Every Seam on Your RV has the Potential to Allow Water to Leak in. Make Sure You Read Over These Tips to Protect Your RV and Your Valuables Inside of it..

If there is a way to get in your RV, water will find it. Water leaks on an RV can cause extensive damage and can be extremely costly to repair. When I worked at an RV dealership I saw the damaging effects that water can cause to an RV time and time again. I learned the lesson the hard way. I appraised a unit that was being traded in and didn’t identify the extensive water damage, which resulted in a thousand dollars worth of repairs. Hindsight is 20/20 and I quickly learned how to inspect for, and identify potential water damage on RVs. My recommendation is that you inspect for potential water leaks twice a year at a minimum, once in the fall and again in the spring.

Every seam on your RV and anywhere the manufacturer cut a hole in your RV has the potential to allow water in. To protect your investment and your wallet take the time to REALLY inspect all of these seams and sealants. Water damage on an RV is similar to progressive damage to a tire. The outside of the tire looks fine, but the internal damage over a long period of time causes the tire to fail without any warning. The outside of your RV looks fine but the internal damage caused by water over a long period of time can result in the entire roof, floor or wall rotting away without you knowing it. Here are a few things to look for during your inspections.

Always keep safety on your mind when you are working on the roof of your RV You can be seriously injured from a fall! A reader of mine suggested that you use 2 pieces of 1/2" plywood, 2 foot by 4 foot, to move around on and spread your weight out over the roof rafters.

* To stop a leak before it starts, thoroughly inspect all roof and body seams. Consult with your RV dealer for sealants compatible with different types of roofing materials.

* Look for any discoloration and feel for any soft spots on the ceiling around roof vents, air conditioners, TV antennas, plumbing vents, and any other openings that were cut in the roof.

* Look for any discoloration or wrinkles in the wallpaper, and feel for any soft spots on the walls around all windows, doors, vents, slide outs, or any other openings that were cut in the side walls.

* Identify the location of items like the water heater, furnace, outside shower, potable water fill and city water inlet on the outside of the RV and then access those areas from the inside of the RV and look for any indications of water damage around these openings.

* Open all overhead cabinets and look in the top corner where the walls meet the ceiling for any discoloration or feel for any soft spots. This would indicate a leak at the seam where the sidewall and the roof attach.

* Check in all outside storage compartments for any indications of water leaks or water damage.

* Check for any soft spots on the roof itself especially around the roof seams at the front and rear of the RV. Thoroughly inspect all sealants on the roof around every opening.

* Some Class C motor homes are notorious for leaks in the cab over bed area. Look for any signs of discoloration and feel for soft spots. Reach under the mattress and feel for water.

* Look and feel on the outside of the RV for any signs of delaminating. Delaminating is caused by water getting between the exterior fiberglass and the sidewall. When this happens the exterior fiberglass separates from the sidewall of the RV. You can stand at the front or rear of the RV and look down the side for any noticeable ripples or what looks like a bubble. You can also press on the sidewalls. If you feel the exterior fiberglass move it is delaminating. Often times delaminating starts around where an opening that was made in the sidewall.

Don’t just inspect your RV for water damage; REALLY inspect your RV for water damage. If you do this on a regular basis you can locate and repair the source of any water damage before it has a chance to do a great deal of damage. I think I’ll start checking our motor home more than twice a year.

Courtesy of HowToFixYourStuff.com

Hey there RV fans! Check out how your RV can be a smart RV!

The sales team at McMahon's RV of Westminster, California was the first group of RV professionals to learn firsthand about the advantages of selling Smart RVs™, which are RVs equipped with a breakthrough new RV monitoring service designed just for RVers by Red Lantern Labs™.

Jon Corn, president of business development and sales for Red Lantern Labs, explained to the McMahon's team how useful Smart RVs can be. All of McMahon's new RV motorhomes are Smart RVs.

Corn said that a Smart RV uses GPS and wireless communications technology to connect a RV, its owner and the dealer. A Smart RV allows a RV owner to stay in touch with friends and family by letting them follow their travels and see where the Smart RV is in real time via the Smart RV website.

A Smart RV also automatically generates a trip history that shows where the RV travelled and stopped using familiar Google Maps. Owners can add trip notes to create useful trip journals, which they can keep share with friends and family on the Smart RV website. The dealer can also communicate with the owner via the Smart RV website.

Some leading RV manufacturers, including Forest River, Coachmen and Pleasure-Way, equip selected RVs at the factory as Smart RVs. For RVs that are not already Smart RVs, RV dealers can sell owners a Smart RV RTU2000 device that can be installed in both motorhomes and trailers in minutes and turns an RV into a Smart RV. The RTU2000 comes in an attractive retail box, which includes an installation guide, a Smart RV decal and other items to facilitate installation. After installation, owners simply register online to access their secure Smart RV account. The RTU2000 uses very little power, so it won't drain an RV's batteries.

Corn plans to make presentations at other locations operated by McMahon's, including in Colton, Palm Desert and Morgan Hill in California, and in Mesa, Arizona. More dealership visits are planned in the weeks ahead.

For more information about Smart RV, visit www.mysmartrv.com

courtesy of rvnews.com

Hey there fans! It's "RV Tip Thursday"!

5 Road-Tested Tips From an RV Rookie!

A few things might wake you up in the middle of the night the first time you climb under the covers inside an RV. Fearing that you forgot to engage the parking brake and are in danger of rolling down the hill to your death, for one. (You did, and you are.) Thinking someone left the light on in the bathroom and wondering whether that will drain the RV's battery by morning. (They did, but it didn't.) Hearing campers breaking the sacred "quiet after 9 p.m." rule and imagining they'll get busted. (They did.) Wondering if the bacon and eggs you bought for tomorrow morning's breakfast are now, effectively, toast, because you'd been told that the fridge will mysteriously stop working if the RV is parked on even the slightest incline. (They are.)

A typical beach rental in Avon, N.C.

(Brent Humphreys)

Funny, I'd spent half my life dreaming about setting off in an RV for parts unknown and maintaining perfectly level appliances never once figured into the fantasy. To me, RVing was simply the ultimate escape route. Maybe that's because my early family vacations revolved around campgrounds and car trips. Or maybe because buying an RV is the landlocked states' version of saving up for a sailboat. It's a vacation home wherever you want it, whenever you want it. It's freedom and security in equal measure. It's Lewis and Clark with a V-8 engine.

Useful RV Resources

FOR PLANNING
The annually updated Woodall's guides are considered the king of campground reviews (woodalls.com). Find a spot that suits you, then study fuel-conservation tips, vehicle specs, and even RV-friendly recipes on gorving.com.

 

FOR RENTING
Cruise America has 134 RV-rental offices in the U.S. and Canada and a 24-hour assistance hotline. For a fee, you can have the RV stocked with kitchen supplies ($100) and linens ($50 per person). cruiseamerica.com, Class C rental from $59 per night, three-night minimum.

 

FOR CAMPING
Frisco Campground in Frisco, N.C., has ocean views but no power, water, or waste-disposal hookups (nps.gov, $20). Its modern bathrooms have unheated showers. The Cape Hatteras KOA in Rodanthe, N.C., is full-service, with all the basic hookups plus amenities such as free Wi-Fi, (paid) cable television, a pool, a camp store, and a mini-golf course (koa.com, full-hookup dune-side RV site from $65).

"I studied online forums for RV enthusiasts, campground-review sites, and the orientation video on the RV-rental website."

Still, in the weeks leading to my maiden RV voyage, my anxiety was rising almost as fast as gasoline prices. The sheer size of the vehicle—and the fact that it would be filled with cutlery and combustible fuels—grew scarier by the minute. To quell the panic, I studied online forums for RV enthusiasts, campground-review sites, and the orientation video on the RV-rental website (twice). And I brought backup: Lindsay and Lola, a couple of friends I've known since college who have a generous way of seeing disasters as adventures. They tried to distract me by focusing on our packing priorities: hiking gear vs. lawn games, SPF 15 or 30. Not that it helped.

• ROAD-TESTED TIP #1: "Use an RV-specific route planner on a GPS. It'll factor in overhead clearance and other restrictions, such as which roads, bridges, and tunnels won't allow propane tanks through." —Richard Coon, President, Recreational Vehicle Industry Association

And yet, when we arrived at the Cruise America rental lot in Durham, N.C., I started to calm down, in part because a petite 20-something gal handed me the keys, and I figured that if she could pilot a big rig, then maybe I could, too. We got a few simple pointers from the RV folks: Pull far into intersections before making a turn. Leave lots of room for braking. Always use a spotter when you back up. Drive-through restaurants are just not worth the risk. We learned when to use battery power, propane, shoreline electricity, and our generator; how to restart a dead battery; the necessity of turning off the propane tank before refueling; how to heat water for showers and how to tell when the water supply is nearly depleted; and how to level out the rig with a pair of two-by-four boards if our campsite is on a slant. And we learned the finer points of emptying the holding tanks—a polite way of saying draining the toilet—a task that quickly supplanted merging onto the highway as my most dreaded challenge. "Once you get the hose screwed on—and make sure you screw it on really tight—then open the valves and walk away," said Tommy, our orientation instructor. "Or run. I've gotten wet feet more times than I like to recall." The girls and I made a pact to use the campgrounds' rest areas whenever possible and added latex gloves to the top of our shopping list. Then we took a few trial spins around the parking lot, and with Lindsay in the navigator's seat and Lola on loose-objects duty in the back, we headed into the great wide open.

"We quickly learned that RV trips are all-hands-on-deck endeavors."

First came the rattle. With every bump in the road, each cup, dish, and saucepan in our kitchen cabinets shuddered like a beat-up shopping cart being pushed down a gravel road. (I learned later that putting paper towels between the plates helps immensely.) Then came the thuds. Turn left, and one set of drawers would slide open with a thwak. Turn right, and another drawer would do the same. We were already learning that RV trips are all-hands-on-deck endeavors. In addition to navigating, Lindsay was my second set of eyes for lane changes and would become my second-in-command for ticking off setup and breakdown duties. Lola wrangled drawers and cabinets, stood lookout at the rear window for minor back-up missions, and became galley chef for the length of the trip. "This is like a ropes course," Lindsay said after our first refueling stop, with its propane-off, propane-on, secure-all-items drill. "Maybe we should do some trust falls at the beach."

courtesy of budgettravel.com

Thank you for this wonderful review, Richard!

5-Star Review on Yahoo Local:

"We have been looking and considering getting back into camping.. We saw a unit on the internet and requested more information. We received a response back immediately. We scheduled an appointment to go and check out the unit. Our salesman was Dan Golden, he was very helpful and we felt like we ve know him for a long time. Dan did not pressure us in buying any unit and answered all our questions. Our experience with everyone there was a joyful experience. DJ in Finance, Jennifer in the Service Department and Chuck who gave us our walk through. When we picked up our trailer we had to wait longer then expected for the walk through. However, once we started, they took there time and showed us everything and answered our questions. We definitely would recommend to our friends to consider buying a unit from here and ask for Dan Golden"

Hey RV fans, do you know how to level out your camper?

Happy 96th Birthday To The National Park Service! August 25, 2012!

On August 25, the National Park Service will celebrate its 96th birthday and EVERYONE is invited to join the party! All Americans can be proud that the United States was the first country in the world to set aside its most significant places as national parks so that they could be enjoyed by all!

courtesy of nationalparks.org

If you could take your RV absolutely anywhere in the country, where would you go?

You RV refrigerator is definitely not like the one in your home! Check out this video and see why!

Thank you for this fabulous review, Sarah!

5-Star Review on Yelp:

"We purchased a 2011 Forest River Grey Wolf 29 foot bunkhouse with the outdoor kitchen from Dan Golden at All Season's RV in July of 2012.  I had been all over NE Ohio and Western PA looking for someone to provide me with what I needed in a camper at the price I was comfortable with.  It was 100 degrees the day we were looking, I was exhausted and tired, Dan had the camper that he felt would suit our needs pulled into the service area in the shade and plugged in so that I could look at the unit in air conditioning, plus take my time making a decision.  There was no point where I was pressured to purchase the camper, all of our questions were answered with great knowledge and my kids were entertained playing in the wonderful room they have provided so that parents can "look" without children who are ready to go home.  We had a very smooth transaction with our purchase, and the unit was ready to go when promised.  All of the staff was wonderful to work with from the receptionist, salesmen, owner and service department.  I will return to this dealership to purchase my parts and also my next camper.  Thank you for providing us with the camper for years of camping fun as a family....
Sarah Underwood"

A popular RV destination in the U.S. is Glacier National Park, where you'll find one of the most spectacular scenic drives in the world: Going to the Sun Road.

Thank you for this stunning review, Rich!

5-STAR REVIEW ON YAHOO LOCAL:

"We looked at several RV dealerships in search of a travel trailer for our family. We were very pleased when we met Wendy Shaffer at All Seasons. She is the best salesperson that we have talked to during our search. Wendy was very informative but did not try to pressure us into purchasing something that we did not want. Our search ended at All Seasons and we are very happy with our travel trailer!"