Check your trailer brakes once a year. Check preloaded bearings and grease them once a year.

The Hinsley Hitch for large travel trailers will greatly improve the stability for those who tow regular trailers.

Fifth Wheel owners: Don't over extend the landing gear. If you do, it will bend. Use blocks to build up the space below them.

If you use caster wheels in the back of an RV to protect against the long overhang, rubber wheels will last about a day. Use steel!

Sanitize your water system: The best way is to take household bleach, 1/4 cup to each 15 gallons of tank capacity. Mix some in water (so you're not using straight bleach), and fill the tank. Run all the faucets (except the toilet) to get the solution in all the lines. Drive around the block to slosh it; then empty it. Next use a half cup of regular baking soda dissolved in a bucket of water. Fill the tank again and then drain it. Then fill and drain it one more time. At this point your tank should be pristine. Make sure you drain the system if your RV is to be left in cold weather. Burst pipes can cause a great deal of damage.

Water leaks are the bane of RVers. If a connection gets loose, water gets in. A good seal is essential to avoide dry rot. Check your roofs for gaps. Do not use a silicone sealer anywhere except around windows as it can become brittle.

Clean your roof with a medium bristle brush and lots of water. Do not use petroleum distillates as they may make the roof bubble.

Starbrite is a good cleaner for black streaks. Magwires Gelgloss fiberglass cleaner is good for showers.

The best 25 foot hose for connecting to city water is a 1/2 inch diameter permanently coiled hose as sold at camping world.

Dumping: Don't ever open both gray water and black water valves at the same time. It's okay to keep the gray water open when you're connected; but don't flush the black water until it's about 2/3 full -- and then only after the gray system is shut down. Only use holding tank deodorizer -- other types will dry out the valves. Single ply toilet paper only. If you line the bowl with toilet paper before use, it will help keep it cleaner.

Battery terminals should be cleaned with a paste of baking soda periodically to protect against corrosion. Apply a thin coating of Vaseline once it's clean.

Fill batteries with distilled water, never tap water.

Where batteries are in parallel, they must be the same type, same age, same everything.
Two six volt golf cart batteries cabled in series are almost twice the reserve power of two 12 volt batteries in parallel. This despite the fact that the amp hour ratings would appear to be similar. T145's by Trojan are the top of the line golf cart battery. (We note another speaker recommended T105s by Trojan as superior to the 145's-- but both recommended Trojan as the top brand name.)

Fifth Wheelers: About the breakaway switch on the gooseneck: If you pull it out to "lock" the wheels when parked, you'll run the batteries down and eventually break the mechanism. Don't do it!

LP Gas detectors can, over a long period, run batteries down -- especially if you store it for a while. You can turn it off by then switching off the batteries altogether when the RV is stored.

Inverters: Most buyers want to use microwave ovens. They figure a 1,000 watt inverter will run a 800 watt microwave. Wrong. Usually the "800" watt microwave will draw as much as 1,500 watts. Check inside the microwave door to get the "real" power consumption.

Use a surge protector (computer type)where the microwave plugs into the the wall. Surges will cause the microwave fuse to trip, and the entire unit needs to be taken out of the wall to repair it.

Air conditioners: Maintain the filter on the inside. Wash it with soap and water and let it dry. Also, watch for puddling of water around roof air conditioners. If the seal should fail, it could be a serious problem in a short time. The unit should be mounted on a portion of the roof where the water will run away from it.

Refrigerators: While they want to be "level", the newer ones are quite forgiving. As a rule of thumb, if you are comfortable with the position, the refrigerator will be too. To check the seal on the refrigerator door, shut a dollar bill in it. If it falls out or is easily removed, your seal is faulty. Always prop the doors open when storing your rig.

Safety tip: Beware where you are parked very close to another unit. Often motorhomes have gas fillers which end up directly across from an outside appliance (e.g. refrigerator with a flame). On a hot day, gas fumes may escape, and an explosion can occur.

For dual propane cylinders: The solenoid valve often fails. Don't let anyone replace a propane appliance until you've checked to see whether the solenoid valve is working properly.

The pilot light on the stove top is the ONLY open flame inside the RV. It's a good idea to turn it off when not in use.

The pressure relief valve on the water tank is designed TO leak. Don't worry if you get a few drops from it from time to time. It's just doing its job.

The drain plug (anode rod) in the Suburban hot water tank is MADE to be "sacrificed". Bad water is intended to eat them up so they don't eat the tank up. They can need replacement in as little as a few months. The lowest cost source for replacing them is Camping World ($5.75), rather than $20 elsewhere.