With spring here and summer almost upon us, if you haven’t done it already, now is the time to wake up your recreation vehicle for a fun-filled family camping season.
In this 4-part series, longtime RV expert and master maintenance guy, Mark J. Polk of RVEducation101.com, offers seven essential areas to check during this annual spring ritual: RV batteries, water system, exterior and seams, tires, engine and generator, appliances, and general safety devices.
RV Batteries: Polk, a certified RV technician, always starts with the batteries because they are needed to perform some of the other checks. According to Polk, the condition of the RV batteries is dependent on how well they were cared for while they were in storage.
“Batteries in storage will lose a percentage of current through internal leakage,” said Polk of North Carolina. “It’s not uncommon for a battery to discharge up to 10 percent a month when it is in storage. If you checked and recharged the batteries periodically they should be ready to go. If not, the first step is to fully charge them.” Add distilled water as required.
In part 2 of this 4-part series (to be posted on Saturday), Polk talks about checking and sanitizing your RV’s water system after winter storage.
Photo: Be sure to wear protective eye ware when working with batteries, says Mark Polk. (RVEducation101.com)
