Forum Discussion

yankeeslover's avatar
yankeeslover
Explorer
Jan 20, 2015

Maintence questions...Furnace. AC, Water, Fridge?? basic ???

Thanks for reading, My camper will be two years old this coming summer. I understand that anything that uses Propane should have some maintence done to them.. I am not a mechanic so i wont pretend to be able to pull things apart and fix them.. But can someone explain what needs to be done to the following
A)Furnance
B)AC
C)Fridge
D)Water heater


My local dealer can do this stuff but will charge arm and leg.. is this something that anyone can perform on there own or is it pretty hard stuff to get into? thank you.
  • mosseater's avatar
    mosseater
    Explorer II
    Jan 20, 2015
    I agree, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I'm a guy, like many here, who are fix-it people. I do it for a living in a different environment, so not a huge deal for me. Broken things seem to find me wherever I go. POint is, if you're going to own a trailer, it pays to educate yourself on how to fix them. Most of this stuff isn't that hard. Plenty or resources out there to point you in the right direction these days. This forum can be one (on most days). Just be sure to be safe and understand what's going to happen when you dig into something. After a while, you'll wonder what you were worried about. Good luck!
  • profdant139's avatar
    profdant139
    Explorer II
    Jan 20, 2015
    I use a shop-vac on the burner orifices of the fridge and the water heater every year, but I am not sure it is necessary -- there is always some road dust that gets inside the vent covers.
  • rex_529's avatar
    rex_529
    Explorer
    Jan 20, 2015
    one of the main problems is air intake and outlet obstruted by dirt dobberes. if you have soot that is quite often the cause . remedy may rrequiree removal and dismantling in order to clear. best regards rex.
  • Drew_K's avatar
    Drew_K
    Explorer
    Jan 20, 2015
    Main stuff is listed above, and youtube is also great. The #1 I would check is *every* caulk seam and edge to make sure you don't have any gaps. Water damage is about the worst thing that can happen to an RV, and a little bit of caulk separation or a gap in the exterior can lead to a leak that you won't discovery until it's too late.
  • ScottG's avatar
    ScottG
    Nomad
    Jan 20, 2015
    The propane stuff really doesn't require that much maint.
    Your supposed to get the fridge cleaned and serviced yearly but after a couple of years (when warranty ran out) I quit that part too. Eight years later it still works fine.
  • _tiredTeacher's avatar
    _tiredTeacher
    Explorer II
    Jan 20, 2015
    Remember the old adage: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
    I'm sure your RV came with a bunch of manuals supplied by the appliance manufacturers, right? In these manuals you'll find the answers to your questions. No manuals? Get the make, model a serial number from those appliances and get the info on line.
    That being said, here is a generic recommendation for maintenance.
    A/C - clean inside air filter
    Fridge - clean interior
    Water heater - drain and replace sacrificial anode as needed (if so equipped)
    Furnace - clean out the floor vents as needed.
    In other words, if these appliances are working, they don't need you to mess with them.

    My 2 cents,
    Teach

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