Caravans are a significant investment, especially when coming equipped with all sorts of additional caravanning equipment and accessories. Regular maintenance of your caravan should be one of your priorities, since it pays off in a long run in terms of greater reliability and greater resale value. But taking care of your caravan is not enough, you should take care of every piece of caravanning equipment you have additionally bought. This way your caravan will look better, run better, last longer and have a bigger resale value if you ever decide to sell it. Most importantly, well maintained caravan and related equipment ensures superior safety for you and your family.
Try to create regular maintenance routine. Specify exactly what you are going to check and how often you will be performing maintenance checks. There are no general rules when it comes to caravan maintenance, only few important areas you must double check. However, here are few maintenance and care tips for the three most commonly used caravanning equipment.
Caravan Fridge: To keep your portable fridge cooling efficiently, there are few things you can do. For starters, a day or two before going on a trip, turn your fridge on at home temperature to allow it to cool down and achieve a constant temperature. Before turning it on in your caravan, make sure the air vents are clear of any obstructions. For more efficient dealing with excessive heat, you can install a 12V cooling fan as a fridge compartment.
12V Air Compressors: Many caravan owners have a 12V air compressor, but not many maintain them properly. Portable air compressors are not able to operate without lubricant or not enough lubricant, so you should regularly check the pump oil level, as well as change the oil as needed. Also, ensure the air filer element is in good condition and if not, replace it right away.
Folding Solar Panel: Folding solar panel is one of the most commonly used caravanning equipment. Maintaining it is crucial if you want it to remain functional and effective. Luckily, folding solar panels require very low maintenance, since they do not have moving parts that can breakdown or rust. Cleaning the dust is easy and simple, but crucial for long life of the solar panel. You can either wipe the dust using a cleaning kit or rinse the dust with a garden hose.