rv maintenance

RV Refrigerator Guide

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Cooling down your food and drinks in the summer is no joke, be informed about RV refrigeration! 

The three most common types of refrigerators you will see in a RV are 12 volt, gas electric style, and residential. Here’s a quick guide on each:

Gas Electric Fridge

The popular gas electric style of refrigerators are the best kind to use for boondocking. They can cool and freeze food running off of just propane or electricity, without any enhancers necessary. They do take 3 – 6 hours to efficiently cool down, and your RV must be perfectly level in order to ensure that the refrigerator technology can cool at the campsite. 

12 Volt Fridge

12 volt refrigerators operate from the 12 volt battery on your RV. They are efficient with power usage, but they are smaller in size in order to keep up this efficiency. If you don’t have an enhanced battery system or solar setup on your RV, you may want to avoid using a 12 volt fridge on a boondocking trip, since this fridge pulls right from your RV battery. 

Residential Fridge

Full residential refrigerators are increasing in popularity in many fifth wheels and large travel trailers. They’re often as large as refrigerators in a standard home, they cool reliably, they don’t use a lot of power, and are far less expensive than gas electric refrigerators. Being a larger refrigerator, it is more difficult to remove them from RVs, and a converter is required to power them. 

Each type of refrigerator is very reliable, many RV fridges last for decades at the same quality as the day of purchase. The refrigerator you choose is based on your own boondocking habits and power needs of your RV. 

For more RV tips, tricks, news and info, follow our Pete’s RV Info Blog today!

Checklist for Opening Your RV In the Spring

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It’s that happy time of year again! Time to pull the cover off of your RV and get it ready for a spring and summer of happy camping. Here’s some key steps for the process known as dewinterizing your RV. 

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Check all tires

Just like cars and bicycles, inactive RV tires lose significant psi of air pressure each month of inactivity, especially if stored in the cold. Driving an RV with underinflated tires is one of the most unsafe actions an RVer can do, so be sure to give your tires an air pressure and wear and tear check up. 

Give it the once over

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Do a walk through of all potential water damage spots on your RV’s exterior, especially the roof and hitch. Check the sealant around windows and doors, and look for any cracked seams in the roof caused by snow pile up. 

Check your batteries

Using a voltmeter while your RV is disconnected from electricity, check the charge and water level in your battery, then adjust it accordingly. 

Flush out the antifreeze

Even if the antifreeze you use is non-toxic, you still don’t want it in your drinking water. Drain your fresh water holding tank entirely, add potable water back in, then turn the water pump and all faucets on, and let the system drain for several minutes. Flush the toilet a few times during this process. When the water comes out clear, close the faucets and the pump. Then, take the water heater off bypass mode, and replace all water filter cartridges that were removed for storing the RV. Make sure to dump your gray and black water tanks at an official dump site, as they are still full of antifreeze. 

You will also want to sanitize your water system to remove any mold that built up in storage. After doing so, check for any leaky pipes or plumbing issues. 

Check your propane

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 Reinstall all propane tanks and make sure the hose is tightly fitted. Check for potential propane leaks by putting soapy water on all hose connections. If bubbles form, it could indicate a leak. Retighten after the process is complete. Check if your state requires propane tank recertification. Then make sure all of your propane-run appliances are working by giving them a quick test, especially on each stove burner. If you have a generator, check its oil levels. 

Freshen your filters

Air and water filters collect lots of dust and mold, so change them out at the beginning of each camping season. Make sure that your air vents are also functional with a good flow of air. 

Be safe

Don’t forget to update the smoke alarm batteries, fire extinguisher, carbon monoxide detector, and LP detector. Restock your RV first aid and emergency supplies, get rid of all expired dry food. 

After all those important updates, you’re all ready to camp! For more RV tips, tricks, and news, follow our Pete’s RV Center Info Blog today. 

Essential RV Tips: Using Antifreeze

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It’s that time of year again: time to dump lots of brightly colored liquid into all of your RV drains. You Need Antifreeze! What do you need to know about it?

RV and Marine antifreeze, conveniently packaged in the same bottle, surprisingly doesn’t protect against freezing, which isn’t necessarily harmful. It’s designed to prevent bursting, the plumbing damage that comes from ice freezing, expanding, and then rupturing. A rupture can result in gallons of pipe water flooding into the RV, causing a headache of damages. 

“RV antifreeze rated for -50 F and -75 F will start to freeze at around 20 F, but it won’t freeze to the burst point until -50 F or -75 F respectively.

In parts of the country where temperatures go into minus digits and stay there you should use the -100 F antifreeze for added protection. This type freezes at about -20 F, but provides burst protection to -100 F.” Said girlcamper.com. 

The most important part of using antifreeze is draining as much water or waste liquid from the pipes as possible. Antifreeze mixed with diluted water from an undrained pipe will burst far sooner than the temperature estimates on the bottle that assume there’s little to no water in the pipe. 

After winter is over, you can fill your pipes without water once again without worrying about draining the antifreeze, which is typically nontoxic. Of all the preparation your RV needs for winter, put antifreeze–and saving your pipes–at the top of the list. 

For more tips about winterizing your RV, check out our Winterization Tips with Pete’s RV Guru Randy Murray. 

Maintaining Your RV’s Roof

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Out of sight, out of mind is not a cliche that should be applied to RV roofs. They should be cleaned several times per year, and inspected for any potential issues.

During cleaning, scrub your RV roof with a medium bristle brush, or any other brush recommended by the manufacturer. You can use a cleaning liquid while doing this, but be sure not to use cleaners made with petroleum solvents, abrasives, or citruses, as those will weaken the strength of the roof materials. 

After scrubbing, rinse the whole RV thoroughly, both roof and exterior walls. Any grime dripping off the roof will go down the exterior walls, and if not rinsed, will leave ugly stains. 

Inspecting the roof while cleaning is vital, and should be done thoroughly. Check all sealants and seams, skylights, vents, and roof rack for mold and cracks. Fix any rips or tears immediately, before they snowball into other problems. 

To passively protect your RV roof from weather damage, keep it away from weather, and avoid the sun! RV storage facilities are ideal for protection, but RV roof covers will separate the roof from the elements. Be sure to use a proper RV roof cover and not any other kind of tarp, which can reduce airflow and result in mold.

At Pete’s RV Center, we have all of your RV maintenance needs in mind. Visit us at petesrvcenter.com to find a location near you!

How to Check Your Travel Trailer for Maintenance

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Whether in the middle of a camping season or after a long winter, inspecting your travel trailer for any maintenance needs is a vital component of keeping your RV healthy. Here’s a helpful checklist of what to look for when you’re checking out your RV.

  1. The Roof. Look for any holes or cracks where water could possibly enter the RV, damaged sealant, soft spots, damage to any solar panels, or mold. Just like a house, a damaged roof can bring down the whole RV. 
  2. Walls. Check the interior and exterior of all walls for cleanliness, holes or cracks, warping, which indicates water damage, sealant leaks around the windows, and soft spots.
  3. Tires. The date the tire was made is stamped on the tire, so inspect that and the general condition of the tires, which can erode if left uncovered. Look for uneven wear patterns between the different tires, which could indicate a bent axle. While you’re at it, check your axles for holes and rust. And don’t forget to inspect your spare tire!

  1. Underneath the Travel Trailer. Often overlooked by those unwilling to crawl under the RV, the undercarriage’s condition is fundamental to holding the RV together. Excessive rust, holes where animals could enter, dangling or disconnected wires, accident damage or a bent frame, or any visible holding tank issues are a few important things to look for. 
  2. Outside Connections. Power, cable, water, and sewer connections should all be routinely inspected, because you don’t want to go without any of them! Check if the water leaks out of the connection point, or leaks during water tank dumping. 
  3. Driving Components. Lights, brakes, turn signals, and the emergency disconnect switch should all be checked on to avoid hazardous driving. 
  4. Propane Tanks. The tanks collar will state the year they were manufactured, and propane tanks must be recertified once they are over 12 years old, and every 5 years after that. Make sure you don’t smell propane when the valves open, which indicates a leak in the connecting hose. Replace your tanks if they’re rusty or turning a dark color. 

For more RV maintenance tips and tricks, follow our Pete’s RV Center Info Blog today!

Tracking Your RV Maintenance

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It’s relatively easy to know when your tires need changing and rusting needs a touch up, but how are you keeping track of all the routine maintenance that needs to be done on your RV? Not everyone can be an expert in keeping every little piece of your travel trailer or motorhome up to date, so there’s bound to be something you don’t know how to care for. As usual, there’s an app for that!

maintainmyrv.com is now a part of RV LIFE Pro Suite, which for $49.00 per year sets up a schedule customized for your RVs maintenance timeline based on schedules already recommended by RV manufacturers. You will get an email alert when it’s time to maintain a part or get service, and can track expenses, key dates and fuel consumption.

The best part? Tracking up to 3 vehicles means you can also keep up with the car or truck that’s towing your RV, ensuring smooth sailing on camping trips. Give it a try, they offer a 7-day free trial!

If you want to take care of your RV without outside help, there are a few common fixes you may want to get a jump on. Inspecting the unit’s roof and seams to look for any leaks or holes is important to reduce leaks, so don’t forget to check those skylights!

Checking your tire pressure should be done before every camping trip, just as you’ll need to check your car or truck’s pressure if you’re towing a travel trailer. It’s also a good idea to check on the battery life and waste systems before each trip, as either of those acting up could make camping very unpleasant.

Each spring, check on your RVs brakes and slide outs, pursuing professional service if necessary. This is also a good time for an oil change and possible air conditioner filter replacement. Putting each of these critical RV maintenance items into your calendar now will help you preserve your RV’s value and avoid a disaster situation at the campground or on the road.

For more RV maintenance tips and tricks, check out our Pete’s RV Center YouTube channel which includes a playlist of your most common camping questions.

How to Clean Your RVs Holding Tanks Sensors

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How to Clean Your RVs Holding Tanks Sensors
Wednesday, November, 26th 2014 15:26:23

Resident RV Expert Randy Murray discusses a multitude of ways to clean your gray/black water holding tank sensors, clearing all inaccurate monitor panel readings from your camper on the†Pete’s RV YouTube Channel.

Sometimes you may get a full tank reading on the monitor panel inside your camper even after youve dumped your gray and black tanks. Randy notes that this is generally caused by a buildup of waste materials or anything that might have made its way down the toilet. These items can block the sensors preventing the correct readout.

Randy provides a few preemptive approaches to make sure you won’t have to deal with that faulty reading. The first is making sure before you flush that you add extra water so the toilet paper (making sure you use RV toilet paper) won’t clump up or dry out to the inside of the tank walls, the next is making sure the tanks are as full as possible (making sure not to overfill) before they are dumped. Randy suggests the use of a tank flush chock to assist in filling your holding tank before it’s dumped.

The good news is that there are other tools for when all else fails. The first one Randy recommends is what’s called an RV swivel stick, which he explains attaches to a hose and sprays around water at a high velocity to break down any tank buildup. †Depending on whether you own a travel trailer or fifth wheel, a longer flexible version is available for the harder to reach holding tanks. Lastly, filling up a 5-gallon bucket with hot water and pouring it down the toilet should help alleviate the issue by steaming away the blockage from the sensors.

Pete’s RV Center is an extraordinary recreational vehicle dealer with locations in South Burlington, VT, Schererville, IN and South Windsor, CT. An RV sales and service provider since 1952, Pete’s RV Center carries an extensive inventory of Keystone, Crossroads, Coachman, Heartland, Evergreen and Forest River RV-branded campers.

To learn more from Randy as well as stay up to date on all things Pete’s RV be sure to visit and subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

How to Prevent Damage to Your Camper’s Water Heater

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How to Prevent Damage to Your Camper’s Water Heater
Tuesday, June 3rd, 2014 18:00:03

PetesRV.com Resident RV Expert Randy Murray brings attention to a common mistake made by turning on the hot water heater and how to prevent any damage from occurring.

When it comes to using the hot water heater in your camper, it’s crucial to make sure that there is actually water in the tank. Randy stresses that no water in the tank results in a burned out electric element–rendering the hot water heater useless.

Randy demonstrates an insanely simple way to prevent the element from getting damaged. Every hot water heater is equipped with a pressure relief valve. It functions to protect the water heater from building up to much pressure. If it does, water is released from the valve. A quick press on the spring-loaded valve handle will tell you immediately whether or not there is water in the tank. If there is, you are good to fire up the water heater. If not, check hookups and bypass valves to ensure water flowing to the tank.

Learn more tips and service advice from Randy as well as much more on the Pete’s RV YouTube Channel.

Setting Up Dual 12 Volt Camper Batteries

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Setting Up Dual 12 Volt Camper Batteries
Monday May 19th, 2014 19:02:48

Resident RV Expert Randy Murray displays how to properly connect two 12 volt batteries in parallel for extended dry camping power.† Rather than a single battery connection where you will be required to replace it with a fresh battery, a dual connection alleviates this procedure and provide more even use of battery life.

By connecting the campers positive wire to the positive terminal on one battery and connecting the campers ground wire to the negative terminal on the second battery, Randy illustrates the correct way to achieve equal battery drain and how to ensure top notch battery life.

With the use of jumper wires (one for both positive and negative as Randy explains) that are equal or greater to the gauge of wire found on your camper, connect each line to the corresponding positive and negative battery to complete the connection and enjoy some extended dry camping.

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