This is the time to check and maintain SEVERAL items to hopefully prevent problems from showing up later. Here’s how to dewinterize, including Amazon links to items I suggest:

1. Return your water heater bypass valves to the correct position to allow water into the tank or tankless hot water system. Water flows through when valve handles are in-line with the pipe.
2. Flush the water heater tank with a tank rinser wand attached to a garden hose, then, replace the sacrificial anode rod with a new magnesium one (not aluminum) if yours is a Suburban water heater, or plastic plug or cap if yours is an Atwood or Dometic (their aluminum tank doesn’t need an anode rod, the plastic plug is designed as a safety feature, it melts if the temperature gets above boiling)
3. Remove the outside door to your water heater. Lift the handle on the temperature and pressure relief valve to ensure proper operation and replace if it sticks or is dripping (make sure your size is correct: 1/2″ or 3/4″). Check to make sure the rubber safety grommet is in place where the propane line and wires come into the heater area. There shouldn’t be any holes or gaps, repair with high-temperature silicone to ensure no exhaust gasses could get through and into your RV.
4. If your water pump has a glass bowl with a debris screen inside, unscrew it and clean the inside of that screen, fill the bowl with water and replace it hand-tightened only. (over-tightening can crack it which will then suck air and cause faucets to spirt water with air).
5. Using a water pressure regulator, connect your potable water hose and turn on the water. Open each faucet (cold and hot) until all air is out of the lines, and your water heater is full of water.
6. With your RV water pump on, or city water supply on, grab a flashlight and look for leaks under your sinks, in the wet bay, and behind the water heater…looking closely at the fittings and hand-tighten them even if they are not leaking.
7. Tighten fitting by hand, or hand-tight plus 1/4 turn with pliers. Don’t over-tighten, they can leak if too tight.
8. Install batteries, check water levels, and/or check connections. Batteries lose 1 volt per month just sitting, therefore they should be on a battery maintainer for the winter, so they should be fully charged. Check connections for corrosion, clean the connection wire ends possibly with emry cloth or a file, and apply di-electric grease to the connections to help prevent corrosion and make good connections.
9. Turn on the battery disconnect switch, to send DC power to the coach.
10. Verify the lights work, water pump works, and other 12 volt DC items.
11. Sanitize your fresh water tank. This is done with a mixture of 1/4 cup bleach per 15 gallons of water (verify your storage tank size) and fill your tank. Turn on your water pump (unhook your hose to the hydrant) and turn on each cold faucet until you can just smell the chlorine. Let it sit overnight. Then drain the tank, fill with fresh water, and run each faucet again to get rid of the chlorine smell.
12. Get on the roof and check the roof membrane or material for holes or cracks. Check the perimeter seals and roof penetration seals. Look for cracks or holes, especially over screw heads. If you find any, clean the area and re-seal with self-leveling lap sealant. Water intrusion points are very damaging to your RV, so prevent them by checking your roof annually.
13. Many RVs have a long plastic screw cover in a track along the roof edge and corner edges. Ensure this is still in place, and no screws are visible. Replace if needed.
14. Check all sidewall edge seals and opening seals around water heater, furnace, windows, etc. If caps or holes are found, clean the area and apply GE Silicone.
15. Check window seals and look for pulling way at the corners, or gaps. Repair or re-seal as needed.
16. Turn on the propane tank(s) and check for leaks with spray of soapy suds. If bubbles are found, or if you smell propane, contact an RV Technician for service.
17. Fire each appliance to ensure working properly (stove-top burners, water heater on LP or gas, furnace, refrigerator if LP or gas is an option. If none of them light and burn well, contact an RV Technician for service.
18. Clean around the furnace. Since RV furnaces do not have an air filter, they can suck up any dirt or dust which can cause them to not operate correctly. Clean around the furnace with a vacuum and also consider having your furnace removed and checked/cleaned/adjusted by a qualified RV Technician. This should be done every 3 years or sooner.
19. Clean and lubricate stabilizer jacks, hitch, and slide mechanisms (where required) with proper spray lube and wipe off any excess.
20. Check tire air pressure per the label on the tire, and don’t forget the spare tire.
21. Look underneath your RV for dangling brake wires or water leaks. If found, repair them or contact an RV Technician.

RV’s should be fun, not frustrating, so keep camping fun by properly maintaining them, or hiring me to do these for you…which is always cheaper than repairs or problems or damage later.

Let me know if I can help you do these, or teach you how!

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Some of the links above take you to your Amazon account, and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases but you don’t pay any more...so thank you for purchasing through these links!

The post RV De-Winterizing Must-Do’s first appeared on BJC RV Inspections and Repairs.

1. Flush your black tank.  Most RV’s have a black tank flush which is usually a black hose port labeled as such. When you dump your black tank, then close the valve, hook a dedicated black tank flush hose to the port, and turn it on (please don’t use your potable drinking water hose). You don’t need the in-line water pressure regulator, but doesn’t hurt if you do.  Set a timer for roughly 1 minute per 10 gallons of black tank size (for example, if it’s 40 gallons, then 4 minutes) and let it fill.  Please use a timer, you don’t want to get distracted and over-fill. Then when your set time has elapsed, open the valve and let it flow out until the water is clear.  It is helpful to put about ½ cup of Pine Sol (or similar) cleaner down the toilet prior to filling. This may take a couple of times, and please remember to close the valve when done.
2. Flush your galley and/or tank. Some are labeled gray, but it’s the kitchen sink we want to flush. Using similar directions as above, close the valve and let it fill to at least half full. It’s rare to have a galley or gray tank flush port, so just open your kitchen faucet and let it run for at least 4 minutes. Pour some citrus-based cleaner such as Zep or PineSol citrus. To help break up the F.O.G. (Fats, Oils, Grease). 
3. Lubricate black and gray tank slide gate valve O-ring seals. When your tanks are empty, pour about ½ cup of cheap vegetable oil down the toilet, and down the drains, followed by a cup of water. Then go out and open-close-open-close-open-close your valves to let the oil lubricate the seals.
4. Lubricate toilet flush seal. When doing the above, also pour a little vegetable oil on the toilet flush valve seal to lubricate it and keep the rubber supple.
5. Check tires and tire pressure.  Keeping tires at the proper air pressure, and look for uneven wear is the best thing you can do to help prevent the dreaded tire blowout. You can find the recommended tire pressure on the sidewall.
6. Sync Schwintek slide motors. If your RV has a LCI/Schwintek slide system, the motors need to be re-sync’d every time the slide comes in. If you need more information on how to do this, click HERE.
7. Check batteries. Check the voltage of your batteries (11.6 volts or higher is recommended), and check their water levels if your batteries are the flooded type. Use distilled or RO water. And make sure the battery connections are tight and clean. Click HERE for more on batteries.
8. Clean shower drain. If the shower in your RV gets used daily or several times per week, the drain may flow slower and slower. This is due to soap scum build-up, usually at the drain, or at the HepVo valve. Unclog the drain or keep it flowing well by removing the drain screen or plug and pouring one small box of baking soda down that drain. You might have to help it with a knife or screwdriver.  Then pour a cup of white distilled vinegar down that drain and let it foam up. If the clock is bad, you might have to force it with a plumber’s plunger. Then follow with hot water.
9. Run your generator. If your RV has an onboard generator, and it’s not being used at least once per month,  the manufacturer recommends running the generator for 20 minutes every month. This “exercises” the generator, lubricates the seals and bearings, and burns off contaminants.
10. Replace your blue in-line water filter. Many RVers know the blue in-line water filters only last a few days and have to be shaken or banged to be useful again. They have granulated carbon in them, and water will channel through the granules rendering the filter ineffective. The best, most affordable water filters are the canister type using a replaceable cartridge of 5 microns or less, and with a carbon block in them. Click HERE for the Amazon link to what I suggest.

The post Most Frequent RV Maintenance Items first appeared on BJC RV Inspections and Repairs.

• The dreaded poop pyramid.
  Yes, I said it, and most all of us have had it…the black tank seems full, but doesn’t drain. Most of the time that happens, there is a pile or pyramid of “stuff” in the black tank just below the toilet drain and it just sits there, not going down the sewer hose.
  
  To get rid of that pile, you need to use this flexible spray wand  that goes on the end of a garden hose.  With your foot on the flush pedal, stick this down the drain and turn it on and let the spray break up that pile and flush it down the sewer hose to the RV park sewer drain.
  
  To prevent it from happening again: Start with an empty black tank, flush your favorite RV Black Tank Treatment down the toilet per instruction, along with about 1 or 2 gallons of water (which usually is 2 toilet bowl fills).  Most black tank issues are due to not using enough water.  
  
  Occasionally you should use a digestor, such as this one to help break down sludge and grease buildup.
  
  Since we are on the subject of toilets, about every 4^th black tank dump, pour ¼ to ½ cup of vegetable oil down the toilet followed by 1 cup of water to help maintain and keep supple the gate valve rubber seals. Also, when your RV is sitting for a while, let some vegetable oil cover the black seal you can see in the bottom of the toilet bowl to keep it supple and sealing well.

• The awning catastrophe
  I have seen many people set up their RV, run the awning(s) out, then leave to head to the trail or grocery store, only to come back and find their awning ripped off the sidewall, or wrapped up over their RV.
  
  Awnings are expensive to repair or replace (mainly because it takes 2 RV Technicians), and are out of stock at most RV parts departments.
  
  Please, only deploy your RV awning if you are sitting under it, or need it to shade the windows while you are inside. NEVER leave your RV with the awning out, because you never know when a gust of wind will lift and mangle your awning.  Never leave it out if it’s windy at all, and not if it’s raining hard. 
  
  Some higher-end awnings have wind sensors that automatically retract the awning if needed.  I have worked on those and the owner said they will never trust them again.  Food for thought?

• The burned up water pump
  If you are dry camping, turn off your water pump when you leave the RV, and back on again when you return. I have seen and heard of RV’ers who have come back from a hike to find a burned up water pump because of a leak or dripping faucet and the freshwater tank ran dry. 
  
  Water pumps need water to lubricate and cool them.
  Usually the water pump switch will light up when it’s on, so it is easy to see when it’s on or to make sure it’s turned off (not lit) when you are headed out to enjoy the outdoors.
  

• The flooded RV
  While traveling, always turn off your water pump. I’ve heard of faucet handles jiggling open during the bouncing around of travelling down the road, or a water fitting coming loose…and when the driver stopped, they found a flooded RV with the water pump running.
  
  Similarly, when staying at an RV park and you leave for the day, turn off the water at the hydrant.  A blown fitting can cause flooding in your RV and you don’t know about it until it’s too late.  Also, I have been at RV parks where they perform a water system flush, sending sandy dirty water to your RV and clogging your filter when you’re gone.

All four of these items take just a few seconds to do, and will hopefully keep RVing fun, not frustrating!
Remember to visit my RVing Products page for more information and links to Amazon products I recommend.

Keep checking back to my website for more “Oops, wish I knew that” content!

See you down the road!

The post Wish I Knew Those Too (2) first appeared on BJC RV Inspections and Repairs.