Skylight resealed

When it comes to roof leaks in RVs, the best defense is to keep them from happening. What that means is someone has to get up on the roof of every RV twice a year, the start and end of the camping season works well, and inspect all the apertures (openings) and joints.

Now, let’s supposed you are saying “okay, that’s makes sense”, what do I look for? Good question. There are some areas on all RV roofs that makes up the majority of problem children. The largest areas are the where the front and rear cap are attached to the roof. What you will find is the front cap simple lays on top of the roof and is screwed down and than a layer of caulking covers the joint and screws.

These joints are subject to leaks because they are very long, running the full width of the roof, and because they are so wide, they are also subjected to a good deal of flexing as the RV moves down the road. As long as these joints are well caulked and appear solid, nothing needs to be done. As the caulking dries out, the joint will separate and once water penetrates and the roofing substrate beneath the screws disintegrates, it is very difficult to secure the trailing edge of the front cap and it is often necessary to add screws in an attempt to find a secure purchase for the threads.

The apertures in the roof such as vents and skylights are the other source of roof leaks and of these, skylights without a doubt lead the way. Again the best defense here is to observe routinely and caulk as necessary. If the leak is severe, simply dumping on more caulking does not good and at that point, it is necessary to remove the existing caulking, take up the fitting, reapply a tacky tape seal beneath the fitting,and then reattach the fitting.

If damage has progressed to the degree that screws do not secure the fitting, it is time to consider opening the roof and rebuilding the substructure and substrate. Rebuilding a roof is both labor intensive and costly, so inspection and maintenance win hands-down when it comes to guarding against leaks.

Steve (Mobility RV Service 423.341.8792)

So you are about to have the rubber roof on your RV coated. You may want to think again! Coating the roof on an RV is a popular undertaking, I am guessing, by folks who think coating the roof will somehow magically stop leaks and preserve the life of the roof. Unfortunately things so simple seldom serve the purpose for which they are intended and coating a roof is no exception.

To coat a roof properly requires several steps. First, the roof must be throughly cleaned. Secondly, the coating that preps the roof for the final coating has to be applied. That’s right, roof coatings worth anything come in two parts, an etcher and a final coating. After the roof is etched a final coating is applied.

Now here is where things get sticky. Roof coatings are not intended to seal leaks, so be sure any leaks are vanquished before applying the coating as it is much simpler to locate leaks on the original roof. Aluminum roofs also gain nothing with a roof coating other than potential problems.

It is also important to follow the manufacturer’s instructions. I often find roof coatings flaking off or covering the roof in a gummy mess. As you might imagine, removing a coating that has not been properly applied is a fool’s game for which there are no easy answers and anything you do may only make things worse.

Here’s my take. Rubber roofs last about 15 years. At that point, in my opinion, if you are still in love with your RV and not about to trade or sell it, a reroofing is in order. Expensive? You bet, but it sure bets pouring several hundred dollars into a fix that does nothing.

Even if you decide to ignore everything I have to say on this topic, be careful of the campground jack leg offering a cut rate deal on coating your roof. A poorly done coating is worse than no coating at all.

Steve (Mobility RV Service 423.341.8792)

With the start of the camping season, what is the most common service call we receive? That’s an easy one, awnings without a doubt. It seems many folks who camp remain uncertain how to best protect their awning from wind damage, so let’s talk about awnings.

The source of an awnings strength comes from the upper most attachment point. The lower attachment points for the arms on the sidewall (for manual awnings) does little more than fix position. The same holds true for electric awnings where the brackets are simply screwed into the sidewall of the RV. There generally is nothing structural behind those arms and it requires very little in the way of wind to rip the screws out of the sidewalls. What that means is even a moderately stiff updraft raising the roller tube will carry the tube and arms up onto the roof of the camper. We see this type of damage often, even when straps are used to secure the ends of the awning to stakes in the ground. When that happens, an entire new awning is usually in order.

How about electric awnings with wind sensors? Our take on wind sensors is they retract the awning just quickly enough to so it is half way in before it is ripped off the coach. In other words, there is no such thing as an awning that can be left unattended in a wind storm.

Our advice is simply this. If it is windy, retract your awning. If you are not going to be at your camper, retract your awning. If a wind comes up suddenly and you are at your camper, do not try to retract your awning, lock it down in as low a position as possible (manual awnings only).

Awnings are expensive and are the easiest system in your RV to protect in inclement weather. If the wind is blowing, keep your awning retracted! Do I hear an amen?

Steve (Mobility RV Service 423.341.8792)

Ever wonder why when you operate the levelers (jacks) in your motor home, the levelers work in pairs? Here’s way.

In the olden days, before what is called bi-axial leveling, it was possible to operate each leveler individually. Those of you with the old HWH joystick systems remember this well. Of course, modern motor homes dwarf models of days gone by and as size increased so did windshield size and frame twist. With increased size, owners quickly discovered rigid windshields fared poorly when frames were elevated cornerwise and often the windshield popped right out when the coach was leveled.

Searching for a solution, manufacturers developed systems in which two jacks were always activated at a time, two front or two rear or two on either side. In theory, bi-axial leveling resulted in less frame twist and hence fewer windshields popping out. Some manufacturers also went to systems using one leveler centered in the front and a jack at each rear corner.

The overall result was less twist and more happy customers, but the word from this corner is try to avoid leveling in situations in which your coach is severely out of level. Yes, the new systems do better than the old ones, but I still see windshields held in with duct tape from time-to-time. It is fine for you to make like a mountain goat when camped, but don’t expect the same from your motor home.

Steve (Mobility RV Service 423.341.8792)

Often RV shoppers struggle with deciding between whether to buy a motor home, travel trailer, or fifth wheel. In my opinion, the best way to decide between types of RVs is to focus on your intended use.

If time on the road is the priority, it is hard to beat a seat in the motor home of your choice. Naturally, you more than likely will have a “toad” (car or truck pulled behind) in tow. Since owning a motor home means maintaining and extra drive train, using a motor home to “motor” rather than sit makes good sense. Driving a motor home a few times a year and leaving it parked for weeks invariably means increased maintenance as mechanical things do about as well as the human body, if left parked in front of the television set.

Towables generally cost less and are on top of their game when nestled in a campground. There also is no drive train with which to contend so storage does less harm. The vehicle used to move them down the road can also serve as a daily driver, provided the unit being towed is not too heavy.

While there is no best way to RV, be sure your initial focus in on how you intend to use what you buy. You will be glad you did!

Steve (Mobility RV Service 423.341.8792)

When I make service calls, one of the most common questions I am asked to address is why something broke or did not have a lifespan equal to what the owner expected.

The classic mistake I believe RV owners make is assuming owing an RV is like a owning a house or a car, when in fact it is not. RVs, by their by nature are toys and as such, they are sold based on glitz and sparkle. The overwhelming majority of buyers, and especially first time buyers, have almost no idea how to judge quality and put their faith in what they see. Unfortunately, too often what they see are things like multiple flat screens or shiny trim.

What they fail to see are things like vinyl instead of wood, paper thin construction, and components which will depend on luck to survive through their warranty periods. Is this situation likely to change? Absolutely not. RVs have been sold based on sizzle rather than quality for decades and there is nothing on the radar screen likely to change that situation.

For those buyers seeking an RV with which they are less likely to immediately be confronted with problems, buy a well-cared-for used unit instead of a new unit. Used units of fairly recent lineage are more likely to have had their problems worked out by the previous owner and buying used also is a way to avoid the whopping depreciation that comes with taking a new unit off the lot.

If you just can’t bear the idea of owning something someone else has owned, buy from a dealer with an established service department close to your home. You are going to be spending some time there, so you may as well at least be able to save on driving time!

Steve (Mobility RV Service 423.652.0507)

It’s that time again, time to get your camper ready for the 2012 season. Wondering where to start? First things first. Before it gets any warmer, climb up on the roof and check all the seams and redo any caulking that has dried and is cracking.

Pay particular attention to the front and rear where the cap joins the roof and make sure there is a good solid line of caulk covering the joint. Once water gets in and the roof softens under the cap, you will have a devil of a time getting it screwed back down tightly. Also check along the edges to make sure water is not getting in behind the screw cover that holds the edge of the rubber roof to the sidewall. The edge is a prime source of water penetration and water damage will do more to decrease the value of your camper than any other problem short of running into a bridge!

It is worth noting here that any caulking used on the roof should be designed to be used on rubber roofs and should be “self-leveling”, which means it levels out on its own. Silicone from the local building supply store is totally unacceptable as it yellows and does not adhere well to the roof.

Once it is all sealed up tightly, give the roof a bath with soap and water and you should be done with it until fall, when you should again inspect the roof to insure no trees ran into it while you were camping. The life of rubber roofs is usually about 12-15 years and there is no need to use anything on the roof routinely, unless drying is pronounced. Then, if you decide to coat the roof, you must use one of the products that goes on in two steps. First, an etcher is applied, than the coating. We do not coat roofs as we have to warranty our work and have seen some applications fail and peel back off leaving a mess. Many of our technician friends feel the same way.

Steve (Mobility RV Service 423.341.8792)

If you are one of the many who has a Duo Therm air conditioning system from Dometic with ducted air  (the cooling comes out registers scattered across the ceiling), you may find yourself with an unwanted expense this year if repair becomes necessary.

Dometic has discontinued their entire line of existing thermostats and control boards. That means even though your rooftop unit may be working just fine, in the event your controls die, you will have to replace not only the control box, as in the past, but you will also have to replace the thermostat. In the event you have more than one air conditioner, you will have to replace the control board in each air conditioner in your rig, if they are controlled by the same thermostat.

Naturally it is too late to stock up now as most of us are already out of our old stock and the change came without warning, so we had no way to stock up. The change will add about $100 to the cost of the repair if there is one air conditioner and $200, if you have two air conditioners on the same thermostat, and so forth.

Just want you to know so you do not think the dealer or tech is feeding you a line to jack up charges in the event your unit goes on the fritz in the summer heat.

Steve (Mobility RV Service 423.341.8792)

If you ever wondered what we see as the RV “problem children” here at the NASCAR race, the list sort of sounds like this.

Far and away the most difficult problems with which to deal are in motor homes and the more complex the motor home, the less likely the problem will be addressed while it is parked in a field or in a gravel lined parking lot. Hydraulic jacks and slides are biggies because we do not stock parts for those, nor do other mobile techs. The parts are simply too large and cumbersome to carry on our truck in hopes we might need them.

Slide-outs are worse in motor homes due to access issues and with flush floor slides, there is almost no way to lift them up and in, if they get stuck out. We know the manufacturers say there is, but they also tell us privately if there is not a fork lift available, there is no way to get the slide in. We almost always take a pass on hydraulics. We have been to school for them and have come away convinced they are more trouble than they are worth for mobile service centers.

We also get a good many calls on refrigerators and again the “latest and greatest” with the “advanced” electronics have an abysmal track record. On the other hand, we get many calls on refrigerators where there is no problem. When someone calls who has only had the fridge turned on for 20 or 30 minutes, we tell them to let it run for 4-8 hours and then if it is not starting to cool, call us back. RV refrigerators do not have compressors and in really hot weather, may take a full day to completely cool down. That means to park with the refrigerator side of the camper in the shade, if at all possible.

Most other things are not too much trouble, but we encourage folks to try everything before they head to Bristol for the race and to call ahead for service, if possible.

Steve (Mobility RV Service 423.341.8792)

One of the greatest concerns for RV owners is saving money, which often leads to the questions like “Why are repair parts so expensive?”,  ”Why not just buy them on the Internet at the lowest price?, and finally “Why not make the repair myself?”  Good questions all, so let’s look at them in order.

First, parts are expensive because they are specialty items that come from a limited number of sources. Limited sources means the manufacturer sets the price and often acts as its own distributor, which means if you want the part, you buy it from the folks who make it and pay their price. For example, if we want to stock Duo Therm air conditioners, we have to get them from the manufacturer, Dometic. There is not another source and they set the price as they see fit.

Why not buy them on the Internet? If you are capable of handling the the manufacturer’s warranty if something goes wrong, it is not a problem at all. Again with Duo Therm air conditioners (and this is the way it works with all manufacturers), if you think it is bad during the warranty period you take it off and install a new one they send you, or in some cases you have to wait until they determine what you sent them is defective. You pay for the new one and ship the old one back, that is, if Dometic will work with you as an individual rather than a dealer.

Then they determine whether your diagnosis is correct, which normally takes a number of weeks (or 6 -12 months in the case of some manufacturers). If you are correct, you are reimbursed. If not you get a bill and the old air conditioner back (or something similar to this depending on the manufacturer). Most dealers regard warranty work as a money loser, so they do not want to deal with warranting anything they do not sell. Again, manufacturers are likely to demand these steps be done by a dealer so they do not waste time checking out good units, etc.

Now, suppose you bought it on the Internet. What do you do and how long does it take to get the problem resolved? Normally with our customers, it takes less than a week to diagnose the problem and replace the unit, if necessary. We handle everything from start to finish on the warranty. Most other dealers do the same.

Finally, you have to decide if you can do the work. We frequently get calls from folks who take things apart and can not put them back together or once reassembled something doesn’t work. Some things are simple to work on; some things are not so simple.

The choice is yours!

Steve (Mobility RV Service 423-341-8792)