One thing that I like to do for our weekly blog is to pick from the online forms that potential customers submit to us. If I see patterns in what people are submitting, often times it makes for a great post. One such online form submission involved a customer who wanted to bring their travel trailer in for a roadworthiness evaluation after it had been sitting in an outdoor storage facility for quite some time.
Now we have written about how to de-winterize and get your RV or Travel trailer ready for the season after short term storage- say a season or two- but what about those units that have gone un-used for a few years or more? That is the topic for today.
When you bought that RV or travel trailer, or perhaps inherited it, you could never dream of going a whole season without using it. I have friends who though the same thing with their boats. But life comes at us and finding the time for recreation can get squeezed. With weekend errands, soccer games, kids activities, its easy for an RV or travel trailer parked across town at a storage lot to remain there for a year or more. But now that you are finally finding some free time to get the family out on the road, its time to get that unit checked out, naturally we recommend that you bring t to a professional. But to get it there, or to do the inspection yourself, here is what you need to do first:
Wheels and tires- Obviously you want to check for any flat tires and get them filled before pulling the RV off the storage lot. RV tires that sit in storage for long periods will become weak, especially if they’ve been exposed to the sun much of that time. Long periods of storage under direct sunlight can lead to damage that you might not even see.
Even though the tires might look may look fine, at highway speeds your RV tires can disintegrate and cause a blowout which could inflict new damage on the RV.
Flat Spotting
Think twice before heading out on RV tires that have been out in the sun for 5 years or more without moving. You could be setting yourself up for a terrible accident due to flat spotting. As tires heat up and cool in the sun without moving for years, they will definitely get flat spots. While driving or pulling the unit, you will hear a very audible rumble coupled with a lot of vibration. At that point you should pull the unit to safety and not continue to move it.
Axle Preparation
Grab a tire iron and make sure all of the lug nuts are secure. If you are taking the Travel trailer a sort distance to get inspected, you should have them repack the wheel bearings and adjust the brakes. If you are not, then you really should do this yourself before going any distance besides local.
Air it out
Open all the windows, doors and vents and let the unit air out for a while. Also check for evidence of pest infiltrations especially rodents who love to make homes in dormant RV’s and travel trailers. These guys can chew up wiring, LP lines and water lines. Open every window and door and apply a little Vaseline to the weather stripping to make it pliable.
Once the RV or Travel Trailer has been safely moved to our facility for inspection we will re-check the items above as well as look for the following:
• Rubber roofs can deteriorate and start to leak- We will thoroughly check the RV roofing for any leaks as water is the number one killer of RV’s and travel trailers.
• Seals may have dried out so windows, vent covers, doors, valves, and slide-outs do not open and close properly. We check not only the external seals, but we do a thorough inspection of all the body caulking as well as seals used in the mechanical components such as vents and AC systems.
• Fabric may be bleached by the sun if windows and vents were left uncovered. It’s possible the fabric may look fine, but may be suffering from sun rot and will shred when used or washed. We will inspect all upholstery materilas as well as awnings for potential damage and advise as necessary.
• Batteries – One or more batteries could be dead or near death. We will always do a through inspecton of the charging and power supply components, as well as checks for power surging, phantom loads, and voltae spikes.
• Generators. If you plan on doing any type of remote camping, we will inspect your generator. These are typically built to stay dormant for long periods of time, but the time to check them is before your first trip of the season.
• Hidden rot from Leaks and condensation. We always thoroughly inspect the interior and the structure where possible for signs of water spots or water damage.
• For motorhomes, there may be oxidation and degradation of the fuel and fluids. We will fully flush each system and replace with fresh fluids.
Hope this helps those who are getting back into their RV’s or Travel trailers after a long term storage.