RV maintenance schedule: what to check, and when

Start with your own manual

This page gathers intervals that makers actually publish, so a new owner has something to work from on day one. It is not a substitute for the book that came with the coach. Read the maintenance chapter and the warranty guide for your model first, note any interval that differs from the table below, and write that difference into your own copy.

Two habits make a schedule real. Keep a log, because several makers ask to see one before they honour a claim on the seals. And put the dates in a calendar rather than in your head, because "every three months" and "every 3,000 miles" arrive at different times on a coach that sits for half the year.

The schedule

The intervals below assume ordinary recreational travel in ordinary weather. Extended use, full-time living, long distance towing and extreme climates all speed up wear and shorten every interval here.

Before every trip

A trip check is a walk, not a service. The short version is that tires, lug nuts, lights, brakes and the alarms get looked at every time you leave, and everything else waits for the interval in the table.

• Tire pressures, cold, against the certification label. Check the spare too.
• Lug nut torque. Star pattern, calibrated torque wrench, never an impact wrench.
• Every light and the trailer brakes. Test the brakes by hand at walking pace before you reach a road.
• The alarms. Smoke, carbon monoxide and propane, tested before you set off.
• The propane off at the cylinder for travel, with the line burned off.

The full loop, in the order you actually walk it, is set out in the pre-trip walkaround. Follow that list rather than this summary.

The annual jobs in more depth

Five jobs carry most of the risk on an RV, and they are the ones worth understanding rather than just ticking. Each has a guide behind it that goes deeper than a schedule can.

Roof and sealants

Sealant is the cheapest thing on the coach and the most expensive to neglect, because the damage it lets in is not covered by the limited warranty. Inspect all sealants a minimum of every six months, checking the roof and all four sides, including all mouldings, doors, vents and exterior attachments. Reseal at least once a year, and cap seal all trim and openings at least once after the first year, then again as cracks, peeling, voids, gaps and shrinkage appear. Repair any deterioration immediately.

Some makers go further than six months. Grand Design's structural warranty requires exterior seals and sealant to be inspected every 3 months and maintained annually, and asks for documentation before it will consider a seal related claim. Keystone applies the same cadence to the roof seams. If your manual carries that wording, the three month inspection is not optional.

Check the sidewall sealant from a stepladder placed alongside the coach. Do not prop a ladder against the body, because it damages the finish. For where a roof leaks and how to seal it, see roof leak repair. For what a failed seal costs in the wall itself, see delamination.

The water system

Drain any unused water from the fresh system at the end of every trip. Sanitize the system when the coach is new, at the beginning and end of each season, and every three months of use. Replace the water filter cartridge every 6 to 12 months, and remove the cartridge before you sanitize with chlorine or winterize with antifreeze.

On a tank water heater that uses a sacrificial anode rod, the heater maker recommends replacing it yearly; if you cannot tell whether yours has one, the fault guide below covers the difference between tank and tankless units. Operate the temperature and pressure relief valve at least once a year, because a valve that is never opened can seize shut. Water heater checks live in the water heater guide.

The propane system check

Have the propane system checked for leaks after purchase and the first fill, then periodically thereafter, preferably every 5,000 miles or at least once a year, by a qualified propane service representative. Check for leaks with a soapy water solution and never with a flame. Keep the cylinder valve closed except during use or filling, hand tighten the valves so the seals are not damaged, and inspect hoses, pipes, tubes and fittings regularly, replacing worn parts with the same type and rating.

The cylinder has its own clock. DOT cylinders have a 12-year life and must be recertified every five years after that. The combination carbon monoxide and propane alarm is wired to the 12 volt system, so it does nothing with the battery disconnected, and the detector is replaced five years after the purchase date.

Bearings and brakes

Brakes are tested and adjusted every 3 months or 3,000 miles, by a qualified technician. Do not leave this to a sound test alone, because brakes that need adjustment still stop the coach in a yard and fail to on a grade.

Bearings are greased and inspected on the axle maker's interval, not on a single figure for every trailer. Dexter publishes 12 months or 12,000 miles; Lippert publishes 36,000 miles or 12 months. Follow the maker of the axle you actually have. An E-Z Lube or Super Lube fitting greases the inner and outer bearings through the spindle without pulling the hubs, but it does not replace regular bearing inspection, and it wants a hand grease gun rather than a pneumatic one. The full procedure is in trailer wheel bearings.

Lug nuts are checked before travel, after heavy braking, after winter storage and after any wheel removal. Tighten in two stages with a calibrated torque wrench using the star pattern, starting the nuts by hand. The stage and final figures depend on the number of lugs and the rim size:

The same figures are printed on the label on the front sidewall of a travel trailer and on the pin box of a fifth wheel. Use the label on your own coach.

Tires

Check pressure cold before each trip and weekly while in use, against the certification label rather than the maximum moulded on the sidewall. Look for cracking, bulging, uneven tread wear, flat spots and anything embedded in the tread, and include the spare. Special trailer (ST) tires carry a maximum speed of 65 mph.

Have a tire professional inspect the set annually, and replace a tire six years from its date in service, or six years from the manufacture date when the service history is unknown. The rule and the date code are explained in RV tire replacement.

What you check by looking

Some jobs are done with your eyes and a torch, on a rhythm rather than with a tool. These are the ones that catch a failure before it becomes a repair.

• Sealant, every six months. Cracks, peeling, voids, gaps and shrinkage around every penetration, moulding and door.
• Tires, weekly and before every trip. Pressure cold, plus sidewalls and tread.
• Lug nuts, before every trip and after heavy braking. Look for rust streaks or a nut sitting proud of the rest, then torque.
• Roof and slide roofs, before you close up. Clear sticks, pine cones and debris, because closing a slide onto debris damages the roof.
• Furnace vent, monthly in the heating season. Soot on the vent means incomplete combustion. Shut the furnace off and call a service agency.
• Water heater vent, periodically. Soot again, and a blocked vent. The burner flame should be blue, not yellow.
• Propane hoses, pipes and fittings, regularly. Wear, cracking and chafing; replace like for like.
• Alarms, before each trip and weekly in use. Test them; vacuum the covers annually.
• Battery terminals, periodically. Clean them so the connection stays good.
• Slide-out seals, as needed. Clean with a household cleaner, and keep wax and cleaners off the rubber.
• Underbody, after winter road exposure. Rinse off salt and chemicals each time you wash the coach.

When the coach sits

Short storage, a few weeks between trips

• Turn the propane off at the cylinder and light a burner to burn off the line.
• Empty and rinse the holding tanks, and store the sewer hose.
• Disconnect the 120 volt shore power.
• Where a battery stays in the coach, disconnect the negative cable and check the voltage monthly.
• Drain any unused water, and winterize if freezing is possible.

Long storage

• Store indoors, under a roof or under a breathable cover, and cover the tires so sunlight cannot weather them.
• Wash the interior and exterior, and inspect the roof and surfaces for damage and potential leaks.
• Close all windows and roof vents, and cover the roof air conditioner if you have one.
• Seal off entry points for rodents, birds and insects, and cover external outlets.
• Close the propane cylinder valve, cover the regulator, and burn off the line.
• Drain all water lines and winterize, and drain and flush all holding tanks.
• Add fuel stabilizer to the generator to prevent condensation and fuel varnishing.
• Remove the batteries and store them in a non-freezing location. Where a battery stays in the coach, the manual's own note is to disconnect the negative cable and check the voltage monthly.
• Turn off and clean the refrigerator, and block its doors open. Remove perishables and leave cabinet doors ajar for air circulation.
• Turn cushions on edge to prevent moisture buildup, and lubricate the locks and hinges on the exterior doors.
• Lubricate the stabilizing jacks and raise them for storage.

During storage, remove snow from the roof. Heavy snow or ice is a load on the roof, and the manual names 8 inches of snow or 2 inches of ice as the point at which it becomes excessive. Take care not to damage the roof material while clearing it.

Intervals differ by maker, and by use

Every interval on this page is a published figure, and even published figures disagree between makers. The bearing interval is the clearest example: one axle maker lists 12,000 miles and another lists 36,000 for the same grease job. Sealant inspection is the same story, at six months for one maker and three months for another, with a warranty condition attached.

So the work is to find your own numbers. They live in three places: the maintenance chapter of your owner's manual, the maintenance section of the warranty guide, and the individual manuals for the appliances and the axles. Read all three, and where this page and your manual disagree, the manual is the one that counts. If you use the coach hard, full-time, or in extreme cold or heat, shorten the intervals rather than stretching them.

Sources

• Jayco Towable Owner's Manual, 2027, for the six month sealant inspection and the annual reseal, the wheel lug check and recheck schedule, the lug nut torque values, the weekly cold tire pressure check, the propane leak check at 5,000 miles or yearly and the DOT cylinder recertification, the monthly GFCI test, the generator exercise period, the monthly battery voltage check, the alarm test and cover cleaning, the water filter and sanitizing intervals, the storage checklist, and the roof snow and ice load figures.
• Keystone RV, Maintenance Requirements schedule, for the trailer brake interval of every 3 months or 3,000 miles, and the pre-trip and after-each-use task list.
• Trailer wheel bearings, for the Dexter interval of 12 months or 12,000 miles, the Lippert interval of 36,000 miles or 12 months, and the rule that E-Z Lube greasing does not replace bearing inspection.
• RV tire replacement, for the annual professional tire inspection and the six year replacement rule.
• Water heater not heating, for the yearly anode rod replacement and the relief valve operation at least once a year.
• Roof leak repair, for the sealant inspection interval and how the sealant is inspected and resealed.
• Delamination, for the exterior sealant inspection cadence makers set, including the three month inspection some warranties require.
• RV pre-trip walkaround, for the before-every-trip tasks this page links to rather than repeats.