Did you know that there is a specific tire made just for trailers? Make sure you are rolling on the right rubber!
Small motors can freeze up if not started regularly. Turn on your fans, air conditioner, water pump and heater for a few minutes every month.
Your best defense against the nastiest offense is plain water. Make sure your black water tank has plenty of fresh water.
Want your light to shine bright? Use a 30 AMP extension cord when you hook-up.
Propane gas smells different than natural gas. It still stinks, just not quite like rotten eggs, more like rotten food. So if something smells like spoiled food, check for propane leaks.
Don’t travel with too much water in your freshwater tank. The plastic tank can develop a crack or rip due to water sloshing around with the motion of the road. Many people will put a few gallons in the tank for stops along the way, and then fill up completely at the last gas station on their route. You may want to call ahead to stations near your destination as some may not have water filling stations. But, most do.
Batteries should be checked every three to four months for proper water levels and for any corrosion. Batteries can last up to five or six years if properly maintained.
When hooked to shore power, your battery system will automatically recharge. But if you are off the grid and running off of your own battery system, expect lights to only work for about 8 to 12 hours before the battery goes dead. Many people install solar panels to aid in charging.
Actually, depending on the tank, when a fresh tank is full, the water does not move, as there is no space left in the tank for the water to “slosh”. A partially filled tank will actually hammer the plastic body more than a full one.
If you want to demonstrate the effect in a visual way, take a two liter soda bottle. Fill it half full with water, then screw down the cap and hold it on its side in your hands.
Now, shake the bottle slowly side to side, feel the shifting weight of that loose water in the bottle? That’s what’s happening in your fresh tank when you drive and there’s air space.
Now, take the same bottle, fill it all the way to the tip top, then screw on the cap.
Repeat the same experiment as above, notice how the water doesn’t shift and the weight remains consistent?
The same is true of your fresh tank. With no air space, the tank and the water act more as a solid mass.
Another side affect of either going with a completely empty or a completely full fresh tank is the “Slosh” effect of that water racing from one end of the tank to the other is no longer being amplified by your RV’s suspension, improving handling.