Mastering motorhome repairs: Essential DIY tips for basic maintenance
In all motorhomes, despite good servicing, there are always road repairs that need to be dealt with as you travel along.
Basic repairs in any motorhome depend to some degree on the necessary handyperson skills that are available, but quite a few repairs are easily achieved without too much skill being necessary. Indeed, if something is addressed in the early stages, there may be fewer problems later.
Tools
To do any basic repairs, it’s essential of course to carry a few tools. What gets carried depends to some degree on your handyperson skills, but the essential items are anything that requires a ‘special service tool’ that is something that can’t be found in a conventional set of screwdrivers, socket set and shifting spanners. I’d carry all those items plus pliers, a set of Allen keys and a utility knife. Consumable items that are useful for temporary repairs are WD-40, silicon spray, duct tape and plastic cable ties. For anyone who understands electrical circuits, a digital multimeter is a very handy device for not only checking 240V and 12V circuits but also 1.5V batteries.
Rattles and squeaks
Odd rattles and squeaks are much more common in motorhome travel compared to caravans. Some of these strange noises have an obvious cause and are easily fixed by putting a towel or cushion into the appropriate cupboard or drawer. Other noises can be trickier to track down and solve. One of the benefits of having seat-belted seats in the rear is that when you’re on the road someone can sit there with a listening ear and help identify the source. How that gets fixed is another matter entirely, but in some cases it’s a matter of tightening up door catches and hinges or it might be as simple as wedging a piece of cardboard somewhere.
Road and interior lights
One of the simpler jobs that can be attended to by just about anyone is changing light globes. Road lights are particularly important because they are a safety feature. Headlight globes are usually changed via the engine bay with a bit of fiddling around. Other lights, like taillight housings and surface-mounted lamps, usually require the light housing/cluster to be unscrewed from the vehicle body. Recent model motorhomes usually have LED lights but on older motorhomes, if an incandescent/halogen light globe is being replaced, it might be a good time to investigate energy-efficient LED fittings which also give more reliable service.
On the inside, most light fittings are 12V LED these days and give a good service life. Older motorhomes with halogen and incandescent fittings are more likely to need changing and with a little care that can be done quite easily.
Water tanks
Apart from leaks, there’s little that can go wrong with water tanks since they have few moving parts. The exception to this is the toilet cassette tank. Most of us just empty the cassette tank and give it a quick hose out. However, the occasional functional check and a bit of olive oil on the opening blades prevents the need for less pleasant fixes.
Regarding less pleasant items, grey water tanks can get obnoxiously smelly, which normally means the tank needs a good flush with clean water and treatment with an environmentally friendly chemical.
Electrics
Along with everything else, motorhome electrics are quite sophisticated and while that does mean there are a number of things that can go wrong, there are some items like 240V mains circuits that require trade skills to fix. Problems like 12V fuses blowing and faulty switches are easily tested using a digital multimeter. Extension power cords, although not strictly part of a motorhome, do require regular checking for insulation damage and poor plug/socket joints (usually indicated by melted plastic). Although most caravan parks have safe electrical switchboards, it might be a good idea to carry around a non-contact voltage tester. While it doesn’t measure voltage, it does indicate if there’s a dangerous voltage where it shouldn’t be!
Gas system
There isn’t much maintenance that can be done on the LP gas system. Filling the cylinders is a regular chore and the only other job is to check for leaks, the first clue normally being the smell. If a gas leak is suspected, then it’s best checked using soapy water and referred to a licensed person for repairs if there is a problem.
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