Congrats! You just bought an RV and you’re ready to go camping for the first time. Here’s 10 tips from a Certified RV Inspector to help keep you from breaking something.

1. Turn the propane off when you are driving

Aside from the fact that it is illegal to have your propane on while fueling and when going through tunnels, over some bridges, and on ferries, it can do damage over the long term. Many experienced RVer’s will immediately respond with the following: “I’ve been doing it for years and never had a problem” or “But how am I supposed to keep my fridge (and food) cold?”.

Until more recently, absorption style fridges- that operated off of propane OR electricity (most commonly 120V AC but could also be 12V)- were the most likely style of refrigerators found in RV’s. These are more efficient when running on propane. However, the operation of the fridge on propane is designed with the burner flame to be burning upright, not bouncing around because of wind blowing on it when you are driving. Over time, having the flame bouncing around rather than burning upright on both your fridge and water heater will weaken the metal around that flame, and can result in something breaking. But even if something doesn’t break, that flame won’t burn as clean and buildup of soot and other debris can cause issues within the fridge or water heater systems.

As for the “how am I supposed to keep my fridge cold” response, what you should do is treat it like a cooler, which is essentially what it is when not actively cooling on propane or electric. It’s a big, insulated box, so you can pre-cool it 24+ hours before a drive, and then either add some ice to it to keep it cool, or put things in there frozen to thaw during the drive.

2. Don’t leave the awning out unattended.

This can be one of the quickest ways to spend a lot of money on repairs! Awnings don’t do well in wind or heavy rains, and if you keep them extended during inclement weather, you’re increasing your chances that the awning arms could break (or have your awning torn off completely!). To add insult to injury, awning repairs tend to be more expensive simply due to the fact it is very hard to complete the repair on your own, and you may be paying for two techs to work on getting the awning repaired.

3. Turn off the city water if you are away from your rig for more than a couple hours.

Just this past weekend, I saw a post on social media about a couple that was hooked up to city water, left their RV, and came back to a flood inside of their RV. An easy way to prevent this is to turn off the water before you leave the rig for more than a couple hours. That way, if there is a leak, it will only leak what is inside the lines at that time.

It’s entirely possible for plumbing to fail on an RV, as every time you drive, you’re essentially subjecting your rig to a small earthquake and strong winds. I also recommend taking a few minutes and checking your plumbing lines once you’ve hooked up to city water after a day of travel.

4. Keep your black tank and gray tank(s) closed until it is full or time to leave.

Keep your tanks closed is the best way to lessen the chance of stuff building up inside your tanks. If you leave them open all the time, the liquids run out and leave behind “gunk” that can start to dry out and cement into place. In the summertime, this can also help prevent small flies from entering your RV through the pipes. You will need to dump more regularly during warm months to minimize smell, but as long as you’re using plenty of water, any smell should be minimal to nonexistent. Part two of this tip is to dump black tanks first and then the gray tank. This helps to “flush” any solids out of your bottom pipes or the sewer hose (aka the stinky slinky).

5. Propane/fuel is the quickest way to heat up your water. And don’t turn on the electric element on your water heater unless you have verified there is water in the tank.

Regardless of the type of water heater you have- tank type, tankless, hydronic, or a combined water heater/furnace (like the Truma Combi or AquaHot Gen1)- burning propane or fuel (gas or diesel on a motorhome) will be the quickest way to heat up the water. If you have a tank style water heater, be sure to not put it on electric unless you know that the tank has water in it.

6. Get the following if you don’t have them already and keep them accessible:

• Water Pressure Regulator
• Surge Protector
• Wheel Chocks (especially for towables)
• Tire pressure gauge
• Multimeter
• Screwdriver (recommend Klein 11-in-1)
• Flashlight
• Needlenose pliers (insulated)
• Drill and set of sockets
• Tapes: duct tape, electrical tape, plumbing tape
• Torque wrench

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but I consider it the bare minimum to have on hand. Even more important than the tools though, is a basic understanding of where things are on your RV, how the systems work, common issues and how to prevent them. I can’t overstate the importance of knowing your RV and staying on top of preventative maintenance. Pro tip: most mobile RV techs charge by the hour (at an average $150/hr), including diagnosing the issue(s). If you can tell them where something is (say the water pump for example) and exactly what led up to the problem, you’ve saved them some time in diagnosing and fixing the problem.

7. Again! Being on top of preventative maintenance

RV terms, RV system operations, and maintenance needs can be overwhelming when you first get an RV. To learn these things, you can read through your manual, contact an RV Tech who also does owner education (like me), or research online- but!- take everything online with a grain of salt. There are task you should do with every trip, monthly, annually, and it will change depending on what type of RV you have, style of camping (resort style, national/state parks, boondocking), and how often you RV (weekend warriors, full time). You can start with my article about preventative maintenance here to get a general idea.

8. Know campground etiquette and specific campground rules

For more information on campground etiquette, KOA has a good article here. It’s also important to know the specific campground rules on arrival time, departure time, if there is a gate with a gate code, if there is a gate that is shut and locked by park staff at a certain time (rare, but does exist). It’s also a good idea that all family members, even kids, know who to contact in case of emergency and how to contact them.

9. For Towables: chock your wheels before you unhook the trailer.

This one is pretty self explanatory- once you get to the campsite, and you start the unhooking process, don’t forget to chock your wheels before you unhook from the two vehicle. This is one of the most likely times to make a mistake, as you’ve got travel fatigue, you’re ready to set up camp and relax or explore. This works in reverse when you are hooking up your trailer- make sure to hook up the trailer including safety chains before you unchock the wheels.

10. For motorhomes: put your levelers/stabilizers down before you extend the slides.*

In general, most motorhome manufacturers want the RV level before you extend the slides. There are a few exceptions though, Newmar being the primary one to come to mind, so always double check what your manual/manufacturer recommends. Also- levelers are not the same as stabilizers- know the difference and don’t try to manually level your RV with stabilizers!