maintenance

If you don’t use your motorhome or any other vehicle regularly, you could have problems with aged fuel, whether diesel or gasoline. The problem is even more severe in warm climates, and humidity compounds the problem. Just so we start off with some good news, LP/propane does not deteriorate because it is in a completely sealed system so that the fuel is never exposed to air until the moment it is used. However, diesel and gasoline go bad with age. Diesel fuel goes bad from microbes growing in it, and those microbes excrete water. The water and mucus-like sludge from dead microbes and their waste will clog fuel filters, and if enough water passes through the fuel filters it will also damage fuel injection pumps and fuel injectors (which are very expensive). Prevent microbes from growing in your diesel fuel, and kill them if they are there, by using BioKleen by Power Service. Power Service products are available from truck supply or commercial marine supply distributors, or here. By the way, it is prudent to always carry a spare set of fuel filters for your diesel. Some bad fuel can quickly clog the filters, which could have you sitting by the side of the road. If you have your own filters with you, it won’t be so hard to get a road service to come out and change them. Speaking of road service, Coach-Net is excellent for RVs, go to www.NMCA.com and click on their Coach-Net button for complete information. Join before you need help!

Modern gasoline is a real problem for vehicles that don’t use up the fuel in a couple of months’ time. Modern gasoline has ethanol in it, which absorbs water from the atmosphere. When enough water is absorbed, the ethanol and water separate from the gasoline and lay on the bottom of the tank. This is called phase separation. Guess where the fuel pump picks up the fuel from your tank? That’s right, at the bottom! So the crud that will clog up fuel filters and ruin expensive fuel pumps and fuel injectors gets sucked right in. Your goal is to prevent phase separation from happening. If you don’t expect to use-up your fuel within a couple of months and replace it with fresh fuel, you should add an appropriate fuel treatment to the tank. Fill up with gasoline, and then add the fuel treatment before you drive to where the motorhome will be stored. That way, the fuel treatment will slosh and blend with the gasoline. You can buy fuel treatments at marine supplies distributors and fuel distributors. Be sure to read the bottle and make sure that it specifies that it will prevent phase separation. If it doesn’t say so, then don’t buy that product. Or it is easy to go here. Even if you use the best fuel treatment, you are pressing your luck if you let the old fuel stay in the tank for over six months.

In some areas you can buy gasoline without ethanol in it. To find a fuel stations that sell non-ethanol gasoline, go to www.pure-gas.org. Expect to pay 15 – 20% more than regular ethanol gasoline, not because it is so much more expensive to produce, but because it is a niche product. The gas stations that have it usually have a separate pump or separate nozzle that is labeled “Recreational Gasoline” because it is also popular with boaters for the same reason as RVers, they may go unused for months at a time. Some people claim that they get better gas mileage with the non-ethanol gasoline, which may help offset the higher cost per gallon. Keep in mind that if you are adding non-ethanol gasoline to a tank that still has some ethanol gasoline in it, you still need to use the fuel treatment to prevent phase separation. But the non-ethanol gasoline with fuel treatment added to it will probably be OK for up to a year in storage if there was only a little ethanol gasoline left in the tank when you filled up with non-ethanol gasoline for storage.

If you have any questions on which kind of fuel to use, or how to maintain your fuel system, give us a call toll free at 877-883-5555. Or you could always come in to see an expert personally. If you need directions, click here:
http://www.charlottervcenter.com/pages/13/Directions.html

If your motorhome already has one or two battery disconnect switches, you should verify that there is absolutely no draw of electricity from the batteries when the switches are in the “off” position. You wouldn’t think so, but some RV manufacturers design their systems so that even with the battery switch(es) turned off, there are still some devices that draw power, such as LP alarms or engine computer. This doesn’t have to be do-it-yourself work. RV dealers are used to dealing with these issues, and not a huge labor bill will be required to have it professionally done. The investment will save the aggravation of discharged batteries, and the expense of prematurely replacing batteries.

Note: Do not use the small battery disconnect switches that mount directly on the battery terminal, whether the knife-switch style or the type with the knob to tighten the connection. Both types tend to make poor connections after not a long time in use. The marine-style switches with a large selector dial are the best because they resist corrosion. If you do-it-yourself, be sure that you buy a switch with sufficient amp rating to match the batteries that you are connecting it to.

Fun Fact: Why do they call it “shore power”? Much of the technology and equipment for RVs came from the boating industry, and boaters called it shore power before RVing became popular, so the name stuck.

If you want any info on the warranties we have, visit this part of our website:
http://www.charlottervcenter.com/pages/49/RV-Warranty.html

It is important to realize that most motorhomes are designed so that only the house batteries are being charged when plugged into shore power or when the generator is running. The “chassis” battery(s) (the battery that starts the engine) receives a charge only when the engine is running. Have you ever wondered by most motorhomes have a “battery boost” switch? Its purpose is to (hopefully) enable starting the engine if the chassis battery is discharged. While you hold that switch, it uses the house battery to jump the chassis battery. The theory is that since the chassis battery is not being charged while you are camping and plugged into shore power, but the house battery is being charged under those conditions, the house batteries should have the power to start the engine so that you don’t have to drag out the jumper cables. But think about this: the RV manufacturers must expect the chassis battery to be discharged often, or they wouldn’t go to the expense of providing the battery boost feature! That line of thinking confirms that chassis batteries often get discharged, and I have already explained that that shortens the lifespan of the chassis battery. How do you protect your chassis battery? The best way is to install a battery tender on the chassis battery and plug it in whenever your motorhome will be parked while camping or in storage for more than a week at a time. Battery tenders are available at RV dealers or here.

What to do about maintaining batteries if the RV is parked for more than a week at a time where there is no access to electricity? If you have a towable RV, the easiest thing to do is take the battery home and keep it connected to a battery tender. If you have a motorhome, the easiest thing to do is drive it for ½-hour every week. If you can’t attend to the motorhome every week, you could take the batteries home and keep them connected to battery tenders. But that is a lot of work because there are usually multiple wires and cables, difficult access and awkward lifting involved. If you think you could attend to the motorhome at least once a month, you could disconnect the negative cables from the batteries or have an RV dealer install a high-quality battery disconnect switch on the negative (chassis ground) cable of each set of batteries.

If you need any type of battery for your RV, make sure to check out our online catalog, located here;
http://www.charlottervcenter.com/pages/1/RV-Parts-&–Accessories.html

If you have any other questions, feel free to call us at 941-883-5555 or toll free at 877-883-5555.

It is not a good idea to leave the RV plugged-in to shore power (Power outlet) unless your coach has a modern (less than 10-years old) Inverter/Charger. Most rear-engine diesel motorhomes come with this feature, but most towable RVs and front-engine motorhomes do not, they come with a Converter/Charger. The modern Inverter/Chargers usually have a sophisticated charging program that will keep the house batteries charged optimally when the RV is plugged into shore power or the generator is running. However, the unsophisticated Converter/Chargers that come with most other RVs provide only a constant voltage output, so they usually either overcharge or undercharge the house battery; either way, that shortens the lifespan of the battery. If you plan to keep your RV plugged into shore power for extended periods of time while camping or in storage, you should consider upgrading the Converter/Charger to a model that adjusts the voltage output according to the state-of-charge of the battery.

A good example of such a product is the Progressive Dynamics Intelli-Power 9200 Series Converter/Charger with Built-in Charge Wizard. These are available at most RV dealers, or you can go here. Select the model that has the same amperage output capacity as the one in your RV. If you want to know whether your RV has a Converter/Charger that has similar advanced voltage regulation, ask your RV dealer, or find the brand and model number on your existing Converter/Charger and look it up online. Many RVs have a Converter/Charter that is built into the 110-volt circuit breaker box. With this type, you would bypass the built-in Converter/Charger and install the better Converter/Charger as a free-standing unit nearby. This is something that would best be done by an RV dealer; their people should know how to do the wiring to avoid failures and fires. Another option is to disconnect the ground cables from the batteries when parked and then use battery tenders to maintain the batteries.

If you have any other service needs, check out this section of our website:
http://www.charlottervcenter.com/pages/2/RV-Service-&-Repair.html

If you have any other questions or would like to speak with a trained sales or repairman, call us at 941-883-5555 or toll free at 877-883-5555.

Batteries are the highest-maintenance item on an RV. They tend to get abused because people don’t know how to take care of them, and the electrical system of the RV may not be designed to optimize battery life. Batteries will discharge over time, even if no lights or accessories are turned-on. Modern vehicles have various devices that consume a small amount of electricity from the batteries all the time, such as the memory for radio settings, engine computer, LP detector, etc. When a battery is left for a period of time without being charged, it will gradually be discharged. A partially discharged battery deteriorates much more quickly than a fully charged battery, so the normal life span of the battery will be shortened if it is not kept fully charged. A discharged battery will be completely ruined very quickly if left uncharged.

Water evaporates from batteries, and if the water level drops below the top the plates the battery will be ruined. Therefore, once a month, check the water in the batteries (if they have removable caps) and top-off with distilled water only to bring the level up to the “full” indicator. Distilled water is available in most grocery stores.

While you are looking at the batteries, take a look for corrosion on the cable terminal connections and on any metal surfaces around the batteries. Use battery terminal cleaner spray to neutralize the acid that is causing the corrosion. After it dries, coat the terminals and the metal areas with battery terminal protector spray. You can find both of these products in auto parts stores, or go here.

If you have any questions or want to know what we have in stock, visit:

http://www.charlottervservice.com/

You could also call us to speak with a knowledgeable professional at 941-883-5555 or toll free at 877-883-5555.