once you finish with the inside, open up the slideouts and do the same thing on the outside seals, reaching around the slideout as far as you can.

This video by RV geeks will provide a step by step tutorial on how to do slideout maintenance.

Window Maintenance

RV travel means you are exposed to the elements, and often dirt and debris can collect inside the track of your windows.

Doing regular maintenance can prevent repairs from interrupting your trip.

First, vacuum or clean out the track of your windows.

Take an appropriate lubricant (refer to East Coast Campers and More for recommendations) and spray inside the track.

Make sure you get all the nooks and crannies.

Slide your window back and forth to make sure the lubricant spreads throughout the entire track.

This video tutorial by RV education 101 shows you exactly how to perform window track maintenance.

RV Maintenance Summary

Keep a regular RV maintenance schedule and you should be able to avoid unnecessary repairs.

An RV is your home away from home so treat it with the same level of care.

For more tips, check out this article on the RV Maintenance.

Call East Coast Campers and More, your Delaware RV Dealer, to find out how you can prevent costly repairs by implementing a regular RV maintenance routine.

This article was written by Kristi Durham