Driving your RV on the road is like rolling through an earthquake and you’ll need tools to repair all the damage as you set up camp. Come on a hike with us through Spacious Skies Campground and Shenandoah National Park as we go through the 5 tools you need to buy first. To watch the video version of this blog click here or continue reading below
Let’s start our walk through Spacious Skies Campground near Shenandoah National Park while we discuss the tool you need to answer the question
How do You Diagnose Electrical Problems in an RV?
The first thing you need to do is make sure your battery disconnect switch is on followed by checking the appropriate fuses and breakers. Once that is done it's time to get your multimeter. A multimeter allows you to measure the voltage in your RV's electrical system. This is crucial when you're troubleshooting issues with your batteries, slideouts, or any other electrical components. But, We were having trouble with our crockpot finishing dinners timely. A multimeter can diagnose outlets in your RV. If you're connected to a questionable power source at a campground a multimeter can help you verify if the outlets are delivering the correct voltage or if there's an issue with the power source. We found out that the outlet wasn’t providing enough power for the crockpot to heat up fully. One of the most common uses of a multimeter in an RV is checking the health of your batteries. By measuring the voltage, you can determine if your RV batteries are fully charged, undercharged, or if they need replacing. But did you know you can also check your aa, aaa, 9 volt and other batteries to see if they are still good? Keeping your batteries in good health is crucial for reliable power, especially when you're off-grid. Having a multimeter and learning how to use it will help you diagnose electrical problems quicker and get you back to the rest and relaxation you deserve. Here is the multimeter we use https://amzn.to/3MbgMtv
On the topic of electrical, every good camping post needs a dad joke. Why did the robot decide to go camping? Because it needed to recharge its batteries.
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If we are talking about electrical we also need to discuss plumbing while hiking stony man trail in Shenandoah National Park and later we’ll discuss what you need for outside the RV.
What Basic Tool do I Need for RV Plumbing?
We all know a few critical repair parts and some teflon tape go a long way in working through plumbing issues while you're on the road. But we found that a good pair of Adjustable pliers or Channel Locks is a lifesaver while traveling. On more than one occasion we’ve pulled into a campground and noticed water leaking from our RV or that our freshwater tank was already empty. The fitting on the drain loosens while we drive and the best tool to tighten it is adjustable pliers. Adjustable pliers can grip objects of different sizes, making them useful for tightening or loosening nuts, bolts, and fittings of various dimensions. This versatility is particularly helpful in an RV where space is limited, and you can’t carry a large set of wrenches. But the pliers are usually larger than most open end wrenches making them useful for water heater drain plugs and other larger nuts and fittings. But, The design of channel locks allows for a strong, secure grip on bolts, fittings, and even odd-shaped objects. This makes them ideal for tasks that require significant torque, such as loosening stubborn bolts or connections. Here are the pliers we take with us https://amzn.to/3MgCEDG
We are almost half way through but we’d love to hear your comments. What tools do you never leave home without and why?. Join the conversation and comment today.
While we share pictures of Bearfence Rock Scramble, we hope this next one is just used for toys but when you need it for your RV it’s a lifesaver. Coming up later we’ll go back to electrical for another can’t leave home without tool.
What Tools do You Need for Your RV tires?
When asking this question most people are focused on how to change a tire and people will respond with a lug wrench, a jack, and a jack stand. But RV tires must be properly inflated to ensure safe driving. Under-inflated tires can lead to blowouts, poor handling, and increased stopping distances, all of which are dangerous, especially for a heavy vehicle like an RV. But if your tire goes flat it will compromise the steel belted construction and even if reinflated will prematurely reduce the life of the tire. We will get to the tool in a minute, but one of the best items for your tires is a tire pressure management system that provide real time pressure and temperature data for all your tires.
But If you have a tire gauge and a tire inflator while traveling you can check your tires routinely and add or remove air as needed. But, have you considered that your tire pressure will change when you change altitude and it also changes with the weather. If the air temperature gets colder or hotter you could have under or over inflated tires. But you won’t know unless you have a tire gauge for the tire pressure management system. Same thing for changes in altitude. Lower altitude will decrease tire pressure, higher altitude will increase about 0.5 psi per 1,000 feet change in elevation. So, a tire inflator might be needed if you are in the mountains and travel to the ocean. But if you have a diesel motorhome, many of them come with an air system that you can plug into. So you may just need a hose and air inflator with gauge. But, inflators are also nice to have for bike tires, footballs and soccer balls, water inflatables like innertubes, unicorns, and paddleboards. For these items make sure you have a good package of inflator accessories like a ball needle, adapters for schrader and presta valve bike tires and different tips to inflate water toys. The right air tool can also blow dust out of appliances and crevices to help keep your RV parts in good working order.
Coming up later we’ll discuss the best tool to carry with you while traveling but now let's continue with the list while we hike Rose River Falls trail and
Once you’ve diagnosed an electrical issue
What Tool do You Need to Repair Electrical Issues in an RV?
Most people don’t think about taking tools to repair electrical equipment. But, RVs experience vibrations and movement while driving, which can cause wires to become loose or damaged over time. We also have had issues with our LED lights failing due to bad roads. When replacing the LED light fixtures wire strippers are the right tool for the job and are great for cutting wire, stripping the insulation, and crimping the wire connectors. Again, wire strippers allow you to safely strip the insulation from wires so you can reconnect them or replace damaged sections. But, If a wire connector fails or needs to be replaced, wire strippers help you prepare the wire ends for new connectors. This is especially useful for crimping new terminals onto wires or installing butt connectors to join wires. But, when diagnosing electrical issues, you might need to access the wire to test for continuity or voltage. Wire strippers help you cleanly remove insulation without damaging the wire, allowing you to test the connection properly with the multimeter we mentioned earlier. Sure you could use side cutters or even a pocket knife or multitool. But, most of the time those can’t cut insulation off a wire as well as wire strippers and you end up cutting the wire, too. But, more importantly good wire cutters come with an integrated crimping tool for use with electrical fittings like butt connectors. It’s probably the only thing you will use it for but is priceless when you need it.
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What is the Most Important Tool to Have in Your RV?
We’ve been traveling in our RV for 9 years and we’ve found a lot of tools to be helpful. On our overhead bunk the locking pin continued to come out as we drove down the road. It was nice to have a hammer to pound it back in as we were driving. But so many screws fall out and without a screwdriver we would never be able to fix our dinette table, door hinges, or cabinet doors. But, some screws are phillips, some are regular but now we also have square and star patterns. An assorted stack of open end wrenches are helpful to tighten nuts and bolts. But, needle nose pliers have saved our day, too. But, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve needed a socket wrench to do minor repairs. You need to purchase a household multi tool kit that has all of these tools stored in a compact package. Make sure you also get a kit with allen keys and micro screwdrivers. But again a lot of these tools are also needed to maintain bikes, toys, and other items you take camping with you. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve adjusted bikes but we’ve needed this kit to open air conditioner hoods on the road to check a rattle and remove bugs and debris from damaging the fan. While a dedicated roadside assistance kit is important, a household tool kit can be useful for minor roadside repairs, like fixing a loose part or addressing small issues that arise during travel.
If you are new to RVing here are 5 signs to know if you are an RV beginner! A funny way to help you learn some common beginner mistakes and how to do it better.
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