There is Always Something That Needs Doin'

Anyone who has owned a boat or an RV knows that there is always something that needs doin'.  Even a well-maintained motor home has at least a short list of maintenance and repair items at any given time, and our Dolphin is no exception.

I do as much of the maintenance and repair work as I can... partly to save money, but mostly because if I do the work, then I know exactly what was done and how. Over the past several years, I've learned a lot about RV systems and have become pretty adept at taking care of most things myself. Online forums are a great resource for learning about troubleshooting and repairing RVs. In particular, I really like iRV2 which offers a collection of forums based on subject and RV type, and provides a wealth of information.

All that said, however, the first thing I did when we picked up the Dolphin was to arrange for a professional RV technician to inspect the liquid propane (LP) system. I wanted to be completely sure there were no leaks, and that the LP was going to the appliances at the correct pressure. In our Dolphin motor home, the 3-burner stove top, refrigerator, furnace, and hot water heater run off LP.

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Our refrigerator and hot water heater can also be operated using 110 VAC, and our Air Conditioning unit includes a heat pump we can use if the outside temperature is above 45F

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Anyway, Mike Richert from Onward RV Mobile Repair Service verified the LP system is in good shape and he also looked over the rest of the motor home... he was impressed by how nice it is and how well it has been maintained.

We've done some maintenance and repair work on the Dolphin since we've been here at Cove Lake, including:

• Added a Marshall Gas Controls MER472 Stay-Longer Propane Adapter Kit so we can use an external tank when parked for extended periods of time. This will save us from having to pack up to take the motor home to have the on-board propane tank re-filled
• Cleaned the roof and checked all the seals
• Lubricated the roof-mounted TV antenna
• Resealed the run-off gutters along the length of the coach
• Lubricated the steps, doors, locks, hinges
• Lubricated the awnings
• Tightened the screws and other fasteners inside the motor home 
• Sanitized the fresh water system
• Flushed the hot water heater and replaced the drain plug
• Lubricated the slides' rails and motors
• Put a brace under the bedroom slide to prevent the roller from wearing a groove in the fiberglass

There's more work to be done, but it can wait until we are settled in one place for a while over the winter.