Bans on international travel and the desire to enjoy a socially-distanced vacation led to a boom in RV sales in 2020.
RV camping is a great way for travelers young and old to enjoy an outdoor adventure across the country or in their own backyard. However, hitting the road in an RV for the first time can be intimidating.
From the brakes to the bathroom, there are plenty of working parts in your RV that can malfunction or break.
Whether you’re a first-time RV-er or a seasoned traveler, keep reading to learn a few warning signs that it may be time to call an RV repair service.
1. Stains, Bubbles, or Soft Spots on Your Roof
Water is your RV’s worst enemy. Even a small amount of water getting where it shouldn’t can lead to electrical shorts, mold and mildew, and other issues that are costly to repair.
In some cases, if water damage is left untreated, it can lead to damage that can’t simply need to be repaired, totally the RV or leading to the need for a full remodel.
There are many ways that water and moisture can get into your RV. One of the most common is through damaged or dried out seals in your roof. These seals wrap around your air conditioner, vents, sun lights, your TV antenna, and anything other access points within your roof.
The overall material of your roof is also sealed to help keep water from soaking in during heavy rain or snow.
Whether you use your RV often or not, or whether it’s stored indoors or outdoors, your RV’s seals should be replaced every 5 years. That way, your roof is never at risk of water damage.
However, if you haven’t resealed your roof recently or have been in a storm, signs of possible water damage include water spots on the ceiling of your RV, bubbling on the outside, or soft spots in the materials of your roof.
2. Brake Light is On
In a motorhome, one of the most important signs that you need RV repair help is if your brake lights come on.
Class A motorhomes can weigh anywhere from 13,000 pounds to more than 30,000 pounds. Even medium-sized Class C RVs weigh between 10,000 and 12,000 pounds.
If the brakes on one of these vehicles go out, the results can quickly turn deadly, both for anyone on-board and others on the road.
Luckily, the brake light is an easy sign that your RV needs repair. However, keep in mind that if the light does come on, it may not be safe to travel miles down the road to your nearest service station.
Unless you have enough experience to check your brakes on your own to decide whether you can travel to a service center, it’s best to check for a mobile RV repair in your area.
If your motorhome is older or the light isn’t functioning properly, there may be other signs of damage before your brake light comes on.
Squealing or grinding noises when you come to a stop are one such sign. Another is vibration while you’re driving. This occurs when you have an uneven rotor, causing your steering wheel to vibrate.
3. Your RV Has Suffered Storm Damage
An RV is a great way to enjoy the comfort and convenience of a vacation home that you can take with you wherever you go. But while RVs have come a long way in terms of design and durability in recent years, they are still no match for strong storms.
High winds, flooding, hail, and lightning can all destroy your RV, or at least leave it with some serious damage.
Lighter damage, like tree limbs falling on the roof or hail, can become a serious problem if that damage is left unfixed. That’s because any small holes and punctures leave the inside of your RV susceptible to the elements, like rain and wind.
If your RV has suffered storm damage, it’s important to figure out how to fix my RV right away to put a stop to any additional damage.
4. Sinks or Toilets are Clogging
RV toilets and sinks utilize a system of water tanks and pipes to function.
Freshwater flows into your RV via a hose to the outside hookup. This water goes into a freshwater tank for holding. Your kitchen and bathroom sinks, as well as your toilet, draw water from that freshwater tank.
Once you’ve used a sink, the dirty water flows into a gray water tank. The water and other debris from the toilet flow into the black tank.
Both the black tank and gray tank flow out of your RV into the sewer.
This system isn’t complicated, but it is sensitive. Debris can build up along the line or in your tank, causing a back-up. Left unchecked, this can cause damage to your tank or allow water and sewage to flow back into your RV.
If you’ve noticed that your sink isn’t draining or your toilet won’t flush, you’ll want to get the problem checked right away to avoid a messy disaster.
5. Your Air Conditioning Isn’t Cooling Your RV
One thing that sets an RV apart from a tent when you’re camping is the ability to flip on your air conditioning and cool off on a hot day.
When you go to do so and find that no cool air comes out, you’ll likely need some help to get the problem fixed.
Just like with your home’s air conditioning, your RV air conditioner needs regular maintenance in order to keep running smoothly
Finding the Right RV Repair Service for the Job
If you’ve spotted one of these warning signs, the last thing that you want to do is trust your repairs to the wrong RV repair service.
Before you tow your RV to a service center, be sure to check online reviews to make sure that they are reputable. Just as with automotive repairs, you can always get multiple opinions and estimates for your repairs before committing to choosing a company to get the job done.
For more tips on everything from caring for your RV and truck to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, check out the rest of our blog.
