Thursday, August 9, 2012

How To Check Your RV Seals

English: A Class A motorhome with the slide-ou...
English: A Class A motorhome with the slide-out extended (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So I spoke about the woes of damp inside an RV or trailer and advised that you perform regular maintenance to avoid the problem of mold, but how exactly do you maintain the seals? Let's find out!

It is very important that you maintain your seals and adhesives within your Recreational vehicle in order to avoid dampness from getting into and doing damage to RV elements. When cleaning your Recreational vehicle, examine the seals for signs of drying out and general wear and tear. Be aware that weather conditions, sunlight, and road vibrations will affect seals, making them dry out, split, or separate. If you're unclear about things to search for, have your dealership advise you, as well as demonstrate the right way of renewing the seals. Should you prefer, your dealer should be able to conduct seal maintenance for you instead.

Some experts, suggest that you caulk the seals twice every year, once at the start of the travel season and once more before packing away at the end of the season. The first step is to wash down the entire RV with mild soap and warm water. Inspect your entire camper for any damage to the seals. This includes those that are cracked or coming loose. It is useful to pay particular attention to areas where the fixtures meet roofs or walls. Any existing caulk should be removed by using a very strong citrus based cleaner. You will likely need to invest in a good quality scrapper tool to help with this. Once removed, wash the cleaner off with more soapy water as it will dissolve the new caulk if left. With the help of a caulk gun, seal the body and the roof of the RV. You will then need to wipe away excess caulk and the best way I have found is to use a spray ottle to dampen your fingers with soapy water.

It will then need to be left to dry for a minimum of two hours. It is essential the RV is not exposed to rain during this time. Some brands of caulk may need up to 24 hours to set properly so check the packaging. If you carry this out properly twice a year you should be able to eliminate the problem of mold in your RV.

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