Your recreational vehicle is designed to keep you comfortable and safe while you’re camping in the Canadian wilderness. However, your RV can’t do its job very well if it’s left in disrepair. The various systems on your RV, including your appliances and your engine, need some attention every so often and it’s important that you give them that attention. Fixing a small problem now can spare you from expensive and time-consuming repairs down the road.
Meridian RV is proud to be your British Columbia RV dealer, with locations in 100 Mile House and Port Coquitlam. Here are a few of the things you’ll want to do before your next trip to ensure that your appliances and engine are in peak condition.
Perform an Inspection
First, do a thorough inspection of the interior and exterior of your RV to check for any glaring issues. Sometimes, things happen during storage or during a trip that you don’t notice right away. Certain issues can arise from mere disuse of the RV for a long period of time, while other problems might be caused by storage conditions.
Test out your windows, doors, cabinetry and slide-outs to make sure everything opens and isn’t squeaky or stiff. Unfurl the awning to examine it for any mildew or tears. Open up vents and make sure they’re clean. Check the tires and examine the exterior for any obvious defects.
Test Kitchen Appliances
Connect your RV to a power source to perform this test. You don’t want to get to your camping spot and discover that your stove is malfunctioning. Try out each appliance to make sure that it performs correctly, from your stove to your furnace and air conditioner. If you notice that something isn’t working very well or it’s making some strange sounds, then you’ll want to have a professional take a look. Use this time also to test out your emergency gear like radios and flashlights and make sure that your fire extinguishers aren’t expired.
Check Engine
Now you’ll want to take some time to examine your RV’s engine. You won’t get much of anywhere if the engine is faulty, after all! Open the hood and check your oil to make sure it doesn’t need a change. Examine air and oil filters as well and replace these as needed. Remove a spark plug to make sure that the casing is whole. A professional mechanic can also assist with this process.
Sanitize Freshwater Tank
You should have cleaned out your blackwater and graywater tanks before storage to ensure they won’t develop odor-causing bacteria over time. Your freshwater tank was likely treated with antifreeze, so now you’ll need to flush that out and sanitize the tank so it can hold clean water again. Fill the tank with water and add a fourth cup of bleach for every 15 gallons. Flush out the tank until you smell bleach and let it sit in your water system overnight before you flush it again.
Schedule Professional Maintenance
Of course, the best way to keep your appliances, engine and all the other parts of your RV in peak condition is to ensure that a specialist takes a look at them on a regular basis. While you can perform many maintenance tasks at home, it’s still helpful to have an experienced RV mechanic do some more difficult tasks in a shop. Contact the service department here at Meridian RV today if you’d like to make an appointment.
If you’re in search of an RV, browse our website to see our vast inventory of new and used RVs for sale at our Port Coquitlam and 100 Mile House dealership locations. Meridian RV proudly serves the cities of Vancouver and Kamloops, BC.
