I attended a 3 hour basic maintenance class put on by Teresa Willis. There were four of us and it was a really thorough, comprehensive overview. We went over roof maintenance, tires, and the hitch system (from primarily a trailer perspective). We then did a deep dive into the RV systems beginning with the electrical system. I am interested in understanding how to manage the power usage in order to boondock and so this was extremely helpful. I learned that some components, like the water pump run completely off the 12 volt coach battery. The shore power, 120 volts is definitely required to run the AC. Some simple mathematics shows you why. My motorhome is a 30 Amp so when I plug into 120 volts, I get 3600 watts. The AC needs 2400 to run so the minimum would be 20 Amp and that would be dicey. That is why we turn off the AC before running the microwave which uses over 1500 Amp. A chart of the typical power requirements was included in the class outline. I have a much deeper understanding of the electrical system after talking it through with the class.
The water systems were next and we talked about some of the important products that you use to maintain these systems. We plan to work with Teresa to learn how to use a air compressor to winterize our unit rather than the traditional anti-freeze “pink stuff.” The appeal of that is that when you are ready to use your unit, it is ready to go and there is no anti-freeze that needs to be cleaned out.
The class continued on by covering the propane system, the appliances such as the refrigerator, AC unit, and furnace. She also covered when to replace the carbon dioxide, LP, and smoke detectors. We talked about the importance of the fire extinguisher, performing a propane leak test and how she tests for a Hot Skin Condition (a rare but dangerous situation where the RV body has become electrified). Hot skin can happen if you nail something to the wall and the nail contacts any of the RV electrical system.
If you are new to owning an RV or even like me, just need to advance your understanding, a class like this can be a great experience.
This is her business-Sparkle Adventures and she received her training here-RV School.