Byerly RV Spring Maintenance & Get Ready Batteries

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1 Byerly RV Spring Maintenance & Get Ready Batteries Check vehicle batteries, install if removed, charge if needed. These batteries were allowed to discharge then freeze. A fully discharged 12-volt battery is 10.5 volts Roof Inspection If RV is stored outside or if dirty, do a quick visual walk around then wash unit from top down. Roof, seams, and protrusions o Sky lights, vents, and plumbing stacks Clean roof Check sealants seal as needed Inspect A/C shroud and gasket.

2 Poor Maintenance Wall Inspection Front and rear body seams Window seals Slide out gaskets Slide out gears, wiring conduits and fluids Shore cord, water connections, vent covers

3 Delamination A laminated RV wall is made of a layer of fiberglass, a layer of plywood (luan), the wall structure with insulations, and the interior wall panel. These are glued together using pressure or heat or a combination of both. Delamination occurs when water enters the wall and starts deteriorating the glue which bonds the wood, causing the bubbles you see on the exterior.

4 Under Belly Rodents signs Under pinning loose or hanging Wiring loose or hanging Tires, Wheels and Axles Tires Dry rot, tread, air levels, check date code General rule of thumb is 5 to 7 years for replacement Wheels Axles Tighten lug nuts Visual inspection, look for broken wires to brakes, bent or damaged parts

5 Last 4 digits post 2000 made tires. This tire was made in the 51 st week of the year 2007 Tires Manufactured Before 2000 The Tire Identification Number for tires produced prior to 2000 was based on the assumption that tires would not be in service for ten years. While they were required to provide the same information as today's tires, the week and year the tire was produced was contained in the last three digits. The 2 digits used to identify the week a tire was manufactured immediately preceded a single digit used to identify the year.

6 LP Cylinder Pre Filling Requirements Safely inspecting and filling small portable cylinders is an important job that requires following specific procedures. End users are often not aware of cylinder inspection, requalification, purging and filling requirements. Consequently, certain cylinders may be compromised and should not be filled with propane. There are unknowns as to conditions of the container prior to its arrival for refilling, or after the container leaves the filling station. Reasonable care must be exercised in handling the cylinder while it is at the filling location. Before a small cylinder can be filled or refilled DOT regulations require a visual check to verify that it is fit for continued service. If any of the following conditions are found, the cylinder must not be refilled. Leaks Cracks Bulging Serious denting or gouging Defective valves Defective or leaking pressure relief device Evidence of physical abuse, fire or heat damage, or excessive rusting or corrosion Damage to the cylinder valve, valve protection and cylinder foot rings Out-of-date requalification Out-of-date requalification If any of these conditions are found, identify the cylinder and set it aside in a designated safe area. Steel cylinders subjected to fire must be requalified, reconditioned or repaired prior to being put back into service. Aluminum cylinders subjected to fire must be permanently removed from service. Cylinders with a series of XXXs over the DOT specification number and marked service pressure or stamped with CONDEMNED on the shoulder, head, or collar are condemned cylinders and must not be refilled or continued in service. Valves and accessories should be inspected prior to filling.

7 Many cylinder valves are made with non-metallic or soft parts such as Nylon, rubber or Teflon. When these materials wear out or are damaged, propane liquid or vapor can leak out of the valve and create a potentially hazardous situation. They should be checked regularly for signs of aging and wear. Valve accessories may become broken or even lost, allowing dirt or moisture to enter. Inspect and replace faulty or missing dust caps. Many states and jurisdictions require that cylinders be equipped with an OPD, an overfilling prevention device. Valves may also be damaged through improper cylinder maintenance. For example, service personnel may fail to use proper brushes or applicators around cylinder openings when painting them. As a result, gauge faces, "weep" holes in filler valves, and discharge openings of relief valves may be covered with paint. A blue-green stain on the brass portion of the cylinder valve is evidence that it has been in contact with anhydrous ammonia, which is often used to manufacture illegal drugs. If a cylinder is found in this condition, isolate it by placing it in an area where hazards from ejection of the valve and product loss would be minimized then and notify a supervisor. Requalification All refillable cylinders must be requalified at regular intervals. Requalification is performed only by qualified individuals whose facility is registered with the DOT, not at dispenser locations. The most recent requalification date is stamped on the cylinder. A date without a letter indicates the next requalification must be within 10 years. The letter S following the date indicates the cylinder must be requalified within 5 years of the marked date.

8 The letter E following the date indicates that requalification is required again within five years of the marked date. Cylinders that are out of qualification must NOT be refilled. after the container leaves the filling station. Interior Inspection Ceiling and wall seams throughout Install new batteries for smoke and carbon monoxide detectors Plumbing check o Pressure test to verify no water line leaks, check drain lines and connections Inspect appliances o Check for spider webs or wasp nests which may have been built after you finished using in the fall, operate furnace and water heater. Knowing The Lifespan of the Detectors in Your RV May Just Improve Your Own Lifespan Knowing The Lifespan of LP Gas, CO, And Smoke Detectors in Your RV Just like the equipment that you keep at home to warn you of fires and gas leaks, the devices on board your RV have a lifespan, and once that period is over you could find yourself with some faulty hardware. One of the biggest problems campers and travelers face with the detectors in their recreational vehicles is that it s so easy to go on with your trip and never once think about those monitors hanging around inside until one of them goes off, or worse, until one of them doesn t go off in time and there s damage to your unit or even worse to a passenger on board. Unfortunately, this story is not all too uncommon. Recently, Knoxnews reported that a couple traveling was found dead inside their RV. The preliminary investigation indicates that one of the propane gas stove burners inside the RV had been left on accidentally. Police said there was a strong odor of gas inside the RV. This is a sobering reminder to all of us who enjoy the RV lifestyle to take a few extra minutes in order to safeguard yourself and your family against unnecessary accidents always replace these devices when the time comes.

9 Safety On the Road It s important to focus on the safety of your recreational vehicle, not only while you re on the road, but before you set off on a trip as well. Planning ahead to have extra batteries for all of the electronic detectors on your vehicle should be a top priority, and considered more important even than packing your toothbrush. Before setting off it s a good idea to start up your RV and test that all of your devices are working properly and ready to inform you if there are any problems with gas, carbon monoxide, or smoke. Remember that unlike other vehicles, you and your family will be sleeping in this one, so treat the alarms as you would the ones in your home and keep them up to date and properly maintained at all times. LP Gas Detector Any RV that contains a gas appliance as well as an electric system requires a detector, and under requirements for UL 1484 the detector used must be registered as a suitable unit for a recreational vehicle, and properly installed. This is for the safety of yourself and anybody else who might be riding with you. This is because although the gas has a fairly noticeable scent, if you forget to turn it off and go to bed you re not likely to smell it and it could be fatal to those in the RV. Your LP gas detector should be replaced every five years so that you know that it s in proper working order and can alert you if gas levels become too high at any time. Be sure to place them near all of the input areas that the gas feeds into the RV. Carbon Monoxide Detector Retailing for anywhere between fifteen and one hundred dollars in the United States, a CO monitor provides you with a powerful alarm should your vehicle flood with carbon monoxide at any time. Odorless, tasteless, and invisible, this substance can sneak up on you if you aren t careful, and is considered to be highly toxic. It attaches to the hemoglobin in your blood and is two hundred times stronger than oxygen, meaning that it won t take very long to take effect. These devices as designed for RV use, come as 12V operated or battery powered and some models have a battery backup should the 12V cut out. Most devices are recognized as having a six-year lifespan, and each model should have this printed on the unit itself or the paperwork that comes with it upon purchase. Similar to a smoke alarm, your CO detection unit should have a test button, which you should utilize before taking off on any highway adventures. Place your alarms near the ceiling, but don t forget to place one near the floor, as carbon monoxide has a density very similar to that of oxygen, so it could just as easily be low in the vehicle rather than high the way that smoke invades a space. Smoke Alarm Smoke detectors are the most common alarms to have in any home or RV, and are just as important on the road as they are back at the house. Most manufacturers will label their devices with a date which you should have it replaced by, but the standard is usually seven to ten years. Some companies encourage users to change the unit every five years to be safe, because ten percent of the effectiveness of the detector is lost each year that it remains active. When you think about it, this means that after five years your smoke alarm is only running at 50% capacity, which isn t very safe for anybody involved. A good tip to use with any of the above detectors is to write on the back of the unit with a permanent marker, the date that you re installing and turning it on for the first time, along with the date that it should be replaced, if that date isn t already located on the machine. This allows you to quickly and efficiently look at and replace each model that s past its best before date.