How to prepare your motorhome for the new season
Tags: Travel Tips, Motorhome, Traveling

The new camping season is fast approaching and many of us already have itchy feet to take our camping gear and go “to the nature, to the wild” and watch the night stars. However, before we start our camping season, it is necessary to check and control our gear to see if it is still fit for an extended camping holiday. With motorhomes, it much depends where the motorhome was parked during winter. For those vehicles parked in a snug and dry garage, all that is needed is to check if all systems work, and you are good to go.

Practical Motorhome’s 2016 Adria Sonic Supreme

If however, it was stored in an open park space where it was exposed to the elements, then checking the systems it is quite a feat. Some people (like me) are not exactly technical types, so it is better to call an expert to help out. However, you are up to doing it yourselves; here are some tips from experts:

Gas system

Most motorhomes have gas installations for heating, cooking, and cooling — including the fridge. In case your motorhome was on a parking lot, it is advisable to disassemble all the devices to see if they are functioning properly and whether they are sealed airtight. The fridge must be checked at least once a year, best before the start of camping season.

First, it is necessary to scan and clean the gas installation. The main components are inlet tube, nozzle, burner, and the chimney. When we are disassembling the device, we must be very careful that we do not damage the nozzle or the settings of the ignition electronics. We clean the components first with compressed air, then with a special cleaner for the metallic parts. Before we assemble the burner, we must clean the chimney well, best with a cleaning rod and piece of cloth. At the end, we blow compressed air through to get rid of the dust. We also need to clean the burner chamber of dust, soot, and other filth. Before we close the chamber, we must check the flame quality as the cooling depends on it.

If we did everything properly, the fridge should already be cooling in two to three hours and an icy layer should form in the freezer. For easier work, please watch the tutorial: cleaning the fridge burner. The tutorial is in Slovene.

2. Water and electricity

After we have checked the gas installation, we need to look into the water and electricity installations and the functioning of the battery or batteries, if we have several. It is of utmost importance to test whether all the water and toilet installations are tight, lest we find out that it is leaking, or God forbid, the black water pipes, are leaking somewhere. This is best done by turning on the water pump to pressurize the water system. It must turn of automatically and stay turned off. If it turns back on, even for just a second, it means that you must go and look for a leak. This, by the way, is also a way to test whether our water pump is working properly. Next, we check the water heating system and the cabin heating. The water tank must be full in order to perform the heater check. If we have them installed, we should also test the solar panels or rearview camera.

We must also check the control panel that shows the battery levels, clean, grey, and black water tanks, and the functioning of the chemical toilet. If you stored the battery separate from your motorhome, you should recharge them with a 220V charger. Whether the battery can be normally charged through the 220V socket should also be checked.

3. Chassis and bodywork

If our motorhome was parked out in the open, we need to check the bodywork and the chassis. Problems mostly appear with seals on roof or side window, but also on the roof seams. If we want to prevent puddles in the motorhome cabin, checking the seams and sealants is necessary. It is advisable to look for cracks, which might have appeared. If they are not too big, attempt to seal them yourself.

In case you have not checked the chassis at the end of the season, this is the time to do it. The tires tend to lose some pressure during the winter, so it is necessary to adjust the pressure in them. You should also check the external installations, and clean and check the insulation on these.

4. Interior

Last, we check the condition of the mattresses and furniture. When the motorhome has been out of use for some time, it is common for mold to start appearing under the mattresses or in the ventilation parts of the cupboards. This is quite common in old motorhomes. If this happens, take a damp cloth and simply wipe the mold off, it should not be a problem.

It is quite a different matter if mold starts appearing on the mattresses, or on or under the carpets. In that case, you will have to remove them and have them cleaned by an expert, or take the whole vehicle out for cleaning. However, molds and textile do not mix well and once moldy, the fabric will retain a bad smell and a propensity to mold again. If this is the case, it is best to replace the moldy part with a new one.

After we have done all of the above, we once again test each of the systems by turning them on and letting them run for a few minutes. We do these two or three times. Then all that is left for us to do is start the motorhome and take it for a test run around the block. There, you are all set for the new season!

What are your experiences with preparing your motorhomes for the new camping season? Please leave your comments in the section below and consider giving us a clap or sharing if you liked this blog. Much obliged!