Southeast Financial

How to Get Your RV Ready for Camping Season

For most RVers, the best cure for spring fever is getting their RV or motorhome ready for the first camping trip of the season. The promise of hotter weather and longer days signals the time to prep the home away from home for another spring and summer full of family fun on the open highway.

To get the most out of your RV this season, follow our tips for preparing your RV for camping season.

Inspect the Outside of Your Rig. Your tires get a workout every season and are susceptible to damage caused by changes in climate. Look at them closely for cracks in the sidewalls and between treads. Replace any tires that have seen better days. Check the tire pressure on all tires, including the spare, and make sure the reading on the pressure gage meets the manufacturer’s recommendations. While you are outside, take a close look at the caulking around windows, doors, vents and seams, and repair any cracks, so water will not leak inside.

Test the Awning. Open your awning and examine the fabric for tears and holes. If extending the awning seems more difficult than usual, take your RV to your dealer’s service department to have the spring tension adjusted. Do not attempt to adjust the spring yourself.

Service Batteries and LP Items. Make an appointment with your RV dealer’s service department to check and maintain your RV’s batteries and products that use LP gas. Have a professional perform a load test on the batteries and replace them if necessary. A professional service technician should also test for and repair any LP leaks.

Check the Refrigerator. Vacuuming the back of the unit is a good way to keep it running efficiently. While you are back there, look for rust on the cooling unit and burner flap, and take it to a servicer if you find any corrosion. Make sure the inside is clean also, then turn it on and let it run for several hours to see if it is cooling properly.

Inspect the Sewage Dump Hoses. Because dump hoses have a limited lifespan, check them for tears and holes, and replace them if needed.

Maintain Security Devices. Replace the batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and make sure your fire extinguishers are in good working order.

Evict Critters. Unfortunately, your RV or motorhome provides great winter shelter for rodents and spiders. Check inside and out for signs that unwanted guests have taken up residence. Open outside compartments, and look for spider webs and debris. Inside, open cabinets, and look for droppings and other evidence of pests. Remove anything you find.

The time you spend getting your RV ready for camping season is time well spent if it means peace of mind that lets you relax and enjoy friends, family and the RV life! Get your RV ready today, and enjoy the spring camping season!

 

RVing is so fun but it is important be be educated on your RV

I found this article on http://rvtravel.com and I had to share it with you.  It is so very true and the author did a wonderful job in showing the dangers that could be involved in RVing if you are not educated.  

Editor's corner
With Chuck Woodbury

  
t's so sad what happened two weeks ago: five people died in a rented RV at a charity event at Tennessee's Clarksville Speedway. They went to sleep and never woke up. A portable generator hummed outside. Unknown to the RVers, the exhaust was venting into the rig. Friends entered the next morningto wake them up. Oh, the horror!

Those five people left behind 12 children, now all without a mother or father, maybe both. If only one of those persons were educated in the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning they'd all be alive today. Their kids would have a parent, not a grave to visit. Ironically, the charity event benefited needy children: its organizers must be distraught.

Carbon monoxide levels as high as 438 parts per million (ppm) were discovered inside the RV that awful morning. "Those sorts of levels, if they were asleep, you wouldn't anticipate anybody would wake up," Rob Aiers ofCarbonMonoxideKills.com told the Tennessean.

Here's a video tip from Mark Polk about how to avoid being a victim of carbon monoxide poisoning in an RV.

MOST OF US THINK OF OUR RVs AS ALL FUN. It's easy to forget they can be dangerous, even deadly. A propane leak can cause a fire or explosion. A electrical short or a miswired extension cord can set up a deadly situation that kills with the simple act of touching an RV's front door. That very thing happened a few months ago to a teenage boy. Nobody in the family realized that getting a tingle when touching an RV was a sign of danger: that lack of knowledge killed their boy. His death prompted us to re-run our series on RV electricity by Mike Sokol. 

Some RVers think it's okay to walk around a moving motorhome like they're back at home, or let their kids do it. If the RV stops fast, they get tossed like rag dolls. Somebody dies or spends the rest of their life in a wheelchair.

Lazy RVers forget to put a new 9-volt battery in their fire alarms. Their portable electric heater catches fire in the night -- it happens too often -- and it's too late by the time they realize it, if they ever do.

Other RVers drive on outdated (learn more), worn or poorly inflated tires. A front one blows out as they're doing 60 and in that split second they don't know how to react. They never bothered to learn. So they hit the brakes. Wrong! That will likely send an RV out of control -- into a ditch or another lane, maybe flip it over. Watch this video to see what to do if you blow a tireon your RV or any other vehicle. This is important!

Take it upon yourself to learn all you can about safe RVing. Keep your rig in top mechanical condition: that's my number one safety tip. Continue reading this newsletter for advice and information about RV safety. Share what you learn with your RVer friends, or, better yet, gather with a bunch of RVers or your club to talk about it.

It's true that RVing is a mostly safe, fun, carefree pursuit. But not always. So pay attention to potential problems and don't end up like those RVers in Tennessee who should still be alive playing with their kids, not dead.