Rv Maintenance Tips And Information For The Diy

https://radioarizonarv.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/WaterSoftener.png ()Today there are many Portable Water Softeners for the RV’er to choose from. At the end of the day they all virtually do the same thing just some with salt others with potassium. They are pretty simple to hook up and use and store when not in use. A Water Softener does just as its name implies, it softens the water by removing the minerals that make it hard. Hard water leaves water spots and has minerals that ruin appliances such as coffee makers and washing machines. The minerals also build up in pipes, faucets and ice makers. Even your shower is affected by hard water, the soap does not lather up. Hard water also leaves scale build up on shower, tubs, shower/tub doors and sinks making it much harder to keep clean. Portable RV Water Softeners are a great addition to improving your water quality. They are very easy to use and maintain making them very practical for most RV’ers. They will need to be recharged from time to tim

https://radioarizonarv.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/reverse_osmosis_water_filter_replacemnt.244113009_std.jpg ()Reverse Osmosis Systems for RV’s can be a great addition if you have the space for it. For an RV the RO System is the same as a house for the most part, just a little smaller. An RO System is the proven way to remove salt from the water source and gives you fresh salt free water. It is a simple system to use and maintain although quite often it is hyped up to as a complex system. I am not sure the hype is true because it is very simple to install, understand and maintain. After the initial install it is a matter of replacing the filters when needed. This is a pretty simple system to understand. This is single faucet system, it does supply your entire RV. There are two pre-filters, one sediment and one carbon. After the filters the system will have a flow restrictor and the membrane. The membrane is many layers of materials that filters out all of the bad stuff that made it through the first

https://radioarizonarv.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Help.jpg ()Seriously, You Need To Listen to This! Buying an appliance part should not be painful although quite often it is. Taking the right approach and going to the Parts Counter with the right information will simplify this sometimes painful process. Bring your Appliance Model Number to the RV Store and the parts guy should be able help you with ease. It happens everyday, someone needs a part and they do not have the Model Number. It is very difficult to figure out what the part number is unless us or any parts guy has the model number. For example: Dometic has hundreds off refrigerator models and a very small amount of parts are interchangeable. In other words one door handle might only fit 2 or 3 models out of hundreds. Or a furnace blower motor for example: Suburban has hundreds of different models of furnaces and almost as many different blower motors. Even bringing you motor to the store can be a challenge for the parts guy. He will try to physic

https://radioarizonarv.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Ultra-Slim_Complete-Pak-1024x863.jpg ()The Portable Power Pack is a great tool to have to charge Cell Phones, Tablets, iPads, iPods, iPhones and any other device that requires charging. The best thing is, these Power Packs can jump start a Full Size PU Truck! I was very skeptical when these were first shown to me, I had to see real results and I did. The salesman jump started his suburban with the battery disconnected, he did it about 8 times. It is the real deal! They come in 2 sizes and are very compact and extremely portable. The other nice thing bout these Portable Power Packs is that they can easily be carried in a back pack, tool box, stored on an ATV for emergency purposes. Every ATV’er should be prepared for emergency situations that come out of nowhere. batteries go dead, light get left on and in the desert a dead battery can be a dangerous situation. The Portable Power Packs also have adapters to charge cell phones, tablets and more. Chec

RV Awning Drops and End Panels are a great way to create an outdoor space that actually expands the living area. You can create a shaded area to enjoy the sunny days or it can double as a wind barrier at night to create a warm space for enjoying the evening. The Awning Drops are easy to use, just slide it into the Utility Groove on the Awning Roller Tube. The End Panels attach to the Tension Rafter on Manual Awnings or on Electric Awnings they attach at the side of the RV to the awning hardware and out at the roller tube.Both Products are great for adding extra privacy and are extremely easy to use. The Awning Drops can be angled out to give you more room under the Awning while in use. We also make them with our ProZip zipper upgrade so the bottom section can be removed leaving the upper section on the roller tube. This makes it much easier to remove the lower section in windy conditions and then the Awning can be retracted and avoid any wind damage. Listen to the Full Episode for the Whol

https://radioarizonarv.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Fender_Cover.jpg ()Fender Covers are a simple way to cover your RV tires and protect them from the sun. Fender Covers are easier to put on than traditional vinyl tire covers and they look great. Either type of Tire Cover will protect the tires and reduce the potential for failure. Just make sure you cover them. Vinyl Tire Covers serve a purpose and that is to keep the sun off the tires to reduce damage and to extend their life. We sell Vinyl Tire Covers in White and Black. some RV’ers tend to think the black will make the tires hotter and ruin them. That is not the case, black tires get a little hotter but, not enough to cause damage. The difference between black and white is very minimal in terms of heat build up. Black will look nicer for a longer period of time. The best solution are Fender Covers that attach to the side of the RV. They are easier to put on and remove. They stay much cleaner than traditional tire covers and definitely look nicer.

https://radioarizonarv.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/awningfades.jpg ()All most all RV’s have a Patio/Main Awning installed to provide cover from the elements. If you are one of the many and enjoy using your RV Awning you will need to maintain some part of it sooner or later. An awning can function properly for decades or until the parts become obsolete. The fabrics are the most common part of an awning to fail and they are well worth the money to replace. RV Awnings are a great piece of equipment to have on an RV. A&E and Carefree of Colorado are the two most popular brands sold today. Zip Dee and Girard are two other quality manufactures of awnings usually found on certain brands of RV’s or high End motorhomes. Our conversation is going to revolve around A&E and Carefree. They both are good awnings whether it is electric or manual and both have stood the test of time and have been used on RV’s for decades. Either brand will need some maintenance and that is what this podcast is ab

https://radioarizonarv.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/STFSTD-2T.png ()In this Episode I discuss the value of Slide Out Awnings and Replacing the Slide Out Fabrics. Sunpro Mfg offers 13 oz and 18 oz Slide Out Awning Fabrics for all brands of Slide Out Awnings. Sunpro has 7 different colors in the 13 oz and 2 colors in the 18 oz. With a 3 or 5 Year Warranty you can’t go wrong with a Sunpro Slide Out Awning Replacement Fabric. Slide Out Awnings are a great way to keep debris and who knows what out of your RV when you bring your slide out in.    Slide out awnings were never made to keep water out from leaking seals although, they do help in this regard. You should always repair a water leak and not let it to continue because a leak will usually get worse. The fabrics don’t last forever as some might think and they will need to be replaced at some point in time. The hardware will last for decades with Carefree Free of Colorado and A&E by Dometic. You might need to replace a part here and there but

https://radioarizonarv.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/LeafSprings.jpg ()In this episode I get into the importance and simplicity of Travel Trailer Leaf Springs and the importance of inspecting them and being prepared to replace a damaged Leaf Spring before it leaves you stranded. Most Travel Trailers and 5th Wheels have leaf springs and this would also include Utility Trailers as well. Over the years I have listened to a lot of customers complain about their broken leaf springs or related parts and how now they are stranded until they get it repaired. In a lot of scenarios the breakdown could possibly have been avoided. One of the problems leaf springs or suspension problems create is they usually break while you are traveling and not parked. And it is not always easy to find the suspension parts you need on the road, it can be hard even when you are not on the road. Not all RV Parts stores carry suspension parts and they might not have what you need when you need it. It can create a real problem when you ar

In this episode, I discuss Trailer Tire Safety and how Trailer Tires are unique and require more attention than most other tires on the road. This is what most Rv’ers Don’t Know and Need to Know. Trailer Tires basically face the same issues or have the same problems regardless of what kind of trailer you have. They require specific maintenance steps and they are made for trailers and nothing else. Trailer tires also have an expiration date, in other words, those tires have that great-looking tread because you don’t use the trailer that often does not mean those tires are safe. Beware!  Let me explain. Trailer tires have a life span of about 5 years and for the average RV’er that is about 10,000 miles or 2,000 a year and that is not a lot of miles. The tires can break down on the outside from excessive wear and that is what we expect and understand. The other side of the coin is trailer tires also break down on the inside whether being used or not although, they do last longer if you use your trailer

In this episode I discuss the importance of maintaining the Wheel Bearings and Brakes on Travel & 5th Wheel Trailers. It is extremely important to give attention to these 2 systems, failure can mean a break down on the highway leaving yourself and family exposed to dangers. In this episode it is gear towards trailer brakes on utility and recreational trailers and not so much for boat trailers. Boat trailer brakes and bearings get submerged and there are some differences in maintaining it. Trailer brakes will last 50 to 70 thousand miles and that is lot of miles for the average trailer. The brake magnet will probably fail first because they ware out or short out internally and stop functioning and in turn the brakes on that wheel will not function. Brake magnets are expensive in comparison to a complete backing plate with hardware, brake shoes and a new magnet. If your shoes or magnets need replacing I would highly recommend to just replace the entire backing plate with all new hardware, 4 bolts connect 2

This Podcast is an introduction to Radio Arizona RV and who we are and in what ways we are involved in the RV Industry. My name is Eric Stark and I am the owner of Arizona RV Parts Center located in Wellton, AZ just east of Yuma. Radio Arizona RV is my creation and the goal is to help RV’ers maintain their RV and get a better understanding of the different systems that are already on your RV or something you might want to add on. Each episode is going to be as short as possible without a lot of needless conversation. I don’t get extremely technical, at least yet. I want to give you a direction to get started in.There are a lot of subjects that can be covered but, they do not need a lot of technical details to get an understanding to determine if you need to do it or if want to do it. I am a parts guy and I explain a lot of stuff to a lot of people I know what it takes to give the information they need and what they don’t need. I have an episode about wheel bearing maintenance and I cover the importance of che